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Chili with Sweet Corn, Sour cream and Cheese Crisps
1/4 lb. dried guajillo chilies
1/4 lb. dried chipotle chilies
1/4 lb. dried ancho chilies
1 tsp. cloves
5 bay leaves
1 head of garlic , cloves peeled
Water (enough to just cover chilies) about 2 quarts
canola oil for frying chilies
5 lb. beef stew meat
5 lb. fresh lamb tongue (or beef)
5 carrots, peeled and diced
4 onions, peeled and diced
1 head of celery, diced
8 ears of sweet corn, peeled, blanched, and cut off the cob.
1 lb. fresh shelled cranberry beans
1 cup tomato paste
Fresh tomatoes
1 gallon beef stock or water
Garnish-Sour cream, grated hard cheese (parmesan, asiago or aged cheddar)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry chilies in oil until puffed and lightly browned, remove and drain on paper towels. Fry garlic cloves in oil until golden. Toast cloves and bay leaves in oil briefly. Then place chilies, garlic, cloves and bay leaves in a pot with just enough water to cover (put a plate on top of them to keep submerged and simmer until chilies are soft. Blend with enough of the water to make a smooth paste, push through a fine strainer and set aside.
Place the tongue in a pot with just enough water to cover with a peeled onion, a few cloves, salt to taste and bay leaves. Bring up to a boil, skim the foam that rises and then turn down to a simmer until the meat is tender, strain the stock and reserve, peel the tongue's outer membrane and dice the meat into small cubes.
Meanwhile pat the stew meat dry with a paper towel and brown in small batches over medium heat with a little oil in a large pot. Remove cooked meat and set aside. Place the vegetables in the same pan and sauté until slightly tender (10-15 minutes), then add the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add the stew meat, beans, stock, tomato and chili pastes, season lightly with salt and simmer until chunks of meat and beans are both very tender (about two hours). Stir in the tongue and fresh corn. Add a little of the tongue cooking liquid if the stew is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the cheese crisps finely grate the cheese of your choice, not too fatty or soft or it will not crisp properly. Lightly sprinkle a thin layer of the cheese onto a piece of parchment paper, place into a 300 degree oven and bake until the cheese is just golden and crisp. Let cool and break into crackers. Serve chili hot with a dollop of sour cream and a few of cheese crisps.
Makes about 3 gallons. |
