South Philly Review

Sunday, as the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts battle it out in Miami, I might do dinner and a movie. Some of you will watch the game and many of you will woof down hoagies, wings, chips and pizza courtesy of your local stores.

If you and a gaggle of friends will be together for the game, why not rustle up a few dishes, open some wine and beer and enjoy tasty, fresh food.

New Orleans is famous for two distinct styles of cuisine: Creole, which is based on African and Caribbean influences, and Cajun, whose roots come from French settlers who immigrated to New Orleans from Nova Scotia in the 1800s.

I don’t think Indiana is famous for any kind of food. I thought about contacting David Letterman, but quickly nixed that idea. I know his mother, Dorothy, loves to bake pies at Thanksgiving time.

Chili has become a Super Bowl favorite because people associate the game with cold weather. I found an interesting recipe in “Celebrate!” by Sheila Lukins, who died in August. She was the author of “The Silver Palate Cookbook” and a number of others and was the Parade Magazine food editor. The recipe was a contest-winner.

Since I’ve given you recipes for gumbo and jambalaya in the past, I found one for Dirty Rice — a staple of New Orleans cuisine — in Barbara Kafka’s “Food for Friends.”

I watched chef Emeril Lagasse prepare it during the “Iron Chef” episode that featured recipes based on fruits and vegetables from the White House garden. He used it to stuff a boned-out turkey breast.

Since the chili contains no beans, I offer you Kafka’s Red Bean Salad with Red Cabbage.

■ El Cid Chili ■

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pounds of boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces of lean ground beef
12 ounces of chorizo, casings removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup of chili powder
1 tablespoon of garlic salt
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, with their juice
1 32-ounce package of beef broth
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 green jalapeno peppers, each slit lengthwise in three places
1 tablespoon of yellow cornmeal
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Cheddar, sour cream and 4 scallions, thinly and diagonally sliced

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add the sirloin, in batches, and brown on all sides, about six minutes per batch. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl.

Add the ground beef, chorizo and onion to the pot. Cook, breaking up the beef with the back of a wooden spoon until browned, about eight minutes. Return the sirloin to the pot.

Stir in all of the remaining ingredients, except for the garnishes. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for two hours. Stir the chili occasionally, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. The consistency should be chunky.

Before serving, remove the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and jalapenos. Place the garnishes in small bowls.

Serves eight.

■ Dirty Rice ■

Ingredients:
1 pound of coarsely chopped chicken giblets, excluding livers
5-1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of long-grain rice
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 cup of finely chopped onions
1 pound of chicken livers, coarsely chopped
1 cup of scallions, chopped
1/2 cup each of celery, parsley and green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper