Chili and Beans
Back in prehistoric times when Joe and I were married, one of the gifts I received from a dear family member, in addition to the traditional envelope filled with cash or check, was three cookbooks. The cash went into the Italian busta (can you hear the theme from “The Godfather” playing yet?) that was, I believe, held by an aunt, but the cookbooks received a bit more attention. As she handed the books to me, and I don’t even recall if they were brand new or passed down from her collection, she said that if you get one good recipe from a cookbook it’s a keeper. Yes Joe, that’s why someday we will be buried in my cookbook collection – I never ignore advice received on my wedding day. Hmm, I wonder how that advice could be applied to whether a husband is a keeper. Ah, but I digress, don’t I?
I honestly don’t remember two out of three of those early cookbooks, but the recipe for Tuesday night’s Simple Chili and Beans dinner came from the “keeper” cookbook which is “The New 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meat” by Doyne and Dorothy Nickerson, which is no longer a particularly “new” collection. I guess the same could be said for my marriage, which is also a “keeper.” As the title says, it’s a “simple” recipe, but at the time it seemed kind of exotic because it required 1/2 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate. Woo hoo! Now we’re talking authentic Mexican cuisine, let’s forget about the bottled tomato juice that forms the foundation for the sauce. It’s neither authentic Mexican nor Texan chili, but the recipe has always worked, is satisfying, tastes good, and neither Joe nor the girls complain about it despite the canned kidney beans which I doubled the other night just for their dining pleasure. I even went a little crazy and dumped in about 4 times the chili powder that the recipe calls for. I’ve made other recipes from this book over the years, but this one is definitely our favorite, mine most of all, since it’s so simple to prepare. A real keeper.
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I like your title Chili and Beans becuase the purists would say true chili does not have beans. Obviously you served chili and added beans. You are a purist and a bean lover and probably a keeper too.
Well, at least Texans would say that true chili doesn’t have beans. The recipe included beans and I doubled them. You’ll have to ask Joe whether I’m a keeper… too many of the dinners I serve around here might make him argue otherwise!