Chapter 3: Mary Stansberry’s Chili with Butter Crackers
Chili is one of my favorite autumn dishes because the receipt makes a big batch of flavorfulness that will sustain you through the demands of work and/or school. Although if you have seven siblings it will likely only last one or two meals. The crackers might last a few hours, at most.
A big batch of chili is, on the surface, a simple lunch I can make on the weekend, then grab from the fridge and sprinkle with cheese on my way out the door. However, once I reheat it during my lunch at the farm, and sit down, for a moment I’m transported. The earthy paprika and cumin, the funky smell of tender beans, and the tang of slightly reduced tomatoes wake up my nose, taking me back to meal time with my family.
One of my clearest memories of a chili dinner is when we lived on 3428 East Baltimore Street and had a coffee table and this huge vintage chest that sat in the living room across from the computer table. Some siblings would sit around the coffee table to eat, some sat on the chest, and either my mom or dad would sit at the computer. The kitchen was right next to the living room, and either me or my older sister would I often stand at the counter and eat. I want to say we watched Nickelodeon or some G rated channel during those meals, but I can’t recall specifically which show was on the heaviest rotation. It really depended on the night.
I don’t romanticize the nostalgia of dinner with my family. Looking back on those dinners triggers a lot of negative emotions for me from the heated family disagreements and sibling scuffles that would come up due to the teasing encouraged by my dad and the reinforcement of gender roles. However, the parts I miss are cooking with my mom. The easy cadence of her laughter and corny jokes are characteristics I’ve carried into my adult practice of preparing a meal with people.
I try to take my time like she taught me and not rush the steps:
Brown the meat thoroughly.
Caramelize the tomato paste (to get off the can or tube’s taste).
Allow the pot to really simmer before adding in more spices so that their flavor is allowed to fully bloom.
Now that I know that my mom’s recipe was adapted from my Grandma’s recipe I often wonder how she prepared it. Did she really use kidney beans? (I hate them) Would she have liked me swapping them out for black or pinto beans? I don’t think I’ll ever know, but I enjoy the warmth this recipe sends through my entire being and hope it does the same for you if you make it.
The Receipt - Mary Stansberry’s Chili (Butter Crackers Here)
Ingredients:
1 bunch Curly Kale
2-3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 large Yellow Onion, large dice
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 tsp. each of: Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder and Chili Flakes
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 pound Ground Beef (or any ground meat)
2 cups Cooked Beans or 1 can of Beans (I usually use pinto or black beans, not a fan of kidney beans which are in the original recipe)
1-28 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
1-2 cups Vegetable Stock
Step to It:
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, then add in your ground beef and brown meat, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt and black pepper on the meat to begin seasoning it. Remove pan from heat, and place cooked meat in a small bowl to set aside.
Separate the kale leaves from their stems by sliding your finger down the stems. Set the stems aside and stack the leaves together on a cutting board. Cut the leaves into small (1/2” or 1”) pieces and place in a bowl.
Bring stems to the cutting board and cut them into 1/4” pieces.
If your meat didn’t produce much oil, add about 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. If the meat produced a lot of oil, pour some of it out from the pan. You want the pan to have a sheen of oil on the surface not a pool.
Turn the pan back on to medium high heat, and add in the kale stems and onions, cooking them until they begin to become translucent about 5-6 minutes. Then add in your spices, and tomato paste, stirring everything together and cooking to brown, about 5 or so more minutes. Add in the kale leaves and cook until they begin to shrink. Taste to see where the salt content is so far.
Add the meat back to the pan of vegetables and stir to combine. Then add in the beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes. The chili will reduce slightly and thicken just a bit.
Serve with your favorite cracker or cornbread and enjoy!
