CHILI: So good you'll kiss the cook!

Chili was born a peasant food, a simple but highly spiced meat stew. Its' most correct name is chile-con-carne. It has grown up to be so much more. It is a food that excites even the most mild-mannered of persons, many of whom might otherwise not be cooks. "SalsaKiss.com" also believes in its' quality products and brings the very best to your table.

That conviction has spawned a national pastime: "The Chile Cook-off". On just about any weekend, chili cooks pit their best (and often secret) recipes against those of other cooks, usually for nothing more than a trophy and the thrill of victory.

Chili recipes, click here.

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• Fat trimmed from chuck roast, coarsely chopped
• 3 pounds (1 1/3 K) beef chuck roast, coarsely ground or cut in ¼ inch (3/4 cm) cubes
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons (50 g) chile powder
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 2 jars of Mark Miller's Red Chile sauce
• 1-cup water
• ¼ cup (35 g) masa trigo and water or ¼ cup (35 g) instant dissolving flour

Place approximately ¼ cup (60 g) chopped fat from roast in bottom of Dutch oven, preferably cast iron. Render enough fat to cover bottom of pot. Simply place meat in pot and proceed.

Add meat and cook until meat loses color. Cook long enough to evaporate the water released by the beef, but do not brown. Add garlic and stir to release aroma. Add chile powder, cumin, and salt to taste. Stir to coat meat with spices.

Add Mark Miller's red chile sauce and water or beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Adjust seasoning.

Add just enough water (1/4 cup) to masa to make a smooth paste. Press out all lumps with back of a spoon. Gradually, add masa paste or instant flour to chili, stirring constantly. Cook, uncovered, until thickened and flavors mellow, 10 to 15 minutes more.

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"NACHOS"

• 1 Small bag (7 ounces) tortilla chips
• 1 ½ cups homemade chile (leftovers or can chile)
• 1-½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• ¼ to ½ cup sliced, pickled jalapeno peppers
• 1-cup guacamole (recipe below)
• 1-cup sour cream
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• Ring of Fire Original Habanero Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread tortilla chips in single layer in jellyroll pan or ovenproof serving dish. Spoon over chips. Sprinkle cheese, then jalapeno slices, evenly over chips. Place in oven until cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes.

Quickly dollop chips with guacamole and sour cream. Sprinkle with tomato and Ring of Fire Original Habanero Hot Sauce to taste. Serve warm. Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings or 4 main dish servings.

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