Travels with Chili: A Fond Farewell

It may have been telling that a recent trip to Fraga Farmstead Creamery was taken in my husband's pickup rather than Chili, the intrepid Mini Clubman we bought 10 years ago, the first brand new car we'd ever owned.

A post way back then summed it up:

"Trumpets sounded, the crowd roared, a dog barked, clouds parted and, oh yeah, a baby cried. Y'know, the usual harbingers of a siginificant event in literature. In a workplace, a memo would have gone out and, befitting its importance, coffee and donuts would have been served in the conference room.

"In this case, we drove up to the house, parked, and pretty soon the neighbors started gathering, oohing and ahhing, opening doors and (if you're Mace, anyway) pushing buttons. Everyone had to sit in the driver's seat, watch the sunroof(s) slide back and forth, and close their eyes and breath in the new car smell.

"Pretty soon beer was being poured, wine bottles opened and a block party erupted that lasted into the late evening as kids played racecar driver in the front seat, complete with 'vroom vroom' sound effects. All of it a good sign of adventures sure to come."

And there were many of those. From Portland to California, the Wallowas, Canada, on summer camping trips and countless quick hops to area farms and coastal getaways, not to mention the more pedestrian errands that we ran every day. Our friends teased us whenever we went on trips together, saying that seeing us, the dogs and all our gear popping out of Chili was like was like the clown car at the circus.

Lately, though, there were signs that all was not well—a transmission failing, leaks here and there, check engine lights that, in order to get them to turn off, required an expensive infusion of cash. Plus we'd decided to downsize to one car, something that could serve as a road car, camping vehicle and city runabout, plus haul supplies for various house projects.

This last weekend the check engine light came on yet again, and we had to make the fateful decision. Emptying Chili of the grocery bags, road maps and collected detritus was a hard task, leaving it at the dealership even harder, with memories of so many happy times crowding around us. Our little red car, always the cutest in any lot or campground, will be sorely missed.

Check out our Travels with Chili.

The Snack-Lover's Guide to Watching Sports

Okay, okay, I admit it. When it comes to sporting events, I'm just there for the food.

I come from a family of sports enthusiasts, and I'm definitely the odd one out. My mother loved football, especially her Oregon State Beavers. My youngest brother was a Green Bay Packer in scrimmages with his buddies in grade school before he switched to the Blazers' LeRoy Ellis in pick-up games in middle school.

Hummus? Easy peasy.

Me? I imagined beaming up to the Enterprise so I could explore strange new worlds with Mr. Spock.

So now when we're invited over to friends' homes to watch sports on a screen the size of a starship, I tend to ply the circuit around the snack table that's usually groaning under bowls of chips and dips, chili and even the odd pork shoulder.

Hot crab and artichoke dip.

Whether you're a sports fanatic or hoping that Elizabeth in "The Americans" targets you as her next victim…er…informant, here are some of my fave recipes for game day snackage, and a killer chili recipe for the big game or any time.

• Susana's Amazing Asian Chicken Wings (top photo)
• Tim's Spicy Wings
• Sriracha Chicken Wings
• Deviled Eggs Four Ways
• My Mom's Hummus via Africa
• Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip
• Green Olive Tapenade
• Roasted Squash Spread
• Quick White Bean Dip

The following chili recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, so feel free to halve it for smaller gatherings.

Killer Beef Chili

For the sauce:
8 dried ancho chiles, seeded and torn into pieces
3 1/2 c. boiling water
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
2 Tbsp. (6-8) garlic cloves
4 tsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. paprika (I use 1 Tbsp. smoked Spanish pimenton and 2 Tbsp. regular paprika)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 qt. roasted tomatoes

For the chili:
1 lb. dried beans (I used borlotti beans from Ayers Creek Farm)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped in 1/2" dice
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
4-5 lbs. beef chuck
Salt to taste

The day before making the chili, put the dried beans in a medium-sized pot. Cover with water by 2 inches and soak them overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300°.

Make the sauce, place the torn chiles in a heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Soak for 30 min. until they are soft and pliable. Drain them, reserving the soaking water, and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add remaining ingredients and 1/2 c. soaking liquid and process till smooth, gradually adding the rest of the soaking water. If you have a larger processor, add the tomatoes or simply stir them together with the chile sauce in a large mixing bowl.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. When it shimmers, add the chopped onions and sauté until tender. While the onions cook, slice the beef chuck into 1-inch pieces. Add the garlic to the onions and sauté briefly. Add the oregano, beef cubes and chile sauce. Stir to combine and place in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. until the beans are tender and the meat is almost falling apart. Salt to taste.

