White Chili Recipe- "White Lightning" wins the 2011 Chili Cookoff!



2011 Champion- White Lightning

 Each year The Girlfriend and her friends have a Chili Cook Off.  This year I was lucky enough to be invited to enter a chili.  And guess what?  That's right!  The Polymouth's very own "White Lightning" won the 2011 Chili Cook Off!!!  Woo-hoo!  And along with it there is a killer trophy, which now will, as is customary, receive an addition of some sort before being put on the line again next fall.  There were 11 entries in all, and some very creative competition.  We had meaty chilies con carne, luscious vegetarian chilies, firery super spicy chilies, other wonderful white chilies, and another top contender was the delicious and exotic pumpkin chili. 

I've never really entered a cooking competition, even one as relaxed and friendly as this, so there were some butterflies and excitement that came along with entering.  Our entry was quite tasty, but it certainly wasn't easy.  Not that it was difficult, it just had several steps, and took most of the day to make.  As usual I had a general recipe in mind, but I was cooking "Iron-Style" and kept tweaking and adding ingredients up till the final moments before we left for the party.  There is no way to know exactly what the final recipe ended up being, but I will do my best to explain the process and steps that went into this tasty dish.

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The Social Knockwurst (Dish made for The Social Network at the 2011 Oscar Party)

This dish was a fun play on words, but it also has a fun adventure in the making of the recipe too.  It's a real basic cracker snack appitizer, but there was a little searching around and a taste test involved.  All the dish entailed was Sociable crackers (get it, "Sociable" for the "Social" Network... oh you can't script stuff like that), some stone ground musturd, a german style sausage called Knockwurst (learn the difference between Knockwurst and Bratwurst here), topped with the first recipe ever put on The Polymouth: Caramelized Onions.

The Social Network section of the 100 Mile Hallway Mural

So Knockwurst doesn't exactly grow on trees.  You have to do a little digging.  You probably won't find it at your local super market, so this will give you a chance to try some of your local mom and pop butcher shops.  In our search for the best option we tried out 3 of Portlands favorite butcher shops: Otto's Sausage Kitchen, Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen, and Phil's Uptown Meat Market.  There was no traditional Knockwurst to be found, but we selected a close enough facsimile from each spot and got to the fun: Sausage Taste Test!!!  The winner ended up being Otto's Bockwurst.  It is a lovely, smooth, soft and flavorful sausage, and well worth the trip.

The dish itself is real easy: Stack a cracker with mustard, a thin slice of sausage, and top with caramelized onions.  I think a garnigh of flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest, or chives would be nice, but you don't need them.  Serve this at your next party and your "Freinds" will "Like" them so much they will be "Requesting" more...

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Caramelized Onions

This is one of my favorite recipes.  It is a total go-to when you are looking for a tasty side dish.  It works on its own, in salads, on top of sandwiches and hamburgers (Yum!), or as the base for french onion soup.  There is nothing quite like the unctuous, sweet, richness of Caramelized Onions.  All that being said, they are pretty easy to make.  They do take some time however, so don't plan on them being ready on the fly.  (the recipe is per person, multiply accordingly)

1 Large Onion (thinly sliced)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/3 tsp Salt & Pepper (S&P)

1) warm olive oil in wide skillet over medium-high heat
2) stir in onions and S&P, stir occasionally to keep the bottom from sticking
3) add any additional flavor components (recommendations below) you like
4) let reduce for about a half hour to an hour, you are done once the onions are soft and brown

You can serve warm as a side dish or save them and use them as a spread on anything from pita bread to a turkey sandwich.

I do recommend that you build on the flavor of the Onions with other components.  Your options are almost limitless, here are a few I like: Vinegar (Balsamic is best, but apple cider vinegar is real nice too), garlic (always good with onions), wine (red or white both work), beef broth (adds real depth), parsley, bay leaves (be sure to pick them out before you serve), chives (a real nice compliment, add them at the and right before serving), sherry (see beef broth), mascarpone or cream cheese (its almost like you're getting away with something, how good that is.  Also mix these in late just so they melt, you don't want them in the pan too long)...  Yadda, yadda, yadda you get the idea.  And as always season with S&P to taste.

Try it out and let me know how it goes for you...

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