Vintage Recipe
Raise your hand if your kids think you’re practically ancient. Raise your hand if you thought the same thing when you were their age. I’m around the age my mom was when we just came to the US, and my kid is about the age I was at the time. Time definitely flies, but it’s also relative and is experienced through a very subjective lense. I’ve always thought my mom is very mature and adult-like, but I never viewed her as “ancient”. She’s always looked very good and still does.
My mom, in her 70s now, and my unreasonable kid.
On the morning of my birthday, the kid woke me up saying, “Congratulations on your 85th birthday!”, and he made sure to repeat it multiple times throughout the day, with this smug smile on his face.
Such a PITA!
He also told me I’m so old, I can only take b&w photos from now on. Okay, kid, here’s a vintage filter for your viewing pleasure!
#1970sforever #imvintage #imoneofakind
1970s just warm my soul, and make my shoes sparkle. 😍
#nevertoooldforsparkles
My mom, on the other hand, chastised me for not being mature enough and not dressing “for my age”. Apparently, I can’t satisfy either my parents or my kid. After all these years, my mom still hasn’t realized I don’t fit in any of the boxes designated for age, maturity, wisdom, and so on… When I color, I do it outside the lines and with a whole box of crayons.
Shall we color?
But, I’m mature in my own way, and I have a briefcase to prove it.
#im1970smature
Anyway, the kid was utterly obnoxious with his age-related comments, but don’t you worry, I return the favor when his 21 year-old ass needs to step up and assume responsible adulting.
Today’s recipe is practically vintage and long overdue. It was written exactly a year ago, but, since the blog was on a long hiatus for most of this year, I didn’t have a chance to post it. The post is actually written by my kid, and the recipe is his also. You’ll see in his writing, he was making snide remarks about being at a “middle aged” party there too, as well as about Russian “immigrants”. Never mind that the gathering had a lot of young people who, like him, were born in the US. And, never mind that us, “ancient immigrants”, have been longer “off the boat” than most of those young people, him including, have been existing on Earth. Last year’s birthday was spent at a gathering of one of the Facebook cooking groups I belong to. Their face-to-face get together just happened to be on my birthday, so I thought it’d be a nice idea to spend it cooking and socializing with like-minded amateur cooks. We had a splendid time, kid including, even though he pretended to be grumpy about it.
So, without further ado, here’s the post by the Apple of My Eye, also know as the biggest PITA of my life (sarcasm and all including; I wonder where he’s getting it from), my Russian-Italian kid, Gus, from last year’s cooking group party.
Wins at chili and being obnoxious.
What’s Cooking This Week
Chili is good. There are no “rules” or “right way”, just different ways. All of them are (usually) delicious in their own unique way. Texas Chili Con Carne is a very meaty, beanless chili. While delicious and with a history behind it, my version is not that. I’d like to think of this recipe as an East Coast Italian-American with a penchant for Fra Diavolo and an insatiable hunger for Low-n-Slow smoked meats.
This is a relatively new creation of mine, coming to fruition over the course of several attempts during the summer. This autumn, I had an opportunity to share this chili at a meetup of a Russian cooking group my mother belongs to. While I felt it was needed to adjust this recipe to suit the palate of a typical middle aged Russian immigrant (easy on the spice!), it still ended up being a good dish, earning me 2nd place in a contest that I wasn’t even aware it was going on at the party. My mother, being an abnormal human being, decided that the best use of her birthday was cooking and traveling to Manhattan, with a small feast in tow, and attempting to socialize with internet strangers in a (rather nice) party room. It was a good time. We ate a bunch of tasty and interesting food, including homemade ice cream. And I ended up getting a prize for my 2nd place win in the cooking contest.
This chili recipe is pork-based with a nice smoky touch from the meat and grilled corn and full bodied flavor from a variety of spices.
Brooklyn Style Smoky BBQ Chili
Set up your smoker/BBQ with wood(s) of your choice. I usually use cherry and hickory. Slice the pork belly into slices, about ¼ inch thick. Clean the corn. Once the wood is smoking good, put the corn and pork belly on. Rotate the corn frequently, about 30 minutes altogether.
Cut the pork belly into small chunks, and cut the corn off the cob.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the sausage meat and brown over high heat, breaking it up.
Add in the diced garlic, onions, and bell peppers.
Cooking of medium high heat, stir until the onion is translucent.
Add in the tomato paste and stir until the meat is completely coated.
Season with chili powder, paprika, ground ancho chilis, cumin seeds, oregano, the rest of spices.
Add the diced tomatoes, beans, pork belly and corn. Cook over low heat, stirring often until thickened. Season again with paprika, ancho chilis, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Pour in some of the pickling juice from the jalapeños. Serve with extra pickled jalapeños or scallions.
Adjust heat level with more chili powder if needed.
It’s a perfect bite of good Brooklyn food!
Brooklyn Style Smoky BBQ Chili
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork sausage meat no casings
- 1 lb uncured bacon also known as pork belly
- 2 medium size onions
- 1 red 2 green bell peppers
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 4 corns on the cob
- 1 29 oz can of black beans
- 4 tsps chili powder
- 1 Tbsp ground ancho chilis
- 1/2 Tbsp smoky paprika
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsps cumin seeds
- 3 tsps ground oregano
- 2 tsp barberry spice
- 2 Tbsps olive oil
- Salt and black Pepper to taste
- Pickled Jalapenos and juice to taste
Instructions
- Set up your smoker/BBQ with wood(s) of your choice. I usually use cherry and hickory.
- Slice the pork belly into slices, about ¼ inch thick. Clean the corn.
- Once the wood is smoking good, put the corn and pork belly on. Rotate the corn frequently, cooking for about 30 minutes altogether.
- Cut the pork belly into small chunks and cut the corn off the cob.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the sausage meat and brown over high heat, breaking it up.
- Add in the diced garlic, onions, and bell peppers. Cooking of medium high heat, stir until the onion is translucent.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir until the meat is completely coated.
- Season with chili powder, paprika, ground ancho chilis, cumin seeds, oregano, and the rest of the spices.
- Add the diced tomatoes, beans, pork belly and corn.
- Cook over low heat, stirring often until thickened.
- Season again with paprika, ancho chilis, black pepper, and salt if needed.
- Pour in some of the pickling juice from the jalapenos to taste.
- Adjust the heat level with chili powder.
- Serve with pickled jalapenos or scallions.