Don Chano's Salsa de Chile Chipotle

(on his pack of chipotle chilies and recommended by Jesse) 


3 T. oil
1/4 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
3 dried chipotle chilies
4 tomatoes gourd in 200g pieces (???)
1 c. water
1 T. Maggie tomato 

PREPARATION:
Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic, and chilies. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. It incorporates Maggi water and tomato. Left it boil until peppers are cooked. Liquefies until martado and serve. 
NOTE: These are not misspellings. I copied directly off the package. . . 

Thank you Jesse. Be well everyone! 

Nat's BBQ Sauce

Nat's BBQ Sauce (she made up on the FOOD IN A TIME OF COVID-19 thread)

Ketchup

Butter

Sriracha

Horseradish Mustard (the kind Jesse has)

Soy Sauce

Honey

When I figure out the amounts, I will update, and also include Jesse's brand of horseradish mustard.

Thanks, Nat!

Coconut Rice for the Children

Oh, but you will love it too! I like serving this when it's just a beans and rice dinner along with a nice green vegetable and something raw for crunch. 
You could also add fruit, nuts, and honey and have a great breakfast. 

1 1/2 cups long grain rice (I used jasmine)
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt (I did 3/4 t.)
OPTIONAL: If you want to make this a light dessert: 1-2 t. sugar

Rinse the rice. Add it, along with the coconut milk, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water, to a pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a minute or so. Turn the heat to low and let the rice simmer, covered, until the liquid is gone, about 20-25 minutes. (It took 25 on my gas stove.)

That's it! Bon Appetit! 

Sue's Oatmeal Cookies

When Phil, and later Aug, were going off to college I bought them each a copy of a book called, "The Kitchen Survival Guide" by Lora Brody. In it I found this recipe - it caught my eye because I had been searching for a cookie recipe that used oil instead of butter. I've made many changes to the original recipe but I am very grateful to Lora Brody for the base recipe. See the notes at the end for the holiday version!

3 c. flour - 1 whole wheat, 1 rye, 1 unbleached        

1 t. soda

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

3 c. regular (old fashioned) oatmeal

1 c. brown sugar packed

¾ c. white sugar

1 c. canola (or vegetable) oil

1 T. molasses

2 eggs

⅓ c. evaporated milk (important - not regular milk)

1 t. vanilla

1 c. chopped dates

1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Sift flour, soda, salt and cinnamon into the mixing bowl. Mix well. Mix in oatmeal and sugars. Make a well. Pour in the cup of oil, molasses*, eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix until ingredients are almost combined. Add in the nuts and dates and mix well.
Drop by generous spoons (size of a walnut) onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 16 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTES: I use flat cookie sheets. *The molasses will come off the tablespoon beautifully if, when pouring the oil, you coat the tablespoon with it.
Be sure the oatmeal and flours are really level in the cup - don’t get too much of the dry ingredients. When you’re getting the dough on the sheet, have a cup of ice cold water ready to dip your hand in if you have trouble keeping the dough together and/or to slightly flatten the tops after you’ve dropped them.
CHRISTMAS TIME: (or all year, if you prefer)
Substitute coconut oil for half the oil. Substitute 3/4 c. whole cranberries (cut in half) and 1/4 c. coconut for the dates. Substitute 1/2 t. almond extract for 1/2 t. of the vanilla. Include the other 1/2 t. vanilla.
BON APPETIT!

Ruth Reichl´s Chili

Ruth Reichl is the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. She has a new cookbook/memoir out entitled, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life in reference to the closure of Gourmet. This chili recipe is one of those recipes. Just in time for all you Super Bowl fans! I haven´t found a better chili recipe than this.

1 T. olive oil

3 medium onions, diced

1 red or green bell pepper*, chopped (*my addition, suggested)

6 garlic cloves, smashed 

1 T. FRESH oregano (I used 1t. dried)

1 T. chili powder, divided

1 t. cumin

salt and black pepper (I used 1t. salt)

1 lb. ground bison or beef sirloin

1 (7oz) can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (NOT the whole can)

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes 

1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer (any beer will do. . . )

3/4 c. chicken broth or water

1 (15 oz.) can black beans (I used a 27 oz can - I also prefer the typical kidney beans, so that is also an option), drained and rinsed

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions (and bell pepper). Saute until tender, 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in oregano, 2 t. chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add ground sirloin or bison. Cook 3 minutes** or until no longer red, stirring to crumble. 

2. Puree 3 (3 is VERY SPICY!) chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce. Stir chilies, tomatoes and remaining chili powder into meat. Add beer and broth. Bring to a simmer; cook uncovered, 2 hours, (1 is plenty) stirring occasionally. 

3. Before serving, stir in beans**. Taste and adjust flavors. 

SERVES 8

Ruth´s flavor boosters: 1 oz dark chocolate for depth OR cream sherry to mellow the overall flavor OR fish or soy sauce for salty complexity (don´t use a whole t. of salt if you opt for this), OR balsamic vinegar for brightness and a touch of sweetness OR any combination of those.

**NOTES: All of her times seem under - all those onions (I used 2 large onions and 1 large bell pepper) won´t be tender in 4 minutes nor will the meat brown in 3 minutes. Like other recipes of mine, if you want to taste the garlic, add it in the last 15 or 20 min. of cooking. (I put it through the press.). I added the beans in with the tomatoes - I would especially recommend this if you´re using kidney beans. Since the sauce is so rich, you really need the extra (or larger) can of beans. Finally, I simmered this with the lid partially off for one hour and it was just right. 

Now, go find the Moosewood recipe for CORNBREAD. This chili should not be served without it :)

BON APPETIT! 

gratin de poireaux

recipe is in James Peterson's <i>Vegetables</i>:

trim dark greens from, split lengthwise, rinse the grit from

1 bunch of leeks

line in oblong tian or gratin dish, the pour over

1 c heavy cream

sprinkle with

salt
pepper

bake in oven 375F for 1 hr, taking out now and then to tamp down and moisten with the boiling cream. i imagine it'd be good with creme fraiche as well.

Tomatillo salsa

To commemorate the Denver Bronco's record-breaking fifth super bowl loss, I have invented the following salsa.

Cover with boiling water in a bowl

about 1lb of tomatillos, husks removed.
(3) big jalapeños

Let sit five minutes. This step is designed to remove any bitter flavors in the skins. You can skip it if you are unscrupulous.

Cut the seeds and veins out of two of the jalapeños, and the stem off of all of them. This step is designed to get more jalapeño flavor without making the salsa too hot. You can skip it if you don't care how hot the salsa gets.

Place jalapeños and tomatillos in a small stock pot with

1/2 med. onion
(2) cloves garlic, crushed
1 t salt
1 T oil
about 1/2 c boiling water (i actually don't know how much water i used when i made it)

simmer over med-low heat for 45 minutes.

set a coarse-meshed sieve over a bowl. remove with a slotted spoon, and then using a pestle, mash the tomatillos and the one jalapeño with seeds in it through the sieve. the purpose of this step is to remove the seeds but keep all of the pulp and fiber, which has flavor. you could use a food mill for this step if necessary. you could also skip this step entirely but then i no longer warrant the results.

place the jalapeño-tomatillo puré back in the stock pot. add:

2 T olive oil
2 t vinegar

blend it all with an immersion blender. i introduced this step because the salsa was too thin when i made it. it turned out to improve the flavor and texture. i was going to add vinegar anyways to balance the tomatillos.

it should be smooth and glossy and somewhat thin for salsa. adjust the salt as necessary.