alt="images"/> Carrot soup with warm French bread and butter.—Robert, England
A Super Bowl of Soup
Having known and loved athletes most of my life, I am forever fascinated at what—and how much!—these men ingest to fuel the machines they call “bodies.” Prove me wrong, but I have yet to meet a total vegetarian who holds a national title in this country; these guys like their protein and lots of it.
If his Hamburger Soup was one of his secrets to bolstering his sword arm and leading his team to two Super Bowl World Championships, I hope John Elway left the recipe with the Broncos. What was responsible for keeping this guy's unfettered charisma ignited throughout his career anyway? If he ate his way to becoming the NFL's all-time winningest starting quarterback, NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1987, and EDGE NFL Man of the Year, what was on his plate…or in his bowl?
Now that John is “retired,” I'm sure he's still stocking up on favorite fuel foods to bolster his golf game and keep the ideas flowing for MVP.com, his online field of dreams. Here is the recipe, from the man himself, for that favorite soup that John and Janet Elway and their children enjoy quite often. Touchdown!
John Elway's Hamburger Soup
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 to 3 pounds ground beef (chuck, round, or sirloin; your choice)
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 to 3 pounds ground beef (chuck, round, or sirloin; your choice)
1 garlic clove, minced
Three 15-ounce cans beef broth
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
One 10-ounce can Rotel™ diced tomatoes and chile peppers
1 cup potatoes, diced with skins
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, diced
One 15-ounce can French-style beans
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, sauté the onions and garlic in butter. Simultaneously, fry the ground meat in a large skillet until browned; drain the grease.
Add the cooked meat to the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add all other ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender (approximately 30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Serve with warm bread.
Forget Filet Mignon and Lobster…. Bring the Chili!
If there were a Top 10 list for the foods that men love, the word chili would be emblazoned nearly at the top, right under steak, lamb chops, and lemon meringue pie. Letters flood my mailbox from men who love chili.
Craig Claiborne, culinary king, cookbook author, food editor, critic for the New York Times, and a man who could have any dish he dreamed of served to him in a heartbeat, loved chili con carne and Häagen-Dazs™ ice cream. Jack Smith of the L.A. Times and his buddy, San Francisco Chronicle's columnist Herb Caen used to try to impress each other with local haute cuisine from their respective cities and then write dueling columns about their food experiences. Herb's favorite? Dennison's™ chile con carne warmed on the stove in the can and served with a cold Mexican beer.
Chili of Champions is a winning combo of my own recipe in the book Goddess in the Kitchen; Expressed Chili is a fired-up rendition from my cousin-in-law, Bruce Miller. His has hip ingredients, like espresso coffee, but when it called for flat beer, I overruled. I say crack open your favorite beer, enjoy a sip, and pour the rest in!
Chili's a lot like sex: When it's good, it's great,and even when it's bad, it's not so bad.
—Bill Boldenweck
C hili of Champions
2 pounds premium ground beef
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pound sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
⅓ cup brown sugar
4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
⅓ cup strong coffee (espresso is best)
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
One 4-ounce can diced green chiles
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
Two 28-ounce cans tomatoes, chopped with juice
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 can or bottle of beer
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1 pound cannellini (white kidney beans), soaked overnight and drained, or two 15-ounce cans of your favorite beans
One 15¼-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)
Tabasco, salt, and more spices as you wish
Chopped onions, grated cheese, and sour cream garnishes (optional)
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain the grease.
Add the olive oil, cinnamon, cubed steak, brown sugar, garlic, coffee, and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. Reduce heat to medium and add the celery, all three types of peppers, mushrooms, chiles, and spices, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until everything starts to smell really good.
Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beer; cook for a few minutes. Stir in the baking soda (the chili will bubble and boll for a few seconds). When it's done acting up, add beans and simmer uncovered for 1½ to 2 hours or until beans are thoroughly cooked. (Note: If you are using cooked, canned beans, add them after the chili has cooked for about 1½ hours.) Add the corn if desired.
Tune up the chili with Tabasco, salt, and more spices to suit your taste. Serve with favorite garnishes like onions, grated cheese, and sour cream, and be sure to have some crackers,