"Dad's" Kick-Ass Chili

My son Alex went to school in Rhode Island and had a friend who never tasted chili before. He asked me to write down the recipe so he could make it for him. Naturally, he never did. So Corsini, if you're out there:

2 lb ground sirloin
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, 1/4" dice
1 green pepper, same
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 four oz can diced, mild green chilies
3 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp coriander
28 oz can tomato puree
28 oz cn diced tomatoes
2-4 c beef broth or water
2 (16 oz) cans chili beans

Brown sirloin in a large pot; season with salt and pepper. Drain the grease and add onion; cook until soft. Add green pepper, garlic and chilies; cook 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes (both kinds) and water/beef broth. Cook covered over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionaly. Add chili beans and cook an additional 30 minutes. Serve with fritos, grated cheddar cheese (this is, after all, a Wisconsin chili) and sour cream.

Pesto

Easy recipe, though time consuming. Expensive, unless you grow the garlic and basil yourself. Worth it? I think so.

Yield: 2 1/2 lb pesto

3-4 lg basil plants (free)
5 bulbs garlic (free)
.40 lb pine nuts, toasted (about $12.00)
2 c extra virgin olive oil ($7.00)
4 oz good quality Parmesan- the better the better ($4.00 or more)
2-3 hours labor (free- more or less)

Wash the basil- getting as many stems and bug eaten leaves out of the way as possible. Dry it out in a salad spinner. (Note: no one ever died from a few little ground-up bugs- but do your best to avoid them.)
Work in batches in your food processor: add 1 bulb of garlic, peeled and washed, and 1 fifth of all the other ingredients except the Parmesan; grind until it forms a paste. Place in a separate bowl until your finished
Add the Parmesan last.
Freeze in small ziplocs or those heavy freezer jars.

Zesty Dill Pickles

I dont know why all the recipies I've tried on-line call for full strength vinegar in the pickling brine. The result is practically inedible. Here's the best one I've come up with so far. The brine is a rip-off from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook circa late 1970's- the rest is mine.

Yields 1 quart

3-4 picklers (about 1/2 lb)
4 heads of fresh dill or 2 tbsp dill seed
2 nice sized garlic cloves, cut into slivers
2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 smallish grape leaves, washed (optional)

1 3/4 c water
3/4 c apple cider or other vinegar
1 tbsp kosher, sea or pickling salt

Select picklers that are small, maybe 4 inches long, with lots of warts. The older they get the bigger the seeds and the more soggy they'll end up. Wash them in cold water, rubbing off the spines. Slice them or cut into spears.

Sterilize your jar(s) by boiling them for 10 minutes. Don't boil the rings - they never come into contact with the product and it shows you have no confidence in science. Use fresh sealing lids and throw them away when the product is used up- they're cheap.

Bring water, vinegar and salt to a boil.

Place the grape leaf (if available) in the bottom of the jar(s)- this seems to give the pickles more crunch. Add the picklers, garlic, crushed red pepper, dill and mustard seeds. Add the brine to cover, leaving a half inch of headspace. Process in a canner for ten minutes if you want a long shelf life at room temperature, otherwise just put them in the 'fridge and eat them after a week or so. They should be good for a month or two, give or take, six or more  if you hot-pack them. If you don't get a good seal after canning put them in the 'fridge and use them up first.

This is really easy and it makes you feel all "little house on the prairie".