The Bodega Chef: From the Can Chili

As a reminder...
Here are the rules: Any meat, any spices, the rest of the ingredients must be available from one of the bodegas within a 3 block radius from me.
sidenote: I typically keep chicken and ground beef or turkey in the freezer and I have a pretty decent collection of spices.



From the Can Chili

1 can diced tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 cans kidney beans
1 can kidney beans or any other beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (optional)
1 can beef broth
1 can dark beer (drink the rest while you prep)

1/2 cup strong coffee
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

If you have it items:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 onion (if you have it) chopped
3 cloves garlic (if you have it) minced
1 jalapeno (you can use canned) sliced

1. Start with "if you have it items"...if you have them. Heat 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil in pot, and brown ground beef or turkey, cook with chopped onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste. If you don't have onions or garlic, replace with garlic powder and/or onion powder.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, coffee, beef broth and corn if you're going to
3. Add spices, stir in 1 can of kidney beans and jalapenos
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.
5. Add remaining can of drained beans and simmer another 30 minutes.

Not exactly the fastest recipe, but if you have a slow cooker, you could also just dump all the ingredients in there in the morning before work and cook on low for 8 hours. OR just make it ahead, and heat it up to serve. saves very well.

adapted from "The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste" and "5-can chili"


On a related note, Here are the results to the Bodega Challenge I wrote about earlier. I agree with Grub Street that the one who really captured the spirit of bodega cooking was the #2 dish, Potato Chips Au Gratin. So for your viewing and possibly cooking pleasure, here is the recipe from Cathy Erdway's blog, Not Eating Out in New York. Now THAT'S what I call bodega cooking!


















Potato Chips au Gratin
(makes about 6 servings)

1 bag thick-cut potato chips (preferably low-sodium)
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 can Spam
1 1/2 cups lager beer
4–5 tablespoons grated processed parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop Spam into a very small dice. Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the Spam and let brown on one side for about a minute. Stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom and let cook another 3–5 minutes, stirring, until evenly browned. Pour in the beer. Turn heat to high to bring beer to a boil. Let cook, boiling, for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the alfredo sauce and let cook until it’s completely warmed through and just begins to bubble. Turn off heat.

Spread a ladleful of the sauce along the bottom of a 9x11 pan. Arrange the potato chips in even, vertical formation on top. Arrange another layer of potato chips on top of this but in horizontal formation (so they don’t stack together). Top with about a third of the remaining sauce. Make another formation of two layers – or three if you’re tired of this already, and top with more of the sauce. Create another layer of potato chips, top with the rest of the sauce, and call it a day. Almost. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes, until stuff is bubbling and the top is lightly browned. Let sit a few minutes before serving.