Diva’s Chili

Chili

I don’t have a long story to tell with this recipe. It doesn’t have any kind of generational history. Admittedly, I originally learned to cook chili from my mom’s recipe, which I’m pretty sure is based on this. But mom got me started cooking her recipe when I was a child. I’ve never been one to stick to a recipe. I like to get creative. And so, my version has changed and evolved, and now, it’s most definitely my own creation.

I’ve won two chili cook-offs with this recipe. Although they were small contests, I don’t think there’s anyone who is going to deny that this is some damned amazing chili. By publishing the recipe, in some way, I feel like I’m giving away the family jewels. However, I believe in sharing the source and so, I will….

• 1 splash olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion (white, yellow or red are all fine)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 habañero
• 1 handful crimini mushrooms
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 16 oz kidney beans
• 24 oz tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano
• 1 large tomato
• salt
• pepper

Method

Chop an onion and heat up a very large skillet. Add olive oil to skillet. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Stir and sweat until onion is translucent.

Chop bell peppers and toss into skillet. Chop garlic, jalapeño and habañero very finely and add to pan. Stir. Then add chopped mushrooms.

Stir in ground beef and add salt, pepper, garlic and 1 tbsp of chili powder. Brown mixture.

Drain kidney beans and add beans, tomato sauce, red wine and other ingredients except for tomato. Taste and add more spices if needed. Simmer for ten minutes and add chopped tomato. Simmer another fifteen minutes or so.

Cool and serve with a few strands of grated cheddar and maybe a dollop of sour cream. Buttered french bread is great with this too!

Cook + Prep Time: 45-60 min
Feeds: 6-8
Notes: This is really spicy. For those of you that like things milder, cut out the jalapeño, habañero and cut the chili powder down to about 2 tbsp. For those of you that like it hot, try adding in chipotles.

Arroz Con Pollo

Grandma Abuela and Arroz con Pollo

Luisa Garcia, my "Grandma Abuela"

Although she died when I was five or six, I still have vivid memories of my great grandmother. She was a short, fat, old Spanish lady and I called her “Grandma Abuela”. When you think of elderly women from “the old country” she’s it!

Despite the fact that both of her young daughters looked like pin-ups, even in Luisa’s wedding picture, she was a stern looking woman.

She moved to the United States from Spain during Spain’s war in Haiti in 1920. My great grandfather was avoiding the draft and moved to the U.S. in 1918. Once he had saved up enough money, he sent for her.

By the time I came around, in the early 70’s, Luisa was an old woman living on a farm in Fontana, California. For years, she and José had raised conejos at the “Rabbitree”. I think they retired and closed the farm in the late sixties. But when I was a child, they still raised enough poultry for themselves. She used to take me out to the chicken coup to see the gallinas.

I never remember her calling me by my first name. It was always niña. In fact, I also never remember her speaking a word of English.

Luisa and José's Wedding Picture

My first memories of Christmas Day were at Grandpa Abuelo and Grandma Abuela’s house. The old house was full of funny Spanish odds and ends –I remember a figurine of a bull with picadores sticking out and lots of dolls of Spanish beauties dancing the Flamenco.

Among the piles of food would be turron candy in round metal tins. But the most exciting thing would be the arroz con pollo. Abuela would make a recipe that had by then been in the family for generations.

When she passed on in the early eighties, my grandmother continued the tradition for the next fifteen years or so. And when Grandma passed on, my mom made Arroz every Christmas. Now I, too, make Arroz each year. I can’t imagine Christmas without it.

The 40 lb Turkey

In my life, four generations have made this meal—all were slightly different reflections the women who made it and their environments.

Getting the recipe for this on paper wasn’t easy. The old lady measured things by handfuls and timed things by when it looks about right. My mother stood over my grandmother measuring out the eyeballed amounts and trying to get it right. (Mom is not from the Spanish side of the family, so she didn’t grow up making this recipe, but she still makes a damned good rendition!)

Very important to note is that z in arroz is pronounced like the th in thought.

Ingredients

• 10 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• 1 lb chicken thighs or drumettes
• 1 lb pork roast cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 white onions
• Spanish red paprika
• Spanish cooking chorizo
• Bomba rice
• Saffron
• Bay Leaves

Instructions

In a large pan (I tend to use a turkey roaster pan over two burners), toast ten cloves of garlic in olive oil. Take the cloves out of the oil and set them aside. Remove the garlic and place in bowl for future use.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until golden color in same oil. Place chicken on paper towel covered dish.

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Cube pork and brown in same oil.

Return chicken to pan with pork. Cover chicken and pork and let simmer until tender. Approximately 45 minutes.

Chop bell peppers and onion. Add to chicken/pork.

In a bowl, mix garlic, salt, pepper, and red paprika with two cups of water.

Pour the paprika mixture over the chicken/pork and let simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow the meat to soak up the flavors.

Boil chorizo for half hour. Take out and drain on paper towel. Cut chorizo lengthwise. Place under broiler until slightly crispy. Cut into small pieces and add to chicken/pork mixture.

