Bad Cold + No Ski = (Chili)

Well I came down with a nasty chest cold and low grade fever just in time to not be able to ski Book Across the Bay. I've been looking forward to skiing it ever since I realised I was moving back to Northern Wisconsin. It's such a unique skiing event. But venturing out in single digit temperatures to ski 10K across a frozen bay at night probably wouldn't help my cold much.

They used to always serve chili after the race, free for anyone that skied it. To keep with that tradition I made a big batch of my homemade chili accompanied by corn scones. I've been fooling with the recipe for some time, but lately I have been happy with the results. I love the sweetness and bite the beer adds. It's much more satisfying than water or broth.


Chili

1/2 lb ground meat (I usually use buffalo, venison, or elk)
12oz Beer (I prefer a dark ale)
24oz chunky tomato sauce
2 green, red, or yellow peppers (diced)
1 small chili pepper (finely chopped)
1 Large carrot (diced)
1 onion (diced)
2-3 stalks of celery (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 C beans cooked or canned
1T ground cumin
1t chili powder or even cayenne powder
salt to taste
water or broth to use if a thinner consistency is desired


*Brown the meat in a large pan. For a little extra flavour sprinkle some cumin, salt, and even garlic powder in the meat while cooking it. If using a very low-fat meat a little olive oil helps it to cook nicely. Remove the meat and set aside (refrigerator)

*Add all the vegetables and spices (not the beans) to the pot. Add the beer. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften, 30 minutes or so. Then add the tomato sauce and simmer awhile longer. If needed add some water or broth.
Adding the beer to the veggies


*When the flavour and texture are near the desired result add the beans and meat. Perfect hearty chili for cold winter nights.


Corn Scones (This recipe is from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home cookbook)

1/2 C butter or margarine
1/2 C milk
2 T brown sugar (I have used maple syrup-just add 2 T less milk)
1/2 C cornmeal
1 1/2 C flour (I mix it up, I found ww pastry with a bit of oat works well)
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder (heaping seems to work best)
1/4 C currants (I sometimes omit these)

*Preheat oven to 375 F

*Melt butter and add to the milk and brown sugar.

*Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and stir just until combined.

*On a floured board or countertop, press the dough into an 8" circle about 1/2" thick. Slice the circle into eighths. Separate the wedges and place on an oiled baking sheet or heated baking stone. Bake 15 minutes, until puffed and golden

Served with a green vegetable, a favourite beverage, corn scones and chili will help me get over my cold in no time. I just wish I could reverse the time so I could make the ski race. Oh well.