Beef, Pork, and Bean Chili

Chili with homemade tortilla chips

I have been experimenting with making chili for years now. All of my versions have been close, but something is off. Too spicy, too bland, too many veggies, not enough veggies... the list goes on. I think I have finally found success! After many attempts, I have combined my favorite parts of each batch  and the end result is a well-rounded, spicy but not too spicy, flavorful bowl of chili. If you can handle more heat than me, feel free to add another chipotle pepper. If you are a little nervous about the heat, leave out the chipotle and perhaps add a little adobo sauce at the end to taste. A little goes a long way. The perfect scoopers for this chili are some homemade, crispy tortilla chips. Enjoy! :o)

Beef, Pork and Bean Chili – serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 tbsp. oil

1 ½ lbs. ground beef and pork (we had 1 lb. pork and ½ lb. beef on hand, but any ratio would work fine)

1 green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice

2 yellow onions, cut into ½ inch dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped (spicy!)

¼ cup chili powder

1 tbsp. ground cumin

½ tbsp. dried oregano

½ tbsp. smoked sweet paprika

1 12 oz. beer, lager style

1 ½ cups beef stock

1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15.5 oz.) light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15.5 oz.) white or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz.) hominy*, drained

2 tbsp. masa harina **

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add the ground meat, bell pepper, and onion and sauté until meat is browned and veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chipotle, chili powder, cumin, oregano and paprika – coat meat with spices and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to get the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the beef stock and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent from sticking to the bottom. After 45 minutes, add the beans and hominy and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in the masa harina and simmer until desired consistency is reached, 5-10 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, or tortilla chips (you can make some homemade ones with the leftover masa harina… yum!).

Notes

* hominy is basically a corn kernal without the hull (skin) or germ. Canned hominy resembles a plump corn kernel that holds up well in soups and stews (the consistency reminds me of a garbanzo bean). They are mild, yet tasty. I recommend trying them!

** masa harina is a very finely ground corn flour mixed with a hint of “limewater” popular in Mexico and South America. It is usually used for making corn tortillas, tamales, and arepas. “Maseca” is a brand that can be found in some chain grocery stores. Adding masa harina to the chili at the end of cooking imparts a subtle corn flavor, and it helps slightly thicken the soup as well. It’s a small ingredient that makes a big difference.

Stracotto

       Stracotto is the Italian name for Pot Roast, and it basically means "overcooked". The beauty of the dish is that it starts with basic, inexpensive ingredients and transforms into a delicious, hearty dish after just a couple of hours in the oven. We found our chuck roast at Whole Foods, and it was totally worth an extra dollar or two. The ones in the regular grocery store looked fine, but I figured that chuck roast is cheap enough already, might as well "splurge" (it was still under $10.00). 

     Andy's parents were planning on visiting for his birthday, and this seemed like an ideal dinner - comforting and satisfying after a long day of travel. Unfortunately, his dad ended up not feeling well so they weren't able to make the trip (sorry they couldn't make it, but more pot roast for us!!). We served this with homemade mashed potatoes and extra gravy, and it was absolutely amazing. My recipe is inspired by Giada De Laurentiis, but I definitely made it my own with a few changes. A little tip: don't worry about cutting the veggies in a pretty way, they all get pureed into a sauce at the end! This is truly a simply decadent dish! Enjoy :o)

Stracotto - Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (4 lb.) beef chuck roast 

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I used a Pinot Noir and loved it)

2 1/4 cups beef stock

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

1 sprig rosemary, plus more for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil on medium high heat in a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot. Add the beef and brown on each side, rotating every 2-3 minutes. Take your time browning, it adds a lot of flavor to the final dish! Once all sides are browned, remove the beef to a plate and set aside. In the same pot, add the onions, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, until the veggies are soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot (yum!). Boil wine for 1 minute. Add the dried mushrooms, beef stock, and chuck roast and bring liquids to a boil. Cover and place in the preheated oven and cook for 3 hours, flipping over the meat halfway through cooking. Remove the roast from the pot and tent with foil. Let sit for 15 minutes as you finish the sauce. Blend the sauce in a blender, or use an immersion blender in the pot. Return the sauce to the pan and add the rosemary. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of beef stock. Increase heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig.

To serve: cut the roast and place on a platter. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with additional rosemary. Goes great with mashed potatoes or polenta! Pass extra sauce in a gravy boat. Yummy!

Macaroni and Cheese with Andouille

Happy December! It is officially the season for warm, comforting foods, and what's more comforting than macaroni and cheese? Growing up, Andy loved Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese with slices of Red Hot hot dogs mixed in. This recipe is a grown up version of that dish that he so fondly remembers. In place of the hot dog, we used Andouille sausage which is a Cajun smoked spicy pork sausage that reminds me of a hotter version of kielbasa. Instead of Kraft, the base is a homemade, creamy cheese sauce with a hint of mustard to complement the sausage. The two are combined together and topped with fresh breadcrumbs, then baked until bubbly and delicious! Enjoy :o)

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

3/4 lb. dried pasta such as elbows, campanelle, or cavatappi

2 tsbp. vegetable oil

2 links Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/8 inch disks

5 tbsp. butter, divided

3 tbsp. flour

2 1/2 cups half and half (milk or cream could also work)

1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard

1-2 tsp. Frank's hot sauce

5 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz. Mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper

fresh breadcrumbs*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

In the meantime, make the sauce. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the Andouille sausage in a single layer and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from pan and drain sausage on paper towels, then add to the bowl with the pasta. Wipe some of the excess oil out of the pan, leaving any brown bits from the sausage. Turn heat to medium and add 3 tbsp. of the butter. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Cook for 30 seconds to get rid of the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the half and half and cook for 5-6 minutes until thickened slightly, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom from burning. Turn off the heat and add the cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mascarpone, mustard, and Frank's. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sauce to the bowl and stir to combine. Pour mixture into a 9"x13" baking dish or into 6 ramekins for individual servings. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter, melted. Bake until the breadcrumbs have browned and the edges of the macaroni and cheese are bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

* to make fresh breadcrumbs, simply pulse a few pieces of stale bread in a food processor until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs. Leftover breadcrumbs can be stored in a resealable bag in the freezer.