National Men Make Dinner Day: Rattle those pots and pans

If you think there are few special events that fall between Halloween and the Thanksgiving-Chanukah-Christmas-New Year’s marathon, make room on the calendar and in the kitchen for “Men Make Dinner Day.”

Making mincemeat of the stereotype that men have few culinary skills beyond the barbecue grill, the day is a time for male cooks to shine.

In reality, men are often adept partners or even stars in the kitchen, and of course, many of the world’s best chefs are men.   

The day was started in 1998 by a woman named Sandy Sharkey who worked at a radio station in Ottawa, Canada, and evidently felt her spouse should contribute more at mealtime, at least one day a year.

The first Thursday in November is designated for this annual event. On the menmakedinnerday.com website, these are listed among the top reasons that men should enjoy this day in the kitchen:

• While cooking, you can still wear your tool belt.

• Simply replace the hammer with a whisk.

• Several recipes include beer as a legitimate ingredient.

• Some desserts, such as creme brulee, require the use of a propane torch.

Enough said.

Hearty chili for a crowd: When men make dinner

By Martin J. Dempsey | Contributor

Ingredients

•  ½ cup best quality olive oil

•    1 ½ pounds yellow onions,
      coarsely chopped

•    2 pounds hot Italian sausage meat,
      removed from casings

•    3 packages (1 ½ pounds each)
      meat loaf mixture — pork, veal, beef

•    2 chorizo links, sliced thin

•    1 ½ Tbsp. fresh ground black pepper

•    2 cans, 12 oz. each, tomato paste

•    2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

•    1 ½ oz. ground cuminseed

•    2 ½ oz. plain chili powder

•    ½ cup prepared Dijon-style mustard

•    4 Tbsp. salt

•    4 Tbsp. dried basil

•    4 Tbsp. dried oregano

•    4 ½ pounds canned Italian plum tomatoes,           
      drained (about 2 cans, each 2 pounds,
      3 ounces before draining)

•    ½ cup Burgundy wine

•    ¼ cup lemon juice

•    ½ cup chopped fresh dill

•    ½ cup chopped Italian parsley

•    5 shishito peppers, diced

•    2 cans, 16 ounces each, dark red kidney
      beans, drained

•    1 can, 5 ½ ounces, pitted black
      olives, drained

•    Oil from a 2-ounce can of anchovies
      in olive oil

•    Grated cheddar cheese, sour cream,
      chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a very large soup kettle. Add onions and the oil from the anchovies and cook over low heat, covered, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. Crumble the sausage meat and ground meat into the kettle, add chorizo and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until meats are well-browned.

3. Over low heat stir in black pepper, tomato paste, garlic, cuminseed, chili powder, mustard, salt, basil and oregano.

4. Add drained tomatoes, Burgundy, lemon juice, dill, parsley, drained kidney beans and shishito peppers. (To increase heat, add hot chili oil or habanero peppers instead of shishitos.) Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.

5. Taste and correct seasoning.  Add olives, simmer for another 5 minutes to heat through, and serve immediately. Put garnishes out for guests to add individually. Even better if warmed and served the next day.