Green Chicken Chili – Sorry, Red and White, But There’s a New Color in Town

Green Chicken Chili – Sorry, Red and White, But There’s a New Color in Town

Siti R on February 20, 2018

If I had to pick a favorite color chili, it would have to be green. And, if I had to pick a favorite kind of green chili, it would be this chicken and white bean green chili, which, notwithstanding a very minor pumpkin seed issue, really came out amazing.

A true “chili verde” is made by roasting and pureeing fresh tomatillos, which is kind of labor intensive, if you can even find fresh tomatillos, so we’re going with a ready-to-use green salsa from the market. You should be able to chose from several varieties, but just be sure to read the labels carefully. Tomatillos must be the first ingredient, followed by onion, and chilies.

If you never had tomatillo before, I’d describe it as having a less sweet, slightly more acidic, but fruitier, tomato-like flavor. It’s very bright, and refreshing, and makes a chili prepared with it especially excellent for pairing with things like cornbread, or homemade corn tortillas. 

Once you find some tomatillo salsa, there’s not a lot that can go wrong, as we’re simply going to simmer everything until tender, assuming you’re using the recommended thighs. If you decided to use chicken breast, you’ll only need to simmer it until it’s cooked through, otherwise, unlike the thigh, it’ll get dry. No matter what you use, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 to 6 portions of Green Chicken Chili:

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt

1 bottle (24-oz) tomatillo-based salsa verde, about 3 cups

1/2 cup fire-roasted hatch chilies, or other roasted green chili

3 garlic cloves

1 large jalapeno, sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground chipotle

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained, rinsed

sour cream and avocado to garnish

Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew) – Go Bigos or Go Home

Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew) – Go Bigos or Go Home

Siti R on October 31, 2017

I don’t often get requests for Polish food, but when I do, they’re usually for bigos. Which makes perfect sense, since this meaty stew is one of the most delicious dishes you’ll ever taste. It’s also low-carb, highly nutritious, and very simple to make, as long as you don’t consider having to wait a day to eat it, “complicated.”

While you can eat this as soon as it’s made, and I bet most of you do, it’s much better the next day, as all the flavors have time to properly meld together. You can also really customize this to your personal tastes by changing up which meats you use.

Traditionally, this is made with wild game, such as venison, boar, and other shootable animals, but is perfectly acceptable, if not amazing, using easier to find domestic livestock. Regardless of which meats you include, be sure to use a lot of them, as I think this stew should be at least 50% meat.

Since you can, and should make this ahead of time, it’s perfect for feeding large groups, especially when the weather turns cold and dreary. But, no matter what it’s doing outside, I hope you give this a try, and have a pot simmering inside soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 packed cups drained sauerkraut

1 small head green cabbage, quartered and sliced (2 pound head before trimming)

4 strips bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb polish sausage links, sliced (or any other sausage)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 pitted prunes, diced

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked until soft and chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 large bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

Cider Braised Pork Shoulder – And by “Braised,” We Probably Mean Stewed

Cider Braised Pork Shoulder – And by “Braised,” We Probably Mean Stewed

Siti R on September 26, 2017

If you watched our recent spaetzle video, you saw me serve up a nice hunk of cider braised pork shoulder, during which I wondered out loud if we’d done that video yet. Turns out that we hadn’t, so as promised, here you go.

As the title may indicate, this isn’t technically a braised dish, since the meat is pretty much covered with cooking liquid, but whenever I have to choose between alliteration, and accuracy, I predominantly pick the former.

I kept things very simple here, so feel free to add extras like carrots, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and other fall veggies, if you like. There’s really no way to screw up a dish like this. Unless, of course, you stop cooking it before it’s done. I’ll never understand recipe reviewers complaining that the meat in a dish like this, never got tender.

Tough meat always gets tender, if you cook it long enough. Always. The problem is, people go by the times given, which may or may not be long enough. No matter what a recipe says, always continue cooking until it’s fork tender, and can be easily broken apart.  So, with that in mind, whether you’re topping spaetzle or not, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for four portions:

3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut in 3 to 4-inch chunks

Enough Kosher salt to season pork generously

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or rendered pork fat

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly torn sage leaves

1 bottle (750 mil) hard cider, or regular cider, or apple juice

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup crème fraiche, or heavy cream

pinch cayenne

crème fraiche and chives to garnish

Brazilian Fish Stew – Almost Moqueca

Brazilian Fish Stew – Almost Moqueca

Siti R on February 06, 2017

In case I wasn’t completely clear the multiple times I mentioned it in the video – this is just my take, my twist, my interpretation of a Brazilian fish stew. Or, as people who will ignore the previous sentence call it, “moqueca.”

The most glaring omission from the classic ingredient list would be red palm oil, which apparently gives this dish it signature flavor. Since I don’t think I ever had it, it’s hard for me to say, but what I can tell you, is that this was incredibly delicious even without the mysterious oil.

Like most of the world’s great fish stews, this is usually made with several types of seafood, but this is what I’m calling the weeknight version. Using a whitefish, along with scallops, shrimp, clams, etc., is lovely, but then you do have to worry about timing, so that everything finishes at the same time.

By using one fish, this really is quite a simple recipe, and the little bit of slicing and mincing involved is well worth the gorgeous, and very tasty results. I really do hope you give this gorgeous Brazilian fish stew a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

cayenne pepper to taste

1 can (14-oz) coconut milk (not low fat!)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 1/2 cup sliced assorted sweet and/or hot peppers

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 1/2 pounds sea bass, or other firm white fish, cut into chunks

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

serve with rice