Green Chile Stew

Notes on preparation

• The amount of sodium in your chili powder varies. Taste a bit before adding any salt. I like Penzey's Medium Hot Chili Powder which has no added salt. 
• Use Mexican oregano if you have it on hand, regular is fine. 
• I've tried including the liquid from the green chiles and did not like the outcome personally. 
• Pork:You can purchase pork chops (already sliced) or you can purchase a huge pork loin package from Costco and slice them yourself. There is some savings in the latter. Cut it 1/2 inch slices and store in 2 lb (or close enough) portions and freeze. The original recipe called for pork shoulder or butt. It is definitely more flavorful. It also takes longer to cut and trim and contains more animal fat. 
• When I can get them I use Goya White Hominy and Westbrae Great Northern Beans (not pictured above). The beans break down well to become the "gravy" for the stew.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds pork chops, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, trimmed and cut in to 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 30 ounces hominy, canned, drained (Goya)
• 32 ounces great northern beans, canned, drained (Westbrae)
• 10 ounces tomatoes with green chilies, canned with juices (Rotel)
• 12 ounces green chiles, canned, drained or frozen thawed and drained (Bueno are great if you live in the southwest)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 10 oz lager or pilsner beer
• Salt, to taste
• chopped cilantro and radish slices, to garnish

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet with lid, brown pork cubes in a little oil. Remove liquid at end of browning to get a little crust on pork if you like.. Add onion and a little more oil to the pot. Cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients except salt and garnishes. Cover and simmer low for one hour. Add 8 oz beer or more as needed. . 
2. Taste and adjust seasonings for salt. Serve hot garnished with cilantro and sliced or julienned radishes. This stew reheats well; cover and refrigerate for up to three days; freeze for longer storage.

Rachael Ray has a terrific Posole recipe I've made a couple of times. I like it. I drain the cans of hominy when making it. 

Beef Stew

This is my favorite version. I prefer baking the bacon and using some of the reserved fat to sauté the onion.  I am leaning towards browning the meat in a skillet and then transferring to the Dutch oven.

 4  slices bacon
 2  cups onion -- chopped
 2 1/2  pounds stew meat -- or cut up your own into 1 inch chunks
 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon black pepper -- freshly ground
 3  cups beef stock -- Better than Bouillon works well
 12  ounces beer -- malty; Nut brown ale is nice
 2 tablespoons tomato paste
 2  teaspoons mustard -- brown or yellow
 2  teaspoons fresh savory -- or teaspoon dried savory or marjoram; more for dried
 1  pinch cayenne
 1 1/2  cups pearl onion -- blanched and peeled (frozen works too)
 6  medium carrot -- cut into chunks
 4  small red potatoes -- peeled and cut into chunks
 3  Medium parsnip -- cut into chunks

1. Fry bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp.
2. Remove bacon w/ slotted spoon, drain and reserve it.
3. Stir the onion into the bacon fat and sauté until soft and transluscent, about 5 minutes.
4. Toss the meat cubes with the flour , salt, and pepper. Add about half the cubes to the Dutch oven and brown. Add remaining cubes and brown.
5. Pour in the stock and beer, tomato paste, mustard, savory, and a pinch or two of cayenne.
6. Simmer for 1 hour, then add the pearl onions, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips.
7. Simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 additional hours, until the meat and vegetables are very tender and the liquid is thick.
8. Add Bacon back onto pot about 20 minutes before serving

Shrimp With White Bean Stew

Not sure why I haven't added this before. Make it all the time for weekday dinner. Fast and easy. I like using Better than Bouillon for the clam juice/fish stock ingredient. Easy to keep on hand and relatively inexpensive. It can be hard to find. Thinking of trying Minor's fish stock base from Amazon.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed if canned
One 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups clam broth or fish stock (I use clam base from better than bouillon)
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Heat oil in a dutch oven.
Saute onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.
Add cannellini beans, tomatoes, salt, rosemary and pepper.
Add clam broth and bring everything to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add shrimp and simmer till just done, about 2 minutes.
Add chopped parsley when you serve in bowl.

Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens

Perfect for New Year's Day good luck and prosperity for the coming year. You can omit the bacon, substitute vegetable stock, and add some liquid smoke + brown sugar to make it fairly vegetarian. 

