Mmmm, WHITE chili!

I managed a pretty tasty pantry chili the other day, but I'm also a fairly big fan of white chili.  Mild and creamy and not so heavy. . . yum.  I am totally drooling.

I wish I could embed the video for you, but I can't.  But I did type up the ingredients and directions - thank me later.

White Chicken Chili
4 bone in, skin on chicken breasts - 3 lbs
1 tbsp oil
salt & pepper
3 jalapenos, minced (keep one minced jalapeno set aside)
3 poblano chiles
3 anaheim chiles
2 onions
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
more salt (a tbsp or so, but start with a little and taste as you go if you're not a big salt fan)
1 can white cannelini beans
3 cups of chicken broth
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 raw jalapeno
1/4 c cilantro minced
4 chopped scallions


Heat oil over medium high til it just starts to shimmer and smoke.  Season chicken with s&p while you wait for oil to heat.  Sear chicken a few minutes on each side.
Remove stems, seeds and ribs from chiles.  Don't rub your eyes for the next several hours.  Seriously.
In a food processor, puree the onions, poblano and anaheim chiles til semi-smooth (you may need to do this in a couple of batches).
Take chicken out of pot and set aside.
Add the onion/chile blend to the pot with 2 minced jalapenos, garlic, cumin, coriander and salt.  Stir and put lid on top to allow veggies to sweat for 10 minutes or so.
Remove chicken skin and snack or throw away or give to starving dog at your feet.
Take one cup of the chile mixture, 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of chicken broth and puree in food processor til smooth to help thicken the chili.  Add back into pot.
Add 2 additional cups of chicken broth into the pot, and then nestle chicken in.  Turn up heat to high and let it come to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cover for 15-20 minutes until chicken reaches 160 degrees.
Remove chicken and set aside to cool and shred.
Add the beans to the pot and allow to cook for 10 more minutes.
Shred the chicken while you wait (use two forks if it's too hot) and add back into the pot.
Then add the lime juice, the third jalapeno, cilantro and scallions.
Serve with sour cream and more cilantro and scallions if desired.

Pantry Chili & Edgar's story

Thanks to my chili post, and my Edgar purchase (more on that in a sec), and the dreary weather; I was craving chili yesterday. However, since I'm me and I didn't plan this craving ahead of time, it was up to me and the pantry to make magic happen. Luckily - it totally did.
Edgar was a lovely creature from Stemple Creek Ranch that gave up his life so that 11 of my friends and I might eat some amazingly delicious free range, healthy and sustainable red meat.
Now, thanks to things like The Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Inc., I know that I want happy, healthy, walking around animals on my dinner table.  Well; I want to know that they were happy, healthy, and walking around BEFORE they end up on my dinner table anyway.  Thanks to a local group I belong to (shout out to Bay Area Food Bloggers!), I knew about Stemple Creek and off I went with some half baked idea about buying a quarter of a cow.  But how on Earth was I going to store 110 pounds of delicious, healthy cow meat in my San Francisco freezer?  Well I wasn't, plain and simple.  Lucky for me, I have loads of like minded foodie friends that were game to share the beast.  We all ended up with a healthy portion of various cuts of meat (some more than others, depending on how many people each "quarter of the quarter" was split with).  This was way back in August when I was in Mexico.  I just ate my first bit of Edgar YESTERDAY.  I'll have to call Loren (owner of Stemple Creek Ranch) and let him know, since he actually called to check in and see how everything was, how everyone liked the meat, and what they could do to make the ordering process easier.  Now THAT is customer service.

In any case - a hankering for chili I had, and hardly any canned tomatoes in the pantry.  What's a girl to do?  Well, lucky for me I am a bit of a hoarder, so I had some things floating around - tons of spices, some cannelini beans, some black beans and Pace picante sauce.  So I did a spin on that recipe I posted recently from Gourmet, via Smitten Kitchen.



2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds of ground Edgar (or equally delicious grass fed beef)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon crumbled dry oregano
to make up for my lack of paprika or green peppers:
1 tablespoon of "Mexican Seasoning"
1 tablespoon of "All Purpose Seasoning"  (this one or something similar)
1/2 tablespoon of celery salt
Kosher salt to taste
1 16 oz jar of Medium Pace Picante Sauce
1 1/4 cups beef broth
1/2 bottle of lager (I used Black Star - yum)
1 can of canellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot (I used my Dutch Oven), heat the oil over moderately low heat and cook the onions in it for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Raise the heat to medium and add the beef, stirring and breaking up any lumps until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the spices and cook for another minute. Add the Pace, broth and beer and simmer the chili, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Add the beans, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Chili!

