Super tailgate fare, on a shoestring

RECIPES

Chili with Ground Pork & Green Chilies

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 pounds ground pork
3 tablespoons blackening spice
1 tablespoon cumin, ground
3/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 (6 inch) tortillas
1 teaspoon oregano leaves, dried
2-1/2 cups yellow onions, diced
2 cups green bell peppers, chopped
1-1/4 cups green chile peppers, roasted and diced with juices
1/4 cup fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
1-1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken stock

Blackening Spice
2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon Guajillo chile powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon cumin

Mix all ingredients, well.

METHOD:

Combine 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the blackening spice, ½ teaspoon of the cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon of the nutmeg.

Sprinkle the pork evenly with this mixture, and mix by hand until thoroughly combined.

Heat the oil in a heavy 4 quart pot over high heat.

Add the meat and, stirring as necessary, cook just until browned.

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, getting as many of the tiny pieces out as possible, and set aside.

In the same oil, fry the tortillas over high heat until browned and very crisp, and then drain on paper towels.

Combine the remaining blackening spice, cumin, nutmeg, and the oregano in a small bowl, and then add to the hot oil.

Cook the seasonings over high heat, stirring constantly, until they roast, about 10 to 15 seconds.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the onions, and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom well, for 10 to 15 seconds.

Stir in 1 cup of the bell peppers, 1/2 cup of the green chilies, and 2 tablespoons of the jalapeno peppers.

Cook for 8 minutes, stirring fairly often, constantly toward the end of cooking time, and scraping the pan bottom well each time. Stir in the garlic, cook, and stir a few seconds.

Add the flour, stirring until well blended and scraping the pan bottom clean, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring and scraping almost constantly to make sure the mixture doesn't scorch.

Add 1 cup of the stock, scraping the pan bottom until all the browned bits are dissolved, and then add the remaining 4 cups of stock.

Stir until well blended, and scrape the pan bottom clean again. Continue cooking over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, remove 1 cup of the stock from this mixture, and place in a food processor. Crumble the fried tortillas, add them to the processor, and process until the tortillas are finely chopped, about 30 to 45 seconds.
Stir the tortilla mixture into the cooking stock mixture.

Stir in the remaining onions and bell peppers, and then add the meat, stirring well.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring and scraping fairly often (be careful not to let the mixture scorch) for 50 minutes. Stir in the remaining green chilies and jalapeno peppers, and simmer and stir for 15 minutes.

Skim off any oil from the surface, and serve immediately. Use water to thin if necessary, or when reheating.

For more recipes, to go Page 2.

Spicy Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 egg
1 small onion, grated
2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup coarsely chopped seedless raisins
Salt to taste
Pinch sugar

METHOD:

Mix all meatball ingredients except oil and shape into walnut-sized meatballs.

Heat oil in heavy frying pan and brown the meatballs over moderate heat. Remove from pan and set aside while you make sauce.

Add onion to remaining oil in pan and stir until starting to soften. Add curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. Stir for one minute.

Add bouillon, raisins and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Add meatballs to sauce, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve in a heated dish

Grilled Spicy Chicken Skewers

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds thinly sliced chicken
4 limes, juiced
1 cup water
12 wood skewers

Spicy Chile Rub
1 cup Guajillo chile powder
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup cumin, ground
¼ cup rosemary, finely chopped
¼ cup thyme leaves, finely chopped

METHOD:

Soak skewers in lime juice and water mixture.

Rub chicken liberally with Spicy Chile Rub.

Place chicken on skewers.

Grill skewers until chicken is cooked (approximately 2 ½ minutes per side) and serve.

So, how did Love do with our $35 budget?

Chili
Cumin $ .79
Nutmeg $ .99
Ground pork $4.48
Tortillas $1.19
Onions $ .80
Green peppers $1.00
Green chile peppers $ .99
Jalapeno pepper $ .18
Garlic $ .39
Chicken stock $3.49
Chile powder $ .79
Total $15.09

Spicy Meatballs
Ground beef $3.99
Breadcrumbs $1.19
Parsley $ .69
Onion, grated $ .20
Lemon $ .50
Onion $ .20
Curry powder $ .79
Coriander seed $ .79
Beef stock $1.00
Raisins $1.00
Total $10.35

Grilled Spicy Chicken Skewers
Chicken $3.48
Lime $1.33
Chile powder $ .79
Cumin $ .79
Rosemary $1.49
Thyme $1.49
Total $9.37

Total: $34.81

And where did he fit into our "How Low Can You Go" tallies?
1. Amanda Freitag $34.34
2. Michael White $34.37
3. Michael Kramer $34.53