What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how place intersects with food. “Terroir” is the term that describes the entire natural environment in which a particular food or food product is produced, including climate, soil, and topography. While terroir is most closely associated with wine, the term applies to cheese, coffee, tea, and whisky. Terroir is why the same seeds planted in different places yield ingredients that taste different. Fallon cantaloupes are a perfect example. Our soil, water, irrigation techniques, diurnal swings, and unique high-desert climate all contribute to our melons' superiority.

This week, I listened to a story on NPR that detailed another example of terroir in produce. While most folks have heard of the Hatch chile, another pepper cultivated in New Mexico is even more special. A tiny village called Chimayo is nestled in the Sangre de Christo mountains between Taos and Santa Fe. Chimayo is most known as the home of El Santuario de Chimayo, a Catholic pilgrimage sight with “holy dirt” that believers swear cures a variety of maladies. Perhaps the soil in Chimayo is, in fact, holy because the peppers grown in that soil are truly something special. The Chimayo chile is an heirloom that has never been hybridized or grown commercially at scale. Despite huge market demand, the Chimayo pepper is mostly grown in backyard gardens, and its price reflects its scarcity. Chimayo, New Mexico, residents have shared seeds from their pepper worldwide. However, none of the fruits taste the same as the ones that are grown in Chimayo’s sacred dirt.

Full disclosure: I have yet to taste the Chimayo chili powder, but some will arrive next week. Since we must postpone further dialogue about America’s rarest and, allegedly, most delicious chili pepper, let’s talk about a different spice that benefits from the terroir of its origin: Black Urfa Chili.

As you may have guessed, Black Urfa Chili is our October Spice of the Month at Churchill County Library. Black Urfa Chili is a mild and deeply savory pepper cultivated in Urfa, Turkey, for centuries. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain about 50 miles east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features sweltering, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The peppers ripen to a bright red and are laid under sheets in the hot summer sun. This technique cures the pepper in its own juices, giving it a deep umami flavor and beautiful dark color. As a result of the specific terroir, harvesting, and curing techniques, Urfa chili tastes malty with notes of cocoa, espresso, and raisins. While it is definitely on the milder side of the chili heat spectrum, Urfa has a slow burn that adds great depth to dishes ranging from stews to chocolatey brownies.

Stop by the Churchill County Library in October for more information and a sample of Urfa Chili Powder to try in your home kitchen.

Chai Chili Brownies

Recipe adapted from Burlap & Barrel

Ingredients:

• 5 T Unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 6 oz Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• ⅔ c Sugar
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ t Cardamom
• ¼ t Ginger
• ¼ t Cinnamon
• ¼ t Black pepper
• 1 t Black Urfa Chili
• ¼ t Sea Salt, plus more for sprinkling
• ⅓ c AP flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, then butter the foil.
2. Gently melt butter and chocolate in a pan or microwave; stir in sugar, salt, and spices.
3. Add eggs and mix well.
4. Fold in flour, do not overmix.
5. Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the pan, and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until done to your liking. We like ‘em squidgy.