Cool temperatures turn our taste buds to chili.
My mom, who passed away a year ago this month, had two signature seasonal dishes. She would make potato salad in the summer and chili in the winter. Our family always got a lot of mileage out of a big pot of chili - hopefully there were leftovers that would provide for bowls warmed up in the microwave for days.
Chili is better after it's been left to sit in the refrigerator for a day or two. This is an opinion, but there's something about either allowing the flavors to mingle over time, or the cooking-cooling-reheating process, that improves chili's depth.
You would think that chili is some ancient dish that was carried through the centuries by our ancestors. It's a relatively new American dish that came out of the American southwest in the 1800s. At a website devoted to National Chili Day, which next arrives on Feb. 22, 2018, chili was popularized at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair thanks to the San Antonio Chili stand. The first mention of chili in literature dates back to 1828, and that, too, relates chili to San Antonio.
Seemingly every American family has their own spin on chili. Beans or no beans? Does the addition of pasta make it goulash? Tart or sweet? And, paramount to some people, how "hot" should it be?
My family tradition is a mild chili with kidney beans and no pasta. Its base was mainly ground beef or venison (the first chili had venison as its base meat, not beef), onions, celery, tomato sauce and chili powder. For many years I didn't care for kidney beans and preferred pasta. My palate has since changed and if there are beans involved, I prefer black beans.
Over my adult life I've been fortunate to taste many varieties of chili because I've served as a judge at chili contests several times. I have never "judged" chili to be parallel to my tastes, but instead I look at what is the best-prepared, well-rounded chili.
While chili remains a popular dish at restaurants, it was probably at its heights in the 1920s and 1930s. I recall being taught in elementary school about the Great Depression and stories of hobos who scratched up enough money to purchase chili in a restaurant. They would get out of the cold and make the chili last by adding liberal amounts of catsup and saltine crackers.
One thing we've gotten away from when it comes to chili is that it should be inexpensive to make. Starting with tomato juice and meat, chili should become a thick and savory. Hopefully the whole meal can be made for less than $10.
How is the chili served in local restaurants? It's good. I've been traveling for lunch the last month eating mainly just a bowl of chili and crackers. I've eaten my lunches around the square in Monroe and branched out to other restaurants. There's no shortage of choices. As I've written lately, I have yet to dig into a bad bowl of chili.
For me, a bowl is usually too much. I'm definitely more in the cup of chili range for quantity when it comes to lunch. I prefer oyster crackers to saltines, but I believe that's a texture issue with the crackers. I like the crunch that's still delivered by an oyster cracker after it has been soaked for a brief time in chili.
While every corner of America has chili, as follows with tradition, Texans are particular about what they consider "chili."
Former president Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texan, is quoted as saying, "Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing."
Chili to purists doesn't have beans and the meat is course-ground in nature.
Even Texans will argue if coriander or sour cream should be added to chili - coriander during the cooking process and sour cream as a garnish.
People have put their own touch on chili, substituting red meat for chicken and adding hints of chocolate.
What does a "real" Texas chili recipe look like? Here's Lady Bird Johnson's recipe for "Pedernales River Chili," which was published by Texas Monthly in 2015.
Pedernales River Chili
4 pounds chili meat (coarsely-ground round steak or well-trimmed chuck steak)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon comino seed
6 teaspoons chili powder (or more, if needed)
1½ cups canned whole tomatoes
2-6 generous dashes of liquid hot sauce
2 cups hot water
Salt to taste
Directions:
Place meat, onion and garlic in a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven, cook until light in color. Add oregano, comino seed, chili powder, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt and hot water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Skim off fat during cooking.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
My mom, who passed away a year ago this month, had two signature seasonal dishes. She would make potato salad in the summer and chili in the winter. Our family always got a lot of mileage out of a big pot of chili - hopefully there were leftovers that would provide for bowls warmed up in the microwave for days.
Chili is better after it's been left to sit in the refrigerator for a day or two. This is an opinion, but there's something about either allowing the flavors to mingle over time, or the cooking-cooling-reheating process, that improves chili's depth.
You would think that chili is some ancient dish that was carried through the centuries by our ancestors. It's a relatively new American dish that came out of the American southwest in the 1800s. At a website devoted to National Chili Day, which next arrives on Feb. 22, 2018, chili was popularized at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair thanks to the San Antonio Chili stand. The first mention of chili in literature dates back to 1828, and that, too, relates chili to San Antonio.
Seemingly every American family has their own spin on chili. Beans or no beans? Does the addition of pasta make it goulash? Tart or sweet? And, paramount to some people, how "hot" should it be?
My family tradition is a mild chili with kidney beans and no pasta. Its base was mainly ground beef or venison (the first chili had venison as its base meat, not beef), onions, celery, tomato sauce and chili powder. For many years I didn't care for kidney beans and preferred pasta. My palate has since changed and if there are beans involved, I prefer black beans.
Over my adult life I've been fortunate to taste many varieties of chili because I've served as a judge at chili contests several times. I have never "judged" chili to be parallel to my tastes, but instead I look at what is the best-prepared, well-rounded chili.
While chili remains a popular dish at restaurants, it was probably at its heights in the 1920s and 1930s. I recall being taught in elementary school about the Great Depression and stories of hobos who scratched up enough money to purchase chili in a restaurant. They would get out of the cold and make the chili last by adding liberal amounts of catsup and saltine crackers.
One thing we've gotten away from when it comes to chili is that it should be inexpensive to make. Starting with tomato juice and meat, chili should become a thick and savory. Hopefully the whole meal can be made for less than $10.
How is the chili served in local restaurants? It's good. I've been traveling for lunch the last month eating mainly just a bowl of chili and crackers. I've eaten my lunches around the square in Monroe and branched out to other restaurants. There's no shortage of choices. As I've written lately, I have yet to dig into a bad bowl of chili.
For me, a bowl is usually too much. I'm definitely more in the cup of chili range for quantity when it comes to lunch. I prefer oyster crackers to saltines, but I believe that's a texture issue with the crackers. I like the crunch that's still delivered by an oyster cracker after it has been soaked for a brief time in chili.
While every corner of America has chili, as follows with tradition, Texans are particular about what they consider "chili."
Former president Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texan, is quoted as saying, "Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing."
Chili to purists doesn't have beans and the meat is course-ground in nature.
Even Texans will argue if coriander or sour cream should be added to chili - coriander during the cooking process and sour cream as a garnish.
People have put their own touch on chili, substituting red meat for chicken and adding hints of chocolate.
What does a "real" Texas chili recipe look like? Here's Lady Bird Johnson's recipe for "Pedernales River Chili," which was published by Texas Monthly in 2015.
Pedernales River Chili
4 pounds chili meat (coarsely-ground round steak or well-trimmed chuck steak)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon comino seed
6 teaspoons chili powder (or more, if needed)
1½ cups canned whole tomatoes
2-6 generous dashes of liquid hot sauce
2 cups hot water
Salt to taste
Directions:
Place meat, onion and garlic in a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven, cook until light in color. Add oregano, comino seed, chili powder, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt and hot water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Skim off fat during cooking.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
