Recipes by Ralph Bellamy: Pork Vegetable Stew; Super Chili

Ralph Bellamy's Pork Vegetable Stew

2 1/2 lbs. pork chops
3 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
4 small onions, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled, cut in large pieces
6 medium-sized carrots, peeled, cut in large pleces
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1 large pinch dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsps. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
About 2 1/2 cups dry red wine (or cranberry juice)
1 lb. cleaned spinach (or 10-oz. pkg. frozen leaf spinach)

1. Trim off as much fat as possible from pork chops. Broil on both sides. Cool. Drain off excess fat from broiler pan and reserve pan drippings to flavor stew.

2. Put celery, onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper in large saucepan. Add about 2 cups wine (or cranberry juice). Bring to boil; cover and simmer 45 minutes.

3. Dice pork and add to saucepan with bones and pan drippings from broiler. Add more wine (or cranberry juice) as needed. Cover and simmer 45 minutes longer. Uncover and add spinach. Cook until barely tender and most of liquid is absorbed. Correct seasonings. Serve with tossed, well-chilled green salad, your favorite libation (wine, cold beer, etc.). Serves 4-6.

Thoughts: Other vegetables to use in the stew include: tomatoes, corn, broccoll, zucchini, squash, green peas. Brussels sprouts, watercress and water chestnuts.

Ralph Bellamy's Super Chili

2 lbs. coarse-ground beef (or diced beef, chopped size of sugar cubes)
1 tsp. fat
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
One 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 cans water
1 pkg. Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili
One 4-oz. can pimentos, chopped
Two 12-oz. cans Mexican-style corn
One 1-lb. can kidney beans (washed in strainer)
One 1-lb. can pinto beans

1. Cook beef in fat in large skillet (or saucepan) until meat begins to turn brown. Add onion, garlic, pepper and olives. Cook slowly until vegetables are limp.

2. Add tomato sauce and water; then follow chili instructions on package except adding the packet of masa flour (in chili mix package). Add pimento, corn, kidney and pinto beans to vegetable-meat mixture and mix well.

3. Cover, simmer slowly for about 1 1/4 hours (or until meat is tender). Stir often and skim off grease that floats on the surface.

4. Mix masa flour with enough warm water to form a thick paste. Stir into mixture to "tighten" and flavor chili. Let simmer uncovered 15 minutes longer. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve at once with crackers, beer and cold raw apple.

Thoughts: Every chili lover or chili maker has his own recipe and there are a million versions. But as long as you get chili powder, some cumin and masa flour (corn flour available at Spanish and-or Mexican food specialty shops or through mail order houses), you have a good chili depending on your tastes.