Smoked Chili con Carne

You can skip toasting the chili’s and cumin but there will be less flavor in the final dish.

Main Ingredients

1-2 T Peanut Oil
3-3.5 lbs of Chuck, trimmed and cut in bite-sized pieces
½ lb bacon, chopped
1 Medium Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Canned Chipotle Chili’s, chopped plus 1 T of the Adobo sauce they’re packed in.
2 Jalapeno’s seeded and minced
1 Small Tin Crushed Tomatoes (I prefer Red Gold or Glen Muir)
4-5 Cups of Stock(beef, chicken or veg)
1 tsp salt
3 T Cornstarch

Chili Seasoning

2 tsp Cumin
¾ oz Dried New Mexico/California Chili’s (about 2-3)
½ oz Dried Ancho Chili’s (about 3-5)
2 tsp dried oregano
tsp smoked paprika

Added at the End (Optional)

½ Cup Frozen Corn
Zest and juice of one Lime
¼ cup Cilantro
1-2 tsp liquid smoke

Preparing Chilie Seasoning

Toast dried chilies in a 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven, cut open with kitchen shears, seed and cut up into smaller pieces to grind.

Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes until they are fragrant and begin to pop.

Using either a blender, coffee grinder (blade type) or mortar and pestle, grind chili’s, cumin, oregano and smoked paprika into a powder.

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix chili powder with about ½ cup of water to form a paste. Set aside.

Toss meat a bowl with salt and peanut oil and set aside.

Heat a heavy dutch oven over medium heat, add bacon and fry until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and save. Pour out the bacon fat, reserving about 3 Tablespoons.

Begin browning meat in batches in the Dutch Oven, transferring each batch to a bowl as you finish and set aside.

Add onion and saute until soft. If there’s not enough fat, add up to 3 T of the reserved bacon fat. After the onion has softened, add the garlic, jalapenos, chipotles, adobo sauce and chili paste. Saute until fragrant, about another minute. Add Canned tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to combine.

Return the meat to the pot along with the 4 cups of stock and stir. Bring dish to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat becomes tender, about 2 hours. Take out of the oven. There’ll be plenty of heat for the last step.

Mix cornstarch with 3 T of water to form a paste. Stir into chili along with the lime juice, zest, cilantro and 1 tsp of the liquid smoke. Stir and let sit for about 10 minutes for the flavors to bloom. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Why toast?

Toasting brings out the flavors of spices and adds complexity. However, take care not to over toast. That just brings out the flavor of ash.

Optional Garnishes

Basically you serve this with w/e you desire. Chopped cilantro, sour cream, black beans, rice, shredded Cheddar, the sky’s the limit.

Simple Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar

If you ever wondered what to do with one of those big Costco/Sam’s Club bottles here’s the trick. This is a simple way to “pump up” store-bought Balsamic Vinegar to create something closer to the real aged balsamic vinegar. You’ll end up with a a thick, syrupy sauce that’s excellent with vegetables, salads and even ice-cream.

Ingredients
1 Cup Store Bought Balsamic Vinegar
¼ Cup brown sugar

Directions
Bring the vinegar to a boil in a sauce pan, reducing it half. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar being careful as it may foam up (hence the reason for removing it from direct heat). Return to the stove-top and boil for another couple of minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Yields: About 1/2 Cup

Time to make: 20 min

Spanish Hot Chocolate

In Spain, they have this wonderful thick drinking chocolate. Served bittersweet with sugar on the side, it is a traditional breakfast beverage, often accompanied with fresh fried churros which are dunked into the beverage. I’ve worked out this recreation of that fine beverage to create a treat for adults. The closest I’ve come to this over here is that short-lived Starbuck’s creation from a few years ago. This however, won’t break your wallet.

Single Serving
1 C Milk
1½ T Cocoa
2 T Sugar
½ T cornstarch

Making a Batch
1 Cup Sugar
¾ Cup Cocoa
¼ Cup Cornstarch
Measure out ¼ cup of the mixture per 1 Cup of milk.

Directions
Pour the milk in a sauce pot and place over Med-High heat. Whisk the next3 ingredients together and add to the milk. Whisk to combine and continue whisking to prevent sticking or a chocolate “scum” from forming on top.

When you feel the drink beginning to thicken, pour and serve.

Flavor Additions:
Coffee or Orange Liqueur
an 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper, cinnamon or nutmeg.
Substitute Splenda for sugar to keep it healthier.
Make the drink stronger/less sweet by using 2 T of Cocoa.

