OT: recipe questions

Can't help as I'm a very simple cook- yeah, and I cook simple meals, too! LOL- but how does one make chili con carne without tomatoes? Ya got me on that one...

Leslie (stumped) & The Furbabies in MO.

Smile. Darn, there I was thinking "that was fast for a reply" :-)

I know, I know, I was debating whether to expand on that. Totally cooked to death tomatoes on the odd occasion are okay. So there will be tomatoes in the chili :-)

Hanne in DK

Howdy!

Veggies. Veggies, veggies, veggies for starters or in-betweens, please. I can't imagine a meal w/out veggies, raw or cooked (lightly steamed); you've got a lot of starch/carbs there. Cornbread & rice? & cookies/cake? definitely calls for some veggies... make-ahead: Crudités (Raw Vegetable Platter)

some cheese, esp. cheddar for the chili. Good luck! Hope you have a good dinner party.

R/Sandy- > I've got company coming for dinner on Tuesday - usually only cooking

In my defence, I'd skip the rice, but I'm not sure if everyone here will like cornbread. I might skip the cornbread instead. And there are veggies on the side for the chili too (running the risk of getting slammed by chili purists here).

Crudites is a good idea, or maybe a salad.

And I now know that rice is not a universally standard accompaniment to chili. When I'm just myself, I usually have with a slice of whatever bread is around, but that seem a little haphazard for a special occasion.

Hanne in DK

How 'bout over pasta? One of our restaurant chains offers Chili several ways, and one is over spaghetti!

rusty

Hi Hanne,

My invitation seems to have been lost in the mail. Would you please send another? Thanks.

Nachos. Not just chips or chips with cheese sauce slathered on top, but REAL nachos.

Preheat oven to 325=B0F Line a baking sheet (pizza pan) with aluminum foil (to aid cleanup later) Cover the pan with a single layer of large thick (round or triangular) corn chips On each chip, put a dollop of refried beans On top of the beans, put a hot pepper ring and/or a few black olive slices Sprinkle all with grated cheddar, jack, or pepper cheese Sprinkle all lightly with cayenne pepper sauce (like Franks Louisiana Hot Sauce) Bake until cheese melts (about 10 - 20 minutes)

You're welcome,

Doc (Doc knows food)

Fresh melon and parma ham

Smoked salmon... Ok, strike that, but it is good!

Crudities amd aioli...

Cornbread is simplicity itself! Just use the recipe on the round cornmeal container. I bake mine in a 10" cast iron skillet, and when it comes out of the oven I slice it into wedges and put the skillet (on a trivet) on the table. Try this recipe this weekend, and freeze the leftovers. In the event you don't like the cornbread, get a couple of bags of oyster crackers or very fresh saltines to put in a big bowl for the table.

I would skip the rice completely, and skip the cake and the ice cream, too. If you really feel you need a "real" dessert, serve ice cream and cookies with coffee -- a nice counter to spicy chili. And since this is a chili dinner (which is by definition rather informal), skip an appetizer/starter and have a nice large plate of raw veggies on the table. Just have a beer or soda pop for folks when they arrive, and then proceed to the dinner table. A small bowl of chopped onions on the table will be welcomed, and some sliced cheese (ordinary American) for people to add to their chili, and butter for the cornbread (no butter if you serve crackers instead).

I'd be inclined to do a small salad. Actually, if you're doing such things as chopped onion and shredded cheddar on the side for the chili, you could just make some more side bits, such as chopped tomatoes for those who aren't allergic, maybe chopped green onion, a bit of chopped mushroom, then serve small bowls of lettuce as salad, with the option to add whatever bits you like to your lettuce.

