Re: [CH] Chili Powder
Rich McCormack (macknet@pacbell.net)
Wed, 04 Jul 2001 13:00:33 -0700
"Tom F. Bryant" wrote:
>
> There are many commercially available Chili Powders (i.e. Gebhardt). But I
> want to make my own Chili Powder. Any one know any sources of recipes for
> Chili Powder? Thanks,
> Tom
Commercially available chili powders generally contain an unknown
single ground chile or combination of ground chiles plus additional
spices and flavorings such as cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic
and onion powders. When I make My Chile, I mix all the ground
chiles and spices fresh on the spot rather than use a pre-mixed
(not even my own pre-mixed) chili powder...fresher tasting, IMHO.
For the chiles, I use a combination of mild, medium, hot and hotter
(example: paprika, ancho, California, and cayenne). I don't always
use the same number or kind of chiles, but I do usually keep the
proportions about the same: I start with a tablespoon or so of hotter
and gradually increase the proportional amount of each chile until
I've finished it off with the mild. I suppose if one wanted to make
a really "deadly" batch of chili, one could start with a tablespoon
of the mild and go the other way. I then add the other spices (cumin,
Mexican oregano, pepper, etc.) and soak the whole mess in beer before
adding it to the pot.
If you wanted a pre-mixed chile powder to make My Chile, you could
go to my website, bring up the page with the "recipe" for My Chile,
mix all the ground chiles and spices called for together, pour it
in a jar, label it "chili powder for making My Chile" and store
it on a shelf (or better yet, the fridge or freezer) until you
decided to make a batch of My Chile, using about 2 2/3 tablespoons
per pound of meat. You should be able to do the same with most
any chili recipe that calls for specific ground chiles rather than
commercial chili powder or just chili powder. As you will see if
you check out my recipe, I don't add garlic or onion powder, I add
those things as fresh ingredients. If that doesn't suit yer purpose,
just add some garlic and onion powder to the pre-mixed chili powder.
FWIW: To make a great spice mix to sprinkle on the jicama and orange
"fruit salad" version of Pico de Gallo, pre-mix the chile powders
as I mentioned above (leaving out the other spices) and mix with
finely ground salt (I like about 1/3 salt to 2/3 ground chile).
Much better (less salty) than the spice mix sold by Via Nueva Foods
(www.vianueva.com). I use it as an all purpose seasoning on most
everything I eat.
Rich
--
Rich McCormack (Poway, CA) macknet@pacbell.net
Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/