1. food and drink
2. food
3. condiments and dressings

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BY ANN FRIEDLAND
Challenge children
to choose chili
with cheer.
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SchoolNutrıtıon
• OCTOBER 2011
FOOD
Focus
T
HE CALENDAR IS NOW FLIPPED TO
OCTOBER. Football rivalries
play out weekly. Leaves shimmer resplendently with fall
color. Nippy breezes redden cheeks and noses. Hmmmmmm… It must be time to break out the chili! Of course,
true aficionados down the hot stuff all year long—in fact,
numerous chili cook-offs held across the country actually take place during
the summer months—but for many, chili is a hearty, comforting, coldweather dish.
And with that defi nitive statement, right off the bat, we’re embroiled in
just one of the many passionate controversies surrounding this spicy
concoction. Indeed, there’s very little about chili that’s not up for debate: Its
origins, its ingredients, its preparation—even the spelling of its name! (For
purposes of this article, the dish is spelled chili and the crucial ingredient
used to create it is chile pepper.)
LOUISIANA WHITE BEAN CHILI
YIELD: 26 SERVINGS*
INGREDIENTS
Turkey taco meat, pre-cooked—3 1⁄2 lbs.
Navy beans, cream-style—1 #10 can*
Salsa, chunky—3 cups
Water—3 cups
Chicken broth—1 qt.
Cumin—1 Tbsp.
DIRECTIONS
1. Before preparing the recipe, thaw the turkey taco meat in
the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
2. Combine all ingredients in a 4-in. steamtable pan. Steam
for 12-15 minutes or until the temperature reaches 175ºF.
3. Serve each portion using an 8-oz. ladle.
Photo: Jennie-O Turkey Store, www.jennieofoodservice.com/schools
Recipe: Trina Germany, purchaser, St. Charles (La.) Parish Public Schools, a
winner of Jennie-O Turkey Store’s 2010 Recipe Contest
*Note: If cream-style navy beans are not available, place the navy
beans in a food processor and roughly chop. If this recipe passes
the test with a small group of students, conduct a nutrient analysis.
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FOOD
Focus
Great Bowls of Fire!
CHILI BEAN SOUP
YIELD: 24 servings*
PER SERVING: 233 cal., 14 g pro., 35 g carb., 8 g fiber, 5 g fat, 14 g sat. fat, 6 mg chol.,
1,023 mg sod., 80 mg ca., 3 mg iron
INGREDIENTS
Kidney beans, dry—1 lb.
Pea beans, dry—1 lb.
Soup base, beef—2 1/4 cups
Tomatoes, peeled—3 1⁄2 cups
Tomato paste—1⁄2 cup
Ground pepper, fresh—1
Tbsp.
Onions, chopped—12 ozs.
Garlic powder—2 Tbsps.
Chili powder—1 Tbsp.
Salt—2 tsps.
Hot pepper sauce—1⁄8 tsp.
Water—1 1⁄2 gals.
Tortilla chips, crushed—1⁄2 lb.
DIRECTIONS
1. Cover the kidney beans and pea beans with water and soak overnight.
2. Drain and add the beef soup base, tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, onions, garlic powder,
chili powder, salt and hot pepper sauce.
3. Place the mixture over low heat and simmer for 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
4. Remove 2 cups of solids from the pot, purée them and then return them to the soup.
5. Serve the soup hot and garnish with tortilla chips.
Photo, recipe and recipe analysis: National Onion Association, www.onions-usa.org
*Note: If this recipe passes the test with a small group of students, adjust the serving sizes and the
quantities for batch preparation.
Cowboys and Chili Queens
So many legends and tall tales surround the
history of chili, it’s difficult to decipher fact
from fiction. In its simplest form—meat
and chile peppers stewed together—chili
was likely created by early denizens of the
Americas, as the peppers originated in
Central and South America. Natives of
other locales around the world where chiles
were introduced centuries ago also create
myriad semblances of chile/meat combinations. But the point at which that mixture of
meat and chile peppers transformed into
what we know as real chili is truly a
Southwest American story.
In cowboy folklore, chili is said to have
been created by cattle trail cooks, some of
whom took to planting necessary ingredients—oregano, chile peppers, garlic and
onions—in growths of mesquite along the
trails so that they’d have ready access as the
teams drove along in one direction and then
back again. Another story holds that
cowboy range cooks created a dried mixture
called “brick chili” that consisted of
pounded dried beef, fat, chile peppers and
salt all shaped into rectangles. These bricks
would be reconstituted along the trails
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SchoolNutrıtıon
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using pots of boiling water.
