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Recipe: Baines Family Chili

March 7th, 2010

Spring is allllmost here. Putting winter behind us means lots of my favorite foods will be out of place for weeknight dinners. Since that is the case, I think this may be my final batch of chili until next October.

Evan and I have been making chili together from his mom’s recipe for years, but lately I’ve really tried to make it our own, changing up the principles and adding different spices to please our palates.  There’s lots of things you’ll see included in the ingredients that are pretty standard to a pantry (cumin, cocoa powder, brown sugar) and some things that aren’t (Kentucky Bourbon, whole cumin seed, instant coffee) but if you acquire many of these ingredients, they keep forever and a day and they’re staples for which I’m sure you can find other uses.

Also it should be noted that I am making this batch in a Crock Pot Slow Cooker. You can also do this stovetop over really low heat for a few hours. In my experience, truly amazing chili needs at least four hours, but is perfectly passable with less.  Allow at least an hour for prep and initial cooking before you leave it unattended in whatever cooking method you choose.

Spring is officially here March 20, so you have a few weeks yet. Invite some friends over and give Winter a proper sendoff with this stuff.

Ingredients: Basics

• 2 lbs. thin-sliced top sirloin OR fajita beef (ask your butcher, he knows)
• 2 large red onions, chopped
• 10 cloves of garlic, minced (yes, I said 10: five to a pound of beef, I always say)
• 1 35 oz. can peeled tomatoes
• 1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon (or other whisky: I’ve also used rum to nice effect) - Optional
• olive oil
• sea salt (or table salt; whatever you have or prefer)

Ingredients: Spices

• 4 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin seed
• 1 tsp. whole cumin seed
• 1 tsp. whole fennel seed
• 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1.5 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. instant coffee
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 2 habaneros, minced

Directions: Part One

1. Get started by prepping your onions and garlic.
2. Cut the meat into thin strips (if it isn’t already) about 1/2″ wide. Salt meat liberally with sea salt.
3. Coat the bottom of a large skillet or stockpot with olive oil, heat over medium-high heat and add onions. Salt the onions and cook until semi-translucent. If using bourbon, add 1/4 cup to the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed (another few minutes).
4. Remove about 2/3 of a cup of the onions to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. The rest of the onions go into the Crock Pot.
5. Put a little more olive oil into the bottom of the pan, then lightly brown your meat along with all the minced garlic. Don’t cook it to death, just for five minutes or so. There should still be a fair bit of red showing, but you want to give it a decent sear. Put meat into Crock Pot along with the onions.
6. To the Crock Pot, add: the two cans of tomatoes and all of the spices on the above list.

Now I want to take a second to tell you that there is nothing at all to be afraid of in those two habaneros. If you want to reduce the number you use to one, or if you want to use jalapenos, or if you want to use nothing at all, that is certainly your choice. However, habaneros, when cooked in this way, impart a glorious, tropical flavor to the chili and if you make it with and then without, you will certainly miss them.

Just for those of you who are still deathly afraid of them, I’ve made a video for how to properly chop habaneros. As long as you don’t touch ‘em, you are in good shape. This will show you how.

Directions: Part Two

1. Now that you’ve got everything in the Crock Pot you may be asking yourself: what about those beans? And those onions I reserved? What will become of them?! Set yourself a timer for about 30 minutes short of when you want to eat this delectable chili.  That will be your signal to add the beans and onions. I wait to add those two things because I don’t want my beans mushy and I like a little nuance of texture to the onions in the chili.  You certainly don’t have to wait: go ahead and add it all in if you’re feelin’ froggy, but this is how I do it.
2. Once the chili has been cooking long enough to suit you (or until the smell of this stuff is driving you mad with hunger) give it a taste.  Make sure you get some of the meat in a bite, too, and decide if it needs more salt: if so, add a little at a time, always tasting, until you feel you’ve got it right.
3. Ladle the chili into bowls, serve with sour cream on the side (just in case the spiciness is too much for anyone, though in my opinion, this should be reasonably medium-spicy chili).

Enjoy!

In the Fridge: Duke’s

November 25th, 2009

Usually, people you meet fall into two categories: those who like mayonnaise and those who don’t. I am in the like-it camp. Like it a lot. But only one kind: Duke’s.

