Chili is the ultimate comfort food; 3 recipes to try - TribLIVE

Texas, Cincinnati or Mexico?
Texas chili is unique from other chilis in that it does not contain beans or tomato sauce, or any tomato product, according to chili pepper madness.
It is made primarily of meat and a thick and flavorful chili paste made from dried peppers. It is more akin to a thick and hearty beef stew that most chilis with a focus on chili pepper flavor.
According to What's Cooking America, what makes Cincinnati different is the way the meat is cooked. It's not browned or sauted, it's just added to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. This chili has a thinner consistency and is prepared with an unusual blend of spices that includes cinnamon, chocolate or cocoa, allspice and Worcestershire. This is truly the unofficial grub of Cincinnati. Other than Texas, Ohio, namely Cincinnati is the second-best, chili-crazed area in the U.S. with 180 chili parlors.
The people of Cincinnati enjoy their chili spooned over freshly made pasta and topped with a combination of chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, refried beans or kidney beans and crushed oyster crackers.
According to mccormick.com, Texans like to lay claim to the invention of chili powder, but Mexicans have been using it for generations. Chili powder is a blend of flavors. It starts with dried chili peppers that are toasted, ground and then mixed with herbs and spices, including cumin, oregano, garlic and salt. The result is a spice blend perfect for any time you want robust flavor — Texan or Mexican.

When the weather turns chilly, it’s the perfect time for chili.

The comfort food can be a meal in itself.

What’s great about this dish is there isn’t just one recipe, said Anita Copelli, owner of South Greensburg Restaurant in South Greensburg.

“Chili is so versatile, because it can be made so many ways,” said Copelli, who owns the restaurant with her son, Bryston Gettins. “Anything you have in your garden you can put in chili.”

It’s also a food that can satisfy a variety of taste buds because it can made plain, spicy or somewhere in between. Some chefs start with beef, some with turkey, some a combination, and others use no meat at all.

Another favorite ingredient is kidney beans, which can be the only variety or accompanied by other beans, such as the concoction Copelli makes. Don’t like beans? Leave them out and make Texas chili.

And no two sauce choices are the same. Some cooks like a tomato sauce base while others use tomato juice or a vegetable broth.

That’s the beauty of chili — make it the way you like it, Copelli said.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review

South Greensburg Restaurant in South Greensburg co-owner Anita Copelli, with son Bryston Gettins, adds lots of beans to her homemade chili.

Soup’s on

Copelli lists chili as one of the 12 daily soups she serves at her restaurant. She uses beef and pork, as well as several kinds of beans.

“Chili is definitely a comfort food,” she said. “Ours is medium- spicy. I don’t make it real hot. Making good chili isn’t easy. It takes two days.”

She offers customers hot peppers if they want to add additional heat to the chili.

“We use all fresh products and everything is made from scratch,” she said. “There are so many ways you can make it.”

She’s served it with crackers, but customers also like to have it over spaghetti noodles, topped with cheddar cheese.

“I love cheese,” said Copelli, who also owns Monday’s Union Restaurant in Marguerite with Pete Monday. “This time of year, I love all chili because it’s the perfect dish as the weather gets colder.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review

Peter Williams, general manager of the Pittsburgh-based Revival Chili food truck, stirs the homemade chili.

On the go

The Pittsburgh-based Revival Chili truck has been rolling as of late. Fall into winter is the busy time, owner Jordan Robarge said.

He offers several choices, all of which come with cornbread. Choose from spicy chicken, classic beef, veggie/vegan and spicy beef and pork. The newest offering is barbecue turkey chili.

Revival also sells hot dogs and hamburgers with chili toppings.

Robarge said his favorite is the classic beef. He uses seven different spices in that one.

Revival has a “build your own bowl” with a base of rice, cornbread or more chili, then topped with classic beef, spicy chicken, spicy beef and pork or vegan. Toppings of cheese, lime, cilantro, jalapeño, sour cream, chips, lettuce or tomato complete the bowl.

“This is our prime time for chili right now, for sure,” said Robarge “We always look forward to the fall. Sales will start picking up. We will be having a lot of neighborhood events where we take the truck out to various places throughout the city and suburbs.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review

Server Bre Thompson (right) serves customer Russell Gruchalak of Cheswick a helping of homemade chili and mashed potatoes at Massart’s in Tarentum. Tuesdays are chili days.

The special

Tuesdays are chili day at Massart’s in Tarentum.

Owner Kirk Massart said he makes his chili mild to accommodate everyone. Hot sauce and chili powder are available for the customer who wants to spice it up. The special includes a heaping serving of homemade mashed potatoes.

The restaurant is known for its homemade cooking, Massart said.

“We’ve been using the same recipe since we opened in the 1920s,” he said. “We aren’t fancy, but everything is fresh. Customers like the chili, especially in the colder months.”

Want to make your own?

South Greensburg Restaurant Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound diced tomatoes

½ stalk celery

½ bag diced baby carrots

½ onion

2 12-ounce cans of vegetable broth

1 12-ounce bag Mexican rice (as desired)

Two handfuls diced green peppers

2 10-ounce cans cannellini beans

1 10-ounce can dark kidney beans

1 10-ounce can light kidney beans

1 10-ounce can black beans

1 10-ounce can butter beans

1 pound ground 80/20 beef

1 pound ground turkey

To taste:

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix tomatoes and vegetable broth in a pot. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Simmer for 45 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally. Add meat and beans. Stir occasionally. Simmer another 30 minutes on low heat.

Cook rice in separate pot (as directed on the box). Add cooked rice last. Stir. Simmer for two minutes.

Serve with crackers.

Revival Vegan Chili

Ingredients:

4 large onions, diced

2 squash, diced

2 zucchini, diced

1 14.5-ounce can pinto beans, drained

1 14.5-ounce can chili beans, drained

1 14.5-ounce can black beans, drained

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

6 multicolored peppers, diced

Vegetable oil

Spices:

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin powder

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

To taste:

Brown sugar

Molasses

Honey

Black pepper

Turmeric

Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Saute all veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini, squash) in large pan with vegetable oil for approximately 5 minutes — don’t cook completely through since it will cook more in the slow cooker

While veggies are in the pan, put canned items (beans and tomatoes) in slow cooker. Add veggies to slow cooker and turn on high. After 1 hour, add all spices and stir.

Stir occasionally for 2 more hours or until everything is combined and looks like chili.

Massart’s Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground meat

1 20-ounce can tomato juice

4 15.5-ounce cans light or dark kidney beans

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 large onion, chopped

3 small cloves garlic

To taste:

Salt

Pepper

Garlic salt

Directions:

Brown ground meat in skillet. Put in pot. Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Stir in tomato juice and add kidney beans and chili powder. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. The longer you simmer, the thicker it will get.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Editor's Picks | Food & Drink | Lifestyles | Regional | Top Stories