It's Time For Chili!

 

I'm ready for chili.

This is not just any chili.  This is chili with a spin on it.

It's got all sorts of stuff in it and it's got beans in it.  That fact alone could raise the hackles on some of you and might seem like heresy, but this is my chili and my blog, so I can put in what I want.

I enjoyed my Saturday afternoon putting this recipe together.  I was relaxed and having fun and looking forward to eating something special I'd made for my family.  One thing I had to take into consideration is that one out of the three of us is a vegetarian.  Mr. Hawthorne is omnivorous and leans more towards the plant side than towards the meat side and Rosie, if she's hungry enough, will eat a vegetarian.

The chili I'm making today consists of four parts which I kept separate, due to meat not touching vegetable nor cutlery - caveats from a certain diner.  

First, I made black beans and yellow rice.

Second, I made caramelized diced sweet potatoes and onions.

Third, I made the sauce.

Then I called down my little vegetarian/occasionally pescatarian to eat.  I made an edible bowl for him, of course.  I placed a teaspoon of unsalted non-butter in a tortilla bowl mold, let it melt in a 325° oven, then pressed a tortilla in the melted non-butter on both sides, brushing the non-butter all over the tortilla  Placed back into oven and baked until lightly brown and crisp.

Rosie and Mr. Hawthorne are holding out for the meat!

Fourth, I'm making cooking both bacon and ground pork, for the carnivore in us.

 

 I found a box of Goya arroz amarillo in my vast, expansive walk-in pantry cluttered, stuffed-to-the-gills hall closet which spits numerous things out whenever you open it. I barely simmered the arroz in salted water, covered, until the water was absorbed, then tossed in some Plugra unsalted butter.  It was quite nice as is, then I remembered I had some black beans in the fridge I'd cooked the night before.  I tossed the cold black beans in with the hot rice and had a bite.  And another bite.  And another bite.  That hot/cold sensation along with the textures of the al dente beans and the chewiness of the rice made my tongue extremely happy. Seriously happy.  You must try this.  Another "Trust Rosie" moment.  And you know I've never let you down.

 I could stop right here and eat this whole pot of yellow rice and black beans, but I practiced restraint and self-control, although I did manage to scoop up some with a few Tostitos.

Next I threw some diced sweet potatoes along with some chopped onion into a pan with a little melted butter.

Sprinkle some salt and sugar over the potatoes and onions.

Cook for a few minutes - about 5 - until sweet potatoes are tender.
Sweet potatoes cook in no time - not like a regular 'tater.
Scrape up the goody bits from the bottoms.  That's the good part!

The sugar helps to caramelize the sweet potatoes and onions.
And that is ALL FLAVOR, my friends.

Set aside and start on the sauce.

Chili Sauce
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
unsalted butter for sautéing
pinch kosher salt and sugar
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 TB tomato paste
1 TB molasses
1 TB cumin
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp chipotle chili powder
3 TB chili powder
1 can corn with juice

Sauté pepper and onion in butter with salt and sugar about 2 minutes.  Add in can of tomatoes with green chilies.  Add water to can, swirling, and return extra sauce to the pan.  Stir in chicken stock, tomato paste, molasses, cumin, chipotle chili powder, chili powder, and corn and juice.
Simmer about 20 minutes.  Taste test.  Adjust seasoning if you think necessary.

Rosie Hint #458:  Go easy on the chipotle chili powder until you're sure about it.  And remember, flavors will intensify the more you cook.  If you want a thicker sauce, cook longer, but hold back on some quantity of seasonings until the end.  As I said, taste test.


The sauce was all throw and go with me.
Just follow the pictures until we get to the carne part.

 

Cover ajar and let simmer.  Barely.

 
Stir occasionally to scrape up the goodie bits which is flavor.

AHH.......    The CARNE!

1 pound ground pork
4 bacon slices, chopped

I sautéed the bacon about half-way through, then threw in the sausage,
breaking it all up, disposing of any grease, until nicely browned.  Cover and set aside.

If it were just me, I'd go ahead and throw the meat in with the sauce, but NOOOO.
We have a vegetarian, so it's separate.

My bowl has black beans and yellow rice, caramelized sweet potatoes and onions, pork and bacon, red chile sauce, along with cilantro, lime, and crème fraîche.

For the crème fraîche:
1 cup milk (I used skim, since that's what I had.)
1 TB buttermilk
1 TB lime juice or lemon juice (I prefer lime.)
Mix all together, cover with a paper towel, and leave at room temperature overnight.
Next morning, stir (It will be thick.), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Use like sour cream.

You could serve these in little tortilla cups as appetizers if you like.

Sprinkle fresh cilantro from the garden around.

My favorite is serving this in a seasoned tortilla bowl.

Brush tortilla with melted butter with different seasonings mixed in -

cumin, oregano, cayenne to name a few.

Bake the tortilla bowls until crisp and lightly browned.

Serve on fire!

Or in front of a fireplace on a cold night.

Enjoy!

Holiday Reds At The Saltbox Café

 

 Welcome to The Saltbox Café and its holiday glow!

I know there's a setting on the camera to shoot lights at night,

but I prefer that special aura aspect.

Plus I'd need a flash light and the instruction book, 

so you're getting aura tonight

and a very nice aura too I might add.

The Hawthornes attended another one of 

Chefs Amanda and Randolph Sprinkle's remarkable six-course wine-paired dinners.

We're celebrating  Holiday Reds tonight

with Jen and Steve of Empire Wine Distributors.

As always, the menu is the creation of Chefs Amanda and Randolph Sprinkle.

