Tonight's dinner was delicious! I made Classic Pot Pie from my Pillsbury magazine. And surprisingly is was very easy to make and not all that time consuming. I used some left over baked chicken I had (boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes) rather than buying a rotisserie chicken and shredding it (to save money). I paired the pot pie with a garden salad. They go great together.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on the box
1/3 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups cubed or shredded chicken or turkey
1 Steam Fresh bag of mixed veggies (cook for about 4 minutes or so) - should be about 2 cups
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass plate. (Do not pre-bake your pie crusts).
2. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Stir in chicken and mixed veggies. Remove from heat.
3. Spoon mixture into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil during last 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Side Notes:
1. If you want a little extra flavor, try adding a few cloves of minced garlic and some Italian seasonings. Otherwise leave as is for the classic flavor.
2. If you are a great pastry chef, try making your own crust. I have yet to master that skill, so for now I use the store bought kind (which turned out great and very tasty).
3. I used low-sodium, fat free chicken broth and 1% milk and it still had all the flavor.
4. I did put foil around the edges of the pot pie 15 minutes into the cooking process. I'm not sure if it's me or if it's just an overly difficult task, but I had a heck of time getting that foil to stay around the edge of the crust. If anyone has any tips on how to get it stay, please do tell! :-)
I have different variations of pot pie recipes in my Pillsbury magazine. I've tried a few different recipes and this is by far my favorite. I hope you give it a whirl. It's quick, simple and delicious! :-)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Grilled Fish Tacos & Cilantro Lime Rice
Thank goodness it's January... I'm back in the kitchen making my family healthy meals. Last night I made one of our family's favorite meals, fish tacos. Yup, both boys love them and it's one of mine and Denis' favorites. I paired it with homemade cilantro lime rice and refried black beans.
Here's the recipes:
Grilled Fish Tacos
Ingredients
1 pound fresh Tilapia
Non-stick cooking spray (or 1 tbsp of butter)
1 lemon
Salt & Pepper
Corn Tortillas (heated in microwave)
Shredded Cabbage
Chipoltle Sour Cream (recipe to follow)
Directions
1. Rinse and pat dry your fish.
2. Heat a large frying pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Let pan get hot!
3. Place fish in pan - fish should sizzle when you put it in the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let fish cook until the edges and top of fish start to turn white (about 3-4 minutes).
5. Flip fish and cook another 5 minutes or so (cover with lid). Keep cooking and flipping every 5 minutes or so, until fish is completely white (middle of fish is thicker and takes longer to cook, make sure middle of fish is no longer pink).
6. Place fish on a plate and squeeze lemon onto fish. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then lightly shred with two forks.
7. Assemble tacos: warm tortillas, fish, cabbage and chipotle sour cream. Serve while fish is warm.
Chipotle Sour Cream
Ingredients
1 cup fat free sour cream
Chipotle flavored Cholula Hot Sauce (quantities varied, depending on how hot you like your sauce)
Garlic Salt to taste (about 1 to 2 tsp)
Lemon Juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon)
Directions
1. Combine sour cream, chipotle flavored Cholula, garlic salt and lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and add as your taste buds like.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
1 large bunch of cilantro (stems cut off)
3 large garlic cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Lime zest
3 1/3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups rice
2 tsp Kosher salt
Directions
1. In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and 2 cups of chicken broth. Blend well and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil and then saute onions. Add rice and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add remaining 1 1/3 cups broth, cilantro mixture and salt. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.
5. Fluff with a fork and serve warm.
Side Notes:
1. Serve with refried black beans. I think black beans go well with fish.
2. You can add a serrano chile to your rice to add a little heat. Place chile in blender and blend up with cilantro.
I hope you give these recipes a try and enjoy them as much as we do. :-) Happy Eating!
