I don't know how your weather is, but ours has turned suddenly and bitterly cold. Like, wind-chill-of-17-at-the-bus-stop-this-morning cold. So it was a perfect day to make some of my signature chili. I created this recipe last year when one of my husband's work mates gave us some deer meat. It was outstanding with the deer meat, but it's just as good with plain old beef.
Annie's Signature Chili (mine, all mine!)
1 lb. chopped meat (beef or venison)
1 lb. smoked sausage (beef or deer sausage), sliced into rounds
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir. Heat on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
I serve this over rice with corn bread on the side. It's nice with some grated cheese or sour cream on top. You can top with jalapenos for more kick. This is flavorful, but not so spicy that my son can't eat it. Tonight, he had a whole bowl. This would be great for a large group.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
A Taste of the Mediterranean
I've had this recipe a year and am finally trying it out.
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (from Good Housekeeping magazine)
1 pt grape tomatoes
3 tsp olive oil
8 oz (1 1/4 C) orzo
1 can (15 to 19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz medium, peeled and deveined shrimp
1 bag (6 oz) spinach
2 oz feta
1/4 C packed fresh dill, chopped, plus additional for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450. Line a 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pan with foil. In prepared pan, combine tomatoes, 2 tsp oil salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes or until tomatoes begin to collapse.
2. Meanwhile, heat covered 4-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high. Cook orzo according to label directions. Drain and return to pot.
3. In a medium bowl, toss beans, shrimp and oil with salt and pepper. Add to tomato mixture; stir to combine. Spread in a single layer and roast 5 minutes longer or until shrimp are opaque throughout.
4. Add spinach to orzo in pot; toss to wilt. Stir in shrimp mixture, feta and dill. Transfer to shallow bowls; garnish with dill sprigs.
I really liked this dish. My husband said it was just okay. I think he thought it was bland. It is fairly mild. He's not a big tomato fan. I thought it was nicely balanced. I might try to jazz it up a little another time by adding calamata olives and some red peppers. It was easy to make and a complete meal in one bowl.
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (from Good Housekeeping magazine)
1 pt grape tomatoes
3 tsp olive oil
8 oz (1 1/4 C) orzo
1 can (15 to 19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz medium, peeled and deveined shrimp
1 bag (6 oz) spinach
2 oz feta
1/4 C packed fresh dill, chopped, plus additional for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450. Line a 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pan with foil. In prepared pan, combine tomatoes, 2 tsp oil salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes or until tomatoes begin to collapse.
2. Meanwhile, heat covered 4-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high. Cook orzo according to label directions. Drain and return to pot.
3. In a medium bowl, toss beans, shrimp and oil with salt and pepper. Add to tomato mixture; stir to combine. Spread in a single layer and roast 5 minutes longer or until shrimp are opaque throughout.
4. Add spinach to orzo in pot; toss to wilt. Stir in shrimp mixture, feta and dill. Transfer to shallow bowls; garnish with dill sprigs.
I really liked this dish. My husband said it was just okay. I think he thought it was bland. It is fairly mild. He's not a big tomato fan. I thought it was nicely balanced. I might try to jazz it up a little another time by adding calamata olives and some red peppers. It was easy to make and a complete meal in one bowl.
Tastier Tomatoes
I love a simple pasta dish. Roasting the tomatoes makes even the simplest dish taste better.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (from EveryDay Food Magazine)
2 cans (28 oz each) whole peeled tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400. Put tomatoes and juices into a large roasting pan. With your hands, roughly tear each tomato into 1-inch strips. Add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until mixture thickens and holds a trail, 70 to 80 minutes. Use immediately, or let cool, the refrigerate in an airtight container, up to a week.
I served these over penne pasta with just a little Parmesan cheese. Delicious. These would be awesome on crusty bread or added to soup. A great make-ahead for a busy weeknight.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (from EveryDay Food Magazine)
2 cans (28 oz each) whole peeled tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400. Put tomatoes and juices into a large roasting pan. With your hands, roughly tear each tomato into 1-inch strips. Add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until mixture thickens and holds a trail, 70 to 80 minutes. Use immediately, or let cool, the refrigerate in an airtight container, up to a week.
I served these over penne pasta with just a little Parmesan cheese. Delicious. These would be awesome on crusty bread or added to soup. A great make-ahead for a busy weeknight.
Open Sesame
I am always anxious to try recipes that claim they can be done in 15 minutes. Or with 5 ingredients. This one cooks in 15 and only requires minimal prep time.
Sesame Beef (from EveryDay Food magazine)
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP dry sherry
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 lb. boneless New York strip steak, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted
cooked rice for serving
thinly sliced scallion greens (optional) for serving
1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes and corn starch.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, cook meat, undisturbed, until brown on one side, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 tsp oil and bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, two minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk soy sauce mixture into skillet, along with steak. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Stir in sesame seeds.
3. Serve over rice with scallions.
This one was a hit. Both my guys ate it. It was a lovely, quick, easy meal. It is not spicy, so it was good for my little guy. Also good for lunch the next day.
Sesame Beef (from EveryDay Food magazine)
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP dry sherry
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 lb. boneless New York strip steak, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted
cooked rice for serving
thinly sliced scallion greens (optional) for serving
1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes and corn starch.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, cook meat, undisturbed, until brown on one side, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 tsp oil and bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, two minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk soy sauce mixture into skillet, along with steak. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Stir in sesame seeds.
3. Serve over rice with scallions.
This one was a hit. Both my guys ate it. It was a lovely, quick, easy meal. It is not spicy, so it was good for my little guy. Also good for lunch the next day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)