Funny how a simple name – “peppers with meat” – can cause such a stir. As passionate as I am about food, I could join that fray, rambling on about historical purity, what it means to call something “real,” etc. Instead, I’m going to offer a reason to avoid the whole mess and just get on with cooking some good food.
The short answer is “who cares.” Who cares if what I call “chili” matches what any given “authority” (and I use that word very loosely) thinks chili ought to be? I certainly don’t.
To me, “chili” is more of a style than a particular dish. Mine always include some sort of meat, usually onions and garlic, and spices that include some form of pepper; tomatoes and beans are optional. Typically, the onions and garlic are sauteed in oil, the spices are added, the meat is browned, liquid and other ingredients are added, and the whole lot is simmered until the desired consistency is reached.
I could (and maybe should) stop here: The previous paragraph tells you everything you need to know to make chili; use your imagination when choosing ingredients and your intuition when deciding quantities. But this is my collection of recipes, and there are people who get upset when I give so little detail, so here are a few actual recipes for what I call “chili” …
A note about quantity: Chili is a simple meal to prepare; it doesn’t take much effort, but it does take time. Like soup, it isn’t much more work to make a large batch than it is to make a small one, and like soup chili freezes well. Go ahead and make extra; you’ll be glad you did.
Many recipes for red chili call for “chili powder.” You can buy this is almost any grocery store, but it's so easy to make it yourself that I always do. Besides, some of the pre-made ones you find in stores have a lot of salt in them, and I like more control over how salty my food is. Here's a really easy recipe for chili powder; I strongly encourage you to make your own rather than buy the junk the grocery stores sell.
People – cooks and non-cooks both – have expressed surprise or even dismay when they’ve asked me for a recipe (for chili and other things) and I’ve told them “I made it up.” To me, cooking has very little to do with following recipes; sure, they’re good for ideas but that’s all they should be – ideas. To help you learn to move beyond recipes, here’s “an exercise in learning to ‘think chili.’” It’s not short reading, nor is it a quick exercise, but I think it’s worth it if you want to improve your cooking skills.
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