Here's the recipes:
Grilled Fish Tacos
Ingredients
1 pound fresh Tilapia
Non-stick cooking spray (or 1 tbsp of butter)
1 lemon
Salt & Pepper
Corn Tortillas (heated in microwave)
Shredded Cabbage
Chipoltle Sour Cream (recipe to follow)
Directions
1. Rinse and pat dry your fish.
2. Heat a large frying pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Let pan get hot!
3. Place fish in pan - fish should sizzle when you put it in the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let fish cook until the edges and top of fish start to turn white (about 3-4 minutes).
5. Flip fish and cook another 5 minutes or so (cover with lid). Keep cooking and flipping every 5 minutes or so, until fish is completely white (middle of fish is thicker and takes longer to cook, make sure middle of fish is no longer pink).
6. Place fish on a plate and squeeze lemon onto fish. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then lightly shred with two forks.
7. Assemble tacos: warm tortillas, fish, cabbage and chipotle sour cream. Serve while fish is warm.
Chipotle Sour Cream
Ingredients
1 cup fat free sour cream
Chipotle flavored Cholula Hot Sauce (quantities varied, depending on how hot you like your sauce)
Garlic Salt to taste (about 1 to 2 tsp)
Lemon Juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon)
Directions
1. Combine sour cream, chipotle flavored Cholula, garlic salt and lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and add as your taste buds like.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
1 large bunch of cilantro (stems cut off)
3 large garlic cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Lime zest
3 1/3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups rice
2 tsp Kosher salt
Directions
1. In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and 2 cups of chicken broth. Blend well and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil and then saute onions. Add rice and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add remaining 1 1/3 cups broth, cilantro mixture and salt. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.
5. Fluff with a fork and serve warm.
Side Notes:
1. Serve with refried black beans. I think black beans go well with fish.
2. You can add a serrano chile to your rice to add a little heat. Place chile in blender and blend up with cilantro.
I hope you give these recipes a try and enjoy them as much as we do. :-) Happy Eating!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Navy Bean Soup
We've finally approached full-fledged soup season. The recent weather is definitely an inspiration to make soups, stews, chili... anything warm and cozy. My friend gave me her ham bone so I could make homemade Navy Bean Soup (with the contingency that I invite her over for soup). Which is exactly what I did last night. I made the soup and invited her and her hubby over. The soup was a huge hit... and the best part is that it is super healthy.
I was just going to follow the recipe on the back of the dried navy bean bag, but it didn't sound like it was going to have enough flavor... so I just created my own recipe.
Please note: When cooking with dried beans, remember to allow overnight soaking of the beans.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 1lb bags of small navy beans
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better)
32 oz (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
12 cups warm water
1 lb carrots, chopped very finely
6 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp season salt (Lawry's)
regular salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
Directions
1. In a large pot, soak beans in 12-14 cups of cold water over night (at least 8 hours).
2. Drain and sort through soaked beans.
3. In a large stockpot add beans, ham bone with ham, chicken broth, water, onions, garlic, celery and carrots and bay leaves. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Cover and cook on high and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until beans are soft. Keep pot covered.
5. Reduce heat to simmer. Remove ham bone and ham from pot. Remove ham from bone (discarding of any fat) and chop into bite size pieces. Add ham back to soup.
6. Add garlic salt & season salt (salt according to your liking). Add more pepper if you like.
7. Remove about a cup of beans and mash well. Add back to pot. This will thicken the soup. If you like a thicker consistency, mash another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of beans.
8. Remove from heat and let stand about 15 minutes.
9. Serve with biscuits or warm toast.
Side Notes:
1. I did not have a bay leaf for my soup, but next time I make it, I will be using one. Don't worry if you don't have one though... turns out great.
2. I chopped my celery and carrots in my small chopper I have. Carrot and celery pieces were very, very small. Unless you like large pieces of carrot in your Navy Bean soup, I suggest using a chopper or food processor to chop up celery and carrots.
3. I started my soup in the late afternoon and it was ready to serve by dinner time. It was quick and easy to get started and then you can just walk away while it cooks.
I hope you give this soup a try and enjoy it as much as we all did. :-)
I was just going to follow the recipe on the back of the dried navy bean bag, but it didn't sound like it was going to have enough flavor... so I just created my own recipe.
