Texas Red - Chili Con Carne

Made some chili from my new bon appetit magazine subscription (thanks James and Maria). Although my senses were impaired because of a sinus infection, it still tasted pretty damn good. Romer can vouch for me, he ate some while we made our latest batch of beer. It needed a little more heat, perhaps a hotter chili would have helped. I also made Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread muffins (looks better than they tasted) Simpkins, this will help you get rid of all of those dried chilis in your pantry.....


Ingredients
•4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
•4 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck (from about 5 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•2 medium onions, chopped
•1 head of garlic (about 15 cloves), peeled, chopped
•1/2 cup ground ancho chiles
•2 tablespoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
•1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
•2 teaspoons dried oregano
•2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
•2 tablespoons tomato paste
•3 tablespoons masa (corn tortilla mix)
•Coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
•Chopped green and/or red onion
•Chopped fresh cilantro
•Diced fresh tomatoes (optional)
•Sour cream (optional)
•ingredient info


Preparation

•Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of beef; sprinkle with salt. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to large bowl. Repeat 2 more times with 2 tablespoons oil and beef.
•Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon oil and onions. Sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; stir 2 minutes. Add ground anchos, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beer; stir 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Return beef and juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, 2 cups water, oregano, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Bring chili to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently until beef is just tender, 13/4 to 2 hours. Cool 1 hour, then chill uncovered until cold. Cover; chill overnight.
•Spoon fat from chili. Bring chili to simmer over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste. Sprinkle masa over; stir to blend. Simmer uncovered until thickened and beef is very tender, stirring often, and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 30 minutes.
•Divide chili among bowls. Top with garnishes and serve.


Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/02/chili_con_carne#ixzz1CfWPzYZr

Orzo with Spinach and poached egg

What's that you say, you're tired of scrambled eggs and bacon? Sausage muffins and home fries are getting old? Well my friend, look no further. This was just something I cooked up on a whim that turned out pretty nice. I like cooking orzo so that it is like a "fake" risotto, but if you had some leftover risotto it would probably work great for this.

Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)

4 oz of Orzo pasta

tbls or so of butter

1/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

2tbls or so of feta crumbles

couple handfuls of fresh spinach

2 eggs

Green onion and Parsley for garnish.

Salt and pepper

1. Cook up your Orzo and poach your eggs.

2. To the cooked orzo add the butter, parm, cheddar, and spinach and cook for a couple minutes until the spinach is wilted, add a little pasta water if necessary to creamy it up.

3. Dish the orzo out on a plate, stick your poached egg on top, garnish with crumble feta, green onion, and parsley and you've got yourself a great start to the day, 370 calories for those counting those calories.

Fish Dinner

So, the other day I had some hankerin for some fried catfish. I strolled (drove) up to the local fish market to find that they had no catfish that day so the fish monger suggested tilapia or grouper. So I says, "how bout a little of both!" Alright, I got my fish, but what about a side item... Well my friends, a southern style dish deserves a souther style side so I went with Red Beans and Rice, vegetarian version of course. The fish and beans turned out pretty nice, if you've never fried grouper I would definitely recommend it; D-lecious. Served it all up with some homemade tartar sauce and a side of Jeff's Famous Cole Slaw.

For the Fish

I wasn't real sure what type of breading I wanted to do, so I soaked my fish in a mixture of buttermilk and hotsauce for 20 mins or so, then dredge them in flour that I seasoned with old bay. I also add just a little bit of cornmeal to the mix for some crunch. Pan fried them in a cast iron skillet.

For the Beans

I've been cooking a lot of beans for my vegetarian wife lately, so at xmas I acquired a pressure cooker. I par cooked my presoaked red kidney beans in the pressure cooker (about 5mins)to cut down on the cooking time. In a separate pot I cooked celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a chipotle pepper together. I used the chipotle to add a little smokiness since I wasn't using any ham hock or anything. Then I added my beans with the cooking water and some salt and simmered for 45 mins or so. Served over white rice with some green onion, parsley, and a dash of tobasco.

Tartar Sauce

Mayo, Dijon, Lemon Juice, Relish, Capers, dash of tobasco, salt. Throw some of each in a bowl an stir, Voila! Tartar Sauce!

