Winter Chili with Red Wine

Nothing screams a winter meal to me like a pot of hearty chili simmering on the stove. Its a meal I like to prepare and have ready for the weekend. Whether we are curling on the sofa with the kids watching a movie, running between activities or watching the big game with family and friends. Big pots of simmering soups or stews are always a great, easy way to entertain. Let the pot simmer on the stove, pull out the drinks and all the fixings and everyone will have a good time including the host. But keep in mind, Its important to have all the good fixings, giving people lots of choices to find what they like and make this chili their own. Sipping wine with a big bowl of this chili by the fireplace and the game on is optional but highly recommended.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground meat (turkey, chicken, or beef) (omit if you are making it vegetarian but feel free to double the veggies)

2 tbls of avocado oil or any flavorless oil

2 garlic cloves finely minced

One onion diced

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

2 cups charred corn kernels

one poblano pepper charred and diced

1 28 ounce can crushed or strained tomatoes or fire Roasted tomatoes are perfect here too

1 tbls of tomatoes paste

1 bay leaves

1/2 tsp ancho chili

1/2 tsp chipotle chili

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup dry Red wine to deglaze I used a shiraz by yellow tail

Water or stock if needed to thin out the chili up to 26 Oz

Fixings for serving:

Shredded Cheddar cheese and or sour cream

Chopped green onions

Tortilla chips

Cilantro for garnish

Lime wedges

pickled jalapeño or pickled onions

Directions:

Charring the poblanos: charring veggies add a nice natural smokiness to your chili.

Gas top: place your washed poblano pepper directly on the gas top rotating once. About a minute per side. If you don’t have a gas range you can do this in a dry skillet or under the broiler. Watching it so it doesn’t burn.

Once cooled rub the charred skin between your fingers. It’s ok if you can remove all of it.

Charring corn:

Corn kernels: defrost your corn, add to a dry skillet and toss them for a few minutes until the skin blisters this will take about 5 minutes or so.

Corn on the cob: char the kernels on the grill or gas top till skin blisters. Remove kernels off the Cobb into a bowl.

Directions:

Heat avocado oil. Sauté onions for 5 minutes until translucent, add ground meat and garlic cook for 5 minutes. Add all the spices until the meat is slightly browned. Add the diced poblanos.

Vegetarian option:

If you are making this vegetarian just sauté the veggies with all the spices for few minutes omitting the meat. Feel free to double the veggies

Deglaze the pot with red wine scraping the bottom. Add crushed tomatoes, tomatoes paste, a little water to thin out the sauce (add half a cup at a time), bay leaf, beans, corn, sweet potatoes and bring to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer on low for 45min to an hour stirring occasionally. Add water or broth to thin chili as needed.

Serve with the garnishes

#chili #chilisoup #gamedayfood #texmex

Homemade Chicken Stock

Making homemade stock is so rewarding not only you have the most moist and delicious chicken, but it is so much better than anything you can buy in a carton or a can. And the great thing about making your own stock is you can adjust the flavorings to your liking. You don't like parsnips simple don't add them.

Ingredients

2 tbls flavorless oil

2-4 stalks celery, quartered

2 carrot, quartered

1 large parsnip quartered

1 large onion, quartered

2 inch peeled fresh ginger root

1 inch fresh turmeric root peeled

1 head of garlic cut in half

5 sprigs fresh Lemon thyme and parsley

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

5 peppercorns whole

3 cardamom pods smashed

4-5 pounds whole chicken or a cut up fryer. I love to use the best quality chicken I can find for recipes like this. You are getting two ingredients out of it. A delicious, nutritious broth and the succulent tender meat.

4 quarts cold water or enough to cover the chicken by an inch or two

Directions

In a heavy pot add the oil, on low heat add the aromatics (garlic, ginger, onion, spices and toast for a minute until fragrant just don’t burn them or brown them) if u do burn your aromatics u have to start all over otherwise your stock would be bitter and too dark. Add the chicken and lightly brown on each side about 5 min per side) Cover with the water, ensuring that the chicken is completely submerged in the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, skimming off and discarding any foam or fat that rises to the top of the surface. Cook, skimming the top frequently, for at least 1:00 - 1.5 hours.

Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly while you strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer discarding all the solids.

Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.