Please note: When cooking with dried beans, remember to allow overnight soaking of the beans.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 1lb bags of small navy beans
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better)
32 oz (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
12 cups warm water
1 lb carrots, chopped very finely
6 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp season salt (Lawry's)
regular salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
Directions
1. In a large pot, soak beans in 12-14 cups of cold water over night (at least 8 hours).
2. Drain and sort through soaked beans.
3. In a large stockpot add beans, ham bone with ham, chicken broth, water, onions, garlic, celery and carrots and bay leaves. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Cover and cook on high and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until beans are soft. Keep pot covered.
5. Reduce heat to simmer. Remove ham bone and ham from pot. Remove ham from bone (discarding of any fat) and chop into bite size pieces. Add ham back to soup.
6. Add garlic salt & season salt (salt according to your liking). Add more pepper if you like.
7. Remove about a cup of beans and mash well. Add back to pot. This will thicken the soup. If you like a thicker consistency, mash another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of beans.
8. Remove from heat and let stand about 15 minutes.
9. Serve with biscuits or warm toast.
Side Notes:
1. I did not have a bay leaf for my soup, but next time I make it, I will be using one. Don't worry if you don't have one though... turns out great.
2. I chopped my celery and carrots in my small chopper I have. Carrot and celery pieces were very, very small. Unless you like large pieces of carrot in your Navy Bean soup, I suggest using a chopper or food processor to chop up celery and carrots.
3. I started my soup in the late afternoon and it was ready to serve by dinner time. It was quick and easy to get started and then you can just walk away while it cooks.
I hope you give this soup a try and enjoy it as much as we all did. :-)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Split Pea Soup
Well, I hate to admit it, but I've been a slacker lately. The holiday's were very busy and not much home cookin' was going on. The first meal I made in 2011 was Split Pea Soup... and it turned out absolutely amazing. And, it's so healthy and so easy to make. Just takes some time. It's best to make Split Pea soup with a ham bone, but if you don't have a ham bone, you can either use just chunks of ham and/or bacon. I actually had a few pieces of bacon left over from a dish I cooked on Christmas and I threw it into the pot as well. The recipe I'm going to list below will make a lot of soup. I made mine in a large stockpot. It freezes and reheats well, so if you do want to make a lot of soup, you could freeze and reheat at a later time.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better, but not an entire ham)
3 pounds dried peas
3 32oz cartons of low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
2 large onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices of applewood smoked bacon
2 1lb bags of baby carrots
1 bunch of celery, diced
2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, diced into small even pieces
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
1. Rinse your peas and sort through, discarding of any rocks. Dry peas.
2. Fill your large stockpot with the chicken broth, water, dried peas, onions, garlic, ham & ham bone and bacon. Simmer on low for about 2 hours, or until peas start to "split".
3. Remove ham bone and cut remaining ham off bone. Shred ham into small bite size pieces. Set aside.
4. Add potatoes, carrots and celery. Cook another 2 hours, or until all veggies are soft and peas are completely split.
5. With a stick blender, blend all veggies until everything is combined well. There shouldn't be any large pieces of veggies.
6. Add ham back to soup. Add salt (or garlic salt) and pepper to taste.
7. Serve warm :-)
Side Notes:
1. Crisp up some fresh bacon, chop into small pieces and serve on top of the soup as a garnishment.
2. Chop all your veggies ahead of time, so you're not scrambling to get them chopped when it's time to add them.
3. This soup is easy, but time consuming. Make it on a Sunday and package up small tupperwares full for lunch time. Reheats well.
Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. It was so delicious, especially on a cold rainy day. :-)
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 ham bone with ham on it (the more ham the better, but not an entire ham)
3 pounds dried peas
3 32oz cartons of low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
2 large onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices of applewood smoked bacon
2 1lb bags of baby carrots
1 bunch of celery, diced
2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, diced into small even pieces
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
1. Rinse your peas and sort through, discarding of any rocks. Dry peas.
2. Fill your large stockpot with the chicken broth, water, dried peas, onions, garlic, ham & ham bone and bacon. Simmer on low for about 2 hours, or until peas start to "split".
