Here’s a little story about Texas chili.
The year was circa 2002 on a hot and humid Houston summer evening. My sister had come over for a visit with a pot of chili with beans in tow. You see, she didn’t want to leave it simmering home alone, so she popped it on my stove and turned the heat to low. Those durn beans still weren’t cooked when it was nearing time for bed, so I cooled the pot off and put it in the refrigerator for the night.
The next morning, I put the chili to simmering again. It was summer so our pace was slower than normal but suddenly I realized it was almost time for tennis camp. Our youngest was spending the morning practicing her tennis stroke and serve with friends at a local club.
We scurried around, gathering equipment, lacing up shoes, applying sun cream and dashed off in the car.
Leaving the chili behind on the stove. Still simmering.
Fast forward an hour or so later to a frantic call from my sister who is the first contact when our home fire alarm goes off at the central station.
“Come home! Your alarm is alarming and the firemen are on the way. I’ll meet you there!”
She lives just half a mile from the house so both she and the firemen beat me home by at least 15 minutes. She unlocked the door to billowing smoke. The first fireman then carried the smoking pot out of the house and into the backyard. (The rest of the house was fine. Thank God.)
As the smoke cleared, he peered into the pot. “What was your sister cooking?” he asked.
“Chili,” she replied, never hinting that it was actually her own pot.
“WITH BEANS?!” he responded at great volume, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.
And, she later informed me in a peal of laughter, that together they both tsk-tsked my absent self. After all, I grew up in Houston. I really should know better. The nerve.
As I say in my About Me, on this very blog:
“Houston, Texas is my hometown by virtue of sheer years of presence and family still living there: Texas is big and bold and independent and proud. It teaches never give up, never give up, never give up. If you grow up in Houston, Texas, you can go anywhere with confidence.”As I watch the community efforts and stoic resilience in Houston and all of the affected areas after Hurricane Harvey, I believe that lesson was taught to, and taken to heart by, everyone in Texas.
Today a group of food bloggers is getting together to share Texas recipes, along with a list of possible places to donate time and/or money to help the recovery after Hurricane Harvey. These particular organizations have high scores (85-100 out of a possible 100) on Charity Navigator, which means most of the donations go to helpful services, instead of overhead or soliciting more funds. Or, by all means, give to the charity of your choice! Just check them out on Charity Navigator first.
- Greater Houston Community Foundation
- Houston Food Bank
- United Way of Greater Houston
- South Texas Blood and Tissue Center
- Food Bank of Corpus Christi
- L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund
- Houston Humane Society
Even more are listed in this NPR article: Looking to Help Those Affected by Harvey.
I've made traditional Texas chili - of course, completely beanless, for the occasion.
Four Alarm Texas Chili
Original Texas chili not only does not have beans, it doesn’t have tomatoes either. Yep, that’s right, no tomatoes either. It’s made with chunks of beef, simmered in blend of hot peppers, until tender. Another essential, at least as far as I am concerned, is cumin. I like to use whole cumin near the beginning, then add some ground cumin nearer the end. I call this four alarm Texas chili because it’s got four kinds of peppers, not because it’ll bring the firemen out. (Just don’t leave it home on the stove alone.) We like things spicy! I don’t even remove the seeds, but you surely can if you want to.
Ingredients
2 dried morita chilies, stems removed
2 small hot dried chilies like Arbol or Cascabel, stems removed
2 whole rich fruity dried chilies like Ancho, Mulatto, Negro, or Pasilla, seeds removed
2 whole Chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce, plus 2 tablespoons sauce, seeds removed
1 kg or 2.2 lbs pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess gristle and fat (reserve the fat and cut into small pieces)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter (or more as needed)
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons corn masa - this is the fine precooked corn meal that is used to make tortillas and tamales
To serve: grated cheese, minced onion, saltine crackers
Method
Crush the dried chilies up a little with your hands and put them in a measuring jug. Add boiling water up to the 1 cup or 240ml mark. Cover and set aside to soak.
Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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| Small pile of chopped fat to the left. |
In a large pot, add the butter and the reserved, chopped fat. Render the fat over a low fire, until it starts frying and turns into liquid plus little crispy bits. Remove the crispy bits with a slotted spoon. (If you are feeling particularly devil-may-care about your heart health, sprinkle them with a little salt and eat them.)
Fry the beef in the rendered fat in at least three batches, until it is well browned on one side. Remove to a deep plate with the slotted spoon.
Sauté the chopped onion until softened in the fat, adding a little more butter if needed. Add in the whole cumin seeds and cook, stirring until they release their fragrance. Ah, smell that? Now we are cooking chili.
Add the chipotle peppers to the measuring jug and use a hand blender to puree all of the peppers into a smooth sauce. (Or put it all in a proper blender, if you don’t have a hand blender.)
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| Gorgeous color, right? |
Pour the pepper sauce into the onion pot and stir. Cook for a few minutes then add the meat back in. Stir well to coat the meat with the sauce.
Add 1 cup or 240ml water to the pot and bring it to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 2 hours, checking the water level and stirring occasionally. You do not want it to dry out. Add more water, if necessary.
Sprinkle in the cumin powder, stir and simmer for another 30 minutes or so, still covered.
To thicken the chili, whisk your two tablespoons of masa into about 1/4 cup or 60ml cold water in a small bowl. Use a ladle to add about 3/4 cup or 180ml thin chili gravy (leave the meat behind) to the bowl, whisking as each ladle is added.
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| After two small ladles. |
Pour the masa mixture into the chili pot. Cook over a medium low heat until the chili thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve.
Enjoy!
And let me also say, this was organized before Hurricane Irma swept in to devastate as she did. Another similar event is being planned to bring attention to those needs and the organizations that are trying hard to meet them.
Check out all of the great Texas recipes we are sharing today!
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