Recreate Walt’s Chili from Carnation Café in your own kitchen!
Walt’s Chili
This hearty chili recipe is based on Walt’s own recipe, and is delicious topped with sour cream, cheese, and fresh tomatoes. Walt’s diet was that of a mid-western meat and potatoes man: his taste was simple but hardy. Throughout most of his life funding was always an issue but he was always able to find a way to make ends meet. One of his fixes was his favorite chili.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 3/4 pounds beef stew meat
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp beef base
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- Coarse salt to taste
- Garnish: 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 diced tomatoes
Directions
- Wash and sort beans and soak overnight in cold water.
- Drain beans and place in a 2-quart saucepan. Add fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Add sliced onion and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, until tender.
- Heat oil in a large pan and sauté garlic. Add beef and celery and cook until lightly browned. Add chili powder, paprika, and thyme. Mix in chopped tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- When beans are tender, combine with meat, stirring gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- For a spicier chili, add 1/8 tsp each coriander, turmeric, chili seeds, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, and ground ginger. You can also add dried hot pepper to taste.