Chef Hugh Acheson, a born and raised Canadian from Ottawa, a five time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) James Beard nominee and 2012 winner for Best Chef Southeast; demonstrated his skills in Southeast American cooking with a Colorado Chili recipe at Foodfort on Saturday, September 25th 2021 at the JUMP Share Studio in Downtown Boise, Idaho.
The audience had a chance to try a pre-made version of this Chile that was accompanied with sour cream and a tortilla chip. The chili was rich in flavor and very decadent without the thickness or beans that we usually expect in a traditional Chili. The braised beef used was American Wagyu from Idaho local Snake River Farms which very much elevated this dish.
Read below for the full Colorado Chili recipe.
Chef Hugh Acheson is very intentional about not appropriating Southern cuisine, acknowledging that these techniques and recipes were brought to America by slaves. Hugh is also a very big advocate in supporting local LatinX owned businesses. During Covid when many LatinX communities were struggling, he raised $8,000 through his social media accounts to give back and support the LatinX community that he draws much of his culinary inspiration from.
Chef Hugh encouraged all of us in the audience to throw out our old, pregrouded, mass-batched spices for freshly grounded seeds, barks, and chilies from a local market. Along those same lines Chef Hugh said “If you use pre-minced garlic… I won’t talk to you”.
Hugh Acheson is a very highly regarded chef and author, but above all a father to two daughters. He recently released How to Cook: Building Blocks and 100 Simple Recipes for a Lifetime of Meals: A Cookbook originally written for his oldest daughter who has moved back to Canada to attend University. He joked with the audience that he sent his daughter off to University with more pots, pans, and cookware than any other student before her. Empowering folks to cook at home and teaching younger generations the importance of fresh ingredients and how to cook is a major prerogative for Chef Acheson. He believes that the kitchen should be the most used room in your home, and that cooking should be fun and food is the best way to bond and bring people together.
Beef Chile Colorado Recipe:
Note: This chile refers to the Colorado river in the Sonoran region of Mexico, not the US state of Colorado. It is a deeply hued chile, mahogany in color, and layered in flavor. It is a keeper of a recipe and the type of thing that you hand down to the next generation. It seems like a complex recipe until you do it once, and then it seems like natural steps, like riding a bike, or surfing a wave. The chile freezes well in small batches for a quick dinner from the microwave, that strange box device that has fallen out of favor.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Ancho chiles
2 Pasilla chiles
2 Guajillo chiles
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 quarts of chicken stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 pounds chuck roast, cubed ½ inch pieces, excess fat and sinew removed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
First take the chiles, and stem them and seed them.
Put the chiles and shallot in a small pot and cover with chicken stock.
Place over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove, cool for ten minutes and then puree until smooth in a blender
Season the chile puree with 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
Season beef with the remaining salt and set aside.
Heat a large pot on the stove over medium high heat and add canola oil.
Add beef and sear off for 2 minutes, until the beef has a nice crusting.
Remove the beef to a plate and add the onion to the pot.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
Add garlic, beef, cumin, and oregano.
Stir well and add remaining chicken stock and chile puree.
Lower to a bare simmer and cook for 3 hours.
Top Photo by Ed Simon for The Boise Beat
All other photos by Staci Tyau
