Chili Stew (?)

With my FreshDirect, I'm trying to order meat on occasion when I think I'll have a night to attempt to cook it and am brave enough to try (I mess up veggies or baked goods, whatever; I mess up meat or fish, yikes). A while ago (December, to be honest), I ordered some kind of meat and did a wild attempt at my dad's (grandmother's) chili. It turned out in no way like chili because of how much I changed from the original recipe, but it was meaty and warm and edible (sales pitch!). Anyway, it worked for me, especially with some cheese on top, and I had enough for several meals, to which I added polenta several times. I love chili because it ages so well and you can freeze it and the flavors get better. It's a great way to branch into meat cooking because it doesn't threaten me with risky self-assessment of done-ness and is delicious.

Here's my dad's recipe, which I can attest to being delicious. The recipe as he passed to me is in spreadsheet format with stages separated into numbered sections. Welcome to why I'm an excel nut.

Ingredients for A (Stage 1)
3.0 Red chilies or Jalapeno [fresh] chopped
3.0 Green Anaheim or Ordinary
3.0 tbsp. Cumin seed
6.0 Cloves of Garlic-chopped
3.0 Onions-chopped
4.0 lbs. Beef [chili cut]
2.0 lbs. pork sausage
2.0 tbsp. cooking oil

Ingredients for B (Stage 2)
3.0 oz Jar of chilipowder [Gerhard]
1.0 tsp. Oregano
2.0 tbsp. Paprika
2.0 tbsp. Vinegar
0.5 cup boiling water
2.0 can beef stock
1.0 can jalapeno chopped
2.0 14oz  can tomatoes
1.0 pc chopped celery
1.0 tbsp. Worchester
0.5 cup beer
6.0 cloves

Ingredients for C (Stage 3)
0.5 cup beef broth
2.0 tbsp. Mesa corn meal
Salt and Pepper

Pinto or Kidney beans

Instructions
A Lightly brown meet cook for 30 min
B Cook for 45 minutes
C Cook for 30 minimum 30 minutes
D Beans on side or mix some

Now what that all means, obviously, is that you put all of the ingredients in A together in the pot and lightly brown the meat and then cook for 30 minutes. Once that's happened, add in all the B ingredients and cook for 45 minutes. Then add in C ingredients and cook for at least 30 minutes. You are then free, in step D, to do what you wish with the beans.

christmas: standing rib roast

For Christmas Day this year, my sister and I were at our Dad and Dana's house. My sister and Dana are not meat eaters (just fish, pescaterians), but Dana still makes meat sometimes for Dad and me. She did a recipe from Emeril Lagasse for a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner, and it was really good. It also looked fancy to cook with its tied string and etc. Since I didn't actually help with the recipe, I don't know if she followed it exactly or what, but I think so. I don't think we had the au just version.

2 heads roasted garlic
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 standing rib roast of beef (about 6 1/2 pounds), fat trimmed in 1 strip and reserved
1 1/2 cups red wine, plus 1 more cup if making au jus, optional
1/2 cup beef stock, plus 2 more cups if making au jus, optional

[Total cook time is appx 3 hours, I believe]

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Separate the heads of roasted garlic into cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peels. Place the garlic in a small bowl and mash with the back of a fork until mostly smooth. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the rosemary and thyme, and stir to blend. Pat this mixture evenly over the top and sides of the roast. Place the trimmed strip of fat over the garlic-herb mixture and tie with kitchen string in several places to secure the fat onto the top of the roast.

Season the roast all over with the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Place the roast in a roasting pan and add 1 1/2 cups red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock to the bottom of the pan. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast to the desired degree of doneness, about 18 minutes per pound for rare and 22 minutes per pound for medium. Let stand at least 5 minutes before carving. De-fat the pan juices and serve alongside the beef.

If making au jus, place the roasting pan on the stove burners over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup red wine and scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add 2 cups beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the solids before serving. De-grease, if necessary.