Nora Ephrons Chasens Chili Food

CHASEN'S CHILI

Steps:

• Pour the beans in a saucepan and cook until tender, adding water if necessary Heat the oil in the skillet, add the peppers and onions and cook until the onions are translucent.
• Add the garlic and parsley.
• Heat oil and butter in a pot large enough for all the ingredients.
• Add the beef and cook about 25 minutes, stirring to break up the lumps.
• Add the chili powder and cumin about halfway through the cooking process.
• Add the peppers and onions to the meat.
• Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
• Simmer for 60 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the beans and water and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
• Skim off fat.
• Serve with sour cream, chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese and crackers.

NORA EPHRON'S CHASENS CHILI

Steps:

• Drain beans and rinse. Put into a large casserole with the can of tomatoes. (Remove basil if there's basil.) Heat for a few minutes. Heat oil and gently cook peppers. When soft add onions and gently cook. Add garlic for a minute or so. Add all to tomatoes. Melt half the butter and cook the beef and pork until no longer raw. Add spices and stir. Add to the tomato mixture and add the rest of the butter. Cook about thirty to forty five minutes, covered, over low heat.

CHASEN'S ORIGINAL CHILI RECIPE

Steps:

• A secret ingredient added by a chef (after Dave Chasen stopped making the chili himself) is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons of Kahlua liqueur. I heard someone won a chili championship with the recipe, including that addition.
• *Chasen's used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. The restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half-inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili. Alternatively, ask the butcher to put the meat through a "chili plate" ONE time - this is a very coarse grind, and works well for chili.
• ** Chasen's used Gebhardt's Chili Powder and Farmer Bros Cumin. Sometimes cumin seed is used in place of the ground cumin. It's a matter of personal preference. You might toast the seeds in a dry skillet, and crush them before adding to the recipe.
• Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover 2' above beans. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
• Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.
• Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet, sauté bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim of excess fat and serve.
• NOTE: You can freeze this chili for several months. When reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.