purlewe: (cooking)
OK I used the basic recipe from Bon Appetit here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Texas-Beef-Brisket-Chili-350108

First I will warn you. This recipe filled my ENTIRE crock pot that Sharon & John got us for the wedding. This pot is HUGE and so if you need to cook the meat and then remove some to put the butternut squash in at the end don't feel bad. I removed about 6 cups of meat, drained about 8 oz of fat off the top, put the butternut squash in, and then covered it with as much meat as would fit in the pot. I think this made sure the squash was covered enough by juices to cook them thoroughly without worrying about them sitting on top and drying out. I cannot imagine a pot big enough to cook this in that fits in your oven. I don't recommend halfing the recipe tho. I don't think it would taste right. Maybe take 2 pots at once to make it?

But since I changed it some (not alot) I will post my version. I added raisins and beans to the chili.. plus I didn't use ancho chiles. I wanted to use black beans but I grabbed the wrong can and used an organic kidney bean that was so dark it fooled me into thinking I opened the black beans. I didn't want to waste them so I put them in the pot. Next time I will use black beans, altho these were a tasty substitute.

Last notes: Making the chiles and blending them made me think this was going to be VERY spicy. My nose hairs burned for 2 hrs after making the paste. It cooked down without any real super spiceyness, so if you like it to be spicier I would a) add another batch of the paste when you add the squash at the end or b) let it sit overnite. I wondered if it would have been more spicy the next day.

Brisket and Butternut Squash Chili
6 large dried new mexico chiles (bought at the spice corner in S. Philly)
1/2 cup raisins
6 ounces bacon, sliced
4 cups onions, chopped
1 5-pound beef brisket, cut into 2 1/2- to 3-inch cubes (Espositos was the place I got mine.)
Coarse kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
9 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 10-ounce can of Ro*tel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer (I used Sol)
1 4-ounce can diced roasted green chiles
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
1 10-ounce can of kidney beans (altho black beans are also a good choice)
2 cups 1-inch chunks seeded peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)

Seed and stem the dried chiles. Place chiles and raisins in large bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover. Soak until chiles soften, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat until beginning to brown. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle beef all over with coarse salt and pepper. Add to pot; stir to coat, turn heat to medium low.

Drain chiles and raisins, reserving soaking liquid. Place chiles and raisins in a cuisinart. Add 1 cup soaking liquid, garlic, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; blend to puree, adding more soaking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if very thick. Pour puree over brisket in pot. Add tomatoes with juices, beer, green chiles, and cilantro stems. Stir to coat evenly.

Cover and place in oven. Cook 2 hours. Uncover, add beans and stir. Cook until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour. Drain as much fat off the top of the chili as you can (I used a turkey baster which worked wonders), remove about half the meat to another bowl, add squash to pot, cover with as much of the meat you can fit into the pot. Roast uncovered until beef and squash are tender, adding more soaking liquid if needed to keep meat covered, about 45 minutes longer. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Tilt pot and spoon off any fat from surface of sauce. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
purlewe: (Default)
It appears that city hall will be the home of the new farmer's market. It is in the courtyard of city hall and I just got back from there. there is someone selling eggs, a farmstand from NJ and a plant stand from quarrytown.

Just an FYI to my friends here in CC who might want to pick some stuff up at lunch.
purlewe: (cooking)
2 onions
1 head of garlic
shredded chicken (I had a leftover whole chicken I cooked.. but I would say about 2-3 cups shredded)
1 bunch of cilantro
2/3 cup pepitos (pumpkin seeds) toasted
1 large can white beans (canellini beans, we use a 1lb 13 oz can)
8 cups tomatillos (I used 10 cups, I think that was too many)
8 roma tomatoes
chili powder (to your taste)
1 tsp mexican oregano
1 tsp espozote
salt, sugar, and pepper to taste

This was a very odd tasting chili b'c it was sour. I think it would be better on a hot day b'c it doesn't TASTE hot. I sauteed the onions and garlic, tossed in the chicken and tomatillos and tomatoes, chopped the cilantro and tossed that in. I toasted the pepitos and added the beans. I then added spices to my taste and included sugar (which I never use in cooking savory foods.. but this was way more sour than I expected.. so ymmv) It was good with sour cream on top and a dash of cheese. It would be even better with mexican chihuahua cheese. (which I forgot to go buy.)

