Chili con Carne

[Jaymes]

I made the "Cafe Annie" chili recipe last night.

It was so good that I thought I'd thank Terrie again, and drag this thread back up to prominence, now that true Chili Weather is here.

[Jaymes]

In the South, we eat "Chili and Eggs."

I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics.

This is standard fare for "breakfast" at three in the morning when everyone arrives in your kitchen after a night of partying too hearty. And if you make it with canned chili, you can keep all the ingredients on hand. Of course canned chili is not as good as homemade, but believe me, a bunch of hungry drunks are not the pickiest of critics.

It is also good for brunch. And, it makes a quick and easy supper.

There are two main ways to fix it:

First (and prettiest and most elegant) is that you scramble up a bunch of eggs using your preferred recipe. (I think the best scrambled eggs method is to just scramble them WITHOUT any additional liquid, until you reach the penultimate moment, when the eggs are just about set, but still wet. THEN you stir in some cream to finish. But whatever, make yourself some scrambled eggs.)

In a separate pot, heat your chili.

On your plate, put a nice big helping of scrambled eggs, and ladle some chili over. Garnish with chopped onions and grated cheese and serve with either biscuits or cornbread or toast with butter and honey or jam alongside.

Second method: start scrambling your eggs in a big skillet. As they are about halfway set, pour in your chili and continue scrambling until set.

This method is not so pretty, not so elegant, but easier and still very tasty and you only have one pan to wash.

Garnish as described above.

I know y'all Yankees are thinking that this sounds yuck. Well, it ain't.

[Jinmyo]

Jaymes, could one not plate the eggs atop the chili instead?

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, could one not plate the eggs atop the chili instead?

No - think of wet dish atop "soaking up" item.

Stroganoff atop noodles, other stuff atop rice.

The chili is the wet, and the eggs are the base. Kind of like the chili is the "sauce" for the scrambled eggs.

EDIT: And, I want to add that if yours is the kitchen in which everyone winds up hungry in the wee hours of the morning after partying all night, "Chili & Eggs" will make you an absolute legend!!!

[Dave the Cook]

Your way sounds much easier than mine, Jaymes, and much more workable is the cook is also inebriated.

But here is another way to do it:

Put the chili in a wide, flat, non-stick pan. It needs to be a pretty liquid chili, so you might have to add water or stock to give it some fluidity. I usually have some chile puree in the freezer, which I mix half-and-half with chicken or beef stock. Heat the chili until it starts to bubble a little and stir to get it warmed through, maintaining a decent but non-aggressive simmer.

Break an egg into a custard cup or ladle bowl. Dip the egg down into the chile so the egg sits in a depression in the chili. Repeat for as many eggs as you like. Cover the pan and let the eggs poach in the chili. Don't let the yolks set. You may need to spoon some hot liquid over the whites to get them to cook quickly enough.

When the white is set, lift the egg and some of the surrounding chili with a wide, flat spoon, and place in a shallow soup bowl. Add more chili as necessary. Garnish with the chopped green part of a scallion.

The yolk running through the chili is a novel and surprisingly rich effect.

[Jaymes]

Yum. I'll try that for absolute sure.

But suspect that the subtlety would be wasted on a crowd of hungry drunks in one's kitchen at three in the morning.

I used to have hungry drunks in my kitchen at three in the morning several times a month.

I rarely have hungry drunks in my kitchen at three in the morning anymore.

Okay, never.

Must do something about that.

[Lyle]

I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes....

[Jaymes]

I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes....

Really????

[Sandra Levine]

I almost always serve chili with a fried egg on top (runny yolk critical) sprinkled with greated cheese, cheddar by preference, and some chopped onions. Maybe this is the northern variation?

[Dave the Cook]

I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes....

Really????

It may be a Southeast/Southwest thing.

Many of my Southern colleagues (I'm in Atlanta) came to chili only by way of a carpetbagger such as myself. They didn't grow up with chili the way they grew up with greens, ham, biscuits and barbecue. Most of them now regret the oversight.

