No-Bean Chili -- The Most Bipartisan Thing in the House

Election week, and the library is a polling place — a fact I have always loved, because it means that on one Tuesday in November, the building that holds books also holds democracy, and the two are not unrelated. People who read make better voters. I believe this with the fervor of a preacher's daughter and the evidence of a librarian who has watched thirty years of patrons become better citizens through the simple act of reading widely.

The household did not discuss politics at dinner, because the household contains Robert, who is a quiet Republican, and Naomi, who is a quiet Democrat, and the quietness is not cowardice but wisdom — the wisdom of two people who have survived worse disagreements than tax policy and who know that the dinner table is not a debate stage. James, however, discussed politics at dinner with the enthusiasm of a first-semester political science student, and Robert and I exchanged the particular look of parents whose son has discovered opinions.

Mama voted. I drove her to the polling place — our library, my library — and she stood in line with her voter registration card and her dignity and her pearl earrings, and she voted. She could not tell me, afterward, who she voted for. She may not have known while she was doing it. But the act of voting — the standing in line, the entering of the booth, the pressing of the buttons — is a habit so deep that the disease has not reached it, and the habit is its own kind of memory, and the memory is its own kind of citizenship.

Carrie has started a political discussion group at Ashley Hall — unsanctioned, meeting at lunch, attended by twelve girls who are, according to Carrie, "the only people at this school who read the news." The group discusses current events with the passionate certitude of sixteen-year-olds, which is the age at which you are most certain that you are right and least experienced at being wrong. I remember the age. I envy its confidence. I do not envy its certainty.

I made Brunswick stew — the Southern hunter's stew, thick with tomatoes and butter beans and corn and the leftover chicken from Sunday's dinner. Brunswick stew is a democratic dish: it takes whatever you have and makes it communal, shared, greater than the sum of its parts. On election night, with the results coming in on the television that Robert was watching and I was ignoring, the stew was the most bipartisan thing in the house.

Brunswick stew is what I made that night, but I know not every pantry has the Sunday chicken left over, not every kitchen has the butter beans already soaked — and the spirit of the dish matters more than the exact ingredients. This No-Bean Chili carries that same democratic soul: thick, tomato-rich, built from whatever ground beef and canned goods you have on hand, the kind of recipe that asks nothing of you politically and gives everything back in warmth. It is the dish I would have made if the cupboard had been different, and it would have sat just as peaceably between Robert’s television and my deliberate inattention to it.

No-Bean Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onions for serving

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat and set beef aside.
2. Sauté the vegetables. In the same pot over medium heat, add the onion and green bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Build the base. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, letting it caramelize slightly against the bottom of the pot. This step deepens the flavor considerably.
4. Combine and season. Return the browned beef to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and beef broth. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne if using.
5. Simmer low and slow. Bring the chili to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens and the flavors meld together.
6. Taste and adjust. Taste for seasoning before serving, adding more salt, chili powder, or cayenne as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, and sliced green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg