Cal-Tex Mex Chili Stew with Pinto Beans Recipe

Is chili meant to be served with or without beans? Ah, that's an unresolved issue-- depending on where you're from and how you were raised. As a kid, my mother made Chili con Carne, because my father was Mexican. My mother never used kidney beans. Ever. She always soaked pinto beans and added them to seasoned ground beef, with lots of onion. The chili was always served with hot flour tortillas and a side bowl of salsa. Mimicking my father, I'd tear each tortilla into quarters, fold over the pointed end and fold it into a scoop to hold a mound of my chili --and eat it with great relish. To this day, I must have flour tortillas when I eat re-fried or chili beans, or something feels like it's missing. I love me some beans, and I do…