Pseudo Texas-Style Chili/Stew

Happy Monday!  How was everyone's weekend??? 

Ours was pretty fantastic!  Andy's birthday was Saturday and I tried to make it as awesome as possible!  I made him a Buckeye Cake (Everybody knows what a buckeye is right?  Peanut Butter.  Chocolate.  Need I say more?  It was definitely a rich cake (too rich for my taste, but right up Andy's alley!) and he even said it was one of the best cakes he's ever eaten!  Score! 

We also went to dinner at the Village Anchor which was pretty damn awesome, if I do say so myself!  And it was funny, too, because when we first walked in John Schnatter (Papa John's Pizza Owner) was just sitting casually at the bar.  I don't get star struck by any means, but famous people just amuse me.  Hehe.

Anyway, then Andy wanted so desperately to go see the new Harry Potter and so I took him!  We're not Harry Potter fans at all, he was just amazed by the cinematography, and I guess I do have to admit, it was a pretty good movie, and they slyly split it up into two movies so we just have to go see the next part.

Enough about my weekend, shall we get to a recipe?

I can't claim that this is a true Texas-Style Chili because I made a TON of adaptions to this, and well... I've never been to Texas and eaten chili there, so I have no basis for comparison.  But either way, whatever you want to call this, chili, stew, what-have-you, it was delicious.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

3 New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 Guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
2 canned chipotles in adobo
1 cup brewed coffee
One 12-ounce bottle pale ale
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 & 1/2 lbs. sirloin, cut into cubes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 cups beef stock
1/4 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Sriracha
1 can seasoned black beans
1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles (optional, I think this is a Midwest thing)
Shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos and warm corn tortillas, for serving

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add chiles.  Toast under just charred on all sides, about 4-6 minutes.  Place chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let chiles soften in liquid, about 20 minutes.

Drain the chiles and transfer to a tall bowl or container.  Add chipotle peppers and coffee.  Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.  Slowly add in beer and blend again for a minute or two.  Set aside.

Bring out the crockpot (1st crockpot recipe of the fall season guys!) and turn the heat on to high.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add olive oil.  Season the sirloin with salt and pepper and add half of it to skillet.  Cook until browned on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from skillet with slotted spoon and cook other half sirloin in the same manner.  Return all meat to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1-3 minutes.

Add onion and garlic to skillet with meat and cook until onion starts to soften, about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves.  Transfer mixture to preheated crockpot. 

Pour in chile-beer mixture into crockpot with meat.  Also pour in beef stock and black beans.  Let heat in crockpot for about 2-3 hours.

Ladle out 2 cups of the sauce and whisk in corn flour.  Return sauce back to chili and heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened. 

Add in spaghetti noodles and cook until they have softened.  Season with salt and pepper, if needed and add a little bit of Sriracha for some spice.

Ladle chili into bowls and top with cheddar cheese and jalapenos!  We also served this with corn bread and some warm tortillas. 
 

This definitely wasn't as thick of a "chili" as I wanted, so Andy dubbed it more of a stew than anything.  It definitely had flavor and for those of you used to tomato-based chili's, just chili-based chili is pretty rockin' so I'd definitely give it a try sometime!  Enjoy guys!

Chili Con Carne

So I'm not much on fast food. Sure, I'll take an occasional trip through the Taco Bell drive through after a night of drinking, but besides that, I'm a pretty anti-fast food kind of gal. As I stumbled upon a new website (to me anyway), Fancy Fast Food, I was a bit more than intrigued. The current recipe on there is a spin on KFC's new Double Down sandwich. If you haven't seen this sandwich... it's pretty ridiculous. I mean, I like chicken more than your average joe, but this is a little excessive. Practically, it's two fillets of breaded and fried chicken, sans bread, and with Monterrey Jack cheese and bacon in between. Yeah... heart attack in one bite, right? So to fancy it up, Erik from Fancy Fast Food pointed out that it's nothing but a gimmicky Cordon Bleu, and made it look palatable after turning it into an amuse bouche. Hmm... maybe fast food isn't bad after you strip it down and turn it into something else eh? I don't know, I think I may still have to stay away from it...

And I know chili really isn't on one's mind in the summer time, but this chili con carne is surprisingly light and delicious. Definitely even better for leftovers the next day after the flavors have gotten a chance to meld with eachother!


Ingredients:
Adapted from Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This!" - Super-Light Mexican Chili Con Carne With Beans

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
35 oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped and juice reserved
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. ground turkey breast
14 oz. can seasoned black beans, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chopped jalapenos (optional)

In a large dutch oven, combine the garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes & juice, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil under medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Bring the heat back up to medium high and add in ground turkey. Break up the turkey and add in black beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until turkey is cooked through.

Ladle chili into bowls and top with shredded cheese and jalapenos.

This is definitely a quick fix meal for a busy weeknight. The chili was ready within 30 minutes and you can definitely play with the amount of spice you want to achieve. Enjoy!

P.S. - we're not OFFICIAL! members of Grasshopper Distribution CSA here in Louisville! Our first pick up is July 7th and we're (mostly me) majorly excited!!!

Chili-Ginger Chicken w/ Shiitake Mushrooms & Napa Cabbage

I never knew what a good light kit would do for the appeal of my food. I came home this past Sunday after working until 10:30 to a kitchen that looked like something of a t.v. show set. I called Andy while I was on my way home to have him prep the ingredients for that nights dish, and instead he prepped the kitchen for a show... and I can't say that I'm upset, because the pictures turned out amazing, and so did the dish.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon asian sesame oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 & 1/4 lb. chicken thighs, cut into 1 & 1/2 inch strips
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons minced ginger
3/4 lb. napa cabbage, chopped (4 cups)
3 ounces daikon radish, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced

The original recipe I found had miso paste in it, and after searching all over Louisville (not really, I only stopped at Kroger and Whole Foods), with no luck, I decided to substitute the chili paste and black bean sauce to give it more of a subtle spicy flavor.

In a small bowl, mix together chili paste, black bean sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and 1/2 cup of the stock.



Heat vegetable oil in wok and add chicken thighs. Salt and pepper to taste and cook until done, about 5 minutes or so.


Remove from wok with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add mushrooms, ginger (instead of mincing my ginger, I had it in the freezer and grated it instead. The freezing of the ginger root keeps it fresh longer, and it just easily grates so I like it better that way), and remaining chicken stock to wok. Cook until mushrooms are tender.


Add the cabbage and chicken back in. Stir fry for a quick minute and add the savory sauce to the wok.


Allow to simmer and finally add in daikon and scallions.


Mix together and serve! Enjoy!