3. Remove ham bone and cut remaining ham off bone. Shred ham into small bite size pieces. Set aside.
4. Add potatoes, carrots and celery. Cook another 2 hours, or until all veggies are soft and peas are completely split.
5. With a stick blender, blend all veggies until everything is combined well. There shouldn't be any large pieces of veggies.
6. Add ham back to soup. Add salt (or garlic salt) and pepper to taste.
7. Serve warm :-)
Side Notes:
1. Crisp up some fresh bacon, chop into small pieces and serve on top of the soup as a garnishment.
2. Chop all your veggies ahead of time, so you're not scrambling to get them chopped when it's time to add them.
3. This soup is easy, but time consuming. Make it on a Sunday and package up small tupperwares full for lunch time. Reheats well.
Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. It was so delicious, especially on a cold rainy day. :-)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Crustless Spinach Quiche
I've been MIA for awhile. With sickness circling through our house (several times each person), trip to Vegas and Thanksgiving, there hasn't been much cooking going on (unless Kraft Mac & Cheese counts). So, it's back to the grind and I made a new dish tonight. One that I think will become a staple in our house. And the best part about this dish, is you can add all different types of fillings!! It's perfect!
I found a crustless spinach quiche recipe from Cooks.com, but I modified it... I added 2 more eggs. It called for 3 eggs and that just didn't seem like enough eggs for a quiche. So I made it with 5 eggs.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup and 2 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Pepperjack cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt (I used garlic salt instead of regular salt) gradually to egg and milk mixture. Add cheese and thawed spinach (make sure to squeeze out the excess water from the spinach with your hands); mix well.
3. Pour into a well greased 13x9 pan (I used nonstick cooking spray to grease my pan). Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes.
4. Cool for a half hour, cut into squares.
Side Notes:
1. Recipe called for 16 oz shredded Cheddar cheese. I used half Pepperjack and half Cheddar. I loved the taste the Pepperjack brought to the dish.
2. Instead of baking in a 13x9 baking dish, you can also cook in two round pie dishes.
3. This dish is perfect for breakfast, brunch or dinner!
Give it a try! Hope you enjoy it!
I found a crustless spinach quiche recipe from Cooks.com, but I modified it... I added 2 more eggs. It called for 3 eggs and that just didn't seem like enough eggs for a quiche. So I made it with 5 eggs.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup and 2 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Pepperjack cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt (I used garlic salt instead of regular salt) gradually to egg and milk mixture. Add cheese and thawed spinach (make sure to squeeze out the excess water from the spinach with your hands); mix well.
3. Pour into a well greased 13x9 pan (I used nonstick cooking spray to grease my pan). Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes.
4. Cool for a half hour, cut into squares.
Side Notes:
1. Recipe called for 16 oz shredded Cheddar cheese. I used half Pepperjack and half Cheddar. I loved the taste the Pepperjack brought to the dish.
2. Instead of baking in a 13x9 baking dish, you can also cook in two round pie dishes.
3. This dish is perfect for breakfast, brunch or dinner!
Give it a try! Hope you enjoy it!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Potato Casserole
I'm jumping around with my postings, but I decided to post my potato casserole that has become a popular favorite amongst my friends. I made this potato dish for my women's group yesterday and all the women raved about it. It's perfect as a breakfast or dinner dish. You can serve it with eggs, ham, chicken, beef... anything really. This is my aunt's recipe (one of my FAVORITE dishes growing up), but I've modified it a bit.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 oz light sour cream
4-8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small can diced green chiles
Splash of milk (about 1 tbsp)
Generous shake of Ground Cumin (probably about 2 tsp)
Generous shake of Garlic Salt (probably about 1-2 tsp)
2 cups crushed corn flakes
2 tbsp butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients, except corn flakes and butter, in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to baking dish and press down so potato mixture is even.
