okra creole

 

 

With the first of the summer’s okra arriving in my CSA, and my own first few pods ready from my okra plant, I was at a loss as to how to cook them. Fry them? Put them in a curry? Stewed them with tomatoes? Make gumbo? I ruled out the first two, as we’ve eaten several curries and a good share of fried vegetables so far this summer. Gumbo takes so long to cook that I didn’t find that very appealing in the heat of summer. That left stewed okra and tomatoes. Instead of playing it straight, I decided to give them a spicy treatment in a dish that resembles a vegetarian spin on shrimp creole. This can even be made vegan if you leave off the butter and increase the olive oil. Now, if that’s not your thing and you want to be truly decadent, you could always skip the butter and olive oil, render fat from a little bacon, and cook the vegetables in a couple tablespoons of that, then crumble the bacon over the top before serving.

 

okra creole

• 1 T butter
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lbs okra, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 pounds diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 T sugar, optional if using fresh tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 C water
• 1 T cayenne pepper sauce; Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce, if you have it
• sea salt and pepper
• a handful of chopped parsley
• a couple tablespoons minced green onions

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat until the butter is melted and the oil is hot. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook this until they are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the flame a little and add the garlic. Saute all this together until the garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes more. Then add the okra and turn the heat back to medium high. Season with the Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper, and cook another 5-7 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, and add the sugar, bay leaves, water, and cayenne pepper sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then taste and check your seasonings. Add more salt, sugar, or hot sauce as needed, until sauce tastes full-bodied and well-rounded. Let simmer another few minutes, then stir in most of your chopped parsley. Serve over white or brown rice, and sprinkle each dish with a little more parsley and some green onions.

Serves 4-6.

Pico de Gallo

I had one jalapeño come busting out of the gate, far ahead of any of my other vegetables this year. I needed to pick it and use it, so I decided to include it in pico de gallo where it could be a major player. I served this pico as a condiment to pair with tempeh tacos and a lime and peanut coleslaw. The tempeh tacos I made much like I make my chicken tacos, although I did come up with a seasoning blend for them. Still, your favorite taco seasoning can be used, and they will turn out delicious. I used about 8-10 oz of tempeh for the tacos in place of the pound of chicken breast.

Fresh pico is supereasy to make – just a little knife work, really – and so much better than anything out of a jar or even sitting in the produce department pre-mixed. The ratios are pretty simple, although I will say to be mindful of the size of your tomatoes vs. your onions. If you have a huge onion, you may want only to use part of it.

Pico de Gallo

• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced
• a handful of cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper or ancho chili pepper

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with tacos or fold into a bowl of diced avocado for easy guacamole.

Serves 4-6 as a condiment.

Eggplant Parmesan

Surprise! Just when you think this blog is defunct, I bust out with a new post. When I set out to make egg parm tonight, I didn’t plan to blog it. I had never made it before, so I didn’t know how it would turn out. It ended up being so delicious, though, that I knew that I had to both save the recipe and share it with anyone who might still be tuning in here or searching for a recipe for it. Forgive the crummy picture… I didn’t plan on sharing it.

I picked up an eggplant at the store last week because they were on sale, and they looked beautiful. I didn’t know what to do with it, but my husband immediately said that he would love eggplant parmesan. My lazier half quaked at the idea, but I agreed to do it. I kept procrastinating, secretly planning to broil it with a sesame sauce and be lazy. Today, though, I had run out of excuses and had plenty of time since it was the weekend. I was stuck. I like egg parm, but I don’t love it. I’ve really only eaten it in restaurants, and it tends to be oily, gluey, greasy, and mushy.

This recipe, on the other hand, is none of that. A little care in the prep yields a really outstanding result. The eggplant are salted to draw out water, and then pressed firmly to extract as much fluid as possible. They are breaded, but then they are baked and not fried – cutting down on the oil and the calories. These firm, toothsome rounds are layered with homemade, thick tomato sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese before they are baked. The top layer of eggplant isn’t covered with tomato sauce, but rather has a stripe of the sauce and cheese drawn across the baking dish to allow the top layer to stay as crisp as possible. In the end, the dish comes out dense and flavorful, with eggplant that really tastes of eggplant. It was amazing, and I’m so glad that I made it.

Eggplant Parmesan

• 1 large eggplant
• 1-2 T kosher salt

for the tomato sauce

• olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• a fat pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 1/2 T fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• kosher salt

for the eggplant

• 1 C flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 C breadcrumbs
• grated parmesan cheese (not that horrible shakey cheese in the green canister – get something decent in the deli section of the grocery store)
• olive oil spray (this could be real olive oil in an atomizer, olive oil cooking spray, whatever)

for assembly

• 2 C grated whole milk mozzarella cheese
• grated parmesan cheese (see note above)

Slice eggplant in rounds between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thick. Lay the slices in a colander and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let them rest for at least 30 minutes to draw out as much water as possible.

While the eggplant is resting, pour enough olive oil into a large saucepan to cover the bottom. Heat this over medium high heat, then add in the onion. Sprinkle it with salt to keep it from sticking to the pan. Cook until the onion is soft and clear, then add the garlic and cook until is is fragrant and golden, being careful not to burn it. Grate in the carrot and add in the thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Saute all of this together for about five minutes, then add in the tomatoes. Season with some salt. Bring the whole thing up to a boil, then turn down the heat, put a lid on it, and let it simmer for around 30 minutes or so. Taste to adjust the seasonings as needed.

Preheat your oven to 425º. Now, set up your breading station. In one bowl, mix flour with some salt and pepper. In the next, have your beaten eggs. In the final bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, and lightly mist the foil with olive oil spray. Once the eggplant have rested long enough, rinse them well with water. Then squeeze them firmly between either tea towels or paper towels to get as much water out as possible. Dip the eggplant slices first in the flour, then in the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture. Lay them out on the cookie sheet. When all the slices have been breaded and placed on the sheet, lightly mist them with the olive oil spray. Bake them for 15 minutes.

When the eggplant slices are golden brown and crunchy, it’s time to assemble the dish. Leave the oven on while you do this. Grab a 9×13 glass baking dish. Spread about a cup (maybe a little more) of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay the eggplant slices in two rows with overlapping edges in the dish. Cover them with more tomato sauce, some mozzarella cheese and some parmesan cheese. Then, layer more eggplant slices on top of these two rows in the same way. Instead of completely covering them with sauce, add a stripe of sauce down the middles of the two rows. Add more mozzarella and parmesan on top of this. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, brown, and bubbly.

Serves 4 if offered with just a green salad on the side, or up to 8 if served with a side of pasta, as well.

Fried Pork Chops

A couple of weeks ago, I was planning my grocery shopping and asked my husband if there was anything he would like for dinner that night.  After some consideration, he proffered, “Fried pork chops.”

As soon as he said the words I was transported to my early childhood.  I had not yet started living with my grandparents, and on Fridays my Grandma would pick me up to spend the weekends with her.  Almost every Friday night, she would prepare one of my favorite meals: fried pork chops, white rice, and steamed sliced carrots.  Sometimes there would be Sunbeam dinner rolls served on the side.  There would always be a dessert, but they were overshadowed by the chops.  What I remember is how the smell of the pork chops frying would prick at my tastebuds and make my mouth water.  I would bob in and out of kitchen, looking at the bubbling grease and the frying chops, the bowl of flour to bread them.  I would notice how blood rose out of the bones as they fried, but I was not disturbed by this.  Instead, I marveled at the transformative power of cooking.

At last they would be ready, and I would sit at the table waiting to be awarded my plate. I would first grab my pork chop, bits of the crust flaking away.  I would devour every bit of meat and crust on it, suck the bone dry, maybe even try to dig out the gristle or marrow.  The salted crisp of the breading melted on my tongue, preparing the way for the tender pork processional from each bite.  Then I would stick forkfuls of rice into the crumbs so that they wouldn’t be wasted, mashing the sticky rice onto the plate so that no trace of the chop would be wasted.  I ate in a near frenzy of pure pork devotion.  It was one of my very favorite meals.

Years later, fried pork chops aren’t a food I have considered in a long time.  They are homely, and they take a little work.  I haven’t eaten them in over 10 years.  At some point when I was in high school my Grandma quit frying, because she was aging and it was painful for her to stand over the stove.  At that point fried pork chops faded from my gustatory repertoire.  But now, these chops demanded my consideration. I was confronted with the challenge of making them.  I knew it would not be as easy as I remembered.  For one, I have never understood how my Grandma achieved such a crisp crust on her fried foods using only flour.  No eggs, no milk, no soakers — nothing.

Knowing my own limitations, and also what works for me in the kitchen, I decided to change the preparation techniques a bit so that I would have results consistent with memory.  Even though I changed the way they were breaded and fried, I seasoned the chops traditionally.  To do so, I used a staple of my Grandma’s pantry, also a staple of mine:

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.  In our house it went on pork and beef.  Not french fries, not chicken, not veggies.  Just pork and beef.  It’s the secret to Southern flavor, or at least how I remember it.  After seasoning the chops with Lawry’s, some pepper, and a whisper of cayenne, I soaked them in buttermilk.  Then, I dredged them in a flour and cornstarch blend and fried them in vegetable oil.  I wanted to achieve the salted tang the meat held in memory as well as a perfectly crisped crust.  The technique worked brilliantly.

To serve, I chose traditional veggie sides that would appear on my family’s table in summer.  I skipped the steamed sliced carrots in favor of corn on the cob, sliced cucumbers, and sliced tomatoes.  With veggies so fresh, there’s no need to have anything overcooked or very complex.  In a nod to my Grandma’s meals, I served white rice.

My husband and I ate the meal on our back porch, enjoying the breeze, the summer evening, the food.  We gnawed on pork chops and talked about how we remembered eating them.  His mom served them up with mashed potatoes.  Sounds good for winter.  Because, of course, I am already looking forward to making these again.  Some traditions need to be remembered and continued.

Do you have any homely, everyday family recipe traditions that you would like to continue? I’d like to hear about them. They don’t have to be fancy to be important.

I am submitting this recipe to July’s Family Recipes event, hosted by Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honey Bunch and created by Laura of The Spiced Life.

Fried Pork Chops

• 4 bone-in pork chops
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• a couple pinches of cayenne
• 1-2 C buttermilk (enough to cover chops)
• 2 C flour
• 2 T cornstarch
• vegetable oil for frying

Season pork chops on both sides with Lawry’s and black pepper.  On one side, sprinkle a pinch or two of cayenne pepper over the chops.  Place the chops in a baking dish that just holds the chops, then pour buttermilk over the chops to cover them.  It should take between 1 and 2 cups.  Let the pork chops rest for about 30 minutes while you prepare the breading and the oil.  Combine the flour and cornstarch on a plate or a shallow dish, stirring together with a fork.  Heat a 1/4″ of vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350º.  When the oil is hot, remove a chop from the buttermilk, shake off the excess liquid, then dredge both sides of the chop through the flour.  Fry the chops in a single layer for 5-7 minutes per side.  The chops will be golden, and the coating will bubble and crisp up.  If you have to fry the chops in two batches, be aware that they will cook a little quicker and darken faster.  Remove the chops to a rack or paper towel lined plate to drain.  Serve hot.  Leftover chops are delicious cold from the fridge and will keep for up to three days.  However, they are best eaten the next day.

Serves 4.

How to Make Great Guacamole

Guacamole is a food I am often very picky about.  Some are too smooth, some near blended, others too bland. Some just aren’t chip friendly.  Texture ends up being the trait that makes it or breaks it as a great dip for me.  If the flavor is lacking, I can squeeze over some lemon or lime and add some salt.  But, if the texture doesn’t have any assertiveness to back it up, if the guacamole is just a dead thing on the palate– I can’t eat it.  The best guacamole I ever had was at a New Year’s Eve party several years ago.  The woman who made it had a secret weapon ingredient: garlic salt.  Who knew?  It certainly worked, though.  Hers was also the first I’d seen with visible onion and tomatoes added.  This combined to make a fantastic guacamole, and I’ve been chasing after recreating that for quite a while.  I also use lemon juice instead of the traditional lime.  I like the sharper flavor it imparts to the dish.

Achieving what I find to be great guacamole texture isn’t difficult, but it is tricky.  Great guac is a little chunky, but the dip still holds itself together.  I achieve this by cubing the first avocado and mashing it up with a fork.

Next, I mix in the other ingredients.

Then, I cube the final avocado and toss that throughout.

This leaves the dip tasting well-blended, but it still has toothsome chunks to enjoy.  Guacamole is a delicious late spring appetizer or snack option, as avocados are in season and you can get all of the ingredients while they are fresh and at their most flavorful.  Serve it with your favorite chips or  toasted pita points.

