craveytrain

So, thanks to a couple x-mases from my grandmother, I had some $100 worth of gift cards to Dillards. Well, I’m not into clothes atm really, but I got a nice Le Creuset 5.5 Qt. Enamled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Ain’t she purty?

What better to break her in on than an attempt at my perfect chili. I have been trying to perfect my chili for years. I have tried lots of different things from chili meat (coarse ground chuck) to ground beef, to stew meat, to caldillo, to venison, to pork, etc. And while I did stumble across a really tasty roasted green chile pork stew along the way, but I was looking for chili. Texas Red to be specific. Now, I am of the belief that chili doesn’t have beans. Now, that’s not to say that i don’t like beans in my chili-like concoction. However, I call that beef stew or chili soup or something along those lines. I didn’t grow up that way, that’s just how I eventually decided I feel about chili. So, after years of trials and tribulations, the inaugural cooking in my new pot is simmering away at this very moment while I write this post.

What you may be thinking (especially if you are from Texas) is What the hell? He’s gonna give away his chili recipe? You see, chili recipes are closely guarded secrets in Texas (and they may be else where). However, I like to share good recipes with the world (or with both of you that read my blog). That and I think this chili may be the first recipe post than I can truly call my own. Not saying that no one has done it this way before, but if they did, I didn’t know about it.

Depending on the crop of habs, this chili ranges from kinda mild by my standards to decent and spicy. However, if you want something with plenty of kick (I call it The Pain, partly so I can say I brought The Pain), don’t seed the habaneros. Warning, it will be hot. I’m not telling you it will be spicy, that it will burn your lips, or that it will tingle your senses. I am telling you right now it will be hot. Like you will regret it the next day hot. That’s what I do when I make chili for cookoffs.

So, without further ado:

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb stew meat
• 1.5 lbs caldillo beef (chuck diced in 3/4” cubes)
• 2 tbsp Essence
• 4 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 tsp ground oregano
• .5 tsp cinnamon
• .5 cup of masa harina (corn flour)
• .5 cup of olive oil
• .25 cup manteca (lard)
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 habaneros, seeded & diced
• 3 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce), chopped
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp adobo sauce
• 2 bottles of beer (I like Negro Modelo)
• 1 qt beef stock
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate

Prep

Put the meat in a large bowl and cover with salt, pepper, cinnamon, Essence, 2 tbsp chili powder and 1 tbsp cumin. Don’t mess around with the spoon, get your hands in there and break up all the little pieces of meat, making sure seasoning gets on all of it. Cover meat with masa and again, make sure all the pieces of meat are coated.

Heat up a heavy bottomed pot (or a dutch oven) to medium high and add about a third of the olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan).

Cooking

When the oil is hot, add half the meat and then half the manteca. Let meat brown and start to carmelize. Don’t worry if ya burn some. Turn the meat and let it brown on all sides. Reserve it off to the side with a slotted spoon (leaving as much liquid as possible). Add another third of the olive oil and the rest of the meat. Add the rest of the manteca. Brown the meat the same way as before. When done, reserve meat off to the side with the rest.

Turn the temperature down to medium , add the rest of the olive oil to the pot and then the onions, garlic and habaneros. Saute for 5 - 7 mins until they get soft. Add the tomato sauce, the chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce. Add the rest of the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil.

Once it is boiling, add both beers deglaze the pot. Boil for 10 mins to reduce. Add the meat back and the beef stock. Simmer for 1.5 hours until the meat is tender.

Once meat is tender, add chocolate to chili and stir in to melt.

Serve it up, and drop me a line to let me know how you liked it.

For valentine’s day, the girlie and I went to Siena for dinner. This was the first time we had gone out to eat for Valentine’s day. In prior years I made big dinners and we stayed at home. I have this aversion to doing things how everyone else does them. I hate being cliche. However, honestly, I didn’t feel like making dinner this year, so we went out to eat.

We made reservations for 8, got there at 8 and got seated promptly, which I was jazzed about. I had heard horror stories about going out to eat on v-day and having to wait hours. The service was a bit slow, but nothing really bad. It was to be expected. For the evening they had a limited menu. We both got 1 thing from each course:

Now, the food was good. It really was very good. However it was not great. The problem is, with the price is that with a few glasses of wine, the bill was $165 (not including tip) for the 2 of us. That’s a bit pricey. Now, I don’t mind paying that, and it wouldn’t be the first time. Two places I have been to that come to mind in that price range are K-Paul’s (Paul Prudhomme) and Blue Ginger (Ming Tsai). Both of these places were exquisite. Everything I ate just melted in my mouth. Everything covered my taste palette and had my buds screaming for more (even when my body couldn’t hold it). Things just weren’t as good here. The crab wasn’t as fresh as I would have liked it to be, the veal was a bit tough and vegetable medley that came with it was bland.

