Something Sweet: February 2004 Archives

It must've been all the discussion yesterday about growing up on a lot of prepackaged foods that made me reach for the pouch of Lipton's Smoked Chipotle Rice, orzo and rice with a mild chipotle flavor, for dinner last night. I had been to the launch of Lipton's new Southwest flavors a couple of weeks ago, and this was a new product sample. I think it was not too bad with all the additions I made to it.

I followed the instructions on the package, bringing to a boil 1 3/4 cups water and the rice mix. I added some things, though: frozen peas, chicken shredded from a roast I did last weekend, pimientos. Once the water's boiling you cover the pot, turn down the heat and simmer for 7 minutes. At this point I tasted and added some ground chipotle, for heat (adding another layer of redundancy to "smoked chipotle"), and ancho chile powder. Let it set to thicken the sauce. It was so fast, leaving me plenty of time to lie on the sofa watching TV. Is that what speed and convenience give me? More TV-watching time?

I have a coworker, Greg, who is from Kentucky and always regales us with tales of the exotic fare one can sample there. His childhood home is relatively near Owensboro, which is known for its barbecue, particularly its mutton. For my birthday this year Greg called up Moonlite Bar-B-Que and ordered a gallon of burgoo, a soup he had mentioned that I had never heard anything of.

It arrived frozen solid, in a gallon-size plastic jug, and took two days to thaw. It's primarily mutton, but also contains potatoes, tomato paste, cabbage, corn, ketchup, spices, worcestershire sauce, chicken, beef, onions and vinegar. There's a little bit of heat, a little bite from the vinegar, but what you mainly taste is the mutton, a rich, meaty, almost but not quite gamey taste (it was originally made with squirrel, so the literature included in the package goes). The soup's been cooked so long the mutton's in tiny shreds that hold together the thick juice, but the corn must've been added later because it's fresh and plump. We ate it with cornbread, although Greg says they usually have it as a side to Moonlite's barbecue. (I'm amused by the idea of this meaty soup, almost entirely meat, as a side to more meat.)