NOTE: If you cook a whole package of bacon in the oven, you can reserve the bacon grease and use 2 tbsp in this recipe with 6 of the cooked slices. Put remaining slices in ziplock bag in freezer and refrigerate the leftover bacon fat for cornbread.
Musical accompaniment: I'm Shakin by The Blasters or by Little Willie John

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, Farmland thick cut if you've got it
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper 
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned, with juice
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 pound collard greens, stemmed, rolled, cut into 3/4 inch ribbons
31 ounces blackeyed peas, canned, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined palte and set aside.
    
2. Remove all but 2 tbsp bacon fat from pot. Add onion and salt and cook stiring frequently until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
    
3. Add garlic, cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add tomatoes and their juice. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add greens, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until green are just tender, about 15 minutes
    
5. Add black-eyed peas to pot and cook covered stirring gently occasionally until greens are silky and tender, about 15 more minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Serve topping with reserved bacon.

Smoked Turkey Breast

Loved how this turned out. Perfect for smaller gathering or for those who prefer white meat. I got my boneless turkey breast from Whole Foods. I used this video but used a salting technique from Cooks Illustrated. Start the day before you need it since you'll be salting it overnight. I use an electric CookShack smoker, so if you are using something else plan accordingly to prepare your smoker. 

Ingredients

1 or 2 turkey breast halves (usually 2-3 pounders are available)

Kosher Salt

Coarse black pepper - I used Sam's Choice . Reasonably priced at Walmart. 

Dried thyme (optional)

Unsalted Butter

Instructions

1. Remove skin from the breast and salt all over with ¾ tsp per pound. 
2. Wrap with plastic wrap, put on something to catch any leaking liquid and refrigerate about 12 to  hours. 
3. Unwrap turkey breasts and sprinkle black pepper VERY LIBERALLY all over turkey. I used prepared coarse black pepper. You could grind fresh, but it's a lot of pepper. 
4. I added some thyme but that's up to you. You are after all 
5. Smoke the breast at about 250 to 275 for  2 hours.  Double wrap in foil, breast side down with the butter. I think I used about 1/2 stick per breast. 
6. You can return these to the smoker or to a 275 degree oven. Insert a meat probe and cook till internal temp is about 160-162 degrees F. I think this was about another hour. 
7. Remove from oven or smoker and let rest in foil for about 30 minutes. 
8. Remove from foil and slice. Reserve liquid for drizzling over turkey once sliced. 

Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

Finally made one of these and wowza! I looked at a bunch of recipes before synthesizing this one.  Really good. Give it a try. Adjust the amount of pepperoncini peppers and brine to suit your taste.

1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

1 (1-ounce) packet ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix

1 (1-ounce) packet au jus gravy mix

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (12-ounce) jar pepperoncini peppers

1. Add the chuck roast to a slow cooker. Place a 3- to 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
    
2. Add the seasoning packets. Sprinkle the chuck roast with 1 packet ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix and 1 packet au jus gravy mix.
    
3. Add the butter, pepperoncini, and brine. Cut 1 stick butter into cubes and place on top of the roast. Pour 1/2 cup brine from a jar of pepperoncini peppers and pour this over the roast. Add about 10 pepperoncini peppers.
    
4. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours until the beef is very tender.  About 8 hours on the LOW setting, or 5 to 6 hours on the HIGH setting. Mix and spoon liquid over roast after about 2 hours.
     
5. Use tongs to shred the roast and serve. Shred the roast into bite-sized pieces with tongs. 

Serving suggestions

Serve over or with mashed potatoes

Grilled cheese with some pot roast between two slices of provolone using Texas Toast bread. 

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

This has become one of my favorite soups. It is REALLY worth it. You can complete tasks while other parts are cooking. Currently I'm using wood-parched wild rice and like it. Pictures coming soon. 

Ingredients

¼ ounce dried shitake mushrooms
4 ¼ cups water
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 cup wild rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon tomato paste
⅔ cup dry sherry (Lustau Amontillado works well)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup minced fresh chives (optional)
¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder until finely ground (you should have about 3 tablespoons).

1. Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. (While rice is in oven, move on to the next step.) Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; remove thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.  
    
2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add dry sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.
    
3. Mix cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This is my take on a very popular dish. I'm working on a smoked version, but use liquid smoke in this one. 

Ingredients

1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast - Boston butt

1 cup barbeque sauce

½ cup apple cider vinegar

⅛ teaspoon liquid smoke

½ cup chicken broth

¼ cup light brown sugar1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 extra large onion, chopped 
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
8 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Mix the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and chicken broth in the slow cooker. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker and spoon some liquid over the top. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours. I flipped mine about halfway through. 

Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.

Serving ideas...

Classic: on buttered and toasted buns with pickles, pickled red onions, etc. 