Cole Slaw

So, I love good homemade Cole Slaw. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I got it down pretty well. The Cole Slaw mix you get in the store is such a rip off and tastes like poop. Cole Slaw is cheap and easy to make and you will never buy the mix again. Follow a few simple rules and yours may turn out as tasty as mine.

1. Apple Cider Vinegar- If you want the tastiest Cole Slaw, you need to use Apple Cider Vinegar, not white vinegar, not red wine vinegar, Apple Cider only. Got it? Good.

2. Celery Seed- If you think you make good Cole Slaw and you don't use celery seed you are mistaken. Celery seed is a must, it gives it a little crunch, great flavor, and simply makes it taste like Cole Slaw. Use it!

My recipe is pretty simple, course I never really measure, I just add enough until it tastes how I like it, but I will try to estimate for all you folks out there in the Blogosphere.

Makes about 4 Servings

1/2 Head of Green Cabbage

1/4-1/2 Head of Red Cabbage

1 Carrot (grated)

1/2 Cup of Mayo

1-2 tbls of Apple Cider Vinegar

1- tbls of Sugar

1/2 tsp of Celery Seed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Half the head of cabbage, then cut into very thin shreds and mix with your carrot. I like to mix my "sauce" all together before I add it to the veggies. If you don't like it as creamy, use less mayo, if you like it creamier, add more. It's your world, I'm just livin in it. When you're happy with the "sauce" toss with the veggies to combine. Best made a day ahead to let everything come together. Enjoy!

Bacon Turkey Burgers

Decided to make some deluxe turkey burgers that turned out juicy and really tasty.  I used 99% lean ground turkey fried them in the iron skillet and finished them in the oven.  They turned out really flavorful and juicy...

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground turkey (2 1/4 lb patties)
2 cloves of garlic
Parsley
1/4 Red onion
Chopped green olives
Bread crumbs
1 egg
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
Gouda
Hickory smoked bacon

I combined the ground turkey, chopped garlic, parsley, chopped red onion, green olives, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Cooked in the skillet and finished it in the oven with hickory smoked bacon and Gouda cheese melted over the top, put on a nice roll.  For the side I thinly sliced red potatoes, lightly seasoned and cooked them in the oven until they are almost crispy.

Pulled Pork Crock Pot Style

So it was way to cold to use the smoker with 6 inches of snow on the ground so I had to use the trusty crock pot again.  I used a dry rub with sliced onions and parsley, let it sit overnight and then added about 2-3 cups of water and some liquid smoke to give it some smokiness.  About 8 hours later it fell apart...


Ingredients:  Serves 6 (with some leftovers)

4 lbs of Boston Butt (pork shoulder)
1 red onion
Parsley
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
garlic powder
cracked pepper
salt
ground mustard
cumin
paprika
cayenne pepper

Dry Rub:

Garlic powder
pepper
salt
ground mustard
cumin
paprika
cayenne pepper

Loose chop the onion and parsley and put on top of the pork.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Shred the pork with two forks (should fall apart almost on its own).  Drain the liquid (great for other dishes later) and add the pulled pork back in the crock pot with a little juice and enjoy. 

Bacon Butter

Yeah. Thats right. Bacon Butter.

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter; room temp
3 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
2 scallions, sliced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Process:

Add bacon to food processor and chop until consistency of bacon bits. Add all other ingredients and blend until combined. Keep at room temp for best spreadability.

Nachos Carnitas

I attended an all dude, nfl playoff, mariokart on Wii, beer drinking, food-fest on Sunday. I had been wanting to make carnitas but since, another buddy already had the entree covered, I made my carnitas into nachos by adding fresh jalapenos, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and queso fresco. Turned out pretty good, however, I zested the oranges and limes before I baked that carnitas, and the exposed pith made the braising liquid too bitter. I got the recipe off of this blog:

http://www.bakingbarrister.com/2010/12/party-pork-pork-carnitas.html

Beef and Noodles

I made some pretty good beef and noodles last Sunday. The meat was really tender and fell apart. The more I put food in the crock pot I realize it never steers you wrong.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:

2 lbs of beef (whatever is on sale at your store), cubed

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 chopped onion (red or white)

Salt

Pepper

Fresh Parsley

Olive oil

Cayenne pepper

Beef broth

Mushrooms (optional)

Green onions

Whipping cream (1 pint)

2 tablespoons of butter

Flour

Spicy Mustard

Rosemary

Egg Noodles

Sour Cream

First, I cubed about 2 lbs of beef (round, shoulder, whatever you want to use) and added salt, pepper, cayenne, fresh parsley, garlic, chopped onion and a little olive oil and let it sit overnight.