Basically I took a chicken verde recipe I had and chili-fied it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't Sue's favorite. I need to figure out what to do with the leftovers. cos I know she won't eat it.
purlewe: (Default)
This is from vegetarian cooking for everyone (madison).. but I changed it by doubling it. I was terribly worried b'c she wrote that it served 4 people.. frankly the stew could have served six but I didn't know it. So you can defnitely half this recipe. As it is written below it serves 12 now. Things you COULD change.. is use spinach instead of chard.. or a mix of chard and spinach.

2 bunches of chard, stems removed
28 oz can of chickpeas
[12 garlic cloves
salt
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp tumeric]
6 tbl olive oil
1/2 c chopped cilantro
4 tbl chopped parsley
2 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 small dried chilis
28 oz can diced tomotoes

boil the chard, chop coarsley and set aside. cover chickpeas with cold water and gently rub to get off their skins. tip the bowl to let the skins drain off. drain.

***This next part I split the ingredients in half and processed them separately then put them all into the stew at the same time. It was easier that way.. but another easy way is to use a food processor and put all of them in at once***

Do this twice:
Take 6 garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp salt in a mortar and pestle and pound until smooth. add 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp tumeric, and 1 tsp oil, and 2 tbl cilantro and parsley. Pound until paste is formed.

heat the remaining oil in a large pot over high heat. add onion, pepper and thyme. cook for about 7 minutes, or until onion is soft. then stir in garlic paste, chickpeas, amd 1 c water. when heated through add the tomatoes, greens, chilis, 1 tsp of salt, and another cup of water. reduce the heat to low and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. stir in remaining cilantro.

The best thing is the longer this sets the better it tastes. So I made it first thing in the morning and then put it in the fridge. Upon getting home I pulled it out, heated it through while I made couscous. DELISH!
purlewe: (Default)
And still the world turns..

So these past 2 days have been up and down. Mostly up.

Yesterday evening I went out with my friend Ruth to a great little Korean BBQ restaurant. I should probably mention somewhere on my info page that I am a bit adventurous when it comes to food. I love all kinds of food. I love to try to restaurants. I will try anything once. I figure I can't hate it unless I try it. And because my dad was in the restaurant business (and my sis and her hubby both are currently) I am mostly forgiving of many wait staff. But I will warn you I do have a breaking point, I refuse to be a doormat. But I will tell them if I think that it can be fixed, or I won't ever eat there again.

Back to the good food. So if you have never been to a Korean BBQ this is what happens. You get a brazier on (or in) your table and your cook your own food. This way you make it to your liking. I'll admit that this is the first Korean place I've eaten in that did not have a menu. Everyone there was Asian, and the menu is what is on a salad bar at one end of the building. You go up, load food on your plate, bring it back to the table and cook the food. YUMMY! The best, by far, was the beef. Followed by the chicken. It was well marinated and went great with the side dishes and garlic and beer. I would totally eat there again. And for those in the Philly hood, it is off Rte 1 and Adams. In the old electric generator building near the Sears building. Divine!