Pour six cups of rice into the meat/oil/spices mixture. Swish the rice around so that it can soak up the flavorful oil mixture. Add twelve cups of water.

Add a few strings of saffron. Stir everything all around.

Cover and cook over low flame until rice is soft and tender. Besides the spices and tender meat, the most important thing in making good arroz is making sure the rice is cooked all the way through. Crunchy rice is not a good thing.

Time in the kitchen: about half a day
Feeds: about 10 —This makes amazing leftovers!

Grand Pop!

When I was not quite 18 years old, I went off to college. I started in the summer. My grandpa bought me an air-pop popcorn popper, The Popcorn Pumper. I’ll be 35 next month. That was half my life ago.

My grandpa was a funny old cuss. As a child, he crossed the country from Kansas to L.A. in an actual covered wagon. At least that’s what he told me, but I was never sure what stories were actually true. He also told me about one night when he hitched a truck to an outhouse and towed that shitter through town while his friend was locked inside.

He owned an auto shop his whole life. Not surprising that my mom also married a mechanic.

Grandpa used to withhold pay from his employees in the early 70’s until they got haircuts. He wasn’t payin’ no longhairs.

When you asked him how he was doing, he would either curtly reply, “sick”, or happily exclaim,”finer than frog hair.” If you did something worth praise, he’d emphatically let you know that “you won the fur-lined vinegar bottle.” I have no idea what anyone would want with a fur-lined vinegar bottle, but I heard it so often that sometimes, it still comes out of my mouth.

I miss my grandpa. He died not long after I went off to school.

I still have that air popper. In fact, I have used it several nights a week for almost all of my adult life. Popcorn a staple around here. My husband calls it “Diva Corn”. I can’t stand microwaved popcorn. It’s not the same thing.

Over the past two weeks, the Popcorn Pumper has been starting to go. It’s burning the corn and not blowing it out. I’ve tried cleaning it out but the problem is just getting worse. A new air popper is only about $20. The investment in a new popper is mostly emotional.

So I guess I’m saying goodbye to a kitchen appliance that has lasted through seven cities, about a dozen homes, plenty of jobs, more than one marriage and every other “phase” imaginable. It’s been with me my entire adult life. Plus, it came from my grandpa.

I’m not quite ready to replace it yet; it may take me a while. Here’s one of my many popcorn recipes. I love the stuff!

Diva Corn

• 1/2 cup popcorn kernals—hint! try experimenting with other varieties of kernals
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt
• chili powder

Pop the popcorn in an air popper. Melt the butter in the microwave. Pour the butter and squeeze the lemon over your popcorn. Mix thoroughly with two spoons. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt to taste.

Susan’s Lite Goddess Dressing

I just tried this recipe for Lite Goddess Dressing and it is DIVINE. Best of all, it has about 20 calories per serving (as opposed to regular goddess dressing that has about 130).

Try it! http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/01/susans-lite-goddess-dressing.html

Bacon Stuffed Trout

When I think of trout, I think of fishing trips at Lake Bridgeport with my dad and grandpa. There’s actually a lot you can do with trout. It’s a tasty and versatile fish which I think is highly under-rated. This dish is a delight treat! Steve, my guinea pig, licked his dish clean.

Ingredients

• 2 cleaned and butterflied trout
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 4 medium crimini or white mushrooms
• 2 strips thick-cut bacon
• 2 tbsp corn meal
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400℉.

In a skillet, sweat the onion and celery with a little salt and olive oil. Add-in bacon, chopped mushrooms, and finely chopped rosemary and oregano. Sauteé the mixture. Remove from skillet by spooning into a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle corn meal on a plate and dredge the trout, skin-side, through the corn meal.

Add whatever corn meal is left into the sauteéd mixture and stir it up.

Open the trout and lay it in your skillet (heat off). Squeeze the lemon evenly over both sides of the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Scoop the veggie/bacon mixture onto one side of the trout. Fold the other side over it to close it up.

Stick the skillet into the oven and bake at 400℉ for about 15 minutes.

Prep time: 15-20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serves: 2

This Aint Yer Mama’s Curry Chicken Salad

This egg-less twist on chicken salad is anything but boring. Use left-over chicken and make sandwiches that will be more exciting than the original meal. This is a highly adaptable recipe so as long as you get the sauce right, you can mix in whatever you have in the fridge. Did I mention that it’s extremely easy?

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise—I prefer light mayo
• 1 good squirt of Sriracha Sauce, about 1tbsp or to taste
• 1 1/4 tbsp curry paste.
  For this recipe, I’d suggest Mae Ploy Masman. You can get it for about $3 at most Asian grocery stores
• 1/2 cup corn
• 2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken Hint: use leftovers!
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• kosher or sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, curry paste, Sriracha Sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper until mixture is consistent. Taste and make adjustments as needed. Add in everything else and stir until all ingredients are evenly coated with the sauce.

Make it a Sandwich!!

Ingredients

• 2-4 Bilillo torta rolls
• leaf lettuce
• 1 sliced tomato
• butter

Directions

Slice rolls in half, butter each side and toast. Scoop about 1 cup of curry chicken salad on the bottom slice of each roll. Add sliced tomatoes and salt them. Add a slice of lettuce and the top of the bread.

