Judy's Spacken Chili

Memories from a Childhood in Outback Queensland

In the place of an absent father I was fortunate to spend many of my childhood years with my grandparents. They lived at the end of a rail line in outback Queensland, Australia, in the pioneer town of Springsure with about 300 people. The large house with verandas all around had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. Drinking water came from rainwater and "hard" water came from a well and windmill. Between grandma's chickens and grandpa's huge garden watered by the windmill, food was plentiful. Grandma's cooking on the cast iron wood stove is still a strong and very pleasant memory of the sights and smells.

Judy - My Wife - My Best Friend - My Mate

Grandma's dishes often came in phases. Phase 1 might be a Sunday dinner roast chicken with baked potatoes, onions, carrots and pumpkin (Queensland Blue Squash) and green beans. All the meat and vegetables came from home. Phase 2 might be a chicken soup made with the leftover chicken and vegetables and possibly some added rice. Sometimes there might be a Phase 3 in which these leftovers were transformed into a curried chicken dish loaded with added raisins and served with rice. The refrigerator space was limited. It was a relatively small refrigerator powered by a kerosene flame. The kerosene, which had travelled hundreds of miles by rail and steam trains, was expensive. Leftovers were usually kept for a short time in a suspended meat "safe" on the coolest back porch.  In its simplest form the "safe" was a metal frame cube with sides 2 to 3 feet long and covered with fine metal mesh to keep the flies out and allow any breezes to cool the content.

This dish, Judy's Spacken Chili, is a Phase 2 dish and was designed to wife Judy's requirements. If the sunday meat was finished then canned meat from the pantry could be used with the leftover vegetables from the Sunday meal"Spacken" my recipe in which I replace chicken with Spam. You can of course use either Spam of chicken. Cans of Spam or Bully Beef, a reserve food in most outback pantries, were often  needed in times of floods and bush fires. Spam is a favorite dish from Judy's childhood. For more information on Spam see previous blog.




Phase 2: Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

2 quarts of chicken broth - Grandma made it from long, slow boiling of leftovers on the back of the stove.

1 quart of water


4 cups of chopped chicken leftovers

2 medium chopped onions

2 cups of chopped celery

2 cups of sliced  carrots into 1 inch pieces

1 small Uncle Ben's 6 oz. Long grain & wild rice original recipe packet.
This rice packet adds both white and wild rice as well an excellent selection of blended spices.

1 teaspoon each of salt,  pepper, and garlic powder, or in place of the garlic powder use (my preference) one teaspoon of Mrs Dash's  Blend of Tomato, Basil and Garlic.

Add all the ingredients to a pot and slow boil for an hour.

This should serve 6 people.


Phase 2: Judy's Spacken Chili

Ingredients


2 - 3 quarts of leftover Phase 1 soup

3 cans of Spam

1 can 28 oz. Bush baked beans - Country Style (includes bacon and brown sugar)

1 can 19 oz. Cannellini beans

1 can 16 oz. diced Italian tomatoes

1 bell pepper

2 medium onions

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons of chili powder.

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

4 packets of Equal (sugar substitute)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash blend of tomato, basil and garlic (my preference)

1 cup Spicy Hot V8 Juice

1 can 12 oz. tomato paste

Chop the Spam into 1 inch cubes. Brown in a pan with the olive oil, add the chopped onions and bell pepper and saute.

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and allow to simmer for at least 45 minutes while stirring well.

Place the contents in 8-10 one-quart canning jars. This makes a great meal in a hurry for guests who arrive with limited notice.






This is not a thick chili. Judy prefers her chili "brothy" or soupy. The tomato paste does make the mixture thicker. Add a cup of dried potato flakes to make the traditional thick texture. Simmering on a slow boil for at least an hour does reduce liquid. You will need to stir well.

 Grandpa Hofmeister's Windmill and Vegetable Garden - 1949

In this photo Sandy Creek is flooded. The present generation looks to solar and wind power to combat pollution. Grandpa's generation used wind power, which provided the water for bathing and the home garden produce, which then supported the family food supply and provided much of the chicken food. I described up to 3 phases in the reuse of meals. There was also a fourth phase. Any leftover food became chicken food and contributed to the ongoing supply of chicken meat and eggs. There was virtually no garbage. Between the chickens and the wood cookstove, leftover food and paper products were taken care of. Some paper products, such as newspapers and the Sears Catalog, were needed in the outhouse. 

Senate Bean Soup

Over the years I spent considerable time in Washington DC. During some of my assignments  I had meals in the Senate's restaurant. One of my favorite dishes was Senate Bean Soup which has been served for at least the past 100 years.

