IED Chili

Today was wet and chilly. I didn't feel like firing up the grill or smoker so I made a batch of my award winning IED Chili. Yes, I said award winning. This recipe won first place in a company chili cook-off. And yes, those are beans you see in there, three different kinds in fact. I don't want to hear anything from you no-bean chili purists. I cook for taste, not abstract ideals.

Start to finish it takes about five hours but it's worth every minute of it. And it gives me a chance to bring out my ginormous cast iron Dutch oven.

I start out with three pounds of pink slime, er, ground beef and brown it in the pot. Then I add in some chopped onion and peppers (usually jalapeno and serrano peppers) and cook them until they're soft. Then in goes my special chili spice mixture, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies,  a bottle of beer, and a few other things. Then I cover it and let it cook for three to four hours.

I add beans the last hour (in this case red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans). I take the lid off for the last half hour or so to let it cook down a bit.

This chili is great hot out of the pot but it tastes even better the next day.

Recipe: Jacked Jerk Chicken

This recipe is based on Diana's Kitchen's version of Jamaican jerk chicken. But it's jacked up with a ghost pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 T ground allspice
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 t ground sage
• 3/4 t ground nutmeg
• 3/4 t ground cinnamon
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T sugar

• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 3/4 C white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 C orange juice
• 1 lime juice

• 1 habanero, finely chopped
• 1 ghost pepper, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 4 - 6 chicken breast (not chopped)

Directions

1. Combine the spices in a bowl.
2. With a wire whisk, slowly add the liquids to the spices.
3. Add the peppers and onions and mix well.
4. Add the chicken breasts and marinate for at least an hour.
5. When ready to cook, preheat the grill to high.
6. Cook the chicken breasts until done, turning as needed and brush with the marinade.
7. Bring the leftover marinade to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes. You want it to cook long enough to kill any bad germs (salmonella) before you reuse it. Serve the marinade on the side as a dipping sauce.

Comments
The original recipe from Diana's Kitchen did not include the ghost pepper. If you're afraid of ghosts but want a really flavorful  jerk chicken with a little bite leave it out. But the ghost pepper adds more than just a ratchet on the heat. Ghost peppers have a unique flavor profile that really enhances any dish. Especially jerks.

Hot Peppers May Kill Cancer

BBC News reports on research that indicates the component in peppers that makes them spicy, capsaicin, may kill cancer cells. At least in petri dishes.

Apparently capsaicin attacks the mitochondria in cancer cells but doesn't affect normal cells (the main function of mitochondria is to produce energy for cells). Researchers tested it in cultures of lung cancer and pancreatic cancer cells.

While the research doesn't indicate that eating spicy food will cure or prevent cancer, it couldn't hurt. Relatively speaking.

That reminds me. It's time to plant my Ghost Pepper and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion seeds. [Link]