Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

My daughter has this question she poses to people: Is the hotdog a sandwich? The responses are varied and often strongly held opinions of the respondent. (FWIW, I believe the hotdog is a sandwich, as it’s something between two layers of bread.)

So, is chili a soup? It’s eaten with a spoon from a bowl. So, is it a soup? (I say yes.)

Years ago I worked as a youth minister for my church. Each year on the weekend of the Super Bowl, we had Souper Bowl at our church, where parishioners were asked to bring a can or two of soup to church for our food pantry. Invariably there would be several cans of chili in the massive pile of soup cans that the youth group would later sort and shelve. We would then have a discussion: Is chili a soup?

I’ve always loved chili, although my early memories of chili are cans of Hormel Chili with Beans that my mom would heat up to go with hotdogs. (So there’s a conundrum for you, something that is questionably a sandwich paired with something that is questionably a soup.)

The night before I took the LSAT for the first time (yes, there were multiple attempts—none of which were successful or pleasant), I spent the night at my college suite mate’s house in New Orleans. She made chili for dinner that night and I loved it. It was my first homemade bowl of chili and she wrote out the recipe for me. I made “Marcy’s Chili” for decades.

Until…I had Shawna’s version of chili while living in Belgium. It was so different, so delicious, I had her write out her recipe for me. An adaptation of “Shawna’s Chili” is what is simmering in my slow cooker right now.

My favorite restaurant chili for decades was the vegetarian chili at Silver Diner, a restaurant chain in the DC metro area. I’m not a vegetarian, but that bowl of yumminess was almost enough to convert me. Sadly, it is no longer on their menu. I grieve for it still.

My chili is made with ground turkey (no comments please) and dark red kidney beans. I know, I know, this is anathema to many of you reading this. But, we honestly like the texture of the ground turkey in chili better than ground beef. And, the beans are a no brainer. I mean, I am a Louisiana native with red beans and rice in my DNA.

I no longer use the chili seasoning packet that was the foundation of Marcy’s Chili. I do cut my green and red bell peppers and onions in larger chunks like Shawna’s Chili. I make my own seasoning blend using chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, crushed dried red peppers, freshly ground black pepper, and kosher salt. For two pounds of ground turkey I use one large can of whole tomatoes that I purée using my stick blender right in the can. I add two cans of drained and rinsed dark red kidney beans after the meat has browned and the tomatoes and spices have been mixed in. I squeeze out a couple of globs of tomato paste to give it a bit of body, and that’s it. Let simmer for several hours, refrigerate overnight, and reheat in the slow cooker for a few hours before serving time.

Today, since it is the Super Bowl, I have on hand all of the makings of a great bowl of chili. I have tortilla chips, Frito Scoops, a baguette, saltine crackers (my husband’s favorite), and garlic bread. I’ll have rice AND elbow macaroni so people can lay a foundation of the carb of their choice in the bottom of their bowl. For toppings I have grated cheddar, sour cream, finely diced onions, sliced scallions, and of course, Tabasco sauce. For leftovers this week, I also have hotdogs and hotdog buns. We will eat well today and all week, no doubt.

After posting my latest published piece from Sasee magazine yesterday, my brother-in-law responded that I should add to my “Love at First Bite” personal essay the chili story from the days when I was hopelessly flirting (to no avail) with my now husband. So, for Jay, here is the missing part of that story.

Two years before I typed a grad school paper for my future husband, the reason he took me to dinner which turned out to be our first date, I had noticed him in the church choir. I actually JOINED THE CHOIR to meet him. I thought I was flirting with him but he paid no mind to me whatsoever. Eventually, my neighbor Susan suggested that I make a big pot of chili (she loved the Marcy version I used to make) and invite the choir over after church one Sunday. So, I did. I cleaned my whole house, made a huge vat of chili, baked cornbread, prepared all the carb bases and all the toppings, made two pies for dessert, and issued forth the invite after Mass.

The proposed guest of honor’s response, “I don’t really like chili.” Everyone else in the choir came and enjoyed themselves, but I was crushed. Thank God he needed a paper typed two years later, otherwise, my really poor excuse for flirting would have changed the course of my life.

Well, guess what? He LOVES chili now, especially my chili which he has been happily eating now for almost 37 years!

Happy Souper Bowl today, everyone!