Cold Day’s Fix at Night

Recently here in Blacksburg, VA we have had some rather cold mornings and nights, and its even been chilly during the days.  This motivated me to cook up some chili to take the “chill” off the recent crisp weather we’ve had.  I modified a recipe I got from the great Tom DiMantova (father of the one and only Sara DiMantova).  Essentially I turned the chili recipe into a Three Meat Chili by using a combination of organic, grass-fed natural beef, organic bison/buffalo meat, and ground turkey.  I complimented it with some cornbread mix by Slyvia’s that I added some syrup to in order to get that ole fashion sweet southern taste.

I paired the Three Meat Chili and cornbread with a bottle of 2005 Old Zin Vines Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel from the Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, California.  I was nervous to try this bottle, for fear of disappointment, after working for Bon Vivant Market this summer and participating in the annual ZinFest.  This annual Zinfandel tasting put on by Bon Vivant Market features some of the biggest, baddest, boldest Zins on the market- not to mention some of the most fun times and interesting people in Hampton Roads.  This Zin, picked up at Kroger (who actually has a decent wine selection) definitely impressed me and exceeded my expectations.  On the nose it has a waft of blackberries and cherries.  When this value wine hits your palate you’ll taste the blackberries, a little hint of cherries, and the strong presence of dark chocolate.  Speaking of dark chocolate, I also paired this wine with some Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% Cocoa chocolate squares and it meshed beautifully!

Here’s the recipe for the Three Meat Chili (feel free to add those protein-ous legumes if you believe chili has beans in it)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1lb organic, grass-fed, beef
• 1lb organic bison/buffalo meat
• 1lb ground turkey
• 1qt beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 10 garlic cloves (pressed or minced)
• 1 tablesp sugar
• 1 tablesp salt
• 1 teasp cumin
• 1 teasp dried oregano
• 2 teasp cayenne
• 1/2 teasp black pepper
• 6 tablesp cornmeal
• 3 tablesp flour
• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato puree/sauce (6-8oz)
• 1 tablesp crushed red pepper

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over high heat.  Add meet and sear it.  Stir constantly, cooking until the meat is starting to brown.  Drain fat now.  Pour in the stock, and reduce heat to simmer (low).  Add bay leaves, and cover the pan.  After about 45min remove the bay leaves.  Add in spices.  Continue simmering the meet, stirring occasionally for another 1.5 hours.  Add remaining ingredients (except the cornmeal and flour).  Simmer uncovered another 30min, stirring frequently.  Skim all accumulated fat from the chili, but be careful not take all the spices out.

In a small bowl, stir together the cornmeal and flour, and add enough water to make a thin paste.  Mix the paste into the chili quickly, to avoid lumps, and cook 5 more minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.  Add a little extra stock or water if the chili seems stiff.  Serve it hot.

Your cornbread should take 15-20min to bake then use these as either a foundation for the chili or served on the side.  Be sure to have all the toppings available (cheese, chopped onions, sour cream etc. if you use them).

Put it all together and you should find you can take the chilly bite out of the air any night of the week.