Snow is still on the ground, the cat is stretching in front of the blazing fireplace, I have a cup of tea, all is good. I decided to spend part of the morning going through the compilation of my Grandmother’s recipes in search of soup recipes. It was a bit more difficult because any soups were lumped in with “Main Dishes” in her cookbook, but it was a pleasant way to spend the morning—perusing through all of them in search of soup recipes. It sparked a lot of food memories.
I was amused to see a recipe for “President Johnson’s Chili Con Carne” included. Obviously, this in an old recipe. I did a bit of research (i.e. Googled it) and I found a few similar recipes but without the pinto beans. It is a basic chili recipe and I am sure Grandmother clipped it out of a newspaper or magazine. Since I had stocked up on Eden Organic dry beans, had some local beef and bacon in the freezer, and some more home-canned tomatoes, I decided to give it a go. I updated the directions a bit. 
Here it is, a blast from the past:
President Johnson’s Chili Con Carne (I know it is not true Chili Con Carne because of the addition of beans. I wonder if Grandmother added that ingredient?)
*1 1/2 c. dried pinto beans (Soaked overnight and cooked; reserve cooking liquid.)
3 slices bacon
1 lb. hamburger
1 c. chopped yellow onion
1/2 T. sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 T. flour
1 pint stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 T. chili powder (I used regular and a bit of Ancho chili powder.)
After beans are cooked, reserve 1 cup of liquid. Cut up bacon and saute in large skillet. Add hamburger. Brown well. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Do not wipe out skillet. Add onion and garlic. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add flour to the reserved bean cooking liquid and stir until lump free. Add to skillet with tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add meat back to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add beans and simmer 1 hour longer or until hamburer is tender. Makes 8 servings.
This is a really thick chili, so feel free to thin it down with water, tomato juice, beef broth, or red wine. And, when I make it again, I will add some more spices like cumun and cayenne.
*To Cook beans after soaking, rinse well. (Water plants with soaking water!) Place 4 1/2 cups water in a pot with a lid. Add soaked and rinsed beans. Bring to a boil; cover; reduce; simmer at least 90 minutes.
For other recipes from Grandmother’s stash, see the following posts:
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