photo by Wha'ppen

As I've mentioned in other posts, I've spent a little time travelling New Mexico and southern Colorado in search of snow.  Before Frontier Airlines started shuttling folks into Denver for a song, that meant driving around New Mexico.  Besides going out of my way to hit Las Vegas (the other one), distance driving included stopping at truck stops, roadside stands and any spot that didn't look like a chain.  Especially in northern New Mexico, you can get some excellent green chili just about anywhere.  After all - this is pretty much where those beautiful green chilies come from.

If you can avoid the digs of the Truck Stop Women, what you'll find is chili made for locals and served to travelers - a perfect bowl of green.  Green chili is not anything like its Texas peer - lots of variety and, if you're lucky, lots of vegetables.  Green chili is a cheap meal that warms you up and gets you back on the road.

There have been times I have made this recipe for no reason other than I wanted to make some stock, but for the most part, this rolls out when the chilies appear in September.  The chili harvest in Hatch, New Mexico is a big event.  Local grocery stores will set up propane burners and roast them on the spot.  When I am feeling organized I will buy some for freezing.  Then I can have a steady stream of green chili well into winter.

Admittedly, this recipe assumes you have a source of excellent smoked chicken.  If not, its time to break out the big green egg and get to work.

Green chili with smoked chicken

3-4 slices of thick cut bacon, diced

2 small onions (about 2 cups)

3 cloves garlic

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

2 Tbsp masa harina

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

6-8 green chilis, roasted, stems and seeds removed

1 whole smoked chicken, skin and bones removed, diced

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a medium sized pot over medium heat until the bacon is cooked (brown)


2. Add onions and garlic.  Cook until the onions begin to soften and become translucent.


3. Add the tomatoes, stock, masa, salt, pepper and chilies.   Bring to boil, lower heat to a soft simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours.


4. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.  Thicken with more masa harina or thin with water.


5. Add chicken and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

photo by LU5H.bunny

When I started this blog, one of my friend's first reactions was "hot dogs!"  I get it - hot dogs are America's street food.  Hot dog vendors crowd the streets of New York and are littered around drinking districts in every large city.  Hot dogs are a part of every decent American baseball game.  Thing is, they taste like bologna, and I really don't like bologna.  There, I said it, I don't like hot dogs.  I get it that you can cover your dog in enough brown mustard to make it entertaining, but I just never found a friend in a bland sausage, white bread and mustard.  Then there's the whole Upton Sinclair problem; I think I'll just stick with empanadas, thank you. 

Here's how I got over it - fresh, smoked dogs.  Once I found fresh smoked hot dogs at my local farmer's market, things started to change between me and America's street food.  A local vendor has figured out that vertical integration goes a long way towards getting customers what they really want, and not just a great steak.  Grill them on a charcoal grill and they are actually quite good.  Tasty even.  The key was an excellent quality of meat and someone that could tell me exactly how they were made.

Although you can get them everywhere, covering hot dogs in chili really came from Texas & Mexico.  Chili takes these over the top.  There is just no way I would use chili from the can.  I realize this is a huge commitment for a chili dog, but you'll just have to try it and find out...

Chili Dogs

Good smoked beef hotdogs

Shiner Bock Chili 

Red onions, diced

Cheese

Directions

1. Grill the dogs over a charcoal grill with lump hardwood charcoal.
   


2. Drop them into a warm bun.
   


3. Cover the chili with onions and cheese (you can also add jalapenos)


4. Serve and eat immediately.

photo by _-ellie-_

I have been either skiing or snowboarding nearly my whole life. Quite a feat for someone that lives, and has lived, in Texas nearly the entire time.  I once got in 35 boarding days in a year, and yes, I had a job.  When you plot your path to snow in Texas, the shortest trip is always New Mexico (if you're driving).  I've skied or boarded nearly every resort in New Mexico.  While the lodges in New Mexico don't serve good chili, they serve a hot, tasty frito pie.  There are plenty of good reasons to eat frito pie, but taking a break from snowboarding is perhaps the best.

If you want to take your chili and drop it in the bag, I absolutely recommending using the real deal - fritos.  Since I don't have to do that, I use a regular tortilla chip, preferably not one of those super thin restaurant grade chips.  To make this recipe really work you need the thick tortilla chips that have a little weight to them.  Doctor this up as much as you want - its hard to go wrong. 

Frito Pie

Tortillachips

Shiner Bock Chili

Red onions, diced

Cheese

Directions

1. Cover a small bowl with cracked tortilla chips.


2. Cover the chips with the chili.


3. Cover the chili with onions and cheese (you can also add avocados and jalapenos)


4. Serve and eat immediately.

The first chili cook-off I entered happened pretty much the way it does for everyone - a bunch of friends wanted to spend an afternoon drinking beer and cooking chili.  We did everything right - compared recipes, used diced (not ground) beef and no pre-mixed chili powders.  We also fulfilled our one true objective - we spent the afternoon drinking beer and meeting people.  It was a good afternoon.  When it came time for a visit from the judges, the one we knew stopped by first to give us a pre-taste.  Cheating, sure, but we were never really in the running.  He took one bite of our chili and said "there's cinnamon in this.  You can't put cinnamon in chili."  1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a full batch of chili and you'd think we put beans it.

Chili is not really much of a street food, but is a key ingredient.  I needed to get this recipe out there to build off it in the next couple posts.  This is a great recipe, but you won't win any cook-offs with it.

Shiner Bock Chili

1 small onion, very finely diced

2 cloves garlic, very finely diced

1 Tbsp oil

2 pounds of cubed chuck tender beef (or chili grind)

1 14-1/2 oz. Can – Beef Broth, or 16-18 oz of natural beef broth

A good beer (this is where the chili got its name)

2 14oz cans fire roasted tomatoes

1 cube – Beef Bouillon

1 cube – Chicken Bouillon

3 peppers, your choice (Jalapeno Pepper & Serrano work best)

Chili Mix #1

3 Tbls. -Chili powder (I use equal parts Texas Red, New Mexican Light, Indian Hot chili)

1 Tbls. - Paprika

1/2 tsp. - White Pepper

1 packet - Sazon Goya

Chili Mix #2

3 Tbls. -Chili powder (I use equal parts Texas Red, New Mexican Light, Indian Hot chili)

½ tsp. – Mexican Oregano

½ tsp. – Black Pepper 

1 packet – Sazon Goya

1 tsp. - cumin

¼ tsp. - brown sugar

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a chili pot and cook the onion and garlic until translucent


2. Add the meat and brown with the onion.


3. Add the stock, 1/2 the beer, tomatoes, bouillon and peppers, and bring to a boil


4. Add Chili Mix #1, cut back heat and simmer for an hour


5. Add Chili Mix #2, cook for another 30 minutes.


6. Remove peppers


7. Add the rest of the beer and 1 tsp of cumin.  Simmer another 15 minutes.


8. Taste and add salt as needed.