Occasionally, I like to pull out my vintage cookbooks, which always have the most interesting (and often the most successful) recipes in them. Today really felt like fall, and I wanted to make a classic chili, so I found a recipe for "Chile Con Carne" in my book Quick Gourmet Dinners by Margo Rieman. The publishers date was 1972.
Margo Rieman is not a celebrity chef or trained culinary professional. She wrote a column in Cosmopolitan magazine, and this book was created from that. Looking at her photograph, you can just imagine cooking in the kitchen with Margo - music in the background, color coordinated Bergorf's outfit, cigarette dangling from one hand, cocktail on the counter. Minus the cigarette, a woman after my own heart.
I had to improvise a little (the original recipe called for ground venison and beef kidney fat), plus I added a few things that I like, like jalapenos, but the spice mix and method are all Margo's. This is a recipe for a lazy afternoon, when you can start things in the morning, take your time, and have a nice hearty meal by mid-afternoon.
Chile Con Carne
- 1 lb. bacon
- 1 1/2 lb. ground chuck, or lean ground beef
- 1 quart beef stock
- 2 small onions, minced fine
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 T. Gebhardt's Chili Powder
- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
- small can tomato paste
- 1 T. paprika
- 3/4 t. salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 t. Mexican oregano
- 1/4 t. basil
- 1/4 t. cumin
- 3 1 lb. cans red kidney beans
- 4 oz. can chopped jalapenos
Add the ground beef and 1/2 C. beef stock and cook until well browned and evenly crumbled, for about 30 minutes.
Remove meat to a colander lined with a paper towel and allow to drain.
Cook the onions in the reserved bacon grease until they start to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic.
Cook another 2 minutes and drain most of the grease.
Add the tomato paste and cook until fragrant and slightly browned.
Put all the ingredients, including the drained meat, into a large stockpot.
Stir in the chili powder and tomatoes, including the liquid, and enough beef broth to achieve a soup-like consistency, and cook for about an hour.
Stir in the other spices.
Drain 2 cans of beans and add, along with 1 can of undrained beans. (note: I used 2 cans of beans and the equivalent of 1 can of hominy, but I think it would be best with just beans or canned corn). Drain the jalapenos and add, along with any remaining beef broth.
Heat until the beans are heated through.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onion, tortilla chips, or whatever suits your taste.