3. Top with crushed corn flakes (make sure mixture is completely topped). Pour melted butter over corn flakes, starting with the edges first, then drizzling in the center.
4. Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Side Notes:
1. I suggested 4 - 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, because it depends on how cheesy you like your dishes. I like to use a little more cheese, but sometimes if I'm low on cheese, I just use what I have. The dish tastes great either way. Try using jack cheese, pepperjack cheese, or colby cheese. All taste great with this dish.
2. You can use Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup to make this dish healthier.
3. If you don't have corn flakes, you can substitute bread crumbs. Top with melted butter.
4. You could add meat (such as ham, sausage, chicken) to this dish to make it a complete meal.
5. My aunt always made this as a breakfast side, it went great with her homemade quiche!
I hope this side dish quickly becomes a favorite in your house, as it is in ours!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 oz light sour cream
4-8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small can diced green chiles
Splash of milk (about 1 tbsp)
Generous shake of Ground Cumin (probably about 2 tsp)
Generous shake of Garlic Salt (probably about 1-2 tsp)
2 cups crushed corn flakes
2 tbsp butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients, except corn flakes and butter, in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to baking dish and press down so potato mixture is even.
3. Top with crushed corn flakes (make sure mixture is completely topped). Pour melted butter over corn flakes, starting with the edges first, then drizzling in the center.
4. Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Side Notes:
1. I suggested 4 - 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, because it depends on how cheesy you like your dishes. I like to use a little more cheese, but sometimes if I'm low on cheese, I just use what I have. The dish tastes great either way. Try using jack cheese, pepperjack cheese, or colby cheese. All taste great with this dish.
2. You can use Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup to make this dish healthier.
3. If you don't have corn flakes, you can substitute bread crumbs. Top with melted butter.
4. You could add meat (such as ham, sausage, chicken) to this dish to make it a complete meal.
5. My aunt always made this as a breakfast side, it went great with her homemade quiche!
I hope this side dish quickly becomes a favorite in your house, as it is in ours!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Texas-Style Chili
Last Wednesday I made Texas-Style Chili. This one is probably not for kids (I say this because my children who eat just about anything couldn't eat this). It's got some heat. So, if you are a lover of spicy foods, this is a good recipe to try. Denis absolutely loved this chili. I will for sure make it again! I would advise to make this on a weekend when you've got some time on your hands. I made this on a Wednesday and it took just way to long. We didn't eat until 7:30pm (and started at 4pm). This recipe came from the Food Network Kitchens cookbook. I actually checked this cookbook out from the library... did you know you could check cookbooks out from the library?!?! I didn't... I'm extremely excited about this!!!!! :-D
This chili was good, but if you've got a sensitive tongue, make sure you've got a gallon of milk handy!!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
7 ripe medium tomatoes (about 4 lbs)
2 medium onions, quartered through the root end
2 poblano chiles
2 jalapenos
8 cloves garlic
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (preferably Mexican cinnamon)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1/2 cubs
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 chili powder, plus 2 tsp
1/4 cup ground cumin, plus 2 tsp
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 12 oz bottles Mexican lager-style beer
2 cups water
Garnishments - sour cream, shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped scallions, and/or salsa
Directions
1. Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat to high. Line a broiler pan with foil. Spread the tomatoes, onions, poblanos, jalapenos and garlic on the pan and broil, turning until charred on all sides. Cool slightly. Stem the roasted chiles, catching the juices and seeds that run onto the pan, and put them in a food processor with the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chipotles. Pulse until coarsely textured; add the oregano, cinnamon and cloves and pulse briefly.
2. Spread the meat out on a sheet of aluminum foil, pat dry, and season generously with salt. Heat some of the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot over high heat and brown some of the meat well on all sides, taking care not to crowd the pot. Transfer the cooked meat to a plate and repeat until all of the meat is cooked.
