When our friend Selina comes shopping with Kariem and I, we somehow please the shopping gods and find all sorts of good stuff at irresistible prices. On an excursion several months ago, the three of us wandered into the Le Creuset store in the outlet mall...and Kariem and I somehow managed to walk out with a really, really BIG dutch oven. This is the mother of all dutch ovens--a beautiful beast of cast iron and porcelain weighing in at almost 23 pounds and holding a whopping 13 1/4 quarts! It seemed like a crazy purchase at the time, but I DO like to have parties and often serve one-dish, eat-it-whenever foods at these parties. Since its purchase, the Beast had been waiting patiently in the cabinet for its moment to arrive.
Last Saturday, we hosted in rather impromptu party. Because of the number of people coming, we decided it best to make a batch-and-a-half of white chili. As I was getting everything ready to start cooking and reached for my usual pot, it dawned on me: this would be too much soup for my normal Dutch oven...and it was time to break out the Big Mama!
Ah, she is a beaute and it was so much fun to finally take her out on her maiden voyage. It was definitely a good (albeit slightly insane) purchase!
Last Saturday's shin-dig reinforced the truth of my friend Pammy's belief that the most fun events are often the most spontaneous. I was shocked that we were able to get so many of our favorite people together on such short notice and it turned out to be one of the greatest parties we've had. It was a group of people that melded together really well, so the whole evening consisted of people coming in and out of morphing groups of conversation. It is nights like that that I really love entertaining and getting to bring people together. I love my peeps. :)
Kick-Ass White Chili
Serves 8-10
1 lb. dried Great Northern beans, picked through and rinsed
3 tbsp. salt (table salt, not Kosher)
3 Poblano chiles, chopped
3 Anaheim chiles, chopped (use a forth Poblano if you can get Anaheims)
4 stalks celery (including leaves), chopped
4 slices bacon
1 tbsp. butter
32. oz. low-sodium chicken stock
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles (mild or hot)
2 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp.+ garlic salt (to taste)
1 tsp. basil (dried)
1 tsp. oregano (dried)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. (red) chili powder
3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 serranos, sliced
4-5 tbsp. masa harina
Shredded cheese (for serving)
Place the beans in a large bowl. Add 3 tbsp. table salt and 2 quarts (8 cups) boiling water. Stir to mix the salt in and allow to soak for one hour. Drain and rinse.
I cook my beans in a Crockpot, but you can also cook them on the stove. Either way, place them in the vessel and add water to cover by an inch or so. Cook at a very low temperature (sub-boil or very gentle simmer) until soft with no trace of starchiness. Depending on the age of you beans and the temperature at which they are cooked, this could take 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Add water as needed to keep the beans covered.
In a large Dutch oven (7 quarts or so), cook the bacon over low heat until all the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and add 1 tbsp. butter to the pan. (You can then just eat the bacon if you'd like; it will not be used in the chili.) Add the chiles and celery to the pan, increase the heat to medium, and saute until softened. Add the chicken stock and all of the seasonings (just add 1 tsp. garlic salt at this time; you will add more later to taste). Bring to a simmer and slide the whole chicken thighs into the simmering stock. Toss in the serranos. Simmer until the chicken thighs are done (20 minutes or so). Remove the chicken from the pot, allow to cool slightly, and chop into bite-size pieces. Return the chicken to the pot.
At this point, you have two options. If your beans aren't done yet, allow the stock mixture to simmer on very low until the beans are done. If you are beans are done, you can move on!
Add the beans and their cooking liquid to the pot. (You should have about 3 cups of cooking liquid. If it looks like you have a lot of liquid, you should scoop up the beans using a slotted spoon and add to the soup pot, then measure your cooking liquid.) Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. You will see the starch from the beans start to make the chili creamy. Adjust seasoning using the garlic salt.
Make a slurry using the masa and 3/4 cup water. (A slurry is a thin mixture of a starch and liquid--usually water--that is mixed together before being added to the liquid it is thickening. Whether your slurry is shaken in a jar or whisked in a container, be sure that the masa is totally moistened. There should be no dry masa.) Slowly stir the slurry into the simmering chili. Allow to simmer until thickened, five minutes or so.
Serve with shredded cheese. (Green onions would be nice, too.)
Cheers,
Krista
