Wayne Baldwin's Amazing Story: Baldy's Eual Eldred Baldwin

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Stan Leavendusky Sr. used to carry his runabout like that when he and Butch were only running two runabout classes and needed only one boat. He carried it on the top of a camper top on his pickup and I remember asking him why "upside down" Short answer was "no water in the boat when it rains, and easier on the running surface (keeps the bottom straighter longer).

Some others in that time frame also used to carry runabouts upside down, but can't remember just who now, but the reason was it took better care of the bottom carrying them that way.


WAYNE: Just had to fix some of your beans tonite, and they were the best I have had in a long, long time. Thanks for the recipe. I notice no beans or tomatoes in the chili. Any specific reason why?

[Gene East]

You were very close Bill Van....it's roux. Pronounced like your spelling (roo). Baldy used to tell a cajun joke regarding the "X" in cajun words, but I can't remember it. It was something along the lines of another joke where a cajun went to New York City, and while ordering a hamburger, he didn't want them to think he was a cajun so he told them to "cut the rice". Told by Justin Wilson, that is a very funny joke. The Gumbo is very definitely on the list, and will come up later. This cold weather snap caused Debbie to make chili, and that is why I took the opportunity. As I mentioned previously, it was Gertie Chance (Jack's wife) that made the first gumbo we ever tasted. It was right there at Gertie's stove that Baldy learned how to make roux. Joe Rome's Dad Roland was also an expert on making roux. He grew up eating roux based dishes.

The little hot peppers you mention are called chilipequins and grow in south texas. They are very hot indeed. Wild turkeys eat them with no ill effects, and I've heard you could detect the flavor in a turkey that fed on them on a regular basis. We called them, as most South Texans do chilipetin's (cheele-peteens)

Upside down runabouts? I really don't remember Ron. It might be that Baldy thought we could keep the bottom straighter by carrying them that way. As far as a book goes, it might be fun to try it one day. A long time ago Debbie told me I should write down all the stories I told the kids as they were growing up. When BRF came along and I started telling some stories, it got more involved when I found my old D Konig. An Amazing Story evolved as I went along, and that gave me the idea to put down these memories of my Dad, how he loved to entertain his boat racing friends, and all the times we had. Recently my brother Mark showed me how to cut and paste from Word Perfect, and he even copy and pasted stuff from BRF and e mailed it to me. I was frustrated at having lost a bunch of stuff I wrote and punched the wrong key when Debbie hollered for help. Mark, and others here, told me how to do that, but I wasn't sure. Now that I will play around with it, I might give it a try. For a long time I've wanted to be able to save "An Amazing Story" and have a hard copy in case some disasterous Chinese worm ate the guts out of BRF, so maybe I'll play around with that a little while and learn something.

How does a cajun spell DOG?



PHYDEAUX! (Fido)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I think rain was a big consideration because like you guys say....the runabouts didn't have drain holes. I think the biggest thing though was trying to keep the bottom straight, and we definitely needed that. You are right about Quincy Welding and the runabout classes Gene. And the Phydeaux joke was one that Baldy always told as well. He was a big fan of all things Cajun, including Doug Kershaw and his fiddle.

Glad you liked the bean recipe Bill Van. As far as beans and chili goes, it is not a good idea to cook up beans with chili. The beans have their own characteristic taste and should stand alone. I do like beans with chili though. The way we do it is cook them separately, then if you want beans in the chili....just add how much you want. You could also do the reverse. Add a little chili to the beans. Both of these dishes taste even better the next day, so you can do combinations for a little variety.

As far as tomatoes go, Debbie doesn't put them in her chili. Baldy often did, but you should do it with Rotel tomatoes with little green chile's. That is the original Rotel tomatoes. Just plain tomatoes don't do it properly. The Rotel's have a little bite.

Here are beans and chili the next day.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

the more you "toot".

Wayne:

That was not very funny, but too good to "let pass", NO PUN INTENDED!!

Regards your comment, "you should not cook beans with chili, or the other way around", or something similar.


I had never heard that before and have always cooked them together. I fix quite a lot of chili during the year, especially for consumption during the winter months. I don't like it real hot,(haven't changed much since the time spent at your Dad's) but you can always add some hot stuff to the individual servings if folks like it a little spicier, as you mentioned.

I am getting ready to fix enough Chili for about 40 of our friends and shooting buddies. We have a "Chili Shoot" every year on New Years Day at our local sporting clays range about 10 minutes from the house, and because it is usually "chilly" we always have "chili" after we get done, so as to warm up a little. Most everyone seems to like it the way I fix it and by putting out extra hot stuff on the tables it allows everyone to season to individual taste on the basic meal.

