[upbeat music]
- Hi, I'm Emily, and I'm a level one chef.
- Hi, I'm Lorenzo, and
I'm a level two chef.
- I'm Chris from the Institute
of Culinary Education,
and I'm a level three chef.
- You just kind of throw a
bunch of stuff into a pot,
and then wait, and that's
it, and that's good.
- So, my recipe is
actually chili con carne.
Not the typical chili.
Many reasons why I like this recipe.
Honestly, my dad likes it.
Hi, pop.
- Everybody's a big fan of chili.
You have the pork, the turkey.
Even vegetarians, they have
the quinoa and the beans.
But today, I'm gonna be
doing a seafood chili.
- First up, my main protein, turkey.
It's a little healthier,
and it tastes good, and it's pretty easy.
- My main protein that I use
for chili con carne is chuck.
It is a delicious piece of meat
and whenever you simmer it,
just the flavor of that
beautiful beef comes out.
- So the main proteins in my chili today
are jumbo lump crab meat,
fresh shrimp, scallops,
and right here in my hand is a blue crab.
It's going to really
make a flavorful scallop.
- So the first thing I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna turn on my burner
to about a medium high heat
'cause the recipe I read said high,
and I'm a little nervous
about making it too hot.
- I'm going to salt and pepper the meat.
I like a lot of pepper.
Now, I have a little bit of masa.
This is just corn flour.
It's gonna help sear the meat
and lock in those delicious juices.
- So, the crab and the
scallops are all set to go,
but now let's prep the shrimp.
The easiest way to do it
is that you can take
off the feet, like so.
Take your paring knife
and kind of run the back,
and then you take out the innards.
Okay, the shrimp's all done.
I'm gonna put all this
stuff in the fridge.
- I'm gonna put my olive oil into the pot.
Turkey's like a little
healthier than beef,
a little more exciting than chicken.
- If you do overcrowd
this, it's gonna just boil
and not get brown.
It will get gray.
You don't wanna eat gray meat.
- So right now I'm just kinda like,
I try to break it up into little bits,
because you want it sort of all
scattered through the chili,
not in big clumps, although a
clump here and there is nice.
- So what I'm looking for is
a nice brown little coating
that just seared the
juices in their yumminess.
- I'm kinda looking for
it to start changing color
from raw turkey to cooked turkey color.
- It's pretty much done.
I'm gonna take this out
and just do my other batch.
- So I think this looks about good,
so I'm gonna move on to adding
my veggies and seasonings.
- So these brown bits that you see here,
it's not burnt bits.
That's yummy goodness from the masa
and the beef being seared.
It's gonna come off of there
and just make the dish even better.
- I'm gonna throw a little bit
of extra virgin into the pot.
I got my garlic.
- This is half a red onion.
- Coarsely chopped onion.
- And then, I'm gonna go right in with my
peppers and onions.
- Sweet red bell peppers.
The onions and peppers and all of these
just kind of add a little bit
of extra flavoring and depth
and stuff to chew on, you know.
- One whole carrot.
- This is a bay leaf
that I'm gonna put in.
Honestly, the bay leaf
is one of those things
that you think it doesn't do anything
until you try something
with and without it.
And then, you're like, oh
wow, that did do something.
It's kinda nice.
- Add a little bit of salt always,
little bit of pepper always.
- Celery.
- Now, I'm not gonna
totally cook this down.
I just wanna soften.
It'll get a little translucent.
- And I'm not looking for any
kind of color on this at all.
- I am gonna move on to my--
- [Both] Garlic.
- Now I'm gonna throw in my spices.
- [All] Oregano.
- This is my--
- [All] Chili powder.
- I believe this is like
half a cup of chili powder.
- Chipotle peppers that are really gonna
bring out that smokiness.
- I'm also gonna use some more masa.
This is tomato paste,
and now I have a combination
of cayenne pepper, paprika.
If you have smoked paprika, go for it.
- And the smoked paprika.
This particular chili is
not gonna really be spicy.
You're really getting
the flavor of the peppers
but not necessarily the heat.
- And my jalapeno.
- Red pepper flakes.
I add red pepper flakes to everything.
I really, and I mean it.
And lastly--
- [All] Cumin.
- For that southwestern flavor.
- It's like those are the things
that have to go in a chili
for it to taste like chili, you know?
- I'm going to take my crab,
and I'm gonna cut that directly in half.
You'll see all of the, of
what you call tomalley,
all that yellow goodness right inside.
I have some fresh tomatillos.
So, what I'm gonna do here
is kind of rough chop it.
I wanna really get some of the juices
and liquid from the tomatillos.
- Alright, this has been
cooking for about five minutes.
So the next thing I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna add some canned tomatoes.
- I am gonna add the tomato sauce.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Tomatoes are really kinda
what makes the chili have that chiliness.
- That's gonna add a lot of
juice, acid, and the liquid.
- The next thing I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna put my chicken broth in.
- Beef broth, folks.
- I have my white beer.
Because this is a seafood one,
I kinda wanted to go with a
very light flavored white beer,
a hefeweizen.
So I'm using fish stock here
to really get some of that
really good seafood flavor.
A little bit of bay leaf.
While that's working,
I'm gonna get the rest
of these tomatillos in.
- So, I have my seared beef chuck.
I'm gonna add it to my
mixture of sauces and spices.
So, we're gonna simmer this
for about an hour and a half.
- For another 10 minutes or so.
- For about 30 to 45 minutes,
and that way all of the
flavors kind of marry together.
- Goodnight.
- Alright, this is looking good,
so it's time to add the beans.
- You could use any beans.
I'm using--
- [Both] Red kidney beans.
- I like them, because
all you really need to do
is heat them up.
So, these add a little
extra protein to the chili,
and just, I don't know, they're beans.
They go in chili, you know?
[laughs]
- And my chickpeas.
I actually like chickpeas in chili,
just because it's a
different color as well.
- So I'm using white beans for my chili,
because they have a bit
more sweetness to it,
so these will really take
on a lot of the flavor
of the stock and kind of
give way to the seafood
that's coming next.
- So now that I added my beans,
I'm just gonna warm them
through a little bit
before I serve.
- So the chili has been working
for an extra 40 minutes,
and you can really see that the stock
has worked its way into the bean.
At this point, let's add our seafood.
So I'm gonna put in the scallops,
let's go with the shrimp.
The shrimp kind of brings
that element of joy,
at least it does to me.
Jumbo lump crab.
Now, you don't wanna stir it too much
once the crab is in there.
So then finally, what I'm gonna add
is a little bit of orange zest.
What that does is brings out a little bit
of brightness to it.
Finally, I'm gonna add
some chopped cilantro.
So, I wait till the end
to add the fresh herbs,
because you really want
the flavor of the herbs
to still be potent and strong by the time
it gets to your plate.
- Alright, let's serve it up.
For all you other level ones out there,
don't eat the bay leaf.
- This is fantastic.
I'm gonna get our piece of crab in there.
- Let us do a little bit of
our diced tomato, red onion.
I love pickled jalapeno.
It's delicious.
- Alright, so now I'm
just gonna throw some
cheese on there.
- Cheese.
- I'm gonna add some sprigs of--
- [Both] Cilantro.
- I'm gonna add
some fresh lime.
- And a lime.
- Whenever you have
something hot or sweet,
just add a little citrus.
It brings everything out,
and it just accentuates
all of the flavors and just
balances everything out.
- And I'm just gonna
do a dollop of sour cream.
- Sour cream.
- Then, I'm gonna add some cotija cheese,
which is a Mexican cow's milk cheese.
- Cool, and then, I like to serve it
with some Hawaiian rolls.
In the grocery store, delicious, soft,
fluffy Hawaiian rolls. [laughs]
- I like to finish it off and eat it
with some corn tortilla chips.
- And you can't have good
chili without some cornbread.
I love cornbread with my chili.
- And here's my chili!
[camera shutter clicks]
- And this is my chili con carne.
[camera shutter clicks]
- And this is my chili.
[camera shutter clicks]
[light upbeat music]
- Mhm.
- Mhm!
- Mhm.
- Wow.
- Thumbs up.
Chili!
- It's really good.
- So delicious.
- Half an hour, and
you're eating something
that's not bad for you.
- The flavors are so clean and bright.
Hits the spot.
The cilantro, and the orange, and the crab
really make this dish exactly what it is.
- The spices with my toppings.
Lord have mercy, delicioso.
I wouldn't have done anything different.
Add more cheese!
- Chili is a delicious and
satisfying comfort food
that can be made in a
variety of different ways.
[drum roll]
Emily used ground light and dark turkey.
- I mean, and a bunch of other stuff, but.