Guacamole

• 2 avocados, cubed, one set aside
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 serrano pepper, minced
• small handful of cilantro, chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch of cumin
• pinch of ground ancho chili (optional)

In a medium bowl, or serving bowl, mash one half of the avocado cubes with a fork.  Squeeze half the lemon juice over this.  Add in the onion, tomato, serrano, cilantro, and garlic.  Mix all of this well with the mashed avocado.  Add in the remaining avocado cubes.  Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over this. Season with the salt, garlic salt, black pepper, cumin, and ground ancho chili.  Toss all of this together very well, in effect dressing the larger cubes of vegetable with the mashed avocado.  Chill well and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Baked Spanish Rice

Wow, I have been really lazy about updating ye olde blog lately, haven’t I?  I just sat and flipped through pictures from my camera and realized that I’ve done some cooking.  I’ve taken some pictures.  I just haven’t written about it.  So, it’s time to play a little catch up.  Plus, I promise that for every exciting bread of Peter Reinhart’s that I post pictures and commentary on, I will have at least one original recipe of my own.  Seeing that I have a bread ready to go for tomorrow, it’s time to hit the photo archives and present you with something good.

And, something good is definitely what this rice is.  I served it with chicken, roasted in the oven and sweetly spiced with pimentón, garlic, lemon, and honey.  The recipe for that is forthcoming also, but this rice was uncommonly good.  I took a little inspiration for dinner that night from Peter’s blog Kalofagas.  He had posted this simple roast chicken with baked rice.  It looked amazing!  I am a devotee of anything rice, but I have never eaten it baked.

Needless to say, I was intrigued by the idea and shelved it for future use.  So, several months later I’m in my kitchen, I have this chicken, and I’m building a meal around it.  I wanted to serve something on the side that played into the bold flavors of the spicing on it and stand up to it.  I also wanted to be lazy and get away with only serving chicken and a side dish because American Idol was coming on, and I wasn’t about to miss it.  Might this be the night for baked rice?  Well, maybe, but I wanted more than just baked rice.  I started thinking about what would be great with that smoky, sweet, slightly spicy chicken.  Baked Spanish rice.  This rice is full of flavor and is terribly, terribly easy.  It can hang out in the oven right next to the chicken and just bake away happily, getting crusty on top and fluffy below.  Seriously.  Try it.  It will enhance a lazy chicken meal with minimal effort!

Baked Spanish Rice

• 1 C rice
• 2 C hot chicken broth
• 1/4 C chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 C bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6-8 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground ancho chili
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 425º.  Add 6-8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the bottom of  a six-quart casserole or baking dish.  Make sure it covers the bottom.  Next, add the rice, onion, garlic, tomatoes and bell pepper. Stir to coat with the olive oil.  Then, pour in the hot stock.  Season with the oregano, ground ancho pepper, cumin, and the salt and pepper.  Stir well, to combine all flavors and ensure an even texture.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour.  If you are baking next to chicken and have to reduce the heat, the cooking time may be longer.  Make sure all liquid is evaporated.  Before serving, fluff with a fork and garnish with parsley.

Serves 4.

 

 

Easy, Classic Spaghetti Sauce

 

Easy, Classic Spaghetti Sauce

 

 

I feel a little ashamed posting two spaghetti recipes back-to-back.  But, I’ve got neither the time to blog nor the time to cook lately to provide me with an alternative.  Today marks the third morning I’ve woken up in our new house.  After packing my kitchen up  completely over a week ago, I have been jonesing to get back in a kitchen and make something.  Anything, really.  So, on Monday I set to unpacking our living room and kitchen first off.  I may still be pulling my clothes out of boxes, but I am going to have my pots and pans!  The challenge after unpacking then became groceries.  I had donated all my non-perishable food to the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank before I moved, and I brought only my spice collection with me.  Upon arrival, I discovered that we have one grocery store in town, a small Food Lion, so I will be traveling 20-30 miles every week to get my shopping done.  Meanwhile, The Hubz was requesting spaghetti for dinner.  This was a meal I felt confident our little grocery could deliver.  

Now, spaghetti can be sauced with a million things, but I like classic, tomatoey red sauce when I crave “spaghetti.”  And, to this end, I prefer canned tomatoes.  If you choose the right ones, you’ll end up with a sauce that’s perfectly thick and “smooth-enough” for the standards outlined in Mark Bittman’s article.   I like to use crushed tomatoes– they require zero effort, and they make a perfect sauce.  As usual, this sauce comes together very simply, and it doesn’t require a lot of work.  It’s tomatoey, garlicky, and has just a touch of zing.  It will keep in the refrigerator, should you have leftovers, for three days.  It will freeze, as well.  The recipe makes enough sauce to dress one pound of pasta.  