The recipe I started with about 35 years ago was one that I found in a small cook book that came with a "Crock Pot" we bought. Over the years I have modified it somewhat and it has never failed to get lots of compliments. The biggest thing I have learned when reheating after the original preparation, is you have to be very careful when reheating a large amount (I usually fix about 3 containers for this bunch, each about 2 gallons capacity) or you will burn it very easily. I learned very early on to use another larger pan filled with some water, and then place the chili container in that for reheating. You pretty much eliminate the possibility of burning what you are reheating by doing it that way, unless you are really careless.

Since this has seemingly turned into a "Home Economics" class, I will try to take some pictures of the process tomorrow and post them at the first opportunity.

Again, thanks for the bean recipe, those are the best I have had since Ray's wife "Jenette" fixed some for us back in the mid 70's. That girl was hell on wheels, but she could really cook. Her beans, and also skillet fried quail were some of the best I have ever eaten. I think I was more upset when she left than Ray was, just for that reason.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You're actually the first person I ever knew that cooked beans with chili Bill Van. The chili afficianados condem that practice as I mentioned before, because that is not true chili. If it works for you and your friends though....go for it. A crock pot is a good way to cook it. Lo and slo.. I suspect though the person that wrote the cookbook was a Madison Avenue type, and probably never saw a real bowl of chili. Mark e mailed me what he remembered as Baldy's recipe and it said "1-12 chilipetin's...optional".

We had a couple of marginal freezes and I didn't cover the chilipetin bushes, so a lot of them fell off. At dark I gathered up some for a vinegar salad dressing, and I got extra to send you. Sorry I can't get them there in time for your "shoot", but there will be plenty of chili weather left and when it looks like a good cold blow coming down to settle over the country around late January or in February, I'll post Baldy's chili recipe.

Here's a couple of pictures featuring the little pepper "live coals". I have a herb garden to make stuff like this vinegar, but I never tried the chilipetins in it before. This particular one is garlic, peppermint and chilipetins. I used Ron's method to lay out the photoshoot of the chilipetins I am sending you. In the morning I will try to find some more plump ones to add.

NOTE: Maybe one more recipe while I am trying to locate negatives and learn new computer techniques before continuing the story.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

As previously stated, I did fix the Chili for the "Chili Shoot", but due to circumstances beyond my control, did not get any pictures. They really would not have added much to this recipe, as it is very simple and easy to fix, and everybody should know what the ingredients look like.

Following are the ingredients in quantities sufficient for FOUR to SIX Chili eaters, four if they are hungry, six if not so much. Crackers, additional chopped onions on top, cheese, etc., are optional and up to the eater. As previously mentioned, I am not much for real spicy food, and so I cut the chili powder portion in half to just 1 1/2 the amount called for. I was expecting about 40 folks for yesterdays shoot and eat, so used about 10 times the ingredients shown for this recipe, but due to mid 20 degree temps, only got about 30. That just left more for Eileen and I to freeze and enjoy later.

Ingredients for "Crock Pot" chili:

1/2 lb dry pinto or kidney beans. If dry beans are used, prepare as you would any dry bean by soaking in water, etc. If using canned beans, use two 1 lb cans. (I usually just use Bush's canned beans, either red or kidney, so as to eliminate the time involved in preparing dry beans. If you use canned beans, be sure and pour the liquid off and rinse the beans well in a colander before adding to the chili.) Based on Wayne's comments about not cooking the beans with the chili, I waited till the last hour of simmering before adding the beans this latest cooking time, and saw no difference, nor did the folks I prepared it for. Perhaps it is just because here in the mid-west most chili is prepared with beans, but I was only able to find one person at the Chili Shoot yesterday who had even heard that you were not supposed to cook the beans with the chili, and I suppose they might be slightly biased as they like my chili, but all said they didn't think it would make any difference, and in fact preferred it with beans included. One person had 4 bowls and most had 2 or 3.


2 one lb. cans of tomatoes. (I have never used the Rotel tomatoes Wayne mentioned, but am going to try them the next time. Sounds good)

2 lbs. coarsely ground chuck. (Browned in skillet prior to adding to rest of ingredients) If you are "health concerned" you might want to drain off the fat from the cooked meat in a colander before adding the meat to the rest of the ingredients for the final cooking time.

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped.

1 green pepper, coarsely chopped.

2 cloves garlic, crushed. (I usually substitute minced garlic here, but whatever floats your hydro, or runabout)

2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder.

