[Sca-cooks] OT Chili Spaghetti???

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Anne:
>  >
>>  Oh, now *that* is chili.  In fact, when I was in Texas (on my way 
>>to New Orleans), we stopped off
>>  at a roadside diner, and I just *had* to order a big bowl of Texas Red. 
>
>And don't forget the ubiquitous Frito Pie, which also makes use of chili  ....
>
>http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/Fritopie.htm and for a more 
>in-depth look: 
>http://www.texascooking.com/features/feb2004fritopie.htm
>
>Juliane Rose   ;)

The second linked article devotes a paragraph to the question of the 
unique nature of Fritos compared to other corn chips, and I'd have to 
agree, at least from within my own, rather limited experience. Apart 
from being made and fried directly from a dough state (in other 
words, they are no longer made from strips of tortilla, as they 
allegedly once were), which affects their texture, the amount of 
frying oil they absorb, and probably the level of saltiness, which is 
high compared to all other such chips: I suspect it's mixed into the 
dough, instead of being sprinkled on the fried chips, or, as is 
sometimes the case with potato chips, essentially brined before 
cooking.

Fritos have a peculiar alkaline flavor to them as well: I don't know 
if it's baking soda or some unwashed residue of slaked lime, but it 
seems to make them particularly suitable for mixing with acid tomato 
or lime-juice products.

Silly me, I had assumed Frito Pie was just a quick-and-dirty 
convenience-food adaptation of Tamale Pie, intended for people for 
whom a small batch of cornbread batter (or whatever it is you use) 
was too strenuous...

Adamantius
-- 




"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la 
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them 
eat cake!"
	-- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques 
Rousseau, "Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
	-- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry 
Holt, 07/29/04