Hollywood Wrap Party Chili Recipe

By

Nightstory

Copyright (c) 2009

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I have a reputation that has evolved over years as a filmmaker that really feeds his cast and crews well, and it is expected that on the first day of the shoot and the wrap party that I bring my chili.  This recipe came to be when I was asked, and had said I would do it, to make my famous winter chili but I had had meetings all day and forgot to get some of the ingredients, so I did what every director or actor or wife in Hollywood has to do at some time, I faked it.  The production office kitchen had a two burner stove, a small refrigerator, and a sink.  I had my trusty Iron Skillet and large soup pot, my chopping cleaver, one parring knife, long wooden stirring spoon, a spatula, can opener, and a ladle.  I stopped at the nearby grocery and quickly bought the ingredients that were available.  It became a hit with my casts and my crews.  The key to making anything successful, especially food, is love.  You have to love making it, you have to love serving it, and most of all you have to love eating it.  I hope you enjoy it.

If you have to shop at the grocery store, here is what you will need to pick up:

3 pounds of fresh Ground Beef

1 bottle of Dark lager beer

2  Big Cans of Dark Red Kidney Beans

4  Cans of S&W Mexican Styled stewed tomatoes

1  Can of Hunts Tomato Sauce

1 Package of Carroll Shelby’s Chili mix (I found this has most of the ingredient spices I use, in the correct amount)

1  of each spice, Salt, Pepper, Lawry’s Seasoned salt, Hungarian Paprika, ginger, and Oregano

1 large yellow onion

1 small bottle of Holland’s cooking wine (White)

1 stick of butter

1 small Bottle of Virgin olive oil

Large Bottled water ( I did not trust the water from the sink.) 

For the Extras, I just went with foods that accessorize

Fresh Salad mix, plum tomatoes, cranberries, crumbled blue cheese, walnuts, croutons, assorted salad dressings

veggie platter

Sour Cream

Guacamole Dip

Kettle Chips

Veggie Chips

Nachos

Shredded four Mexican Cheese Blend

Disposable Bowls and untensils

Root beers and assorted drinks

Step one:

Open all the cans.

Drain the Kidney Beans.

Pour the Kidney beans and bottle of beer in the Soup pot.

unwrap the ground beef and sprinkle with salt, pepper, Lawry’s seasoned salt

Step two:

On the chopping board,

remove outer skin from onion,

slice in half,

Dice the onion.

Step three:

Place your skillet on medium heat

pour in Olive oil to coat the bottom of pan

once the pan has been thoroughly coated 

take half a stick of Butter, slowly melt the butter down

place the diced onion in the pan

sprinkle in about an eighth of a teaspoon of  paprika, oregano, ginger (just a pinch of this, as it can be overpowering), and pepper

stir onions until they are translucent

once they turn translucent, pour in about a 1/4 cup of the wine

let it reduce but stir it constantly, it will burn on the bottom of the pan, if you don’t.

Once complete, pour the sauteed onions on top of the kidney beans in the soup pot.

Step four:

In the now empty frying pan return to heat

take one pound of the ground beef and brown it,

drain it, and pour it on top of the onions in the soup pot

brown the second pound the same way,

drain it, and pour it on top of of the ground beef you have already put in the soup pot

This leaves the third pound of ground beef

brown it and drain it, 

return to burner and lower the heat to low,

take the Hunt’s tomato sauce and pour it on the ground beef, stir and blend,

pour some of the bottled water into the empty tomato sauce can and then pour the water from the can, slowly into the frying pan.  If you have a splatter guard, now would be a good time to use it, because it will start to bubble and pop.

Take the Carroll Shelby mix and open the chili powder, pour it in, stir until blended

Add the cayenne, a little for mild, the whole thing will make it to hot to be enjoyed by most

pour two cans of tomatoes (do not drain these) into the frying pan stir for about three minutes to blend the flavors

Take the mix from the frying pan and put it all in the soup pot, remove frying pan from the heat and place the pot on the lit burner.  I usually rinse out my frying pan under the sink at this point because it cleans up better.

Stir it all together and then pour in the remaining cans of stewed tomatoes,

fill three cans of the stewed tomatoes with bottled water and then pour them into the soup pot

Stir it all together for about one minute

cover and simmer for a half hour, stirring occasionally. 

Prepare the extras

Serve and get out of the way of charging grips.