2 lb Lean beef (stew meat, round,
- or something similar); cut
- into 1/4" chunks or run
- through your butchers'
- chili blade
1 lb Sweet Italian sausage;
-casing removed
2 tb Lard, bacon drippings, or
-cooking oil
1 lg Onion; chopped
2 cl Garlic; minced
2 tb Hungarian sweet paprika;
- up to 1/4 c
1 tb Ground cumin
2 tb Mexican oregano; crushed
1 ts Ground coriander
12 oz Can beer
2 Beef bouillon cubes
2 tb Tomato paste
2 tb Masa or cornmeal; heaping
Water; as needed
Salt; to taste
White pepper; to taste
Melt the lard in a large, heavy pot. Add the beef and sausage, and
cook until about half done. Add the onions and garlic, and cook
until the onions are transparent, and the meat is nicely browned. Add
the dry spices, and cook, stirring, until they develop a fragrance.
Important: do not drain off the fat at this point. We'll get rid
of it later, but it is a flavor carrier, and needed for a while.
Add the tomato paste, beef bouillon cubes, and beer, and enough water
to barely cover the mixture. Cover, and simmer on lowest possible
heat, until the meat is tender (2-3 hours). Stir frequently, and add
additional water or beer as needed to keep the mixture from burning.
At this point, and in an ideal world, you would refrigerate the chili
overnight to develop flavors and let the excess fat rise to the top.
If you absolutely can't wait, skim off as much fat as possible from
the surface of the mixture. If you have developed the virtue of
patience, lift the fat off the mixture and return the pot to the
fire, bringing it up to a slow simmer before continuing.
Mix the masa or cornmeal with an equal quantity of water, and add to
the mixture. Stir, and simmer another half hour or so, stirring
frequently, and adding additional liquid if the mixture seems too
thick.
Adjust the seasonings, adding salt (for my taste it shouldn't need
much) and white pepper (which doesn't contain capsicum, but will give
the chili a bit of a "bite") to taste.
If you absolutely must have beans in your chili, please, please, cook
them separately, according to your favorite recipe, and spoon them
into the bowl, then spoon the chili on top of 'em and mix. (You
could even do this with heated canned beans, just don't tell me about
it. ;-)
If you decide to try this, let me know how it turns out. My head
says it should be pretty good, if mild, chili.