Special Guest Chef is Joshua Naser

and also helping in the kitchen is Nohea.
Our servers are the inimitable DinkleWolf team
of Mike and April.

And so it begins.

We're starting off with breakfast - bacon and eggs.

 

Course 1:  Brown sugar glazed pork belly and deviled eggs paired with Row 11 "3 Vinas" Pinot Noir.

The food pics speak for themselves, so I won't have to describe that except to say it was prepared by the Saltbox Crew, so you know it's good.

But I guess I will have to describe the wines.  Our first wine was Row Eleven Vinas 3 Pinot Noir.  Not Row Ten.  Not Row Twelve.  But Row Eleven.  Believe me, I can tell the difference a row makes.  This was a pretentious, haughty little wine exhibiting, dare I say,  a soupçon of bacon and a flutter of smoke.  I'll call it love in a bottle.

 

I am quite the fan of the belly of pork.

Course 2:  House smoked Korean BBQ Ribs with Daikon and Chinese Cabbage Slaw paired with Steele Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel.

Our second wine is Steele Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel.   This was way better than the Mad Dog 20/20 I had last night.

I'd call it finger-lickin' good.
So were the ribs.

Course 3:  Roasted Quail with Mushroom and Foie Gras Stuffing with Whipped Potatoes and Demi, paired with Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon salaciously slid down my throat like silk.  I will think of M.C.  Hammer and his harem pants whenever I drink this wine.  Like taking a magic carpet ride with Arabian Knights in Red Satin and the carpet is brilliantly be-jeweled with rubies and I have a Sultan with me to pour my wine and do my bidding and manoeuvre the carpet since I've been drinking.  I woke up later that night,  neon lights flashing by-the-hour prices through the windows of our hotel room.  U can't touch this wine unless you're ready for the consequences.

Course 4:  Roasted Veal Loin with Glazed Malibu Carrots and Pearl Onions, paired with Stag's Leap "The Investor."



The Investor was a rich, bold, well-hung wine which left me with intense emotions -  plenitude and gratitude come to mind.

That's one sexy carrot leg.

 

Course 5:  Garlic and Herb Encrusted Prime Rib with Roasted Potatoes and Haricots Verts, paired with Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

This Cabernet was a strong, virile, well-marbled wine.  Oh wait.  The meat was well-marbled.
I wouldn't kick Rodney out of bed for eating crackers.

Course 6:  Sugar Cream Pie with Dark Cherry Preserves and Black Walnut Ice Cream, paired with Big Smooth Red Blend.

This wine was the color of my heirloom homegrown beets.  The taste was reminiscent of a Polynesian sunrise and the aroma reminded me of aggressively herbaceous notes of spring with an undertone of fruits - like I mowed over pomegranates and cranberries in my perfectly manicured centipede-sodded lawn. After a nice rain.

Behind the scenes:

 Yes.
 The Amazing Amanda tosses plates to the Wonderful Wolf.

 And then there's the Delightful and Dynamic Dinkle...

  

 

 Thank you Saltbox Crew for a lovely evening

of fine wine and delectable cuisine!

For a recap of the wonderful international dinner series  at The Saltbox Café,  

please click on the links:

October 2014, we visited Spain.
November 2014, we visited Argentina.
December 2014, we visited Paris.
February 2015, we visited Chocolate. (Why yes, Chocolate is a country.)
March 2015, we visited Italy.
October 2015, we visited Germany.
December 2015, we visited Japan.

Also in December 2015, we enjoyed a Réveillon Feast.

And again in December 2015, we visited France.

February 2016, we took a road trip to California.

Also in February 2016, we visited Italy. 

March 9, 2016, we had a lovely visit to Chile.

March 29, 2016, we visited the Pacific Northwest.

April 20, 2016, we explored the vineyards of Oregon. 

September 2016, we enjoyed South Africa. 

October 2016, we experienced Madrid. 

October 2016, we traveled the Loire Region in France. 

November 3, 2016, we got to Fall In Love With Wine.

November 14, 2016, we enjoyed a Taste of Northern Italy.
Dec 1, 2016, we experienced a Night In Italy.

J'adore Les Huitres!

 


As you know, the Hawthornes love their oysters.
And they just keep getting better and better.


We only have a few months for oyster season, and the Hawthornes try to take advantage of that.  And I try to come up with as many oyster preparations as I can.

My favorite would be raw, with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Next would be steamed and dipped in melted butter and lemon juice.
And then comes a whole slew of oyster-do's.

Tonight it's spinach with minced green, yellow, orange, and red peppers, some minced red onion, with cream to bind, and a little nutmeg.  Top with a mild bleu cheese, walnuts, panko, Ritz, and butter and give it all a trip under the broiler.

Rosie's Oysters

I had about 18 oysters.

1 TB unsalted butter

2 cups or so of chopped spinach

1-2 TB minced green, yellow, orange, and red peppers

1 Tb minced red onion

1-2 TB cream 

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

crumbled mild bleu cheese

crumbled walnuts

panko bread crumbs

crumble Ritz crackers

pats of unsalted butter

Melt butter in skillet.  Add in spinach, peppers, and onion.  When spinach is slightly wilted, pour in a little cream to bind it together.  Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Spoon a little of the mixture on each oyster.

Top with bleu cheese, walnuts, then panko and crumbled Ritz crackers.  Place a pat of butter on each oyster and place under 450° broiler for about 5-7 minutes or until panko and Ritz are lightly browned.

This is the cheese I used.  Very mild so it doesn't overpower the oyster.

 

Bon appétit!