[Jaymes]

I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes....

Really????

It may be a Southeast/Southwest thing.

Many of my Southern colleagues (I'm in Atlanta) came to chili only by way of a carpetbagger such as myself. They didn't grow up with chili the way they grew up with greens, ham, biscuits and barbecue. Most of them now regret the oversight.

Well, maybe it's a "Texas thang."

That's one problem with having moved around my entire life - I'm never exactly sure from which part of my heritage this stuff comes.

[Jinmyo]

Jaymes, could one not plate the eggs atop the chili instead?

No - think of wet dish atop "soaking up" item.

Stroganoff atop noodles, other stuff atop rice.

The chili is the wet, and the eggs are the base. Kind of like the chili is the "sauce" for the scrambled eggs.

EDIT: And, I want to add that if yours is the kitchen in which everyone winds up hungry in the wee hours of the morning after partying all night, "Chili & Eggs" will make you an absolute legend!!!

I see. So then rather a small quantity of chili to eggs? So that the eggs are visible still?

And no, that's not my kitchen. But the next time I make chili I'll think about serving scrambled or fried eggs with it.

Thanks.

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, could one not plate the eggs atop the chili instead?

No - think of wet dish atop "soaking up" item.

Stroganoff atop noodles, other stuff atop rice.

The chili is the wet, and the eggs are the base. Kind of like the chili is the "sauce" for the scrambled eggs.

EDIT: And, I want to add that if yours is the kitchen in which everyone winds up hungry in the wee hours of the morning after partying all night, "Chili & Eggs" will make you an absolute legend!!!

I see. So then rather a small quantity of chili to eggs? So that the eggs are visible still?

And no, that's not my kitchen. But the next time I make chili I'll think about serving scrambled or fried eggs with it.

Thanks.

I wouldn't say a "small" quantity of chili to eggs. If you, for example, say that you've got "one part" scrambled eggs then you'd have about "2/3rds part" chili.

The best thing to do is to get your plate, put a generous serving of scrambled eggs onto it, and then ladle a fairly generous serving of chili over. Garnish with your onions and shredded cheese, and keep your chili pot at the simmer.

That way, if you think you need a little more chili, you can just add it until you get your proportions exactly right.

Jin - I do hope you try this. I'm very eager to hear what you think. It's really traditional down home cooking. Nothing fancy, but hearty and warm and comfortable. I often served it in a BIG cast iron skillet. I'd scramble up the eggs in the skillet, and then ladle the hot chili over, sprinkle with the chopped onions and cheese, and set the whole thing on a trivet in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. I had a big coffee table in those days, and sometimes we'd all sit crosslegged on the floor around that coffee table with the cast iron skillet in the middle, and a basket of biscuits with hot butter and honey or molasses.

Very casual, very congenial. A fire in the fireplace. Good friends.

Some of the best evenings that I can recall.

[Dave the Cook]

I almost always serve chili with a fried egg on top (runny yolk critical) sprinkled with greated cheese, cheddar by preference, and some chopped onions.  Maybe this is the northern variation?

I think only the cheddar is Northern, or maybe Eastern. West of the Mississippi, you're more likely to find some kind of Jack, or even queso fresco.

The rest is just your good taste.

[Jinmyo]

Jaymes, we'll see what happens. I rarely make this kind of food for others but I might for myself. Beanless chili, of course of course.

[Shermar]

Have you tried Wick Fowler's chili mix? It has separate packets for the various herbs and spices, including the salt so you can leave it out. It's not bad. Main thing is, make chili the day before: let it sit overnight for sure.

I use the Wick Fowler mix but I seriously season the meat with adobo, chopped onions, minced garlic(alot) and jalapenos. It is better the next day but there are rarely leftovers. There's a native Texan in my household who loves it!

[gknl]

There's a hamburger place in LA, some chain I can't remember the name of right now, that does a chili-cheese-egg (with runny yolk) burger that was amazing.

