Recipes & Such

I thought I would post a few fancy recipes for you to try sometime.

"B.D. say it ain't so, you're not going uptown on us are you?"

No...but you have look beyond the beer bottle sometimes, you have to show a little refinement sometimes. No, I'd never leave my circle of beer buddies, but there's only so many ways to grill chicken, and I think I've covered them all!


Chicken & Pinto Bean Chili

Yields 10 cups; serves eight.
8 dried red Chiles, such as New Mexico red, stemmed and seeded
1 Tbs. cumin seed
1-1/2 Tbs. fresh oregano leaves or 2 tsp. dried
1 lb. dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 fresh jalapeños (preferably red), stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 lb. skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbs. salt
Shredded sharp Cheddar or Cotija cheese for garnish

Cover the chiles with about 4 cups boiling water and steep until soft, about 15 min. Reserve 2 cups of the soaking liquid and then drain the chiles. In a blender, purée the chiles with the reserved liquid.

Meanwhile, toast (see note) and grind the cumin seeds and toast the oregano, (don't toast dried oregano). Put the beans in a stockpot and cover them with 7 cups water. Add the Chile purée, toasted ground cumin, toasted (or dried) oregano, onions, carrot, garlic, jalapeños, and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, and simmer, skimming any foam. Remove the chicken thighs when cooked, 25 to 30 min. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones into large pieces and set aside; discard the bones. Continue cooking the beans until tender, another 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Return the chicken to the pot to heat it thoroughly. Season with the salt, adding more to taste. Serve in bowls topped with the grated cheese.

Note: Heat a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and toast, giving the pan an occasional shake, until the seeds are fragrant, about 5 min. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder or crush them in a mortar and pestle. In the same hot pan, toast the fresh oregano (don't toast dried oregano). Remove the leaves after they've begun to dry out but before they lose all of their green color, about 3 min. Set aside.


Grilled Mushrooms with Sage, Parmesan & Prosciutto

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 oz. Prosciutto, sliced and chopped fine
1 tsp. minced fresh sage, or 1/2 tsp. crumbled dry sage
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. small Portobello, large shiitake, or large button mushrooms (or a combination), stemmed and wiped clean
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the Parmesan, Prosciutto, sage, and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Set aside. Combine the rest of the oil with the lemon juice and brush it on the mushrooms. Season them with salt and pepper.Put the mushrooms, gill side down, on the grill over medium heat. Turn after about 3 to 4 min. Grill another 3 to 4 min. until the juices begin to run and the mushrooms begin to soften.

Move the mushrooms to the side of the grill. Spoon some of the Parmesan mixture into each mushroom. Cover the grill and let the mushrooms cook slowly for another 4 to 5 min. until the cheese has melted slightly. Serve warm.


Chicken with Mexican Charred Tomato Sauce

You'll want to use two skillets for this recipe, as the skillet used to char the vegetables will need a good cleaning (and re-seasoning, if cast iron) before it's used again. Chipotle chiles add a nice smoky heat to the sauce; if you can't find them, substitute a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce or Chile paste. Serve this piquant chicken with lime wedges, chopped cilantro and chiles, and sour cream.

3 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
3 to 4 large tomatoes (18 to 20 oz. total)
2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
4-lb. chicken, cut into 6 pieces (or 3-1/2 to 4 lb. chicken pieces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped canned Chipotle Chile (about 1 small)
Leaves from 1/2 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup lightly packed), coarsely chopped
2 jalapeños, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
Lime wedges
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat a large cast-iron skillet, without any oil, on high heat. When the pan is very hot (about 3 to 4 min.; a drop of water will sizzle away instantly), put in the garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Stirring every few minutes, cook the onion and garlic until they brown on all sides and become fragrant, about 10 min. (The garlic may be removed earlier.) Move the tomatoes around with tongs until they blacken and most of the skin is blistered. Remove and reserve the vegetables.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter or oil to a new skillet that's just large enough to hold the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the skillet on the skin side to brown it and to render the fat from the skin, about 15 min. Turn the chicken over and cook on the bone side for about 5 min. Remove and reserve the chicken. Drain the fat from the pan.

Pull the skin off the tomatoes, remove the cores and stem, and cut the tomatoes in half crosswise; gently squeeze out their seeds. Put the garlic, onion, tomatoes, and Chipotle Chile in a blender and purée to a smooth sauce, about 2 min. (You should have about 1-1/4 cups sauce.) Pour the sauce back into a large skillet (it will just cover the bottom), and then add the chicken pieces back to the pan as well. Simmer the chicken gently in the sauce, covered, until cooked through, 25 to 30 min. Transfer the chicken to wide soup plates. Season the sauce with salt and spoon it over the chicken. Pass the cilantro, jalapeños, lime wedges, and sour cream in separate little bowls at the table for guests to sprinkle over the chicken.