Chili. (From the title of Frank X. Tolbert's 1972 book).
Frank had a string of chili parlors here in Dallas before he passed away (and after a long career as a newspaperman), but since then, a good bowl is about impossible to find.
When Larry Levine started Chili's on Greenville Ave in 1975, there was always chili for the asking. Since a giant company took it over -- and Chili's completely lost its way (the food is atrocious, have tried it four times in three states this past year) -- I wonder if this meal is simply not liked very much, outside of say of a few locales.
Cool weather is coming. What was the best bowl you ever had? I've been revising a chili recipe this evening, and have been reviewing the when, the where, the how-hot and the kind of hot . . did it have depth of flavor, etc, according to memory.
The recipe I work from has several kinds of chile peppers (mild to hot), and the ingredients are otherwise as fresh as possible (or homemade). It's truly good (if one likes the original Texas style, updated somewhat).
Here's one from about the turn of the century in San Antonio:
According to legend, this is one of the Chili Queen's original recipes. Some changes have been made in order to take advantage of modern ingredients. Note the heavy use of cumin and oregano.
Flour for dredging
2 pounds beef shoulder, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1 pound pork shoulder, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1/4 cup suet
1/4 cup pork fat
3 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart water
4 ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed, rehydrated and chopped fine
1 serrano chile, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine
6 dried red New Mexican chiles, seeds and stems removed, reydrated and chopped fine
1 tablespoon freshly ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Lightly flour the beef and pork cubes. In a large pot, quickly fry the meat in the suet and pork fat, stirring often. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they are tender and limp. Remove all pieces of fat. Add the water to the mixture and simmer for 1 hour.
Grind the chiles in a molcajete or blender. Add to the meat mixture. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for an additional 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises, and serve.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Heat Scale: Medium
Your thoughts?
Frank had a string of chili parlors here in Dallas before he passed away (and after a long career as a newspaperman), but since then, a good bowl is about impossible to find.
When Larry Levine started Chili's on Greenville Ave in 1975, there was always chili for the asking. Since a giant company took it over -- and Chili's completely lost its way (the food is atrocious, have tried it four times in three states this past year) -- I wonder if this meal is simply not liked very much, outside of say of a few locales.
Cool weather is coming. What was the best bowl you ever had? I've been revising a chili recipe this evening, and have been reviewing the when, the where, the how-hot and the kind of hot . . did it have depth of flavor, etc, according to memory.
The recipe I work from has several kinds of chile peppers (mild to hot), and the ingredients are otherwise as fresh as possible (or homemade). It's truly good (if one likes the original Texas style, updated somewhat).
Here's one from about the turn of the century in San Antonio:
According to legend, this is one of the Chili Queen's original recipes. Some changes have been made in order to take advantage of modern ingredients. Note the heavy use of cumin and oregano.
Flour for dredging
2 pounds beef shoulder, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1 pound pork shoulder, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1/4 cup suet
1/4 cup pork fat
3 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart water
4 ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed, rehydrated and chopped fine
1 serrano chile, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine
6 dried red New Mexican chiles, seeds and stems removed, reydrated and chopped fine
1 tablespoon freshly ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Lightly flour the beef and pork cubes. In a large pot, quickly fry the meat in the suet and pork fat, stirring often. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they are tender and limp. Remove all pieces of fat. Add the water to the mixture and simmer for 1 hour.
Grind the chiles in a molcajete or blender. Add to the meat mixture. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for an additional 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises, and serve.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Heat Scale: Medium
Your thoughts?
