Chili

Having returned from Istanbul late on Wednesday, we spent much of Thursday unpacking and regrouping.   The best effort we could muster for Thanksgiving dinner was to order broccoli pizza (Norah’s favorite) from Troika, a restaurant just a few doors down.

But as the weekend arrived, we found ourselves increasingly thinking of holiday get-togethers at home.  On Saturday morning, we decided that a pot of chili would provide a good taste of the post-Thanksgiving weekend in the Midwest.  We debated whether we should start shopping at our local store or head straight for the big supermarket, and opted for the former (which was appropriate since it was small business Saturday, right?).  So, we walked around the corner to our five-aisle market, Верде (Verde), and actually did better than we thought.  In addition to the fresh vegetables (garlic, green pepper, onion, jalapeno), we were able to find canned stewed tomatoes, ground beef, and – after attempts to translate and lots of sniffing – cumin and a paprika-ish red chili powder.  The only problem was the selection of beans, which was limited to a very few varieties of dried beans. 

Hoping for a wider selection and the possibility of saving a few hours of soaking and simmering dried beans, off we headed to toward the university for the nearest Billa, the Austrian supermarket chain.  There, we were able to find chili-style beans, and in a can, no less.  (I should actually say that Sara was able to find the beans – Norah and I stayed outside and listened to a busker playing the clarinet.)

 The final product came together fairly well, all in all, and provided us with a couple of meals worth of leftovers.  We topped it with some shredded kashkaval, the local yellow cheese, and onion. I would have been happy to have a dollop of sour cream, but under the circumstances I won’t complain.

A few takeaways:

·         There is a definite difference between the beef in Bulgaria and Iowa beef.

·         Many prepared tomato products here (ie, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes) are very saucy; sort of ketchup-ier versions of what we’re used to.

·         When buying canned food, it is good to keep in mind whether you have a can opener at home.