Yields: 1 serving

Time to make: 15 min

Carnitas Recipe

Carnitas is a Latin American pork dish. Ideally, for me, it has a crisp crust on the outside with a flavorful, tender and juicy interior. I pull/shred the pork to use it in different dishes later (i.e. Tacos, Burritos, Chili). If served as a main dish, I’d carve it like a pot roast, making a flavorful gravy out of the pan juices.

Making this dish using my Dutch Oven allows me to sear, sauté, braise, roast, reduce and serve in one pot.

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Equipment
5 Qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Tongs
Wooden Spoon
Platter
Peanut Oil

Braising Ingredients
3-4 lb Pork Shoulder/Butt
1 carrot diced
1 onion diced
1 jalapeño seeded & minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 can cola (yes, cola)
½ cup red wine, brandy, cognac or strong stock

Seasoning
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper

These seasonings turned out great for me, but feel free to adjust them based on your taste and what you have on hand.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and heat Dutch Oven over Medium-High Heat.Lightly rub pork with oil and season with on sides with salt. When the DO is hot, sear the pork on all sides until deeply golden. This should take about 2-4 minutes per side.

Remove the meat to a platter to rest and turn the heat down to Medium. There should still be oil in the pot from the searing but add more if necessary. Add cumin seed to the oil and sauté. When they begin begin to pop, add the carrots and onions and sauté until soft. Add minced garlic and jalapeño and cook for another minute.

Stir in remain spices, followed by the cola and red wine stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return Pork to the pot, cover and transfer the whole thing to the oven and braise for 4 hours or until meat is falling apart.

Remove meat to platter to rest and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Strain out and reserve the liquid from pot, wipe it down with a paper towel and return the pork. Place the uncovered Dutch Oven back into the heated oven and create the final crust by roasting it for approx 20 minutes, turning over half way.

Remove meat to a platter and return the reserved liquid to pot, bringing it to a boil on the stove top. Boil until th liquid reduces to about 1 cup. While the liquid is reducing , use two forks to pull/shred the pork.

After liquid has reduced, turn off the heat and stir the meat back in, coating it with the concentrated juices. You just want to coat the meat, not “soak” it.

Serve in soup, chili, tacos, burritos, etc

Suggestions:
Turn the temperature down to 200 degrees and braise for 8 hrs overnight.

I use cilantro in my burritos and tacos so I toss the minced stems into the braising liquid rather than throw them out.

Torremolinos

This is the first in a series based on my travels in Spain over the last few years.(Forgive me if tenses tend to get a little jumbled… The sun’s just rising as I begin my morning walk. It’s a little tradition for me on my second day, after arriving. I flew in yesterday around noon, having left Indianapolis the night before and making connects in New York and Barcelona.I always avoid taking a nap right after arriving, in order to adjusted my internal clock to the local time. This little tradition simply arose from the fact that, after a good night’s sleep, I always seem to wake up on that first morning as the horizon is just starting to lighten up. It’s a grand way to start a vacation. This is the time to appreciate the quiet beauty of this place on the Costa del Sol. As a North American, one thing I always note during this walk is that, “nothing is open for breakfast“. It’s early but, it’s not *that* early. Back home, diners and coffee shops would be open, catering to workers heading off to the office. Here however, the typical work day starts later. Stores opening at 7 or 8 am back home, typically won’t open until 9:00am or 10:00am here. As a consequence, breakfast places also open up later. So, other than a few other tourists, fishermen and street sweepers, I have the paseo(beach-side boardwalk) to myself. To be more specific, me, the gulls and the fishermen. The fishermen are after the fresh anchovies and sardines to be served up grilled and fried for lunch, while the gulls following their small boats are hunting for a free meal. At other times, the fishermen will drive the fish near the shore, then net and draw the fish up right on the beach. This is illegal on this part of the beach but the cops don’t seem to care. At least, not this early in the morning. As the sun rises everything is bathed in its golden light, slowly warming the breeze blowing off of the Mediterranean. Looks like it’s going to be a nice day

