OK, so I’m a day late for Super Bowl Sunday, which, according to my two younger sons should be “National Chili Day”. While I was growing up, my dad was one of those cooks who had certain meals. He made pancakes & sausage on Saturdays and eggs & bacon on Sundays (PopPop still makes eggs & bacon for our kids whenever we visit Sleepy Hollow or he visits Newburyport). And Chili. Chili was our Sunday football game staple, our New Year’s Day open house centerpiece, and still has a place on every buffet table my parents ever set. My dad’s one of those cooks who doesn’t really measure anything, just makes it the same, by eye and taste, every single time.

A friend of mine, who love my dad’s chili and also loved to cook herself, once made her chili for my dad. She wanted him to say it was as good as his. He’s a hard-nosed Irish man who likes things made one way and one way only. He said, “You put garlic in it. You don’t put garlic in chili.” (His reaction was similar when my sister Bridget introduced us to her Vegetarian Chili, which is spectacular, and I promise to share it with you soon.)

When my sister Maureen first moved to San Francisco, one of her roommates was from Wisconsin. When Fred and I visited, they served chili over spaghetti. It didn’t taste much spicier than meat sauce to me. My sister Regina likes to put cheese and sour cream on her chili; I save those for my tacos and nachos. As far as my dad is concerned, once you find something you like, don’t mess with it. And when it comes to this basic ground beef and beans chili, I tend to agree wholeheartedly.

PopPop’s chili

2 lb ground beef (Dad never used lean, I do)
4 cans Progresso dark red kidney beans, drained
2 T chili powder
2 lg onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce or Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce (a sentimental favorite because my dad’s name is Pete) to taste
2 lg cans whole tomatoes with juice
salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef, onions, and peppers in large stockpot. Drain fat from pot. Add chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, beans, tomatoes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 hours. Taste and fix seasonings if needed. Serve over white rice with corn bread and a green salad (I suppose you could top with sour cream and cheese if you must).