The Senate website describes the history of this popular and unpretentious dish as follows:

"

Senate Bean Soup Bean soup is on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day. There are several stories about the origin of that mandate, but none has been corroborated.   According to one story, the Senate’s bean soup tradition began early in the 20th-century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho.  Another story attributes the request to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who expressed his fondness for the soup in 1903. The recipe attributed to Dubois includes mashed potatoes and makes a 5-gallon batch.  The recipe served in the Senate today does not include mashed potatoes, but does include a braised onion.  Both Senate recipes are below. The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe 2 pounds dried navy beans four quarts hot water 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks 1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter salt and pepper to taste Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8. Bean Soup Recipe (for five gallons) 3 pounds dried navy beans 2 pounds of ham and a ham bone 1 quart mashed potatoes 5 onions, chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped four cloves garlic, chopped half a bunch of parsley, chopped Clean the beans, then cook them dry.  Add ham, bone and water and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and mix thoroughly.  Add chopped vegetables and bring to a boil.  Simmer for one hour before serving. While the above-listed recipes use navy beans, I prefer great northern beans. The difference has been described in eHow.com : While both beans are light colored, the great northern bean holds its shape better than the navy bean, making it more suitable for dishes in which the cook desires the beans to hold their shape. It also cooks more quickly than the navy bean. However, soups made from the two beans are highly similar, typically featuring bacon or ham, onions, celery, carrots, garlic and sometimes tomatoes or pasta. My Version of the Senate Bean Soup  2 pounds of great northern beans 2 quarts of water 2 quarts of chicken broth 4 cups of chopped left-over ham 2 medium chopped onions 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup of sliced carrots 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of pepper 1/2 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder Rinse the beans well and place in a stockpot. Add the water and chicken broth and bring to a slow boil for 3 hours. Saute the onions in the olive oil in a pan.  Add onions and oil to the beans along with all the remaining ingredients. Take 3 cups of the mixture and puree in a blender, return the puree to the mixture.  Slow boil the mixture for an additional 30 minutes and stir well.   Fiber and Water for Optimal Digestion A diet of bean soup is profoundly good for your digestive health. Bean soup provides insoluble fiber, which helps your gut to perform optimally. Bean soup's high water content keeps the fiber from gumming up the system, so to speak. Bean soup can also help to thwart overeating. Water-based foods have proved more effective than water alone for controlling hunger pangs and calorie intake. Soups and hot cereals are among the top choices for calorie-reducing diets. Some reasons for my time in Washington DC I did spend considerable time in Washington DC and found it an interesting place and the center of national and international discussion on a number of issues related to my research. The following are extracts are from my folder of press clippings. (1992). "Alan Hofmeister was awarded the Emmy from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences for Excellence in Children’s Programming for his role as Chief Scientist for the Mad Math Series on The Learning Channel (TLC). The television series was produced by Learning 2000, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel." "(1984). "Alan Hofmeister was designated a Mary E. Switzer Scholar awarded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)." (1986). "Alan Hofmeister was invited by President Reagan to a White House reception to honor selected scientists who have made a contribution to the treatment of the handicapped." (1981). "Alan Hofmeister was the Invited Keynote Speaker for the National Meeting of the Association of Media Producers, Washington, DC." (1978-79). "Alan Hofmeister served as the elected President, National Association for Special Education Technology - Washington DC." The Washington DC life was a little overwhelming for this fellow raised in Outback Australia. When offered a very well paid job in Washington DC, I politely refused and  happily returned to the more rural Cache Valley, Utah.

Coffee in Food Recipes

Curry, Chili and Coffee

In previous postings there was an emphasis on low-cost foods. Those with limited money have learned to make maximum use of inexpensive meats and related sources of proteins. In different countries and cultures families have made tasty and healthy dishes with inexpensive and modest amounts of different meats. Two spices, curry and chili, help generate tasty meals with a modest amount of inexpensive meats.

Recently researchers have suggested coffee can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. The May 7, 2012, issue of U.K. Mail reported:

Drinking coffee regularly can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's 'by boosting caffeine levels in the blood.'

* Volunteers who remained healthy had twice as much caffeine circulating than those who progressed to the early stages of dementia.

• * First direct evidence that coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk, or delayed onset, of dementia.
•  
• The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, support previous studies which showed drinking three cups of  coffee a day can significantly reduce the risk of this incurable illness. Researchers think caffeine may work by triggering a chain reaction in the brain that prevents the damage done by Alzheimer’s.
•  Drinking coffee regularly can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by keeping caffeine levels in the blood topped up, new research shows. Scientists who tracked elderly patients over a four-year period found those with the highest levels of the stimulant in their bloodstream at the start of the study were less likely to suffer the brain-wasting disease.
•  
  Volunteers who remained healthy had twice as much caffeine circulating in their systems as those who progressed to the early stages of dementia, according to researchers at the University of South Florida....... In a report on their findings the researchers said: 'Coffee would appear to be the major or perhaps only source of caffeine for such stable patients.
  This case-control study provides the first direct evidence that caffeine/coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk, or delayed onset, of dementia.'
  
