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Science Or Art? Take A Formula Chili And Make It Your Own

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Chili has the standard recipe staples, but it's easy to offer your own signature touches.

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TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 22, 2009

Bowls of chili are a lot like people; every one is different.

I have never seen two identical recipes for chili, and even if you use the same recipe all the time, it changes from batch to batch.

The (sometimes dramatic) difference in each bowl of chili is what makes cooking it so interesting.

Few foods have such a colorful history. Legend has it that Wild West outlaw Jesse James once refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas, because his favorite chili parlor was there.

And remember Will Rogers? The man who never yet met a man he didn't like also apparently never met a bowl of chili he didn't eat. It is said that he tried chili in hundreds of towns throughout Texas and Oklahoma and kept a notebook grading each one. In 1977, the Texas Legislature passed a bill making chili con carne the state's official dish.

To look at a bowl of chili, you might foolishly assume that it is just a boring dish of goop, a big "bowl of red." In reality, it is probably the most complex thing you will eat that day. I have eaten far more than my fair share of the stuff, and I probably have spent far more than the normal amount of time thinking about it. For me a steaming bowl of chili poses the same adventure as a lost city has for an archeologist.

I try to examine each ingredient the cook used in the making of the chili. Many ingredients are obvious; others require more intense analysis. If my chili senses are firing on all cylinders, I can probably even guess the secret ingredient every self-respecting chili cook uses.

I am not looking to tick off any of my friends in Texas, but a good bowl of chili has to have beans in it. I have seen a variety of beans used, but when I'm the one putting the pot together, I use kidney beans. The firmness of the bean adds a nice texture and the bean holds up under the sometimes-long simmering process. Some of you might be old-school bean cookers and only buy dry beans. If you are, that's great; I'm not here to judge. However, I am a thoroughly modern and slightly impatient cook, so I go with canned beans.

The meat is another critical ingredient to any chili. Although you may come across an occasional bowl of vegetarian chili, if you try to palm it off on me, I will call it what it is: a bowl of red vegetable stew. Because of the long time spent simmering the chili, tough cuts of meat are ideal. Along with the long cooking, the wet cooking environment helps break down the toughest pieces of meat into something significantly less tough. I am a fan of plain old ground beef, and if you ask, sometimes the butcher will prepare a "chili style" ground beef that is about three times as thick as the regular. Either one you use will be fine.

Once you have the meat and beans — the only chili staples — the rest is up to you. This is when your chili comes alive, when it gets its identity. If you like spicy, knock yourself out. If you have a milder taste, that's cool too. Onions? Absolutely! Bell peppers? You bet! Kernels of corn, mushrooms, diced celery, chopped carrots? You're the one who has to eat it, so go ahead! Garlic, potatoes, peas … all can have a home in the beautiful red hodge-podge that is chili.

I even made a pot of chili with a diced apple in it. Why? Because it was there on the counter! The apple added a nice sweetness to the pot, so kudos to me.

Some families pass down chili recipes from generation to generation like cherished heirlooms. I do not have one of those families, but here is a recipe I have been whipping up for the past dozen years or so. This recipe makes enough to serve a family of four with plenty of leftovers.

TONY FATSO'S SUPER BOWL OF CHILI

2 14 ounces cans of kidney beans, rinsed

4 pounds of ground beef

2 onions, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3 cups of water

4 cloves diced garlic

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons salt

1/3 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons of chili powder

In a medium-size stockpot, brown the ground beef until most of the pink is gone. Then throw in the diced onion, bell pepper and celery. Let the meat finish cooking. If you want to drain the fat off of the cooked meat, do so now. I like to leave the fat in there.

Add the 2 cans of rinsed beans and the 3 cups of water. Over medium heat bring everything to a boil, after about a minute, reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the remaining ingredients and let simmer for an hour over low heat. Add more water if necessary or to get your desired consistency. Remove bay leaves before serving it up.

Have shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and crackers ready to go for toppers.

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