Chili Van Horn

You know. I haven't shared a recipe in awhile....

This recipe, like my gumbo, is always a hit. Unlike my gumbo, my wife will actually eat it, so I get to enjoy this a lot more often.

The recipe has humble -- and some who remember my college days might even say "disreputable" -- origins. It was the first thing I learned to cook when I was away from home for college. The basic recipe was fine, being from a small cookbook that came with a crock pot. It was the execution that was sorely lacking. We'll just say that I have since learned that draining ground beef after cooking it adds a certain je ne sais quoi.

Over the years, I have modified the recipe extensively. I began adding dill after I enjoyed a picante sauce in Mesquite, Texas, that included dill. I don't recall how I got the idea of adding the barbecue sauce, but it worked. The Ro-Tel and tomato sauce were an emergency substitution for ordinary canned diced tomatoes I made once when in a hurry and out of stock. That worked very well. The cayenne was also my idea during a capsaicin machismo phase. My wife normally makes me cut back on that quite a bit.

The chili is universally described, with its sweet barbecue sauce and dill background, as "tasty". As I recently told my friend Martin, a fan of hot peppers, the cayenne can be varied and, I am sure, replaced to good effect with other peppers by someone who is more of a connoisseur than I am. I think that the sweetness of the barbecue sauce and the flavor of the dill nicely balance any hot flavors.

Until very recently, this recipe was a secret.

1. Brown and drain:

• 2-2.5 lbs ground beef.

2. Chop and add:

• one small onion or half of one large onion.

3. Mince and add

• clove(s) of garlic to taste.

4. Add the following canned ingredients:

• 2 cans Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and peppers or equivalent
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 2 cans kidney beans, including juice.

5. Add the following seasonings:

• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dill (fresh optional)
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 cup catsup-based barbecue sauce with brown sugar (Follow links for suggestions.)

6. Mix thoroughly and simmer for 15-20 minutes after the first bubbling occurs at the surface, stirring
every 5 minutes.

7. Variations: Try fresh dill. Add a chopped, ripe tomato or two. Vary the spices as noted above. And please let me know whether you have any successful experiments! I eat mine with crackers.

Bon appétit!

-- CAV