It's Chili Cook-off Time

No, before you think I enter these big National cook-offs-- I don't-- it's just some friendly rivalry between good friends.  I don't always win, but no matter what, the time of hanging out and talking with friends is great.  Today I am trying a new recipe.  I usually make Chili with beans -- this recipe did enter a real cook-off and won some nice change.  I found the recipe at:
http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/best-chili-recipe.html
Here is the original recipe:
Best Chili
(Their Title, not mine-- we shall see)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 1/2 lb. lean chuck, ground
1 lb. lean pork, ground
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 oz. hunt's tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can beer (12 oz.)
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons instant beef bouillon (or 6 cubes)
2 Tablespoons cumin, ground
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon warm water
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan brown 1 1/4 pounds of the ground meat (the beef and the pork), drain the fat.
2. Remove meat (the beef and the pork). Brown the rest of the ground meat, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
3. Add the garlic and onion, cook and stir until tender.
4. Add the other half of the meat and the tomato sauce, water, beer, chili powder, bouillon, cumin, paprika, oregano, sugar, coriander, cocoa, and hot sauce. Mix well.
5. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered , for 2 hours.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the cornmeal and flour, then add the warm water and mix well.
7. Stir into chili and cook, covered, for an additional 20 minutes.

I always tinker with recipes and make them mine.  I made a few minor changes.  I used 2 1/2 lbs of Beef Chuck Thin Sliced, trimmed them of most of the fat and cut them into 1/4 inch cubes.  Since I used ground pork, I wanted the texture of the beef to be different, so I cut the Thin Sliced Chuck into small cubes (smaller than bite size)
I used 5 cloves of garlic because the measurement of meat was slightly more than the recipe called for.  I love garlic. The onion I used was also slightly larger than the yield of 1 cup (probably close to 1 1/2 cups)  I used Gebharts Chili powder, because I like the flavor and I reduced the Louisiana Hot sauce to 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 because I was not sure how hot the chili would be and my children will be eating it later for dinner and I didn't want them to not be able to eat it.

This is a departure from how I usually make chili- I typically make it with beans. I know, in cook offs that are on the National level, this is almost sacrilegious!  To finish them off, I top them with crisp bacon bits (not from the bottle!!), cheese and have sour cream on the side to cut the heat if it is too spicy.  I also bought some avocados to top the chili this time.  I love living in Southern California, avocados are easy to find and of great quality.  Another key point is to make the chili ahead a day or even two days ahead  of an event if you do not have to cook it on site.  This mellows the seasonings out.  Yum Yum.

Sorry about the soft focus on this one.  This is the trimmed, cubed Chuck Beef that I had purchased thin sliced.

I cooked the ground pork and beef in two batches and drained them well after cooking.






Browned beef- drain well.











Add chopped onions (1 to 1 1/2 cups)

Add 5 cloves garlic, chopped finely

Add 1 1/2 cups beer, 1 cup of water and 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Add the seasonings (sugar not shown in this picture)

I added half of the Louisiana Hot Sauce that it called for because you can never remove the heat you can always add it though.

Here is a picture of the seasonings before I stirred it into the meat mixture.

The chili before I put the lid on it and reduced the heat to low, simmering for 2 hours.

After it has simmered it will be this beautiful color.  The aroma is great at this point, but there is still the thickening step to this recipe.

Combine 1 teaspoon cornmeal and 1 teaspoon flour with a few teaspoons of warm water.  I actually ladled some of the chili into the bowl and stirred it so that all the thickening agent would end up in the chili, then returned it to the pot of chili.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes longer

I ladled the finished chili into a bowl and topped with my favorite toppings.

Avocado
Crisply cooked bacon
Shredded Mexican style cheddar jack cheese

It was quite good. I do think I will use this recipe.  I will have to double it to serve the crowd.  I hope to reserve enough of this tonight so I can see how it tastes tomorrow.

I enjoyed this recipe and I am sure you will as well.

Chops in Mushroom Gravy

This is a favorite of my families too.  I originally got it from the Taste of Home Magazine.  I have made a few alterations to get it to my taste.


Chops in Mushroom Gravy - Taste of Home Magazine
Serves 6-8
Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 to 8 boneless pork loin chops (1 inch thick)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 med onion -- chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces -- drained
2 cup milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Hot mashed potatoes

Instructions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first four ingredients. Add pork chops, one at a time; toss to coat. Set remaining flour mixture aside. (you will use it to thicken the sauce)
In a large skillet, saute chops in butter until golden brown; transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms until tender. Stir in reserved flour mixture; gradually add milk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Pour over chops. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Serve with potatoes.


Becky's Recipe Notes:
Changes I have made.  I like to use Roasted Red Peppers from the jar and dice them instead of using the green peppers.  It gives it a nice flavor.  It is really important not to add the lemon juice too soon, or the sauce seems to curdle.  Whisk it in while adding it.  2 Tbsp is roughly 1 lemon's juice.  I also heat the milk up in the microwave so I am not adding cold liquid to my warm dish.


Here is what I did:
I dredged the pork chops in the flour mixure:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 teaspoons paprika (I like it seasoned well I use about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

I melted 4 Tbsp of butter in my scanpan (this is my new favorite non stick pan)


Turn them after they are golden brown. When both sides are browned remove them to a baking dish.

Add the chopped onions, diced (roasted) peppers and can of mushrooms to the pan with the butter.

Stir the flour mixture into the vegetables and cook the flour for a few minutes to remove the raw taste.  It will look a little clumpy, but don't worry it will be fine after you add in the warm milk and incorporate the liquid.

Slowly add the 2 cups of warmed milk




Stir and let the sauce thicken.

Off heat stir in 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Pour the mixture over the pork chops and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes.  Serve with Mashed Potatoes (my favorite is Garlic Mashed Potatoes) and serve with a salad.

Succulent Braised Pork

I watched the series on Food Network: "The Next Food Network Star" and fell in love with Melissa D'Arabian.  To my great surprise she won.  I made her Cafe Green Salad in the past and loved the flavor that her dressing had.  Today, I slow roasted her recipe of Succulent Braised Pork.  Once again, the flavor was a winner, my husband eagerly headed in for a second helping.  Always a good sign.  I think I will use the leftovers to make my Shepherd's Pie next time!  The flavors of the gravy are wonderful.  I served them with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables to round out the meal.  The one change I did make to her recipe is that I used more than one carrot.  My family loves roasted carrots, so I put in about 7 large carrots and it cooked up just fine!  Once again Melissa -- a great recipe.  You can also find the recipe at the Food Network website.


Succulent Braised Pork - Melissa D Arabian Food Network

Ingredients
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 3 hr 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 4 servings plus leftovers