You can refrigerate the stock in an airtight container for up to 5 days. or freeze it for up to 6 months.

To freeze your stock:

(I am using the jars above this week so I like to store them in the fridge in wide mouth glass jars but if you are freezing see note below)

1. It’s best to use plastic freezer friendly quart size or 32 Oz containers

2. Make sure to leave an inch of space between the stock and the top of the container you’re freezing it in, allowing enough room for the liquid to expand in the freezer.

3. Cool your stock before freezing

#chickenstock #stock #chickenbroth #broth

Um Ali ... Curious yet! keep reading

Um Ali is a traditional Egyptian dessert that's served with a specific Egyptian bread called rukak رقاق similar to puff pastry. of course I didn’t have it, so I resorted to croissants (or you can also use puff pastry squares) so buttery and will hold their crunch once dried out overnight. It’s often soaked in a mixture of luxurious ingredients; milk and double cream. Studded with raisins or sultanas, coconuts and all sorts of nuts. This dessert has a cool story although not a great story but one that left us with a very sweet ending. Think of this as a french toast on crack so so good. Um Ali in Arabic literally means Ali’s mother. Legend has it that Om Ali is named after Sultan Ezz El Din Aybak’s wife, back in the 13th century. She made it for a victory celebration, and distributed it among the people of the land. Her name stuck to this tasty dish ever since. Here is my humble adaptation of this very cultural dish.

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

6 large croissants left out to dry overnight (mine measured at 5X5 inch)

4 to 4.5 cups whole milk

7.6 ounces small jar of double cream (double cream is pretty hard to find in the USA it’s thicker and has a higher fat content than whipping cream. If you can’t find double cream. A good substitute is a small 7.6 oz can of the nestle table cream.

I don’t use sugar in my milk because I like to add simple syrup all over the top once cooked.

More traditional options to consider:

• Traditionally this dessert is made with an Egyptian bread called rukak رقاق or often substituted with puff pastry

• I like to leave my croissants whole but feel free to cut them to bite size pieces

• Steep few tablespoons of sugar (adjusting to taste) in the milk and omit the simple syrup.

• You can also add 1/2 cup raisins to the milk mixture and

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1/2 assorted nuts

• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

*I like to make mine simple with just the items listed under ingredients.

Garnishes

1/2 cup Slivered almonds (i used raw as they toast in the oven)

Crushed pistachios

Rose petals

Simple syrup:

One cup sugar

One cup water

Also optional to infuse your simple syrup:

For this recipe I like to add few strips of orange peel avoiding the white pith (it’s bitter)

4-5 whole cardamom pods slightly crushed

1 tbls of rose petals

squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 Butter an oven proof baking dish. Working with the day old croissants left out to dry overnight. Lay them in one layer in the dish they can overlap slightly. I like to leave them whole to keep their shape but if you prefer to cut them up to bite size pieces go ahead.

Add the 4 up to 4.5 cups whole milk making sure you push the croissants down so they are submerged in the liquid. Add your milk one cup at a time pushing the croissants in the liquid, let it absorb then add your second cup until you used all your milk. Spread the **double cream in a thin layer all over the top.

**Double cream is pretty hard to find in the USA it’s thicker (it almost has the consistency of sour cream) and has a higher fat content and thicker consistency than whipping cream. If you can’t find double cream. A good substitute is a small can of the nestle table cream,. I don’t use sugar in my milk because I like to add simple syrup all over the top once cooked.

Sprinkle almonds all over the top. bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or so until bubbly, caramelized on top and the croissants had puffed up from all the delicious liquid they absorbed (that's an indication that they are almost done). While they bake its a good time to make your simple syrup.

To make the simple syrup:

Mix all the ingredients together give it a quick stir, and bring to a boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat and let the mixture bubble for a few more minutes until the mixture is a bit syrupy. Add the squeeze of lemon at the end about 1/2 tsp. Strain and cool

Once Um Ali is cooked through drizzle it with the 1/2-3/4 a cup of the cooled simple syrup, and serve the rest of the syrup on the side. Garnish with crushed pistachios and rose petals for a gorgeous color.

Serve immediately

Please remember this is my humble adaptation of this incredible Egyptian dessert. I am dreaming of the day I will eat this in Egypt, with all the friends I met here, this to me will be the real deal.