If you like to eat or make chili, please come to MOON Co-op’s chili lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 at Holy Trinity Church in Oxford. This fund-raiser will help pay for repairs to MOON equipment damaged during the extreme cold earlier this month.
Chili got to the United States in the mid-19th century as a food to be consumed by the Texas cattle herders while they were on the move. They had plenty of beef, but otherwise depended on staples with long shelf lives.
Centuries earlier, the Aztecs and Incas probably made chili. Mexicans migrants brought the dish into Texas, which was of course once part of Mexico.
So-called Chili Queens sold chili in downtown San Antonio beginning in the 1880s. They prepared the chili at home, and carried it in large containers to Military Plaza, where they sold individual portions, at least until the 1930s when the health department put them out of business.
Hundreds of chili recipes exist, calling for a large number of carefully measured ingredients. In reality, the only truly authentic recipe is to emulate what the Texas cattle herders did — mix together whatever is on hand and spice liberally.
Ground beef is most commonly used in chili, because it can be prepared much more quickly than a whole cut of meat that must be cooked for a long time until it falls apart. For MOON’s chili lunch, I plan to grind dark meat turkey leftover from Thanksgiving, and kept frozen.
Beans can be red, pink, black, or white, depending on preference. Organic canned beans are ready to use, and will be softer (or mushier) than dried beans that must be cooked in advance.
Canned organic tomatoes can be diced if you prefer pieces or crushed if you prefer a more intense tomato flavor. Avoid “fresh” tomatoes this time of year, unless you canned some last summer.
I know nothing of the nuances of hot peppers. The Texas cattle herders spiced up the chili to mask the otherwise unpalatable taste of the beef, which was either not-aged or nearly rancid.
If you use chili or cayenne powder, don’t bother with the 10-year-old spice jars on your shelf. Splurge on 25 cents worth of powder purchased in small portions from bins at MOON Co-op.
Unless you too are covering up dodgy beef, there is no reason to overheat your chili. Like the sun, the chili should warm but not burn.
I hope to see you at the MOON Chili Lunch on Feb. 1. For more details, please see MOON Co-op’s ad in today’s Oxford Press.
All of the fixins' for chili are available at MOON Co-op Grocery, Oxford's consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. MOON Co-op, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day and available online at www.mooncoop.coop.
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