But equally as important to the history
of chili is the saga of the San Antonio “chili
queens,” whom many credit with having
invented the potent brew. These entrepreneurial women rolled carts into Military
Plaza in bustling San Antonio, Texas, and
sold their fiery creations to the many
cattlemen, railroad workers and soldiers,
among others, who populated the town.
Locals claim the chili queens sold chili
there for 200 years (their unregulated
businesses were shut down by the health
department in the 1930s), although
historians believe they actually began
marketing chili only around the 1880s, and
most likely offered traditional Mexican
foods before that.
It’s the chili queens to whom we owe the
debt of more “sophisticated” chili recipes,
with additional seasonings and ingredients
added. And it’s quite possible that the
origins of the fierce competition that
surrounds chili can be traced to them, too,
as the women continually vied with one
another to produce the “very best bowl of
chili known to humankind.” So popular
was the chili they sold that Military Plaza at
one point became better known by the
moniker: “La Plaza del Chile con Carne.”
Enough for Everyone
By the early 1900s, “chili joints” began
springing up in Texas and throughout the
West, as ever-growing numbers of people
hankered for the satisfying feeling the
tongue-blistering stew delivered. By the
Depression era, these often ramshackle
storefronts had multiplied in regions
throughout the country, providing inexpensive nourishment for many during that
difficult time.
According to food historian Linda
Stradley (whatscookingamerica.net),
canned chili first appeared in 1884, when a
former Texas Ranger named William
Tobin contracted with the U.S. military to
provide a canned goat meat chili for Army
and Navy personnel. In the early 1920s,
Lyman Davis, inventor of the famous Wolf
Brand Chili, began canning the admired
mixture he sold at his Corsicana, Texas,
market to meet a growing demand.
Soon, larger manufacturers bought out
some of these small business owners, while
others branched into the canned chili
COWBOY TURKEY CHILI WITH BROWN RICE
YIELD: 50 servings
PER SERVING: 252 cal., 16 g pro., 35 g carb., 5 g fiber, 6 g fat, 2 g sat. fat,
37 mg chol., 788 mg sod.
INGREDIENTS
Packaged beans-and-brown rice
mixture—2 24.7-oz. boxes*
Onions, chopped—9 cups
Bell peppers, green, chopped—3 cups
Tomatoes with juice, diced—2 #10 cans
Kidney beans, drained—4 16-oz. cans
Turkey meat, taco-seasoned, frozen—
1 5-lb. bag
Water—1 gal.
Cheddar cheese, shredded,
reduced-fat—12.5 ozs
DIRECTIONS
1. Fully cook and thaw the turkey meat.
2. In a large pot over medium heat or a steam-jacketed kettle, combine the contents of the seasoning packet from the rice and beans mixture
(reserving the rice and beans for the next step), onions, green peppers, tomatoes, kidney beans, turkey meat and water; stir well. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the reserved rice and beans. Stir well, cover and simmer an additional 25 minutes. Keep warm.
4. To assemble each serving, use a 6-oz. ladle to portion into a bowl and top with 1/4-oz. cheese.
Photo, recipe and recipe analysis: MARS Foodservices, www.marsfoodservices.com
*Note: Uncle Ben’s Taco Flavored Pinto Beans & Brown Rice may be used for this recipe.
market on their own, extending the reach of
this popular dish even further. The
invention of chili powder in the late 1800s
(the official “inventor” is the subject of yet
another debate) allowed for an even easier
way for restaurateurs, manufacturers and
home cooks to produce chili dishes and
recipes.
Hot Competition
So, what is real chili, then? That’s the
biggest controversy of all! Designated the
official dish of Texas by the state’s legislature in 1977, chili is a serious subject in
that part of the country. But there are other
regions that just as staunchly hold out their
own as “the” best. Let’s take a look.
Texas Chili, often called Chili con
Carne or “Bowl of Red,” is considered
by many (and certainly by most Texans) to
be the real deal, made with meat (almost
always beef, with pork sometimes added as
well) and no beans (more about that later);
often, there are not even any other vegetables used besides the chile peppers
themselves. The meat is usually cut up
into cubes or chunks, rarely ground, and
supplemented with spices, generally
oregano or marjoram and cumin, at the
very least. Several types of chile peppers
are often used to create the dish, while
water, some type of fat, garlic, often
onions, sometimes cornmeal and salt
round out the crucial ingredients. Most
proud Texas chili makers also include one
or two “secret” ingredients. The red to
reddish/brown color comes from the chile
peppers, rarely tomatoes, used in most
Texas chili recipes.