Me, I love a quick can of Stagg's.
Patrick however, made me chili and cornbread as one of those "win the girl over" dinners when we were first dating.
It seems only fair that I should learn to return the favor (unless it ends up stepping on his "my turn in the kitchen" toes if I also learn to make kick ass chili - we'll see).

Beef Chili with Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits
Seen on SmittenKitchen; Adapted from Gourmet
A couple notes: First, if you like a saucier chili, you might reduce the beef by one pound, though this might reduce your serving size. Second, I didn’t get the rise out of these biscuits that I’d expected to. Since they were delicious and other commenters have raved about them, I assumed it was me and didn’t bother tinkering with them. Finally, the original recipe says that it serves six but I think it stretches further, especially if you’re doing this shortcake-style, with just a ladleful on top. I’d suggest scaling the biscuit portion to the number of guests you’re having. If you make more than you need, I recommend freezing the extras unbaked until you’re ready to serve the chili again — you can bake them directly from the freezer, and they’ll always be fresh and crisp.
Serves 6
2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 carrots, sliced thin (suggested by Gourmet) or in a small dice, as I’d chop them next time
3 pounds boneless beef chuck, ground coarse or 3 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon crumbled dry oregano
Dried red pepper flakes, to taste (Gourmet suggests 1 tablespoon; I used 1 teaspoon knowing that my flakes are very hot)
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomato sauce or tomato puree
1 1/4 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups or 1 19-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 green bell peppers, chopped
Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits, below
Sour cream and pickled jalapeños (optional, to finish)
In a large pot (I used a 5-quart, and just fit it all), heat the oil over moderately low heat and cook the onions in it for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for one minute more. Raise the heat to medium and add the beef, stirring and breaking up any lumps until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth and vinegar and simmer the chili, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes (if you used ground beef) or 50 to 60 minutes (if you used coarse chuck). Add the kidney beans, bell peppers, salt (I used 2 teaspoons to get the seasoning right for my tastes) and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, until the bell peppers are tender.
Serve ladled over a split Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuit, below, with additional sour cream and pickled jalapenos, if desired.
Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits
Adapted from Gourmet
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.
Do ahead: If you’d like to serve them over a couple days, I recommend freezing already formed but unbaked biscuits until you are ready to bake them — you can bake them directly from the freezer, adding just a minute or two to the baking time.

Allrecipes has a winner too it seems (thanks mightypurdue22), that is insanely labor intensive, but another thing I could chuck into a crock pot.  Awesome.  Easily tweaked (and healthified I'm sure, which I will).  I think I shall call it "Everything But the Kitchen Sink Chili."

2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese  

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. 

Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

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. 

To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Attempt #1 at Thai Food

I awoke Tuesday morning CRAVING Thai. Like, I had been dreaming about it and then it was all I could think about. Mmmm, Thai food. I had some extra lean ground turkey in the fridge and I thought it could potentially make some kick ass gai pad gra pow.
I found a couple of recipes that inspired me, and ruminated for a couple of days, and finally, tonight (Thursday), I went for it. It was okay, but it tasted NOTHING like the pad grapow you'll get at a Thai joint. Not even a little bit. It was probably way healthier, but. . . . I think if I hadn't been thinking about and craving the real deal, I may have been able to appreciate it a little more.
Did I need more fish sauce? More Tamari? I don't think I needed more oil, I used way more than I normally do. Do I need to go sit at the counter at Bang San and watch those ladies make it?
In any case, if you have some ground bird meat and some basil, and you're craving something spicy, give this a whirl, but don't expect it to replace your favorite takeout - deal?

