Beef and Bacon Chili

It happened today. There was a chill in the air, a breeze, and the heat wave finally broke. Temperatures were in the 90's yesterday but today will fall to the 80's. Autumn is finally here! I’ve been so longing for this moment, to enjoy all of those wonderful fall foods I start itching for in September. In fact, I’ve been so anxious, I’ve made some silly menu choices. I made soup last week on a 95 degree day and determinedly sipped the hot broth while beads of sweat broke out of my face. Well, starting today, I won't have to suffer thus anymore!

Chili may be the ultimate fall food, and I’ve made many in my days, mostly vegetarian, but this one is different. It is clearly a carnivore's dream, which is a bit out of character for me. But having some quality bacon to use up, and grass-fed beef and bell peppers from the farmer’s market, I couldn’t resist trying this hearty chili. My husband pointed out that it would be amazing on a chili dog, and as odd as that may sound, he's totally right. I LOVED the addition of lime and avocado to this chili, plus chives and tomatoes from the garden. I decreased the amount of meat, I’ll admit, and I thought our version was just right. Happy Fall to all!

Beef and Bacon Chili
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder blend (you know, the stuff that has cumin, coriander, cayenne, etc.)
1 lb. Lean ground beef
2 (16 oz) cans black beans, drained
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
Kosher salt, to taste
2 limes, cut into wedges

Optional Condiments:
Tomatoes, diced
Avocado, diced
Chives, chopped
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Shredded cheese

Fry bacon in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes.
Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, and chili powder, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high and add the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened.
Adjust seasoning with additional salt. Serve with lime wedges and condiments if desired.

Portuguese Sopas

For Mother's Day, I made my mom one of her favorite dishes, a traditional Portuguese soup that we call sopas. This simply means "soup" in Portugese and isn't a very descriptive name, but as a child I had a different term for it. I called it "that soggy bread stuff". Needless to say, I was not a big fan back then.

Often made to serve a crowd, sopas consists of a slow-cooked beef and the broth it's cooked in, ladled over a slice of bread that's been topped with mint leaves. By the time it makes its way to your mouth, the bread has soaked up a lot of the broth and is usually kind of soggy, which didn't appeal much to my palate as a kid.

Now when I make my simplified version at home, each family member can add broth as desired and it always seems to go over well. The warm spices, crusty bread and fresh mint appeal to everyone with whom we have shared this dish. My version is Portuguese people-approved (by my mom and aunt) but less involved that the traditional way of preparing sopas. I don't use wine or marinate the meat, and I prefer a boneless roast to bone-on roast.

Portgugese Sopas

5 pounds beef chuck roast or beef rump roast
3-4 cups beef broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
1 large Vidalia or yellow Spanish onion, thickly sliced
2 cups finely chopped peeled very ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
2 two medium bay leaves
¼ teaspoon cumin
Coarse salt
1 cabbage, cored and sliced in half (optional)
Mint leaves
Thickly sliced, day old crusty artisan bread

1. Trim the cut of beef and sprinkle with coarse salt.

2. Combine broth, onion slices, tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste and spices in a large pot.
Sprinkle the salt over.

3. Place roast in the pan, making sure liquid comes half-way up the side of the roast. If not, add additional broth.

4. Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and turning the meat occasionally, simmer until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. If desired, add cabbage and cook an additional 1/2 hr.

5. To serve, remove the meat and shred it. Place a thick slice or two of bread in each soup plate topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread and top it off with pieces of meat.

Azorean Beef Stew

I recently read an article about a woman who blogged her year of cooking dinner every night for a year in her slow cooker. I decided to check out her blog and I found this interesting recipe for an international twist on beef stew.
I felt a connection to this recipe because my grandmother (from my adopted family) came from the Azore Islands in Portugal when she was a little girl, and I grew up with stories and food from there. The combination of sweet and savory is a classic feature of the cooking from that part of the world, as in perhaps their most celebrated dish of Sopas (beef cooked in a spiced broth, then ladled over bread and topped with sprigs of mint). Other typical dishes are cod (lots of fishing in the islands), sweet bread, and Coconut Tarts.
My husband (who also has relatives from the Azores) raved about this dish, and loved the bold flavors of the sauce. Allspice, cinnamon and garlic will help warm you up on a cold winter's night! I recommend planning to be out of the house while this cooks, because the wonderful smell may drive you mad if you have to wait a full 8 hours before eating it.

