Ann's Mild Chili

This chili recipe is all mine.  Now that's no big accomplishment, almost everybody has a go to chili recipe.  Sharon and I like to cook spicy dishes.  The problem with that is that we like to share our soups with my mother, Ann Beye, and she can not handle overly spicy dishes.  So I came up with this and named it in honor of my mom.


Ann's Mild Chili

1. In a large skillet brown the ground beef and the pork sausage thoroughly.  Transfer it to a colander set into a bowl to drain any fat and set aside.  
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil over a medium low heat in your favorite soup pot and add the peppers, onions and garlic.  Slowly cook, stirring often, until all ingredients are soft.
3. To the soup pot add the meat, beans, beer, chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Optional Serve with a dollop of low fat sour cream after the chili has been ladeled into  bowl

Ingredients 1 lb lean ground beef 1 lb lean pork sausage 1 yellow onion 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 can kidney beans 1 can black beans 12 oz beer 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 2 cups reuced sodium beef or chicken broth  4 cloves garlic 2 tbs chili powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp oregano

Minestrone

Minestrone

Minestrone is one of Sharon's favorite soups.  For some reason, I was under the impression that I did not like it.  I made this soup as a surprise for her, and then realized that I have been wrong all of these years.  This is a really, really good soup.

After a little research, I determined that there is no set recipe for minestrone.  That came as a relief to me because I took several liberties with this recipe.  I found that kidney beans and great northern beans are a common ingredient.  We are partiel to black beans, and I had those on hand as well as pinto and navy beans.  I starting playing with the recipie and discovered that both marjoram and sun dried tomato pesto added a lot of flavor to the soup.

---Enjoy

Minestrone

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot.
2. Add the onions, garlic, green beans and zucchini.  Cover and reduce heat to low and sweat the vegetables for about 20 minutes or until the onions are transclucent.
3. Add broth, drained tomatoes, rinsed beans, carrot, sundried tomato pesto, hot water and all of the spices.
4. Over a high heat, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the spinich leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
6. Ladel into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
7. Makes about 8 1 1/2 cup servings

Minestrone  Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). Angelo Pellegrini, however, argued that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that borlotti beans (also called Roman beans) "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone". "Wikipedia"

Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion) 1/2 cup chopped zucchini 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans 1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk) 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves) 4 cups low fat low sodium vegetable broth 2 (15 oz) cans navy beans 1 (15 oz) can low sodium black beans 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans 1 (14 oz) can low sodium diced tomatoes 1/2 cup shredded carrot 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 2 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto Parmesan cheese to garnish.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken and Rice Soup

On New Year's Eve, I felt like I was coming down with a cold.  I had a rough night's sleep, and I didn't feel much better in the morning.  So, I was yearning for a more bothy soup instead of the string of creamy soups that I have been posting lately.  The original recipe for this soup is Dianane Rossen Worthington's and I found it in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook "Soup & Stew".  I made some subtle modifications and it is just what the doctor ordered.  Don't get me wrong.  I do not want you to feel like you need to wait until you are feeling sick to make this.  It has a great texture thanks to the zucchini and carrots, and it's delicious.

---Enjoy

Chicken and Rice Soup

1. In a soup pot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken.
2. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add rice, onions, carrots, tomato and marjoram to the hot broth.  
4. Over a high heat, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.  
5. Add the zucchini and reserved chicken to the soup and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes.

Rice Varieties  Long grain rice has elongated slender grains that are much longer than they are wide.  When cooked, the grains remain fluffy and separate, making them popular for pilafa and soups, such as in this recipe.  Short-grain rice varieties tend to clump up and stick together when cooked, and are preferred for Asian and Caribbean cooking. Arborio and Carnaroli are Italian rices whose high starch contents make them perfect for risotto; jasmine rice is a perfumed rice popular in Thailand, and basmati rice, an aromatic, utty rice is used in Indian cooking.

Ingredients 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/4 cup long grain brown or wild rice 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 2 carrots, shredded (4-5 ounces shredded carrots) 1 tomato peeled and diced (when out of season, substitute 5-6 ounces cherub tomatoes, sliced) 1/4 teaspoon marjoram 1 zucchini halved lengthwise and thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

AUTHENTIC CANADIAN POUTINE RECIPE

Surprise.  This is my first non-soup post for this blog, but it does include gravy.  I just returned from Montreal. That was my first visit and had a great time, the people were friendly, and the food was phenomenal.  I have to thank my new friends at Motion Composites for their hospitality.  They showed us a really good time and took us to some great restaurants.

In honor of the good times in Montreal, I am going to fore go this weeks soup recipe and share a recipe for a Canadian standard, Poutine.  The idea to add this recipe to the blog came during a meeting of the minds in room 216 of the Imperia Hotel in Montreal.  So special thanks to Julie Puccio, Brian Rourke, Scott Fiss, Jeff Hopson and the website Seasons & Suppers.

I served this as a side dish when we had Christmas dinner with our kids and 7 grand kids.  Oddly enough, our celebration was on Boxing Day.  So, I hope you really enjoy this one.


Authentic Canadian Poutine Recipe

 Authentic Canadian Poutine featuring oven-baked potato wedges,  poutine  gravy and white cheddar cheese curds all tossed together. This  recipe,  usually calls for deep fried french fries, but I am going to bake  my fries.



Ingredients

•  Poutine Gravy:
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) water
• 6 Tbsp. (90 ml) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 20 oz. (568 ml) beef broth
• 10 oz. (284 ml) chicken broth
• Pepper, to taste
• For Oven Baked Fries:
• 2 lbs. Russet potatoes (3-4 medium potatoes)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Toppings:
• 1 – 1 1/2 torn chunks of mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the gravy: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds.
3. Add the beef and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season with pepper. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary, to taste. Make ahead and re-warm or keep warm until your fries are ready.
4. For Oven Fries: Wash the potatoes and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch matchsticks. Saute 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.  In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the garlic and olive oil, 1 teaspoons paprika, and 1 teaspoons chili powder until the potatoes are completely covered. 
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay out the potatoes in a single layer.  Bake for 15 minutes, turn potatoes and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
6. To Prepare Poutine: Add your fried or baked fries to a large, clean bowl. Season lightly with salt while still warm. Add a ladle of hot poutine gravy to the bowl and using tongs, toss the fries in the gravy. Add more gravy, as needed to mostly coat the fries.
7. Add the cheese and toss with the hot fries and gravy. Serve with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 60 min

Number of servings (yield): 4