- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 1/2
teaspoon garlic powder
- 15 or 28 oz can of tomatoes
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 4 cups cooked pinto or kidney
beans(see note below)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley (optional)
Get out a big pot, four quarts or bigger.
Plop the ground beef and the chopped onion
into the bottom of the pot and start frying
it over medium heat. Break it up into small
chunks as you cook it. When it is all the
way brown and grey, with not a speck of pink
left, drain off the fat. Open up the canned
tomatoes and tomato paste. Add their
contents to the big pot on the stove. Also
add about 2 or three cups of water for
simmering. Add the beans(canned or home
cooked), chili powder, salt and pepper (and
parsley if you like). Stir it all up and
bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that
the chili merely simmers, and allow it to
cook, covered or not, for about an hour. It
will be edible in 20 minutes, but tastes
better after longer simmering.
To serve, you can ladle this over bowls of
hot rice, or you can serve it in soup bowls
with big wedges of cornbread dripping with
margarine. Either way, it's mighty fine
eating. Serves 6 or 8.
NOTE: I usually cook up some dry
beans in the morning to put in the chili for
supper. To do this measure up about 1-1/2
cups of pinto beans or kidney beans, or a
combination. Put them in a big pot on the
stove with plenty of water and bring them to
a boil. Allow them to boil for a minute or
two. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a
lid, and let them sit for at least an hour.
After that you simmer them for about an hour
or two, watching that they don't run out of
water. When they are tender, they are done.
If you decide to use canned beans, use at
least two 15 oz cans, better to use 3 or 4
though. I've used pinto and kidney beans
most often, but have substituted black
beans, northern beans, pork'n'beans, and
others as necessary.
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