Central Texas Foodie: Facing the 'law' on chili - Waco Tribune-Herald

My siblings and I have a long-standing joke about my mom. We teased her relentlessly about cooking boiled chicken and beets for us as a “special” winter meal. We all hated it.

When Gary returned from college after his first semester, Mom made boiled chicken and beets. When Caryl came home from an awful experience at winter church camp, Mom made boiled chicken and beets.

I don’t remember her making it for me as a coming-home meal, but I jumped on the bandwagon. Our pastor even (lovingly) mentioned boiled chicken and beets in Mom’s memorial service.

Beef stew and chicken tetrazzini were other winter staples, but for some reason, chili wasn’t on our list of regular meals, even though it was officially the State of Texas dish.

Occasionally, we had canned Wolf Brand Chili though. And every time we did, Daddy would repeat the old TV ad featuring Pop Myres: “Neighbor, how long has it been since you’ve had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili?” (pause) “Well, that’s too long!”

County Line Magazine offers this brief history of Wolf Brand Chili:

In 1895, 16-year-old Lyman T. Davis appeared on the streets of Corsicana, Texas, and began selling his “ranch” chili from the back of a wagon in front of the Blue Front Saloon.

Although no one knew it at the time, Davis was beginning an odyssey that would lead to the foundation of a company destined to become a Texas and Southwest legend. By the early 1920s, the chili’s reputation had spread, and Davis began canning it. His pet wolf, Kaiser Bill, was selected to grace the label, and that’s how Wolf Brand Chili got its name.

Whether canned or homemade, chili IS a Texas staple. In fact, the Texas Legislature convinced Gov. Dolph Briscoe to sign House Concurrent Resolution No. 18 into law on May 11, 1977, confirming chili’s honored status in our state.

The resolution begins, “WHEREAS, One cannot be a true son or daughter of this state without having his taste buds tingle at the thought of the treat that is real, honest-to-goodness, unadulterated Texas chili.” And ends with, “RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, the Senate Concurring, that the 65th Legislature, in recognition of the fact that the only ‘real bowl of red’ is that prepared by Texans, hereby proclaims chili as the ‘State Dish of Texas.’”

I consulted a very dear attorney friend about calling this resolution “law.” Strictly off the record, this attorney confirmed that I could. I apologize for not naming my source, but the relationship is more valuable to me than my legal credibility. So, I shall take literary license and, henceforth, call it “law.”

The law does not stipulate that the chili must be beef, and I sometimes prefer other proteins; so, the first recipe below uses ground turkey. Make no mistake about it, though, the turkey chili is legally and historically all Texas.

The second chili recipe from Tom Perini proclaimed “Texas Chili.” Both of the following recipes are best served with my mom’s buttermilk cornbread, but I’ve added a recipe for cornmeal dumplings to be plopped into either chili for a little twist to the “piquant delicacy” as described in Texas law.

Turkey Chili

6 servings

1 lb. ground raw turkey breast

3 c water

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 T chili powder (I like Ancho)

1 T Knorr Granulated Chicken Tomato Bouillon

1 t cumin

1 t garlic powder

¼ t salt

¼ t black pepper

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis, or more to taste

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (10 oz.) package frozen whole kernel corn

1 (15½ oz.) can red kidney beans (optional, especially since some folks debate the legitimacy of beans in real Texas chili)

3 c kale or spinach, thinly sliced

Coat a Dutch oven or large stockpot with cooking spray. Cook turkey meat over medium heat until browned, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon. Drain.

Add water, chopped onion, bell pepper, chili powder, bouillon, salt, black pepper, diced tomatoes, diced green chilis, tomato paste, cumin and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add beans and chopped kale or spinach and cook additional 10 minutes before serving.

Tom Perini is the owner of Perini Ranch Steak House in Buffalo Gap, Texas. I have modified his recipe to suit our family preferences but have not strayed from the law set forth by our Legislature.

Texas Chili

Modified from Tom Perini’s recipe in “Texas Cowboy Cooking”

6-8 servings

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cloves garlic, minced

½ t ground oregano

1 T Knorr Granulated Chicken Tomato Bouillon

1 T (heaping) chili powder

1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, crushed

3 T tomato paste

1 can mild diced tomatoes and green chilis

Combination of 3 mixed bell peppers (red, green, yellow)

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

Place chili meat, onion, and garlic in a large cast iron skillet. Brown meat. Add all ingredients except jalapeno and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer about an hour. As the fat cooks out, skim off. Add salt and jalapeno to taste.

Cornmeal Dumplings

⅔ c flour

2 t baking powder

2 T butter, cut into small pieces and chilled (Hint: freeze butter beforehand and grate with a cheese grater. This makes “cutting in” easier.)

2 T minced cilantro

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter and stir in cilantro. Whisk together milk and egg and stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Drop batter by tablespoons full (A cookie scoop makes easy work of this.) into hot chili.

Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

For years while Mom lived with us, I would walk into her part of the house and ask how to make her cornbread. She knew the recipe by heart and would get annoyed with me for not writing it down.

I’m glad that I finally did before her death. What would life be without it!

Jo Ann’s Buttermilk Cornbread

1½ t baking powder

Preheat oven and 10½-inch cast iron skillet simultaneously to 425 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, egg and 3 T vegetable oil.

Stir together ingredients until just mixed, making sure to incorporate the dry mixture in the bottom of the bowl.

When oven reaches temperature, carefully take remove the skillet (Wear TWO oven mittens, please!), add 2-3 T vegetable oil, ensuring that the bottom of the pan is completely coated. Pour cornmeal in cornmeal mixture and spread it around. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven. Using a large flat spatula, flip the whole cornbread over in the skillet. (I’m not sure if this is an absolutely necessary step, but it’s what my mother always did. Some things don’t need to be questioned.)

It’s just hard to beat a delicious “bowl of red” during the cold months of the year. And no one ever called boiled chicken and beets the state dish of anywhere.

source: https://wacotrib.com/waco_today_magazine/central-texas-foodie-facing-the-law-on-chili/article_1e68d052-6e77-11ec-8c85-6f8aa7c4dc74.html

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