News and Chili

So hi, it's been a while!  It's been nearly a year since I updated this thing-- and every time, I say I'll be better about updating, so really, who knows.

I've started a new job at River Cafe (not the one in New York), so I've been cooking a lot more, overall.  Mostly a LOT of sandwiches, because that's primarily what we serve, but also side dishes and breakfast burritos and I've actually learned to be pretty decent at making coffee drinks, which I suppose is a good skill to have, for all that I don't actually like coffee.

I've been experimenting at home with the crock pot more than I used to (which is to say, not at all), so tonight's recipe comes out of that.  My sister-in-law is gluten-free, so we've been doing a lot more wheat-free meals; we had this with cornbread made from a Gluten-Free Pantry mix (available here), which is deliciously buttery.  I had mine with strawberry jam I canned last summer-- we're just starting to get strawberries here, and I'm looking forward to making another batch of it soon.

Chili

1 can each pinto, black, and kidney beans (you can also cook these yourself from dry beans, but I didn't have time do do so).
2 tbsp. oil
1 small red onion, diced
3-6 minced cloves garlic, depending on how much you like it.
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
2 chorizo sausages (about 1 lb. of meat-- I split the casings and just used the meat; you could also slice them once they're cooked)
1 12-oz. can tomatoes (or about 3-5 medium tomatoes, pretty much any variety)

Drain the beans of most of their liquid-- you will want some remaining (about 1/2 c.)  In a slow cooker set to low, combine the beans and stir together.  Cover and let warm.  (You could also do this in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan over low heat.)

Heat the oil in a medium or large saucepan over medium heat; once it's warm, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are translucent, then add the ground beef and the chorizo.  Break up the meat and cook until it's no longer pink, then add the can of tomatoes.  Stir to combine, then add all of the meat/onions/etc. to the slow cooker.

Combine all ingredients and turn the slow-cooker up to high for an hour.  Turn to low and let cook for another hour.

Serves 8 (more if you're not super hungry, less if you are!) 

Thursday Night Risotto

Thursday nights are interesting to me. For the last few years, Thursdays have been the night that I eat with my parents-- they live about ten miles away-- either at my house or theirs. Cooking on a Thursday night means that I'm usually doing something special, because when I cook for my parents, I tend to go all-out.

Now, my brother works late on Thursdays, so we're considering switching our family meals to Sundays so that we can all make it. But cooking on Thursdays still feels like it should be something special to me. Tonight, at around 7:00, I realised that I hadn't yet eaten dinner, and decided that I wanted to eat risotto, because it's easy and filling and I had everything I needed at the house. Because it's a Thursday, I also decided to put a little extra effort into it-- really, only a little-- this is pretty darn close to my usual risotto. So!

Thursday Night Risotto

3 tsp. olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 tbsp. dry sherry
1 c. arborio rice
~3 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Optional, but tasty:
1/2 tsp. truffle oil
1/3 c. chanterelle mushrooms, sliced
(Don't be limited! This is a great thing to use to empty out your pantry-- see what looks interesting and works with chicken/rice/cheese)

A note on measurements: When I am cooking for myself, and it's a recipe I'm familiar with, I generally don't measure, um, anything. So when I say "~3 c. chicken broth," what I mean is that I defrosted two plastic baggies of homemade chicken broth that I had in the freezer, and I think it was around three cups. If that seems like too much or too little to you, by all means, change it!

In a a small/medium saucepan, sautee the onion, garlic, oregano, and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the rice, stirring constantly. When the rice grains are mostly translucent, with a dot of white in the center, add the sherry. Stir until the sherry has been absorbed by the rice.

Next, add the chicken broth about a cup at a time, stirring in between additions until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice-- if you add all the broth at once, it won't work nearly as well, and if you don't wait until the broth has been absorbed, you will end up with a mushy, gooey mess. If you're adding the mushrooms and truffle oil, add them after the second cup of chicken broth.

Once the rice is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat. If you're using a gas stove, you can leave the pan on the burner; if you're using an electric stove, move the pan off the heat. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the risotto, and then fold it in slowly, until the cheese is melted in. Adjust saltiness until it's to your liking-- if you're using commercial chicken broth, it's likely not to need salt, as the parmesan is also quite salty.

This recipe will serve two people who are decently hungry, or more people as a side dish. Enjoy!

(Also, second attempt at goat cheese is turning out weird. More on that later.)

Weekly Recipe: Fall Beef Stew

I've been waiting for the last few weeks for it to be cold enough to justify making beef stew. Today, with the few drops of rain that I got on my drive home, seemed like the perfect day to break out the dutch oven.

A word of warning: this recipe takes about four hours, start to finish. It is not something to cook on a tight schedule! That said, it's really tasty, and makes great leftovers. It is definitely a hearty stew, as well, although it also gives you some vegetables-- there's a reason I waited through summer to cook this!

This recipe started its life as the Beef Carbonnade, from the Silver Palate Cookbook, which I made once, and declared both boring and bitter. This recipe adds vegetables, beef broth, and starch.

2 medium yellow onions, cut into thin half-circles
1/2 lb. bacon
1 c. flour
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 lb. stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 12 oz. can dark beer (I used Guiness)
1 qt. beef broth
3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Either cooked barley, potatoes, or your choice of starch
You may also need some additional cooking fat-- I keep leftover bacon fat in the fridge and use that.

Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces, and fry in a medium skillet. Reserve all runoff bacon fat; you will need it! Leaving all remaining fat in the pan, drain the bacon and set it aside.

Add the onions and extra bacon fat to the pan. Cook over medium heat, covered, until the onions are translucent and limp-- about 20 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, put the flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 1 gallon plastic bag. Add about a dozen pieces of the beef, seal the bag, and shake until the pieces of beef are covered in the flour mixture. Remove the beef from the bag and put it on a plate. Repeat until all of the beef is covered.

If you still have a bit of time before the onions are done, now is a good time to cut your carrots and celery.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees-- yes, now. If you do it earlier, you're just wasting energy while waiting for the onions to cook.

Once the onions are done, strain them into a dutch oven (or similar large, oven-safe pot). Pour any cooking liquid left in the pan through the strainer with the onions. Over medium heat, add about six pieces of beef at a time, browning all sides. Once all sides are brown, remove the beef from the pan and repeat until all the beef is browned. If you run out of drippings, use your supplementary cooking fat. The beef should not be cooked through-- that's what the oven time is for!

Leaving the heat on, add the beer to the dutch oven. Using a large spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen all those delicious bits of partially burned-on flour and thyme. Add the beef, onions, bacon, and vegetables, followed by the beef broth. You can leave the pot on the stove until the broth is boiling or your oven reaches temperature.

Cover the dutch oven and place on the lowest rack of the oven. Cook, covered, for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve over starch-of-choice. Serves 6-8, depending on how hungry you are.

Substitutions/additions: Let me know of any you make! The last time I made this, in late spring, I used golden beets and turnips in addition to the carrots and celery. Peas are also good, although they have a tendency to get mushy.

Note: I'm going to try to post one recipe each week (time allowing). Let me know if you have any questions, or if something in the recipe is unclear. Happy eating!