Carrot Surprise…

Since last week I’ve been toying with various elements of a Thanksgiving Dinner – as a transplanted American, I usually do something simple (generally making something involving gravy) to remind myself of the holiday that my relatives on the other side of the ocean are sharing together. It is, after all, one of our nicest traditions – it’s about togetherness and appreciating what we have. Okay, it’s also about food and football – but these are things that people enjoy sharing together and no matter what brings us together, it’s worth appreciating. This year, however, we decided that a more elaborate Thanksgiving meal on this side of the ocean was in order. We’ve gathered a rag tag bunch of assorted nationalities to feast the occasion and we’ve completed all the negotiations about how to make things gluten and/or dairy free (which are my issues) and just how much bird the vegetarians are happy to share the table with (there will be bird but not too much) and very importantly, which wine should we drink with our meal. I’ll happily report on the success of the wine in another post next week…

To prepare, I have spent the past couple of weekends fine-tuning some of my recipes. I’ve been working on the perfect gluten free brownies with dried cranberries, been gradually baking the gluten free cornbread that will be the basis of the stuffing, practicing my turkey gravy and practicing roasting turkey thighs. I think I’m happy with most of my efforts and roasted my final trial run turkey thigh last night. My other half has been more than happy to enjoy these experiments over the past few weeks and has been very pleased to have been the recipient of gravy numerous times. Last night, when asked about his choice of vegetable to go with sliced turkey, gravy and a baked potato – he said he wanted carrots.

Nothing exciting about this request and I didn’t think too hard about it until after they were in the pan (4 large carrots, thick sliced, bias cut), lid on, with a bit of water (2/3 cup) for a light steam (5 minutes or so). Once I lifted the lid to let the water evaporate and the carrots start to brown (adding a splash of oil), I had to make a quick decision - and then one of those amazing things happened, a little light went off in my head and we had a very delicious carrot side dish. Once the carrots started to brown and were nearly cooked through, I added a spoonful of Chinese chili-garlic sauce (comes in a jar, available from pretty much any Chinese grocery) and tossed this with the carrots along with some salt and pepper. I used about a tablespoon of chili-garlic and they were just spicy enough to not overwhelm the other flavours on the plate but still to stand out – chili heat is a very personal decision though so this ingredient is definitely to taste. I tossed these periodically for another few minutes and then added some orange juice to the plan to give a sweet glaze to the carrots, probably not more than ½ to ¾ of a cup is necessary – but again, depends on how much chili you’ve used and how sweet you like your glaze to be. It’s just so wonderful when something so simple turns out to be so delightful. I think we are having carrots again tonight!

What’s the secret ingredient in chili?

Do you make chili at home? My husband only cooks a couple of things but one of them is a giant vat of chilli that lasts for several days as well as stocks the freezer for those nights when we need a quick dinner. As an American, I am all too aware of the regional battles that rage over what should go into chili – Texans tend to think that chili is meat and chile only (meat=beef) and abhor the use of beans and tomato (but within Texas endless debate still rages on); Cincinnati chili uses spices like cinnamon and allspice as well as tomato but is as much about how it is served (over noodles with garnishes of cheese, onions, beans, crackers etc.); moving towards the south-western states chili becomes more divided between the traditional ‘bowl of red’ and ‘chili verde’ using fresh green chili peppers and more varieties of meats. I’ve even seen recipes for ‘amish’ or ‘pennsylvania dutch’ chili recipes that are based on spaghetti and canned baked beans with pork! This is of course not to forget ‘white’ chili which is mild, poultry-based, leaning more towards the ‘verde’ end and generally to be found among collections of ‘light’ recipes or the endless variety of delicious vegetarian chilis that are based on different variations of vegetables, beans and protein replacements. Whew!

Fortunately, on this side of the Atlantic we are free of these regional battles, as least as far as chili is concerned. At home, we tend to make our chili based on a) what kind of mince is on sale at the grocery store, b) what’s in the freezer at the moment, c) what vegetables need to be used up, and d) what else can we find in the pantry in terms of beans, herbs, spices and in particular chile powders. I do have favourites of course (as does my in-house chili-master), such as the tubs of the chili sauce that our favourite local take-away gives out with its kebabs (we pop in to buy these specially for chili), canned soy beans in sweet chili sauce (the sweetness adds nice balance to the flavours), cocoa power for depth of flavour (my own chili-master is especially keen on this one) and the use of soya mince to bulk out the ‘meatiness’ with something more healthful than beef or pork.

Handy hints: There’s a difference between ‘chili powder’ and ‘chile powder’. The spellings change (and tend to be frustratingly interchangeable) but one (seasoning for chili) is a blend of chile, cumin, garlic and other herbs and spices and the other is pure ground chile. Chile peppers all have different flavour profiles but you can buy a wide variety, such as generic ‘ground red chile’, varieties of cayenne pepper, hot, sweet and smoked paprika, specific varieties such as Ancho chile powder, New Mexican Chile powder, jalapeno or chipotle powder. For the best selection of chiles and chile powders, as well as a wonderland of other Tex-Mex ingredients, head to Lupe Pinto’s on Great Western Road in the West End of Glasgow (see website for other locations). If you want to know even more about American Chili rivalries, see the International Chili Society website.

I’d be very curious to know what our readers think is key to the flavour in their home-made chili – and, of course, I’d love to know your secret ingredients if you’d care to share!