5 Bean CrockPot Chili

September 25, 2015September 27, 2015

If you’re looking for something to feed a crowd, won’t break the bank and is easy to prepare, but will still get people super excited this Sunday, 5 Bean CrockPot Chili is the way to go! The weather is cooling down and people are starting their Sunday ritual of gathering around that screen. In homes across America kitchen counter tops start filling with bowls of chips, platters of bite size food and CrockPots full of delicious comfort foods. Chili is at the top of the list in many a home… Afterall football and chili go hand in hand.

Whether you are taking this over to a friend’s house for the game, packing it up for tailgating or serving it up on a snow day this winter… you need to remember to always pick up some fixin’s to add on top! No good chili is complete without the fixin’s…

Let’s get started!

Here is just about everything you will need for this yummy Chili.

Start off by adding the full bottle of beer into your slow cooker. If you can’t have beer, substitute with some beef stock… one 12oz. can will do it.

Salt and pepper! On the left you see kosher salt. On the right one dry Ancho Chili. This gives the chili a real depth of flavor.

Open up your Ancho and remove some of the seeds, it has a lot of seeds, they aren’t all needed here.

You want to rehydrate the pepper in the beer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Here are your dry spices… You are going to add these in with your Ancho so that they can also have a couple minutes to rehydrate.

These measurements don’t need to be exact… although I will list exact measurements in the recipe down below… Here is your cumin.

Cayenne pepper… I put in just a big pinch of this because of cooking for a mixed crowd. With chili I would prefer to supply hot sauce as a topping than have someone not be able to enjoy it because it is too hot for their palate, including my kids.

Smoked paprika is really nice here. (sorry for the fuzziness, don’t know what happened there!)

And last but definitely not least, the chili powder… necessary for any chili!

So your pot should look like this…

Turn your slow cooker to high.

I made Shepard’s pie earlier in the week and browned up a bunch of ground beef… set half of it aside and made less work for myself on this particular Sunday… If you have one of those cool slow cookers that allows you to brown meat or you use my method of having pre-cooked ground beef, then this meal becomes a one pot meal! If not, you should brown up some ground beef in a skillet and add it in here.

Add in some kosher salt.

Mix everything in together and move on to preparing your fresh ingredients.

Dice up your onions.

In this method, it is not necessary to pre cook your onions, however if you are browning your meat same day, it would not hurt to add these into your skillet… But as you can see, I did not turn on my stove for this recipe.

Here is where you control the heat in this dish… You can choose to leave the seeds in your pepper which will significantly increase the heat level in this dish… I was making the chili for a mixed crowd, so I decided to keep the heat low and remove the seeds.

Peel some garlic… no need to chop.

Add in jalapeno and garlic.

I found this bell pepper, isn’t he cute? You’ll want to cut it in half, remove the seeds and stem and chop it up.

From here on you are literally just dumping ingredients in till your slow cooker is all filled up! Two cans of diced tomatoes.

Get a good strainer set over a sink and pour each can of beans in one at a time.

Start by rinsing your Pinto Beans.

Next your cannellini… And this is meant to go in no particular order. Also, you can use whichever beans you like… I chose the ones I chose for a couple of reasons though… I like the creaminess of Pinto and Cannellini… I also like the variety in color.

Black beans are chosen for both color and flavor and they are a very traditional addition to Mexican foods of all kinds.

Add all these into the slow cooker. (It’s already starting to look pretty!)

We are using two kinds of kidney beans, both for color and tradition.

I also like the large red kidney beans here.

Add the kidney beans in and that’s the final addition!

Now we mix… So pretty!

Once everything is well mixed in, cover and cook on high for 8 hours… That’s it.

At this point, check for salt and spice… Add more kosher salt if needed. If you feel it needs more spice add in either a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper.I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the necessary toppings to this warm bowl of goodness!

You need to have some sour cream at the ready, some cheddar cheese, and some tortilla chips… I also like to have chopped scallions and hot sauce available for people.

And there you have it, Enjoy!

I know my husband did!

5 Bean CrockPot Chili

(serves 8-10 or more – great for a party)

1 1/4 lbs ground beef, browned

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can Pinto beans

1 can Cannellini beans

1 can Black beans

1 can Small Red Kidney beans

1 can Large Red Kidney beans

2 medium onions, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 dry Ancho chili pepper, seeded

1 bottle Mexican beer

1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled

1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 Tbs. Chili powder

2 Tbs. Smoked Paprika

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Soak dry spices including Ancho chili pepper in beer in the slow cooker. Add in all other ingredients. Mix and turn on high for 8 hours.

Fixin’s:

Sour Cream

Tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped scallions (optional)

sliced black olives (optional)

hot sauce

*note – With the swap out of beer for either gluten-free beer or beef stock, this is a completely gluten-free recipe.

Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique)

September 2, 2015September 2, 20159 Comments

Although this meal can feed a number of people, I decided to make this dish for my husband as a surprise dinner at home after the kids were tucked into bed. It was our Engage-aversary, 9 years since he popped the question, what better time for an elegant meal? But, it was a Tuesday night, he was working and I had charge of two toddlers all day and evening… so needless to say my energy was not at its peek. I needed a quick meal that was just fancy enough for my little candle lit affair… I had some shrimp in the freezer and everything else in the pantry… so, I thought why not? The dish was delish as always and we got to celebrate and have an adult date night right in our own dining room.

I grew up eating Shrimp Mozambique. And to eat Shrimp Mozambique is to love Shrimp Mozambique. In my family and in my little area of New England, Shrimp Mozambique is a mainstay. We serve it every Christmas and several times throughout the year for different gatherings and parties. Elegant in its presentation, exotic in its flavor and almost magical in its ability to transform a dinner into a party! All this and you might think this is going to be a long drawn out and expensive recipe that is hard to understand and even harder to follow… but you would be all wrong on all counts. In fact, Shrimp Mozambique is not only quick and easy, but pretty reasonable to make at home especially if you can pick up this size shrimp on sale for $6.99 for a 2 lb. bag like I did in the freezer section!

With under 10 ingredients, most of which you will be able to find in your pantry… onions, garlic, salt etc. it’s super easy to throw together. And from start to finish you can have this meal on the table in under 30 minutes. The two ingredients that are key in this dish are the Azafran (but this can be easily subbed out with saffron) and the crushed red pepper. Crushed red pepper is a wet jarred pepper that is usually ground and cured with salt. You should be able to find it in your Portuguese or Spanish section of your market.

Melt one stick of butter into a pot.

Finely dice 1/2 a large onion or one whole medium onion.

Add onions into your melted butter… you will want to get these started before you add in the garlic as they have a longer cook time than garlic and the last thing you want is burnt garlic!

You will need about 6 cloves of garlic.

Smash your garlic before mincing, it helps to release lots of the flavors on everyone.

Mince garlic.

Once the onions have started to soften, add in your garlic.

You will want to be sure to stir frequently.

Azafran seasoning is similar to saffron, but only about 1/5 the price.4

You will need one packet per pound and so in this case we are making two pounds, so we will need to add two packets.

Add in two packets of the Azafran seasoning.

Add in one heaping Tbs. crushed red pepper. (I think this photo is so cool… my pepper was in the fridge and the pot is really hot causing that white smoke you see around the pepper)

I’ve always been partial to this size shrimp for this recipe. If you like bigger shrimp, go ahead and use it, but this works well for parties, family dinner or anytime.

You can put them in the pot straight from the freezer, no need to pre-soak. I should mention that I leave the peel on, I feel like half the flavor of this dish comes from that peel… I know it can be a bit of a pain to peel while you eat, but it is sooo worth it… and hey, it will slow you down too! Take some time to enjoy your meal!

Stir to coat the shrimp with all the spices and color.

Add in one bottle of beer any run of the mill domestic will do. (If you are allergic to gluten, you could substitute about 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine or just a gluten-free beer)

Be sure the shrimp are coated. Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, when it comes to a boil lower heat to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes and then immediately remove from heat.

The last thing you want is overcooked, mushy and mealy shrimp. Do not over cook this. Shrimp cook really quickly, the smaller the shrimp the faster the cook… I am allowing 8-12 minutes for larger shrimp and to cook off the alcohol in the beer.

There… perfectly cooked shrimp! Now, don’t forget to taste for salt, add another pinch if needed.

