CityMama™

Chili OMGsofrickingood

I made the best damn chili tonight and I think it was partly due to a secret and unexpected ingredient.  I happened to have a can of Campbell's Tomato soup lying around so I dumped that into the pot because we're FINALLY moving soon and I am trying to purge the pantry items.  The soup adds a pleasing hint of sweetness that isn't at all overpowering or cloying. Surprise, surprise!  Who knew one strange ingredient could make chili so good?

CHILI OMGsofrickingood

This is my usual chili recipe. I normally make it without the soup, but I might not from now on!

• 1 lb of organic ground beef
• one large sweet onion (Maui, Texas Sweet or Vidalia), chopped
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3-4 dried chilies (optional if you or your loved ones can't handle the heat)
• 4 tbsps chili powder
• 2 tbsps ground cumin
• 2 tbsps chipotle powder
• 1 large (28 oz.) can of whole tomatoes and their juice
• 1 can of tomato soup (optional)
• 1 large 28 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I like Sun Vista brand pinto beans)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a oven-proof Dutch oven or heavy pot, saute the ground beef, onions, garlic, and chilis over medium heat until the meat is browned and onions are translucent.  Add in chili powder, cumin, and chipotle powder and cook for 3-4 minutes then add in tomatoes, tomato soup and bring to a simmer. Dump the beans into the pot, put the lid on the pot and stick the entire thing in the oven for 2 hours or if you are me, however long it takes to sit through 2 gym classes. Remove from oven and chili will be ready to eat.

Serve the chili topped with chopped sweet onions, chopped fresh tomatoes, and grated jalapeño jack cheese. And if you are from Hawaii, with hot cooked rice and chili pepper water on the side.

photo: What's Cooking America

Corned beef and cabbage

It was frickin' delicious.

Corned Beef and Cabbage [re-post]

This is my way of making corned beef and cabbage.  I usually buy my corned beef at Costco because I like the quality of the brand they carry and the price is always right. It's always juicy and tender.  In the past I used to get it at Whole Foods, but I think like Costco's slightly better.

As I explain in my recipe, make sure you buy a pound per person because there is quite a bit of fat on most corned beef and it shrinks while cooking.  If you buy a 2 lb piece for a family of four hungry eaters, you won't have enough to feed everyone—and you won't have leftovers for hash or sandwiches the next day. Bummer!

This is the best one-pot meal, isn't it? As I say every year, "We should eat this more often!"

And don't forget the mustard!

New Year's Dinner: CityMama's Slow-Baked Brisket

I just posted a lamb recipe for another New year's dinner idea, but if beef is more your thing, read on!

We always eat black eyed peas for New Year's and this year, since we'll be keeping it mellow and I can cook anything I want, I settled on brisket to go with the creamy peas.  I perused some recipes from around the interwebs and all of them seem to have the same idea in common: bake it slow and low for hours and hours in some kind of marinade, then devour when it's fork-tender.

A lot of recipes also have liquid smoke in common. I am not a fan of the flavor of liquid smoke (and I'm not even sure what it is), I just know that I didn't want those chemicals on my brisket so I opted for a more natural alternative that I hoped would give the same smoky results: alderwood smoked salt. (Hickory smoked salt would also work.)

Kotlet-e-Gusht (Persian Meat Patties)

O how I love Middle Eastern food. These were a huge huge (did I say huge?) hit with the entire family. Next time I am making a double batch so I can freeze them. I look at the pictures and I want some now!!

I served these with rice and sauteed fresh tomatoes, but next time I am going to make flat bread sandwiches with them. They were so fragrant and so tasty. My girls gobbled these up.

The recipe is from CityMama reader Karen. And here it is copied from her email to me:

KOTLET-E-GUSHT 
from Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij
(if you are interested at all in Persian cooking, this is a great cookbook)

• 1 large potato
• 1 lb ground beef, lamb or veal (CityMama Note: I used one pound of organic beef)
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric

boil potato, peel & mash well. set aside.
in a bowl combine all ingredients, knead for 10 minutes to form a smooth paste.

Not sure if I got the shape right. Did I?

using damp hands, shape mixture into lumps the size of an egg, then flatten into oblong shaped patties. brown on both sides in a skillet with 1/4 cup hot oil over medium heat, adding more oil if needed.

I chose to use the breadcrumbs. Glad I did.

she rolls her patties in bread crumbs before frying, I don't care much for that so I skip that step. she also serves these with a saute of fresh tomatoes over the top with basmati.  we prefer to eat these as make your own sandwiches with flat bread (lavosh, pita, tortillas), sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sweet onion and pickles.  my husband likes his with mayo, the girls and I eat them with plain yogurt. these pack, travel and freeze very well - I usually make a double batch and stash some away in the freezer.

Happy Corned Beef Day!

Who's cooking corned beef today?  I might. (My recipe here.) We forgot to pick some up over the weekend and so far nothing has compelled me to run out and pick some up.  J. said he'd maybe bring me some at lunch today. We'll see. If he does, I'll cook it (because I do love it), and if not, we'll cook it up on the weekend. Last year we had loads of fun on St. Paddy's day. We were sitting outside, even!

