FRITO PIE and WEST TEXAS CHILI

Frito Pie and West Texas Chili 

Active Time Total Time Yield

15 Mins 15 Mins Serves 8

By SOUTHERN LIVING

Here is a uniquely Southern dish that instantly reminds us of county fair food and weekend football. There’s a reason why this portable meal is a favorite among tailgaters and Texans. The famed pie is made with cheap, humble ingredients, making it the stuff of which simple and easy dinners are made. Our homemade version of the “Walking Taco” is filled with beefy goodness, like chili, crunchy corn chips, shredded cheese, and diced white onion. The chili is made with ground chuck, ale beer, and tomato paste, but feel free to substitute a leaner cut of meat such as venison. Use a large Dutch oven or stockpot to bring the chili to a simmer. We opted for a mess-free approach to mixing, instead of using the original chip bag to combine ingredients. Any small bowl will do here because the end result is just as tasty. After preparing the chili, divide the recommended serving of corn chips into 8 bowls. To keep the chips from getting soggy, ladle the chili over the chips just before serving and sprinkle each bowl with Cheddar cheese. Spicy, salty and cheesy, this is an easy take on a classic, old-school favorite. You can

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dress up this pie with whatever toppings you prefer, but we chose to top this crowd-pleaser with sour cream and sliced fresh jalapeño peppers. Fresh tomatoes, scallions, and crispy lettuce work just fine for this delicious guilty pleasure.

Ingredients

8 cups corn chips

8 cups West Texas Chili

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced white onion

Toppings: sour cream, sliced fresh jalapeño peppers

How to Make It

Place 1 cup corn chips into each of 8 bowls. Ladle 1 cup West Texas Chili on top of corn chips in each bowl. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon diced onion. Top with desired toppings.

Chef's Notes

Total cook time does not include chili.

West Texas Chili Recipe

Active Time Total Time Yield

35 Mins 1 Hour 35 Mins Serves 8

By SOUTHERN LIVING

Like the saying goes, “Don’t Mess with Texas,” and that includes their beloved bowl of red chili. Well, look no further than this recipe for perfect Texas chili. Every true Southerner knows that real chili bearing the name of Texas must live up to the hype and its namesake, which means excluding beans and large chunks of tomato from the ingredient list. Here, we created an authentic recipe that Texans are sure to appreciate. You won’t find any beans, because with this much beef and heat, who needs them? The chili consists of ground chuck or lean venison, tomato paste, a rich stock, and ale beer. But this delicious West Texas Chili also uses plenty of spices—from chili powder to ground cumin—to deliver a lot of flavor. But we created it to be used primarily in our made-from-scratch Frito Pie. Hearty and fiery enough to garner the approval of the Lone Star State, we love this chili for its thick consistency. Trust us, it’s far too good to pass up. Grab a spoon and dig in!

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   Ingredients How to Make It

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2 large onions, diced

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

5 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 pounds ground chuck or venison

1 tablespoon table salt

3 tablespoons ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes

1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

1 (12-oz.) can amber ale beer

2 tablespoons masa harina (corn flour)

Step 1 Sauté diced onions in hot oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high 7 minutes or until translucent. Add minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add beef, and cook, stirring often, 6 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch oven; return beef to Dutch oven.

Step 2 Stir in 1 tablespoon salt, 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, and 1 tablespoon paprika; cook 2 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste.

Step 3 Add 3/4 cup beer and 1 cup water; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 3/4 cup beer and 1/2 cup water; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4 Add masa; cook 10 minutes. Add additional water to reach desired consistency.