Azorean Beef Stew

1 lb beef chuck stew meat
5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
2 potatoes, chopped in 1 inch chunks
1/2 c. onion, chopped
3 cups beef stock
2 large chopped tomatoes, or 1 cup canned tomatoes
1/2 T red pepper flakes
1 tsp all spice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
Directions:

Put the meat into your crockpot. If you are using frozen meat, it's fine, just know it will take longer to cook and get tender.

Add the broth. Chop up the tomatoes, potatoes, onion, and garlic. Throw them in.

Stir in the salt, red pepper, all spice and cumin. Float the bay leaf on top and add 2 cinnamon sticks.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6. Stew tastes better the longer and slower you cook it.

Where's the (Grass-Fed) Beef?

Happy cows, living the life they were meant to live!

I am currently about 2/3 of the way through the much-talked of novel Eating Animals (which was published last year) and it has been a fascinating read thus far. I have learned much more about the factory farm system of producing meat than I ever imagined before: the environmental effect, the incredible indecencies that have been documented, and even the inferior quality of the meat itself.

If the book hasn’t convinced me to go completely vegan, it has made me much more concerned about finding humane sources of these products, for my own health as well as that of my fellow creatures. I intend eat a whole lot less meat, and to buy cage-free eggs from my parent’s neighbors, humanly raised chickens and pigs from Nugget Market or Whole Foods, and grass-fed beef. The latter is probably the least offensive kind of meat in terms of how it is raised, in fact, and is becoming more and more widely available. I found it at the local Taylor’s Market in Sacramento for only $5.59/lb.- a bargain compared with some quotes I’ve seen of over $20/lb.

Grass-fed beef comes with its own unique (in my opinion, often superior) flavor. Research suggests grass-fed beef is likely to be lower in total fat, contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, and have a higher level of C.L.A. (conjugated linoleic acid), which, in animal studies, reduces the risk of cancer. Perhaps most importantly, raising cattle on pasture offers a humane quality of life for them and a cleaner world for us, as the manure enriches the earth in this fashion rather than causing immense pollution as does the CAFO-style method.

Will these forms of protein cost more than a family pack of meat from Walmart? Yes. Am I rich? Certainly not. But as the author, Jonathan Safran Foer states, "If you’re not willing to pay the true price of meat, then you shouldn’t eat meat." Now that’s something to chew on!

A Failed Attempt to Make Meat Sauce

My increasing dependence on my slow cooker converged with a craving for pasta lately. The results were less successful than I would have liked. It seemed so logical- what could be better than coming home to a piping hot bowl of meat sauce? I combined the usual ingredients - lean ground meat, beef broth, tomatoes, spices, sugar, onions and garlic. That night, I served the sauce over Williams-Sonoma pasta... but even that wasn’t enough to save it!

I learned that when you cook meat sauce in tomato sauce all day, the meat takes on a texture similar to that of dog food. Maybe it’s the acidity of the tomatoes breaking down the enzymes of the meat. Whatever the cause, I won’t attempt to use this method to make meat sauce again.

By the way, my husband’s reaction: "Good sauce." That’s why I love him.

Meatloaf - It's what's for Dinner!

My aunt bought me the following Christmas present:

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Norpro 2 Piece Nonstick Meatloaf Bread Pan Set

You can use the outer pan for baking bread and pound cake. But the double design is especially good for making meatloaf, as the unique design allows the fat with its calories and cholesterol to drain into the bottom pan.

I don't know if my aunt was aware that I have a special place in my heart for meatloaf (hello, comfort food!), but tonight I used this pan to make my own special meatloaf. I knew I would have my work cut out for me, seeing as my husband reminded me that he does not normally care for this dish.

So I came up with the following recipe:

Delicious Meatloaf

Mix together in a bowl until smooth:
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 piece of wheat bread, blended into crumbs (pop it in the blender until it's smooth)
Sprinkle of dried onions
Garlic salt and freshly ground pepper, to salt

Mix in:
1 lb. lean beef

Then shape mixture into loaf plan and top with sauce, a mixture of:
1/3 c. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice, yellow mustard, and honey.

Bake in 350F oven for 45 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Serves 4.

Result: After a few bites, my husband admitted, "I actually like this meatloaf." That's the best compliment a cook can hope for!