[Sca-cooks] CHILI COOK-OFF- OOP

[Terry Decker]

That brings back some nasty memories of broker days.

Chili doesn't have to be real hot to be good.  It does need some bite, but I 
find that it's a lot easier to jack up the fire in a mild chili than put out 
the flames in four alarm.  I will recommend cooking the chili and the 
vegetables seperately, then topping the veggies with the chili when plating 
it.  This keeps the starch out of the chili proper and keeps the vegetables 
from absorbing the capsaicin to the detriment of the chili flavor.

Bear

>
> I was traumatized* by chili as a child and only last year consented to try 
> it again - a very mild, yes with beeans and vegetables in it version that 
> i'm sure any real chilli lover would sneer at. It was good, so now I make 
> it myself occassionally. I may be a spica-a-holic but I'm still a chilli 
> wimp!
>
> *As some of you may remember, in the early 70's, ?at least in Southern 
> California, there was a meat boycott protesting high meat prices. (If they 
> only knew...)
>
> I had the misfortune to be the child of a chemist and a home ecc teacher - 
> together they put me (and my siblings) thru the tortures of hell in their 
> effort to produce healthy meat-free meals. Tis included the various kinds 
> of textured soy proteins that Dad bought by the barrel.
>
> One of these was supposed to be "just like hamburger" so Dad made up a pot 
> of chilli with it. It smelled like burning dog kibbel and was so 
> disgusting that it was almost 40 before I could even stand the smell of 
> chilli again. I had to leave the house for several hours after that and 
> spent the next few years eating dinner alone in my bedroom - OK, the 
> chilli had nothing to do with that, but Star Trek was on!)
>
> The late Goldwyn of Britain prided himself on making the hottest chilli 
> possible without collapsing the time/space continuem. I never had the 
> heart to tell him the people just tasted heat and not the flavor on the 
> other ingredients.
>
> Thanks for the laugh, Phlip!
>
> Renata