Morrison Wood's Chili

Do you have any of Morrison Wood's cookbooks?  With a Jug of Wine was his first and my favorite. (You can still buy it used.) It's a gem of a cookbook and I have lots of favorite recipes in it, but was surprised I've never posted his chili recipe. I know, you all have your favorite chili, but this is the one I use. I confess, I don't even bother trying anyone else's....very unlike me. It's a very thick chili so you can add more canned tomatoes if you wish.
This time, I made Pastry Affair's Beer Bread to go with it....I posted the recipe last week. They are marvelous together, perfect for football watching. I mean, let's face it. Chili-soaked beer bread? OMG.

Morrison Wood's Chili
From With a Jug of Wine

Ingredients:
2  pounds ground round
1 pound ground fresh pork
3 tablespoons bacon fat
3 medium sized onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
6  tablespoons chili powder (Use less or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon flour
1 large can tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 pint pitted ripe olives
1 large can kidney beans
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime juice

Method:
In a soup pot, brown the onions and garlic in the bacon fat. Remove onions and garlic. To the remaining bacon fat add the chili powder mixed with the flour. Stir until smooth and then add the beef and pork. Breaking it up wait until it's brown, then add the tomatoes and onions and cook gently for 20 minutes.
Next add 3 bay leaves *!(I'm always careful with bay leaves. At a dinner party years ago, my SIL choked on one in the spaghetti sauce and it was a close call; she choked and couldn't breathe. Lesson learned. I now break each one into very small pieces.), salt, oregano, red wine vinegar and brown sugar. Cover and cook slowly for 2 hours.
Last of all, add the pint of ripe olives, sliced, and cook for another hour. 
Finally, add the lemon and lime juice and the kidney beans right before serving. It's a thick chili; add a small can of tomatoes if you prefer it thinner.
Sprinkle a little cheese on top.

Serves 10-12


With beer bread croutons:

With beer bread toast on the side:

Bacon, Chive & Beer Bread

Let's be honest. Who wouldn't love a quick bread with bacon in it? I saw this recipe on Kristin's Pastry Affair and served it with Morrison Wood's Chili. It doesn't get much better than that. (I'm going to share Wood's chili recipe in the next post.)

As far as this bread is concerned: YUM. And toasted, even better. I cubed and toasted some to made croutons for the chili. Or you can serve it sliced with any soup...but it should be a nice hearty soup. Easy to make and no matter how you serve it, it'll be a hit.

Bacon, Chive & Beer Bread
Adapted slightly from Pastry Affair

Yields 1 loaf (I made two mini loaves and froze one)

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour (all-purpose will be OK too) 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
3 tablespoons freshly chopped chives 
2-2 1/2 ounces cooked bacon, crumbled (about 15 thin slices) 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
12 ounces beer 
1/4 cup butter, melted

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and sprinkle it with fine bread crumbs, tapping the extra out. (The bread crumbs are an old Maida Heatter trick.)
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, chopped chives, salt, and crumbled bacon. Pour in beer and mix until just incorporated. The dough is very thick. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking pan. (I had to use my fingers) Pour melted butter over the top of the dough.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is browned. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Super Bowl Eats: Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

Ready for some football snacks?  Or......in this particular case, let's call this a leftovers meal: I had some egg roll wrappers in the freezer along with some hamburger. It all added up to these yummy egg rolls; you can make these healthier by baking them, I included instructions. I don't eat cheeseburgers on a regular basis, but all I needed was an excuse. Football was it. Have at it!

Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
Adapted from Tasty Treats by Tina

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ red onion, chopped
¾ lb ground beef
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Small dish of water
10 to 15 egg roll wrappers
Nonstick cooking spray
½ ounce sesame seeds

Method:
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Saute the onions until tender, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the ground beef  and cook until well browned. Drain most of the fat out of the skillet and transfer the ground beef and onions to a medium-sized mixing bowl. After cooling a little, add the Worcestershire sauce and the Cheddar cheese. 

If you'd like to bake these: 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a wire baking rack inside a sheet pan. 

To prepare the egg rolls:
Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface. Brush the edges with a little bit of water. 
Place 1/3 of a cup of the cheeseburger filling in the center of the wrapper and shape into a rectangle diagonally on the wrapper. Bring the points at the short ends of the rectangle in toward the center. Bring the far point on the long end of the rectangle in toward the center, and roll the wrapper to close it. Spray the top of the egg roll with nonstick spray and coat the top in sesame seeds. Place finished rolls onto a sheet pan with a wire rack arranged above sheet pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until egg rolls start to brown.

If you're going to fry them (which is what I did):

Pour canola oil into a heavy medium pot to a depth of 2-inches and heat over medium heat until temperature registers 350° F . Fry spring rolls in 2 batches, turning over halfway through, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Serve whole, or cut in half on a bias, with ketchup or Russian dressing.