Siena was good. It was very good, but I just don’t feel it justified the price compared to those other places. However, it was good enough that we want to go back and try it on a non-special menu occassion to get a better feel for it. So I tenatively give it a B+ or so.

Dinner tonight was a very tasty ordeal. Tonight we had:

• Panko-Crusted Chicken Milanesa with Soy Sauce Reduction,
• Basil Chive Red Potato Mash and
• Key Lime Pie.

I have been trying to get that soy sauce reduction right for a few months now. I was trying to emulate a local restaurant that closed down a year or more ago who had a very similar dish. I think I am really close now. Close enough that we all enjoyed what I have created enough to call it done.

But for months, I would turn out this black tar of soy scorched in the bottom of the pan. Bane of dish washers everywhere and a foul stench that no candle could over power. Finally, a friend of mine suggested instead of reducing the sauce all the way down, reduce it enough to get a good flavor and then use corn starch to thicken up the rest. You know, sometimes I forget I have that stuff in the pantry. Thanks a lot for that one, you saved me.

Anyways, if you do decide to make this dish, please drop a line and tell me how it worked out for you. Also, consider drizzling the soy sauce reduction on the potatoes, too. I found it to be very tasty.

• Prep: 15 mins
• Cook: 45 mins
• Servings: 4

I wish I would have taken pictures, but I’m sorry, I was too busy eating. That, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I will take pictures next time.

I am still playing with the recipe format, just follow it down, it’s written in best order of operation.

Thanks to Krog, your idea of using corn starch to thicken the soy sauce saved me from yet another pan of black tar and days of stench in the apartment.

Ingredients

Panko-Crusted Chicken Milanesa

• 4 chicken breast cutlets (or 2 boneless chicken breasts)
• 7 tbsp Essence (substitute favorite season salt)
• 4 tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• .25 cup canola oil

Soy Sauce Reduction

• 1.25 cup dark soy sauce
• .5 cup of sugar
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
• 4 tbsp honey (preferably orange blossom)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Prep

Panko-Crusted Chicken Milanesa

Pound out cutlets to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. If you do not have cutlets (or don’t want to spend the money on them) simply cut the breasts in half. Lay the breast down on a cutting board, skin side down, and cut parallel with the cutting board, essentially giving you 2 thinner breasts (aka. cutlets).

Season the 4 cutlets with approx 4 tbsps of Essence and 4 tbsp ground black pepper. Put in fridge for at least half an hour (the more the better up to 4 hours). Anything more than 4 hours will usually results in in the chicken being “too seasoned” due to how thin it is.

Soy Sauce Reduction

Mince the garlic, ginger and shallots.

Cooking

Soy Sauce Reduction

Put shallots, garlic and ginger in a pot and set to medium-high. Give the items in the pan about 60 seconds then add everything else except the corn starch. Combine well with a wisk.

Bring to a boil. When sauce starts to thicken (easily identified by the bubbles getting bigger and starting to creep up side of pot) reduce heat to medium and add the corn starch. Make sure all the corn starch is dissolved (a wisk helps get the clumps out). Once the corn starch is dissolved, reduce heat to low until desired thickness is acheived. Remember, the sauce will thicken quite a bit once it cools. You want a syrup consistency once it cools.

Panko-Crusted Chicken Milanesa

Place flour and remaining Essence in shallow dish. Place panko bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. Beat eggs and place in yet a third shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the flour then shake off excess. Dredge chicken in eggs then shake off excess. Dredge chicken in panko then press so panko adheres.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add canola oil. When oil is hot, add chicken and pan fry until golden brown on both sides (few minutes per side).

Serving

Serve a fried cutlet on a plate and drizzle soy “syrup” over it. Be generous, and serve with lots of water…

First off, this is not my recipe. However, I found this to be some of the best mashed potatos I have ever had. The fresh herb taste and chunky texture helps offset the natural heaviness of mashed potatoes. I love my roasted garlic and cheese mashers, but these right here I will stack up against any I have ever tried.

First, let me give out appropriate props:
This recipe is from Good Deal with Dave Lieberman. The recipe is hosted by Food Network. Now, normally I would just link to their recipe, however, their recipes tend to disappear over time, so I wanted to keep this for posterity. Plus, I did make a few adjustments as I have found appropriate.

• Prep: 5 mins
• Cook: 35 mins
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs red-skinned new potatoes
• .5 cup heavy cream
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) butter
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 3 tbsp chopped basil leaves
• salt
• ground black pepper

Prep

Wash the potatoes and quarter them. Place them in a stock pot and enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Add 3 tbsp salt.

Cooking

Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender when poked with a knife, about 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Add the cream and butter and let the whole pot sit over very low heat until warmed through and butter is melted (3-5 mins).

While potatoes are warming, chop basil and chives.

Add chives and basil to the pot with the potatoes and mash the potatoes coarsely. Season with salt and pepper.

Serving

The idea is to have the potatoes still chunky, not completely mashed up. Simply plate and eat.