3 Jan 2012: Soupy Chili

As many of you may know, the blog did not start until January 23rd of last year.  On my morning walk today, the conditions were very similar to the 1st of January of 2011 when I began the year-long journey:  clear skies, calm wind and 19 degrees (last year was 21 degrees).  So, a picture of my view of the road when I was inspired to go back to the house and pull out the bike to kick off the journey, seemed appropriate. 

Who would've imagined that this same road would see week after week of snow in another month.

Withdrawal symptoms were much better today.  Turned out to be a beautiful day for biking, at least for those of us who think mid 40s with only a 10mph wind with sun is good biking weather.  But, I opted for tackling a couple of chores on the every growing to-do list and then went for a hike in our woods.

Shadow of a leaf.

 Icicles still hanging on despite the temps being in the 40s.

My hike was mostly bush-wacking and through a creek bed.   At one point, I came upon this area under some trees that seemed fairly cleared of debris except for this turtle shell.  I felt as if I stumbled upon a sacred turtle graveyard.

 No, this was not someone I spied in the woods; it was John Malkavich on a movie on TV.  But, I loved the look.


People may have also noticed that my handle for this blog site is "BikeChef," reflecting my love of cooking as well as biking.  Thtoughout this past year, I often thought of including the recipes of the dishes that I made on any given day. But, given the time constraints, they might have happened only once or twice. 

I am very much a freestyle chef, cooking by the seat of my pants, and usually improvising as I go.  Even recipes I have made in the past are rarely made the same way.  Many years ago, when the kids were small and I seemed to have more energy, I used to keep an almost daily log of what I cooked.  As life seemed to get more full, I wrote down recipes less and less.  So, I thought I would give it a try here on the blog.  Last night's Soupy Chili:

Soupy Chili

1 can each: Pinto, kidney, northern beans.

1 red onion, 1 ½ yellow onions, coarsely chopped.

1 eggplant, small diced pieces.

3 medium carrots, finely diced.

1/3 lb fresh green beans, cut into small pieces

6 cups chicken broth

2 chicken thighs, skin removed.

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp red pepper

Salt to taste.
4 garlic gloves

@ 3-31/2 cups Prego.
Cheddar cheese

Saute onions until slightly caramelized. 

Add eggplant and cook until soft.

Add beans with liquid from cans, chicken broth and remaining ingredients.  Cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours is better. 

Remove chicken from chili.  De-bone and add chicken to chili or save and add separately.

Add Prego near the end as tomato sauce tends to get bitter if simmered for two long.  I don’t care for tomato based chili as much, so I ladled out a few cups into a separate pot to have for myself and added the chicken.

Top with cheddar cheese.

  I do not like to use tomato based products in steel cans as studies have shown that the acid in the tomatoes and the cans do not mix well.  That is my own preference. 

For a thicker stock, add less broth for fewer people or add 1-2 cans of beans if you prefer a very thick chili.  It is also easy to sauté some ground beef and add that to the stock. 

Everyone was pleased with the results, though, Carol did say it was more like soup than chili, thus the name.  I made cornbread as well and used a local stone-ground cornmeal.  Rachel didn't care for it since it tasted more gritty.  It's the first time I've really enjoyed the corn bread which I've made many, many times since I thought it was very flavorful because of the new cornmeal.