Rainy Sunday Chili

This is a simple one pot meal for a cold day full of laundry and homework. I have used half ground pork and half ground beef (80% I think) this time around. Use what you like, even ground chicken or (dare I say on November 29th) ground turkey.


2 lbs ground meat
2 poblano chilies, roughly chopped, seeds and ribs removed
2 red bell peppers, roughly chopped seed and ribs removed
2 medium white onions, roughly chopped skins removed
8-10 whole garlic cloves, papery skin removed
2 12 ounce cans black bean, rinses and drained
1 28 ounce can rough chop tomatoes
2 12 ounce cans of beer
2 tablespoons whole cumin seed
2 tablespoons chili powder (I used some wonderful Red Cloud's Peak given to me buy a treasured niece)
10 whole black pepper corns

I start by toasting the cumin seed and other spices in a dry frying pan, just until they perfume the kitchen. I cool them for a minute and grind them in a spice grinder until smooth. Toasting the cumin seeds is a great way to bring out their warm spicy flavor.

Brown off the meat and add the spices. I chopped the veg while watching that the meat browns but does not burn. You need to chop at the meat with a wooden spoon while it browns to get the consistency you want. Add the onions pepper and sweat them for 10 minutes, stirring, until they are incorporated into the meat. Now is the time to add the beer. I vary the amount so I get a nice chili consistency. I like to let it go for a while then add the beans, stir just once more and let it simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with a crusty bread and you have a meal fit for sitting and staring out at the rain. Leftovers are even better.

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Redheaded Green Salsa

Roasted Tomatillo and Poblano Pepper Salsa

I am a big fan of the flavor concentrator dry heat and this recipe showcases it.

1 10/2 lbs tomatillos halved, papery skins removed and sticky residue rinsed
5 or 6 poblano chilies, halved, seeded, pith removed
2 Red bell peppers halved, seeded, pith removed
8 or 9 whole garlic cloves, skins intact
3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
cilantro or dandelion greens, chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 475. Toss first 4 ingredients together. On a large, foil lined baking sheet spread out mixture in one layer, skin side up. Place in oven with the skins as close to flame as possible, or use your broiler, you may choose to grill these as well. I respect that. In 25 minutes test the tomatillos, peppers and garlic for doneness. The peppers' skin should be black and ready to peel off the pepper meat. Peel the peppers and garlic, combine with tomatillos and minced onion in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is attained. Add chopped greens (cilantro or dandelion} and salt and pepper to taste.

I served this over roasted chicken legs and roasted potatoes this past weekend to universal acclaim. It can be used on anything but ice cream.

Winter Soup with Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple a.k.a., how to use up everything in your pantry.

Sooo I get this box of vegetable and fruit delivered every week to my apartment (check it out - http://www.doortodoororganics.com/ - I get the "bitty box"). I try my best to use everything up, but my good intentions are often (hmmm, nearly always these days) stymied by my schedule. In an effort to use up last week's bitty box, and start to use this week's stash, I went googling for soups. My effort yielded a winner, which I now present to you.

Ingredients:
1 medium kabocha squash, cubed (I didn't know what this was either. Thank goodness for the internets. Turned out I didn't have one (it's a Japanese squash in case you are wondering), so I used a butternut, peeled first with a vegetable peeler)
3 large sweet potatoes, cubed (I had 2 and used a regular to supplement; peel these guys too)
3 carrots, chopped (try 4) (peel if you'd like)
3 apples, cubed (peel 'em first)
1 red onion (I used white, it works the same)
2-3 stalks celery (I had really sad looking celery in my fridge from last week's Shephard's Pie - still turned out well)
4 cups broth (really, six to eight)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves garlic (um, I went with six)
2 tablespoons ginger (I'm not big on measuring, I just grated a bunch - go to taste)
3 tablespoons honey
kosher salt
oliver oil

My additions: spinach and yellow squash.

Parsley and sour cream to top.

Goat cheese and bread for pre-soup snack (for ravenous chefs who cook at 9 pm....)

In a large bowl, toss squash, sweet potatoes, apples, half of the onion and half of the chopped carrots with the ginger and garlic. Add a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast in single layers (so use multiple pans if necessary) in a preheated oven at 425 for 35-45 minutes until soft and brown.

As vegetables roast, mix celery, remaining carrots, onions [plus any other veggies you'd like - I did some yellow squash] in a deep pot with a bit of olive oil. Heat over medium high heat to make sure veggies are brown (but don't burn them!) After 5-10 minutes, pour in broth and add cinnamon stick. Get 'er boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes (or until the roasted veggies are brown). Pull out the cinnamon sticks.

If you have handy, dandy hand blender, go to work on the soup - blending to your desired consistency (some like it smooth, I like some chunks to remind me of the vegetables contained within). If no hand blender, start transferring in batches to blender (or resign yourself to a broth soup, which is still quite tasty).

Salt to taste, which for me is quite a bit (I rationalize my added salt intake with my lack of processed food intake). Then stir in chopped spinach (if you'd like). Kale would work equally well. Once it's had a few minutes in the soup, start ladeling it up. Top with sour cream and some parsley.

Good stuff.