After it marinated overnight, add to crock pot with enough beef stock to cover the meat (I also use the leftover broth from other dishes and freeze it until I want it again). Add the mushrooms if you want them in the dish. Cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat is tender and falls apart with a fork.

Cook your egg noodles, al dente (we used about half the bag but adjust based on how many people you are cooking for).

In a pan melt: 2 tablespoons of butter, add a 1-2 ladles of beef broth from the crock pot and about half to three quarters of the whipping cream (depending on how much sauce you want). Stir in rosemary, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of spicy mustard and bring up to a boil to thicken. If you need to thicken a little more add a spoonful of flour and whisk.

Drain the beef broth from the crock pot (freeze it if you want to use again, which I recommend). Combine the beef, noodles and cream sauce in the crock pot, cook for a few minutes to thicken and combine and serve. Add a little sour cream and chopped green onion to each bowl and serve.

Jalapeno Cornbread with Honey Lime Butter

Sooo ... I had some left over braising liquid from my Mexican Pot Roast Tacos, and I didn't want to waste any of it. (Andy: You are the self-proclaimed braising king; do you ever use your left over braising liquid for anything?) I reheated it, reduced it, and blended it all together in my stand blender. Next, I tossed the sauce with some rigatoni, corn, and andouillee sausage. Topped it off with some shredded pepper jack cheese, baked it in the oven in a casserole dish, and I was sitting pretty. I decided to serve it with some jalapeno cornbread with honey lime butter. The butter was fantastic! One teaspoon of lime zest, one tablespoon of honey, and a bunch of butter (I only had unsalted butter, so I added some sea salt). I took the easy way out and used a box of T.J.'s cornbread mix, but I wish I would have made my own. (T.J.'s is a little too sweet for my liking.) Anyway, I just added a bunch of chopped jalapeno to the mix and cooked it in my cast-iron pan, which is the only acceptable way to cook cornbread - period.

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos are awesome! This is the second time I've used this recipe for tacos. They come out delicious every time. Used my own spice mix from some random dried chiles I had laying around (toasted in the oven and ground with my spice mixer), and I fried my own taco shells, which is a must for delicious tacos. The meat just fell apart after 3 hours of braising. Served it with shredded cabbage and T.J.'s authentic salsa. The side is a mexican corn and black bean salad. I fried the corn in my cast iron skillet with some of the extra spice mix to blacken it up a little bit. Very tasty stuff.

MEXICAN POT ROAST TACOS

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds beef shoulder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serve with shredded cabbage, salsa, guacamole, or whatever toppings you like on your tacos.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Saw this recipe on thekitchn.com during last weeks "soup week." I made it a little healthier by using skim milk, light sour cream, light cheese. It was still awesome.

Baked Potato Soup With Bacon, Onion & Cheddar
6 to 10 servings (depending on how hungry you are!)

2 cups cooked and diced bacon crumbles
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
8 cups milk (whole milk, if possible)
2 cups sour cream
1 large bunch green onions, diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
5 large potatoes, baked and cubed
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

If you are using sliced bacon you'll need to start by preparing it. You can save the grease and reduce the amount of butter accordingly for a richer taste. Storebought bacon crumbles will also do just fine (Costco carries a large bag that comes in handy!).

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot over medium high heat. Add flour and stir to combine until thickened. Add milk and whisk to combine until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and allow soup to heat over medium, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. You will want to keep an eye on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn, but since all the ingredients are already cooked, you're really just waiting for things to warm up instead of coming to a specific temperature.

