In the late 1930s, Oliver Wendell Petrie of Oswego, NY, served as a cook on board an oil barge that travelled on the New York State Canal System. In 2013, his family was kind enough to donate a number of artifacts from his time on the canals to the Erie Canal Museum, including his recipe book.
In this series, we will be recreating some of Oliver’s recipes and encourage you to make try them out yourselves! If you do end up producing an Oliver Petrie recipe at home, please share the results with the Erie Canal Museum on Facebook or Instagram.
Today our Educator, Derrick Pratt, is showing us how to make Oliver’s Chili Con Carne. Oliver’s original recipe is as follows:
Chili Con Carne
1 Tbsp butter or beef drippings heat in pan, add 1 lb. hamburger, 1 can red kidney beans, 1 can tomatoes, 1 Ā½ tsp chili powder, 1 Ā½ tsp black pepper, 1 Ā½ tsp salt
Chop 2 onions, 1 garlic fry in 1 Tbsp butter, add 1 green pepper, add to meat
Cook for 45 min.
Crush 1 Ā½ tsp caraway seeds in cloth, sprinkle over 1 Ā½ tsp flour, brown in oven, add to meat before it is done.
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