Food & Films 2009: Chili Dip

One of my favorite snack foods, something that begs for a beer and a football game, is chili dip. It is terrifically unhealthy and a bit repulsive if you think about it for more than a few seconds, and would just about kill any natural food junkie. Every now and again though, I break down and eat a few dozen chips' worth. And don't regret it a bit.

This photo stinks, and it probably still wouldn't look good even with the best photograph possible, but it's really a delight to devour. The dish has only three ingredients, plus three recommended accoutrements to properly enjoy. Ingredients: cream cheese, a can of chili, and some shredded cheddar. Optional accessories: tortilla chips, football, and beer.

Tackle, Cotton, and I scarfed down the tray you see here in about 5 minutes. This was more or less lunch for us for Food & Films 2009. There really wasn't even time to take a decent shot of the dip fresh from the oven...it was gone that quickly.

My former boss told me she wooed her husband with a similar dish. It involves Fritos, cream cheese, cheddar, Stagg chili, and chopped onion. And is always microwaved, never baked. I'm not sure how the ingredients fit together, but I do know the Fritos are an ingredient, not a dipper.

I urge you to try this dip, or my former boss' variation, the next time you've got a hankerin' for a coronary. You won't be disappointed.


Chili Dip Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• 14 oz chili (Amy's Organic Spicy Chili is great!)
• 1 c shredded sharp cheddar

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. (I always use a disposable aluminum pan, which I don't spray because I don't have to wash it!) Spread the cream cheese over the entire bottom of the pan. This is tricky if you grease the pan, so make sure the cream cheese is thoroughly softened. Next, spread the chili over the cream cheese in an even layer. Then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and place in the oven for around 20 minutes or until bubbly and gently browned. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips. Garnish with herbs if you're trying to impress. Won't matter much after the first taste.

NYT Dining & Wine 01/07/09

There are a couple of interesting articles in today's New York Times Dining & Wine section (published every Wednesday).

Julia Moskin's article "From Asia, Rapture in a Bowl" discusses the enthusiasm people have for various Southeast Asian noodle soups. They all sound tasty, especially as I sit here and sniffle. Unfortunately, there are no recipes included with the article.

Mark Bittman, the Minimalist, gives some pointers for a great pantry, and I don't think I disagree with anything he says (although I'm not throwing out all our spices and bread crumbs). However, a few things really resonated with me:

OUT Canned beans (except in emergencies).

IN Dried beans. More economical, better tasting, space saving and available in far more varieties. Cook a pound once a week and you’ll always have them around (you can freeze small amounts in their cooking liquid, or water, indefinitely). If you’re not sold, try this: soak and cook a pound of white beans. Take some and finish with fresh chopped sage, garlic and good olive oil. Purée another cup or so with a boiled potato and lots of garlic. Mix some with a bit of cooking liquid, and add a can of tomatoes; some chopped celery, carrots and onions; cooked pasta; and cheese and call it pasta fagiole or minestrone. If there are any left, mix them with a can of olive-oil-packed tuna or sardines. And that’s just white beans.

All of those applications make my mouth water. I'll have to try to think ahead and cook up some beans!

OUT Minute Rice or boil-in-a-bag grains.

IN Genuine grains. Critical; as many different types as you have space for. Short grain rice — for risotto, paella, just good cooked rice — of course. Barley, pearled or not; a super rice alternative, with any kind of gravy, reduction sauce, pan drippings, what have you. Ground corn for polenta, grits, cornbread or thickener (whisk some — not much — into a soup and see what happens). Quinoa — people can’t believe how flavorful this is until they try it. Bulgur, which is ready in maybe 10 minutes (it requires only steeping), and everyone likes. If you’re in doubt about how to cook any of these, combine them with abundant salted water and cook as you would pasta, then drain when tender; you can’t go far wrong.

I hate boil-in-bag rice. I'd also like to try to incorporate some different grains into my diet.

Bittman also recommends pureeing some walnuts with garlic, oil, and water as a pasta sauce or condiment for vegetables or grains. That sounds absolutely delicious and slightly healthier than some other pantry-backed dishes like bacon parmigiana.

Florence Fabricant has an excellent looking recipe for duck fried rice. She also has a short write-up about Dousoeur de Paris Patisserie Salon, which sounds about as authentic as any patisserie in the US could hope to be.