chili soup

[Deleted member 21219]

I'm sitting here listening to music and attacking a big bowl of my home-made chili soup. I love it. Now understand, I'm not talking about chile con carne, and I'm also not talking about Texas chili, which is a subject with a world of its own. I'm talking about what some people call "chili bean soup". It has many permutations.

Some people use cut beef only, while others use hamburger (I think Brits call it "minced beef") and still others use beef with pork sausage, sausage alone, chicken alone (I like that one) and various other meats.
Some use red kidney beans, while others use various other beans. Some add beer (I don't) and some add various wines (I sometimes do) and some add masa harina. Some add cocoa, and some don't.
And some like it hot! (I did 20 years ago, but now may stomach won't tolerate that.)

I'm always interested in new recipes. What's your favorite way to make chili soup?

 

[Killingbeans]

My mother used to make 13 bean soup when I was little. It was gooood. Don't know if she had a recipe. Maybe I should ask her.

 

[Pogre]

I make a "smokin' "chili" con carne and chop a roast up into stew meat chunks for the carne. 1/2 red kidney beans and 1/2 black beans. Can of beer, and the secret smokin' ingredients are a tablespoon of chipotle chili powder for heat and touch of smoke, and a tablespoon of smoked paprika for another little shot of smoke. The rest of my ingredients are pretty typical. Crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and beer for the base, regular chili powder, some cumin, onions, Pablano peppers, fresh garlic, etc.*

Brown the stew meat in the stew pot first and get a good brown sear on it then set it aside and cook the veggies in the same pot, scraping up the brown bits stuck on the bottom until veggies are translucent then add the beer and deglaze. Always brown your stew meat well with lots of salt and pepper! It adds flavor to the whole thing!

I've won contests with that recipe!

*1 lb of diced bacon! I forgot the bacon. Another shot of smokiness.

 

[Katji]

Jim... ...yes, minced beef...but if i made chilli soup for you - which i wouldn't do - you'd be in trouble.....it doesn't exist. Yes, mince curry, in Durban, is possible...but normally by Indians. I mean, you can't just boil chillies, and call it soup. ..........dhal/chickpea / pea dhal, that is like thick soup, with some dried red chillies whatever in the mix, in the tadka...[fried spices with some red chillies] that is added in after the dhal has cooked.

 

[Pogre]

I make a pretty mean green chili stew too. I use a pork butt for that, chopped into lean stewing cubes. Generously salted, peppered and browned first of course!

The base is fresh roasted hatch green chilis, roasted charred tomatillos and chicken broth. A couple of squeezed limes, fresh cilantro, garlic, onions, cumin... it's so good! Serve with rice and beans over a burrito, chimi or enchiladas or just eat it as a stew.

 

[bloodshoteyed]

i have to stop reading posts like this at almost midnight....i alwas get hungry

 

[Killingbeans]

Funny that you should mention dhal. My wife loves mung dhal!

Red lentil dahl is a big hit in our household when we're in the mood for something vegetarian. So easy to make, and so tasty.

 

[HammerSandwich]

I'm not talking about chile con carne, and I'm also not talking about Texas chili

Damn it, man! You left me hanging this close - || - to a "no Stevie Ray Vaughan for you!" joke.

 

[Pogre]

I think garlic and onions are the staff of life! (Interesting that you char the tomatillos.) Jim

I cut them in half, flat side down, drizzle with olive oil and give them just a light char on the skin under a broiler. Adds a little more flavor. Then into a food processor with the chilis for the broth/sauce.

 

[bloodshoteyed]

as long as you don't slice garlic with a razor blade so that it liquifies in the pan with oil, it's fine i'd say

Spoiler

(me being me, i had to try it....it didn't liquify, but turned to charcoal even before browning )

 

[Pogre]

as long as you don't slice garlic with a razor blade so that it liquifies in the pan with oil, it's fine i'd say

Spoiler

(me being me, i had to try it....it didn't liquify, but turned to charcoal even before browning )

Not the garlic, the tomatillos! I lightly char the skin of the tomatillos before putting them in the processor. It adds a subtle sort of smokiness to the sauce. Charred garlic would be nasty! The garlic goes in the pan with the onions and jalapeños after browning my meat. Sautee until translucent then add the liquid.

 

[Pogre]

Hmmmmmm ....... I'll have to try that. I always added salt and pepper after the meat was seared. I also throw in pasilla peppers every once in awhile. Jim

The seasoning sticks to the bottom and browns with the sugars and juices that come out of the meat and intensifies the flavors when you deglaze with your cooking liquid.

 

[Pogre]

I'm def gonna try those tomatillos! Forums are better than recipe sites for good info, for sure. Jim

Tomatillos look like little green tomatoes and serve the same purpose as tomatoes in a sauce, but have a more citrus flavor. They blend well with lime juice, cilantro, green chilis and cumin. Very southwest Mexican/American flavors. Bright and fresh with a kick.

 

[Pogre]

I knew what tomatillos were, but I had never used them in chili soup. They say variety is the spice of life, but I say spice is the variety of life. Jim

Ah, gotcha! Well, a lot of folks likely haven't heard of them. They're not a common ingredient.

Yeah, it's called green chili stew. You roast and peel fresh green chilis and process them with the tomatillos. It's a different take on chili stew, but is still officially chili. I really like it with stuff. It's good by itself too but I like at least some rice and/or beans with it since there isn't really a starch in the stew.

 

[Pogre]

Yeah, it's called green chili stew. You roast and peel fresh green chilis and process them with the tomatillos. It's a different take on chili stew, but is still officially chili. I really like it with stuff. It's good by itself too but I like at least some rice and/or beans with it since there isn't really a starch in the stew.

This recipe is very close to mine! There are a few variations but the core ingredients and technique are all there.

