Chili Challenge benefits Kidney Foundation and Alzheimer’s Association
Chili some people love it, some people hate it and it can really be a matter of finding the right recipe. There are so many variations, it may as well be its own food group.
Award-winning chef Edwin Nazario, of the Edison Club in Rexford, knows that chili can be made a million different ways, and he pushes the envelope each time he creates a new recipe, using different kinds of meat and spices and other ingredients to make every spoonful unique.
He competes every November in the Chili Challenge, a cook-off held to benefit the National Kidney Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association. Last year, his kangaroo chili recipe won the People’s Choice Award for Zestiest Local Chili. Wait until you taste what Nazario has up his sleeve this year. Three hints: it has a shell, it swims and it snaps.
`It’s a little dark ` it’s not red. We kind of left it a brownish color. I’m also serving it on top of it a seaweed salad,` said Nazario.
Still wondering what’s in that chili? Snapping turtle.
To actually taste it, along with about 14 other recipes, head to the Chili Challenge, which will be held at the Troy Atrium on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. The fee of $15 goes toward a good cause and a full belly.
Besides topping his chili with seaweed instead of the traditional cheese or sour cream, Nazario will be making a homemade sea salt cracker. To make the experience complete, those willing to test Nazario’s concoction will be greeted by a turtle mascot standing by his under-the-sea themed booth (another category in the competition is `best booth` ` which Nazario also won last year, partially in thanks to a kangaroo mascot).
`When I do chili, I look for a meat that has to be stewed, something that has to cook down for a while, and usually turtle has to be cooked down,` said Nazario.
He said bear meat is another one that takes a little more time to prepare.
He said he usually makes an ostrich chili, but wanted to try something different this year.
`I brought it to Glens Falls High School, and a couple ladies tried it and one said it tasted like rabbit only a little gamier. About half the ladies said it tasted like chicken,` said Nazario.
He said that in his opinion, the turtle meat in the chili is similar to chicken, only it’s a little darker in color and the texture is slightly chewier.
Besides the cook-off, chili is not a large part of Nazario’s cooking.
`We do it because we do the competition to help out with the causes, but we never do it here,` said Nazario when talking about whether or not his restaurant serves up different kinds of chili dishes.
He said that more than preparing the chili itself, he likes watching the reactions of people after they taste it. He also enjoys taking part in cooking competitions.
He usually works with at least one assistant but said that when it comes to creating recipes, `we all put our heads together and figure out things.` When it comes to creating recipes with exotic meats, like kangaroo, turtle or ostrich, he’ll make a phone call to one of the people he buys his meat from and ask if they have anything exotic on hand.
He is also preparing a vegetarian pumpkin and black bean chili with tofu.
Due to the process of preparing this chili for competition, Nazario said it will be a long while before he can eat any kind of chili again.
`I’m already sick of it. We’ve been tasting it and practicing with it. I eat chili all the time, but you get tired of tasting the same stuff over and over [but that’s what you have to do to] make it right,` said Nazario.
Communications Manager for the National Kidney Foundation Arcangela Mele said the cook-off is a good family event.
`We’re going to be airing the football game during the event. It’s a beer and chili event, but it’s definitely for the whole family,` said Mele. `We had a lot of kids last year. We get a very mixed crowd. There’s something different for everyone, and it’s a relatively inexpensive way to support a charity.`
“