Easy, Classic Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 lbs spaghetti, cooked according to package directions (use gluten free pasta to make recipe gluten free)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• fat pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 T fresh basil, chiffonade
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

While waiting for your pasta water to boil, heat a a big splash (a couple of tablespoons) of olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, and lower the heat.  Sprinkle salt over the onions to keep them from sticking to the pan.  Sweat the onion for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and saute for a minute.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Pour in the tomato sauce, and add the oregano and the sugar.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Stir to combine well.  Lower the heat to simmer the sauce while your spaghetti cooks.  Simmer, stirring occasionally.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your favor.  When pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and place it in a serving dish.  Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and garnish with the fresh basil.

Serves 4.

 

 

Fried Ravioli, Revisted

When I heard that March 20 was National Ravioli Day, I was immediately reminded of one of my first blog posts: Ravioli di Bruschetta.  (n.b.: for a complete listing of all the national food holidays, check out this website). It was a great dish, and I made it last year because I had heard the same bit of trivia.  I am not one to eat ravioli very often, because I detest ricotta cheese and most other people eating ravioli dream of an ooey-gooey delight.  However, I once choked down a very acceptable fried ravioli at a little Italian restaurant– now closed– in Savannah.  I suspect the main reason I liked the stuff was the fact that it was deep-fried and served with a zesty tomato sauce.  This ravioli dish was different. I selected a chicken-filled pre-packaged ravioli, and I sauced with a bruschetta-like fresh tomato topping.  

So, here I am: one year later, thinking of that early post, and craving toasted ravioli all over again.  I realized that it didn’t even have a picture.  This meant it had to be made!  And photographed!  And updated!  There aren’t a whole lot of changes, but I did use an egg and milk blend for battering.  I also added a bit more garlic.  Shouldn’t “MORE GARLIC” become the food blogger refrain, much like “MORE COWBELL?”

The original post is here, for historical purposes.

Ravioli di bruschetta, Redux

• One package of your favorite ravioli, cooked according to directions (if you’re really industrious, you could make your own).  
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 egg
• 2 C bread crumbs
• olive oil (not extra virgin) for frying
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, or assorted herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, and marjoram
• 1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated
• 8-10 Amorosa or Campari tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T basil chiffonade, plus some extra chiffonade for garnish
•  Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Cook ravioli in salted water according to package directions.

Meanwhile, make the tomato topping: chop and seed the tomatoes, and mix in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well, and let it rest so the flavors can develop.   

When the ravioli have finished cooking, drain well, drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking,  and set aside on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.  Heat an inch of olive oil in a 12 inch skillet.  While the oil heats, set up your frying station.  In a bowl, beat the egg and milk together.  In a second bowl add the bread crumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese.  Mix together well with a fork.  When the oil has heated, dredge the ravioli first in the egg mixture – shaking the excess off – then the bread crumbs.  Repeat if necessary.  Shake off the extra bread crumbs to prevent them from burning in the oil.  Fry the ravioli in single layers until golden brown.  Then, remove with a slotted spoon or spatula to a plate lined with a paper towel.  

To serve, place a layer of the ravioli in bowls and spoon the tomato sauce on top.  Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and basil.  

Serves 4.

Chili Con Carne

It’s New Year’s Eve.  It’s chilly and windy outside, and I’ve got some fireworks.  I figure, what better to make for dinner than something that’ll put some fireworks in my mouth: chili.  I know that chili-making is revered by many as an artform, a day-long struggle with spices and beans and meat in quest of perfection.  Now, I respect that, but I rarely have the time to simmer an entire day away.  Today, for example, I had to work and then had the pleasure of heading out to a New Year’s Eve party for the night. My chili is ready in less than 45 minutes, it’s got lots of flavor, and the heat is adjustable.  Now that sounds awesome.  I also like to use extra lean ground beef, about 10% fat.  This keeps the fat content down, prevents having to drain the beef, and crumbles up beautifully.

Served as is, this chili is warm and mouth-tingling.  But, it’s not so spicy that eating it isn’t compulsory.  I love chili, because it’s so similar to another of my favorite foods: curry.  Like curry, you can change the meats, the garnishes, the spices, the veggies and change the dish entirely.  For this chili, there are lots of easy variations that allow you to make it often and vary it slightly each time.  Stir in a pound of pasta and cover each bowl with a cheddar and pepper jack blend: chili mac.  Switch up the meat and make it with ground chicken or turkey.  Or, use different garnishes: salsa, raw onions, green onions, pickled jalapenos, cheeses, cilantro, lime wedges.  You can make a huge pot of this, put all the garnishes you come up with on a table and have a chili buffet.  Me? I mowed down two bowls. 

