The 7th Annual V-Day Chilifest

It’s become an institution at the Bariteau-Morgan household. Eagerly anticipated and endlessly discussed.

You know it.

You love it.

It’s Chilifest!

Every year, as conversation hearts and tacky diamond commercials fill our lives, our thoughts turn to steaming bowls of meaty goodness (yes, I realize that it’s almost March; I’ve been too busy watching Olympic Curling…I’ve become semi-obsessed with this “sport” as msnbc and CNBC have become 24-hour Curling networks…I don’t understand 99% of the game, but given my many years of shufflepuck at the Nancy Whiskey Pub, I can’t get enough of curling. I’m trying to convince Ross – who teaches hockey at Wollman Rink in Central Park – that they need to set up some curling “sheets”. After all, I would much rather go curling than bowling).

But back to the 7th Annual Chilifest.

The festivities this year were the biggest and best yet: ten different chilis, two different types of chili empanadas and a chicken and sausage jambalaya. This year was even a bit crazier because Eric and Ross spent the entire afternoon in Brooklyn on behalf of bean and apple for the Greenpoint Food Market while I cooked up some appetizers, sides and desserts.

As per usual, I left the chili-making in the hands of Eric and our guests while I focused on the guacamole, pigs in a blanket, plain cornbread, bacon-jalapeno cornbread, chocolate Rice Krispy treats, chocolate-almond toffee, Oreo cookie cookies, cupcakes with chocolate frosting, and my latest bacon concoction: bacon-caramel popcorn.

This dish is still a work in progress. The caramel popcorn recipe comes from my mother (and is my sister's favorite treat at Christmas). I'm still trying to find the right salty-sweet balance. Many more test batches to come...but hopefully we'll have this available at the next Greenpoint Food Market in April.

And since six-time Chilifest attendee and good friend Anuradha moved to Chicago last year, I made her Chilifest mainstay “O-dip” in her honor (at hit as always). I even made two different mac and cheeses – a plain one and a spinach-chorizo one – which we actually forgot to cook.

And here’s the reason why:

• Eric's traditional beef, pork and sausage chili
• Jason and Preethi's "Cowboys 'n Injuns" chili
• John's "5-lbs of brisket" chili (served with his super-cheesy cornbread and homemade wine)
• Jackie's white chicken chili
• Laura's healthy turkey chili
• Becky's "I'm allergic to tomatoes, beans and pretty much everything else" pork chili
• Ross' Good Eats AB beef chili
• Shana's pork and tomatillo chili
• Doug's "Family-friendly" (e.g. safe for five year-olds) chili
• Chris and Hope's Emeril's turkey chili
• Melissa and Justin's short rib chili empanadas and pork chili and sour cream empanadas
• Brent's "Geaux Saints" jambalaya
• Sue's mixed green salad with pears, blue cheese and cranberries
• Caroline's chocolate "poo pellet" truffles
• Mo's "Bito-requested" chocolate chip and walnut meringues

It was a chili feast to end all feasts! Needless to say, despite forty people crammed into our apartment, no one really missed the mac and cheese with all of these delicious concoctions. I baked the spinach-chorizo one just to test it out on my friends; but the entire tray of the plain one went home with our friend Matt (one of Eric’s few shortcomings: he doesn’t like mac and cheese! Really!?! How can one not like the comfiest of all comfort foods?).

Here’s to the 7th Annual Chilifest! We’re already looking forward to next year.


Chorizo-Spinach Mac & Cheese
I actually had a beautiful bunch of fresh kale to cook into this dish, but I was so short on time that I just used the frozen spinach instead. However, this would be great with any fresh green leafy vegetable (kale, chard, mustard greens).

1 package macaroni – cooked and drained according to package
2 small Spanish chorizo links – chopped in ¼ inch cubes
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion – diced
2 cloves garlic – minced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
1 package frozen chopped spinach – defrosted and squeezed dry
1 package frozen corn – defrosted and drained
½ cup sliced scallions (green and white parts) – divided
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Pinch of ground nutmeg
½ lb pepper jack cheese – shredded coarsely
¼ lb sharp cheddar cheese – shredded coarsely
½ cup panko
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 casserole dish.

Under medium heat, cook diced chorizo in oil to render fat. Remove chorizo from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving fat. Add butter, onions and garlic and sweat until soft and aromatic. Add flour to make a roux and stir constantly for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a simmer whisking occasionally as it thickens.

Once simmering, add in chorizo, spinach, corn, half of the chopped scallions, cayenne and nutmeg. Slowly add in pepper jack and cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add in the cooked macaroni and stir well to ensure that the cheese mixture is evenly incorporated. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Mix together panko and parmesan cheese and sprinkle evenly on top of the dish. Break up the butter into pea-size pieces and top panko mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until topping is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes.

Serves 10.