A Day at Ayers Creek Farm

For the past few years I've had the privilege of occasional visits with Carol and Anthony Boutard at their farm outside of Gaston, spending a few hours helping with various chores. While not the most efficient worker, I hope that my enthusiasm for this wonderful place makes up for any lack of skill.

It starts with the alarm going off. I'm in the middle of a dream, but it disperses into steamy wisps when I open my eyes. As soon as I move dogs are tumbling off the bed and rolling on the floor like the demented dwarves that they are. Making my way to the bathroom I gingerly step over them, trying not to begin the day with a major injury. Ablutions done, contact lenses poked in my eyes, Walker leads me down the stairs with Kitty, as always, bringing up the rear (they somehow arrived at this arrangement soon after she joined the family and it's been that way ever since.)

Garlic, before weeding.

They dance around my feet as I put shoes on and untangle their leashes, Kitty barking in her hoarse but insistent voice, Walker whining and moaning to please-please-hurry-I-gotta-go. And out we do go, then in we come again, and while the coffee drips I feed them breakfast. I fill my water jug and pile up boots and coats for all the kinds of weather the day might bring, the fields wet and dripping or dry and dusty.

I pull up in front of Linda's house pretty much on time, her dogs begging for attention after a thorough sniffing to suss out who I've been with lately (at least four or five other dogs on this pair of jeans). Lunch at the farm today, as always, will be brought by Linda, who's planned a sprouted barley and beef soup with a cardoon salad tossed with an anchovy and lemon vinaigrette. I slap my forehead as I realize I've forgotten the loaf of Ayers Creek-grown barley bread that Dave made, so we'll have to "make do"—a gross misstatement of the facts—with Anthony's weekly allotment of Nostrana's wood oven-baked bread.

Garlic, after weeding.

The route from our Northeast neighborhood is a quick dash over the Fremont Bridge, out the Sunset Highway to Forest Grove then south to Gaston, but from Linda's home in Southeast it's easier to cross the river at Ross Island, heading out Highway 10 through Beaverton, then over Bald Peak to Springhill Road. It's a slower, albeit much more scenic, route, especially at the point you leave the suburbs behind, and I pull Chili up to the house before ten. Opening the front door sets off the Tito alarm, and he must be held and adored before any discussion of schedules can begin.

Anthony harvesting a cardoon.

By the time we head out to the fields Carol's sister, Sylvia, has arrived, and Carol introduces us to the "scuffle hoe," a stirrup-shaped scraper that basically uproots shallow weeds and cuts off deeper-rooted weeds when dragged over the surface of the soil. It's a fairly unsubtle instrument and can…ahem…also cut off the young plants if you try to get too close. (Note: I only beheaded two, Carol, honest!)

Cardoon salad.

Our task is to weed the tops and sides of a 100-foot row of garlic and a parallel 100-foot row of tarragon, thyme and sorrel. Linda (top photo, demonstrating proper technique) and I work the garlic while Carol and Sylvia tackle the other row, and we chat about books and movies and kids and laugh, sharing our experiences as I imagine farm workers have done for millenia.

When the rows are cleared it's time to head in for lunch where Anthony joins us—he's been off working on other projects all morning—and we dig into the hearty bowls of beef, sprouted barley, carrots and vegetables while thick slices of bread are slathered with butter and the cardoon salad is devoured.

The wicked euphorbia.

After lunch we head off to help Carol weed a section of her garden that was infested by an invasive form of euphorbia. What makes it worse, to her mind, is knowing that this calamity was self-inflicted. She bought the "cute little plant" at the garden store and within a couple of years it had wound itself around the daylilies, daffodil bulbs, lavender and shrubs in the bed, all of which have to be pulled out and disentangled from its grip.

Tea and cookies are our reward after this heroic rescue, and then it's time to jump in Chili and climb back over Bald Peak and home, a good day's labor behind us and, at least for me, a nice cocktail waiting to ease my tired muscles.

Getting a Charge at Freddie's

I have to admit that I don't get into our neighborhood Freddie's very often, and when I do it's a quick in/quick out sort of trip. So when I saw this electric car charging station in the parking lot, I got…well…all charged up, even though our Chili isn't that sort of car.

Apparently ECOtality, the electric transportation and storage technologies company, struck a deal in 2011 with Kroger, which owns Fred Meyer, to install these chargers at designated stores Oregon and Washington. The Hollywood location, at 3030 NE Weidler St., was the first in the nation to install a fast-charging station, which can charge a Nissan Leaf's battery with up to 80 percent battery capacity within 30 minutes. More fast-charging stations are planned at other locations in the near future.

Just in time to pick up a few items at the store, methinks. Interesting strategy!

The Czar Gets Saucy!

