Beef Brisket Chili

When I received my October 2008 issue of Bon Appetit, I immediately wanted to make the brisket on the cover, it looked so good. Of coarse, I ended up making a different version, but pretty much followed their recipe. I left out the autumn squash and used different chiles, spices and added beans, but the concept was close and it turned out great. I have a similar recipe for a steak and black bean chili that i will post when I come across it again.

Beef Brisket Chili

6 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed, seeded and coarsely torn

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/4 lb. onion, chopped

1 4lb. flat cut beef brisket, cut into 2 to 3 inch cubes

Coarse kosher salt

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp. chipotle chili powder

2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (12 oz) bottle Mexican beer

2 (4 oz) can diced fire-roasted green chiles

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed

Place chiles in medium bowl. Cover with boiling water. Soak, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add onion. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle salt over beef and add to pot; stir to coat. Set aside.

Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. Place chiles in food processor. Add 1 cup of liquid, garlic, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Puree, adding more liquid if too thick. Pour over beef in pot. Add tomatoes with juices, beer, green chiles and cilantro stems. Stir to coat evenly.

Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in oven. Cook 2 hours. Uncover and cook another hour. Add beans and cook another 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tilt pot and spoon off any excess fat.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, sour cream or grated cheese.

French Baguette

I had a request for a good French baguette recipe and since I've never made one I looked on the Martha Stewart website for one. I have put the link here. I have not personally made this recipe, but it looks like a good one to me.
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=4cb1d187432a6110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_1&autonomy_kw=french+baguette

Peas and Prosciutto

This easy and delicious recipe comes from Giada DeLaurentiis's book Everyday Italian. I prepared it for some friends this past weekend and it was a big hit. Since I keep all these ingredients on hand all the time, this will become a standard in my house. The next time I prepare it, I might add a little chopped fresh mint to the dish. One of the notes in Giada's book about the recipe was adding leftovers to scrambled eggs in the morning. We tried that the following morning and it was a great suggestion!

Peas and Prosciutto

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1-lb) bag frozen peas
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-low flame. Add shallots and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add peas and saute until heated through, about 5 minutes. remove from heat and add prosciutto, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve.

Tortellini and Italian Sausage Soup

I was watching Tyler's Ultimate on Food TV the other day and he made an incredible looking chicken noodle soup using cheese tortellini and chicken-apple sausage. I decided to make something similar last night and it turned out great. I still want to get Tyler's recipe, but in the meantime, this one is very good.

Tortellini and Italian Sausage Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

48 oz. low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup white wine

20 oz. bag frozen cheese tortellini

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and add oil. Add garlic, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves and thyme. Saute for 5 to 8 minutes. Add broth, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Brown sausage in batches in a large skillet, add to soup pot. When finished, add white wine to pan and scrape up any brown bits, add to soup. Add frozen tortellini to soup and cook until they float. Adjust seasonings and serve.