Classic chili recipes were once considered simple hot pepper and vegetable stews. Capsicum peppers come in various shapes, sizes, and intensities of heat, from big, mild bell peppers to tiny orange lantern-shaped habaneros.
The hot peppers, known as chilies, gave their name to the stew. They have been grown in Mexico almost since wild plants were first gathered there.
Some anthropologists believe that ancient Mexicans ate chilies in quantity because they offset the light texture of tortillas, which the population subsisted on. The chilies had the added benefit of supplying plenty of vitamins C and A.
When chili stew crossed the border into Texas in the mid-1800s, it was only a matter of time before the meat was added, making the dish chili con carne and, eventually, simply chili.
History Of Chili In the U.S
In New Mexico, Alan Davidson explains in The Oxford Companion to Food that chilis were made with lamb or mutton and the standard beef in Texas.
Davidson quotes a historian who found a record of “chili queens” in San Antonio in the late 19th century, women who dressed up in bright colors and sold chili con carne on the streets from makeshift food stands.
Texans call their chili “bowl of red” and make it with peppers and meat, never beans. Those were added in northern cities as the dish spread. Chili gradually changed utterly, losing its natural heat and spiciness and becoming standard fare in households across America.
More often than not, it resembled meat sauce for spaghetti. In Cincinnati, writes Davidson, chili was served over spaghetti early in the last century and is still today.
Recently, with Americans more interested than ever in hot foods and chili peppers, chili stews are enjoying a revival.
Some of the old versions are around again, updated now, and so are bowls of the stew made with ground beef and beans. Chili queens, though, have never made a comeback. (Recipes follow.)
Classic Chili Recipes
PORK CHILI VERDE WITH POSOLE AND RED RICE
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 broiler
- 1 rimmed baking sheet
- 1 large skillet
- 1 soup pot
- 1 Oven
- 1 saucepan
- 1 baking dish
- 1 roll of foil
Ingredients
SALSA
- 2 pieces plum tomatoes, cored and diced
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 1/4 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Liquid hot sauce (optional)
PORK CHILI
- 1 lb tomatillos, husked and washed, or use green tomatoes
- 2 lb boneless pork, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Flour (for dredging)
- 2 tbsp tablespoons canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 Anaheim or poblano chilies, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup canned hominy
- (posole), drained
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3 cup chicken stock or water
RICE
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 cup long-grain rice
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 serrano chilies, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
Instructions
SALSA
- In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Set the bowl aside.
PORK CHILI
- Turn on the broiler
- Set the tomatillos or green tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and slide them under the broiler
- Cook them, turning often, for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are charred
- Set them aside to cool.
- Chop the tomatillos or tomatoes, reserving all the juices.
- Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper. Dust it with flour.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil
- Add the pork and brown it on all sides.
- Remove the pork from the skillet and transfer to a soup pot.
- Using the same skillet, turn the heat to medium and add the onion
- Cook it for 10 minutes, stirring often, until it is soft
- Add the chili and bell peppers
- ook them, stirring often, for 4 minutes
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the hominy, cilantro, oregano, cumin, chicken stock or water, and the tomatillos or tomatoes and their juices
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the pork is tender.
RICE
- Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a 4-quart baking dish.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat
- Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and chilies and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the stock and the reserved salsa. Bring to a boil.
- Transfer the rice to the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Stir the rice and serve at once with the pork chili spooned over the top.
Classic Beef Chili Recipe
BEEF CHILI
Equipment
- 2 Pot
- 1 flameproof casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound kidney beans soaked overnight
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 can 32 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, crushed in a bowl
- 1 dried Anaheim pepper crushed (or use another mild dried pepper)
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese grated
- 2 bunches scallions trimmed and sliced
Instructions
- Drain the beans and transfer them to a pot. Add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer the beans for 1 1/2 hours. Drain them and set them aside.
- In a flameproof casserole, brown the beef over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meat loses its pink color. Transfer the meat to a bowl.
- Wipe out the pan. Add the oil and heat it. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Return the meat to the pan. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, the dried pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Simmer the chili for 1 hour.
- Add the beans and continue cooking for 1 hour. If the mixture seems dry, add more water.
- Taste the chili and add more salt and pepper if you like. Serve at once, sprinkled with the Cheddar cheese and scallions.
Classic Chicken Chili Recipe
CHICKEN CHILI
Equipment
- large flameproof casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions chopped
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded, and chopped
- 6 plum tomatoes peeled, cored, and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- 12 boneless chicken thighs skin removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ears fresh corn kernels removed or 3 cups frozen corn
Instructions
- In a large flameproof casserole, heat the oil and cook the onion and green pepper over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the cumin and crushed pepper.
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the corn and cook for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if you like, and serve with white rice.
