Monday - Chili and Chipotles to dispel the Chill

Where did the Indian Summer go in Toronto....  I guess it was Friday and that is all we are getting.  Oh well.  Just as well we made a big batch of chicken chili - with no blackbeans to offend T-Rex.  We really don`t have a recipe...it is a taste and colour thing.  The best thing we have discovered in recent years that makes chili more than a bowl of love, is chipotle peppers.  You can buy chipotles as a powder, in adobo in a can or as whole dried chilis.

Chipotle peppers are basically smoked jalapeno peppers - and while definitely hot, it is their smoky flavour we crave.  It is said that the Aztecs smoked these particular peppers (no, not in a pipe or rolling paper) because their thick flesh was difficult to dry and often rotted.  By smoke drying the peppers, they were able to keep them in storage for a very long period of time.

 Also the dry smoking process allows for most of the natural heat of the jalapeno to be retained.  Typically it is between 5,000 to 10,000 Scoville Units. This is more or less a medium heat compared to other peppers.  Something like a habanero is about 350,000 to 580,000 depending on the species.   Because they are thick skinned, chipotles work best if added to a slow-cooked meal, such as a chili, soup or stew.

And nothing goes with a nice pot of chili as well as freshly baked bread.  Fortunately, we have a breadmaker.  His name is .....  well he`s the Omnivore.  A few years ago I asked for a breadmaker for Xmas.  Used it on Boxing Day to make some complicated beer cheddar bread and then it collected dust ever since.  Then the Omnivore took an interest and started making bread.  Yay!  Nothing better than a breadmaker that comes with ....uh...a breadmaker.  Ssshhhh.  That was my secret plan all along....don`t tell him tho!

Here`s what Om has to say about his favourite appliance:

``With the timer function, you can set the maker to come on at anytime during the day, allowing it to finish just before dinner.  The basic ingredients should be followed carefully, to avoid the bread being too dense, or not being able to rise correctly.  Our standard is the french style,and can be put together in less 5 minutes.  The basic ingredients are oil, sugar, salt and flour.  We used up one of the three partial bags left in the panty for this.  One thing that we do to make it a little different, is to add herbs.  Whatever strikes your fancy.  We added some fresh rosemary, left over from yesterday's roast.  We have also added basil, thyme, oregano, garlic etc. Not much though, or you will not taste the bread itself.  Because we are matching this with chili, you can add some shredded cheese over the top, about 15 minutes before it is finished, once the top crust has started to
brown.``

There you have it.  So it is left over chili for lunch tomorrow for someone.....