  
  Other recent studies suggest a daily coffee can ward off depression in women and even slash the risk of a stroke by a quarter.
  
  

Increasing  Coffee in Food Recipes

While not that common, coffee in liquid or instant powder form is used as an ingredient in meat sauces and similar dishes. At this time, we suggest you avoid the decaffeinated coffee powder until researchers give us more information on the effect of decaffeination and the findings listed above.
  Many really enjoy chili and curry dishes. These are often made with left-over meats and vegetables and fruit and often made quickly. 

To help me prepare curry and chili dishes quickly I use curry and chili liquid mixtures with strongly brewed coffee as the base ingredient. 

Curry Mixture Ingredients

10 cups of strong brewed  coffee 

10 tablespoons curry powder - I prefer the Madras combination of curry spices
1 tablespoon of chili powder
4 packets of Equal 
2 tablespoons of Vegemite (optional) I buy mine in the USA at https://www.simplyoz.com/
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce 


Combine ingredients in a pot and simmer until there is a 20% reduction in the liquid.


Chili Mixture Ingredients


These are the same as the Curry Mixture, except replace curry with chili powder and chili with curry. 

Using the Mixtures

I store the curry and chili mixtures in half-gallon bottles so that I can shake them well before using the contents. Rather than throw out unused coffee keep a half-gallon jar nearby and collect the left-over coffee.

For mild curry or chili dishes I use 1/4 cup of liquid for each quart of dish content. Equal in the recipe is used instead of sugar and enhances the flavor of the major spice. 


See post "Outback Queensland Curry" Thursday, march 3, 2011 for information on a typical curry recipe.


See post "Sausage Gumbo," November 4, 2010. This is not a typical chili recipe but chili powder is the core spice.




Chili Legends  and Myths
(The following was included in an article by Linda Stradley in 2004.) 


There are many legends and stories about where chili originated and it is generally thought by most historians that the earliest versions of chili were made by the very poorest people. J. C. Clopper, the first American known to have remarked about San Antonio's chili con carne, wrote in 1926:


"When they have to pay for their meat in the market, a very little is made to suffice for a family; this is generally made into a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat - this is all stewed together."

According to an old Southwestern American Indian legend and tale (several modern writers have documented - or maybe just "passed along"), it is said that the first recipe for chili con carne was put on paper in the 17th century by a beautiful nun, Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain. She was mysteriously known to the Indians of the Southwest United States as "La Dama de Azul," the lady in blue. Sister Mary would go into trances with her body lifeless for days. When she awoke from these trances, she said her spirit had been to a faraway land where she preached Christianity to savages and counseled them to seek out Spanish missionaries.


It is certain that Sister Mary never physically left Spain, yet Spanish missionaries and King Philip IV of Spain believed that she was the ghostly "La Dama de Azul" or "lady in blue" of Indian Legend. It is said that sister Mary wrote down the recipe for chili which called for venison or antelope meat, onions, tomatoes, and chile peppers. No accounts of this were ever recorded, so who knows? 

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  How Coffee Could Save Your Life

FOOD & DRINK

How Coffee Could Save Your Life

Yet another reason to indulge your caffeine addiction

By Claire GrodenJuly 26, 201316 Comments

Daniel Leclair / Reuters

To hear most recent research tell it, coffee is a miracle drink. The magic beans will ward off skin cancer and Alzheimer’s, reduce heart failure and diabetes risks, heighten focus, and maybe even protect liver health. Oh, and decrease suicide risk, according to the newest study that validates our coffee addictions.

According to a study performed by the Harvard School of Public Health and published this month in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, people who drink two to four cups of java each day are less likely to commit suicide than those who don’t drink coffee, drink decaf, or drink fewer than two cups each day. The study followed over 200,000 people for at least 16 years. And it’s not just a weak link: the researchers found that the suicide risk was cut by around 50 percent for caffeine fiends.

(MORE: Caffeine Withdrawal Is Now A Mental Disorder)

This isn’t the first time that researchers have discovered that coffee and smiles might go hand-in-hand. A 2011 study found that women who drink coffee cut their risk of depression by 15 percent compared to those who don’t. Michel Lucas, the head researcher of the most recent study, told The Huffington Post that coffee addicts can thank caffeine for the good news. The drug may actually act like a mild anti-depressant by tweaking levels of happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

Of course, there’s plenty of research out there that doesn’t look so kindly upon coffee drinkers. Recently, the New Yorker published an article arguing that while coffee may heighten focus, that means it also puts a squeeze on creativity. And of course, coffee’s well-known negative effects like insomnia and disturbed sleep cycles still hold.

Regardless, we’ll raise our mugs to this most recent study for giving us one more validation for our vice.

MORE: Coffee: Drink More, Live Longer?

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/26/how-coffee-could-save-your-life/#ixzz2aK3i26mX