So I got home about the same time Sue did. We did the whole how was your day thing. The plan: get online and look at hotels for England and change Sue's tickets to come home with me on the 6th of January. She also wanted to look at her e-mail because she has been so busy at work. We never made it that far. Her e-mail contained a letter from her England agent, Hermione who said that Sue's resume had been faxed to a school in Surrey (I can't remember the name, I'm sure I'll get you the link if it all pans out). It is a wonderful and terrible thing all at once. Sue had been talking with Hermione for awhile and Hermione was pretty up front: things were not looking good for this time of year (mid semesters) and Sue's skills were more suited for the lower forms (grades) and not the upper forms, which puts her at a slight disadvantage. This past weekend I think we both started thinking about the springtime and expecting her to be here. I was thinking about softball and Spring Break. She was thinking about camping and what kind of plans she would teach her current 5th grade class. This sudden chance to leave at such short notice really threw us for a curve last night. So she spent the rest of the evening reading through the school's website and finding out all sorts of good things. She would be teaching literature and maths. These are her strong suits. Also it is a technology school, and that is her forte. Personally I think it would be a good match. I hope she gets it. So does she. We also both hope she doesn't get it. Life seems so crazy sometimes. I promise to keep you posted.

This morning I got to work and there was a lovely box there from [Bad username or site: amy knits @ livejournal.com] I was so excited. She got my KR knit exchange present yesterday and e-mailed me right away. She sounded so happy. I couldn't wait to open the box. Dan must have thought I was crazy. Inside was a great felted hat- black with a red brim and lovely ribbon work. She also included a few extra presents: a nice kool-aid, hand-dyed skein and a present for my little Lehnen-Bug. (Amy- Lehnen went BONKERS! she is so happy and she sends lots of purrs to you!)

If Sue was not out cold now as I type I would be trying hard to get a pic of me. I really have to figure out how to condense my pics so I can fit them on here. I am so good with technology when I am the user, not so good when it involves multiple levels of technolgy intergration. I feel good that I have gotten this far with my blogging. Give me a week or so to figure the pic thing out. I promise to get things up here.
purlewe: (Default)
Well good morning all. This is my first post. I wanted to be able to download pics of my knitting as well as keep you guys updated about my coming trip to England with Sue. Last nite I downloaded pics from my camera from my weekend in New Paltz with my mother. We had a very nice time. I cooked dinner at Judy's and it went very ,very well. I felt bad that we had forgotten to bring Sue's father's recipe for stuffing, but I improvised and everyone was happy with the results- even Christopher! And he is hard to impress (he likes his stovetop stuffing). After dinner we had an early Christmas with presents. I got lots of really nice presents and my mom was extremely good to me this year. My new computer and digital camera are quite a blessing. Without them I wouldn't even be entering this.

I have been wanting to start a blog showing people my work and letting them see the kinds of things I have been working on. Right now I am in the midst of a bunch of sweaters. One is a super secret project (shh!) the other 2 are for my sisters. I had gotten one of them almost done the other day (actually the whole knitting process only took one whole day! I was quite proud.) It is one of Teva Durham's designs. I got to the neck and looked the sweater over very carefully. I realized I had made 2 mistakes: one in row 5 or 9 and the other near the sleeves. I decided that since it only took me a day to knit, and since it wasn't quite right, I might as well frog the whole thing. No sense giving it away just to say I completed it in one day if I wasn't happy with the end result. When I get those done I have a list of 3 baby sweaters to put on the needles. I picked out 2 designs and will soon buy the yarn. I'll let you know the final decisions when it gets closer. The most recently completed projects are 2 scarves I made. One is for Amy my KR buddy. I won't post it till she gets it, but the other is for Ivey, my best friend's daughter. I think it turned out real sweet and is in the exact same colors as her brothers (except her bro's doesn't have the lace) Once I get better at this journaling thing I will post the pics. I just wanna make sure I can :)
Everyone have a nice day. It is snowing here. Sue left early so she could get to work without killing herself. Her brother gets married this weekend on Sunday and I get to play photographer for the big day. I hope the pics turn out good. I am sure to let you know what antics happen this weekend. (and trust me, there will be antics.. I can feel it)

August 2024

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
11121314151617
1819 2021222324
25262728293031

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 9th, 2025 03:45 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios