The Fishing Hole Hosts Chili Cook-Off

Jess Farley whipped up a delicious chili recipe featured in the current issue of ‘Door County Living.’ Photo by Len Villano.

There are so many ways to make a good pot of chili. We’re not mathematicians, but venture a guess that the number of potential ingredients to create a superb chili is limitless! Our mouths are watering just thinking about it…

March 29, The Fishing Hole in Sturgeon Bay will satisfy the craving with a Chili Cook-Off from 1 – 5 pm. The event will feature heaps of delicious chili to try, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and prizes for the top three entries in each category: Best Flavor and Hottest Chili. Allow for a couple of hours to relax after your chili feast and then enjoy live music by Tomcat Joe.

Need a little inspiration while considering your own chili concoction to enter? Take a peek at Jess Farley’s recent recipe featured in the Winter Issue of Door County Living, currently on the stands.

Roasted Chipotle Black Bean Steak Chili

2 lbs. flank steak
Dry spice rub*
1 pint roasted tomatillos
1 large yellow onion
3 large cloves of garlic
2 bell peppers (red or yellow)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle dark beer (porter or stout)
8 cups roasted pepper puree
2 cans of black beans, rinsed
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 large can of diced tomatoes

Garnishes: fresh cilantro, avocado, lime, lime sour cream*, and grated soft white cheese (Monterey Jack or farmers)

Rinse the steak and pat dry. Rub the meat, both sides, with the dry spice rub, I use my hands for this step. Place the steak on a hot grill and cook approximately 15 minutes per side. The steak should be medium rare (it will cook more when added to the chili). I roasted the tomatillos on the grill at the same time the meat was cooking. Turning often, they take about 15 minutes.

While grilling the meat and tomatillos, sauté the onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil in the kettle over medium high heat. Stir often, sauté until the onions become translucent. Add the cumin, chili powder and salt to the kettle, stir. Pour in the beer, stir. Add the roasted pepper puree and tomatillos. Stir and simmer on low heat.

When the steak is cool to the touch, cut into bite size pieces and add it to the pot. Stir in the black beans, chipotle peppers and canned tomatoes. Allow the chili to simmer at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve in bowls. Garnish with chunks of avocado, fresh lime, lime-infused sour cream, fresh cilantro and shredded cheese. This dish can be made the day of or a day ahead to allow flavors to blossom. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Roasting the Peppers, Tomatoes and Onions

Using a grill or oven: Place a mixture of peppers (hot and sweet varieties), tomatoes and onions (skins on) directly on the grill grate or on a sheet pan in a 375˚ oven. The skins will blacken and the flesh will soften. This process takes about 30 minutes on the grill or up to an hour in the oven. Turn the vegetables often. The flavor will develop a layer of smoky sweetness. Allow time to cool, discard all the blackened skin and puree everything in your blender or food processor. I used 8 to 10 peppers, 5 to 6 tomatoes, and 4 onions to make 8 cups of puree. Make ahead and freeze, use when needed.

Dry Spice Rub*

3 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon adobo powder

Place all the spices in the food processor and mix.

Lime Sour Cream *

1 cup sour cream
zest of ½ lime
juice of ½ lime

Mix together in a bowl.

The Fishing Hole is located at 6962 County Road M in Sturgeon Bay. For more information call 920.743.9814.