HEAVEN!

prep time: 15 min

cook time: none

Aunt Amy’s Hash Browns with Bacon

This is a breakfast skillet favorite in my house. When my nephew visits, he always asks me to make them.

Ingredients

• 3-4 strips of bacon
• 1/2 yellow or red onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 med white rose potatoes
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked paprika
• salt
• pepper

Special Tools

• med-large cast iron skillet
• mandolin or food processor

Prep

Using a mandolin, cut potatoes into small strips. If you don’t have a mandolin, a food processor will work too.

Finely chop your onion and cut the bell pepper into 1/4″ pieces.

Slice the strips of bacon into 1″ pieces.

Cooking

Heat your skillet and then drop in the bacon pieces. Let them cook for a couple of minutes and then add in the onions, garlic and bell peppers. Sauteé for a minute or two and then add in the potatoes. Add at least a tablespoon of salt. Saute&eacute for another minute or two, stirring frequently.

Add fresh ground pepper, basil and paprika. Then pour in the apple juice and cover.

Simmer over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.

Uncover and saute&acute, stirring frequently, until the edges of the potatoes are slightly crispy.

Serve with a dollop of fresh salsa.

Servings: 3-4
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Level: easy

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Miso-Bourbon Chicken

Sorry I don’t have photos but this dish was so good, I’m sharing the recipe right away. This was a spicy fusion spin on miso chicken.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 lb chicken thighs (remove skin)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ground ginger powder
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

For the Sauce

• 4 tbsp red miso paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp dark molasses
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 bunch finely chopped scallions
• 2 tbsp grated chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
• 1 cup bourbon

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. Remove skin from chicken and cover each side with a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground ginger. Heat the oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron. Brown the chicken on both sides. Place entire skillet into oven for about 45 minutes or until done in the middle (about 170°).

While chicken is baking, add all of the sauce ingredients except the bourbon to a bowl and whisk together until miso is completely dissolved.

When chicken is done, take the skillet out of the oven and move the chicken pieces to a plate. I placed them in the broiler with the heat off just to keep them warm. Deglaze the pan by placing it over high heat and then adding the whiskey. Lower it to medium and stir until all that lovely chicken juice begins to dissolve into the whiskey. Now stir in the rest of the sauce and simmer over medium for about ten minutes or until the scallions soften.

Plate the chicken and pour sauce over each piece. Garnish with a sprinkling of freshly grated ginger.

Cook time: about an hour

Prep time: about half an hour

Servings: four

White Sangria

Traditional Sangria Pitcher

Here’s a delicious twist on a summer classic. White Sangria is very sweet and delicious in hot weather. Try it with dessert like vanilla ice cream. This is extremely easy to make and a great beverage to take to a BBQ or summer birthday party.

• 2 bottles of inexpensive light white wine like Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, or Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
• 2 cans Hansen’s Mandarin Lime Soda
• Handful of green grapes, sliced in half
• 2 apricots chopped
• 2 nectarines chopped
• 1 peach chopped

Pour the wine and sugar into a 1-gallon pitcher. Chop all the fruit into pieces about 1/4″-1/2″ square and add to the mixture. (Grapes should be sliced in half.) Add the 2 cans of soda and fill in any remaining space in the pitcher with more fruit.

Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving so that the fruit flavors have time to infuse a little. Pour over plenty of ice in a pretty stem glass & serve with some of the fruit at the bottom of the glass.

Prep time: 15-20 min. Makes 1-gallon.

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Pasta Ranchera

Pasta Ranchera

My boyfriend wiped his bowl clean with a tortilla and commented that this was ‘Mexican Fusion’. Laughing, I informed him that it was really just made out of whatever I had lying around the house. Sometimes those become my very best recipes. Lemme tell ya, this turned out so great, I took an after-the-fact photo and I’m posting the recipe even without the other pictures.

So without further ado, here’s how to whip this one up:

• 2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced and chopped
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb skirt steak, flat meat, carne asada meat or other very thinly sliced steak – don’t buy it chopped up
• 5-6 mushrooms chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 red onion chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper chopped
• 1 jalapeño chopped
• 3 tomatoes chopped
• 2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lime juiced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 1 lb pasta of your choice
• salt
• pepper
• cotija cheese grated

Heat the olive oil and toss in the chopped garlic. Salt & pepper both sides of the meat and sear it on all sides quickly. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside. Turn heat off. Chop all your veggies and toss them into the skillet (heat off) except for the tomatoes. Slice the meat into long 1″ strips going with the grain. Then slice it against the grain at 1/2″-1″ apart. Put the meat in with the veggies and the Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat. Now you can slice your tomatoes.

When meat is almost cooked, add the tomatoes and simmer for another couple minutes. Then add the chili powder, lime juice and cumin. Stir the sour cream into the sauce and simmer for another minute or so.

Scoop over the pasta into bowls and then grate a little cotija cheese over the top. Let set for a minute or two while you finish setting the table so the sauce can thicken. Dig in!

I recommend margaritas to go with it!

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