Playing with chilis

Published by admin on Wed, 10/24/2018 - 4:07pm
By: 
Keith Bryant
 The game plan for the past week was cooking, cooking and more cooking. After last week’s  awards banquet, I set my sights on the murder mystery catering for the following Friday. 
 Planning the execution of each meal for well over 100 people is a little daunting at times.  On Sunday, I really didn’t have anything left in the tank to make for dinner. Then a little miracle was bestowed on me by my good friend Wendy. She brought me a large box of Anaheim peppers as she cleaned out her garden.  
 I thought about making salsa, but only had a few tomatoes left from the season.  I remember making a dish, that was in my food column before that would use up some of them and I had a little leftover chicken from one of the caterings. So, I set out to learn all I could about the hot, but not too hot little pepper. 
 The Anaheim pepper is normally 8 times less hot than a jalapeno. The name stems from the area in California where they are grown. A farmer, Emilio Ortega, brought these peppers to the California region in the early 20th century. 
 Yes, that’s the Ortega behind the famous Mexican food brand.  It is originally from the New Mexico area, but has many different names depending on where it is grown. They are also called New Mexico peppers, Magdalena, California chili, California red chilies or Colorado chili.   
 One of the best things about this chili is the ability to substitute it with any recipe that calls for bell pepper if you want a dish with a little more kick to it. 
 I decided to put the chilis in the smoker for 12 hours at 180 degrees and added some oak chips from a whiskey barrel. This added so much flavor to the dish, that I don’t know if I would make it any other way again. 
White bean chicken chili
Ingredients
1-pound leftover chicken
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion chopped
2 smoked Anaheim peppers seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (15 ounces each) white beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2½ cups chicken broth divided
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Optional toppings: sliced avocado, quartered cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro
Directions
 1. Take chicken and dice it up
 2. In skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; sauté onion until tender. Add pepper, garlic, oregano and cumin; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add to pot.
 3. Add whole beans, chicken and broth into pot.
 4. Cook, covered, on medium low for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. When done, sprinkle with cheese; add toppings if desired.
 Freeze option: Freeze cooled chili in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.
 Yield: 6 servings

 

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