On a recent trip to Texas, I read Paula Deen's memoir - "It Ain't All About the Cookin'." I must say, it was pretty darn entertaining. She talks about growing up in the racist south (and this is pre-deposition scandal, mind you), about her agoraphobia, and about how her empire started with delivering sandwiches to office buildings. Anyway, she included many recipes in the book, but I only earmarked one - her "Courage Chili." Oddly, it does not include any butter...but, in Paula's words: "When I'm under stress and I sense that trouble's coming, I need to eat
something hot, something substantial, and something that gives me what
feels like strength and courage. There's nothing like dippin' into a
bowlful of chili in such moments. Chili's a nourishing rib-sticker; you
don't need no fancy food dishes when you need your strength. Y'all need
chili."
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 pounds lean ground beef - I never thought I'd say this, but I'd cut back on the meat. Maybe 1.5 pounds instead of 2. It was just too thick, heavy, and rich with the full 2 pounds. Ultimately, I had to dilute my leftovers with chicken stock to make them more stomach-friendly.
2 large onions, finely minced (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons chili power
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (10-¾ ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained - Consider adding more beans if you cut back on the meat.
1 large bag Fritos corn chips
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Brown the beef and 1 ½ cups of the onions in a large skillet. Drain
off the pan drippings. Add the garlic powder, salt, chili powder,
oregano, sugar, soup, flour, and Tabasco. Mix well. Simmer for 1 hour,
covered, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and beans, stir, and
simmer, covered, for 20 minutes longer.
When the chili is done, empty the bag of Fritos in a large serving
bowl. Scoop the chili on top of the Fritos, and top it all with dollops
of sour cream, the remaining ½ cup onions, and the cheese, which will
melt all by itself on the chili. Serve immediately.
I skipped the Fritos and the sour cream - it was tasty enough with just the cheddar! I also made some corn muffins to serve on the side. I really liked this recipe due to its simplicity. And the condensed french onion soup added a depth that made it taste more complicated than it really is. I may keep my eye out for different chili recipes, but I'm more than happy to have this as my go-to!
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