Well, the holidays are over, we are all full of rich foods, delectable baked goods and lots and lots of resolutions about never doing this much eating again. This time of year we all seem to want to lighten things up and go back to basics. One dish that always seems to be a favorite in January is chili.
A get-together with friends for a football game or a movie usually includes a steeping pot of chili. Everyone seems to have their favorite recipe. Many claim to be the best.
Chili is defined as stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chilies, or chili powder and according to what region of the United States you live in, it can also include beans. “Con carne” means “with meat.”
The only thing certain about the origins of chili is that it did not originate in Mexico.
First prepared in the 1830s, probably in Texas, this highly seasoned, aromatic dish was probably originally designed to hide the smell of decaying meat.
Regardless of the reasons for which it was first made, by the late 19th century chili con carne had become one of the most popular dishes in America.
Many Texans swear that the dish was invented by Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas.
The residents of the state of New Mexico are convinced that the dish was invented by a cook named, Jethro Tull, in 1836 in the city of Albuquerque.
People from Oklahoma think that the dish originated in the restaurant known as “Jeffrey's Diner” in Oklahoma City.
To complicate matters even further, the Seminole Indians claim that they invented the dish as early as 1650.
Although the truth about who invented chili con carne will never be fully known, there are certain things that all great aficionados of chili agree on. Chili con carne must contain meat, oil, hot chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic, salt, onion, oregano and cumin. The finished dish must be deep red in color, and should be hot enough to bring beads of perspiration to the cheeks.
Here is where all agreement ends. Some feel strongly that the only true chili is made with beef and others claim that pork and even lamb can be used.
In Texas the meat is cut into small cubes, sometimes as large as two inches in size; in Oklahoma and New Mexico, only ground beef is considered acceptable; and in Northern states such as Massachusetts the meat is supposed to be shredded. Californians often add sweet Italian sausages to their chili; and some Texans feel that any chili can be made tastier by the addition of rattlesnake meat.
Even on the question of vegetables, herbs and spices there is little agreement. Some use only fresh tomatoes, some use a combination of canned tomatoes and tomato puree; some say that sweet green peppers should be added, and others say that they will ruin good chili. The chili peppers used can be of any of 13 different varieties.
Jalapeno peppers are the most popular but close runners-up are the peppers known as serrano, poblano and catarina.
Chili fans never become as excited as when they discuss the question of whether or not chili con carne should contain beans.
This is a 150-year-old argument, one that is known to have led to a riot in an Oklahoma prison, a duel in Louisiana, and a series of bar-room brawls in Texas. In 1979, a couple in the city of Little Rock, Ark., divorced on the grounds of incompatibility, the wife claiming that she could not tolerate the fact that her husband used beans in his chili. The truth is that there is no fixed rule about the use of beans.
Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood, Calif., probably made the most famous chili. The owner of the restaurant, Dave Chasen, kept the recipe a secret.
For years, he came to the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch, which he would freeze for the week, believing that the chili was best when reheated. “It is a kind of bastard chili” was all that Dave Chasen would divulge.
Chauffeurs and studio people, actors and actresses would come to the back door of Chasen's to buy and pick up the chili by the quart. Other famous people craved this chili such as comedian and actor Jack Benny, who ordered it by the quart.
J. Edgar Hoover, former director of the FBI, considered it the best chili in the world. Eleanor Roosevelt asked for the recipe but was refused and a complimentary order was dispatched to her instead. It is said that Chasen's also sent chili to movie actor Clark Gable when he was in the hospital. Rumor has it that he had it for dinner the night he died.
During the filming of the movie “Cleopatra in Rome,” Italy, Elizabeth Taylor had Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood send 10 quarts of their famous chili to her.
She supposedly paid $200 to have it shipped. Today that would be a bargain.
There are so many good recipes for chili. Today with the health conscious society that we live in, turkey and chicken are often substituted for the red meat.
There are also recipes for vegetarian Chili that are quite acceptable. Here are two. The famous Chasen's Chili recipe, and a vegetarian recipe. Enjoy!!
This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net
Chili is defined as stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chilies, or chili powder and according to what region of the United States you live in, it can also include beans. “Con carne” means “with meat.”
The only thing certain about the origins of chili is that it did not originate in Mexico.
First prepared in the 1830s, probably in Texas, this highly seasoned, aromatic dish was probably originally designed to hide the smell of decaying meat.
Regardless of the reasons for which it was first made, by the late 19th century chili con carne had become one of the most popular dishes in America.
Many Texans swear that the dish was invented by Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas.
The residents of the state of New Mexico are convinced that the dish was invented by a cook named, Jethro Tull, in 1836 in the city of Albuquerque.
People from Oklahoma think that the dish originated in the restaurant known as “Jeffrey's Diner” in Oklahoma City.
To complicate matters even further, the Seminole Indians claim that they invented the dish as early as 1650.
Although the truth about who invented chili con carne will never be fully known, there are certain things that all great aficionados of chili agree on. Chili con carne must contain meat, oil, hot chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic, salt, onion, oregano and cumin. The finished dish must be deep red in color, and should be hot enough to bring beads of perspiration to the cheeks.
Here is where all agreement ends. Some feel strongly that the only true chili is made with beef and others claim that pork and even lamb can be used.
In Texas the meat is cut into small cubes, sometimes as large as two inches in size; in Oklahoma and New Mexico, only ground beef is considered acceptable; and in Northern states such as Massachusetts the meat is supposed to be shredded. Californians often add sweet Italian sausages to their chili; and some Texans feel that any chili can be made tastier by the addition of rattlesnake meat.
Even on the question of vegetables, herbs and spices there is little agreement. Some use only fresh tomatoes, some use a combination of canned tomatoes and tomato puree; some say that sweet green peppers should be added, and others say that they will ruin good chili. The chili peppers used can be of any of 13 different varieties.
Jalapeno peppers are the most popular but close runners-up are the peppers known as serrano, poblano and catarina.
Chili fans never become as excited as when they discuss the question of whether or not chili con carne should contain beans.
This is a 150-year-old argument, one that is known to have led to a riot in an Oklahoma prison, a duel in Louisiana, and a series of bar-room brawls in Texas. In 1979, a couple in the city of Little Rock, Ark., divorced on the grounds of incompatibility, the wife claiming that she could not tolerate the fact that her husband used beans in his chili. The truth is that there is no fixed rule about the use of beans.
Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood, Calif., probably made the most famous chili. The owner of the restaurant, Dave Chasen, kept the recipe a secret.
For years, he came to the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch, which he would freeze for the week, believing that the chili was best when reheated. “It is a kind of bastard chili” was all that Dave Chasen would divulge.
Chauffeurs and studio people, actors and actresses would come to the back door of Chasen's to buy and pick up the chili by the quart. Other famous people craved this chili such as comedian and actor Jack Benny, who ordered it by the quart.
J. Edgar Hoover, former director of the FBI, considered it the best chili in the world. Eleanor Roosevelt asked for the recipe but was refused and a complimentary order was dispatched to her instead. It is said that Chasen's also sent chili to movie actor Clark Gable when he was in the hospital. Rumor has it that he had it for dinner the night he died.
During the filming of the movie “Cleopatra in Rome,” Italy, Elizabeth Taylor had Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood send 10 quarts of their famous chili to her.
She supposedly paid $200 to have it shipped. Today that would be a bargain.
There are so many good recipes for chili. Today with the health conscious society that we live in, turkey and chicken are often substituted for the red meat.
There are also recipes for vegetarian Chili that are quite acceptable. Here are two. The famous Chasen's Chili recipe, and a vegetarian recipe. Enjoy!!
This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net