Don't worry, the food poisoning has nothing to do with said chili, lest any of contributor (or my obsessive salmonella/e.coli washing skills) be maligned. It is likely the result of a bad burrito (from the taco truck parked on Alvarado in front of the ghetto grocery, to be exact). I went to bed Thursday night feeling a little burn-y and woke up on Friday morning feeling, well, not good.
Anyhow, Friday was bad, but Josh was great - going out in the rain to get me Gatorade, bringing me tea and toast in bed, making me soup, taking away said soup when it made me nauseous, scratching my head, the works. So much for Xmas shopping, so much for chores. Every time I thought I was better I would run around the house for 10 minutes and then rethink my rash actions. Poor icky me. Poor wonderful Josh.
In any event, I have spent the better part of the weekend attempting to do things like re-hydrate, and today I am hoping to finally get over the hump and put the whole delightful episode behind me (get it? haha). To which end: Black Bean & Chicken Chili.
The Black Bean & Chicken Chili was another recipe from Alexis, and possibly the fifth(?) and I think final chili recipe in the book. Never did I dream that not only would there be so many different ways to make chili, but I would be the possessor of all of them.
I decided to make the chili on Weds. night. The weather last week was unseasonably cold here for LA - 40s and 50s and rainy, which, in a climate where it only rains a few days a year, is a totally reasonable excuse not to leave the house. I know this makes you - in whatever normal part of the world where it is 10 degrees out and your skin fell off last month from the dryness - want to kill me. But let me just say that in LA our houses - mine in particular - are not exactly built for cold weather. And by that I mean my downstairs - where I spend the bulk of my time - has neither heat nor air conditioning. So I sit, wrapped in a down duvet, wearing an extra sweater and socks, trying to get close enough to the space heaters to get warmth without setting the sofa on fire, with the air still so cold my nose is dripping.
Well, not now. Now it is back in the 60s like normal LA winter, but last week.
Anyhow, obviously, it was finally perfect time for the chili - unlike the heavy chili nights of the 100 degree summer.
Just as I was starting to get stuff ready for dinner, a package arrived from the post office. In it were two hilarious sweatshirts sent by friends from Gainesville. Ron & Mary are very close friends of my aunt/uncle/cousins (Mary was my cousin's speech therapist), and they are awesome. At my cousin's wedding last summer, we were having some conversation with them and they told us they have these sweatshirts they wear when they are sailing. One says, 'Don't yell at me' and the other one says, 'I'm not yelling.' And they thought these shirts would be perfect for us (I can only imagine Josh and I were either [adorably] griping at each other in a similar fashion or [hysterically] relaying that we have been known to do so.)
Anyhow, I forgot all about this conversation until on Weds. when the sweatshirts arrived in the mail. Shortly thereafter, another friend, Dave, was coming over to get the rundown on Big and his friend, Olie, for some Xmas house-sitting he is going to do for us. Dave is a relatively new friend, one who seems to catch me on days when I've been most isolated - and therefore am most hyperactive when he shows up. I am pretty sure I have heard him say three whole sentences because I tend to explode and whiz around the room in a clatter of talking and cackling when I speak to him.
Naturally, Josh and I put on the sweatshirts to herald his arrival. Then we all walked around the corner to Leslie & Jonathan's house (owners of Olie) so Dave could get the full dog mania rundown, complete with the requisite bottle of wine consumed at Leslie & JB's. They especially enjoyed the shirts, Leslie and Jonathan sprinkling the conversation with 'Don't Yell At Me,' 'I'm Not Yelling,' and a seagull inspired, 'Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!' for the next hour. Olie did his part by looking at Dave with his big boxer eyes like, 'Nice legs. Wanna hump?' I think we have Dave thoroughly terrified by now. Or at least somewhat overwhelmed.
Then, as usual, we stumbled home drunk and I started cooking the chili while lying to Dave that it would be done in 10 minutes so he would stay for it. This worked, and the chili, being chili, was very easy to make, half a tank of wine in me and all. I did not burn anything or spill anything, or even - can you believe - mis-measure anything.
The chili itself was quite decent. Dave asked me what spices went into it, at which point I realized the only one in this one is chili powder, which I can now confidently say is unusual. Most chilis call for cumin or pepper or a ton of other things as well. I think I might like a little more variety in the spice myself, but the boys loved it and ate theirs up with gusto. Dave even had seconds. A full bowl of seconds. This could just be because he is ridiculously polite, but I think he also just liked the chili.
Which is good, because I froze the leftovers to leave for him to eat over Xmas.
Admit it. This sweatshirt is awesome.Alexis's Drunk-Proof Black Bean & Chicken Chili
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lg onion, chopped*
1 lb chicken breast, cut in 1/2" pieces (carefully, you're a little sauced)
1/4 cup chili power - or to taste (boy that's a lot)
3 cloves garlic, minced (yes! I can use my mincer!)
2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed & drained (well, sort of drained, but rinsed? maybe not)
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can hot chili beans
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 green peppers, chopped
Heat oil, add onion, and cook until tender - 4 minutes. Proceed to chop chicken and other ingredients, while Josh periodically hovers around the cooking onion, reminds you to get out a lid because you have oil on the stove, etc. Perhaps setting fire to the kitchen isn't exactly something Josh is going to forget quickly.
Add chicken, chili powder and garlic. Cook until chicken is slightly browned - 2 minutes. Add all beans, tomatoes and sauce. Ignore instructions to rinse the black beans because you have never read instructions like that before and it's more fun just to dump everything sloppily in. Hiccup. Debate if you should drain the diced tomatoes. What was that funny story Josh just told? Hiccup.
Cover and cook 20 minutes. Tell Dave it will be done in 10.
Add corn, cilantro, and bell pepper. Cook approximately 7 minutes until heated through and veggies are tender/crisp.
Serve with corn chips, rice or pasta. Well, you have the corn chips. Add cheddar cheese or sour cream to top. Naturally!
*Onion chopping method: Mike's + Squeakykitty's, i.e., weird chopping + lemon = comfort.
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