I'm not a religious person, but I'm pretty sure it's a sin to eat chili out of a can.
It's not one of those unforgivable, biblical sins, like coveting your neighbor's pickup or lying about your gas mileage. But it's right up there with thin gravy and hard biscuits.Still, we don't always have time to fix our own chili. The really good stuff has to simmer a few hours to blend the flavors. I know those bricks of premade chili are supposed to be good, but let's be honest here, who wants to buy something that looks like frozen grease?
So we do, occasionally, have to get our chili in a can. Generally, that means Wolf Brand Chili. I'm told it is the best seller in Texas, and I know people still remember those commercials where the white-haired guy says: "Neighbor, how long has it been since you had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? Well, heh, heh, that's too long."
(That line, by the way, was first delivered by Pop Meyrs, a former announcer for the Light Crust Doughboys and part of the "Early Bird" program on WBAP radio in Fort Worth, Texas.)
Wolf Brand was actually developed in Texas. The story goes that an old range cook used to make it for the cowhands on a Corsicana ranch. A member of the ranch family took over the chili recipe and sold it out of a big pot in front of the Blue Front Saloon in Corsicana.
There was really a wolf involved, too. Lyman Davis, who manned the pot in front of the saloon, bought a wolf from a circus in 1922. The wolf, named Kaiser Bill, ended up on the chili label.
The canned chili soon became popular and, by 1957, Quaker Oats had purchased the company. Now it belongs to ConAgra, a major U.S. conglomerate.
Wolf Brand Chili is something of a Texas institution, and because of that, might be the only brand that can get away with a new turkey chili.
Yes, it would once have been a sacrilege to speak of violated chili. Beef, peppers and spices were the inviolate ingredients. It is only now, after independence from Mexico, the Republic, statehood and the development of buffalo wings, that we have come to accept beans in our chili.
Turkey is a big step.
But it is good. I've tried it and liked it. It won't displace homemade chili, but when you need that really quick fix of spicy tastes and lingering indigestion, it will do the trick.
Wolf Brand researched its new product a little. The folks took it to the Republic of Texas Chilympiad in San Marcos, where they passed it out to 100 contestants. Eight out of 10 rated it very good to excellent, Wolf Brand says.
These are people who pride themselves on using gunpowder and road kill in their own recipes.
Here is a safer recipe that Wolf Brand suggests.
Staff writer Art Chapman contributes a column on low-fat cooking and eating to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Write him via snail mail in care of the newspaper at Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101-1870; or via e-mail at artc@startext.net. His World Wide Web site is www.startext.net/enteract/chapman.htm.
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Recipe
GRILLED CHILI-CHEESE QUESADILLAS
Serves 8
8 fat-free burrito-size four tortillas
1 (15-oz.) can Wolf Brand Turkey Chili (no beans)
2 cups each: Healthy Choice Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese and fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese, blended
1/2 cup diced green chilies
1 cup fat-free sour cream (optional)
Lay out tortillas on a flat surface. Spread 1/4 cup chili over half of each tortilla, within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese and blend evenly over the chili on each tortilla. Spread 1 tablespoon diced green chilies over other half. Fold all tortillas in half. Grill each for about 2 minutes on each side or until crispy and toasted. Cut each grilled quesadilla into 3 wedges. Serve with sour cream, if desired.
- Nutritional analysis per serving: 310 calories, 1 gram fat, 30 grams protein, 1,160 milligrams sodium, 2 percent of calories from fat.