Ogna Cool Chili!
In 2015 I was visiting my daughter and her family in San Diego. We had borrowed an old motorhome from one of their friends, and booked a campsite in the Aqua Caliente desert. It was an incredible trip, out in the hot dry desert. What plants there were looked like they came from Mars, and we saw a rattlesnake (under another RV in the camp!), had fires, cooked hot dogs and marshmallows with the kids, and in general, had a very memorable time.
The drive there or back took around three hours or so, and on the return, we stopped in a small Taquero in a small town that was predominantly Hispanic. This was a small place, in a fading strip mall, with a hand painted sign, run by a young couple. Inside were Formica tables, mismatched chairs and a fairly wide variety of foods, including sweets. The resulting burrito created one of those Road to Damascus moments for me. I could not believe that beans could hold so many distinct flavours! It was similar to a good red wine or a crusty port – layer upon layer of flavor, each one distinct, and yet all working together to create a harmonious whole.
Well, that was it. I had to recreate this. And ever since, I have been working out variations of reefers (refried beans), chilies, and just plain beans. Using a slow cooker to cook the dried beans (with perhaps a dried ancho chili in it) turns out to be a no-fuss, no-muss technique, and eases the task considerably. At first my key flavor ingredient was fresh Spanish chorizo, which contribute colour, flavour (both of smoke, and pork) and texture to the resulting mix, as I would fry them in the pan first until they started to get a little almost-crisp and then remove them for adding later. As a result, the chorizo bits remained distinctive and a key part of the flavour package. But, like many international products in Norway, they suddenly seem to disappear from the shelves and appear no longer available. So a search was on to find an alternative. Which led me to mushrooms, both dried and fresh.
Yes these are hand picked Chanterelles and "Steinsopp". Not to worry, the fillet isn't in the recipe! (thats for another time!)
The food scene in Stavanger is coming on leaps and bounds – not that difficult given the low state it was in when I arrived here seven years ago. A good example is the annual food festival – GladMat (‘Happy Food’ or ‘Good Food’). Five years ago it seemed just an advertising exercise for local eateries, a few of which were good (if outrageously expensive), and an excuse to drink ales in the harbour front and quays where it is held. This year, however, without direct intention (I think), it spawned what is, in effect, a Fringe Festival around the major food fest. This was called Spiselig Byfest (“Edible City”, or “Tasty City”). The Byfest included many interesting young food start ups which focus on such diverse things as fermentation-based preservation (of vegetables, for example), small handmade cheeses, local micro brewing, and food vans delivering everything from porridge (Grøt), local sausages, to Hawaiian Poke. Nice.
One of the cooler recent startups is Midsummers Hot Sauce (https://www.midsummerhotsauce.com/). Here, a couple of young enthusiasts, already part of the new food scene, have started hand-producing hot sauce in Stavanger. The stuff is very good – well fermented with a picante set of flavours – which is sold in small glass bottles numbered like a numbered artist’s print -- i.e. 3/120! Tis a great marketing gesture. And the sauce itself is great, too, and made from peppers produced in western Norway. They are very innovative and have even started making ‘chili salt’ with a Norwegian hand salt producer.
One of the cooler recent startups is Midsummers Hot Sauce (https://www.midsummerhotsauce.com/). Here, a couple of young enthusiasts, already part of the new food scene, have started hand-producing hot sauce in Stavanger. The stuff is very good – well fermented with a picante set of flavours – which is sold in small glass bottles numbered like a numbered artist’s print -- i.e. 3/120! Tis a great marketing gesture. And the sauce itself is great, too, and made from peppers produced in western Norway. They are very innovative and have even started making ‘chili salt’ with a Norwegian hand salt producer.
As part of the Spiselig Byfest, Midsummers Hot Sauce (located in East Stavanger -- which also calls itself ‘MatBy’ or ‘Food City’) held a Chili competition. The idea was that you would make your own Chili ahead of time, bring it to the venue, and the public would get to sample it for free, and to vote on which was their favourite. A good friend of mine, Olav, convinced me that I should take part (Okay, he didn’t have to try too hard. I like these kind of quirky, off-beat things!).