Grilled Cheese: Texas Toast bread, slice of provolone and American cheese with some pulled pork in the middle. 

Storage: This makes a lot. Freeze in muffin tins then transfer to Ziplock in the freezer. Zap in microwave and use as needed. 

Black-eyed Peas with Collard Greens

You can make this kinda vegetarian friendly by swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth and skipping the bacon. Add some liquid smoke, maybe a little brown sugar and some soy sauce at the end. Thanks to Gracie for this makeover. This is a good candidate for New Year's Day. 

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, Farmland thick cut if you've got it

1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper 

14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned, with juice

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 pound collard greens, stemmed, rolled, cut once lenthwise the into 3/4 inch ribbons

31 ounces blackeyed peas, canned, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

NOTE: If you cook a whole package of bacon in the oven, you can reserve the bacon grease and use 2 tbsp in this recipe with 6 of the cooked slices. Put remaining slices in ziplock bag in freezer and refrigerate the leftover bacon fat for cornbread.

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined palte and set aside.

Remove all but 2 tbsp bacon fat from pot. Add onion and salt and cook stiring frequently until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and their juice. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add greens, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until green are just tender, about 15 minutes

Add black-eyed peas to pot and cook covered stirring gently occasionally until greens are silky and tender, about 15 more minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Serve topping with reserved bacon.

Chili Con Carne

While cookin' up a mess o' chili I can't think of anything better to enjoy than some Stevie Ray Vaughn. Any song will do. This recipe is not the chili I learned to love at The Texas Chili Parlor, but it makes a lot and most folks like it.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound bulk Italian sausage

Dry Ingredients

1 tablespoon bacon bits
2 tablespoons Ancho chile powder, or use another two tablespoons of regular chili powder here
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican oregano if you have it
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, leave out to reduce sodium

2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 tsp beef base (optional, its fine without this)

Canned Ingredients
45 ounces chili beans medium, canned, drained (3 cans)
15 ounces chili beans spicy, canned with the sauce
2 x 28 oz diced tomatoes with juice, canned
6 oz tomato paste

Vegetables
1 large Yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 medium Jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup beer (no bitter IPA's please)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Hot pepper sauce, e.g. Tabasco

Garnish
corn chips, Fritos
diced onion and jalapeños
shredded cheese or some chili con queso you've made


Instructions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Add all the dry ingredients to the cooked meat and stir. 
3. Add the vegetables, wet, and canned ingredients. Stir to mix ingredients.. Simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
5. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips, cheese, some finely diced onion and a sprinkle of freshly minced jalapeños. 

Smoked Spare Ribs

These are the best I've made so far. This is what I want from my spare ribs: Moist, not falling apart, well seasoned.

I used Costco ribs for this batch. Three racks like this will just fit into my smoker.  Put up a local BBQ joint's prices for comparison. These cook for 6 hrs (3+2+1) total with about 1-2 hour lead time for rub.

   

Rub for about 10 lbs ribs
2 tbsp ground black
4 tbsp Paprika, sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp cayenne

Apple cider vinegar for foil (Texas crutch)

Steps

1. Trim ribs by removing the membrane on rib side and trim any big sections of fat from the front. 
2. Lay rack on large piece of plastic wrap and season both sides. You'll use up the rib so 1/3 per rack.
3. Wrap of the rack in the plastic wrap, set on a sheet pan. Repeat with other two racks and put them all in the fridge for about an hour or so. 
4. I use an electric smoker so I'm ready to go. You may need to start your fire so do that and get temp to about 225° F. 
5. Place ribs in smoker and smoke for 3 hours. 
6. Set up enough foil to wrap each rack (I have to cut mine in 1/2 for 6 sections for me)
7. Remove each rack from smoker, place in foil with some apple cider vinegar, seal the foil and return to smoker. I rotate high/low when returning to smoker. You can double-wrap if you like. 
8. After 2 hours, remove foil-wrapped ribs from smoker, unwrap and return to smoker. 
9. Cook for 1 more hour . You can mop at this point if you like, but I prefer a non-sticky rib with rub only. Remove racks from smoker and let rest for a while, then cut and serve. 

Goulash Soup (Gulaschsuppe)

I love this soup. It is great as is or it can serve as a launching point by adding veggies of your choice (I'm looking at you parsnips!) I've been using Target's stew meat that comes in 1 or 1.5 lb packages. I only have to cut up some of the pieces for my preferred size. Cut as you see fit. You are, after all, the one who adds panache to your goulash.
You will be building up fond on the bottom of the pot on and off as you add ingredients. This is totally normal.

