Lessons Learned

Now that we are up to the 32nd state, a note should be made about a few cooking lessons learned from this experience.

Lessons I have learned from Geoff:

(1) Prepare (chop, measure, etc.) all the ingredients prior to beginning the actual cooking. This is, of course, something all good cooks know, but I am always ready to just dive right in and turn on the burner with the Dutch oven and oil ready to sizzle without having the ingredients ready to put in there. I feel like I'm saving time. Anyone who watches the Food Network would know this, right? Well, we don't have cable tv, so I had to learn the hard way.

(2) Read through the recipe the night before. This way you know if you were supposed to soak the beans overnight, or if you will be cooking this chili for 5 hours!! It also helps when Ted asks when the chili will be ready. A question he always asks.

Well, actually I thought I learned this lesson but made a mess of a zucchini and goat cheese bread yesterday when I realized that I was supposed to add the zucchini and cheese before I kneaded it. It happens when there is a recipe inside another recipe that always gets me.

(3) Know your oven/stovetop. You can't just cook that garlic for 2 minutes if it is clearly ready in 1 minute.

Lesson I'm trying to teach Geoff:

Clean up as you go along. Well, since he isn't part of the clean-up process, he just doesn't get it. I'm just grateful that he's such a good cook!! So I'm not complaining.

Chili of the Garden State--New Jersey*

New Jersey is known for its tomatoes so this chili had lots of them--crushed canned, fresh Jersey tomatoes, and oil-packed sun-dried. This was a vegetarian chili and really did Jersey justice. Ted said it was the first thing I've said good about New Jersey. Not true. I only make fun of Jersey drivers.

The option to add jalapeno peppers or green jalapeno powder created a bit of a controversy. Even Geoff wouldn't go all the way. We compromised by using half the amount of jalapeno powder. Geoff liked the fact that the sweetness came from carmelizing the veges rather than by adding sugar.

It was garnished with grated cheddar, sour cream, and crushed Saltines. That's right. They do still make Saltines. (Remember when you were in elementary school and you made butter by passing the jar around for everyone to shake and then tasted it on Saltines?) Anyway, we enjoyed this chili with Oktoberfest Spaten Munich beer. Delicious! The chili scored a 3.67.

*Chili Nation, Page 98.

"Yankee Bean Pot Chili"* -- New Hampshire

You may wonder what type of chili a state like New Hampshire might concoct. It's not a state you would associate with a chili dish. Well, there is a good reason for your apprehension because it didn't seem like the authors of the book were really able to discover any recipes or type of ingredients that could do it either.

First of all, we agreed that Yankee Bean Pot Chili shouldn't really be considered chili. It should definitely be in the category of baked beans. On top of that, it wouldn't be a recipe I would use for baked beans either! Second, the 2 cups of barbecue sauce, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of molasses put it way over the top for sweetness. I found myself trying to avoid the sweet-tasting area of my tongue while chewing!

There were two factors that didn't redeem the recipe (I still ate the whole bowl, but then I have an appetite you wouldn't believe) but are worth mentioning. First, the meat in the recipe was a hunk of salt pork that cooked with the beans for 6 hours. The pork that I took off of that was unbelievable. Second, it did have a nice spicy aftertaste from the 8 dried whole ancho chile peppers.

All in all, the chili only rated a 1.91, not worthy of ever making again as a chili or baked beans. We were glad we had Bass lager pale ale to wash it down.


*Chili Nation, p.95

"Cowboy Poetry Chili"* -- Nevada

We didn't know what to expect with this chili. It was the first time ground lamb was used as the main ingredient. On the other hand, two of our favorite ingredients, tomatillos and green jalapeno powder, made it promising. The results were a pleasant surprise. Slightly toasted garlic bread cubes garnished this soupy chili and it was unanimous that the bread was a key to its success. The spice factor was perfect, even for our sweet-loving  member of the panel.

If you are curious about the name of this chili and why it is Nevada's, you'll have to check out the book. We gave the chili a 3.3 and had it with Magic Hat lager from Vermont.

P.S. Geoff made my favorite chili so far for his friends at their yearly gathering in the Poconos. "Mardi Gras Vegetable Chili**" from Louisiana found a use for all those dried California chiles as he tripled the recipe. Sounded like I'm not the only one who loved this chili!

*Chili Nation, page 93.
**Chili Nation, page 65.

Equipment

It just so happened that a recent purchase of a food processor, a La Creuset Dutch oven, and a cast iron skillet all by chance coincided with the birth of this project. The food processor makes an awesome puree of dried chiles that have been soaking in boiling water in an instant. The Dutch oven makes cleanup a breeze. And the cast iron skillet survived the accidental mess of keeping the water boiling way past the time when there was water in it!!

Arizona's "Sonoran Pork, Poblano, and Cream Cheese Chili"* introduced us to the green jalapeno powder we had to get through mail order. We loved the way the spice factor had a bite but didn't linger. It earned a 3.5.

I'm not going to go through all the chili recipes we made up to Nebraska, but would like to mention the fact that we were going to try to find the best cornbread recipe by experimentation to accompany the chilis. We've been unsuccessful so far. We found a spoon bread that had a nice flavor but didn't like the custard texture.

We learned that an unusual garnish can make or break a recipe. Anything from Frito corn chips to Terra vegetable chips to oyster crackers to horseradish pickles (this one broke the dish) to chow mein noodles to raw pumpkin seeds all lent an added touch.
___________
*Page 24, Chili Nation.

Ingredient Panic

First week was "Chili a la Whistle Stop"* from Alabama. All went smoothly, although it rated only a 2.

However, next week, "Line Camp Chili and Biscuits"** from Alaska called for dried chipotle chiles and dried ancho chiles, which required some panic and scouring around the Main Line/Philadelphia area to find. This prompted us to look ahead at other ingredients we might have trouble finding. What we did discover after checking EVERYWHERE for things like green jalapeno powder and dried California chiles that the Internet was the place to go. We will soon get a feel for how many ounces to order (it's hard to judge). One large box arrived around Valentines Day beautifully presented with purple shredded filler and a lovely box (I thought I was getting a Valentine gift!) It also contained enough California chiles to last all year.

Alaska chili, by the way, earned the top rating--4.

*Page 18, Chili Nation.
**Page 21, Chili Nation.

Nebraska--Church Supper Chili Mac and Cheese (page 89, Chili Nation)

This Friday night chili had to be good. Walking up the sidewalk after a long work week, I could smell the chili already in process. Geoff had almost finished by the time I came home to crack a beer and sit down to enjoy. Since I will be doing a bit of backtracking to explain this project, I must explain that every Friday we not only try a new recipe but also try a new beer to go with it. Brooklyn Lager was perfect.

Our expectations for this chili weren't particularly high. After all, chili made with ground beef and served over mac and cheese?  But it earned a 3.0 out of 4. The major complaint was that the barbeque sauce made it too sweet. Of course, our sweet lover Ted thought that was what made it good. Which brings us to the problem with rating by only 3 people. We have the spicy lovers, the sweet lovers, etc. We still come up with a final score, but explain in our notes who rated it how and why.

Geoff will be gone on a vacation this week. It will be our first Friday night in 29 weeks without chili. But that will give me some time to catch you up on what has already happened (won't bore you with too many details!).