Chili Verde Recipe Mexican Pork Stew with Tomatillos and Peppers.

The best Chili Verde Recipe you'll ever try! Slow-cooked pork in a tasty stew made with tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic, and spices.

hildaskitchenblog.com

I dice the pork roast into stew chunks and brown in the pot instead of roasting the whole thing and shredding it.

 

[JRS]

Not the garlic, the tomatillos! I lightly char the skin of the tomatillos before putting them in the processor. It adds a subtle sort of smokiness to the sauce. Charred garlic would be nasty! The garlic goes in the pan with the onions and jalapeños after browning my meat. Sautee until translucent then add the liquid.

Indeed, until taking up residence here in NM, I had no idea what tomatillos were nor tasted true chile verde. This is now end game for me--while I enjoy some "chili" Tex Mex on occasion, none of it gets the complexity right. IMO there's another dimension present in what might be considered more authentic versions, while the presence of cilantro can lead to extended and even hot collared debate. Curiously, this appears to be a purely genetic preference--some hate it with a passion, suggesting it tastes like soap while others adore the piquant flavor and odor. I take the middle ground and use a bit of coriander with sprigs of cilantro on the side.

Perhaps I should just chill, but the difference in spellings between chile, chili, and chilli are mostly historical/geographical and there is no difference between chili con carne and chile con carne. Generally, however, unless it's some dumb ass restaurant, spelling it chili is likely to get you arrested here in New Mexico (which by the way is part of the US--believe it or not, there is a significant percentage of the US that seems unaware of this). It's along the lines of confusing the Mission district (San Francisco) bastardization of the burrito served at Chilpotle's with the real McCoy.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-chili-chilli-chile (see difference between chili and chile powder--this I believe is one example where 2 entirely different entities are involved--especially when buying McCormack's or Schilling canned spices, the flaked or ground stuff here is sold in bags. Speaking of which. one can get a few large bags of unseeded and freshly roasted green chile for like $15 vs spending $2 for a measly 4 oz can.

 

[Pogre]

Indeed, until taking up residence here in NM, I had no idea what tomatillos were nor tasted true chile verde. This is now end game for me--while I enjoy some "chili" Tex Mex on occasion, none of it gets the complexity right. IMO there's another dimension present in what might be considered more authentic versions, while the presence of cilantro can lead to extended and even hot collared debate. Curiously, this appears to be a purely genetic preference--some hate it with a passion, suggesting it tastes like soap while others adore the piquant flavor and odor. I take the middle ground and use a bit of coriander with sprigs of cilantro on the side.

Perhaps I should just chill, but the difference in spellings between chile, chili, and chilli are mostly historical/geographical and there is no difference between chili con carne and chile con carne. Generally, however, unless it's some dumb ass restaurant, spelling it chili is likely to get you arrested here in New Mexico (which by the way is part of the US--believe it or not, there is a significant percentage of the US that seems unaware of this). It's along the lines of confusing the Mission district (San Francisco) bastardization of the burrito served at Chilpotle's with the real McCoy.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-chili-chilli-chile (see difference between chili and chile powder--this I believe is one example where 2 entirely different entities are involved--especially when buying McCormack's or Schilling canned spices, the flaked or ground stuff here is sold in bags. Speaking of which. one can get a few large bags of unseeded and freshly roasted green chile for like $15 vs spending $2 for a measly 4 oz can.

I lived in Albuquerque for a year with my uncle and that's where I got my first introduction to green chile stew too! Authentic Hatch green chiles are the way to go for sure! I live in Arizona now, so we're still neighbors and folks take their green chile seriously here as well. You'll occasionally see folks on the corner out here spinning those big drums, selling roasted chiles over an open flame, but it's more common in New Mexico.

I've heard about the genetic disposition toward some folks thinking cilantro tastes like dish soap! I'm not one of those people tho, so it seems weird to me, but enough people react to it that way I know it's a thing. The recipe can work well without the cilantro, but for me it's a pretty big ingredient.

I love the complexity of proper green chile stew and salsa. It goes great with everything and even works well by itself.

 

[tomtoo]

I'm def gonna try those tomatillos! Forums are better than recipe sites for good info, for sure. Jim

All science based.

 

[JRS]

I lived in Albuquerque for a year with my uncle and that's where I got my first introduction to green chile stew too! Authentic Hatch green chiles are the way to go for sure! I live in Arizona now, so we're still neighbors and folks take their green chile seriously here as well. You'll occasionally see folks on the corner out here spinning those big drums, selling roasted chiles over an open flame, but it's more common in New Mexico.

I've heard about the genetic disposition toward some folks thinking cilantro tastes like dish soap! I'm not one of those people tho, so it seems weird to me, but enough people react to it that way I know it's a thing. The recipe can work well without the cilantro, but for me it's a pretty big ingredient.

I love the complexity of proper green chile stew and salsa. It goes great with everything and even works well by itself.

I'm with you re cilantro--I "reserve" it when doing pot lucks and dinner parties.

 

[raindance]

Ah, gotcha! Well, a lot of folks likely haven't heard of them. They're not a common ingredient.

Yeah, it's called green chili stew. You roast and peel fresh green chilis and process them with the tomatillos. It's a different take on chili stew, but is still officially chili. I really like it with stuff. It's good by itself too but I like at least some rice and/or beans with it since there isn't really a starch in the stew.

I thicken my green chili (or is that chlie... I'm in NC where it's completely unknown) with corn grits which makes it taste similar to what I had in NM, but also serve it with rice and beans despite the extra starch. Mine is cubes of pork rib meat with fire roasted Hatch chillies, onion and chicken stock. I tried green chili in Colorado and it seemed to be mostly tomatillo with tons of black and white pepper.