One of the fun things my wife and I are doing in our “empty nester” lives is play more with cooking for “eating and enjoying” and not just “feeding”. So this super bowl Sunday, the new adventure is White Bean Chili. This morning while surfing recipes on the internet and watching the food network, Jan suggested that one of the things in my future should be a cook book.

“Ah, titled Captain James Cooks?” I responded. Her reception to that comment was less than positive, adding; “Only you and your daughter think that is funny, no normal people know who Captain James Cook was!”

“Honey, he was only the greatest dead reckoning navigator of all time and he discovered Australia!!!” I retorted.

“Well, maybe your cookbook will be a smashing success down under.” she laughed.

EDIT:

The chili turned out great, but as I was cooking it I kept working to avoid the bland white chili I have had in the past.

Here is what I came up:

3 boneless chicken breasts

4 bone in chicken thighs

half pound bacon

one large white onion (chopped)

one green bell pepper (chopped)

2 jalepenos

2 cloves fresh garlic

2 4oz cans green chilis

6 14oz cans white beans

1 block monterey pepperjack cheese shredded

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon each of black and white pepper

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Some people use store bought chicken stock, but I made mine by boiling the breasts and thighs with skin on and then removed them and strained the stock. I let the chicken cool before chopping it up. I added the spices (including the chopped Jalepeno and canned peppers and crushed garlic) to the stock while it was still warm, but turned off the heat. When it cooled a bit, I scooped the fat off the surface.

I cut across the bacon and cooked the small pieces in a 14″ iron skillet. When done I removed them to cool and drain on a paper towel.

I drained the bacon grease from the pan and then added some olive oil and sauteed the onion and green pepper.

I brought the spiced stock back to a boil, added the chopped chicken, onions and peppers and let simmer for 3 hours. I checked the flavor and touched up the spices to personal taste. 30 minutes before serving I added the crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese. I served it with guacamole, sour cream and chopped green onions as a garnish. I personally added a healthy dash of Texas Pete hot sauce to my bowl. I enjoyed my bowl with an ice cold beer and Jan’s super delicious cornbread cooked in a cast iron pan. The spices are so embedded that it is not hot at first bite, but the “ummph” builds in your mouth gradually as you finish the bowl.

It was great last night, I even had a “Who Dat?” celebratory bowl. This morning I was reminded just how spicy it was.

***For those of you who do not know, my daughter Elena is an up and coming food blogger and publisher of www.biscuitsandsuch.com where she has a category Captain James Cooks but make no mistake, she got her kitchen mojo from the other side of the family. Please take a little time to look at her posts and try some of her recipes.