Duke’s is hard to find in some parts of the country: I have only ever seen it in my native South and am loathe to locate it north of the Mason-Dixon, though I see from their Web site that their reach is wider than just that. My family has always purchased this brand and it’s the only kind we eat. Ask my mother or my grandmother, Nannie, if they could eat for a week with a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs and a jar of Duke’s and they would most certainly say “well, duh: you’ve just described my menu every July for as long as I can remember.”

Now that I’m more of a foodie and have tried different kinds, I attribute the affinity for this particular brand not just too tradition but to its lack of sweetness: Duke’s is sugar-free.  And while that’s great for those who can’t have a lot of sugar (meanwhile those same people probably shouldn’t be eating a ton of mayo either) it makes for better transparency in foods prepared with it.  You don’t have to worry about your tuna melt having any weird unnatural sweetness or your deviled eggs being wonky.  The salty, vinegary flavor is predictable and, dare I say it, familiar.

So yes, Duke’s mayonnaise is one thing that is always in the fridge. I don’t really make that many sandwiches at home but this time of year, there’s a big jar of the stuff in there, waiting to be added to turkey sandwiches, casseroles, dips, you name it.

Deviled eggs are always the star of Thanksgiving around these parts and the first things to disappear off the buffet.  I whipped some together tonight and I think they’d make my Nannie very proud.

Nannie’s Deviled Eggs

1. Place 6 eggs in saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add 1/2 tsp. of salt to the water.
2. Bring water to a boil, stirring eggs gently “to make sure the yolk is centered.”
3. Just as water is coming to a full boil, remove pot completely from heat and cover with a tight fitting lid (overcooking will make the surface of the yolks an ugly greenish color).
4. Set your timer for 15 minutes and go about your business, leaving the eggs in the pot with the lid on.
5. After 15 minutes, empty the hot water from the pot into the sink and rinse the eggs in cold water until they are cool to the touch.  I also suggest adding ice cubes to the water and letting the eggs chill for a few minutes: the idea of all that rinsing is to shock the eggs and stop them from cooking.  Eggs that are an even, cool temperature throughout will peel more easily.
6. Once the eggs are cool, crack them gently on the countertop and peel.  Rinse off any excess shell.
7. Half the eggs lengthwise and remove the yolk, place whites on a plate.
8. Mash together the yolks with about 1/2 cup Duke’s mayo.  Whip together with a fork until desired consistency is reached: if mixture looks dry, add more Duke’s! Just before finishing, add cracked pepper and salt to taste.
9. Using a small spoon, scoop the mixture into the egg white cups that stand waiting.
10. If serving right away, tap a little paprika over each egg.  If waiting up to 12 hours, wait to do this until just before serving: that’s why the ones in the picture don’t have any: they’re for tomorrow!  Paprika that sits on the eggs too long will discolor the lovely yellow yolk color.

Simple, tasty, perfect: Nannie never did cotton to using relish or anything like that in her deviled eggs, but you certainly can do that if you like. Some people add pickle juice, too, which can be…interesting…but I prefer simplicity.

Cast down the Hellmann’s!  The Miracle Whip is not miraculous at all!  Get you some Duke’s and all will be well…or at least delicious.

www.dukesmayo.com

Recipe: Three-Day, Apple Cider Brined Porkchops with Walnut & Garlic Brussels Sprouts and Dirty Mashed Potatoes

November 11th, 2009

Sometimes comfort food takes planning. I can’t say that you can pre-plan when you might need some comfort, but these particular recipes are a good bet if you can feel a stressful week coming on and want to have something in the fridge just in case things get hairy.

I typically measure out my recipes for two people, so you can always double things for more people…or if you just love leftovers.

Apple-Cider Brined Pork Chops

Brining is a technique that works well for pork and I will usually get chops started on a Sunday night and hold ‘em into the week, sometimes as long as Friday.  These recipes are my own, though probably influenced by my experience cooking over the years. These chops are fantastic: juicy with a slightly sweet flavor from the apple cider that perfectly compliments the saltiness from the brine and the pork.

