Super Bowl Chili

 

Yesterday’s Super Bowl did not end well for Boston.  The party I attended was going strong all evening, but promptly broke up when the Patriots lost the game.  Everyone went home depressed and sullen – the dreams of a perfect season crushed by one lousy touchdown. I, too, was lamenting perfection’s elusiveness.  A loyal Browns fan to the core, I wasn’t very upset by the Patriots’ defeat, although I would have preferred their victory.  My thoughts, however, were focused on my Super Bowl chili, which while tasty, was far from perfect. 

 

I wanted to make a meaty chili using sausage and ground beef.  My mother’s recipe from The New Basics Cookbook has always been a favorite of mine, so I decided to break my moratorium on new cookbook purchases for this special occasion.  Unfortunately, my results were far inferior to my mother’s.  The recipe expects you to brown the beef after sweating the onions, which definitely did not work for me.  There was way too much liquid in the pan, causing the beef to steam and never caramelize.  I also ran out of chili powder in the middle of the recipe, and was forced to haphazardly throw in spices and hope for the best.  The results were palatable enough, but I knew I could do better.

 

Below is the recipe I will use the next time I make chili.  I took the idea of making a spice paste from a 1998 Cook’s Illustrated recipe, which completely omits all ground beef, instead favoring 1-inch cubes of chuck.  Alex is lobbying for me to replace the sausage with cubed beef, and has one year to convince me before I make chili for Super Bowl XLIII: Browns v. Patriots. 

 

Update — my brother informs me that the Browns will never play the Patriots in the Super Bowl because they are both in the AFC.  I guess I’ll be making chili for the championship game.

 

Super Bowl Chili:

 

3 medium Ancho chili pods

3 medium New Mexico Chili pods

2 tbs cumin seeds, toasted in a skillet and ground

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 lbs ground beef chuck¼ cup olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped5 cloves garlic, minced

6 jalapeño peppers, minced

2 red bell peppers, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, drained

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

 

Toast Ancho and New Mexico chili pods in a 350 degree oven until they become fragrant and puffed, about 6 minutes.  Mix with cumin, oregano, cinnamon and ½ cup of water to form a thick paste. Set aside.

 

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside and drain off any extra fat.  Brown the ground chuck and set aside.

 

Place oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeños and cook until they begin to soften, about one minute. Add chili paste about, 2 –

3 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook until begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add beef, wine, drained tomatoes, parsley and sausage and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.