Tex-Mex Chili

Hardy Chili
(Serves 10-12)

We've put everything but the kitchen sink in this classic version of chili.

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 large onion
2 stalks celery (sliced)
3 large garlic cloves (minced or crushed)
3 T chili powder (see sidebar)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
12 oz. tomato juice
1 C beef broth
1/2 C beer
2 bay leaves
1 small can jalapeños (chopped)
1 red or green bell pepper (diced)
1 ½ tsp. oregano
15-oz. can red kidney beans (drained)
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, sauté onion and celery for 5-7 minutes. Add beef and pork, stirring till brown. Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin and stir for 3 minutes. Add all other ingredients except beans and simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Stir frequently.

After 3 hours add beans and heat till beans are warmed through. Serve plain or over rice. Garnish with sour cream, chopped onions, and grated cheese.

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Tips & Glossary

Plenty of heat! For many that’s the pleasure of Tex-Mex food. But if you’re sensitive to throat-burning, eye-popping peppers, then turn the heat down—just reduce the peppers.

• Chili Powder: dried ground chili peppers typically mixed with cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. You can make your own blend, adding cinnamon, cloves, coriander, paprika, and nutmeg. Briefly heat dried peppers in a skillet to release flavors, then grind them into powder.

• Chorizo: a spicey pork sausage. OurTex-Mex recipes use the Mexican version—fresh pork which is cooked before eating. Spanish Chorizo is cured, ready to eat like pepperoni. If unavailable use a hot Italian sausage.

• Chili Pepper: any small hot pepper, as opposed to larger, milder bell peppers; includes, cayenne (red), chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeños), habanero, jalapeño, paprika, poblano, serrano, and tabasco.

• Chimichanga: a deep fried tortilla, filled with rice, beans, cheese, or meat, and folded into a rectangular packet. It's thought to have originated in Arizona.

• Coriander: also known as cilantro and Mexican or Chinese parsley. Both fresh leaves and dried ground seeds are used in Mexican, Mid-East, Asian, and Indian cuisines.

• Cumin: an aromatic kin to the parsley and carrot plant; an important ingredient in chili powder Used especially in Indian curries, but also in Mexican, Thai and Asian dishes. It has an earthy, peppery flavor.

• Enchilada: made using corn tortillas, dipped in a sauce, filled and rolled up. They are placed in a casserole dish, topped with sauce and cheese, then baked.

• Quesadilla: (kay-sa-dee-ya), literally, “little cheese thing.” In Tex-Mex cooking it has come to mean a sort of grilled cheese sandwich, using two tortillas filled primarily with cheese, grilled in a skillet or griddle, then cut into wedges.