• 1.5 - 2.0 lb stew meat cut into 1/2 inch pieces & fat removed (or start with your own chuck roast and cut up yourself)
• 1 1/2 - 2 medium onions halved at equator and sliced pole to pole. 
• 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of hot Hungarian paprika (or equal measure cayenne)
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon of marjoram
• 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup of petite diced tomatoes (with or without juice, up to you)
• 6 cups of cold water
• 1.5 tablespoons beef broth base (Beyond Bouillon) 
• 1-3  liberal dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
• Salt and Pepper to taste through the cooking process
• Sour cream for garnish (optional)

1. In a dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat, brown the beef in batches and remove to bowl. 
2. Sauté onions in same pot till softened. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  
3. Return beef to pot with onions and reduce heat to medium. 
4. Sprinkle in both sweet and hot paprika and/or cayenne if using. Stir and cook together for 1 - 2 minutes. 
5. Sprinkle in flour, thyme, marjoram and caraway seeds. Stir to coat evening and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. 
6. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste. Pour in cold water and  beef base. 
7. Scrape bottom of pot to remove anything that's stuck. Add Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
8. Garnish with sour cream and serve with bread.

Poorly plated photo

Cleanup is super easy. Just the items below and the dutch oven. 

I'll be adding some parsnips and maybe carrots off and on to change this up. 

Clean up is a breeze!

Brazilian Fish and Shrimp Stew

This is one of my favorite seafood dishes. It is absolutely delicious and fairly easy to prepare. The pepper "sauce" is more like a thin relish. It can be made in advance and goes great on eggs. Double the recipe and use the rest later. I was unable to locate a 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes so I used a can of diced tomatoes with their juices. I was also unable to locate whole hot cherry peppers in nearby grocery stores. I wound up ordering some from Walmart for pickup. I originally found this recipe on Cooks Country.


Ingredients
-For the Pepper Sauce
4 pickled hot cherry pepper (3 ounces)
½ onion, chopped coarse
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

-For the Stew
1 pound large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, veins and tails removed
1 pound skinless cod fillets (about 1 inch thick), cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped coarse
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice

Ingredients

Directions
FOR THE PEPPER SAUCE: Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt to taste and transfer to separate bowl. Rinse out processor bowl.

FOR THE STEW: Toss shrimp and cod with garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl, and set aside.
Process onion, tomatoes and their juice with ¼ cup cilantro in food processor until finely chopped. Will look like a thin salsa.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add red and green bell peppers and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add onion-tomato mixture. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until puree has reduced and thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes (pot should not be dry).

Increase heat to high, stir in coconut milk, and bring to boil (mixture should be bubbling across entire surface). Add seafood mixture and lime juice and stir to evenly distribute seafood, making sure all pieces are submerged in liquid. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand until shrimp and cod are opaque and just cooked through, 15 minutes.

Gently stir in 2 tablespoons pepper sauce and remaining ½ cup cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Poorly photographed final product

Firehouse Chili Cornbread Casserole

I thought the ratio of cornbread to chili too high. Thicker than I'd like. If I make it again I'll use a deeper and smaller (less surface area) dish with 1/2 the amount of cornbread batter.

FoodWishes Youtube video
All Recipes for amount as written steps

Difficulty: Easy Peasy. Make the chili, make the batter, top with the batter in a casserole dish and bake. Had most ingredients on hand, so shopping was negligible.

Cleanup: The timing for this gave plenty of time to "clean as you go". By the time the casserole is done in the oven you'll have a clean kitchen.

Ingredients

Finished in casserole dish

Plated in unwiped bowl. 

Cincinnati-Style Chili

I made this recently and it was fantastic. Probably the easiest Chef-John-dish I've prepared thus far. Super easy. It yielded a wonderful chili to go over spaghetti, but it can do double-duty as a hot dog chili. Wow! We'll be making this regularly. I did a mix of grass fed and regular ground beef at 90% lean. Great Super Bowl half-time dish.

FoodWishes YouTube video
All Recipes for amounts and written steps

Difficulty: VERY easy. Cut onion, press garlic, and add other stuff to pot. Mash till smooth. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for an hour or so.
Cleanup: One pot, cutting board, knife, garlic press, wooden spoon, masher, ladle.
What I did differently:

• Added bay leaf after mashing ingredients together. Thought it might get broken up and would be hard to find the pieces to remove. 
• I reduced salt to two teaspoons instead of three. 

Ingredients

Need to work on food photography skills