For a party, I like to keep white rice separate, but for a dinner party or meal at home, I like to plate my shrimp right onto a bed of cooked white rice.

Recipe for Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique):

(serves 4-6, dinner —- serves 10-15 party)

2 lbs frozen, deveined, easy peel shrimp (do not remove peel)

1 stick butter

1/2 lg. onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

1 Tbs. crushed red pepper, heaping

1 beer (12 oz)

2 packets Goya Azafran Seasoning

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot, melt one stick of butter. Add in onions, saute for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, saute an additional 5 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt. Add in Azafran, stir. Add in crushed red pepper, stir. Add in frozen shrimp, stir to coat shrimp in sauce. Add in beer, stir, cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes. Taste for salt, add if needed. Serve over a bed of white rice.

Enjoy!

*note – Gluten-free adjustment, use gluten-free beer or white wine in place of beer.

Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken (Frango Grelhado)

May 13, 2015May 19, 20154 Comments

Summer time is here and the grill is my main source of cooking all summer long! Throughout the summer in Southcoastal MA as well as, I’m sure, in many other Portuguese dense communities across the country, it is feast season. Feasts encompass so much of Portuguese culture not minimally the food. It seems whenever we head to St. Michael, there is one feast or another going on and undoubtably there as well as in feasts across my region here in Massachusetts you will find men grilling chicken over an open pit filled with charcoal.

“Portuguese Style” Chicken depends largely on it’s marinade, but it also is greatly enhanced by it’s method of cooking. This can of course be done with a gas grill, but if you have the time, charcoal is the best way to enjoy it. This chicken does not need an sauce helping it to keep it’s low-carb status.

In this recipe tutorial I will take you through the marinade and show you how I place my coals, but a more extensive tutorial on working with a charcoal grill will come soon. So, keep an eye out!

This marinade is best done 6-8 hours or better yet 24 hours ahead. It’s an intense brine more than just a marinade really. Take a look.

Start by placing a gallon sized zip bag into a large bowl.

Pour a can of beer into the bag.

To that, add two heaping soup spoons worth of ground red pepper. If you don’t have ground red pepper available, finely dice a medium heat pepper such as a red Pablano pepper and add in.

To this add in about 4 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced.

Now, add two large soup spoons full of kosher salt.

Add in about 1/4 of a soup spoon (or 1 teaspoon) of Portuguese Allspice.

This is what your consentrated marinade should look like.

Add your chicken into your concentrated marinade.

Add enough luke warm water into the bag so that most of your chicken is covered in liquid.

Now, a trick to this is to try to remove as much air from your bag as you can. The less air in the bag, the more contact your chicken has with the spices.

Close up your bag and place in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Be sure your coals are hot and white and you burn off any actual fire as shown here. Also, be sure you have a “hot” side of your grill and a “not so hot” side. To achieve this just place your coals with the majority to one side.

Now, keep your chicken on your medium to not so hot side of your grill and don’t walk away. Chicken cooked over coals needs to be tended to. This doesn’t mean constantly fuss with it, just watch that it doesn’t burn.

Some of your chicken skin will blacken and char… this is part of the flavor, it’s ok. Just be sure that when this starts to happen you move it to the not so hot side of the grill… you want the chicken to cook too… if it chars too quickly you may think it is ready before it really is. This process should take a good 45 minutes, but if you have concerns, just get a meat thermometer and when the fleshy part of your chicken registers 160°F, it is all set to be taken off the grill.

For a delicious low-carb meal, plate with some yummy grilled vegis and a grilled ear of corn.

For a delicious low-carb meal, plate with some yummy grilled veggies and a grilled ear of corn.

Recipe for Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken (Frango Grelhado):

(serves 4)

4 chicken leg quarters

For marinade:

1 8 oz. can beer

4 Tbls. ground red pepper

4 Tbls. kosher salt

1 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

4 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced

1 cup luke warm water.

Directions:

Place a zipper bag in a large bowl and combine all marinade ingredients. Add chicken. Marinate (brine) over night if possible, but at least 6-8 hrs.

Grill over charcoal if possible for about 45 minutes while tending. If using a gas grill, grill on low for about 45 minutes. Meat should register 160°F on a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

note: to make this recipe gluten-free, just use a gluten-free beer, I would not suggest wine. You could also use chicken stock, but add in 1 tsp of white vinegar if doing so.

