Food is Cynful: Roger's Chili

About the Cyn

As I have added more and more recipe's to this blog I've realized that these are such sweet tender memories for me. Just as a photograph or childhood story will bring back memories, food floods me with tons of remembrances of happy times in the past! From family dinners and times with friends to Grandma making toast in the frying pan, food has brought about a way to record my family history. Food has always been and remains a huge part of our gatherings and I feel so very blessed to be able to share my memories and such terrific recipe's with my family and anyone out there who has a few minutes to spare. It is my hope that someday my children and grandchildren will prepare these recipe's and know they were special to someone!

Cynful Explanations

Al dente – An Italian expression applied in all western kitchens to pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left in it to be felt “by the tooth.” Fresh pasta can never by cooked al dente as it is too soft. The expression is also applied to vegetables that have been cooked crisp by steaming, boiling, or stir-frying.
Baste – To moisten food during cooking with pan drippings, sauce, or other liquid. Basting prevents foods from drying out.
Bias-cut - To slice food at a steep angle increasing the surface area, makes a thinner cut easier and looks better.
Butterfly- To split a food (such as shrimp) down the center, cutting almost but not completely through. The two halves are then opened flat to resemble a butterfly shape.
Caramelize – The flavor of many foods, including vegetables, meats, and seafood, is often enhanced by a gentle browning that caramelizes natural sugars and other compounds and intensifies their flavor. Meats for stews, for example, are usually browned to caramelize juices that if not caramelized are much less flavorful. Chopped vegetables, especially aromatic ones such as carrots and onions, are often caramelized—sometimes with cubes of meat—in a small amount of fat before liquid is added to enhance the flavor of soups, stews, and sauces.
Dice – To cut into cubes (unlike chopping, which cuts foods into irregular pieces).
Dredge – To coat a food with flour, any finely crumbled ingredient, or, in pastry, with fine sugar.
Egg wash – A mixture of egg or egg white, oil, and water brushed over floured items, which are then deep-fried or pan-fried in clarified butter or oil.
Fold – To incorporate an egg-white foam into an egg yolk foam or a flour batter without deflating it so that it retains its full leavening power.
Julienne – To cut into long thin matchstick size strips.
Marinade – A mixture of ingredients used to flavor and moisten foods. May be liquid of dry. Liquid marinades are usually acidic based and dry marinades are usually salt based.
Mince – To chop very fine.
Piping - To force a food (typically frosting or whipped cream) through a pastry tip to use as a decoration or garnish, or to shape dough, such as that for éclairs.
Poach – To cook completely submerged in barely simmering liquid.
Puree – To work or strain foods until they are completely smooth.
Ramekin – A small, ovenproof dish, usually ceramic.
Render - To melt animal fat over low heat so that it separates from any connective pieces of tissue, which, during rendering, turn brown and crisp.
Resting – Roasted meats should not be served straight out of the over, but should be allowed to rest in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil. (The foil keeps the meat warm; loose wrapping ensures that the outside of the meat doesn’t steam and lose its crispness.) Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become redistributed in the meat and aren’t squeezed out onto the platter during carving.
Sauté – To cook over high heat in a small amount of fat in a sauté pan or skillet.
Scald – To heat milk just below the boiling point. Or, to immerse a vegetable or fruit in boiling water in order to remove its skin easily.
Sear – To brown the surface of pieces of meats and or fish by submitting them to intense initial heat.
Simmer – To maintain the temperature of a liquid just below boiling.
Steam – To cook in steam by suspending foods over (not in) boiling water, in a covered pot or steamer.
Stew – A cooking method nearly identical to braising but generally involving smaller pieces of meat, and hence a shorter cooking time. Also, the dish prepared by using this method of preparation.
Stir-fry – Chinese technique of cooking think slivers of meat, shellfish, and vegetables in hot oil.
Sweat – To cook foods over gentle heat, usually covered or partly covered, until they release their moisture. Vegetables, meats, and seafood are often sweated when making soups, stews, and sauces so that the foods release their juices into the pan and surrounding liquid. Sweating is the opposite of sautéing.
Tempura – A Japanese method of cooking vegetables and shellfish. They are coated with a light cornstarch batter and deep-fried.
Wok – A round-bottomed pan, usually made of rolled steel, used for virtually all Chinese cooking methods.
Zest – The thin, brightly colored outer part of the rind of citrus fruits. The oils make it ideal for use as a flavoring. Remove the zest with a grater, citrus zester, or vegetable peeler. Be careful to remove only the colored layer, not the bitter-white pith beneath it.

Fond thoughts surround my little brother Roger when this chili gets made. The recipe is not his, it's my Dads but there are funny memories surrounding Roger and this chili and so the title goes to the brother. After Christmas and right before my niece Madeline was to be born, Anita, Roger, Trevor and I flew to Texas to see Karl and the very pregnant Sally. That night before our flight Dad made his chili. This is one of our families favorite dishes and so we all tucked in and had a few bowls not considering the flight ahead of us. Well before I embarrass anyone too much let me just say that the chili affects Roger the worst and our plane trip to Fort Worth was fragrant. When we got off the plane Trevor and I heard someone say they were so relieved to be in the fresh air!!!! I will never eat Dad's chili again without laughing about that plane ride. Well here is the recipe to creating your own fragrance....

1 30oz. can of Crushed or Diced Tomatoes

4 30oz. cans of Chili Beans. Hunts are the most expensive, Krogers are very good and Bushes do great. You may need to total up more smaller cans if you cannot get the 30 oz. cans which are not available everywhere.

3 regular cans of Tomato Sauce

3 packets of Chili Spice, I prefer Kroger but Lawry's is also good

1 packet of Hot Chile Spice

1 very large Onion or 2 Medium Onions

2-3 lbs Ground Beef

In a large stewing pot cook ground beef until not pink any longer, making sure to chunk it up well while cooking. While that cooks dice the onion and open all the cans then set aside. I usually drain the fat from the meat and rinse it with warm water after it's cooked. While that drains Add the diced onions to the pot and let them soften a little. When the onions start to turn translucent add back in the meat and all the canned items along with the packets. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for a while. The longer it simmers the better chance the flavors have to marry. Also once the onions and meat are cooked everything can be thrown in a crock pot to sit on low or even warm until ready to serve. Serve with crackers, tortillas, chips, cornbread, or sourdough bread. Also we like to mix in cheese, fresh onions and sometimes sour cream. Lastly to really spice things up you can add jalapenos to the onions while they cook or have them fresh on the top.

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