Game Day Chili Con Carne

I laughed when I realized I inadvertently chose a red bowl with a red and gold napkin for the picture of my Chili Con Carne.  When I chose the bowl, I knew the 49ers (red and gold) were in the playoffs, but I didn’t think they would go very far.  I couldn’t believe the 49ers won their nail-biting game last week!  And, I can’t believe they will be playing this weekend for a place in the Super Bowl!  The 49ers haven’t been in the playoffs for nine years, and they haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 1994.  You have to understand, when I moved to northern California, the 49ers were in the middle of a winning streak earning playoff spots in 14 of the 17 years between 1986 and 2002.  Don’t tell anyone, but I believe in the sports motto of, “If you can't be with the team you love, love the team your with.”  And it was easy to do when I moved to a place with a winning team!  But, the last few years have been hard on die hard 49er fans.

Me?  I chose to ignore the fact my team wasn’t winning by immersing myself in planning and executing the perfect Super Bowl party food.  I was, also, happy not to have to cheer against my team in order to win the football pool.  You know, “Come on 49ers! Just take a safety, and I could win 100 bucks!”  It just seems wrong to cheer that way.  I’m better off concentrating on the food.

I have brought countless snacks and appetizers to Super Bowl parties in the last 10 years.  And, last year my chili even won second place in a chili cook off!  I don’t know what I’ll make this year, but if we are invited to another chili cook-off, this recipe for Chili Con Carne might win 1^st place!  This chili is spicy and meaty, and I really like what the fresh poblano and jalapeno do to the flavor.

I’m not sure how the 49ers will do in their game on Sunday, but I know I’ll be in the kitchen with the food, trying not to hope for a safety in order to win the football pool!

Chili Con Carne

Adapted from Fine Cooking’s One Pot Meals

Printable Recipe

2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into ½ inch cubes

2 Tablespoons canola oil, separated

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium poblano chile, seeded and chopped

1 large jalapeno chile, seeded and diced

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground ancho chile

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground chipolte chile

1 ½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

Kosher salt

1 14½ ounce can petite diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, separated

2 15 ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cubed avocado

Diced red onion

Chopped fresh cilantro

Season the cubed meat with ¼ teaspoon of salt.  Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add half the meat, and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total.  Remove the meat to a plate.  Repeat with another two teaspoons of oil and the other half of the meat.  Transfer the second batch of meat to the plate, and set aside.  Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the Dutch oven, and add the onion, poblano and jalapeno, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the ancho chile, cumin, coriander, chipolte chile, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Return the beef to the Dutch oven with any juices, and add 2½ cups of water, the tomatoes and their juices, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 1½ hours.  Uncover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender.  Stir in the beans, and raise the heat to medium high.  Cook until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and season to taste with salt.

Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion and cilantro, and serve.

Meatloaf: Italian Style

I’ve never really thought about it before, and I’m not sure I would mention it to just anyone, but I have a meatloaf story.  I know what you’re thinking, “Doesn’t everyone have a meatloaf story?”  Yeah, right!

I do have a meatloaf story, and surprisingly, so did my mom.  In fact, it is a kind of family tradition to have a meatloaf story. I never like meatloaf growing up.  I think it had something to do with the ketchup laden loaf my mom served.  My mom loved meatloaf.  She especially liked having a meatloaf sandwich for lunch with the leftovers.  My mom’s meatloaf story starts with her taking the leftover meatloaf out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.  Then, leaving to take my sister to preschool, and coming back in time to see our calico kitty jump off the kitchen counter licking her chops.  My mom rushed over to see the foil covering meatloaf pan lifted at one corner, and the meat loaf gone.  Meatloaf denied!

So, after a lifetime of disliking meatloaf, my story, inexplicably, is one of meatloaf enjoyed.  I had given birth to my son that morning, and the hospital had fed me a lunch of soup and a hamburger, which I polished off.  Visitors had come and gone, and Les had taken our daughter to stay with my parents, so I was alone with my son in my hospital room.  It felt like forever before dinner arrived, and to my dismay, dinner was meatloaf.  But, this meatloaf didn’t look anything like the meatloaves of my past.  It didn’t have the gloppy ketchup glaze.  It was served with mashed potatoes and gravy, and I ate every bite.  By the time Les came back, my plate was practically licked clean.  He looked at me quizzically, and asked what I’d had for dinner.  I replied, “The best meatloaf ever!”   He said, tongue-in-check “I’ve heard hospitals are world renowned for their meatloaves.”   Maybe I wasn’t the best judge of what was epicurean at that moment, but I was ready to put aside my distain for meatloaf.

It only took me ten years, and one Fine Cooking Magazine to try my own recipe for meatloaf.  Have you seen the cover of Fine Cooking this month?  The meatloaves look amazing.  While Les and my daughter loved this Italian style meatloaf, my son didn’t like it.  He said he didn’t like the texture (This could be the beginning of his own meatloaf story).  I loved this meatloaf.  It didn’t quite reach the pinnacle of my hospital meatloaf; I’m not sure any meatloaf can compete, but this one was close.  The flavors were bright and the texture was moist.  I loved it, and I can’t wait to try one of the other combinations.

Meatloaf: Italian Style
Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine
Printable Recipe
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 leeks white and light green parts, chopped (1 cup)
½ cup dry white wine

4 oz. French bread, cut roughly into 2-inch pieces, crust included
1 cup whole milk

1 ½ pound ground beef
½ pound mild bulk Italian sausage
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
2 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons honey

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic and leeks.  Cook the vegetables over medium low heat until softened and just beginning to brown about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until almost dry, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and let mixture cool to room temperature.

In a shallow dish, soak the bread in the milk for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bread is soften.  Lightly squeeze the bread to remove some of the milk.  Finely chop the soaked bread, and add to the vegetables in the bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375°F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.

Add the ground round, Italian sausage and eggs to the bowl with the vegetables.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon zest, Worchester sauce, salt and pepper over the meat.   Using your hands mix the ingredients gently until combined.

Line the bottom of a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and form the meatloaf mixture into a 10 X4 inch block.  Brush the honey over the top of the meatloaf.  Cook the meatloaf until the inside reaches 160°F, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes, and then slice into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

Beef and Bean Chili

My friend Barb moved to Nashville over the summer, and she recently sent a picture of the trees in her backyard with their vibrant hues of red and yellow. My backyard is full of trees that don’t turn color in the fall, so I have to look for other signs of the changing of the season.  Well, we have turned our clocks back and turned the house heater on, so I know it’s fall. 

During the first week of the time change, I’m always in a panic to get dinner on the table when I get home from work.  I guess I get into a rush thinking it is almost time for bed.  I rushed dinner so much on Monday night, we were finished and the dishes were done by 6:15pm!  I hardly knew what to do with myself for the rest of the evening! 

Once we change the clocks, I know I have to change what I plan for dinner.  I can no longer ask Les to barbeque on a weeknight (our backyard is too dark to barbeque in the winter), so I have to have some other dinner standbys.  And, nothing says fall to me like a pot of chili. 

I love to have a pot of this chili ready for a weeknight meal.  This recipe is easy to put together.  I will cook this chili on a weeknight if I have some time, but I am more likely to make it on the weekend and heat it up for a quick weeknight meal.  I usually serve this tasty chili with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and chopped onions, but I will also whip up a batch of cornbread to go with it.  This chili is low fat with lots of fiber, so I love to have leftovers to take with me for lunch during the week.

Beef and Bean Chili
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine March 1990
Printable Recipe
1 pound lean ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 14 ½ oz cans low sodium dark red kidney beans (do not drain the beans)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 ½ oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 8 oz can diced green chili peppers

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and onion until the meat is tender and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the chili powder, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper, and heat for another minute.  Add the undrained kidney beans, tomatoes, and green chili peppers, and bring to a boil.  Cook uncovered for 1½ hours, or until the chili is dark in color and the desired consistency.  Makes 12 1-cup servings.

Carne Asada Tacos

As I’m typing this post, I am sitting here watching a recording of the season opener of Lost.  Have you been keeping up with Lost?  I’ve watched Lost on and off since the beginning, and I have to tell you, I’m not certain all of the loose strings are going to be tied up by the end of this final season. I guess I’ll have to wait to find out.  My husband wanted to have a Lost party last weekend, but we (read me) couldn’t pull it together in time, so we will just have to be content with the Super Bowl party we are going to on Sunday.

What does Lost have to do with Carne Asada Tacos?  Nothing really, but I do think they would have been perfect at our Lost party, or since we didn’t have one, for a Super Bowl party.  They are quick and easy, and taste great.