Chili Con Carne

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 lbs lean ground beef
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 T grill seasoning
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 T dark chili powder
• 1 1/2 T cumin 
• 1 tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 C beef stock
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• a pinch of sugar
• 1 15 oz can light red kidney beans

Heat a oil in a large pot over high heat.  Add beef and reduce heat to medium high.  Season beef with salt, pepper, and grill seasoning, then add Worcestershire sauce.  When meat is browned and crumbled, add the onions, peppers, garlic, and spices.  Cook together for 5 minutes.  Stir in the broth and scrape up the pan drippings.  Reduce for 2-3 minutes then stir in tomatoes and beans.  Add the sugar and let everything simmer for at least 10 minutes.  Taste, and adjust the seasonings.  

Serve with corn chips or saltines.  Garnish with any of the following: shredded cheddar or jack cheese, sliced pickled jalapeños, chopped green or yellow onion, sour cream, cilantro, lime slices, or salsa.  

Serves 6.

Spring this recipe!

WHB #158: Spanish Stuffed Peppers with Chorizo and Fideos

With one week of the farmers’ market left for the season, it’s getting difficult to find a good selection of veggies.  One of my favorite finds has been the late season bell peppers.  All kinds of yummy right there.  One of my favorite ways to prepare bell peppers is by stuffing them with all kinds of deliciousness.  While I was shopping at Barnes and Noble earlier today I stumbled upon the cookbook from “Spain: On the Road Again.”  I flipped through it for a while and felt jealous that I wasn’t jaunting around in Spain eating tasty stuff and hanging out with Mario Batali and co.  Then, I started thinking about dinner.  And, I started thinking about stuffing those bell peppers and bringing all those fantastic flavors into play.  I normally use a sausage and rice mixture in my stuffed peppers..  This time, instead of the usual pork sausage, I would use chorizo.  Instead of just rice, I would use a mixture of rice and fideos – those tasty little fried noodles that are often cooked in olive oil and stock.

If uncooked chorizo isn’t readily available at your local market, it’s easy to substitute another pork sausage.  The flavor won’t be exactly the same, but it will work better than plain sausage or using the pre-cooked chorizo.  I tend to avoid Italian sausages, because I don’t want the fennel flavor coming through – it can be very strong.  Instead, opt for something plainer.  To one pound of the loose sausage, add two cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon of pimentón (smoked paprika), and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Saute until the sausage is browned, and you’ve just faked chorizo.

I’m submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging # 158, hosted by Heather of Diary of a Fanatic Foodie.

Spanish Stuffed Peppers with Chorizo and Fideos

 

• 6 green or red bell peppers – or a mix

for the rice

• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 C uncooked vermicelli, broken into 2″ pieces
• 1 C uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 pinch saffron threads

for the sausage mixture

• 1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 8 oz chorizo
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 C diced green bell pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
•  1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 scallions, chopped
• 1 T parsley

for the tomato sauce

• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 T basil, chiffonade
• a splash (~2 T) white wine
• a splash (~2 T) chicken stock
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 T bread crumbs
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

for serving

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 400º.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add clove of garlic and fry until it takes on just a shade of color.  Add the broken vermicelli and saute until it is golden brown.  Then, add the long grain rice and the water.  Season with a pinch of saffron threads and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to low and cook until rice is fluffy, about 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, cut the tops off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and veins.  Slice a thin piece from the bottoms of the peppers so they will stand up in a baking dish.  Chop enough fruit from the tops to make a 1/4 C of diced green pepper.  Reserve this, and toss the stems, seeds, and veins.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  

Next, prepare the filling for the peppers.  Brown the sausage in a large saute pan.  Add the onion and chopped green bell pepper.  Sauté until the onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and sauté another 1-2 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, the cumin and the oregano.  Add the remaining clove of garlic and the rice mixture. Stir well to combine, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the scallions and parsley.

Pour the tomato sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Whisk the white wine and chicken stock into the dish, to loosen the sauce up and help it coat the bottom of the dish. Season with salt and pepper.  Stuff the peppers with the sausage mixture, and set them in the baking dish.  Mound the filling in up to the top, packing it in.  Cover the peppers with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs each.  Drizzle the crumb tops with extra virgin olive oil.  Bake the peppers covered with tin foil for 30-40 minutes, then uncovered for another 10.  To serve, spoon some of the tomato sauce over the peppers, and some onto the serving plate.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6.