Chili Day

It’s 45°F and raining now, and tomorrow will be colder with a 70% chance of rain or snow, so I went to the store and bought makings for chili with beans. Tomorrow will be a “chili day.” I say “chili with beans” instead of “chili” because, as fans of The Big Bang Theory know because Sheldon told us, true chili has no beans.

Chili cookoffs don’t allow beans in contestants’ recipes. I’m going to quote the first two cookoff recipe rules from the International Chili Society:

1. Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

2. Chili Verde is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with green chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

The capitalizations for emphasis are on the official rules page. They really want you to know: no beans, no pasta.

I’m making Chili Verde because I’m using green jalapeños. I prefer hotter serrano peppers when I can find them, but I couldn’t find them today.

But I suppose “true” chili also doesn’t have meat. Because when you add meat it’s called chili con carne (chili with meat). But the name “chili con carne” is usually and confusingly shortened to “chili”.

So what is chili – without beans and without meat? It’s chili peppers, spices, broths, tomatoes, and whatever else you put in your chili other than meat and beans. To that you add meat and then you have chili con carne, which everyone shortens to chili. Then you can add beans and you have chili with beans which, again, everyone shortens to chili.

If you want to try something sweet that leaves a burn on your lips, try Strawberry-Serrano Preserves.

If you want to try some championship winning recipes, go to the website of the International Chili Society and click on Recipes.