Chili Madness: A Passionate Cookbook

by Jane Butel

Book Overview

Beloved chili. Passionate chili. Hot chili . . . and not just because of the chiles. Chili, the star of cook-offs, the obsession of societies, and the subject of endless debate over its proper preparation. Has there ever been a better time to be a chili head? A well-stocked supermarket today carries a variety of fresh and dried chiles, fresh cilantro, myriad dried and canned beans, chipotle powder, and all the makings for sides and salsas, from tortillas in the refrigerator case to organic avocados. Jane Butel's Chili Madness has been praised as "an elegant celebration" ( Travel + Leisure ) that "chile lovers will love" ( New York Post ), it's the spicy bestseller with over 330,000 copies in print. Extensively revised, updated, and expanded, the book will fire up a whole new generation of chili fanatics. Of the 160-plus recipes, more than 130 are brand-new. Here are classics, including Reno Red and Navajo Green and Buzzard's Breath Chili, as well as newfangled bowls like Moroccan Chili and White Lobster Chili. To accompany the main event are savory breads (Bacon Crumble Cornbread); tempting sidekicks (Hot 'n' Spicy Okra, Red Hot Sweet Potato Lace); fire-taming salads (Crispy Cilantro Coleslaw); and margaritas, of course. (Six kinds ) Luscious desserts such as Double Chocolate Farmer's Cakes provide the perfect sweet ending, while chili leftovers are reinvented in crowd-pleasers like Texas-Style Burritos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761147616
• ISBN13: 9780761147619
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Workman Publishing
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.9" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Chili madness - don't want sanity

I'm going crazy over the variety of chili recipes and accoutrement oils and poppers etc. The addition of tips, history, food facts, and recipe heat rankings make this a hot item.

A Chili Classic

CHILI MADNESS, A PASSIONATE COOKBOOK BY JANE BUTEL, is as hot as a bowl of her chili. CHILI MADNESS contains more than 35 of the recipes for chili that she has collected. Each recipe has a little story about the source of the recipe. The book is red-hot reading. Even more interesting than the recipes is "The Irresistible Passion" at the beginning of the book. This section contains: · Origins of the Bowl of Blessedness, a fascinating historical account of the birth of chili · Chili Makings, a primer with pictures of types of chiles, an explanation of preparation of chiles, and a discussion of other common chili ingredients · Basic Training - Methods to Chili Madness, a basic chili cooking lesson · Chili Cookoffs, essential information about the social skills of chili cooking contests CHILI MADNESS is a classic that every American cook needs.

One of my most-used cook books

This book came out in 1980 at the start of the Chili Craze. Contests were being held all over the US for best chili. Every weekend you could find a Chili Cook-off or Chili Tasting anywhere from hot-pepper-hating New England to 12-alarm-fire-chili-loving Texas. Even the Simpsons ended up doing a chili cook-off spoof (The Guatemalan Insanity Pepper episode is really great animation and very funny, too.) I have made many of the chilis in the book, going so far as to buy the required chili pequenos, chili colorado and other special chilis in the recipes. Yes, they make a difference. And the book even has Cincinnati 5-Way Chili, which purists will scorn as "not REALLY chili" but which is addictive and great for guests who hate hot spices. (5-way chili is a slighty sweet, cinnamon spiced chili probably influenced by Middle-East immigrants in Cincinnati. It is served 2-way, 3-way or 5-way with onions, beans, cheese, and spaghetti. It's fun for kids, who can make up their own garnished dish.) The Texas Style hot chilis are really gorgeous. This is one of my all-time favorite books and I don't think in 20 years, anyone has really written a better book on chili than Jane Butel.

The Best!

I've taken pride in my chili for 50 years. These are some of the BEST recipes I've ever tried. Kudos to Jane Butel Ginger Hamilton Westminster, Colorado

Incredible Meaty Recipes

A key focus is that genuine clili gets it's main flavor from authentic "chiles." All the recipes appear to be excellent, however if you are a low-fat person, this is probaly not the book for you.