Chasen's Chili

9039 Beverly Boulevard

What recipe is more legendary than Dave Chasen's world famous chili? For years many Chasen Chili recipes floated around but I'm almost positive this one is the real deal. Think ingredients that were readily available decades ago for the resturant business. Both Farmer Brothers and Gebhardt comes to mind. With this said I traveled the web and this recipe tends to be the staple for a successful Chasen's Chili recipe. I've tried it several times and it truly is amazing.

Now for a little history...

From it's opening in 1936 until its closing in 1995 Chasen's was a Hollywood institution. The list of celebrities that ate at Chasen's, on a regular basis, was a who's who in Hollywood. From James Cagney, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart to the likes of George Burns, Ronald Reagan, Fred MacMurry and Joan Crawford... they all ate there. Alfred Hitchcock and his wife would have their Thursday night dinners at the resturant.

One of Chasen's many signature dishes was their chili. As legend has it Dave Chasen would come into the restaurant on Sunday mornings and make enough chili for the week. He thought that the Chili was best when it had been frozen (I haven't tried that yet). The chili was so good, that in 1962, Elizabeth Taylor had it shipped to Rome, for an estimated $100, while she was filming Cleopatra. Go Liz!

Elizabeth Taylor and singer Eddie Fisher dine at Chasen's in 1959

1/2 pound dried pinto beans
water
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped*
1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped*
1/3 cup Gebhardt's chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Farmer Brothers ground cumin

1. Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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 off excess fat and serve.

Makes 10 cups, or six main dish servings.

*Chasen's used a the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. Chop meat into one-quarter to one-half inch chunks. It's much better than ground beef for this chili.

Chasen's Chili LIVES!