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.

purple potatoes three ways

Well, to be totally frank, I made the potatoes sort of three ways and then turned one into one that I already had, so I really mostly ate them two ways: roasted and mashed. And they are so good that way. The third way, that semi-involved a recipe that I mostly didn't follow, was fork-mashed and with a zesty flavor profile as per this SK recipe. I didn't quite have everything on-hand to make it, so when it didn't seem stunning, I just made them creamy and mashed and delicious. While they look like a weird purple yogurt when mashed, they taste pretty yummy, so I don't mind. They were also delicious roasted. What vegetable isn't delicious roasted? I have yet to meet it. It's such a simple and elegant solution to any veggie "problem," and I never have any problem cleaning a plate full of roasted vegetables. They just hit some flavor spot that my mouth is a big fan of and my conscience feels great about.

So... so much for a recipe. Here's some pics of roasted purple potatoes and squash (some with olive oil and spices, some with olive oil and cinnamon sugar). And some other veggies that got roasted and eaten straight off the foil in a dignified manner.

iphone hipstamatic or nice olympus picture?

I honestly can't decide which is better, which is frustrating...

rosemary mustard pork shoulder

As you may have noticed, I am very lucky to be treated to delicious meals cooked by my boyfriend. I usually help out, but he leads the charge. Last week, we both felt it was time for me to return the favor. Luckily, he was busy with a personal training session one night, giving me time to work in the kitchen without too much stress (it's hard having a better cook watch you cook!). I wanted to make something from my new Joy of Cooking cookbook, and I wanted to make meat as he loves meat and I need to practice cooking with it. I decided a slow cooker meal would be a good way to go because it would allow me to start early and have time, and I wanted to test drive the little slow cooker my parents let me have.

I made half this recipe (3 lbs of meat), and it was still huge. Luckily it was delicious, so we haven't minded having pork tacos for lunch for a couple days. The meat was really tender and delicious, and we have just thrown it in the skillet with some of the sauce and then rolled it up in warm corn tortillas. Yum. I had a few panic moments in getting things to come together (a problem I enjoy not encountering when baking) to have one warm dinner all at the same time (this was also when I made crème brûlée, I was working hard to impress). In terms of timing I would say it took about 45 minutes to get it started, I let it cook 5 hours (it says 5-6), and then about 20 minutes to make the sauce and noodles and let the meat rest. So an hour or so of work plus 5-6 hours in the middle of sitting. Very doable, and not too crazy of ingredients.

 I'm not the best butcher, but I think I got the job done.

I ended up with 3 pieces of meat, and on the right is my pile of connective tissue and fat.

*this is the full recipe - I made half and, as mentioned, it was plenty for 2 people for dinner and a few lunches

1 bone in pork shoulder roast (7.5 lbs) [note: also called pork butt, who knew?]
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, choped
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1.5 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard to taste
salt and black pepper (to taste)
*serve with buttered noodles

Timing:
appx 45 min initially + 5-6 hours slow cooker + 20ish minutes at the end
(make noodles during end time)

Trim the excess fat from the pork shoulder roast and season the meat with the salt and black pepper.
[Note: when working with raw meat, I try to only use one hand to touch the meat and another hand to touch my knife, salt, pepper, etc, so as not to transfer anything. And I washed my hands several times in between steps.]

Head the oil over medium heat in a heavy pot large enough to hold the meat. Add the meat and brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a 7 quart slow cooker. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pot [I didn't need to do this]. Return the pot to medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and garlic.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, wine, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, stirring to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour over the meat in the slow cooker. Cover and turn cooker to low setting. Cook without opening the lid until meat is very tender, 5-6 hours.

Transfer the meat to a deep platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm [I put it in a dish and covered it with a pot lid that allowed some air to go in and out]. Pour cooking liquid into a large heatproof bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes and then skim the fat from the surface (either with a spoon or by placing a paper towel on top and soaking it up - I didn't have a lot of fat).

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and let bubble without browning for 2 minutes. Whisk in the cooking liquid and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk in Dijon mustard and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Slice the meat, which should fall off the bone [I didn't have any bone in my 3 lb roast], and discard the skin [I didn't really have any skin either]. Pour half the sauce over the meat and transfer the remaining sauce to a bowl or sauceboat, and serve with buttered noodles. 

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.

carnitas

While I was home for the holiday break, we had a big meal at my dad's house the day after Thanksgiving as our Thanksgiving. As Ebe and I had already done Thanksgiving at mom's with all the traditional food, we decided to do a Mexican take on it for Dad's. I made some carnitas (one of my few meat experiences!), we had tilapia, steak, and the typical Mexican side dishes. I found this recipe on SK and instantly wanted to make it. I waited a few weeks until I was home to make it at dad's, but I really liked it. The pork tasted delicious and it was so incredibly easy to make. It took a while, but it was minimal effort and interaction. Really do follow her directions; it will eventually cook all the liquid off, and if you let it sit and sizzle a bit at the end, you get these lovely, crispy brown sides that are so yummy.

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 to 3 limes)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Corn tortillas, for serving plus
Avocado slices, chopped cilantro and fixings of your choice

Place the pork in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for two hours. Don’t touch the meat.

After two hours, increase the heat to medium-high and while occasionally stirring and turning the pieces, continue to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. Let it sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.

When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on warmed tortillas with fixings.