A Chili Day In South Tampa

Yesterday was a soggy day in the paradise that is SOG City. The rain and cooler weather seemed to cry out for a body-warming chili for dinner last night. So where does one go for a great chili dinner? We chose to dine at the Ballast Point Bistro. Where is this spectacular dining spot you may ask? Unfortunately for you, this bistro exists only in my mind.

After a few medicinal after-work adult beverages for my bride, and a couple for me for no apparent reason, I donned my chef's hat and headed for the kitchen. I pulled one of our favorite old standbys from The Chef's Secret Book of Recipes. I went with a recipe that isn't your typical southwestern, Texas style chili.

What I chose is a dish that has many of the flavors and ingredients associated with Tampa and its vibrant Hispanic community, what I call Black Bean Chili a la Tampa. Should you try this recipe you may be compelled to come up with your own unique name for this concoction.

In the interim, you will need the following:

2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 large garlic clove - smashed
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 pound of ground pork
29 ounce can of black beans - I use Goya
14 ounces of beef broth
8 ounces of tomato sauce
1 cup of carrots - sliced more or less a 1/4 of an inch thick
1 fresh Scotch bonnet pepper - leave it whole, but give it a gentle squeeze to break the skin
1 packet of Sazón seasoning - again, Goya is good
2 bay leaves
Adobo seasoning - to taste
3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro - chopped

I bought all the ingredients at my neighborhood Publix, except cilantro and Scotch bonnets. I grow my own. Publix has habaneros but they are not the same as the bonnets.

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Once mise en place has been achieved I like to reward myself by opening a beer or bottle of wine in celebration of what's to come before grabbing a four quart sauce pan and placing it on a medium high heat.

To that pan add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Stir in the onion, then the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Now add the pork and cook until browned.

We have now arrived at the easy part of this recipe. Just add the rest of the ingredients, minus the adobo and the cilantro. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. The goal here is to cook until the carrots are tender to the tooth - al dente.

When the chili is cooked to your liking, remove from the heat, take out the bay leaves, stir in the cilantro and take a taste. Use the adobo to add saltiness if it is needed.

Depending on your tolerance for heat, you might want to remove the Scotch bonnet after twenty minutes or so. I only use that pepper as a seasoning pepper. I left it in once until it essentially disintegrated. I emphasize the word 'once.' My face turned red, beads of perspiration dribbled off of me like sweat, and my taste buds retired for the evening.

I like to serve this chili over yellow rice with a dollop of sour cream on the top. With a salad on the side, this chili should provide a filling meal for four people.

Buen apetito, y'all.