Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Obama's chili

Not only is Barack Obama the President and a great politician, but it seems as if he can cook too, At least he can if his chili recipe is anything to go by.

I found this recipe over at Hopies Kitchen and was intrigued to find out just how good Obama's cooking is. The chili contains a couple of unexpected ingredients, turmeric, basil and red wine vinegar, I've never seen these in a chili recipe before but they didn't seem out of place in the finished dish, in fact they were a nice addition that I will use again.
I followed the recipe pretty closely the only changes being that I doubled the spices and herbs to add more flavour and I used an extra pepper. I also used black beans instead of kidney beans simply because that's what I had.

Recipe (Original from ABC News)

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • Several cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey or beef
  • 1/4 teaspoon (each) of ground cumin, ground oregano, ground turmeric, and ground basil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped
  • 1 can red kidney beans

Method:

  • Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft.
  • Add ground meat and brown.
  • Combine spices together into a mixture, then add to ground meat.
  • Add red wine vinegar.
  • Add tomatoes and let simmer, until tomatoes cook down.
  • Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Serve over white or brown rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream.
I thought the finished dish was really tasty and well flavoured and well balanced, I'll certainly be making it again although next time I will add more vegetables.

13 comments:

  1. I recently saw a Gorden Ramsey Chilli recipe with red wine vinegar in it. I will have to try it out

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  2. Hi Sam - I've never heard of red wine vinegar in a chili either, but I suspect it kind of gives it a zing!

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  3. I've never had chili over rice but I trust Obama (and you) so I am sure it was tasty.

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  4. Wow, this one's making the rounds - I agree that the turmeric and basil are untraditional, but I bet that's what makes it special!

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  5. I'm glad to hear our new president is also a good cook. :)

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  6. This would be delicious with some American corn bread!

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  7. I'm intrigued by the addition of ground turmeric and ground basil but might have to give it a whirl to see how it compares to Jo Pratt's recipe, which is a staple in our house! :)

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  8. Who would have thought that Obama had time for cooking?! I love chilli and I like the sound of these unusual ingredients to give it a different twist.

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  9. I'll have to try that! I like the sound of vinegar in it.

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  10. Hey Sam, Thanks for adding me to your blogroll. It is indeed a surprise and a compliment.

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  11. Yes he can! (cook, that is) I agree with you about more veggies, that's why I added carrots to mine but his mix of spices is yummy stuff and I liked the addition of red wine vinegar.

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  12. I made this last night Sam. I did what you suggested and doubled up on the spices. I didn't add any beans - just because my girls do not like beans. I also added 2 red peppers and everyone really liked it! I served it with jacket potatoes.

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