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Show LTF ESTYLES liDITOR: SHARON (.HOI DSTON THE DAILY HERALD 8 BY MR. FOOD TUESDAY, (X TOM R 6. iwx One of my favorite things to do is to hollow out a kaiser roll and make individual bread bowls to serve my chili in. It's National Chili Week, so there's no better time to find out a little about what many people consider to be a very cont roversial f(x)d. What makes chili so controversial? First, people from many different places, especially Texas, New Mexico and California, claim that chili originated in their area. Even more confusing is that they all boast that thev serve up "the best bowl of chili." Every year there are loads of chili cooking contests, and, like the chili itself, things can get pretty heated. Why, in 1974, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Arizona's Sen. Barry Goldwater challenged Texas' Sen. John Tower to a chili cook-of- f (which Goldwater later won). Know what makes all this even more confusing and, I think, exciting? Each area makes its chili a different way. Texans prefer to use cubed or shredded meat instead of ground, and including red kidney beans in chili is practically an illegal act in their eyes. Chili makers in New Mexico often use lamb or mutton instead of beef. Sometimes they even omit the meat completely and premixture of chili pare a stew-likpeppers and lots of veggies. - Cincinnati chili is one of more unusual styles. This van; ety includes a potpourri of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cumin and a secret ingredient ... cocoa powder. It's traditionally served over a mound of spaghetti and topped with layers of onions, red kidney beans and shredded cheese. m Mr. Food e the, veggies such as squash, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. Not only are there lots of varieties and styles of chili, but there are also lots of ways to serve it. Some serve it over hamburgers, hot dogs or rice. Others serve it alone but add sides of cornbread muffins or bread. One of my favorite things to do is to hollow out a kaiser roll and make individual bread bowls to serve my chili in. And, of course, there are the popular toppings of grated cheese, chopped onions and sour cream. Why not make your family-favorit- e chili to celebrate National Chili Week? Or try one of these variations. They both have a bit of a kick just like chili's supposed to. So there it is! Beans or no beans, with or without meat, hot or mild, chunky or soupy, there are more types of chili than we can imagine. And no matter which one we serve up to our gang, each one's sure to be a bowlful of "OOH ITS SO and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the beef is browned on all sides and the onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt and Tabasco sauce; cook for 1 minute. Add the water and chilies and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer for 45 more minutes, or until the beef is Note: Mr. Mcllhenny suggests serving this over hot cooked rice, garnished with chopped onions, shredded cheese and sour cream. GOOD!" garlic clove, minced cans (16 ounces each) I Great Northern beans, rw V" vvTV J fork-tende- r. SAUCY WHITE CHILI 8 to 10 servings D tablespoon vegetable oil skinless chicken breast halves (1 12 to 2 pounds total), cut into cubes 14 teaspoon salt 14 teaspoon black pepper 1 medium onion, chopped 1 6 boneless, v. A - 5 1 (f ? ., - 1 5 MR. MCILHENNTS CHILI (From the founder of Tabasco pepper sauce) 4 to 6 servings 14 cup vegetable oil pounds lean beef chuck roast, well trimmed and cut into cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin t 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons Tabasco pepper sauce 3 cups water 1 can (4 ounces) chopped ' green chilies, drained 3 ch Sausage or peaches? And that's just the beginning! If you order the spicy concoction in Kentucky, it'll most likely include a splash of bourbon. In Georgia, fresh or canned peaches might be mixed in, and Colorado chili is often spiked with beer. In some areas, tomatoes are included, while others substitute a type of sausage for ground or cubed meal . In still other regions, meatless chili is standard, made with beans and Dl In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-hig- h heat; add the beef and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain off the liquid, then add the onion ; undrained 12 ounces each) chicken broth 1 can (14 12 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained, broken up 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chili's, undrained 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 cans v j (14 ready-to-us- e Courtesy pholo Chill bowl: Have a warming mug or bowl of chili in honor of National Chili Week. f NOTE: For a really hearty meal, I like to serve this chili in a big bowl over hot cooked rice. ly. In a soup pot, heat the oil heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper and saute for 5 to 6 minutes; until browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and sim- blend of creativity and simple fun into kitchens across mer, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the chili thickens slightly, stirring occasional- - Wash away the fat: Here's an easy way to reduce the fat in a chili recipe containing ground over, medium Mr. Food brings his unique America. Check him out on the Internet at http:www.mrfood.com. After browning the meat, drain i in a colander and gently rinse with hot tap water before adding seasonings or additional ingredients. Hand-- y tips: Chili and hot peppers go hand in hand, but handling hot peppers requires extra