--pig

This is going to be tricky since I see that you are a UK quilter. My best favorite for chili is to accompany it with hush puppies. Since you're dealing with a 'new to you' oven and I don't know if there's such a thing in the freezer section of your grocery, that may not be possible. However - they are: mostly just cornbread and only have to be heated in the oven. Learning to make hushpuppies properly is not an adventure you'd want to attempt with company coming, how about Fritos? Once again, attempting to cross the Atlantic - corn chips? Some like to sprinkle them on a bowl of chili, some prefer to use them as a sort of bread. Either is really good. And, aside from rice or pasta, chili is simply grand on top of a baked potato. I kind of cringe at the the thought of a raspberry dish after chili. I'm thinking chocolate. Cool. Soothing to the tongue. Well, you knew that. Polly

I'm with you on this pig. Perfect. So is anyone going to help her with the difference in sweet and not so sweet cornbread or is the sweet kind just not talked about by real pros on the subject?

Hey pig, how is your foot doing? Any luck on the job hunt? TAria

Oh, oh, so many ideas and other comments.

I think I might do either melon with parma, crudites or a mix-your-own salad (except at least one guest just doesn't care for salad). Nachos sounds tempting too.

I'm in Denmark now, which means that getting hold of American food stuff (as in the style - there are certainly exported rice, flour, peanutbutter etc here) is hard. Nothing cornbread based anywhere :- ( BTW, I know I like cornbread, just the guests I'm not sure about :-)

Well, thanks for the comments, keep going, and I'll keep checking.

Hanne > I'm with you on this pig. =A0Perfect. =A0 So is anyone going to help

I make cornbread from scratch, and throw in a pinch of cinnamon. Also, I use some corn in it. If the corn is creamed corn, use it to substitute for [most of] the liquid, of just add about 1.5 cups of kernel corn to the batter.

G> I'm with you on this pig. =A0Perfect. =A0 So is anyone going to help

Interesting. We don't have creamed corn here, and so I skipped recipes calling for that. But I could just add canned, drained regular corn to the cornbread recipe?

Hanne > I make cornbread from scratch, and throw in a pinch of cinnamon. Also,

Thanks Roberta. No haven't changed yet. Its tedious.lol What a good idea. In fact I have a steamer for cleaning in the loft, will give it a cautious try.

Absolutely! Rinse and drain well if it is canned [helps get rid of any salty flavor and additives]

G> Interesting. We don't have creamed corn here, and so I skipped recipes

How do you make chili with no tomato? The only chili con carne I have ever seen is ground beef in tomato with onions celery beans garlic some mild or hot peppers & spices. I know there is a "white chili" with chicken, but I thought it still had a tomato-based liquid. Please share your recipe.

Jane in NE Ohio

Here's how (g). I've already sent it to a couple of people by individual emails, but this give me an excuse to post it :). My family loves it and you'd never know it has not a trace of tomato in it! rusty

Spiced Chili =E2=80=93 Army Times, Albuquerque NM, 1968

2 lbs coarsely ground beef =C2=BC cup olive oil (I never use this) 1 cup minced onion 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 large green or red sweet pepper 1 large bay leaf 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp ground cumin =C2=BC tsp cayenne pepper =C2=BD tsp grated black pepper 1 tbsp paprika 2 fresh chili pods (or chopped canned) 3 tbsp flour 1-1/2 qts beef or chicken broth 2 tsp sugar =C2=BC cup cracker crumbs 1 can kidney beans (avoid those in tomato sauce) Chili powder to taste

Heat olive oil over low flame in large heavy saucepan. ( I skip the oil=E2=80=94just heat heavy Dutch oven), add meat, stirring frequently unti= l it loses its red color. Add onions, garlic, minced sweet pepper, bay leaf, oregano, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, and chili pods=E2=80=94skinned and minced=E2=80=94or a small can o= f chopped green chilies

Stir ingredients well, then cover pan and cook five minutes. Stir in flour, blending well, add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer for at least one hour. (I leave it simmering until I get around to completing it=EF=81=8A)

Stir in sugar and cracker crumbs, drain beans and add them. Simmer at least ten minutes more, adding salt to taste (and more chili powder if necessary). Discard bay leaf and serve. 6-8 servings.

Note: This recipe is hardly worth the trouble unless you at least double it. A good name for it around our house was =E2=80=98Disappearing Chili=E2=80=99.