Original Chasens Menu Recipes

CHASEN'S FAMOUS CHILI

Steps:

• In 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, place beans and enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Heat to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour. Drain.
• Add 3 cups water to beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 1 hour 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook bell peppers and onions in oil 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add parsley and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add beef, pork, chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef and pork are thoroughly cooked.
• Stir meat mixture into bean mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 30 minutes.

CHILI.THE FAMOUS CHASEN'S RECIPE, LOVED BY LIZ.

Steps:

• 1. Rinse beans.Place in a large bowl add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Soak overnight. The next day place beans and soaking water in a large, heavy pot. Then simmer, covered, until tender, about40 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
• 2. In a large skillet,over medium heat, saute green peppersin veg oil for 5 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 10 minutes..Add garlic and parsley. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.
• 3. In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Brown the chuck and pork pieces, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.Stir in chili powder and reserved onion mixture.. Cook for 10 minutes. Add meat and onion mixture. Season with salt pepper and cumin. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Remove cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Skim any fat off the top. You could serve now. BUT Chasen would let it cool, then covered and put in the cooler...overnight,for the flavors to blend. Like we do spaghetti or stews, always better the next day!
• 4. *NOTE:Often Chasen would enter the restaurant to o versee the cooking, and then would add his "SECRET INGREDIENT"...1/2 cup of KAHLUA! Like some of us, add COCOA to our chili! **If you want to, use ground beef and pork. ***CREDITS:Liz picture from: VilliageVoice.com Spice picture:from: Cookslight.com CHASEN'S CHILI pic.from:dearoldhollywoodblogspot.com ..........Nancy...10/20/12

CHASEN'S CHILI (HOLLYWOOD NOSTALGIA RECIPE)

Steps:

• Cook dry beans according to package directions.
• Stir the tomatoes with juice into the cooked beans, and simmer 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the bell pepper for 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook about 15 minutes until tender, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the garlic and parsley; add this mixture to the beans.
• Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute the beef and pork, in two batches, if necessary, until browned. Drain.
• Add meat to the bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper to taste and cumin.
• Simmer mixture, covered, for about an hour.
• Uncover and cook to the desired consistency, about 5 minutes.
• The chili should not be too thick.
• Skim off excess fat and serve.

CHASEN'S ORIGINAL CHILI RECIPE

Steps:

• A secret ingredient added by a chef (after Dave Chasen stopped making the chili himself) is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons of Kahlua liqueur. I heard someone won a chili championship with the recipe, including that addition.
• *Chasen's used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. The restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half-inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili. Alternatively, ask the butcher to put the meat through a "chili plate" ONE time - this is a very coarse grind, and works well for chili.
• ** Chasen's used Gebhardt's Chili Powder and Farmer Bros Cumin. Sometimes cumin seed is used in place of the ground cumin. It's a matter of personal preference. You might toast the seeds in a dry skillet, and crush them before adding to the recipe.
• Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover 2' above beans. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
• Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.
• Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet, sauté bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim of excess fat and serve.
• NOTE: You can freeze this chili for several months. When reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.

CHASEN'S FAMOUS CHILI (CHASEN'S RESTAURANT)

Steps:

• 1. Wash beans and put in bowl with enough water to cover by two inches. Soak overnight. Pour the beans and soaking liquid into large kettle. Cover and simmer until tender, 1 to 2 hours.
• 2. Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes longer. While the beans are cooking, sauté green pepper in oil in large skillet for 5 minutes. Add the onions, cook and stir until tender. Add garlic and parsley. In another skillet, melt butter. Add beef and pork.
• 3. Sauté about 15 minutes and then add the meat to the onion mixture. Stir in the chili powder and simmer 10 minutes. Add meat mixture to the beans and season with salt and pepper and cumin seed. Simmer the chili covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue cooking 30 minutes. Stir now and then and add water to keep it moist if needed. Skim fat and serve in deep chili bowls.

NORA EPHRON'S CHASENS CHILI

Steps:

• Drain beans and rinse. Put into a large casserole with the can of tomatoes. (Remove basil if there's basil.) Heat for a few minutes. Heat oil and gently cook peppers. When soft add onions and gently cook. Add garlic for a minute or so. Add all to tomatoes. Melt half the butter and cook the beef and pork until no longer raw. Add spices and stir. Add to the tomato mixture and add the rest of the butter. Cook about thirty to forty five minutes, covered, over low heat.