Spicy Basil Chicken
4 - 5 tbsp oil; I wanted to use peanut oil but only had veg
7-8 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
6 peppers (I used 2 jalapenos, 2 serranos, and 2 uh, red ones) - if you can find Thai chilies I'd go for those though you'll probably need several more (the first recipe calls for 12-20!)
1 lb of bird meat - either finely chopped or ground
A generous drizzling of Tamari (maybe 2-3 tbsp)
Fish sauce to taste (and I have no idea what the correct amount is; I used maybe 1 tbsp)
1 cup of basil (again, go for Thai basil if you can find it, or holy basil if you're lucky enough to run across it - this is, after all the gra pow this dish is named for!)
brown rice
Sriracha
Gewurztraminer or other sweet white (Riesling or maybe a Pinot Gris if you don't like your wine quite as sweet)

Get your mise en place ready to go -
pulverize your peppers with your garlic (we tried the mortar and pestle route and failed, so it went into the food processor or got smashed on the cutting board) and set aside. Finely chop your shallots and set aside. Prep your basil (wash and remove stems). Get out your bird meat.

Heat a large pan or wok until it's smoking hot, then get ready to move quickly. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan and heat the oil quickly. Stir in the garlic and pepper mix just long enough to get it coated and spread around and then add the shallots. Stir for 10-15 seconds to combine and then add the chicken. Stir fry (breaking up the larger slab if you dumped a container of ground meat into your pan like I did) until the meat is "browned" on the outside. I say "browned" because it doesn't really go brown so much as it goes. . . I dunno, less pink.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp or so of Tamari and stir in. Season "to taste" with fish sauce. I have no idea what this means even for my own tastebuds as this was my first time being brave enough to deal with fish sauce on my own because, hello, ew. I suppose it was about a tbsp.

Add in the basil and keep stirring and cooking until the basil is wilted. Give the meat a taste - add more Tamari or fish sauce as needed. We added another tbsp or 2 of Tamari.

Serve over brown rice if you're trying to be healthy. Taste before dousing in Sriracha - your chilies might be plenty hot. Maybe a squeeze of lime juice over the top would be lovely as well.

Drink with a nice cold, sweet white wine. Enjoy the fact that your entire house smells amazing (way better than dinner tasted if you ask me) for the rest of the evening. I really wish I had a fan/vent in my kitchen.

This would serve four if you were serving with other dishes or apps (or all skinny chicks watching their waistlines); or maybe three if it was the only course or you're sharing with boys.

Asiany shrimps and stuff

I have been daydreaming about shrimp ever since I had these yummy chili garlic prawns at Fog Harbor Fish House down at the wharf. It made me think of how much I loved the red curry mussels at Fog City Diner that I was lucky enough to share with four of my favorite people. Fair enough, I didn't love the mussels but I loved the broth they came in. I'd happily put that with shrimp. Or chicken. Or beef. Or pork. Or cardboard. With lots and lots of fresh crusty sourdough.
What is with me and seafood at Fog named restaurants?

Chili Garlic Prawns
1 kg fresh large prawns
1 small onion, 10 garlic cloves, 1 inch piece of ginger - pureed in a blender
1 tsp red chilli paste or green chilli paste or red chilli powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c oil

Shell, devein, clean and butterfly the prawns with tails left on.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and marinate the prawns in this mixture, covered in the fridge, for 1-2 hours.

Grill till prawns are cooked, brushing with marinade and turning twice. Do not overcook the prawns as they will get tough. It is better to rather slightly undercook them.

This is not nearly as brothy/saucy as at Fog Harbor. I recommend setting some of the marinade aside to use to make sauce. Maybe cooked down with some broth/stock, oil, coconut milk perhaps. Yum.

Red Curry Mussel Stew

serves 6
4 dozen PEI mussels or any small black mussels (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp peeled & grated ginger
1/4 c peeled and diced tomato
1 tbsp Red Curry paste
4 c canned coconut milk
1 tbs chopped cilantro
6 sprigs cilantro for garnish
Tons of warm sourdough for sopping up the broth.

Scrub the mussels well and trim off the beards. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and saute the garlic, ginger, and tomato for 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and coconut milk, stirring until the paste dissolves. Add the mussels, cover, and steam until open, about 3-6 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open). Add the chopped cilantro; divide the mussels and broth between the bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro. Serve with sourdough.
Die in red curry mussel ecstasy.

OR do the same thing with prawns that you've quickly sauteed to cook them until JUST done, and then put them into the broth and allow to heat through.

Now I think I need to invite those four favorite people over and surprise them with this dish. Of course I'll use the light coconut milk, whatever that means, but I try.