Cooking practice: Meatmix
Jan. 30th, 2007 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serenissimaI'd taken a pound of meat (93% lean ground beef) from the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator, with the intention of making my first attempt at cooking chili. But one evening after another passed: I got home late, I was too tired, I ordered pizza, or I ate at my relatives' house. A week went by. The meat began to turn brown on the outside.
I decided last night was the night. With this and this as my inspiration, I determined to produce, if not a true chili, at least a decent approximation thereof.
I warmed a little oil in my largest pot, chopped up a small onion and tossed it in, followed by the ground beef, and browned that, using a small spatula to break up the chunks. Oh, and I added a palmful of salt. Considering the age of the meat, I made sure it was cooked through before adding a can of red beans (I let the water drain down the sink first) and a can of diced tomatos & chili peppers (not drained). I did have a small can of tomato soup available, but I didn't have tomato paste, so I decided not to add the soup for fear of making the mixture too watery. I stirred it all around, put the lid on, and let it simmer, first on medium-low heat for around half an hour, then on the lowest setting for a little longer.
Result: tasty.
The seasoning was good. Apparently a palmful of salt (maybe two teaspoons?) was the right amount. It was not as tomatoey as I would have liked; the tomato paste would have been beneficial in that regard, and would have helped with the consistency too. I think of chili as being a thick liquid, like a stew or porridge-y texture. What I have is a lot of solid stuff together with a small amount of watery liquid. Except for the beans -- maybe even with the beans -- it would be a nice base for a pasta sauce. It's not quite chili, but it's good to eat. It would be better on top of some starch like rice or noodles.
I decided last night was the night. With this and this as my inspiration, I determined to produce, if not a true chili, at least a decent approximation thereof.
I warmed a little oil in my largest pot, chopped up a small onion and tossed it in, followed by the ground beef, and browned that, using a small spatula to break up the chunks. Oh, and I added a palmful of salt. Considering the age of the meat, I made sure it was cooked through before adding a can of red beans (I let the water drain down the sink first) and a can of diced tomatos & chili peppers (not drained). I did have a small can of tomato soup available, but I didn't have tomato paste, so I decided not to add the soup for fear of making the mixture too watery. I stirred it all around, put the lid on, and let it simmer, first on medium-low heat for around half an hour, then on the lowest setting for a little longer.
Result: tasty.
The seasoning was good. Apparently a palmful of salt (maybe two teaspoons?) was the right amount. It was not as tomatoey as I would have liked; the tomato paste would have been beneficial in that regard, and would have helped with the consistency too. I think of chili as being a thick liquid, like a stew or porridge-y texture. What I have is a lot of solid stuff together with a small amount of watery liquid. Except for the beans -- maybe even with the beans -- it would be a nice base for a pasta sauce. It's not quite chili, but it's good to eat. It would be better on top of some starch like rice or noodles.
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Date: 2007-01-30 11:13 pm (UTC)Yes, adding the tomato paste, or even a can of tomato sauce would have helped give it a bit more of a tomato-ey flavor and a more chili-like consistency. Just for future reference - you could have used a bit of corn starch with the hamburger oils, along with the juice from the tomatoes, to make a thicker sauce/paste to go in place of a can of actual tomato paste.