As I mentioned yesterday, it's a wee bit chilly (there's number 1!) outside. Not so warm inside, either, for that matter. Except by the woodstove. Which is cranked up and ripping all day long. And since the woodstove is hot all day, and is, in fact, a stove, doesn't it make sense that I could cook on it? Turns out, I can.
I wish I could say this came to me in a flash of blinding brilliance, but it actually came to me rather slowly and stupidly as I sat in my chair by the woodstove last weekend watching a pan of water simmer to de-crystalize maple syrup. It was the MiL, not me, who thought to put the pan on the woodstove. And as I sat there, it very slowly dawned on me that if water will simmer on the stove, why not food?
Yeah, I'm not so swift sometimes. So I waited for a really cold day when I would have the woodstove roaring all day anyway and could therefore simmer something. Like chili (there's number 2!).
That day was yesterday. The chili was actually Cincinnati-style chili, which is really weird for a person only accustomed to Southwestern-style chili, because Cincinnati chili calls for blanching ground beef (oh yes) and adding all kinds of spices like cocoa and cinnamon and chile powder (aaaand, number 3! okay, I'm done with that lameness now--forgive me) . And then serving over spaghetti. With cheddar cheese, onions, and kidney beans on top. WEIRD. But I wanted to try it. So I made the recipe in "Cook's Illustrated's Best Recipes: Soups and Stews."
I did the initial steps, with the blanching and the sauteing of onions and all, on the conventional stove so I could adjust the heat quickly. But for the hour and a half simmer, I plopped the pot right onto the woodstove. And there it simmered.
Holy shit. I've become Laura Ingalls Wilder.
And it did indeed work. When the woodstove is really cranking, the temperature on the surface is about equivalent to medium-high on our electric stove. That's hotter than I expected. I actually had to close the dampers a little bit so I didn't scorch the chili. Which ended up being delicious, by the way.
Maybe NEXT, I'll harness the power of the woodstove to heat the old-fashioned sad irons we have and iron A.'s shirts! With boiled starch I make myself with the potatoes!
Yeah, maybe not. Let's not go overboard with the pioneer spirit here.
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13 comments:
This made me smile! Growing up we would use the wood stove to cook whenever the power was out for a few days. Worked beautifully! You can boil water, bake potatoes in foil, even cook bread in a dutch oven.
Sorry, the Chili, left me chilly!
Blanched hamburger? Odd! and then
served on spaghetti?
Please, please, please tell me you'll reconsider your stand on boiled starch. It's blog fodder, honey.
I used to boil starch for my jeans. (No shit. I grew up in Mayberry remember.)
By the way, your photo caption is the funniest line you've ever written. I hate this acronym, but I did indeed LOL.
Three things I've learned--the recipes in the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipes books do taste good. Another: Kristin always makes yummy things. And the third--sometimes the least likely sounding techniques (think the milk in Bolognese sauce) make the most delicious foods. Give it a try (and the blanching water is great for moistening the dog food or it could become part of a soup).
You should keep a big kettle of water simmering on that stove all the time in winter, to humidify the house. And, Amish (who can be oh so smart) have a metal rack resting on the wood stove top, and keep their socks, hats and mittens there, as well as drying wet boots, etc. Maybe you won't be so chilly!
That is just so awesome. You rule.
I would have used the wood stove as well, why not, it's alreay being used.
Stay warm!
I just made chili but I had to use my crockpot, no wood stove here. I serve mine over rice and it was nice and spicy.
Whoa nelly, you're a crazy one.
All using your wood STOVE for its intended purpose and all. CRAZINESS.
What does hamburger look like when it has been blanched? Ew.
M.M.: Why would I make starch? I don't iron much, and I certainly don't use starch when I do. Plus, apparently potato starch can only be used on dark clothes, because it's a little bit brown. (Yes, I looked up how to do it. Because I'm a weirdo like that.)
Midwife: Our house is really damp. Even with the woodstove, it never gets dry. Must be the stone. And we DO put gloves and hats on the andirons and pokers and things around the stove to dry. And we're not even Amish!
Finn: It looks gross. As you probably guessed. But I swear, the end result is fantastic.
I went to college in Cincinnati so I LOVE Cincinnati style chili. I love to make Cincinnati Chili lasagne. YUM YUM.
The chili sounds interesting. Although I'm fairly sure Laura Ingalls Wilder never exclaimed "Holy Shit!". It's quite possible she should have.
This is pretty impressive. I had a similar epiphany once sitting in front of my parents woodstove when the power was out. Yay for hot tea when the power is out!
Oh, and that chili sounds very weird.
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