GOURMET CHILI CON CARNE SERVED WITH IL MOLINO DE GRACE CHIANTI CLASSICO

Vineyards of Il Molino de Grace

GOURMET CHILI CON CARNE

1-C. Coffee reduced to 1/3 C.
3-LG onions, chopped
2-LB ground beef, 90% lean
1-Can black beans (12 oz)
1-Can red kidney beans (12 oz)
1-tsp kitchen bouquet
1-Can Mexican chili beans (12 oz)
2-Cans diced tomatoes
3-drops of liquid smoke
1-Poblano chili, roasted and pureed
2-Jalapenos, roasted and pureed
1-tsp Coleman’s mustard powder
½-C chili powder
Salt and pepper taste
¼-C. roasted garlic paste
Tabasco

Brown the ground beef and drain and set aside. Caramelize the chopped onions until light brown; add to beef. Add all other ingredients, omitting the garlic paste. Cook low and slow for 1 hour. Add roasted garlic paste, and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco to desired personal flavor.

Goes great with your favorite toppings! We recommend cheddar cheese and sour cream!

IL MOLINO DE GRACE CHIANTI CLASSICO

Beans or no beans, pinot, kidney or black, ground beef or whole chuck, hot or mild….the options go on and on when it comes to chili. The same can be said of the many versions of Italians’ red sauce - oregano or basil, onions or no onions, long or short cook times. So when it came down to pairing a wine with a chili, I thought why not try a versatile grape like Sangiovese? Sangiovese pairs well with so many styles of sauce, so perhaps it will work with a dish as complex as chili. I am taking a shot in the dark to pair our featured wine with a chili of which I have not seen the recipe. But I have tasted the Il Molino de Grace Chianti Classico: actually, at the vineyard. It struck me as a great food wine due to its innocuous nature.

I have tasted many a Chianti.  Just like any wine, they can be manipulated through wine making like use of barrels and growing practices and harvesting difference. The Molino struck me as pure wine – simple in an elegant fashion. The 2006 Molino de Grace is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 11 months in Slovenian and French oak. There is a subtle oak influence with a nose of berries and violets. It is well balanced and ends with a zippy acidity that hopefully will pair with a rich chili.

American Frank Grace purchased the 19th –century villa and vineyards in 1995. He transformed the aging structures and barn into a state-of-the-art winery in 1998 and also filled it with part of his art collection. On the property stands an old windmill for which the estate is named. Even through newcomers to the area, their wine making sticks to tradition. They let the native Tuscan grape, Sangiovese, remain king with their Chianti Classico – letting the character shine through with manageable wood influence. And as keepers of the land, the Graces farm is almost completely organic and environmentally friendly and sustainable.

So as pasta recipes have been passed through the generations, so have chili recipes. We hope that you might share your favorite in our chili cook-off that will benefit Senior Housing Options. This will be a fun event to taste chili from some great restaurants and wonderful home cooks. The participants will be rewarded with a plethora of chili, beer and wine tasting and fun for all the family with bouncy castles, face painter and balloon artist. The top ten entrants will be all be prize winners with the grand prize of $200! So put up yer spoons fast, buy yer tickets while the gettin is good - and until then Ciao Pardner!