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. (I would suppose those who like a really hot/spicy chili could add to this quantity or substitute other hot stuff if desired, but not for me)

1 teaspoon cumin (optional)

Put all ingredients in Crock Pot in order listed. Stir ONCE. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. Note: I NEVER use a Crock Pot for this recipe! Not for any reason other than I usually cook enough quantity that it won't all fit in a crock pot. I cook it on a stove top in a large (2-3 gallon minimum, like a canning pot, and that is what I use) for 3-4 hours by bringing to a slight boil first on MEDIUM heat, and then reduce heat to just enough to allow a slight simmer or bubble on top. Very important not to have too much heat at this point as you can burn very easily on the bottom of the pan and that taste will ruin the whole batch, and if you have fixed a large quantity, that is a costly loss of ingredients. I also stir more than just the once called for in the Crock Pot recipe, as the heat is not as evenly distributed on the stove as in a crock pot.

I did use a crock pot for the original amount of ingredients the first couple of times I used this recipe, for the amount called for in the recipe, but any more than the amount for 4-6 people would probably require a larger utensil for cooking than the average crock pot.


One more note regards the beans in chili: There used to be a place in KC called "Dixon's", and they fixed some of the best chili I have ever eaten. NO tomatoes , NO onions, NO garlic, NO cumin, NO pepper, just chili meat lightly spiced (ground beef type) over beans on a plate, with just vinegar and peppers in a jar on the table, and absolutely delicious. I have no idea of the recipe, but wish I did, as it was really good. Shortly after Eileen and I got married, I took her to one of the several in the KC area, and they had sold to a new owner, and the guy had put taco seasoning in the meat, completely ruining what I thought was one of the best meals around. Guess it just goes to prove, that Chili ingredients, like so many other things, are in the eye of the beholder (eater).

Try this recipe, if you like chili, I think you will like it, although if you like it really, really spicy and hot, you will need to add more of that type ingredient.

[jrich]

Nowadays you can buy a healthier course ground beef since more people are trying to cook healthier versions of old style meals. Baldy didn't put hamburger meat in chili, but Debbie does.

If you want really healthy chili, use venison....ground or cut into "chili chunks". I also agree that most southern chili recipes do not use beans. My wife fancies herself a chili maestro, so no two of her recipes are ever the same, but they are usually good. No tomatoes, no beans........and much like gumbo or stew...everything else is fair game.

I got a kick reading about Mr. Dill, Wayne. I remember him and his sign he always had out front for a week before the races at BBC. We went to his shop frequently for his small engine repair expertise.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Baldy also used venison when he had it available Joe. It is very tasty if you process the meat properly. And like you say...very healthy. The people that don't like the taste of venison generally have eaten venison that did not have all the fascia tissue removed and the individual muscles separated and cut up. If you cook a ham right away or shoulder right away, you don't have to do that, but the longer you let it set, or freeze with tissue on, the venison gets a rancid taste. Buffalo meat also makes good chili meat as well as hamburgers.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

1967 was turning into a volatile year. Race riots continued, more and more people were showing up at Vietnam War protest events, and Israel had the 6 Day War. In January of 1967 world famous car and boat speed record holder. Donald Campbell died in an attempt to bring the water speed record back to Great Brittain. He had spent some time at Conniston attempting to set the record, and had setbacks with weather and mechanical problems.

On January 4, Campbell made a two way pass with an average of 297.6 mph, with one run at 315. There goal was to reach or surpass the 300 mph mark in his jet powered boat Bluebird K7. The plans were for him to return to shore, refuel and wait for the water surface to calm before the next run. Instead Campbell stayed on the water and came around for another set of runs.

On his return he managed to get up to 320 mph before crashing. The last words from his onboard transmitter were "Pitching a bit down here....Probably from my own wash...Straightening up now on track....Rather close to Peel Island...Tramping like mad....er..Full power...Tramping like hell here....I can't see much....and the water's very bad indeed.....I can't get over the top....I'm getting a lot of bloody row in here...I can't see anything...I've got the bows up....I've gone.....Oh!"

A sad day and loss for all the boat racing world. He was the only person to have set both land and water speed records in the same year.

[F-12]

It's good to hear they are restoring the Bluebird and getting her back on the water. Going to be something to witness.............
Also.........on chili meat............There is a chili cook-off tomorrow in Orlando, and one of the entries is adding KANGAROO to the mix. Australia's most famous chef (compared to Wolfgang Puck) had an interview the other day here in the states and really had good things to say about kangaroo meat being healthy and very easily replenished. Wish I could make it but work has me running like a mad man right now. Any other strange recipes out there?
Tried Debbie's Chili.............good call. Everyone in this house but me is a vegetarian, so I had plenty. Thanks