3. Whisk the 1/3 cup chili powder, 1/4 cup cumin and the flour into the meat drippings to make a paste. Whisk in the beer. Return the meat to the pot along with the collected juices, the tomato mixture, the water and the 1 1/2 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick, about 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 tsp each of chili powder and cumin.
Side Notes:
1. I bought a big beef chuck roast and cut it myself into 1/2-inch cubes. This saved A LOT of money. It's time consuming, but worth the money. Plus - you can shave off a lot of the fat that way.
2. Ground cloves are VERY expensive. A small container ON SALE was $10.00. I would suggest buying the ground cloves in a bulk section. I know Sprouts and Winco carries spices in their bulk sections. Any store that has a bulk section, probably has ground cloves. I got 1 oz of ground cloves for $.71 as opposed to paying $10 for 2 oz.
3. The recipe says to save the seeds... I knew this dish was going to be spicy enough, so I discarded the seeds. That's where a lot of the heat is in chiles. If you like spicy, keep the seeds.
4. I used regular oregano and cinnamon. Couldn't find Mexican spices in the regular grocery store. If you have a Mexican market near you (there are several in LaHabra for those of you in North OC) they will have the Mexican oregano and cinnamon.
5. I served with homemade cornbread. Cornbread is the obvious side dish to chili and it helped cut some of the heat too.
If you like heat, I hope you give this chili a try. It really was tasty! And if you've got a cold, it'll clear you sinus' too! LOL
This chili was good, but if you've got a sensitive tongue, make sure you've got a gallon of milk handy!!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
7 ripe medium tomatoes (about 4 lbs)
2 medium onions, quartered through the root end
2 poblano chiles
2 jalapenos
8 cloves garlic
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (preferably Mexican cinnamon)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1/2 cubs
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 chili powder, plus 2 tsp
1/4 cup ground cumin, plus 2 tsp
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 12 oz bottles Mexican lager-style beer
2 cups water
Garnishments - sour cream, shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped scallions, and/or salsa
Directions
1. Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat to high. Line a broiler pan with foil. Spread the tomatoes, onions, poblanos, jalapenos and garlic on the pan and broil, turning until charred on all sides. Cool slightly. Stem the roasted chiles, catching the juices and seeds that run onto the pan, and put them in a food processor with the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chipotles. Pulse until coarsely textured; add the oregano, cinnamon and cloves and pulse briefly.
2. Spread the meat out on a sheet of aluminum foil, pat dry, and season generously with salt. Heat some of the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot over high heat and brown some of the meat well on all sides, taking care not to crowd the pot. Transfer the cooked meat to a plate and repeat until all of the meat is cooked.
3. Whisk the 1/3 cup chili powder, 1/4 cup cumin and the flour into the meat drippings to make a paste. Whisk in the beer. Return the meat to the pot along with the collected juices, the tomato mixture, the water and the 1 1/2 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick, about 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 tsp each of chili powder and cumin.
Side Notes:
1. I bought a big beef chuck roast and cut it myself into 1/2-inch cubes. This saved A LOT of money. It's time consuming, but worth the money. Plus - you can shave off a lot of the fat that way.
2. Ground cloves are VERY expensive. A small container ON SALE was $10.00. I would suggest buying the ground cloves in a bulk section. I know Sprouts and Winco carries spices in their bulk sections. Any store that has a bulk section, probably has ground cloves. I got 1 oz of ground cloves for $.71 as opposed to paying $10 for 2 oz.
3. The recipe says to save the seeds... I knew this dish was going to be spicy enough, so I discarded the seeds. That's where a lot of the heat is in chiles. If you like spicy, keep the seeds.
4. I used regular oregano and cinnamon. Couldn't find Mexican spices in the regular grocery store. If you have a Mexican market near you (there are several in LaHabra for those of you in North OC) they will have the Mexican oregano and cinnamon.
5. I served with homemade cornbread. Cornbread is the obvious side dish to chili and it helped cut some of the heat too.
If you like heat, I hope you give this chili a try. It really was tasty! And if you've got a cold, it'll clear you sinus' too! LOL
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