Monday, March 21, 2011

Chili and Buttermilk Cornbread

Uptown Downhome Chili - recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Heat and enjoy.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds ground sirloin (Turkey for Kim)
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning) a palm full
1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced - (I use regulate white if I can't find these)
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, with their juices or 1 generous palm full ground chipotle chili powder, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon ground cumin, half a palm full
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock

Directions
Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the meat. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up, browning and crumbling it, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and return pot to stove. Reduce heat to medium- high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shirk and soften. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot surface. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms. Add the meat back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder and cumin. Add in stock to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Add the black beans, tomatoes, and stock to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings.


Buttermilk Cornbread

1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together and bake in 8" square pan at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Monday, March 7, 2011

CLASSIC MEATLOAF RECIPE

Kim - Yours was all pork. The others are half pork and half ground chuck. The gravy is for the potatoes. You might need to thin it out a bit with water (and add salt). I like less and Mike likes more. So...I figure everyone is the same as us.


Preparation time: 20 minutes to prep, 1 hour to cook.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of finely chopped onion

• 1 celery rib, chopped fine

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• 1 carrot, chopped fine

• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)

• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 2 tsp Worscestershire sauce

• 2/3 cup ketchup

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck

• 3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

• 2 large eggs, beaten slightly

• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.

3 In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup.

4 Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour.

Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites


1 recipe Taco Chicken
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cans chicken broth
1 15-oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers (if you’re scared, try serrano peppers; they’re milder)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (3-4 limes). Don’t even think of buying the stuff in a bottle.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

TOPPINGS:

Store-bought tortilla chips, or 2-3 corn tortillas, plus oil for frying
Sliced avocado or guacamole

Early in the day, begin marinating the chicken. Right before you start preparing the soup, start grilling it.

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and minced jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, cut up the avocado or prepare the guacamole, and fry the tortillas. Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings.