Country Girls: Okay, Finally, Here It Is-The Greatest Chili In the History of the World

A few weeks ago I was watching Food Network. The boys must have been asleep if I was allowed to turn the TV to anything but the 16 Nickelodeon or 23 Disney channels that we have. While I was watching Food Network, Nigella Lawson's show Nigella Bites or Nigella Express, I don't remember which. Nigella Lawson is a British cook. She is not a chef. Apparently she hates it when people say she is a chef. She says she is someone who just likes to cook.

During this episode, Nigella was making some sort of chili "casserole" type dish. It was a very dark and thick chili topped with a cornbread topping. I watched her make this dish. The chili looked great. Until she added the cornbread topping. It was a sweetened cornbread with cinnamon and cardamom in it. I thought that sounded gross to the extreme. Like I said though, the chili sounded great, so, the next day, it was pretty cool out and I made that chili. What? your asking. What does temperature have to do with chili? I don't make chili or soup after the weather warms up. It's just something I can't do, just like grill out when it's cold. Eating hot stuff that's meant to warm you up when it's 127 degrees outside just doesn't do it for me.

So, I made this chili. It was different than I usually make my chili but it was quite delicious. I think I stated on Facebook something like it was the greatest chili in the history of the world. I have a remarkable way with words, do I not?

Anyway, this is what the chili looked like.......

This is in the pot cooking. If you look to the side of the pot you can see that it has reduced a lot. That's what you want.

And we already know what it tasted like............

Meaning, you're going to be this excited about this chili when you taste it, except maybe you're hair is going to have been cut and your skin won't be so red unless you've dropped some of the chili on you. But you really are going to be this excited, I promise.
Here is the recipe............

~~Nigella Lawson~~ BKCMom's Chili Con Carne

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili flakes, optional (completely dependant on your fondness for spice. I skipped it.)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 red peppers, seeded and finely diced (I used green)
1 pound ground beef
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup canned red kidney beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

Heat the oil in a very large kettle or dutch oven and fry the onion and garlic until it begins to soften. Add the chili, coriander, cumin, and stir well.

Add the peppers then break up the ground beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns. Add the chopped tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste, and broth stirring to make a rich red sauce. When the chili starts to boil sprinkle over the cocoa and stir it in. Add the beans and simmer partially covered for 1 1/2 hours. At this point you can cool and freeze the chili, or just keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Now, I didn't have the instructions when I made this chili. I made it the next day and guessed at a lot. The first strange thing about this recipe is that you don't drain the meat. If the fat grosses you out, use ground sirloin. Second, I didn't use coriander because I don't use coriander for anything else and don't keep it. I used some curry powder instead which lent a very earthy flavor to the chili. Third, let this cook a long time. It gets very dark brown and very thick. It also might require additional spices, as some of the flavor cooks out from the spices. I added some extra cumin, curry, and more cocoa, probably close to 1/4 cup total. The cocoa is not sweet so it doesn't lend any sweetness to the chili, just a dark flavor in the background that you never quite figure it out unless you know the recipe. I also used 1/2 a box of beef broth, about 2 cups, and let it cook down a long time. Smoosh the ground beef with the back of a wooden fork or spoon while it cooks to break it up very finely. I, for one, don't like big chunks of beef. .

Now, Nigella made this into a "casserole" type dish by chilling it in the frig overnight then topping it with a thin cornbread topping. This isn't my thing. Instead I made some very delightful mini cornbread muffins.

For this recipe, I'm going to make a confession, it's straight off the back of the yellow Martha White yellow corn meal bag. It is very, very good. I am not including it here because I have faith in your ability to either google it or look on the back of the bag. That and I'm lazy. That's just how I roll.

And now for the balsamic glazed peas that I was unable to stop eating Saturday when I made them.

Balsamic Glazed Peas

2 cups sugar snap peas, frozen or lightly steamed if fresh
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large frying pan, brown the bacon. Usually when I make this recipe, I also throw in half an onion, finely chopped and let it fry with the bacon. Remove the bacon and onions if you use them but keep the fat in the pan. Add the balsamic and the sugar and whisk to mix. Allow it to start to cook and toss in the peas. Cook until the liquid is virtually gone. Then enjoy because they are DELICIOUS. Use frozen sugar snaps if you have to, just toss them in frozen and allow them to cook and glaze at the same time.

This is how you're going to feel after you eat these peas. Pretend the plate in front of him is filled with peas instead of pancakes stuffed with vanilla pastry cream and topped with strawberries and whipped cream. I'm sure he would have been equally exited if that were the case. (Check out the pictures in the background, on my wall. I don't think one of them is straight. That was during the boys' climbing on the back of the couch and jumping off phase. I don't think I've straightened them up since them.)

And just because I can and really want to.......