Beef and Bean Chili with Pickled Onions

 

Are you a recipe tweaker? I'm a reformed recipe tweaker, formerly taking creative license to swap this for that, sometimes altering a recipe so much that it no longer resembled the original. I exercise more restraint these days, honoring the work that had been dedicated to develop recipes. However there are still days when I stray a bit. This recipe is one of them. Inspired by a popular recipe on one of my favorite blogs Healthy Delicious's Beef Bean Chili with Pickled Onions, I took what was an elegant chili recipe made with beef stew cubes and red wine and boomeranged it back to a more traditional and humble bowl of beans with ground beef and beer.  It would be ironic to call it creative since I may have reverted this chili back to its predecessor, but the result is quite good (as is the original) so a new recipe is born.

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Orechiette with Chickpeas

Food is a huge part of my life and I am inspired all the time from lots of things and many people.  Since I started blogging I have added over 300 blogs to my reader most of which are blogs about food (I read some decorating blogs and some general life blogs as well).  I may not get to read through every single post each day but there are certain photos and recipes that stand out in my mind and of course tons of posts that are bookmarked and sorted into categories and stored in my trusty reader for when I get the urge to try one.  That's what happened with this recipe.  I first saw this recipe on sporkorfoon.com.  If you aren't familiar with Teanna and her recipes you must check her out!  The recipe she posted was for homemade orecchiette with chick peas.  I was originally really interested in the homemade orecchiette and saved it for a rainy day.  Then one day I watched Anne Burrell on the food network make a pureed chickpea sauce or soup ( I can't remember) and it made me think of this recipe.  I happened to have a package of dried orrechiette so I pulled up the recipe to check out the sauce that Teanna used.  Inspired by Anne Burrell, I decided that I wanted a thicker sauce so I pureed the veggies.  The result was a delicious pasta sauce studded with chick peas that rested perfectly in the little cup shape (or ear shape) of the orecchiette.  I think that next time I want this dish I will give it a try with canned chick peas.  As good as this was I felt that the chick peas were still a little hard and they cooked for even longer than the recipe stated.  After doing some research I found that my chickpeas could have just been old from sitting on the supermarket shelf for too long which will make them tough.  This may be a good use for the pressure cooker I never remember to use!

The original recipe for this dish can be found at epicurious or by clicking HERE.

Orechiette with Chickpeas
Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

1 bag of dried chickpeas, picked over
2 garlic cloves, left whole, plus 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
3/4 pound - 1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup water or chicken stock (plus more as needed)
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 pound orrechiette

Directions:
Soak chickpeas in water to cover by 2 inches overnight (8 hours) or quick-soak (see cooks' note, below), then drain.

Simmer chickpeas with whole garlic cloves and bay leaf in water to cover by 2 inches in a 4- to 5-quart pot, partially covered with lid, adding more water if necessary, until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Drain chickpeas and discard garlic and bay leaf.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook onion, celery, carrots, chopped garlic, red-pepper flakes (to taste), salt and pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes. Add tomatoes, water or chicken stock, more salt and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree sauce.  If sauce is very thick or if you want more sauce add more liquid.  Add chickpeas and cook until tender. Stir in parsley and basil, adjust seasoning to taste.
Cook orrechiette in salted boiling water until al dente and toss with sauce. Again, if sauce is too thick just add more liquid (at this point pasta water or chicken stock can be used) Top with grated pecorino romano cheese.

This will feed an army!

Cooks' notes:

·You can substitute two 19-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, for cooked dried ones.

·To quick-soak chickpeas, cover with water by 2 inches in a medium pot and bring to a boil, then boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover, then soak 1 hour. Drain, discarding water.

·Chickpeas can be cooked 2 days ahead. Cool completely and chill (in cooking liquid), covered.

·Sauce, without parsley, can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat, stirring in parsley.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Saffron Fish and White Bean Soup Recipe

Flaky chunks of white fish swimming in a saffron laced clam broth with buttery beans and diced tomatoes.  This is a quick, easy and satisfying soup that can be prepared within half an hour, perfect for this busy weeknights. 

