TASTE OF OLNEY

This week, Danny wanted to feature the cuisine and pub grub versions of a Super Bowl weekend standard – chili. The Texas Chili Parlor is a legend in Austin political circles and its tavern-style menu features chilis of all permutations – beans, no beans, chunky meat – in “X,” mild; “XX.” medium; and “XXX,” hot.

Danny and I, both University of Texas grads and Capitol rats, spent time at the Chili Parlor’s worn wooden tables, soaking in talk of politics and intrigue – so we share this recipe for the famed pub’s One-X Chili.

The ingredients in chili trace their roots to a Hispanic food tradition, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. They include ground or coarsechopped beef or another meat, dried red chili powder, onion, garlic, a liquid of some sort and sometimes comino, oregano, beef suet, tomato, and finely ground cornmeal called “masa” for thickening.

“Texas-style chili has no beans. Southerners and Midwesterners generally add beans. Oklahoma chili has its own history, with traditional restaurants, compiled-cookbook recipes, festivals, and humor,” the Oklahoma Historical Society reports.

“In 1842, when Sequoyah and a contingent of Cherokees from the Cherokee Nation visited the Rio Grande Valley seeking survivors of the 1839 Texan-Cherokee War, the travelers were fed a fiery concoction of chunks of meat boiled with peppers,” the Society said. “Food historians speculate that chili originated in Texas-Mexico border towns and spread north. In the 1880s San Antonio’s downtown was famous for Hispanic outdoor vendors called ‘chili queens.’” Texas-style chili was popular at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. After Americans discovered a taste for spicy Mexican food, “chili parlors” sprang up around the Midwest, the Society said.

This recipe serves six people and all ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store. This recipe comes from Austin Monthly magazine and was modified by Danny

Ingredients:

10 lbs lean stew meat, cubed 1 lb chili powder 10 oz tomato juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/2 can beer 1 cup onion, minced water (as needed) 1 tbsp garlic, minced 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried cilantro 2 cups masa harina Salt

Preparation:

Step 1: Brown stew meat in large pot.

Step 2: Stir in chili powder, mix well. Add in tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, beer, onion and water. Cover. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Keep at slow boil for 1 hour.

Step 3: Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

Step 4: Skim most of fat from top and stir in garlic, oregano and cilantro.

Step 5: Mix masa with cold water until it reaches a thick batter-like consistency. Stir masa mixture into chili, remove from heat and add salt to taste.

Step 6: Serve with sliced jalapenos, cornbread or on top of corn chips.