Allan Appel Photo
Greg Dildine called “All Wrong Chili” a little bland, but he liked the meatiness of the pork. Michael Pinto said he liked its slow burn and the sneak- up of the spices.
Dildine countered that the sign broke the competition’s no-labels rule.
Maybe, parried Pinto, but the taste was adventurous. In short, he declared, “The chili that went wrong went right.”
Such intense judging by Westville Alderman Dildine (on the left in photo), Pinto, a city economic development officer, and others took place at the Friends of Edgewood Park (FOEP)’s chili cook off. The competition drew 75 people and 13 steaming crockpots of chili to the Coogan Pavilion at Edgewood Park Saturday evening.
Who needs the Winter Olympics when in the snow-enclosed setting of the Coogan Pavilion, the fourth annual Chili Olympics scaled new heights of spice and flavor?
There were eight meat chilis and five vegetarians all laid out on a long table covered in white paper table cloth. Around each crock were artistically arrayed bowls of the varied ingredients that anonymous cooks had put in: the carrots, cheeses, the lime, the peppers, the cilantro.
In no time the cloth was spotted with drippings from the nervously held Dixie cups of the tasters.
The crockpots tried not to show emotion, yet you knew they were striving for the gold, as it were. In each category the chilis were competing for awards as spiciest, most unique (sic), “my favorite,” and “most like mama’s.
For Erika Jessen, whose mom is Polish and never looked a chili pepper in the eye, it was going to be a logical as well as gustatory challenge to cast her ballot in the “most like mama’s category.”
“She didn’t make chili. But if she had, it would have come out as ‘all the wrong chili,’” Jessen said. So in a vote of irony ‚she thought to cast her ballot for that one.
Then, however, her 9‑month-old son William expressed pleasure at tasting chili number one. “Grrrrmmmmmm,” concluded the littlest gourmet.
Mom tasted after William. “Mmmm,” she said. “Number one is a winner. Meat dominates, as it should.”
The corn and tomato and the vegetable ingredients ruled so much of the time, but not in chili number one. “It also has sausage, a nice touch.”
Over on the vegetarian side, #16 seemed to make an impression not only on serious carnivores Dildine and Pinto, but also on Jim Owen. Pinto identified the white bean as the base. “Since there’s no fat [as meat provides] in the vegetable to impart flavor, you rely on the spices.”
Owen agreed, although he said, “This is all very subjective. My stomach likes them all.” He said his contribution to the evening was to bring rice, because rice and beans combined makes the complete protein.
And so it went, as the tasters dug deep for the stamina to taste 13 chilis (five for the vegetarians).
The aim of the event was to use the under-utilized fine airy space of the pavilion and to sign up new members for Edgewood Friends. Chief organizer Keren Kurti- Alexander said a half dozen had been added to the group’s 200-plus membership, one of the largest and most active of park friends organizations in the city.
Board secretary Diane Scarponi said FOEP has much on its plate, besides chili.
She said the group’s next challenge is working to maintain the beauty and integrity of the duck pond. Several at the cook-off expressed concern that a proposed new floodgate renovation project for the West River might lead to rising water levels in the pond.
After the secret ballots were cast, Kurti-Alexander relayed to a reporter by email the news that the meat categories had been swept by first-time competitor Shirley Dixon, who tied with Michael Pinto for Spiciest, and won Most like Mama’s, Most Unique Flavor, and My Favorite Meat Chili.
In the vegetarian categories, Zachary Lozon won My Favorite Vegetarian Chili and Most Unique Flavor with his White Bean Chili.
Thanks for featuring my "All Wrong Chili". It is a fun event and good folks!
This is a simple riff on classic New Mexican "Chile Verde" or green chili (as opposed to "red").
Basic recipe: 1+ tsp toasted and ground coriander seed, 1 tsp toasted and ground cumin seed, three yellow onions, caramelized and pureed, a dozen cloves of garlic, minced and lightly sauteed, one tablespoon of white pepper, homemade chicken stock and a little (1 tsp?)hickory smoke flavoring and that was it except for peppers. Loads of canned green chiles (about 11 small cans of fire-roasted chiles). All this to almost five pounds of pork loin. I would have used grilled, fresh Anaheim or Hatch green chiles, but I could not find any in time.