Serve when warm and enjoy!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-bacon-onion-cheddar-136303

Baked Calamari

On Christmas, Beth and I made some baked calamari as an appetizer. This healthier version turned out pretty well. I really wanted to get some fresh squid, but after going to 4 separate specialty markets in Columbus, I found its not "in season". So, we used a frozen package of pre-cleaned calamari from Giant Eagle ($3.99) and it was still pretty good. The key here was roasting our own red peppers for the dipping sauce. I always thought it was okay to use jarred roasted red peppers (especially if you are using them in a recipe and not eating them by themselves) however after making this recipe and tasting how sweet they were, I will be roasting my own from now on.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray
2 red bell peppers
7 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 cup whole wheat panko
1/4 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper
1 egg
1 lb cleaned squid tentacles and bodies
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedge for garnish

Process:

1. Turn broiler on to high and place oven rack about 8 inches from heat source. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cut sides of bell peppers away from cores so you have 8 flat pieces; discard core and seeds. Place on baking sheet, skin-side-up, and broil until skin is completely black, 10-12 minutes. Transfer bell peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel all black skin away from peppers and chop.

2. Turn off broiler and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and mist with cooking spray. Gather up edges of foil and pinch together at top. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Open foil packet and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Squeeze garlic out of their skins and add cloves to a blender. Add bell peppers and habanero, and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and season to taste with salt.

4. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. In a gallon sided ziploc, combine the panko, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Slice squid bodies into about 1/2 inch pieces. Pat squid dry with paper towels. Dip a quarter of the squid in egg, shaking off excess, and add to bag with panko mixture. Seal bag and shake well to coat. Spread squid on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining squid. Bake for 13-15 minutes until squid is opaque and slightly firm. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro, dip in sauce and eat it up.

Roasted Vegetable Chowder with Bacon

I didn't take a picture of this one, but it was really good. Romer had a bowl while we bottled our most recent homebrew. By the way, who has tried my homebrew? Anyway, I really enjoyed this soup, and am becoming a huge fan of roasting veggies to bring out there flavor. The squash brought some sweetness to the table and I hadn't used parsnips before but I liked the flavor a lot.

ROASTED VEGETABLE CHOWDER WITH BACON
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
From Columbus Dispatch Robin's Picks

Makes 4 to 6 servings

While the veggies take a while to roast, they don’t require your attention while they do. And once they’re roasted, the soup takes little time to get to the table. Serve it with crusty bread and a green salad. To make the soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth.
1 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chopped
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Spread the squash, onions, parsnips, carrots and bacon in a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and brown and the bacon is crispy, about 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the garlic, wine and sage. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents to a Dutch oven.

Add broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables begin to break apart, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.


PER SERVING: 222 calories; 5 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 8 g fat (1 g saturated); 6 mg cholesterol; 734 mg sodium

Cubano

I know Simpkins is a fan of Cubans, and I'm not talking cigars or women here. I'm talking sandwiches. Even though I hate communists, the Cuban sandwich is one of my favorites. It is the perfect combo of oozy cheese, crunchy pickles and bread, salty ham and delicious pork tenderloin. Here is my version............

Calzones!

So I made some Calzones the other night. Turned out quite nice, first time I've made calzones since I've been working with these improved dough skills. Used a dough recipe very similar to my pizza dough. Kristin's was filled with Mozzarella, romano, goat cheese, fresh spinach, cremini mushroom, sundried tomato, and red onion. Mine was filled with Mozzarella, romano, pepperoni, mushroom, and green pepper. I baked them on by stone setup at 550 degrees for 10 minutes or so. After the came out I brushed them with a little butter and sprinkled on some parm. Served with some homeade pizza sauce of course!

No reservations Columbus Style

Not sure if you Columbus fools ever watch Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations, but he did an episode where he stopped in Columubs. Here are the places he stopped at, an awesome looking chinese place, and a bar that serves up some pretty dank looking pizzas.

Kihachi Japanese Restaurant

Tony and Michael Ruhlman sit at the sushi bar, while Chef Mike Kimura serves his traditional Japanese cuisine.

2667 Federated Blvd., Columbus, OH 43235

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ACTIVITIES

Clever Crow at Circus

Tony visits the Clever Crow at Circus where a young entrepreneur, Gary Robinette, serves up innovative pizzas.

1227 North High St., Columbus, OH 43201