Few women—if any—have been as glamorous as Liz Taylor, and her favorite food was Chasen’s chili. Pictured above with Rock Hudson at the Suddenly, Last Summer premiere at Chasen’s in 1959, Taylor was so smitten with the stuff that she had it flown to the set of Cleopatra in Rome. Until now, my own favorite chili has been this recipe for Texas Beef Brisket Chili. But this year for Halloween, we’re going glam with Chasen’s. My husband made a test pot last week—and paired with a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale and a drizzle of crème fraîche, it’s a glam slam. The chili is even better the following day, so if you’re planning to serve on Halloween best to make it tomorrow afternoon. And if you live in LA, you can still find some of the Dogfish Punkin at the Whole Foods on Third and Fairfax. I’m not one for pumpkin flavored beers, but Dogfish’s version is perfectly spicy with a hint of sweet and totally delicious with the heat of the chili!
CHASEN’S ORIGINAL CHILI
1/2 lb dried pinto bean
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons oil
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups onions, coarsley chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 lbs center cut beef chuck, trimmed of fat, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb pork shoulder, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup gebhardt chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
Rinse the beans, picking out the debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for one hour or until tender.
Stir the tomatoes with juice into the cooked beans, and simmer 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook about 15 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley; add this mixture to the beans.
Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute the beef and pork, in two batches, if necessary, until browned. Drain. Add meat to the bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper to taste and cumin.
Simmer mixture, covered, for about an hour. Uncover and cook to the desired consistency, about 5 minutes. The chili should not be too thick. Skim off excess fat and serve.