Ingredients

• 2-3 thick cut pork chops (bone-in, boneless, whatever you like)
• 1 1/2 c. apple cider (go for the thick stuff you can’t see through if you can find it)
• 1 tbsp. apple butter
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence

Brining Directions

1. Place pork chops in a heavy duty Ziploc bag and start adding the ingredients.  The chops shouldn’t be completely submerged in the liquid, but you can add a little more cider if it looks dry: really depends on how much meat you’re using.
2. Press out as much air as you can and zip everything closed. Massage the contents of the bag and throw it in the fridge.  I suggest towards the bottom just in case your Ziploc is ever compromised.
3. Massage the bag everyday for as long as it’s in the fridge.  This will make sure the chops get even contact with the brine.

So on the day you come home stressed (or you just need a fantastic dinner or you want to impress someone) you’re ready to crack open your chops.  Don’t worry if you can’t wait three days or even two: 24 hours will still do the chops some good.

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In an oven safe frying pan (I prefer one with high-sides because of the side dish we’re making to go with these in a sec) heat up 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Sear your chops on both sides, about 30 seconds per side.
4. If you’re ARE NOT making the Brussels sprouts below, put the whole pan in the oven.
5. If you ARE making the Brussels sprouts, remove the chops from the pan and place in an oven-safe baking dish (you might also need to do this if you have a pan that simply can’t go in the oven).  Remove your pan from the heat and set aside.
6. Bake the porkchops until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of one reads 160°F or until the juices run clear.  And yes, you food health people, optimal temp for a chop is 165°F for “fully cooked,” but if you don’t take the chops out at 160°F, they’ll overcook.  After all, temp continues to rise even after something is removed from an oven.

Walnut and Garlic Brussels Sprouts

Now…are you making the Brussels sprouts?  I know what you’re thinking: Ugh, I hate those things! Your mom made you eat them and they were terrible.  Tasteless!  Soggy!  Disgusting!  Am I right?  Not these, I promise.  Really.  They’re amazing.  They’re like Gateway Brussels Sprouts.  You can make ‘em even without the pan from the pork chops; that part just stands to elevate them a little bit further.

These ain’t your mama’s Brussels sprouts.  She didn’t know what she was doing.  Brussels sprouts are not soloists: they need a band.  These Brussels go great with the pork chops, but are also wonderful by themselves or served over rice.  You’ll just have to see how addicted you get to ‘em.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut lengthwise in halves or thirds
• 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c. apple cider (or reserved brine from the previous recipe)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Peel and mince your garlic cloves.  Rinse, trim and slice your Brussels sprouts.
2. If you made the pork chops, heat up the pan with all those yummy drippings from the pork chops over medium heat, add the garlic to the pan and stir.
3. If you DID NOT make the pork chops and do not have the pan drippings, simple heat up a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the garlic into that.
4. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the wine and stir, scraping up the fond in the bottom of the pan.
5. When some of the wine has cooked away, add your sprouts and stir, coating them in the mixture, about 2 minutes.
6. Now add in the apple cider (you can also use reserved brine, which I like, but you might not still have it) and stir.  Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the walnuts and stir again.  Cook until the brussels are bright green and only slightly soft: they should have a bit of a crunch to them when bitten.  Salt and pepper to your liking.
8. Uncover and remove from heat, let stand for a few minutes and the sauce should thicken a bit.

Oh, man, they are so delicious.  The green cabbagey flavor of the sprouts with the richness of the cider and walnuts.  Awesome.

Amanda’s Dirty Mashed Potatoes

As a final accompaniment, I like to do a quick dirty mash of potatoes.  Dirty meaning I don’t waste time peeling them.  Didn’t your mother ever tell you that the skins of things are good for you?  I mean, between the times she was ruining perfectly good Brussels sprouts, that is?

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium sized potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. half-n-half
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Rinse your potatoes (scrub ‘em if they’re really grody) and cut into 1″ cubes.
2. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water, bringing the water level up about a half inch above the potatoes.
3. Add about 1/2 tbsp. to the water and bring to a rapid boil.
4. Stir the potatoes and keep at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes.  Test the potatoes’ doneness by pressing a piece or two against the side of the pot and seeing if it smooshes easily.  When potatoes are ready, remove the pot from the heat and drain the potatoes in a colander.
5. Toss quickly in the colander to remove excess water and move the potatoes right back into the pot immediately (gotta keep ‘em hot!). Add the butter and use your potato masher to combine.
6. Once butter and potatoes are mixed, start adding the half-n-half in small increments, continuing to stir until they potatoes are your desired consistency (some people like runny, some like firm, I’m somewhere in the middle).