- Turkey is a lean meat,
so it's lower in fat,
which is why Emily needed to add olive oil
to her pan prior to cooking it.
The oil prevented the turkey
from sticking to the hot pan,
while also promoting
Maillard browning reactions
when heated.
Lorenzo used a cut of beef called chuck,
which is tougher than turkey,
because it has more connective tissue.
- Hey, are you guys like mad at me,
because I didn't use ground beef? [laughs]
- He coated his beef with a
corn based starch called masa.
When heated, it's broken down into sugars,
which are needed for the
Maillard browning reaction
to occur.
Masa has the delayed effect
of becoming gelatinized
when liquid is added later
in the cooking process,
which made Lorenzo's chili more viscous.
- That's why I do this.
- It's also slightly alkaline,
so it assists in breaking
down connective tissue,
tenderizing the meat.
Chris used seafood, giving
his chili a distinct taste,
appearance, and texture.
He added his aromatic
ingredients to hot oil,
prior to adding his live crab.
- Who doesn't love crab?
- Did you notice how the blue crab changed
to a more reddish color
once it hit the heat?
That's because there's a
blueish brownish pigment
attached to a protein on
the crab when it's alive.
Once it's heated, the protein separates
from the pigment and
turns to a beautiful red.
[drum roll]
Emily used fresh seasonings,
except for the dried
chili powder and cumin.
These two powders don't
completely dissolve,
adding a very slight starchy,
grainy texture to her chili.
- It's what's in recipes online.
- Including chicken stock
enhanced the poultry flavor
of her chili, and tomatoes added color,
sweetness, and a slight acidity.
- So the chicken broth'll just give it
a little more of that poultry pizzazz.
- By grating a carrot, Lorenzo
increased its surface area,
allowing more of its natural sweetness
to be imparted into his dish.
Lorenzo bloomed his chili powder,
heating it a bit before adding liquids.
- It's all yumminess.
Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy.
- Chili powder contains
capsaicin, which is fat soluble,
so the oil that it was in
maximized its flavor release.
In addition, including beef stock
imparted a hearty umami
flavor to his chili.
Chris balanced his delicate seafood chili
with some powerhouse
spices, like chili powder,
oregano, and smoked paprika,
as well as fire roasted tomatoes,
which provided some smokiness.
Adding chopped tomatillos
also imparted a piquant,
acidic note that balanced
the smoke and fire
from his spice blend.
- That works.
- Chris's orange zest is unique,
and since the flavoring
compounds in citrus zest
are highly concentrated,
a little goes a long way.
Adding seafood stock helped bolster
all of Chris's other seafood flavors.
Alcohol from the wheat beer
evaporated during cooking,
so he was left with a malty,
slightly citrusy taste,
which complimented the orange zest.
Adding the various seafood at
the end of the cooking process
helps to keep them tender
and not over coagulated.
- You can't have a seafood
chili without shrimp.
[drum roll]
- Emily used the familiar red kidney bean,
which gets its name from its shape.
It added a nice color and
slightly creamy quality
to her chili.
Lorenzo also used red kidney beans,
but included garbanzo beans as well.
These contain more oil than other beans,
adding calories and a rich creaminess.
Chris used white beans,
which are smaller in size
and kept his chili lighter in color.
[drum roll]
All three chefs used lime as
a garnish, which is important,
because it brightens up
the chili with its acid.
- Gives it that pop
that I'm talking about.
- Emily and Lorenzo also added sour cream,
which provided another acidic component
and helped mitigate the
other spicy ingredients.
- Just keeping getting some sour cream,
and it'll get you through the bowl.
- The high amounts of
fat sour cream contains
coats the pain receptors on our tongue,
that capsaicin effect soothing
the sensation of heat.
Cheese, like Emily and Lorenzo's cheddar,
and Chris's cotija, does the same thing,
but because it's solid, it's
not as effective as sour cream.
Lorenzo and Chris also topped
their dishes with cilantro,
which has a bright, fresh taste
that compliments the other
more complex ingredients.
[drum roll]
Each chef served their chili
with supporting starches.
Emily used soft Hawaiian rolls,
which have a refreshing sweetness
that acts as another thing
to balance the spiciness.
- I knew that. [laughs]
- Lorenzo used corn tortilla chips,
which tied in with his masa
and provided a crunchy component,
while Chris used warm,
slightly sweet cornbread,
which complimented his
smoky, slightly spicy chili.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways
you can spice up your next batch of chili,
both literally and figuratively.
