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Updated Nov 6th, 2008
 Cooking
with Kristine Clark
Touchdown Chili
 Before we moved to Pasadena, I
had the same problem every year.
Our house in the foothills had limited
closet space, so I kept half of my
clothes in a cedar closet in the
garage. Twice a year the trick was to
guess which weather changes were
the true signals of the changing seasons
— summer to fall, or winter to
spring — and which were Mother
Nature’s little jokes designed to
trick me into sweaters and wool
slacks when it was going to be 90°
outside.
Every year I guessed wrong and
would trudge out to the garage to
retrieve clothes I was sure I wouldn’t
need again for months. I do
enjoy having walk-in closets now. I
keep all my clothes close together,
so I’m no longer at the mercy of Ms.
Nature.
Fall is a wonderful season. I
think it’s Scott’s favorite, mostly
because of football, but hearty
foods, such as chili, are another reason.
He has fond memories of
watching football games with his
dad while a pot of chili simmered on
the stove all afternoon.
Last week it really felt like fall
had arrived. Although I was still
barefoot, it was breezy, cloudy,
leaves fell and we had some rain. It
seemed like the perfect time for
chili. (Seemed is the operative
word!) I salivated just thinking
about a thick, hot and chunky bowl
of chili topped with a dollop of sour
cream. Scott was only too happy to
shop for the ingredients for
Touchdown Chili and had started
cooking before I woke up the next
morning. Talk about motivation!
Touchdown Chili was a hit.
The aroma wafting from the
kitchen promised a super bowl of
thick, stick-to-your-ribs goodness.
Promise kept. Served with
corn muffins enhanced with corn
kernels and diced chilies, dinner
could have gone into overtime if we
weren’t in training. We’ll be making
Touchdown Chili again soon even if
Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate
with the calendar. It’s a winner.
Touchdown Chili
Ingredients:
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2 Tbs. Olive oil
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1 lb. Yellow onion, diced
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1 Tbs. Canned Chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, minced
or more if you like.
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2 Tbs. Minced garlic
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2 lbs. Ground beef
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1/4 cup Chili powder
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2 Tbs. Ground cumin
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1 tsp. Salt
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1 tsp. Paprika
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4 shakes Tabasco sauce
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1 tsp. Dried oregano
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1 28-oz Can diced tomatoes in juice
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2-15 1/4 oz Cans kidney beans, drained
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1 12-oz Can of beer
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½ half Can tomato paste
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Sour Cream
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Grated cheddar cheese
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Green onions, chopped
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Fresh Cilantro, chopped
 Directions:
1. Heat oil in heavy, large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions; saute until brown. Add Chipotle pepper and garlic; saute
1 minute.
3. Add beef and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chile powder,
cumin, salt, paprika and Tabasco. Mix in tomatoes with juice, drained
beans, beer and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
4.Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until chili thickens and flavors
blend, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Can be made 2 days ahead.
Serve, passing bowls of sour cream, grated cheese, green onions and
cilantro.
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Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to
share with our readers?
If so, please write to Kristine at:
Outlook Newspaper, P.O. Box 578,
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91012
or e-mail it to:
outlooknews@earthlink.net |
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