Fireworks in Glass

I went down to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to see their Dale Chihuly exhibit, “Fireworks in Glass“. I went down during their monthly “Community Day” (read free admission). Normally, a 15 minute drive, but with traffic and construction it took nearly an hour. Suffice to say, I wasn’t in the best of moods. Until I saw the tower, that is.  It’s an impressive sight. Built over a hidden mesh skeleton, it gives a viewer the impression of something far too delicate to possibly stand on its own. The museum’s central staircase wrapps around it, affording views from all floors as it stretches up the full height of the building. Even the glass floor supporting the tower is a part of the exhibit. Here, you recline under the ceiling on a revolving observation platform, presenting you with ever changing views of the glasswork. A photographer’s banquette. Just aim up and started shooting. An additional “hand’s on” exhibit allows guests to build their own “Fireworks in Glass”. If that wasn’t enough Chihuly for you, there’s another exhibit of his work upstairs. They’re displayed along with pieces created, based on children’s designs. P.S. On the way out of the museum, I stopped to snap a few shots of the “Haunted House” that they were in the process of setting up for the children.

A Day at the Faire

“A Renaissance fair or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering ostensibly focused on recreating life as it was during the Renaissance. In fact, these events create a fantasy inspired, in most cases, by both historical references (most often England in the time of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I) and by perceptions of the Middle Ages and Renaissance obtained from movies, games, books, comics, and television shows.” – Wikipedia. In other words, “It’s the Middle Ages as we would have “liked” them to have been. This particular Faire starts on Labour Day weekend, runs for about 6 weeks. The Ohio RenFaire has been around for years and even has a site built specifically for the festival as a medieval village. So, bright and early (…actually, dark and early as he sun hadn’t risen yet), I hit the road to spend the day at the faire. Even after taking a short side-trip to Caesars Creek State Park(post), I still arrived in time for the “Queen” to greet her loyal subjects, inviting them to partake in the festivities. The feeling from the crowds reminded me of Disney Land. That fun feeling where everyone gets to use those rusty imaginations and be a kid again. Upon entering I was immediately pounced upon by a greeter. It must have had a lost look on my face. She was nice and described how the “village” was layed out and made a couple of recommendations on what acts to see on that day. Armed with this knowledge, I headed over to see “Dirk and Guido: The Swordsmen” to learn how “manly men” will do reaally stupid things to impress a lady. These comedic swordsmen were very good at what they did. We were howling within about 15 seconds after the show started and they didn’t stop for half an hour. Reenactors, merchants, magicians, singers, knights, pirates, princesses, games, food and they were holding a highland games event that day. The gates opened at 10:00am and I didn’t leave until they kicked me out at 6:00pm. If they were open in the evening, I would have stayed. As it was, I went non-stop all day and still didn’t see half of what there was to offer. People really got into the shows and events and everyone was having a great time, and without beer if you can believe that! In spite of all the people, it didn’t feel too crowded. Unless you wanted to get something to eat, that is. Even if you didn’t feel like going to a show, you could just take a seat and “people watch”. Personally, I don’t like taking pictures of people. It feels intrusive, but people is what this event is about and I was able to get some great shots. My favorite was the “Rag Lady”. I think that her picture really captured her “character”. With everyone dressed up, it was hard to tell who was a performer and who was a guest. The only negative for me when taking photos on such a bright day is my camera’s tendency to overexpose shots. I was constantly fiddling with the fill-in flash and exposure compensator to get good shots. The best pictures, of course, were first thing in the morning and just before they closed up shop. It was a long, fun day and I can’t wait for next year’s event!

Morning Mists at Caesar Creek

These pictures arise from a “spur of the moment” decision made while heading out to the Ohio RenFair a few weeks back.

Leaving Indianapolis before dawn, I was almost there when I noticed a sign indicating I was near Caesar Creek State Park and Dam. I was was early so I drove up for a peek and I was glad I did. As I arrived at the Visitor’s Center, the morning mist was just burning off. A few minutes later and I would have missed capturing it.

I got wet feet from wandering though the dew-soaked grass around the the Center but was rewarded with nice views of the lake created by the dam. While I didn’t have time to really explore the area, I must say that it looks to be a fine park, fully equiped with hiking trails all around the lake and lots of opportunities for camping, fishing, etc.

On the way out, I took a look a the area map and noticed a place called Caesar’s Ravine nearby.

Wooded Ravine, Morning Sun, Fall day. A chance not to be missed! As it turned out the creek and ravine are directly below the dam along with a park and observation deck. The flood gate was open and I was able to get some pretty good shots of the water roaring out from the lake. Click to link to the original image with notes. You’ll be able to see the other people in it and give you a sense of scale.

All in all, a very satisfying side-trip It’s always nice to discover something unexpected like this. To see more, click on either of the pictures to link to the complete photo set on flickr.