care. Wear plastic or rubber gloves if you have them. If not, coat your hands with a very thin layer of vegetable oil. (It'll be harder to hold onto your knife, so be careful!) And whether you beef. wear gloves or coat your hands, be sure to keep your hands away from your face and wash them thoroughly with soap and water after handling hot pep- pers. Meaty options: Before buying canned chill, check the labels carefully. Chili con came (chili with meat) must contain at least 40 percent meat, chili con carne with beans should be 25 percent meat, and chili sauce with meat at least 6 percent meat. Paula Wolfert flavors cooking lessons with a pinch of history By BEVERLY BUNDY Knight Riddcr Newspapers Paula Wolfert knows from Mediterranean food. And she wants you to know from Mediterranean food, too. As a cookbook author, Wolfert has spent 30 years chronicling the food of her onetime adopted home. She began with "Couscous and Other Good Foods From Morocco" and has just added "Mediterranean Grains and Greens" (HarperCollins, $27.50), for a total of six books about the T MU&&$ifJ- )R COPTG il 111 Morocco. Paula Wolfert tlefish in its own ink. And the author can be prickis incorrect ly. Equipment (stainless works better than Calphalon when braising leeks), there's too much shrimp and not enough mussels in th paella, region. She recently taught a class it's not the best saffron because at Fort Worth's ode to the it has yellow flecks i'i it (the Mediterranean, Bistro Louise. best is from Kashmir or han). Even though she's the one Fifty people watched as Wolfert demonstrated the fine points of doing the cooking, a class with polenta with onions and black Wolfert can be exhausting. paella. Indeed, so can cooking from her A class with Paula Wolfert, books in your own kitchen. 60, is no easy undertaking. For It's not that Wolfert's recipes one thing, restaurant owner are complicated. It's more an Louise Lamensdorf had to mailauthenticity issue. order purchase many of the ingredients: Spanish smoked Authenticity issue "You can use risotto (an paprika, Calasparra rice, cut- - mmmmmmmml- Tangier with an introductory letter to Paul and Jane Bowles. So began her love affair with Women do all the cooking with only a paring knife and a mortar and pestle. A lot of the women have no real future because of the rise of fundamentalism." Hist - "fy .. a.. ....... Italian rice) to make paella, but it won't be the same," Wolfert says. "And don't put in too much seafood. The seafood is only meant to be a garnish." Given the lengths that Wolfert has gone to in chronicling these ancient cultures and their food, you can understand her commitment. The sea that gives this region life is also a major source of its food, with offerings of squid, octopus and anchovies. But the bounty of the land also makes a contribution with wheat, corn, grains, peas, garlic, chiles, pomegranates and pine nuts. In 1959, Wolfert and her "starter" husband arrived in short-graine- d black-eye- ' "H'-,sr- m ,MllIi- Although the culinary love affair continued, the marriage failed. But a romance, and later marriage, with mystery writer Bill Bayer (the Frank Janek series) and the publication of her couscous book in 1973 made her a woman with a mission. "Someone should document how it's made, right?" she asks. And she certainly has. From Macedonian relish with green tomatoes to Kurdish eggplant casserole with lamb, garlic and sumac, Wolfert goes to the source to find her recipes, tramping around the region with a guide and a driver (she doesn't have a license). Five or six times a year she leaves her San Francisco home, bound for Europe and points beyond to track down recipes. instance, although olive oil is now the fat of choice throughout the Mediterranean, there is still fat. In some use of sheep-tai- l fact, in Herodotus' time (the fifth century B.C.), sheep were bred to have such large hindquarters that they could not walk. Smart cooks, these; they rigged carts in which to place the animals' posteriors. Although Wolfert revels in the history, she doesn't have tunnel vision about her subject. "It all seems very romantic, these cultures," she says. "But the life is very hard. Women do all the cooking with only a paring knife and a mortar and pestle. A lot of the women have no real future because of the rise of fundamentalism." Yet, as some things are digressing, in other ways they are moving too far away from the past. two-whe- Out: d Gives history lesson Her books are lessons in civilization and history as much as For they are cookbooks. v f 1 -.- yatn.y.... , rice short-grai- n "You know, ' n short-grai- long-grai- w n short-grai- , n While Wolfert's beloved Mediterranean continues in its mellow ways of centuries past, she continues her mission. She is scheduled to tape a show teaching Martha Stewart how to make couscous in true North African style on the floor. "I've got these big wide pants just for sitting in while making couscous between your legs on the floor," Wolfert says. "Do you think Martha will wear them?" If anyone can convince her, it's Wolfert. Beverly Bundy is food editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegra- Visit the Star-Telegram-'s online services on the World f ......m Wide Web: " 1 n rice. rice is Common long-grai- n subsidized by the Market because that's what those cultures prefer. So what's ' happening is that short-grairice is getting outrageously expensive. So what could haprice will pen is that probably die out," Wolfert says. This won't matter to the Italians and the French, who rice, but the prefer North Africans prefer iT( 'II ". . www.star-telegram.co- J.J |