Pressure Cooker Chili and Johnny Cakes

What's a good way to drive away the chill of a dreary drizzly winter day?  A good hot bowl of chili.  Well the other day was just such a day so we just had to have some chili.  We'd been planning on chili at some point to be able to try out some of the chipotles in adobo sauce the good wife had canned this summer.  I smoked and dried some of the jalapenos that came from our garden and she did the rest.  We're quite pleased with how they turned out.


I know some won't consider this chili since it has beans but that doesn't really bother me.  Chili is one of those dishes that has many regional variations and people will argue over them in a manner similar to barbecue.  Heck, I even know some that put spaghetti noodles in their chili.  I'll definitely not get on my soapbox about barbecue other than to say that barbecue is a product not an action.


So, without further ado, let's get into Uncle T's chili.  The instructions are for an electric pressure cooker.


Pressure Cooker Chili


2 lb beef chuck roast
1 1/2 cup dried light red kidney beans
1 cup dried small red beans
4 oz jar chipotles in adobo sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 bottle red wine
2 Tbs oil
seasoned flour
salt


Put oil in pressure cooker and turn on sear function.  Cut the chuck roast into 4 pieces and dredge in seasoned flour.  Brown the pieces of chuck roast on all sides.  Once they are browned turn off the sear feature.  Pour in the red wine and enough additional water to just cover the meat.  Pressure cook for 40 minutes.  After the timer goes off release the pressure.  Mince the chipotles. Add the red beans, kidney beans, diced onion, and the chipotles with the adobo sauce to the pressure cooker.  Add a couple of pinches of salt and stir to combine everything.  Pressure cook for 40 minutes.  Let the pressure naturally reduce for 10 minutes then manually release the remaining pressure.  Pull out the chunks of chuck roast and finely dice then stir back into the pot.  Fill a bowl and enjoy.

A bowl of chili and fresh hot Johnny cakes

I used wine for this recipe since it adds a nice flavor profile to the broth.  A good stout beer would also work if you are more inclined.  You could also use beef broth in place of the water but I didn't think it would need it.


Johnny cakes are an excellent accompaniment to chili.  Johnny cakes also vary greatly by location.  They range from something that looks like Southern cornbread to a fluffy pancake to a crispy fried flat bread.  What I'm talking about is the crispy fried flat bread.  Some in the South will use self rising flour and even eggs and milk but I go back to the more basic version.  Of course, a point that will drive some a bit crazy is that these are best fried in a cast iron skillet in bacon grease.  Yes, in old school Southern homes, bacon grease is kept and used for seasoning and frying. 


Johnny Cakes


3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1tsp salt
water


 Put the corn meal, flour, and salt in a bowl and whisk together.  Add water and mix together until you have a fairly thin batter.  Put enough bacon grease in a cast iron skillet to cover the bottom to a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch on medium heat.  Using a large spoon, spoon the batter into the hot bacon grease making sure the cakes don't touch.  As they cook, holes will appear in the batter.  When the edges start to get brown, check the doneness on the bottom.  If it is brown enough to suit you then flip the cakes and fry on the other side.  These don't take very long to cook.  Put on paper towels to drain while you cook the next batch. 


The water amount and consistency of the batter are up to you.  I vary them depending on how I want the cakes to turn out.  To go with the chili I wanted a thicker more substantial cake so I didn't use as much water.  At times, I want a thinner crispier cake so I'll use more water to make a runny batter.


You should add these to your winter meal rotation.  If you give them a try, let me know what you think.


Uncle T