Chili Today and Hot Tamale

Today's New York Times had an article on Chili, which is the short name for Chili con Carne.  There are chili wars, and I confess to being a combatant, to wit, in my kitchen, there will never be vegetarian chili or turkey chili, because, well, it's not chili con carne.  I will give you venison or buffalo along with beef.  Hell, I might even give you turkey if you stalked it and shot it with a bow and arrow, as long as you made some chili with carne on the side.

The Times has two authentic recipes and one from the article's author, that I immediately put in the "not real chili" category.  Chili with sugar?  Coffee?  Turkey?  Chocolate?  Ye gods folks, we're not making turkey mole here (a respected recipe) but chili.  C H I L I !!

The weird thing is, the Times old cookbook from the sixties, edited by Craig Claiborne who knew a thing or two about cooking, had a most excellent chili recipe.  O.K., it called for a can of beans, which to my mind makes chili extra tasty (but not the Times' author's cannelini ) (sp?) i.e. white Italian beans.  NO no no.  Pinto beans or kidney beans are best.  And it you even think lima beans, well, you're hopeless.

It's not chili without red meat.  Repeat after me:  beef, venison or buffalo.  The Pepper Pod in Hudson Colorado served buffalo chili and buffalo burgers in my youth and perhaps still today.  It was excellent stuff.  So if you're paranoid about red meat try buffalo in your chili.  But ye gods, no chocolate or coffee or weird white beans.

I have an excellent chili recipe purported to come from Elizabeth Taylor which called for a little red wine and a tri-tip roast.  It was right on!

During a heated debate (about chili) in the Senate, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater  said Texas Chili tasted like the scrapings from the hen house floor.  Now there was a man passionate about chili. 

Consiglieri, a blogger, has reproduced the recipe.  He says he substitutes the beef with turkey, which you will cavalierly ignore.  Jeez.  consigliere's New York Times Chili

I can't find the Elizabeth Taylor recipe I was looking for on the web, which was the late lamented Chasen's recipes, but here is one that looks really good. Texas style chili 
For God's sake, make Southern corn bread (no white flour, not an iota of sugar and stone ground corn meal ) to serve with the chili.  

If I ever get 20 minutes and enough ambition, I'll published Elizabeth's.  I think the best chili probably comes from the LEAST PROCESSED ingredients.  Think about it, although I'll grant you your can of tomatoes.

Can't help being a purist, but I DID allow for beans.

Grapeshot

The 4 Day Vacation

Off to DC on Thursday morning with lunch and snacks in the cooler. The lunch was meatloaf sandwiches on whole grain bread, super-delicious with home made cookies, smoothies and Cape Cod potato chips, better than any fast food. Colder than a well digger's ass when we left, or 7 degrees. A cold drive, but sunny. We tore through New Jersey, only a little put out that the last of our Garden State Parkway token had expired last month. Whatchagonnado?

Cool hotel. One of those internet bargains. Right above the Metro, with two bars and a decent restaurant, and plenty of choices in the subway. We did breakfast in the hotel lobby at Starbucks.

We saw the Vietnam Memorial (very moving), Lincoln Memorial, Washington (hard to miss) and the World War II memorial. We spent a morning at the American Indian Museum, totally wonderful, and saw the artist Fritz Scholder's exhibit. We had a long familiarity with Scholder from the late lamented Elaine Horwich Gallery in Scottsdale. Great Stuff.

The also trekked to the National Gallery, a first for us, and it knocked our socks off. Everyone should really hie themselves to Washington and see what's there. You will be amazed. The Indian Museum had native foods in the cafeteria. I had buffalo chili on fry bread with lettuce, tomato and peppers, and it was superb. Used to eat buffalo chili at the Pepper Pod outside of Denver in Hudson, Colorado.

Walked our legs off and then walked some more. Weather totally decent yesterday and not bad on Friday.

So go. It's a great city. We rode the subway to dinner Saturday night. Found a wonderful bistro with great food and wine. Drove home today, with more good weather. How divine to have a break from our obstreperous winter. And cooking. Even blogging. Yup.

The Washington Mseums are free. How about them apples? Photos anon.

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Buffalo Burgers, Not Wings

New York Times today had an article in the food section about buffalo meat. The Pepper Pod, in Hudson, Colorado outside Denver served buffalo to locals and travellers. We used to eat both chili and burgers there, and it was delicious. They had a small herd of the beasts outside.
http://www.thepepperpod.com/index.htm

Alas and alack, the menu on the website has no mention of buffalo or even beefalo. Gone are the days. It's still a cozy place, but the Pepper Pod with no buffalo? Boston without beans? Buffalo without wings? Philly without cheese steak? Kansas City without BBQ?

I don't know what things are coming to.

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