Texas chili

In honor of the Oscars Sunday night, I chose a recipe from a cookbook that’s a collection of menus tied to film themes. This one comes from the western genre, and is billed as Texas chili.

Texas chili, as Texans and watchers of “The Big Bang Theory” know, contains no beans, unlike the typical Midwestern version. As Sheldon explains in this clip, the bean-laced version may be tasty, whatever it is, but it’s not chili.

This is more like Minnesota chili in some respects, as the bacon, beef and salsa are all Minnesota products, and I only had so many green chilis to throw in the pot. But whatever this meaty, bean-less concoction is, it’s tasty.

Texas chili

Adapted from “Movie Menus” by Francine Segan

Ingredients

4 ounces bacon, diced

1 large red onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds cubed beef (½-inch squares)

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4 cups stock (it calls for beef, but I used the tasty chicken broth I had on hand)

1 pint salsa

2 tablespoons chopped green chilis (the recipe called for 8 ounces, but this was all I had on hand, and it worked fine since the salsa had lots of heat)

3 tablespoons cornmeal

Method

Cook bacon until fat is rendered over medium heat. Reduce heat slightly. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until browned. Add spices, broth, salsa and chilis. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove about a half cup of hot liquid. Mix in cornmeal and return to pan. Cook until thickened, about another 10 minutes.