And so the quest for Stavanger’s best chili began. I started by deciding not to use meat. I have always hated eating ground meat in things like spaghetti sauce, or even moussaka. It strikes me that chili is no different! The beans, the veg, the flavours – to me, that is what chili is all about. Plus, the chorizo are a kind of pre-made flavour package, with, for the most part, all the herbs and spices I would want to use anyway, if I was to reproduce that life-changing burrito in Escondido. So that made it more of a challenge, more interesting (something the event organisers agreed with, to the point where they are thinking of only inviting chili-sin-carne for next year’s event).
Here is the long list of the ingredients. They are divided into the beans, the mole, or sauce, and the actual 'chili'. Accounting for the heat of chilies is variable so these amounts are approximate. Likewise, feel free to improvise, or to be creative in adding other flavours, types of beans or other additions. In the end, we are looking for four types of flavours: Light, Dark, Umami, Sweet. And two types of textures -- Smooth and Chewy.
Ingredients
(remember, these are estimations -- experiment yourself, and taste, taste, taste!)
Ingredients
(remember, these are estimations -- experiment yourself, and taste, taste, taste!)
- 1.5 kg dried beans – kidney or pinto beans, plus large white borlotti or butter beans
- 3 + 4 tbls salt
- 4 litres water
- 3 large whole dried chillis (i.e. Cascabel, Ancho, Pasilla, etc)
- Three fresh jalapeno or other hot chilis
- Three large red sweet peppers or variations thereof
- 1 lb mixed fresh mushrooms (white and aroma)
- 2 cups dried wild mushrooms
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 quart liquid – water, vegetable stock, etc.
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted, then ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, toasted, then ground
- 2 whole cloves, toasted and ground
- 1/2 star anise, toasted and ground
- 2 tablespoons extra-finely ground coffee beans
- 2 table spoons good quality cocoa powder
- 1 large yellow onion, diced fine (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 whole garlic bulb, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves or other aromatics
- 1 small jar Ayvar (Balkan preserved red pepper conserve) or crushed tomatoes.
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- Commercial taco sauce (i.e. La Preferida Rancho Sauce), to taste
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
So, any meatless chili has to start with the BEANS! I am sure that for many meat eaters, the beans in chili are an afterthought. Thus, so many recipes which use tinned beans.... Now, tinned beans are easy, and, especially if you are going to mash them, just fine. But a bean chili needs beans which are identifiable, chewable and colourful, not just a dark smudge of gloop.
Apparently, the way to prepare beans for this is to soak them in salt water for up to 8 hours before cooking them. I have seen results of cooking with and without this and the difference is actually very significant. The salt water soak reinforces the skins, apparently, and the beans remain whole and look much more appealing. I use a mix of three types of beans – red kidney beans (my least favorite just because they are so ubiquitous), light coloured pinto beans, and big white Borlotti or Butter beans, of a proportion approximately 2.2.1 – 2 Cups of kidney, 2 Cups of pintos, and 1 Cup of white beans. This makes up about 1 to 1.5 kgs of dried beans. After soaking them in 4 ltrs of water combined with 4 tablespoons of salt for 8 hours or so, drain and rinse them. Hold them aside.
The basic ‘system’ for making chili like this has two parts – the beans (and meat if using), and the ‘sauce’. This is very reminiscent of the Nepalese “Tarka” which is the key component of “Tarka Dal”. The Tarka is a sauce of flavours (with oil) which is placed into the dal (lentils) to flavour them. To an extent, the sauce here (a mole?? Lets agree to call it that until we learn otherwise....) works the same. So, prepare the beans, then make the mole.
For the mole, take the dried chilies and soak for 20 minutes in just-boiled water. Take the dried mushrooms and do the same. Reserve the liquids and roughly chop the chilies and half of the mushrooms. Place in a blender.
Roast the rest of the peppers – hot and sweet – on a bbq or under the grill until their skins blacken. Cover and let cool. Peel, seed, and chop roughly before adding to the blender.
