SC - Its All Geography (Was: Carne con chile)

[Michael F. Gunter]

> I've been waiting (with some anticipation/embarrassment) for any of the
> Ansteorran folks to enter this discussion, half-expecting to be told
> that the Original Classic contains heretical item X all the time, and
> nobody cares. 

Ever been to Ansteorran chili night at Pennsic or the Gulf Wars? All of 
the varieties we serve have tomatoes and a couple have beans. So even
the Ansteorrans can't agree.

Last Pennsic I was called to "save" a batch that wasn't tasting right.
I added a quarter cup of sugar, let it simmer and it came out perfect.

> I believe Wick Fowler [the Texas champion in the first cookoff, the
> "good guy", as opposed to H. Allen Smith, "bad guy" and last-minute
> substitute for Dave Chasen, L.A. restaurateur, who was the original "bad
> guy" on the grounds of his use of "questionable" stuff like beans and
> tomatoes, 

Just a side note, Wick Fowler has a chili spice mix that makes some of the
best chili I've tasted. I usually get a pack of it when I decide to make
a quick chili. The directions call for tomatoes.

> would
> generally have been a simple dish of cubed beef in a spicy sauce made
> from chilies, cumin, garlic, and oregano, all of which grew wild on most
> of the cattle ranges, as did the beef, one might say, there is no real
> hard and fast rule.

Seems about right and very similar to many Mexican dishes of the region.
 
> However, logical or not, many Texans do feel strongly about what they
> classify as "real chili" (including some Ansteorran Royalty, I gather),
> and might look askance at deviations from that method, for almost as
> long as it would take to ask for some more chili ;  ) .

I DO NOT! Why I'm perfectly willing to accept anything as chili as long
as it doesn't include saltines, green peppers, tofu, spaghetti, beans,
red wine, carrots, or made by anybody north of the Red River. The preferred
meat for true chili is armadillo.

(That is a joke, Brandu.)
 
> > Another common chili dish is the "Frito Pie". Basically a bag of fritos corn
> > chips is torn open and then chili is ladled over the chips and topped with
> > shredded cheese and onion. It's a little league standard and even served
> > as school lunches.
> 
> Comment A) what's the average Texas kid's blood pressure like?

We gotta keep 'em properly fed so they can play football for A&M.

> I confess to a variation that doesn't so much compromise the ingredients
> as the technique (although I use butter, not margarine): I heat my
> Louisiana hot sauce (the original was Rich's, I believe, but Tobasco
> certainly works) 

I like Louisana brand hot sauce more than Tobasco. But I've discovered
some stuff called "Cholula brand" which is far superior. It's Mexican
inspired more than Lousiana and has more flavor or roasted peppers than
vinegar. Wonderful stuff that I put on almost anything.

> in a big stainless-steel mixing bowl over hot water,
> like a double boiler, and beat little bits of butter into it with a whip
> until it is thick, creamy, bright orangey-red, and still murderously
> hot, but not greasy. I then toss the fried wings in that bowl and plate
> them up. The original dish is, I believe, just melted butter or
> margarine with the hot sauce stirred into it, but this has a tendency to
> break and allow fat to sit on top of the hot sauce, leaving hot spots
> and greasy spots in the sauce. 

It's been said that margarine should be used over butter because butter
makes it too rich. 

I'm definately going to try this method sometime though. (Maybe I'll head
over to Friday's for some tolerable hot wings for lunch today....)

> Adamantius Pragmaticus
> -- 
> Phil & Susan Troy

Gunthar the Puritan

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