And yes, it was at 3 am and there had been alcohol consumption (back in the good old days).

[Andy Lynes]

I generally take a great deal of care with my cooking, but when it comes to chilli con carne, I rely on what I am sure is an entirely generic and badly anglosized version of the dish: little more than some fried onion, chilli, diced beef, tinned tomato, tinned kidney beans, maybe a little stock and some seasoning, cooked for an hour or so and served with boiled rice. Not stunning is it? Can you help with your tried and trusted recipes?

[Stone]

"some seasoning." That's like saying that making a good Indian curry involves meat, tomatoes, onion, yoghurt and "some seasoning." It's all in the seasoning.

I find that a dash or two of worcestershestershire sauce is helpful to create complex flavor without being obvious. A bit of molasses or brown sugar may help (i've never tried).

Edited December 15, 2002 by Dstone001 (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Try adding some chiles. Hence the name, "chili con carne"

Chop up a few serranos, jalapenos, or if you have balls, some habaneros or jamaican scotch bonnets and throw them in the pot with everything else. I'd add some smoked, dried chile pepper as well (chipotle, pasilla, whatever you got)

Then add a touch of cinnamon and a square or two of dark unsweetened baking chocolate. No joke. A dash of cumin.

Serve this with the pan griddle cornbread w/bacon discussed earlier in the week. Cut off a square of the cornbread and ladle the chili over it. Oh man.

[Jinmyo]

Smoked chiles. Toasted ground cumin seeds. Dry oregano at the beginning and more at the end or fresh.

[Stone]

Then add a touch of cinnamon and a square or two of dark unsweetened baking chocolate. No joke.

Very good suggestion. A friend of mine made some great chili, it took a while before I guessed cinnamon -- he had to tell me about the chocolate.

[Jason Perlow]

typical seasoning components for mole poblano. Works great in chili.

[Sandra Levine]

Instead of the unseetened chocolate, you may want to try unsweetened cocoa power. It's easier to control. You want it in there, but you don't want to be able to identify the taste. Don't forgo the cumin.

If you use beans, pinto beans work better than kidney beans.

[Nick]

Well, like in the pea soup thread, i don't have anything written down.

Start with a dry bean you like. I use Pintos or Kidneys, or most of the time a mixture of both. Pick out any little scraps on bean pod or earth and wash them til they're clean. When you're done washing, take the beans out of the washing bowl by hand. You'll notice that dirt remains in the bowl that would have gone into the cooking if the whole had been poured into the pot.

I don't soak beans overnight. I bring them to a boil and let sit a hour. Most of the time I pressure cook the beans for 15-20 minutes (probably too long) with a piece of good smoked bacon end, a little bit of onion, sometimes a tiny bit of garlic, and usually some cumin seed.

For the meat, I almost always use chuck. I buy a whole or half chuck at Fulton's shop and cut it into slices about 1# a piece. I don't buy a chuck at Fulton's unless I see a really good one. I put it into 1# pieces because I usually cook a pound of dry beans. One pound of meat to one pound of beans works good.

From there on, it's a toss-up. The way I do the most is saute onions, peppers, and garlic in evoo. Take them out and add the cut-up pieces of chuck. I cut the chuck fairly fine as it expands when cooking. Also, after I have the chuck cut up, I sprinkle it with salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Good chili powder.

Brown the chuck and then add some tomato sauce and cook a little longer. Can add cut up tomatos if you want. Then put back in the onion, etc. you took out earlier. Cook a little bit and mix around so the flavors get into everything. More spices if you want. Cumin, allspice, oregano (definitely oregano), and whatever.

Put the beans and some of their cooking liquid in. Cook until you're happy with it. Add spices as desired ("correct the seasoning".) If it's too thin add masa harina to thicken.

Not the most concise recipe. Off the top of my head.

Edit: Now everyone can get an idea of my typing skills. When I started this there were no other posts.

Edited December 15, 2002 by Nickn (log)