Holy smokes! While beginning my research I went to the New York Times’ “Cooking” website. They list 960 recipes for chili! Admittedly, some are foods that merely contain chili, but still, the mind boggles! I thought I was going to find one simple definitive recipe to balance our standard chili procedure, which is less than innovative. But dependable is also a good quality in a repertoire of meal prep. (https://cooking.nytimes.com/search?q=chili)
Actually, this column started on a Sunday morning, when I baked a batch of cornbread to go with the bacon and eggs. On Monday night we had leftover corn bread with chili, because Lord knows, Mondays are complicated enough, so let’s keep dinner simple. My Tuesday lunch was warmed over chili, with the last crumbly serving of cornbread. I love it when serendipity kicks in and life is easy peasy and warm and satisfying.
It is getting a little cooler in the mornings now. I toss on a light sweater when Luke and I trot around town on our first walk of the day. I tell myself that it doesn’t matter that the afternoon walk leaves me as hot and sweaty as a summer stroll. What is important is getting to wear a sweater again, and beginning to entertain thoughts of autumnal comfort foods. We can start with chili this week and perhaps some of Mr. Friday’s spaghetti this weekend? Maybe it is time to bake some brownies? It is a good thing that we are walking a lot…
Alex Witchel’s The General Store Chili is close to the chili that we have cobbled together over the years, except that we leave out the beans. I love the audacious addition of cocoa powder, which adds depth to the meaty chili flavor. We have friends who substitute ground turkey for the ground beef, which just goes to show that many permutations are possible. I’ll stick with ground beef. (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012951-the-general-store-chili)
If you are looking for fancy, and have an entire Brooklyn weekend to hunt and gather the exotic ingredients, this is the chili for you: Short Rib and Pumpkin Chili https://food52.com/recipes/38470-short-rib-and-pumpkin-chili. Here is the link to the eight pages of super ambitious chili recipes that were entered in a competition at Food52: https://food52.com/contests/273-your-best-chili
I can enjoy a wide swath of bread with chili – I think it has to be bold enough to take the heat, obviously, and it needs to be able to sop up drips. But in keeping with our New England use-it-up attitude toward fine dining, day old French bread repurposes itself nicely as divine garlic bread, which also pairs well with a bowl of chili. A lot of the joy of cooking comes from the cascades and rivulets of butter that go coursing down your chin. Think of popcorn, lobster and garlic butter. Yumsters. I draw the line at crackers. They are for cafeteria lunches, not steamy, home-cooked bowls of spicy, beefy delight!
I also like a nice wedge of piping hot cornbread with chili,which can still drip with the golden magnificence of butter. I am still kicking myself for not remembering to use the cast iron skillet for this most recent batch of corn bread. What was I thinking? Instead, I used the boring and dependable brownie pan, lined with parchment paper. Silly me. It could have been truly memorable, like this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/12324-the-greatest-cornbread-ever
As with pixie dust and glitter, the addition of a little bacon grease makes for magic. Unless you are vegetarian, and then I truly apologize for the following recipe. Avert your eyes, as there is also lard ahead: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12247-husk-cornbread
Depending on your willingness to commit to time in the kitchen, you can plan on a few easy meals from a casual flirtation with chili and cornbread, or you can conduct an epic bodice-ripper with hours spent with a wooden spoon in your hand. Luckily, beer is an optional ingredient with some chili recipes. (And I understand good cooks sometimes drink wine while toiling away, though I do not suggest it while making breakfast cornbread, sadly.)
“The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken.”
– Maya Angelou
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