Cincinnati Chili is distinguished by its
being served over a bed of spaghetti and is
usually ordered as chili “two-way”—and up
to “five-way.” The different “ways” denote
the number of additional items in the dish.
For instance, two-way is just chili over
spaghetti; three-way is chili, spaghetti and
shredded cheese; four-way comes with
added onions; and five-way includes all of
the above, plus beans. Whatever “way” is
ordered, Cincinnati chili always comes with
oyster crackers. Spices used frequently
include cinnamon, cloves, allspice or
chocolate/cocoa, and other ingredients
range from Worcestershire sauce to crushed
tomatoes and vinegar. The meat, usually
beef, is almost always ground.
Springfield Chilli, or Illinois Chilli,
must always include the double “ll” in the
spelling. Whether that came about as an
oversight when the sign for the state’s first
chili parlor was painted, or whether it’s a
reflection of the fi rst letters in the state
name is a matter of debate, but in any case,
most Illinois residents and “chilli”
devotees are adamant about that extra “l.”
In fact, the Illinois legislature issued a
resolution proclaiming the state as the
“Chilli Capital of the Civilized World,”
and recognizing that the proper spelling
includes the double “ll.” The dish itself
incorporates coarse-ground beef and/or
turkey with onions, garlic, spices, beans,
sometimes beer and shredded cheese.
Chili Verde, or Green Chili, is a
Mexican-style dish usually made with
pork (carnitas), garlic, tomatillos (not
tomatoes) and roasted green chiles, which
give the chili its green hue. It’s often served
over rice.
Vegetarian Chili can be made with a
variety of beans alone or include a meat
substitute like tofu or seitan. Recipes for
vegetarian chili generally include a variety
of other vegetables, too, from corn and
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FOOD
F
OOD
Focus
Great Bowls of Fire!
VEGETARIAN CHILI
YIELD: 6 servings*
PER SERVING: 280 cal., 13 g pro., 48 g carb., 11 g fiber, 4 g fat, 1 g sat. fat, 0 mg chol., 390 mg sod.
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil—1 Tbsp.
Onion, chopped—1 cup
Bell pepper, green, chopped—1 cup
Garlic, finely chopped—4 cloves
Jalapeño or Serrano chiles, fresh, seeded,
finely chopped—2
Black beans, drained, rinsed—
2 15-oz. cans
Tomatoes, diced, undrained—
2 14.5-oz. cans
Water—1 1⁄2 cups
Chili powder—1 Tbsp.
Cumin, ground—1 tsp.
Coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)—1⁄2 tsp.
Sweet corn—1 cup
Sour cream or plain yogurt—optional
Cheddar cheese, shredded—optional
Cilantro, fresh, chopped—optional
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a 4-qt. saucepan. Cook the
onions, bell peppers, garlic and chiles in the oil for 5-7 minutes, stirring
frequently, until tender.
2. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, water, chili powder, cumin and salt. Heat
to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the corn. Heat to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for
5 minutes longer.
3. Portion 1 1⁄3 cup servings. Use the sour cream/yogurt, Cheddar cheese and
cilantro as optional toppings.
Photo, recipe and recipe analysis: General Mills Foodservice, www. generalmillsfoodservice.com
*Note: If this recipe passes the test with a small group of students, adjust the serving
sizes and the quantities for batch preparation.
FRITO PIE
YIELD: 10 servings*
INGREDIENTS
Canola oil—as needed
Onions, diced—5 ozs.
Turkey, ground—2 lbs.
Garlic, fresh, minced—2 1⁄2 ozs.
Beans, pinto, cooked—16 ozs.
Chili sauce, New Mexico Red*—
16 ozs.
Corn chips—20 ozs.
Iceberg lettuce, shredded—as
needed
Tomato, diced—2 ozs.
Cheddar cheese, shredded—5 ozs.
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oil and add and sweat the onion. Add the ground turkey and cook until all the pink disappears.
2. Add the garlic and sauté until it is fragrant, about 45-60 seconds.
3. Stir in the pinto beans and chili sauce. Heat to 165ºF. Blend in the browned turkey mixture. Reserve for service.
4. For each serving, portion 2 ozs. of the corn chips into each serving bowl. Top with 6 ozs. of the turkey mixture. Sprinkle with the desired
amount of lettuce, 1⁄8 ozs. tomatoes and 1⁄2 oz. cheese.
