White and Exotic Chili Recipes

WHITE CHILI
(Makes 6 Cups)
Work Time: 40 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Toast and Crumble into Pieces:
4 six-inch white corn tortillas

Saute in 1-1/2 Teaspoons Olive Oil:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4" chunks

Saute in 1-1/2 Teaspoons Olive Oil:
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup onion, chopped

Stir in:
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano leaves

Add; Bring to Simmer:
2 cups skim or 1% milk
1-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, defatted

Stir in with Tortilla Strips and Chicken:
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) white hominy, drained and rinsed

Before Serving, Stir in:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish Each Serving with:
Whole cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

WHITE CHILI
8-10 servings

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 to 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken, cubed (I like the breast, but dark meat works just as well)
• 3 cans (16 ounces each) Navy beans
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes. or until the vegetables are softened slightly. Add the chilies, cumin and cayenne and cook for about 10 more minutes. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock, the beans and the chicken and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, adding stock if necessary. If using canned beans and pre-cooked chicken, add the beans and chicken after about 40 minutes and cook 20 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated cheese, if desired. Note: To pre-cook chicken, boil it in water until cooked. Allow it cool and remove from bone. You can either coarsely shred or chop it. This may be done a day ahead.

WHITE AND GREEN CHILI

Night before: Put 1 pound of dried great northern white beans, rinsed and picked over, in water to soak overnight. Add water to cover the beans plus a couple of inches more.

• 2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chiles
• 4 tsp. Ground cumin
• 2 tsp. Oregano
• ½ tsp. Ground cloves
• ½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 8 cups chicken broth, or more if necessary
• white wine
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Place chicken breast (or chicken tenders, which are cheaper) in a heavy saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer just until tender, about 15 minutes (maybe less for the smaller chicken pieces). When cool, cut chicken into chunks or tear apart with a fork; set aside. Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot, add onions and saute over medium-high heat until translucent. Stir in garlic, chopped mild green chiles, ground cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and cayenne pepper and saute two minutes. Then add drained beans, 8 to 10 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add a splash of white wine and simmer, covered, until beans are very tender (about two hours). Stir occasionally. Add chicken and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded; stir until cheese melts. Serve with additional cheese, sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro, chopped black olives or anything that suits your fancy and contrasts in color as garnish. Makes eight to 10 servings.

SEAFOOD QUARTET CHILI*
by Dave Hendricks

• 3 Medium Yellow onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Large Green Bell Peppers (roasted, peeled, seeded and
• chopped)
• 2 Large Red Bell Peppers (roasted, peeled ,seeded and chopped)
• 4 Sun-dried Tomatoes
• 1 Can Rotel tomates with green chilies, 10 oz (drain liquids and
• reserve, chop tomatoes)
• 1 Can Furmano whole tomatoes 14.5 oz (drain liquids and reserve,
• chop tomatoes)
• 2 TSP Dried Oregano
• 2 TBL Dried Cilantro
• 2 TBL Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 TBL Herdez Salsa Verde (canned green salsa)
• 2 Cups Cooked Beans (kidney, pinto, whatever)
• 1/2 Lb Scrod fillet
• 1/2 Lb Shark steak
• 1/2 Lb Scallops
• 1/2 Lb Squid, cut into rings

To make the base: Soften the sun-dried tomatoes buy simmering them in about one cup of water them, remove them from the water and chop (reserve water). Chop the onions and saute them in the olive oil until slightly translucent. Add the minced garlic and then the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped peppers. After a few minutes add the two cans of tomatoes and all reserved liquids. Add the oregano, cilantro, chili powder and green salsa. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. At this point you can refrigerate the base (or freeze it) to make the chili later. To make the chili: Reheat the chili base and add the cooked beans. Simmer for about 15 minutes to heat the beans. Add the seafood and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Serve garnished with tortilla chips, chopped green onions and grated Monterey Jack cheese. Notes: I used some dried Ancho chiles, which I ground to substitute for some of the chili powder. I also made a triple batch, substituted some red onions for the yellow and added 1.5 pounds of chopped mushrooms. You can pretty much substitute other fish and shellfish in this recipe. Put in what you like but try for a mix of textures.
*For those of you really interested in what a seafood quartet consists of, it contains the following: two fiddler crabs, one red drum and a sea bass. (insert cymbal crash here)

GREEN GARLIC CHILI
adapeted from a recipe by Wesley L. Minor This chili has enough of a punch that you don't want to serve anything elaborate on the side. We like it best in a bowl with a few boiled potatoes or white rice, or with lengths of sturdy French bread for mopping sauce and using as a bed for the whole cloves of garlic retrieved from the bowl.

• 6 dried California chiles
• One 28-ounce can tomatillos, drained
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 large garlic bulbs, separated into cloves (40 to 50 cloves)
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large tomato, skinned and diced
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil

1) Place the chiles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes, until soft; then seed and stem them. In a food processor or blender, process or puree the chiles and tomatillos. Set aside. 2) Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Peel the garlic cloves and sauté them until they are soft and just barely begin to brown. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the beef, salt, and pepper, stirring to brown the beef on all sides. Pour off the excess fat. Add the chile puree and the tomato. Stir in the basil and simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring often.

HAVANA MOON CHILI

Picadillo is served all over south Florida. It is a humble ground meat dish that sparkles with the tang of green olives, vinegar, and capers. Our Havana Moon recipe marries the basic elements of picadillo to the spirit and spices of chili making. The result is an easy-to make one-dish meal with chili's satisfaction and a high-spirited Cuban twist.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground chuck
• One 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved
• 1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 2 cups cooked white rice

1) Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the pork and beef, and cook until browned. Drain off the excess fat. 2) Add the beef broth and tomatoes, squashing each tomato by hand before adding it. Stir in the vinegar, raisins, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cook 30 minutes, partially covered. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes more. Add the olives and almonds and cook an additional 5 minutes. 3) To serve, place a mound of beans and a mound of rice in each bowl. Ladle the chili on top.

Last 2 recipes from Chili Nation : The Ultimate Chili Cookbook With Recipes from Every State in the Nation, by Jane Stern, Michael Stern.