Now if that dinner isn’t a little piece of Wonderful, I don’t know what is.  Plate everything together, serve with your favorite dry white wine (or a Pinot Noir if you like) and enjoy with someone you love.

Or at least with someone who doesn’t stress you out.

Recipe: Open-Face Broiled Steak Sandwiches with Balsamic Vegetables

November 9th, 2009

This recipe is modified from one that was featured in Real Simple a while back.  You can certainly use that one, but I’ve modified it to take advantage of what I like and also what I typically have around.  For one thing, the recipe calls for bleu cheese.  Now I love bleu cheese, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t always have it around.  I do, however, always have a wedge of good Parmigiano Reggiano in the fridge and shaving that over the whole thing is perfectly servicable.

I also don’t do these as traditional sandwiches, as they are far easier to eat with a knife and fork by the time I get done with ‘em.  Anyway, on we go: this recipe will easily feed two or three people.  I like to do this on a weeknight because it’s really dirt simple and only takes about 30 minutes start to finish.

Ingredients

• One gigantic NY Strip steak (at least 2″ thick, trimmed of huge fatty bits)
• One gigantic red onion, cut into 1/2″ rounds (try and keep ‘em together in discs)
• 3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (plus extra)
• 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt (I prefer Maldon)
• 1/3 tsp. pepper (or more if you like)
• 1 loaf of focaccia or other crusty bread you like, cut into 3/4″ slices (only cut enough for 2 slices per person, save the rest!).

Directions

1. Slice your onions and tomatoes and place in a rectangular baking dish.
2. Mix together oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl (or beaker, as I like to use) and whisk together with a fork.  Pour over vegetables.
3. Cover veggies and allow to sit at room temp so that flavors can marry (you can jiggle the dish to make sure the undersides of everything get some love, too).
4. Set to work trimming the steak.  You can leave a little fat on the edges, but keep in mind you’ll be slicing it later. Less is more.
5. Once the steak is trimmed, season the side that’s up with salt and pepper (you’ll season the other side when it goes in the pan).  Cover with a towel and let it sit for about 15 minutes more, allowing it to warm up from the fridge: meat that’s not frigid when it goes into the pan is happier.
6. Now you’re ready to get started!  Move the top oven rack to the second position (the top most is usually too close) and preheat the broiler.
7. Pour a few teaspoons of that extra olive oil you have on hand into a frying pan (and don’t make me sad and say you don’t have a single NON non-stick pan around), medium-high temp on the stove, then sear the steak on all sides (yes, even the vertical sides: that’s why you bought a thick steak so it can stand on its own, no matter where it’s set down).
8. Remove the steak from the heat and set aside.
9. Line a jellyroll tray (or a cookie tray with sides) with aluminum foil and arrange the vegetables and the seared steak on it.  Steak should go toward the middle, try to keep everything reasonably well-separated.
10. Slide everything under the broiler and let sit for 4-5 minutes on one side before removing the tray, flipping all its contents and broiling the other side of things. When all is ready, tomatoes should have a slight singe, the onions should be soft and a little browned as well.



11. Take your bread slices (did I tell you to slice them? No? Okay, slice the bread!) and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Throw those under the broiler for about a minute (you just want them to crisp up, not burn, so watch ‘em!).
12. Meanwhile, your steak should have had plenty of time to rest and you can now slice it up.  I like thin slices, 1/4″ if you can get ‘em that thin.
13. To plate, place two of the bread slices on the plate, top with some of the slices of beef, then a big round of onion, then a few of the tomatoes.  Shave parmigiano reggiano over the whole thing.
14. Enjoy with your favorite glass of red wine (tonight we were drinking Carmenere).

Bonus Points

Remember that frying pan you used way back at step 7? You can make a really bitchin’ sauce for your steak sandwiches by reheating that frying pan and deglazing the fond from the pan with the marinade you used for the veggies.  This is why you don’t use a non-stick pan: so you can use a wooden spoon and scrape up all those heavenly brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce the sauce, stirring over medium heat (a fairly speedy simmer) until it’s reduced by one third or more.  Drizzle a bit of this sauce over everything just before you hit it with the parmigiano reggiano.

Heaven!

Thank you to my husband, Photographer Evan Baines for his assist in the photography department.