Part of the reason why I'm not into it this year is because of the beef recall. I broke my no meat streak in grand style this weekend by eating a bone-in ribe-eye at Fleming's, but it took a lot of nerve.  While I was eating it, I didn't have that feeling of "Oh god I miss this," and frankly, the seafood sounded better. So corned beef? We'll see.

I did send Bunny off to school with a green lunch, though, so I'm not a total party pooper.

Avocado sandwich on whole grain bread, peas, Japanese pistachios, and a green honey stick.

Thai Beef Salad

I can still remember the first time I tried Thai Beef Salad.  I was in junior high and a Thai restaurant opened in my town. I could not believe the flavor explosions that were happening in my mouth—the cilantro, the mint, the lime juice, the salty fish sauce. It all worked together to create magical deliciousness. It's still one of my favorite "salads" and something I order everytime we have Thai food.

When making it at home, I don't follow any specific recipe. I make it when we have leftover steak to use up. I add greens (in the case above I added lettuce and watercress), cukes, the thai herb trio of cilantro; mint, and Thai basil; plenty of lime juice; and fish sauce. My girls go nuts over this.

You can make a dressing or sauce for it like this one, or you can do what I do when I am in a pinch: I just add fresh lime juice and fish sauce to regular, plain vinaigrette.

Braise the roof

beautiful ox tails

Nothing ruins dinner plans faster than forgetting to take whatever you were going to cook out of the freezer. Or maybe that's just me. My back up in this situation is usually eggs or PB&J's, but I am always disappointed with this option because—while my kids don't care—I'm never satisfied when dinner isn't what I planned it to be. Then I spend the whole evening grouchy and/or digging in the cupboards for something, anything to snack on.

Today, in a rare moment of clarity, I had my act together and defrosted not one, but two items: 3 lbs of ox tails and a package of chicken legs. Since today is cold and drizzly, I'm cooking up both, making two dinners at the same time. Boy does the house smell delish. (Photos to come as soon as everything is cooked.)

Ox tail soup for the new year

There was a time, during the mad cow scare a few years back, that we pretty much stopped eating beef, especially ox tails. And that was a major bummer. When I think about going completely vegetarian, one of the first things I think about is how much I would miss eating ox tail soup. And prosciutto.

Whenever go to Hawaii, ox tail soup is one of the meals I must have within the first 48 hours of toes touching sand. In Hawaii, it's done up Chinese style; the soup is garnished with grated fresh ginger (puh-lenty), cilantro, chili pepper, vinegared soy sauce, and chopped green onions.

If you like beef stew or pot roast or any dish made with tougher cuts of beef, I would venture to say you'd like ox tails, too. Below is a slight riff on the version my mom makes, and down the line I will post my recipe for tomato-y, red wine-infused Roman-style ox tails.

Ox tails are usually available from any old school butcher. You might also find them at Costco (mine carries them) and most definitely at larger Korean grocery stores.

Making Christmas traditions: Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff, the dish my hubs requested I cook for Christmas just might become a tradition for the times we spend the holidays at home. It was easy to make and tasted much fancier than the effort I put into it.

The recipe I used is from my friend Charlene's mom. But, like anything, I adapted to add two things I find essential to Stroganoff: worcestershire sauce and booze. Can I just say? It was damned good. J. declared it, "Mmmmm!" We're happy to have lots of leftovers.

The dinner was just us, our little family of four, and it was one of the nicest meals we've had in a long while. It was delightful to sit at the dining room table with a tablecloth and candles. So much so that I made a vow do it more often.

BEEF STROGANOFF FOR CHRISTMAS

This would also be an easy dish to serve for New Year's Eve.  It contains a surprising ingredient, but don't let it throw you off. As a simple accompaniment, I served steamed crisp-tender green beans tossed with a little fancy French butter, s & p.

Serves 6

• 1 shrink-wrapped container of fresh shiitake mushrooms and 1 container of regular fresh mushrooms (or equivalent), sliced
• 4 tbsps unsalted butter
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic,minced
• a couple splashes of white wine (I had a 1/4 bottle of Prosecco on hand and used that)
• 1.5-2 lbs filet mignon/beef tenderloin, sliced into thin strips
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup (Charlene says don't ask questions, just add it. Trust me, you want to listen to her.)
• 1-2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
• a little brandy
• 1 pint of sour cream (you may not use the whole pint)
• hot, cooked egg noodles

Season beef strips with a little sea salt and pepper, set aside. In a large saute pan, cook mushrooms in  2 tbsps of butter over medium-high heat until tender. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl, set aside.  In the same pan, saute the garlic and onions in the remaining 2 tbsps of butter until just translucent, then splash in some white wine. Cook off the wine, then add the beef. Saute until it's no longer pink, stirring often. Add the soup and stir until smooth. Thin with the Worcestershire sauce and a little brandy until sauce is creamy and not too thick. Add in sour cream, starting with a cup. (Add more if you like more.) Add in mushrooms. Stir and warm everything through. Check seasonings. Serve at once over hot, cooked egg noodles.

A note about the soup: one thing I don't like about cooking with sour cream is how it seizes up and gets gritty if you accidentally cook it too high or too long. The soup acts like a roux and ensures a silky, creamy, luscious sauce, even when sour cream is added to it. It gives the Stroganoff a special "somethin'-somethin'" and doesn't taste chickeny.