Jack Czarnecki is a busy guy. Not only does he spend countless hours tramping through the woods looking for mushrooms and Oregon truffles to feature on the menu of the Joel Palmer House, the fine restaurant he founded in Dayton, but he's also come out with a line of sauces using Oregon pinot noir.

This week's Small Bites section of the Oregonian's FoodDay highlights the four appropriately-named Czar's Sauces: Pinot Szechuan, Pinot & Pepper, Pinot & Habanero and Pinot & Chipotle. He gave me a sample of each one to play with, and I can tell you that the unique flavor of each pepper comes through, with the wine adding a nice depth that you don't get with a lot of spicy sauces. It makes them perfect for using as a sauce on everything from meat to eggs, but also as an ingredient in recipes.

They'd be perfect as gifts for your favorite host or to send to spice-loving friends out of town. Here are a couple of recipes I came up with (and that got the big thumbs up from the fam), and there are more online!

1000 Island Dressing

1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. ketchup
1/8 tsp. celery salt
1-2 tsp. Czar's Pinot & Szechuan Sauce, to taste
1 Tbsp. Kosher dill pickles, minced (I like Bubbies)
1 Tbsp. onion, minced

In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir till well mixed.

* * *

Chili with Beans and Ground Pork

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 c. Czar's Pinot & Chipotle Sauce
4 c. roasted or canned tomatoes
3 25-oz. cans red kidney beans or 6-8 c. cooked beans
1 Tbsp. oregano
Salt to taste

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté pork till browned. Add onion and garlic and sauté till tender. Add bell pepper and sauté till tender. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour and preferably two or more. Adjust salt to taste.

Details: The Czar's sauces are available online and at Newman's Fish Co. and Storyteller Wine Shop in Portland. Also at Roth's in McMinnville, Willamette Valley Tasting Room, NW Food & Gifts, WilaKenzie Lavender, Harvest Fresh in McMinnville, Tyrus Evan in Carlton;  Zerba and Red Hills Market in Dundee, Rain Dance Gifts in Newberg and Sokol Blosser in Dayton.

Chilly? Not Tonight!

I don't know how it worked with the big guys like Einstein, Mozart or Picasso, but sometimes all it takes to get me inspired is the smallest whiff of an idea. Like yesterday afternoon when I had to run to the store to get coffee beans so we wouldn't be all cotton-headed in the morning.

My neighborhood New Seasons market was handing out samples of ready-to-heat chili made by a small company in Southern Oregon. I picked one up and tasted it, and I'm sure the other shoppers saw the thought bubble that formed above my head. "Oooh…yeah. Chili!" But instead of running to the shelf where the product was kept, I went to the meat counter and got a couple of pounds of chuck roast, then to the canned goods aisle for three big cans of kidney beans.

Yes, I know, I should have gone to the bulk aisle and cooked up my own beans, but time was short and I needed to get home and make dinner, and by now my chili jones was going strong. After picking up the coffee beans (See, I didn't forget!), I got home, chopped onions and garlic and the last little ancho peppers from the garden, threw them in the pot with a few dried herbs, added the beans, roasted tomatoes and meat and let it cook for a couple of hours. Fabulous!

This would be a great recipe for a slow-cooker, and would be even better if you got some beans soaking the night before, but for a relatively quick, hearty winter meal it's divine. All it takes a is a little inspiration!

Quick Beef Chili

2 Tbsp. oil
3 slices bacon (optional)
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 ancho peppers or bell peppers, chopped (optional)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 bay leaf
3 25-oz. cans kidney beans, or 6 c. cooked beans
4 c. roasted or canned tomatoes
2 lbs. chuck roast, cut in 1" cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Sauté bacon, if using, until fat begins to render. Add onions, garlic and peppers and sauté till tender. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder and bay leaf and stir briefly to combine. Add beans, sauce and meat (no browning necessary) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 90 min., longer if you want fall-apart tender beef. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite chili condiments like cheddar cheese, rice, chopped onions or whatever.

Farm Bulletin: Bluebirds and Beans

Anthony and Carol Boutard's close observations of the diverse plants and wildlife found on their farm in Gaston makes their bulletins a welcome distraction from the hustle-bustle of the city. This week he gave me a new word to look up (see if you can find it!) and a new recipe to try, as well as a kind mention of GoodStuff NW. Thanks, Anthony!

Bluebirds have a beautiful soft warbling call, and they converse with each other as they fly. You hear them well before they come into view. For the most part, they stay in the higher pastures on the flanks of Bald Peak, shunning even the most hospitable croplands. Sunday, in advance of the chill, the bluebirds sought lower ground. Bluebirds have stronger family bonds than other thrushes, with males assisting the hens during the first clutch, and the progeny from the first clutch assisting with the raising of the second clutch. During the winter months they remain as a family group. Working in the field, we heard their nearby conversation as confirmation of a cold snap. They have been hanging around the last few days seeking eddies of warm air where insects are active.

