Dinner Tonight: Barack Obama's Chili
President-elect Barack Obama's chili won't win over any purist Texans, who would laugh at his beans and tomato, but they were never going to go Democrat anyway. His is a solidly Midwestern recipe with green bell peppers, kidney beans, tomatoes, and other inauthentic additions like red wine vinegar and the possibility of using ground turkey. He even calls for serving it over rice. The economical addition of carbs, usually spaghetti or macaroni, is a favorite pastime in Cincinnati and neighboring states. In Chicago, we used to look fondly as kids on Chili Mac, the kind of lasagna-like casserole made from a hodgepodge of cuisines that only the Midwest could invent.
So is the chili good? Well, it's not bad. The Barack spice mix includes turmeric and basil, two additions I thought were interesting (though turmeric sometimes makes its way into commercial chili powders), but it was a bit bland in the end. I had to resist the urge to tinker with the recipe, like using fresh chilis instead of bell pepper and adding some depth of flavor with honey or a dark beer. I did take one liberty, which was to add salt; the recipe called for none. Not a chili recipe for the ages, unfortunately, but let's hope he'll be a president who is.
Barack Obama's Chili
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Good Morning America.
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Several cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground basil
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt (optional)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped
1 can red kidney beans
Procedure
1. Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add ground meat and brown.
2. Combine spices with a good pinch of salt together into a mixture, then add to ground meat. Add red wine vinegar and tomatoes and let simmer until tomatoes cook down. Add more salt to taste. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Serve over white or brown rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream.
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14 Comments:
I made this too, on election night. I liked the tang of the vinegar which is not part of my traditional chili recipe. I did end up doubling all the spices (except the turmeric and basil, which I felt were weird as well) and adding some black beans. It got my husband's vote!
shalomblack at 4:45PM on 11/06/08
Sounds tasty, but that's defintely not my New York-style chili, which relies heavily on canned San Marzano tomatoes, and a beef-pork-veal mix that's borrowed from ragu bolognese. Oh, and chipotles in adobo.
silvermike at 5:49PM on 11/06/08
Nothing against Obama. I'm sure he'll make a good president, but i'll side with the "purist Texans" on his chili.
Mind you, I hate beans, so I am biased, but legumes just don't belong in "real" chili.
I've tried a lot of good chili, and pulled the beans aside, but the best i've ever had, was a Texas style, and a Mexican style. Both of which I didn't have to be so picky with, as they had no beans/filler to get in the way. They didn't use ground beef, or ground turkey(What the...?Oh dear God no.), but instead beef tips, or the likes of.
I live in an area that thinks all chili should have beans, and it's hard to explain to folks, that true original chili has none. What is called "chili" from Ohio to the southeast coast, is more of a thick soup. Of course I always add, that there is no wrong way to make chili anymore, because it's been so misconstrued over time, that the name stuck.
I remeber that Mexican Chili so well, I can still taste it. It was served on a plate, not in a bowl. Wow was it good!
Raiders757 at 5:51PM on 11/06/08
Raiders - being from the Northeast/Midwest borderlands (Western New York), I can definitely say that around there, every bowl of chili has beans in it even if I skipped it above (accidentally).
I will say I'm skeptical that the original dish didn't have any beans nearby: they're too plentiful, nutritious and easily stored to not accompany a cattle drive that loses some of its income every time they slaughter a cow.
Any thoughts on venison in chili?
silvermike at 6:04PM on 11/06/08
I did this and a tofu version on election night. Both were big successes!
Made a few changes...
-Doubled the spices
-added salt
-added about a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper
-added about a quarter teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Turned out great. For the veggie version I just used extra firm tofu instead of beef. Came out great!
Gideon at 6:10PM on 11/06/08
Sweetnicks tried it and said it was not good, no spice, very bland.
That is because we elected a smoker with no tastebuds.
rckymtn1 at 6:39PM on 11/06/08
Hey, purist Texans voted for Obama, too!
homesicktexan at 6:52PM on 11/06/08
@rckymtn1 - those who have tastebuds deadened by years of smoking tend to overseason and oversalt, actually
producestories at 7:23PM on 11/06/08
@ Raiders757--I make a Texas style chili with chunks of chuck and add some beans--northern or black beans because that's what I have on hand usually. The beef is for the guys (hubby and two sons and their friends). I totally agree on the ground turkey--but I make a version with brined turkey breast that is cut into 1 1/2' chunks and browned using the same recipe as the beef version I make for the guys. I just happen to not eat red meat, and this is my way of having a meaty, not mealy chili. Also, I make my own chili powder from chiles I have grown over the summer, dried and ground. What a difference! Liverpool, NY a Syracuse 'burb in case you're thinking about the "chili cultural line."
dhorst at 7:24PM on 11/06/08
I call for change. That chili doesn't sound very good
the_o at 7:48PM on 11/06/08
In most, if not all, chili cook offs where chili is judged there are strict rules against fillers including beans and corn (ew). My father has actually won a few of the smaller ones in his area. His secret ingredient? Well its a spice normally used on sweet breakfast rolls ;).
Tahitinova at 8:07PM on 11/06/08
I'm thinking the Obamas need a Slow-Food chef in the White House to introduce them to REAL food. They probably don't have the time to devote to cooking & thus have never really gotten to know really good food. Of course, I could be entirely wrong, but I'll bet the next years in the White House will be a real culinary education for them, based on what the press reports as their favorite foods.
lurquizo at 1:14AM on 11/07/08
cool, i should try the recipe. it's definitely a hawaii thing (where Obama grew up) to eat chili over rice. yummy!
spamqueen at 5:25AM on 11/07/08
lurquizo, I agree with you. I heard Rick Bayless' name floated... he's trendy, but I wouldn't call him a Slow Food chef.
Regardless, it'll be nice to have someone I like down the street from me in the White House!
emilydev at 7:50AM on 11/07/08