Houston…we have CHILI!!

One night last week I went to bed thinking about a big bowl of chili. I mean I wasn’t just thinking about it – I could almost taste and smell it! Over the last few days the thought of chili became an obsession. I like Peruvian food generally (except for ceviche) and appreciate Maribel’s cooking but there are times when I would like a change. I imagine myself perusing the menu at Texas Roadhouse or Red Lobster or Dave’s Famous Chili and nearly start salivating. Today was the day to do something about it.

Back in the States I used to make some damn fine chili if I say so myself, so decided to see how close I could come in Chiclayo. The only ingredient I couldn’t find was canned kidney beans. I thought maybe a can of pork n’ beans might work if I added them late in the cooking process so they wouldn’t get mushy. To compensate for the extra tomato paste I added one less can of pure paste than I normally would.

Now I suppose you want to know my recipe. It’s simple…cook all this stuff together in a pot. Well, ya gotta brown the meat first of course and don’t let it form chunks. I add the onions to the meat immediately and the mushrooms after a few minutes. Next comes the tomato paste and then the condiments. Look out for that Sazonador…the stuffs got a bite to it! Next time I’ll use one tablespoon instead of two. Besides the stuff shown I added ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Last I added the pork n’ beans and let the whole shebang simmer for about ten minutes. I like to add elbow macaroni to individual servings, which of course is cooked separately.

And here you are…a pot of chili that looks and tastes very close to what I had been salivating about. A couple of times while we were eating lunch I got a little giddy and was close to shouting ‘praise de Lord!’ but I think I can be excused for that. No more dreams or obsessing over chili…I can have it any time I want, including dinner tonight.

Tom