Chouriço & Peas (Ervilhas com Chouriço)

April 8, 2015May 19, 20156 Comments

My father migrated to the United States from St. Michael, Portugal in 1966 when he was just 11 years old. His family, two parents, 7 sisters and a brother couldn’t all come together at the time, although they eventually all made it through. He has told me time and time again the story of the long journey that took them first to family who lived in Canada before settling in their final destination of Fall River, Massachusetts. His most vivid memory of that trip is the first meal he ate with his Portuguese-Canadian family as they arrived and it was “Ervilhas com Chouriço” – Chourico and Peas.

I have often tried to imagine what it must have been like for my adolescent father and the thousands of other children to include my mother (age 9) who emigrated here in the 1960’s from Portugal. They came to America, with their families, in search of a new life – a better life for their children. They left behind family and friends and everything they knew. I try to imagine, at the tender age of 11, trying to learn a new language. I imagine entering a school where everyone including all my teachers can not communicate with me. To learn a new culture and a new way of doing just about everything. What becomes vivid to me is being scared, excited, confused and very dependent on anything familiar I might come upon. So, nearly 50 years later, my father recalls his family in Canada serving him and his siblings and parents “Ervilhas com Chouriço” a Portuguese comfort food. Funny how food has a way of comforting and connecting people.

Here is my version of “Ervilhas com Chouriço”:

Start out by chopping onions. For this recipe, I like to quarter and then slice.

Add onions to a pot with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, saute.

This is Portuguese Chouriço. It is a bit different from its cousins, Spanish and Mexican Chorizo. It comes in two varieties, hot and mild. (If you only have chorizo available in your area, that is a fine substitute)

Slice chouriço fairly thinly. I like to go about 1/8″, if you like it thicker, be my guest. But, this recipe calls for one link of chouriço, so slicing thinly ensures everyone gets plenty in their portion.

Mince up about a clove or two of garlic.

Add garlic and chouriço to your pot and continue to saute over medium heat.

Add 2 lbs. frozen peas. I use frozen peas because we are not quite in the season for fresh peas and I find frozen peas to be far superior to canned. If you have fresh peas available, by all means use them.

Add in one can of beer. (An ale is best for this recipe, whatever you have in the fridge or left over from your last party) If you prefer not to use alcohol or are on a gluten-free diet, just add in about 16 oz of chicken stock.

Pepper! This has to be my favorite Portuguese ingredient. Ground Portuguese red pepper… My family grinds our own pepper each year and preserve it to use all year long. Our pepper is not terribly spicy because we remove most of the seeds and inner flesh before grinding, so be careful, know what you are using.

Portugese all spice. Please don’t be confused by the allspice you put in your pies at Thanksgiving… This is not that. This is paprika based and has a bit of turmeric some orange peel and some mystery spice. If you don’t have this available, just use a run of the mill paprika. (Adding a smoked paprika will change the flavor of the dish, if you like that, go for it, but be aware, this all spice is not smokey)

1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce.

Add in the sauce, pepper and spice along with a pinch of salt, stir. Continue cooking over medium heat.

Turn down heat to a medium/low. Stir periodically and allow to cook for about 15-20 mins.

Last step… gently add in whole cracked eggs one at a time and nestle them in their own little spots in the pot. I like to give everyone an egg. So I put as many eggs as people I plan to feed.

And here is your completed Chouriço & Peas dish. Enjoy!

Chouriço & Peas recipe:

(serves 4-6)

1/2 lb. Hot Chouriço, sliced

2 lbs. frozen (or fresh) peas

1 medium yellow onion, quartered and sliced

1 T. ground red pepper

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can beer

2-3 T. olive oil

1/2 t. Portuguese all spice

4-6 eggs

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

In a large pot saute onions in olive oil over medium heat. Add in chouriço and garlic, saute. Add in fresh or frozen peas, mix and then immediately add in beer, tomato sauce, pepper, all spice and salt. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to medium low. Cook for 15-20 mins. Add in eggs one at a time. Cook 5-6 mins. Enjoy!

note: For gluten-free preparation, substitute beer with chicken stock or a gluten-free beer.