Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 15

We've had a scary warm December here, so far, in West Virginia. On one hand, it's kind of nice not shoveling snow or waking up to a cold apartment. On the other hand, it's left us craving some of our favorite cold-weather foods--like chili!

Last year, we played with a few fun chili recipes and it was a big hit. So this year, we return with two more varieties of this cowboy classic. . . .

---

"TOUCHDOWN CHILI"
Part II

2016 will mark the year that I have lived in West Virginia for as long as I lived in Boston, Massachusetts. While I don't think that my loyalties are divided, I do know that like a good New Englander, I love cold weather, simple dishes with fresh flavors, and putting the "spite" in hospitality. :-) For this chili recipe, I decided to combine some of my favorite plain "Mass-Hole" bean pot ingredients, with the wild, wonderful, bolder flavors that my favorite Appalachians hold so dear in "Best Virginia" (I mean no one else would make ramps a thing but a West Virginian).  Like a sauce or a hearty stew, this dish takes a while to make, and might actually taste better twenty-four hours later, when all the flavors have melded completely. So don't be a "Mass-Hole," be a good West Virginian: take your time, relax, and enjoy! 

​- Mina

A "MASS-HOLE'S" GUIDE TO  THE "BEST VIRGINIA" CHILI

• 1 Package Goya Mixed Beans (12-16 oz) 
• 1 Medium Sized Onion, Chopped
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 TBSP Vegetable Oil
• 1 lb Ground Goat Meat
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 Dried Bay Leaves
• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz) 
• 2 c. Water
• 1/2 c. Red Wine
• 4 TBSP Molasses
• 2 1/2 TBSP Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 TBSP Mild Chili Powder
• 2 tsp. Paprika
• 1TBSP Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Crusty Brown Bread, or Brown Rice

​
​Soak bean mixture overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water, and boil beans for an hour, or until tender. Drain beans again, and set aside. 

Sauté onions and garlic in oil in a large pan until they are softened. Add the bay leaves, and brown the meats together in the onions and garlic until they are fully cooked and crumbly. Drain off the fat (there won't be much from the goat, but the beef will definitely render some grease). 

Transfer meat mixture to large stewpot. Add crushed tomatoes, water, wine, molasses, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili, and cook on low for at least an hour, to adequately mix flavors. Top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Serve with crusty brown bread or brown rice.  

We're not condoning over-consumption of alcohol here, but you have to admit, there are some pretty funny (and delicious) home remedies floating around out there for the dreaded hangover. Medical professionals will tell you there's only one sure-fire cure: don't drink too much. Beyond that, your best friends are lots of water and some aspirin. Still, many people swear that greasy foods, spicy foods, eggs, coffee, ginger, and a "hair of the dog" are ways to recover from a night of partying too hard. To me, it sounds like they're on to something: a darn good recipe for chili!

​- Kap

HANGOVER CHILI
​

• 1 ½ TBSP Vegetable Oil
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 1 ½ lb. Ground Beef
• 15 oz. Tomato Sauce
• 10 oz. Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chiles
• 8 oz. Beer (not dark)
• 2 tsp. Lime Juice
• 1 oz. Tequila
• 1 oz.Moonshine
• 1 tsp. Bitters
• 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
• 1 tsp. Instant Coffee grounds or 1 tsp. Beef Bouillon Powder
• 4-5 dashes of your favorite Hot Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 3 TBSP Chili Powder
• 1 ½ tsp. Cumin
• ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 TBSP Gochujang (opt.)
• 15 oz. Black Beans
• Corn Starch, to thicken
• 2 Eggs, scrambled and cooked
• Frozen Hashbrowns or Home Fries, prepared according to package

​Saute chopped onion in oil until cooked, and add ground beef. Once the beef has browned, drain the grease.

Add tomato sauce and Rotel tomatoes and heat through. 

Now it's time for the "hair of the dog": add beer, tequila, moonshine, lime juice, and bitters. Add remaining ingredients except for the gochujang, beans, corn starch, eggs, and hash browns. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 mins.

Add the gochujang and beans. Simmer for 15 min. more.

Make a slurry with corn starch and slowly stir into the chili to thicken, if necessary.

Serve the chili with scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes. Consider your life choices.

---

Nothing goes better with chili than beer. This week, as I was thinking about what beer to feature on our blog, I realized that we've never actually featured my go-to favorite beer: Yuengling Lager. It's not a fancy beer, not craft made, but it is the flagship brew from what is actually America's Oldest Brewery and (in my opinion) it's the best inexpensive beer you can buy by far.

If you go into a bar in Pennsylvania and order "a lager," they give you Yuengling. A few years back, this brew made it to West Virginia, much to my delight.

I took a tour of the Yuengling brewery a few years back with my father and brother, and it was one of the more interesting tours I've taken. Here are a few pictures from that trip!

​- Kap

YUENGLING LAGER
​Traditional Lager (4.4% ABV)
Yuengling Brewery
Pottsville, PA

Fun Facts:

• ​Yuengling opened in 1829.
  
• They actually store the kegged Yuengling in a cave beneath the brewery, which actually keeps the beer at its optimal temperature as it ferments.
• During Prohibition, Yuengling switched over to making ice cream. Only recently have they begun producing ice cream again. (As an ice cream connoisseur, Kap can confirm that it is really good ​ice cream.)  

---

PREDICTION

Loss to the Cardinals

This feels like one of those "no-chance" games. And while the Eagles beat the Patriots in the last one of these games, I don't see them beating Carson Palmer and co. The Cards are simply too well-rounded a team, whereas the Birds continue to be inconsistent. Philadelphia may squeak into the playoffs, but it won't be because of a win today.


Kap's Season Record: 5-8

Larry Fitzgerald is ageless. Hopefully, he won't catch many passes like this one against the Eagles today.

---

Tune in next week for a Return to Mother's Kitchen!

---

All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.