When I think of the Super Bowl, I have two distinct memories, and neither have anything to do with football. The first would be Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction, while the second is my mother's Super Bowl/Grey Cup Surprise, a.k.a. chili, which I remember not out of love for its taste, but because it meant I wouldn't have to eat it and would probably get a special meal of plain spaghetti, hold the sauce.
I'm not sure what it is that put me off of chili, and continued to until about last week. I think it was partly to do with beans, partly to do with the all the unknowns it contained.
Nevertheless, I know normal people like chili so I wanted to try my mother's Grey Cup or Super Bowl (insert proper football championship here) Surprise for Super Bowl this week.
I was surprised at how easy it was to make and even sort of liked it. I essentially chopped a few vegetables and threw everything into a crock-pot to simmer overnight.
My Nouvelle taste-testers gave me mostly sevens and eights, and one generous, yet oddly precise person gave me a 9.75.
As I have learned through my Cooking 101 experiments, a lot of recipes are about personal preference. When giving me the recipe, my mother explained how she modifies it to make it less spicy.
Having inherited what I refer to as my mother's genetic mutation that prevents me from eating barbecue chips or anything of equal or more spiciness without my mouth bursting into flames, I prepared my chili somewhere between the actual recipe and my mother's modified version. Most of the suggestions for improvement revolved around adding more spices, salt and kick. Fair enough, to each their own.
However, in defence of my mother's Super Bowl/Grey Cup Surprise and without ragging on smokers too much, I feel obliged to mention smoking seems to affects one's tolerance and desire for spice and salt. So adjust accordingly. I have also noticed one's salt use is dictated by how one was raised with salt. The only thing my family ever salted was corn on the cob.
Defences and genetic mutations aside, I think this is a great chili recipe that can be tailored by each cook. So give it a whirl for the upcoming Super Bowl. Just be careful during halftime, you won't want to scrub it out of the rug in the event of any wardrobe malfunctions.
Send me any recipe suggestions: tkostiw@bonnyville.greatwest.ca. Bon appétit Bonnyville!
Super Bowl/Grey Cup Surprise
Kostiw family recipe
What you'll need:
-1 can kidney beans (drain liquid)
-Optional: another can of beans drained (garbanzo, white etc.)
-1 28oz. can of whole plum tomatoes
-2 lbs extra lean ground beef (browned in frying pan)
-2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
-1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
-3 tbsp. chili powder
-1 tsp. pepper
-1 tsp. cumin
-salt to taste
Directions:
1. Brown beef. Put all ingredients in crock-pot in order listed. Stir once well.
2. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours. Do not lift the lid until the end. This will hinder the cooking time.
3. Serve with salad and garlic bread.