Photo: National Turkey Federation, www.eatturkey.com
Recipe: Chef Rick Kulp, University of New Mexico
*Note: If this recipe passes the test with a small group of students, adjust the serving sizes and the quantities for batch preparation and conduct a nutrient
analysis. Check the Internet for recipes to prepare New Mexico Red Chili Sauce.
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SchoolNutrıtıon
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FOOD
Focus
Great Bowls of Fire!
squash to leafy greens, mushrooms, potatoes and
tomatoes.
White Chili is a concoction made with white
cannellini or Great Northern beans. It usually
includes ground or chunked turkey or chicken as the
meat base, while getting its fi re from green chiles. A
white cheese, such as Monterey Jack, often tops it off.
To Bean or Not to Bean
One of the fiercest arguments that continues to rage
over chili is whether the dish should include beans.
The anti-bean crowd tends to be the most vociferous.
Texas-style chili makers, for the most part, revile
beans; in fact, the Chili Appreciation Society International, a Texas-based organization that sponsors more
than 600 chili cook-offs across the country, specified
in 1999 that among the rules for competition, cooks
were “forbidden to include beans, marinate any meats
or discharge fi rearms in the preparation of chili.” And
the Society’s ultimate chili championship, the
Terlingua, Texas, cook-off, proudly hails in its anthem
that, “if you know beans about chili, you know that
chili has no beans.”
However, were one to want to include beans in a
chili recipe, one could select from a wide variety. Some
common choices range from pinto and kidney beans
to navy, cannellini, pink, red and black beans, as well
as black-eyed peas.
Hot Diggety!
The ingredients in chili recipes vary from the sublime
to the weird. Let’s start with the chiles. Many chili
recipes call for canned chiles, dried or fresh chiles,
chili powder—or all of the above (now that’s hot!).
When it comes to choosing specific chiles, a wide
array of possibilities await the chili chef; some more
common choices include ancho, chipotle, jalapeño,
panilla, chiles de arbol and chilepiquenas.
Other common chili ingredients include a thickening agent (such as cornmeal, masa or cornstarch),
tomatoes, cayenne pepper, paprika, vinegar, brown
sugar and bell peppers. Other, more unusual ingredients known to show up in chili recipes extend to
peanut butter, pineapple, banana, oranges, cocoa/
chocolate, coffee, ginger, tequila, champagne, beer,
whiskey, red wine, bourbon, cola, honey, cinnamon,
saffron, molasses, vinegar and pumpkin!
Chili can be a dish all its own or used as a topping
for other bases. When it’s served as a full meal, chili is
frequently garnished with such flavor boosters as diced
white or green onions, grated cheese, sour cream,
saltine crackers, corn chips, cornbread or tortillas.
When chili is a “fi xin’” itself, it can top French
fries, hotdogs, burgers, burritos, baked potatoes,
nachos, cornbread, pasta or rice. There’s even a
chili-based specialty called a “slinger,” which features
two burger patties with eggs, melted American
cheese, chili on top of that and a sprinkling of shredded cheese to fi nish it all off!
Bowl Them Over
In school nutrition programs, chili presents a number
of creative possibilities for added fun and novelty.
First of all, as October is National Chili Month,
there’s no time like the present to drum up some
exciting promotions! For example, a chili tasting could
introduce students to a variety of regional chili
preparations, and you could invite them to vote for
their favorites—and perhaps get a new regular menu
item as a result.
Suggest that teachers and other school staff
members submit their own chili recipes for the school
nutrition department to prepare, with a friendly
competition and taste testing determining the winner.
Extend this promotional activity to include parents.
For other ideas and recipes, browse the Internet
and check out the websites for different chili societies
and organizations, including the Chili Appreciation
Society International (CASI) at chili.org and the
International Chili Society (ICS) at chilicookoff.com.
At the very least, challenge your students to offer their
own answers to the longstanding linguistic riddle:
“Why do they call it chili, when it’s hot?” Why,
indeed? SN
TO YOUR CREDIT: For CEUs toward SNA certification,
complete the “To Your Credit” test on page 50.
Recipes obtained from outside sources and published in School Nutrition have not been tested by the magazine or SNA in a school foodservice
setting. When available, nutrient analyses are provided by the recipe source. Required ingredients, preparation steps and nutrient content make
some recipes more appropriate for catering applications or adult meals. Readers are encouraged to test recipes and calculate their own nutrition
analyses and meal patterns before adding a recipe to school menus. In addition, SN recognizes that individual schools use varying documentation
methods and preparation steps to comply with HACCP principles; we encourage you to add your own HACCP steps to these recipes.
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