As promised...the chili and the pierogies, up close and personal

I was going to give you the blow-by-blow steps to pierogie and Polish chili euphoria (in which I wallowed this past Saturday) next weekend, but I have nothing inspiring to talk about with regards to movies today, so here you go.

The goal of any person entering into the Annual Chili Cookoff is to find a hook.  There are close to 50 entries into this contest, so fixing a pot of chili won't cut it.  I thought it might be fun to put a Polish spin on things, in honor of my husband's motherland.  I had a costume, but I won't torture you with it again.  I also played some polka music on the boom box and decorated my station with flags, Polish dolls and a scarf.

For the chili, I started with the Neely's recipe found here but edited it to suit my needs:


Pat's Famous Beef and Pork Chili

6 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
ADDED THREE CORED AND SEEDED JALAPENOS, CHOPPED
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork  (SUBSTITUTED KIELBASA, CHOPPED IN DIME-SIZED PIECES)
1 cup beer (recommended: Budweiser)  (USED BLUE MOON)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed  (NO BEANS)
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed  (NO BEANS)
1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
Lime wedges, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Brown the bacon, then add the next eleven ingredients and cook until soft.  Add meat and cook.  Stir in the beer and the tomatoes, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours (I actually doubled the recipe and put all of this in the crock pot and cooked on low all day.)  A note for planning...there is alot of shopping required, so allow yourself plenty of time.

The chili has a kick to it, and those with sensitive lips popped a bead of sweat.  On my scale though, I would rate it as a 6 out of 10.

Now for the pierogies!  My favorite recipe is one I got out of Food and Wine in the December 2006 issue by Grant Achatz:

Dough



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 large egg yolk, beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients, kneading and adding a little flour if necessary.  Cover and let it sit for 15 minutes until it is room temperature.  I love this dough.  The sour cream makes the dough very soft and easy to roll.  You may need to sprinkle with flour to keep it from sticking.

Filling:

3/4 pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground pepper
(ADD CHEESE IF YOU WOULD LIKE)
Vegetable oil, for coating
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Peel and cook the potatoes, then mash them with the sour cream, mustard, butter and salt and pepper (and cheese if you want).  (Great results if you put the potatoes through a ricer.)  Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and use a round cookie cutter to cut circles.  Put a small amount of the filling on the circle and fold the circle in half, pinching the edges together.  Boil the pierogies in water for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a skillet and saute in butter until it is slightly crispy.  Add bacon or onions on top for some extra flavor.

The uncooked pierogies can be frozen until you are ready to cook and eat.

Making pierogies can be a real pain in the ass, but I promise they are worth the effort. 

If any of you decide to try either of these recipes, let me know how it goes!