We plan to make a big pot of this chili tomorrow when we have a few folks over to watch the BIG GAME. This chili is smack-your-grandma-good. (I have no idea why really delicious food here in the Southern, US inspires elder abuse, but it does and there you go.)
It’s not too big of a leap into the fat-and-calorie pool, because the beef should be lean, you skim off the fat that renders, and although the recipe calls for a quarter cup of olive oil, I usually use far less and it is a healthy oil. It’s also a great second day soup — the flavors get stronger as it sits.
Hm…maybe we should make it today.
If you want to make it more calorie-friendly, go light on the cheese and other toppings or skip them all together. It’s good enough without it, I swear.
*Henderson’s chili:
The ingredients:
- 3 lb lean beef, chopped fine or ground coarse
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 qt water
- 8 banana peppers chopped fine
- 6 Tb chili powder
- 3 tsp salt
- 10 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp cumin (more if you are Nona)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper
- 1 Tb sugar
- 3 Tb paprika
- 3 Tb flour
- 6 Tb white corn meal
The directions:
Heat olive oil in stockpot. Add meat. Sear until done but not brown. Add water, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add rest of ingredients except flour and corn meal. Cook 30 minutes. Skim off any fat. Mix flour and corn meal with 1 c water until smooth, add to the chili. Cook five minutes, stirring often. Serve with onions, beans, cheese, crackers and sour cream on the side.
*(This is named after the family that gave my husband the recipe, by the way.)
