My Favorite Chili

My mom made two kinds of chili--the "good" kind and the "fast" kind.  Whenever we were having chili, my sister and I would ask, "Is it the 'good' kind?"  If it was, we were thrilled.  The "good" kind happened to be Chasen's Chili, I found out later when going through her recipes.

Chasen's Restaurant was in Hollywood, California from 1936-2000.  The restaurant was famous for its chili.  Dave Chasen was an ex-vaudeville performer, who kept his recipe secret.  He served his chili to many actors, actresses, chauffeurs, and studio people.  Among the Hollywood greats who loved his chili were Jack Benny, Clark Gable, and Elizabeth Taylor.  Even J. Edgar Hoover, former Director of the FBI and Eleanor Roosevelt loved his chili!

The recipe was finally published by Angel City Press in 1996 in Chasen's -- Where Hollywood Dined by Betty Goodwin.  The cookbook is available on Amazon today.  The recipe is also widely found on the internet.

CHASEN'S CHILI

Prep Time:  20 minutes  
Cook Time:  1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield:  Serves many

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound dry pinto beans (2 cans of 15-oz pinto beans can be substituted, which I did. This will lessen the overall time spent on the recipe.)
• Water (If using dry pinto beans)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil.)
• 3 cups onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup Gebhardt's chili powder (I used the chili powder I had on hand.)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Farmer Brothers ground cumin (I used the cumin I had on hand.)

Note:  Chasen's used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat.  The restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili.

Instructions:

Rinse the beans, picking out debris.  Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover.  Boil for two minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cover with lid and let stand one hour.  After one hour, drain off liquid and discard.

Rinse beans again.  Add just enough fresh water to cover the beans.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.  Stir in tomatoes and their juice and let simmer five minutes.  Note:  I added the cans of pinto beans and tomatoes into my Dutch oven to simmer.  Then I began the rest of the recipe.

In a large skillet, saute bell pepper in oil for five minutes.  Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently.  Stir in the garlic and parsley.  Add mixture to bean mixture.  Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute beef and pork until browned.  Drain.  Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.

Bring mixture just to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for one hour.  Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency.  Chili should not be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid, but not runny like soup.  Skim off excess fat and serve.

Note:  You can freeze this chili for several months.  When reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.

Chasen's Chili

I love Chasen's Chili!  It is thick and meaty and has such a delicious flavor.  No other chili I have ever tasted can match this one.  It also seemed fitting that I made this batch of chili in my brand new Le Creuset Dutch Oven!  My mom doesn't cook anymore, so I was able to deliver some Chasen's chili to her this week.  Life does go full circle.  Thanks, Mom, for all of the years you made Chasen's Chili for our family.  I love you!