Roast the spice seeds (cumin, etc) in a dry frypan until they get aromatic and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add to the blender.
Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, tomato paste, finely ground espresso coffee beans and cocoa to the blender.
Puree all of these ingredients together until very smooth (you don't want 'gritty'). Use reserved mushroom liquid to make the mixture turn in the blender – you should have a thick, dark slightly flowing paste.
Chop the onions and garlic finely. Chop the mushrooms into larger pieces – approx. 1 cm square or so, so that they have some texture after they are cooked. Add oil to large pot (dutch oven, etc) and saute the aroma mushrooms until they are browned. Remove them to drain. Saute the onions and garlic, not letting them burn, until almost soft, and add the white mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms also softened. Add the reserved hydrated dried mushrooms and stir through. Cook for a minute and then add the mole paste, stirring and cooking until it just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, scraping it off when it does (this adds good 'burnt' flavour to the mix). Add the beans and stir. Add enough liquid so the beans will just barely not stick, cover and simmer for an hour, stirring regularly.
Roast the rest of the peppers – hot and sweet – on a bbq or under the grill until their skins blacken. Cover and let cool. Peel, seed, and chop roughly before adding to the blender.
Roast the spice seeds (cumin, etc) in a dry frypan until they get aromatic and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add to the blender.
Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, tomato paste, finely ground espresso coffee beans and cocoa to the blender.
Puree all of these ingredients together until very smooth (you don't want 'gritty'). Use reserved mushroom liquid to make the mixture turn in the blender – you should have a thick, dark slightly flowing paste.
Chop the onions and garlic finely. Chop the mushrooms into larger pieces – approx. 1 cm square or so, so that they have some texture after they are cooked. Add oil to large pot (dutch oven, etc) and saute the aroma mushrooms until they are browned. Remove them to drain. Saute the onions and garlic, not letting them burn, until almost soft, and add the white mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms also softened. Add the reserved hydrated dried mushrooms and stir through. Cook for a minute and then add the mole paste, stirring and cooking until it just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, scraping it off when it does (this adds good 'burnt' flavour to the mix). Add the beans and stir. Add enough liquid so the beans will just barely not stick, cover and simmer for an hour, stirring regularly.
After the hour, add the reserved aroma mushrooms (these bring texture to the mix), the Ayvar or crushed tomatoes, the brown sugar and the cider vinegar and continue to cook for another hour, very gently. In my own recipes i use Ayvar. If you haven't tried it i cannot recommend it strongly enough. It is like a jar of summer! Sometimes spelled 'Ajvar' as well, i was introduced to it by a Bulgarian friend in Aberdeen who brought some back from her mother on a summer holiday. I have been an addict ever since!
The pineapple is being browned prior to adding to the almost-finished chili
In the meanwhile, take a small tin of pineapple bits and drain. Lightly brown them in a hot frypan with a little butter in it. Once brown, reserve and add after the final hour of simmering. The pineapple adds little hits of complex sweetness. (Alternatively, I was thinking of using dried Cranberries). Add the vodka at the same time. Let the mix simmer without a lid for 15 minutes or more, stirring. Check seasoning and add both salt and ordinary black pepper if needed. Check the relative balance of flavours – dark, bright, umami, -- and textures – smooth, crunchy – and adjust as necessary.
And there you have it – Ogna Cool Chili, as I called it in the end. The others were called "Ikkje Billig Chili" ('Not cheap chili' -- it rhymes rather cutely in norsk) and Old Smokey. Apparently you have to name these things like this! Turns out it did not win first prize in the vox populi poll. Came second. But the organisers seemed to love it, and invited me to return*. And I have had almost-death threats if I do not publish the recipe! So, there you go….
enjoy!
*note, the lovely bottles of hot sauce and the box of chili salt in the image below were my 'prizes' for being part of the the 'contest'. :>)
enjoy!
*note, the lovely bottles of hot sauce and the box of chili salt in the image below were my 'prizes' for being part of the the 'contest'. :>)