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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

I grew up in the bay area, where the arrival of May 5th marked a day filled with delicious spicy Mexican food, festive music by brightly colored mariachi bands, and the gleeful squeal of children chasing after treasures of a freshly broken pinata. Cinco de Mayo, which translates into the "Fifth of May," celebrates Mexican heritage and pride, specifically Americans of Mexican ancestry. And although I am not of Latino descent, the lessons and fond childhood memories affiliated with this day remain fervently with me.

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LEMON GARLIC WHITE BEANS AND MAHI MAHI

It's been a busy few weeks running around town. I'm feeling a bit worn down and desiring a greater focus on healthier and nourishing food. When I finally had some quiet time in the kitchen, I decided to make a quick and easy recipe, Lemon Garlic White Beans and Mahi Mahi, a dish featured on the lovely blog, Kahakai Kitchen.

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WARM LENTIL SALAD WITH APPLES AND CURRANTS

As the weather growers colder, my appetite for heartier and richer meals grows, a desire that easily leads to recipes that call for a good dose of cream and butter.

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BRAISED PORK SHANKS OVER WHITE BEANS

Have you ever thought twice when a significant other offered to cook dinner for you? Not because they're not a good cook, but because you knew it was going to take so long that you might be having two dinners the following day? One just past mid-night and again later that evening.

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WHITE BEAN SALAD

This past Saturday, I made white beans meaning for it to accompany a festive dish of carne asada, but it still needed some extra time on the stove. Even while we were wrapping up our dinner of beef tacos and guacamole, the beans were still gently simmering away, reminding me that it too was among the many things in life that should not be rushed.  The beans can't wait for you so you must wait for the beans. Fortunately beans make a great leftover. Warm beans are so versatile and do such a wonderful job of absorbing flavors that it can be recreated more times over.

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BASIC BEANS RECIPE

We rarely used canned beans in our house, they are so simple to cook and take so little space in our pantry that we always have dried beans on hand. Home-cooked beans tend to yield a heartier texture and flavors, not surprisingly, superior to canned.
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QUINOA FIESTA RECIPE

Quinoa fiesta is a recipe concocted a few years ago when a college roommate of mine had thrown together a mixture of corn, red bell peppers and sauteed onions into a quinoa salad. Since then this recipe has evolved into an incredibly festive, healthy and delicious side dish; one that I am proud to serve to guests at dinner parties.

Before cooking quinoa, the seeds should be rinsed well under cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Quinoa seeds have a unique coating called saponin that will taste bitter if not removed.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry quinoa grain
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of cooked black beans or 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 cup corn kernels

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 green onion, sliced thinly

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat before stirring in sliced onion and minced garlic. Saute the mixture until the onion rings have softened, which should take roughly 5 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture into a large bowl.

In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa grain well. Add the rinsed quinoa and the chicken broth to the same saute pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in corn and leave on heat for another 5 minutes. Remove the saute pan from heat, and fold in the beans. Season with ground cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the saute pan to cool down for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, add the finely diced red bell pepper, and thinly sliced green onion to the sauteed onion and garlic mixture. Fold into the cooked quinoa. Top with cilantro before serving.

So Good You'll Burn Your Tongue Chili

Yes, it really was that good. I burned my mouth and tongue in several places while eating this chili. I just couldn't wait for it to cool off! So consider this a warning!!!

This was the very first chili recipe I ever made and I am sticking with it. There has been no need for me to try any others. Don't be put off by the amount of beans, it really is very tasty. However, you can substitute the beans for whatever you like or leave out the ones you don't like. This time I used what I had in the pantry, dark kidney beans and pinto beans. This dish is very hearty but can also be very lean. Substitute the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken and you have a very high protein low fat chili. Of course, watch out for those toppings! Choose low fat sour cream and reduced fat cheese to keep this healthy.

This recipe was created by Food Network Chef, Ellie Krieger and can be found on their website www.foodtv.com. I followed the recipe exactly but added extra cumin because I can never get enough of that smoky flavor. I didn't plan on making chili so I didn't have any sour cream in the house so instead I topped the chili with shredded cheddar and crushed tortilla chips. I think I like the added crunch better than the sour cream. If you are doing this the low fat way you should skip the chips.

Three Bean and Beef Chili

Copyright 2005, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.