November in Iowa
Twice this month I have driven 370 miles in the flat part of Iowa, and it is not half as interesting as it is in the summer when everything is green. It is getting chilly in the Tall Corn State, and everyone I have spoken with has cooked a pot of chili within the past two weeks.
I'm going to share my chili recipe today. I got the idea for bulghur from Jeanne Lemlin's tremendously useful book Vegetarian Pleasures, but my chili differs from hers in several key ways, most notably in not being vegetarian.
Soupy Chili for One to Three People
Start out with a medium-sized saucepan, and put about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in it. Chop up a small to medium onion, and saute that until it is translucent. Add the following:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup bulghur (or textured vegetable protein if you don't eat wheat, but bulghur is tastier)
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin, ground or seed
1/2 t. oregano
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
Saute all this for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the following:
2 cups stewed tomatoes, or thereabouts
1 can beef broth (1.5 cups water if you're vegetarian)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
additional water if you're so inclined
Bring the chili to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook for at least half an hour. Add the following:
1 t. red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar if you like chili sweeter)
black pepper to taste
At this point I turn the heat off and let the chili sit for about half an hour before I eat it, with cornbread.
Last weekend I got to eat a friend's delicious chili after a University of Iowa football game. Attending a Big Ten game was a lot different from going to Rice games! I am an alum of Rice University in Houston, where our student body was under 5,000 students, yet our football stadium seated 73,000 people. The stadium was never full, and everyone moved about freely. Not so at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, where there are only 70,000 seats, but 28,000 students and a substantial number of alumni. I was allowed into only the section for which I held a ticket, and I could not enter any other area.
Another way that the Iowa game was a new experience was the incredible crowd noise. One thing about me is that when I do not feel like preserving my dignity, I can scream like a banshee. Never before have I heard anyone over 25 scream like I can. But at the Iowa game, the forty-year-old man in the neighboring seat threatened my hearing. I had to find standing room to preserve what was left of my best ear. When that crowd roared, it felt like I was being levitated. When Iowa scored and I emitted a piercing shriek that probably destroyed part of my friend's eardrum, I could barely hear myself.
Of course it was never 40 degrees at football games in Houston, but attending football games in Iowa's November cold was not new to me. At least I was not wearing a drum major uniform with a short skirt, like I gladly wore in 12th grade no matter how cold it was. And at least there was a hot bowl of chili waiting for me after the game.
I'm going to share my chili recipe today. I got the idea for bulghur from Jeanne Lemlin's tremendously useful book Vegetarian Pleasures, but my chili differs from hers in several key ways, most notably in not being vegetarian.
Soupy Chili for One to Three People
Start out with a medium-sized saucepan, and put about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in it. Chop up a small to medium onion, and saute that until it is translucent. Add the following:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup bulghur (or textured vegetable protein if you don't eat wheat, but bulghur is tastier)
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin, ground or seed
1/2 t. oregano
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
Saute all this for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the following:
2 cups stewed tomatoes, or thereabouts
1 can beef broth (1.5 cups water if you're vegetarian)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
additional water if you're so inclined
Bring the chili to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook for at least half an hour. Add the following:
1 t. red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar if you like chili sweeter)
black pepper to taste
At this point I turn the heat off and let the chili sit for about half an hour before I eat it, with cornbread.
Last weekend I got to eat a friend's delicious chili after a University of Iowa football game. Attending a Big Ten game was a lot different from going to Rice games! I am an alum of Rice University in Houston, where our student body was under 5,000 students, yet our football stadium seated 73,000 people. The stadium was never full, and everyone moved about freely. Not so at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, where there are only 70,000 seats, but 28,000 students and a substantial number of alumni. I was allowed into only the section for which I held a ticket, and I could not enter any other area.
Another way that the Iowa game was a new experience was the incredible crowd noise. One thing about me is that when I do not feel like preserving my dignity, I can scream like a banshee. Never before have I heard anyone over 25 scream like I can. But at the Iowa game, the forty-year-old man in the neighboring seat threatened my hearing. I had to find standing room to preserve what was left of my best ear. When that crowd roared, it felt like I was being levitated. When Iowa scored and I emitted a piercing shriek that probably destroyed part of my friend's eardrum, I could barely hear myself.
Of course it was never 40 degrees at football games in Houston, but attending football games in Iowa's November cold was not new to me. At least I was not wearing a drum major uniform with a short skirt, like I gladly wore in 12th grade no matter how cold it was. And at least there was a hot bowl of chili waiting for me after the game.
Labels: food
posted by Margo at 5:56 PM
2 Comments:
You were a drum major? A majorette, perhaps?
That game sounds like fun. We hit the UT/A&M game Friday, and the parade before that. You are spot on in pointing out the odd feel all the hoopla and crowds at a big college football game has for a Rice alum.
Ummmm...chili...as soon as the weather really cools off here, I'm making some.
Although I am a very silly person, the word "majorette" is so ludicrous that I refuse to use it.
Loved your UT tailgating adventures, HellieMae.
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