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The fine folks at Roll Bama Roll and you good people are never going to agree on who will win Saturday's game, and since the debates have been tirelessly fought in the comments (and sometimes in person), why not debate something else?
We asked for submissions from both Alabama and Penn State fans for your best chili recipes and have chosen a couple to display here, one from each fan base. There may be another entry pending from our good frenemy-of-the-week, kleph. Until then, feast your eyes on these, give them a chance if you can make it to Happy Valley on Saturday, or just debate which chili is best.
From BSD user 'jaytay13' - Family Chili Recipe
DISCLAIMER: "This hasn't been written down before. My Dad, my brother and I put this together when my brother and I were Boy Scouts many many years ago. So please excuse me if its rough. I had to make a batch to make sure I got everything."
From BSD user 'NewEnglandNittanyLion' - Chili Recipe
3 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 Bhut Jolokia chiles (aka Ghost Peppers), stems and seeds removed (optional; only recommended for those with serious spice tolerance)
2 pounds coarse ground beef OR 2 pounds sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound coarse ground pork OR 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 chiltepin or piquin chiles
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
1 quart beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked pinto beans (optional)
1 cup canned corn (optional)
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the meat, and saute until browned. Drain off any excess fat. If using the cubed meat, add a little vegetable oil to the skillet and then brown the meat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and continue cooking until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan or stockpot.
Heat the pan over medium heat, crumble the chiltepins over the mixture, and add the oregano, cumin, sugar, broth, and tomato sauce. Simmer the chili for 45 minutes.
Stir in the chile puree, season with salt and pepper, and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Like most chilis, this recipe really benefits from a long cooking time--it takes a long time for to really get the flavor from the dried chiles. So cook this up the night before your tailgate. When you get to the tailgating fields the next morning, find a spot on your grill for it first thing, and keep it simmering all day long; it will keep getting better and better.
If you want a little spice above the base recipe, but don't want to make the jump to the Ghost Peppers, I recommend adding some Huy Fong Chili Garlic sauce to taste, bowl-by-bowl as you serve.
To serve, ladle the chili into bowls and serve the beans and vegetables on the side.
And the Alabama entry - Homage to the Soup Nazi's Mexican Chicken Chili Recipe
DISCLAIMER: This comes out like a cross between taco soup, chicken camp stew, and chili. Outstanding cool weather food for any occasion; serve with grilled cheese or crusty bread.
1 pound chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
You can make your own, or buy chicken stock. Note that if you use home-made or store-bought low-sodium stock, through the long simmer you may taste it and think "needs salt... still needs salt...". Resist till the last hour, and then judge; as it cooks down, it concentrates the flavors.
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 potato, peeled & chopped -- this is important for thickening
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1/2 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid
1/4 cup diced canned pimento (or use ½ cup salsa, don’t you always have that on hand?)
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
dash basil
dash oregano
On the side
Sour cream
Pinch chopped Italian parsley or chopped scallions
1) Saute the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until done -- about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot.
2) Let it cool, or use utensils like 2 forks to shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot.
3) Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done.
4) Combine some chopped Italian parsley with sour cream and serve it on the side for topping the chili, if desired, if you like that. This is one recipe that's good to make on Sunday, and it tastes even better by Tuesday. Makes 4-6 servings.
UPDATE: kleph has been feeling under the weather lately, and asked me to pass his recipe along, which can be found on his personal website.
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There you go. Chili, three ways, across two fanbases, with one winner.