Photography by me.
It’s a simple premise. Imagine that all the gods of ancient mythology and all the characters of folklore – we’re talking Anubis, Odin, Kali, Johnny Appleseed, John Bunyan, the Easter Bunny……well, maybe not quite a rabbit -from every background and corner of the globe, actually existed and are still alive today, waging war with the new modern gods of the Information Age. Media, Celebrity, Technology, Drugs, etc. These gods, both ancient and modern, exist because people believe in them, worship them, pay homage to them. This, folks, is American Gods.
We do worship our gods, if you think about it. Everyone believes in something. Whether it’s Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, technology, fame, cooking, gambling, youth, beauty, sex, drugs, music, David Bowie, Harry Potter, the Dallas Cowboys, the music of Soundgarden……….we all worship at the altar of something. We may not realize we do it.
But we all have our religions and gods that we worship, don’t we?
Shadow Moon is the erstwhile main character, a somewhat hardened man who just got out of prison and who is hired by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. Shadow’s wife, Laura, has just died……….and yet, the beauty of this book is that things are never quite what they seem. People don’t stay dead. Sleight of hand, both literal and figurative, keeps everything off kilter. Gods and goddesses once worshipped now work as bartenders, morticians, and prostitutes. And yet, the themes of life, death and rebirth are as strong in the modern age as they ever were.
When Shadow is on his way home to Laura’s funeral and is waylaid by Mr. Wednesday’s questionable charms, he stops to have a bite at a roadside diner. In his terrible grief, he remembers Laura’s unique method for making chili. Having never made true Tex-Mex chili – spelled with an “i” at the end as opposed to the New Mexico “chile” with an “e,” I was pretty psyched, actually, to give this one a try.
Laura made a great chili. She used lean meat, dark kidney beans, carrots cut small, a bottle or so of dark beer, and freshly sliced hot peppers. She would let the chili cook awhile, then add red wine, lemon juice and a pinch of fresh dill, and finally, measure out and add her chili powders. On more than one occasion, Shadow had tried to get her to show him how she made it: he would watch everything she did…………….
There’s nothing as quintessentially American as chili concarne, except maybe apple pie, so the tie-in with these American gods seemed particularly appropriate. This is the method that worked for me, based on the self-titled “Best Damn Chili Recipe” on the Allrecipes.com website. With a name like that, I had to taste it for myself, ’cause that’s quite a claim. Requisite flavor edits by yours truly, of course.
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion
5 cloves garlic
2 jalapeño peppers
1 Anaheim pepper
1 lb. organic ground beef
1 lb. organic ground bison
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 large tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1 bottle dark Mexican beer, like Negra Modelo.
1 28-oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons red chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 16-oz. can of red kidney beans, drained
1 16-oz. can of pinto beans, in its juice
1 tablespoon sea salt
METHOD
Finely chop onion and garlic in a food chopper. Put in a large metal pan with the olive oil and a good scattering of sea salt. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes on medium.
Chop the jalapeños and Anaheim pepper and add to the onions for another 5 minutes. Remove to a separate bowl.
Add the two meats to the hot pot. Break down the meat with a wooden spoon, add the Worchestershire sauce, the beer and the smoked paprika. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
Put the vegetables back in the pot, and stir to mix with the meat.
Pour in the San Marzano tomatoes, and add in the tomato paste. Stir to mix, then toss in the red wine and the apple cider vinegar.
Here is where you add in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, brown sugar, and cayenne. Go cautiously with the cayenne if you’re cooking for wimpy types; and if you’re cooking for someone you dislike, don’t worry about it.
Cover, cook on low for two hours, and after the first hour, add in the beans and leave to cook another hour. Stir occasionally if you’re bored.
Ideally, chili should sit overnight so that the flavors commingle and make a delicious dish. However, if you need to serve it immediately, let it simmer while you make the cilantro-sour cream garnish, which is terribly difficult and time consuming. Take a bunch of cilantro, stems cut off, mix together in a blender with a container of sour cream, and a tablespoon of salt, and serve with the cheddar-topped chili and some Fritos, wiping the imaginary – and Godlike, I daresay – sweat off your brow as you do so.
Reblogged this on Honey and commented:
…Weekend Food: FoodinBooks, a lovely blog with book and movie-inspired recipes (hey, that sounds familiar,) She’s probably done a recipe from your favorite read so click around the easy to find archives….
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Thank you so much! I appreciate that more than you know. 😘
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What a deliciously inventive article incorporating a recipe for New Mexico chile con carne into an an imaginative mythological tale featuring ancient and modern Gods of man. Loved it.
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Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback and comments, and am grateful you stopped by. 🙂
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Finally getting to this. American Gods, Neil Gaiman – Master Magician, creator of stories spun from the ether that is infinite, where to begin. Mythology is my greatest curiosity and here you choose to read this book, pluck its reference to food and take the reader on a delightful journey of you own. Your premise is spot on in that there are many beliefs systems in our world universe and Gaiman played with a few to bring his story to life. The chili suggestion from the book, which you choose to emphasize looks delicious and is probably 100 times better than the one alluded to in the book. I will have to try your recipe sometime Vanessa.
Your food I hope to taste at some point, but I will always read your well-thoughtout blogs to add to my own reading list.
Salud!
Esther Russell
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Thanks, Esther! I read the book on your recommendation, and loved it. I have always had a love of mythology and folklore and origin stories, so this one really connected for me. And of course, the chili recipe was just part of it. I’ll keep inviting you, and hopefully you’ll be able to drop by for a good meal and literary discussion sometime soon!
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interesting story premise! the food looks great, although that close-up the onion started to make my eyes tear :). plus…that is a long ingredient list. for me, if the ingredient list exceeds 3 i’m intimidated. Great post, again!
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The ingredient list is long, I admit, but the method is so simple. Literally throw everything into one pot and slow cook! Glad you enjoyed the post, even if the ingredients scared you. 😉
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Looks wonderful.
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Thanks, Janet!
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