Annapolis Weekend Includes Chili Tasting

If you thought chili just consists of groundbeef, tomatoes, onion, beans, and spices; think again. Yesterday afternoon at the Tomato Festival held at Homestead Gardens, I tasted chili made with shredded chicken and chili sweet and spicy with kernals of corn. The choice of beans ranged from kidney, and fava to navy and black beans and then there were several chilis with no beans at all. One tasted to me more like spaghetti sauce. Ever heard of Irish chili? Well Galaway Bay had a tasty version of spicy Irish stew which they called Irish chili. The Latin Quarter served their chili with fresh jalapeno peppers, The Westin bragged about all the poblano chilis and multi spices in their recipe, Plenty of chips, onions, sour cream, and shredded cheese at the various booths made tasting a fun experience, despite the crowds.
By the time I got to the salsa tasting tent, I was pretty tasted out. Besides which, salsa tasting means you’ve got to eat lots of chips and it was too hot a day for that. So I moved on to admire the various booths around the perimeter of the festival displaying spices, salad dressing, wine accessories, and cigars. It looked like everyone was having a good time and raising money for a good cause— the flower baskets the beautify downtown Annapolis.
If you want to know who won the various contests, check in with the Bent Fork blog at the whatsupmag.com website. Kelsey Collins, the What’s Up? Food Editor, was one of the judges and she’ll be sharing her comments.