"Chili con Caffé" for Secret Recipe Club

When we received our assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club, the blog from which we needed to choose and make a recipe, we were a little intimidated. You see, we have followed and admired Authentic Suburban Gourmet for some time, and you will understand why once you take a look at that blog, with its plethora of intriguing recipes, unique style, and gorgeous photographs. It's the kind of blog we strive for ours to become, and its author, Lisa, is the kind of fellow foodie we love to follow.

We spent hours going through Lisa's countless recipes trying to find just one. We especially love her series of "Friday Night Bites," a wide array of fabulous snacks and appetizers perfect for entertaining. And we have bookmarked plenty of those, we can tell you. But as we looked ahead to the busy, and according to the local weather report, "chilly" week ahead, we had to go with one of her "chili" recipes. But which one?

Having judged a couple of chili contests for the International Chili Society, the argument over the inclusion of beans, while it amuses us, doesn't deter us from throwing them into our chili pot. While they scoff at "chili con carne" (of course it has meat, they insist, but it absolutely should not have beans!), we add not one but four kinds of beans into ours. But what really drew us toward one of Lisa's chilis was the secret ingredient...one that has proven its worth in another of our SRC recipes. That's why we're naming this particular dish "Chili con Caffé." Yup...there's coffee in that there chili! 

After doubling the recipe, we had a vat o' chili to eat for Sunday night dinner and a few school lunches after that. Plus some to share, of course. It was truly delicious, and perfect for these dark and cozy late autumn days. With the blend of meats, variety of beans, slight chipotle/hot sauce heat, and intriguing dark coffee notes, its had plenty of heartiness and depth of flavor. Thank you to Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet for sharing the recipe. It's a keeper!

Chili con Caffé

adapted from "Coffee Chili" on Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Ingredients:

2 pounds "meat loaf mix" of ground beef, ground veal and ground pork

2 onions, diced

2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 15-ounce cans black beans, undrained 

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

5-6 tablespoons chili powder

3-4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 cup your favorite salsa

2 chipotle peppers, chopped

Hot sauce (we like Cholula), kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

2 cups brewed coffee

Brown the ground meat in a large pot, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, then turn down heat and simmer for one hour. Serve with chips or cornbread with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream, cilantro, or any other of your favorite chili accoutrements.

UPDATE: Go HERE to see what Annie of Annie's Noms did with our recipe for Peppermint Bliss Bark.

On Judging the New England Regional Chili Cook Off

Last weekend, A Couple in the Kitchen got a first-hand glimpse into the culinary underbelly of the competitive chili world when we were offered the opportunity to be judges at the New England Regional Chili Cook Off.

The setting was a field in Somers, Connecticut, and it was the perfect 70-degree sunny spring day. The NERCC is a fund-raiser for the Somers fire department as well as a day to honor our nation's vets, and the organizers and sponsors were given awards for their efforts. Numerous tents and booths were set up, offering tastings of chili and other foodstuffs with a few craft booths selling their wares (jewelry, purses, and the like) in between. The scent of chili peppered the air and our stomachs grumbled in anticipation.

After a brief but informative orientation, we were told what time to return for the salsa judging (11:00 a.m.) at which point each judge was randomly handed a folder. Inside the folder was a judge's score sheet that indicated whether s/he was to judge Table A or Table B (the semi-finals) or Table F (the finals). Amy pulled a B, while Chris got the much-more-desired F, lucky guy!

With about a dozen judges per table, and more than a dozen offerings, it took Amy about 40 minutes to taste all the entries. Most of the salsas were fresca-style - made of chopped tomatoes and peppers with cilantro and other seasonings - although one stand-out was a pineapple-and-red-onion salsa. We were instructed to taste each one the exact same way: cleanse the palate, smell, taste, report, then repeat with the next batch. If you cleansed your palate with a sip of water or beer or a chip for one, you had to do the same with all of them, and you were allowed to go back and re-try any of them once you completed the table. The judge's report form had room for comments and a place to mark your  favorites - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. When Amy was done, she headed back into the light, mouth on fire and in need of a beverage, while Chris headed in shortly thereafter to judge the salsa finals.

When the salsa-judging was complete, we had a few hours of leisure time before it was time for our next task, judging the most-important-of-all red chilis (we skipped the green chilis for fear of filling up). Red chili is what the New England Regional Chili Cook Off, officially sanctioned by the International Chili Society, is all about! We were forewarned not to try any of the chilis at the festival beforehand in order to keep our palates clear for the judging. So while judging all of those salsas had whet our appetites, it wasn't easy to find non-chili foods at the chili cook off. Still we managed it, enjoying a delicacy called "Pig Candy" (candied bacon on a stick made by Bristol's "Pumpkin Roll Lady"), and another called, "Cheesy Balls" (pulled pork rolled in dirty rice, deep-fried and topped with cheese sauce, one of many offerings from B.T.'s Smokehouse of Sturbridge, MA). Both were what festival food is made of - gloriously and deliciously decadent in every way.

We spent some time with old friends at the Onyx Moonshine booth and enjoyed the company of new friend and fellow judge "George" while we waited for the red chili judging to commence. Finally it was time, and suddenly, there was an air of severity to the festivities. We met several World Chili Champions, including the current one Bob Plager, who were on site to judge the cook off. They all seemed happy to share some secrets - the inside scoop on the politics of the chili circuit (who knew?), differences in regional tastes, and tips on better judging, as well as their own champion recipes. Bob's secret ingredient? Two prunes!

This round, Chris pulled the semi-final folder, while Amy got the most envied spot of the day - judging the final table for red chili. So what were we looking for in a winning red chili, exactly? It's no secret, as the ICS makes it all quite clear on their website. First - what is considered a red chili? Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of beans and pasta which are strictly forbidden. Again, who knew? After that are the five judging criteria: First and foremost, of course, is the taste, or blend of flavors. Next is consistency, followed by aroma, color, and finally, bite (i.e. the spicy heat).  

Tasting the wide variances in each cup of both salsa and red chili was a truly eye-opening experience and we had such a fun time doing it. It was a fantastic day outside, we were surrounded by good food and foodies, and we loved every minute! Thanks to "Mad Mike," the organizer of the NERCC, for inviting us and we sure hope we get to do it again!

To find out more about the New England Regional Chili Cook Off (including a list of this year's winners), go here: http://www.chilict.com/

For more information about the International Chili Society, including cook off information, current and past World Champions, and award-winning recipes, go here: http://www.chilicookoff.com/

Chocolate Stout Chili

When two people cook a 4-pound spoon roast, there's bound to be leftovers. And when that particular spoon roast has been cooked in chocolate stout, those leftovers are destined for chili. We know that chili is all about creating layers of flavor and letting them simmer together, so we set out to do just that with chipotles, spices, tomatoes, dark cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, beef, beans and of course, the most important ingredient - Thomas Hooker Brewery Chocolate Truffle Stout. The fact that the beef had been cooked in the stout was just another added layer of flavor. It was a blustery cold weeknight, and the result was a chocolatey, deeply dark brown, and very spicy chili that made our noses run and our brows sweat. Can't stand that much heat? Leave out one (or both) of the chipotles.

Chocolate Stout Chili

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

1 28-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked beef, cut into bite-sized pieces (we used leftover spoon roast cooked in the chocolate stout)

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups chocolate stout (divided)

1/2 cup tomato puree

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic and chipotle peppers for 2-3 minutes stirring often, until onions start to brown and garlic becomes fragrant. Add chili powder, cumin, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and continuing to stir, cook for another 2 minutes so spices bloom. Stir in stewed tomatoes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well. Add the cocoa powder, beans and beef. Stir in the unsweetened chocolate until it melts. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate stout, turn heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours, stir in the additional 1/2 cup of chocolate stout and the tomato puree. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 1/2 hour and serve hot with a pint of chocolate stout to cool off with.