Well…folks…the weather is getting windier and
rainier here in Pittsburgh. The sky is
gray and the atmosphere is moist.
Shortly, we’ll have to adjust to the winter time, gaining one hour, but
losing daylight. The days will become
shorter and shorter and the weather colder and colder. Christmas will be here in no time, and soon
we’ll see the first snowflakes comfortably laying themselves down on the ground
for the months to come. Wow…funny how time
flies.
Actually, it’s not that bad if you think about it. I know that winter is fast approaching, but we
can’t just overlook the holidays and the comfort
food that they bring along, which always makes me feel warm and fuzzy
inside. At the end of the day, the only
thing, which you’ll want to do after a comfortable
meal, is to sit by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa in your hands, totally
ignoring the world outside. I think that
I’ve already started that pattern.
Although, the Pittsburgh hills are still multicolored, and the leaves on
the ground have not been replaced by snowflakes yet, the rainy weather doesn’t
give me the strength and energy to put a foot outside the door.
The good thing about that is that over the past few
days, I’ve been mastering the art of the
ultimate comfort food – chili –
with and without meat. And by the way,
these are not your usual suspects in
terms of chili, but interesting versions of the classic. Nonetheless, while I was passionately cooking
as if I were stocking up on chili for the entire winter, something unexpected
happened. Someone knocked on the
door. I wasn’t expecting anyone and I
can assure you that I wasn’t eager to answer the door while I was diffusing a delightful
aroma of onion, garlic and chicken. However,
when I opened the door, the florist greeted me with an immense and superb
bouquet of roses, lilies and gerberas.
My hubby does know how to make me smile!
White
Bean Chicken Chili
Adapted from White
Bean Chicken Chili by Giada De Laurentiis
Yields 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
·
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
·
1 large onion, chopped
·
4 garlic cloves, minced
·
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes
·
Salt and black pepper
·
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
·
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
·
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
·
2 teaspoons paprika or chili powder
·
3 Tablespoons flour
·
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or other
white beans, rinsed and drained
·
1 pound frozen corn, thawed
·
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
·
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
·
Grated Parmesan cheese
·
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven,
heat the oil over medium heat. Add the
onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, about 5-7
minutes. Add the garlic and cook for up
to 1 minute. Add the cumin, fennel
seeds, oregano and paprika (or chili powder – I use paprika just because that’s
what I always have on hand; in Transylvania it is mandatory to have paprika in
your spice cabinet), and toast them for about 1 minute.
Make some room in the middle of the pan and add a little
bit more olive oil. Add the chicken,
season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken
is cooked through, about 10 minutes. (FYI:
Giada’s recipe calls for ground chicken, but I actually like it better
with cubed chicken breasts. You can also
use turkey, beef, pork, or anything that satisfies your tummy.)
Stir the flour into the chicken mixture and cook it
for about 1 minute. Add the beans, corn,
red pepper flakes and chicken broth (if you are using beef, add beef broth –
you can always just add water, but then make sure you carefully season
everything). Bring the mixture to a boil
scrapping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden
spoon. Turn the heat down and simmer,
uncovered, for 65-70 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the
chili has thickened. If you don’t want
too much heat in your chili, add the red pepper flakes right at the end and
simmer for 10 more minutes. Season with
salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped
parsley.
I have immediately fallen in love with this
delicious chili. It is so easy to make and
the parsley at the end brings all the flavors back to life and gives freshness
to the entire dish.
Now, for those of you who prefer a vegetarian
version, I have the perfect recipe.
Vegetarian
Bean Chili
Inspired by Melanie Fleck’s recipe of Vegetarian Bean Chili (Penzeys Spices,
Fall 2011)
Yields 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
·
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
·
1 large onion, chopped
·
1 carrot, chopped
·
1 red bell pepper, chopped
·
Salt and black pepper
·
4 cloves garlic, minced
·
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
·
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
·
½ Tablespoon dried oregano
·
2 teaspoons paprika or chili powder
·
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with
juice
·
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
and rinsed
·
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo or cannellini
beans, drained and rinsed
·
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans,
drained and rinsed
·
1 pound frozen corn, thawed
·
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
·
2 - 2.5 cups water
·
Sour cream (optional)
·
Grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese
(optional)
Instructions
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil over
medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and
red bell pepper. Season with salt and
pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add
the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add
the cumin, fennel seeds, oregano and paprika and toast them for about 1
minute.
Add the tomatoes, beans, corn, red pepper flakes and
water. Season carefully with more salt
and pepper, to taste. Stir everything
together and bring to a boil. Turn the
heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally,
until the veggies are soft and the chili has thickened.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Add a dollop of sour cream on top and
sprinkle with the cheese.
Everything works so well together and you don’t even
feel the absence of meat. It is filling,
colorful, a bit spicy, and the corn brings a hint of sweetness to the entire
dish. Besides, you know me, I like to
add corn to almost anything because corn and I “go together like a wink and a
smile”. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment