In This Menu:

• Blue Ribbon Chili
• Fall Chopped Salad

Grunida de Tigre – this means literally, Bite of the Tiger and I named this chili for the Sertoma Chili Cook Off not thinking about the Missouri Tigers at the time!

While getting ready to watch the big game last weekend (go Tigers!), it started to rain and even though it was warm outside, I found myself thinking about past fall days growing up in the Ozarks. Days filled with football, the smell of leaves burning (though not so much anymore), and my mother’s kitchen filled with the aroma of her chili – chili that had been simmering all afternoon, that had big hunks of meat in it as well as black beans and, frankly, chili that was the best I have had since. The recipe below sprang from my memory and although it is not her chili, it still makes you feel pretty darn good. Good enough to win the Blue Ribbon at last year’s Sertoma Chili Cook Off. So if you are going to watch Mizzou thrash Nebraska this weekend (we hope), or if maybe you live in the countryside and are going to burn some leaves, why not cook yourself a pot of some of the best chili you will ever have!

Spice Mix

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaf
• 1 tablespoon Mexican chili powder
  (or 2 tablespoons regular chili powder)

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coarse, black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon ground clove

Liquids

• 1 (14½ ounce) Red Gold can whole tomatoes
  (chopped), include juice*

• 1 cup Negro Modelo Dark beer
• 1 cup strong coffee (1 cup hot water with 2
  tablespoon instant coffee)

• 1 (6 oz.) can Red Gold tomato paste*
• 1 oz. (about 2 tablespoon) beef base (better than
  Bouillon) mixed with ½ cup hot water

• 1 tablespoon green Tabasco hot sauce*

Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (Goya)
• 1 lb. fine dice white onions
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 lb. 80/20 ground chuck
• 4, one oz. slices raw bacon, VERY finely chopped (can use food processor)*
• 20 oz. strip sirloin, trimmed of all fat and cubed*
• 2 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned, and chopped (3 oz. finished)*
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

For Condiments

• 1 bag Fritos*
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Daisy sour cream*
• 1 cup scallion
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 2 cups Colby cheddar cheese

Preparation

In a bowl, mix spices and set aside. Pour complete contents of whole tomato can into a medium mixing bowl. Remove tomatoes from juice one at a time and chop into ½ inch pieces. Return chopped tomatoes to bowl with juice and add remaining liquid ingredients to tomatoes. Mix well.

Place a large saucepan on medium high heat and add bacon, ground beef, and sirloin. Cook for 5 minutes or so until most of the fat has been rendered, then pour off all fat except about 3 tablespoons. Add onions and garlic to pan and cover. Reduce heat to low and sweat vegetables for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add poblano chilies to pan and mix well.

Add spice mix to pan and stir until spices are incorporated in to meat mixture. Add liquids to pan and stir to mix well. On medium high heat, bring mixture to a boil while scraping bottom of pan to remove any brown bits from bottom of pan and into sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Add drained black beans, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Place chili in bowl and serve with assorted condiments.

*To roast any pepper
Preheat oven to °450. Rub peppers with vegetable oil, place on cookie sheet, and place in hot oven. Cook for about 6 minutes or until the skin on top is blistered and brown. Turn chilies and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the whole pepper is blistered and brown. Remove from oven and place in a paper bag or any container with tight fitting lid. Leave for 15 minutes. Remove from bag or container. Remove skin from pepper. Cut open, remove stem and seeds. The pepper is now ready to use.

• ½ cup feta cheese
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup toasted walnuts
• ½ cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1 bag Dole greens (your choice, I like the Italian
  blend)

• 1 oz balsamic dressing (Lighthouse or your own)

Mix all ingredients in large wooden or metal bowl.