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Sorry! Not Sorry ...

Are you incredibly sorry that I am talking chili again? How about if I promise that this is the last time I write or talk again about chili until 2019?

Okay, I promise, but this is not the last time I will make chili again, especially after I went to a lecture at the Davis Gallery at the Mystic Museum of Art in Mystic. Had I know about it earlier, I would have asked to you to come with me, because it was so much fun.

Chion Wolf, who is a fixture on the Colin McEnroe on WNPR (weekdays at 1 p.m.), was the speaker. She is funny and smart and snarky, in a good way. I mentioned her when we both judged at a New London Stroll a couple years ago. What I didn’t know was that she is a chili maven, a certified judge in the International Chili Society. Her talk was funny and charming, but she is serious when it comes to chili.

While she was speaking to a group of about 30 people, there was a gasp when she said she uses no tomatoes or beans. The latter didn’t surprise me, but the tomatoes?

Wow.

She does like meat (chorizo and beef and pork, the latter never ground). She adds chardonnay (“for the sweetness”). Other ingredients include celery salt and bacon (crispy). She uses the bacon fat to sauté lots and lots of onions and peppers, the latter chopped really fine with a very sharp knife. As for what she calls “condiments,” (beans, maybe more onions, maybe cheese), you can serve them on the side.

As I have mentioned before, I begin with a mix of individual seasoning packets that I purchase by the case from Texas. It is called Wick Fowler’s Texas Style 2 Alarm Chili Kit. I just bought a case of 24, and the first 10 people who read this and email me will get a box, since it could be years before I need more than the rest. I use one-half packet of the red pepper, and I don’t use the masa, because the chili is thick enough. I use all the oregano, ground chili peppers, onion and garlic powder, and paprika. Instead of the packet of salt, I season it with my own. I pay no attention to the recipe on the box. Next time I will add chardonnay (when I am sautéing the veggies in bacon grease), crisp bacon, and celery salt. Here is my new recipe.

Lee’s Favorite Chili

Adapted from Wick Fowler 2 Alarm Chili Mix and Chion Wolf, chili maven

Yield: serves at least 8 to 10 people

4 to 6 slices bacon, crisp and set aside

(I use my Le Creuset to fry the bacon)

large onion, chopped fine

4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

Wick Fowler packet of red pepper,* oregano, ground chili

peppers, onion, garlic and paprika

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 cup of dry white wine (Chardonnay or similar)

2 pound ground beef and sliced chorizos (latter optional)

1 28-ounce can Muir Glen San Marzano whole plum tomatoes

with juice (preferably)

1 28-ounce can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes (preferably)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can pink beans, rinsed

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, fry the bacon, and set it aside. Then add onions and garlic in the bacon fat. Cook onions and garlic until they are translucent, then add spices and mix well. Add wine and cook until slightly evaporated. Add the cooked bacon. Add meat and cook until no longer pink. With your hands, mash the plum tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Add beans and cook for another 15 minutes. Season to taste.

*For very spicy chili, add full packet; for medium hot chili, use half the packet; for mild, do not use.

Lee White has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.