The full moon is often accompanied by a cold spell. Growing up in New England, an early harvest moon meant a short tomato season if the garden wasn't covered with every available bedsheet and tablecloth. In Oregon's January, we cross our fingers as the temperature plummets and the plants go limp, losing all turgor. The wilting response concentrates the plant's sugars and reduces the likelihood that the sharp ice crystals will pierce the cell wall. If that happens, the cell dies. The high winds that accompany these chills make covering the crops impractical. All we can do is wait, and fret at night as the wind rattles outdoors.

Dry Beans

From time to time, Kathleen Bauer includes excerpts of our newsletter in her Good Stuff NW blog, as well as her own riffs on cooking with our beans, &c. In response to our note about beans, one of her readers observed that cooking beans at 250 degrees in a Dutch oven is a very gentle way to cook beans. The reader is right. We cook our beans in a beautiful glazed blue pottery French bean pot that Greg Higgins gave us. Bean pots have lid and a lip that redirects the steam back into the pot. The pottery tempers the heat and no hot spot develops as in a regular saucepan. Every single bean cooks perfectly, and there is simply no better way to cook beans. Bear in mind, it is much slower, taking a couple of hours or more. The Mirador Community Store at 2106 SE Division sells high quality bean pots in various sizes. Mirador also has a good selection of clay crocks, and other odds and ends. Crockpots are another method of cooking beans slowly.

In our last newsletter, we mentioned that we do not recommend Black Turtle Beans for vegetarian cooking. Two of you challenged that assertion. Robin Fox makes the following observation:

"Black turtle beans make wonderful vegetarian chile! I can't give an exact recipe, but the secret is to use fire-roasted tomatoes (canned, Muir Glen), which give it a smokey flavor, and of course lots of onion, garlic, thyme (and/or oregano, but I prefer thyme), and cumin, some chopped green pepper (frozen in the winter), and chile to taste. These beans are so strong flavored that I'm inclined to bring them to a simmer, soak for a few minutes, and then change the water; I don't do this with most of your beans because I think a lot of flavor gets thrown out with the water. Duncan doesn't think I need to do it with turtle beans either--he thinks very, very black-beany chile is delicious. Our non-vegetarian neighbors like it too."

Nancy Steeler sent us the following recipe, noting that it is a hybrid of recipes drawn from Deborah Madison and Lorna Sass, a mighty fine lineage for a dinner. Nancy includes directions for both a pressure cooker and a sauté pan:

Favorite Black Bean Chili

2 c. dried beans, soaked over night or speed soak
2 c. onions, chopped small
4 cloves garlic minced (about 2 Tbsp.)
1 red pepper, chopped small
2 c. chopped tomato (I use my own canned tomatoes at this time of year.)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. chili powder
4 tsp. sweet paprika
1-2 tsp. pureed chipotle chiles, or 2 jalapeños seeded and thinly sliced. Adjust for your own liking. This has just a bit of a kick, not too much.

Drain and rinse the beans. If not using a pressure cooker, put them in a large pot with 4” water over them and boil for 5 to 10 min. or until done with the following step, removing any surface scum.

In the pressure cooker (or sauté pan if not using pressure cooker) heat the olive oil add cumin seeds till they pop, add onions. Sauté for 7 to 10 min. then add garlic, red pepper, oregano, fennel seeds, cinnamon, chili powder, sweet paprika, and chipotle. Sauté for another minute or two.

Using a Pressure Cooker: Add the beans to the pressure cooker and add boiling water to cover the mixture. Lock lid in place. Over high heat bring up to high pressure, then lower heat just enough to maintain high pressure. Cook for 12 minutes, reduce pressure with a quick release method. Open lid with it pointing away from you to allow steam to escape. If beans are not yet done cover and cook till done.

Using a Sauté Pan: Add tomatoes to the onion mixture, simmer for another 15 minutes. then add this mixture to the beans. Continue cooking until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes or so. Make sure the water level stays above the beans by 1 or 2 inches.

Finishing up Both Methods: When the beans are done correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, or add more chipotle if desired. Let sit for a few hours at room temperature, covered. If the chili not thick enough, puree some of the beans and stir back into the pot.

Reheat, and just before serving add cilantro and garnish with avocado and lime wedge.

Note: Never add salt before the beans are thoroughly cooked as this will toughen the skins. I have had this cooking time vary widely. It may depend on the freshness of the beans - with Ayers Creek beans the timing is pretty spot on.