Happy New Year

Farewell, 2011! 

It was another interesting year for food, celebrity cook-types, wine, The Phils and of course, music.

A VERY quick wrap of some of my 2011 favorites.  

Dinner at Amis after ONE of the blizzards in February.  Guinness Export: first time in the states since- 1940s? Dope.  Eleven Madison Park and Rotis cookbooks.  

In concert, Aimee Mann, OMD and English Beat.  On TV: Portlandia, Workaholics, and Beavis and Butthead.  

2011 Philadelphia Phillies- 102 wins, 5th consecutive NLE Championship.  And on that note, Vance Worley's pitching.  Wilson Valdez's winning pitching effort in the 19th against the Reds! What the WHAT? Cliff Lee's first major league HR.  Hunter Pence (Good Game! Let's Go Eat!).  And following it all on Twitter was pretty fun, too.  

Beer got more delicious.  Produce got more local.  Good cheese became more available.  In addition to my 4 year old's penchant for seaweed, olives, bacon, salmon, and soba, we added shrimp and octopus!  Three or four dozen delicious Sunday dinners at M&D's (right?).  

The Chef's Table revival at the UWC.  Shigoku oysters from the West Coast (holy mother of God- over the top).  Foie gras and shrimp toast together in one dish.  Scallop dumpling and squab consomme.  Amazing locally foraged mushrooms- and monstrous porcini from Oregon. Kabocha squash (don't know how I missed this).  Barely Buzzed coffee-rubbed cheddar from Bee-Hive Cheese Co.  And, home-made Orange Grappa from Italy.  

Domestic sparkling from Argyle in Oregon and Gruet in New Mexico.  Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir, Estate.  Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc. Mission Estate Pinot Noir.  Barricadiero, carried all the way back from Italy (MiMi!).  Just about every wine I drank from Moore Brothers, especially the wines from Mas Amiel.  

Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones and Butter and the return of non-fussy food. Amazon's Cloud Player and Kindle App. for the Android.  

I caved in and for the first time watched episodes of Top Chef: Texas and Harry Potter.  I liked both.  

To anyone I cooked with, ate with or drank with in 2011, I'm looking forward to lots more in 2012.

Phils Phinish Strong

 

I'm not going to waste space here regurgitating all the superlatives of the 2011 Season of the Philadelphia Phillies.  I'm just going to bask in the glory of their stellar finish last night for a club record of 102 wins, and wait contentedly for Saturday's Game 1 of the NLDS vs. the Cards.  

Phils in Phirst!

Hey how about those Phirst place Phils?  This isn't the first post paying homage to the great Fall classic and our boys in red, and it won't be the last.  Seeing the Phils play the way they played last night makes me excited for the kind of baseball that comes when the weather turns cool, leaves turn to red and kids return to school.  Got any Phillies stories you'd like to share?  How about your favorite meal to eat/cook while watching a game?  Mine?  Something cold, malted and slightly aged- twelve ounces at a time, baby.

Chillie!

What a perfect night it was last night to make a pot of chili!  As I was shopping for ingredients and beverages, it seemed like most everyone had the same idea.  Lots of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest-style beers being purchased.  Mind you, it was all just foreplay for the now legend final game of the Phils vs. the Rockies!  I enjoy chili made lots of different ways.  Different meats, different beans, stew-style, gravy-style, exotic spice, 5-alarm; it's ALL good.  But, this blog post is a straight forward recipe for chili to watch the Phillies.

Stage 1.  Open a beer.  

Begin with some white button mushrooms, quartered so they are meatier when you bite into them.  Get the heat going until they steam out their water.  Add more oil and begin to brown them. You can, of course, use other mushrooms; portobello and crimini come to mind.  Check the score.  Victorino, HOMER!  First Inning!

In one-pot meals, you're building flavor, so be patient.  The next stage is to add onions.  I dice a little, and slice a little, just for variety.  

 

When they've started to caramelize a little, add some minced garlic and cook it until you can smell the heady aroma of the garlic, mushrooms and onions together. 

If you're going to add tomato paste, now is the time.  I do, and just a tablespoon.  Stir it in and cook for a couple minutes. Check the score, replenish beverage.

Stage 2  Now it's time to add the meat.   I like to use a meatloaf mix, 1/3 each ground beef, pork and veal, about 1 1/2# total.  Just dump it right on top of the veggie mixture.  Don't stir yet!  Add your spices and herbs next.  While many people have many favorites, these are the ones I use.  Dark chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, ground cumin, kosher salt and dried thyme.  I know there will be some of you screaming "heresy!", but I add the tiniest dash of cinnamon, too.  NOW stir her up and put a lid on the pot.  I like my meat chunky.  By putting the lid on, it steams the meat into the chunks you left it in before putting the lid on.  Naturally, the more you stir, the more the meat will break up.  The other reason for the lid is that all that steam stays in the pot and is added flavor.

Once the meat is cooked, you'll notice a good bit of liquid in the pot.  For the love of Pete, don't strain it off!  I've seen people do this- probably from following sloppy Joe recipes from the 70's- and if the reason is because of reducing the amount of fat, just buy leaner meat.  Start thinking about what you're going to drink.  If you like your chili hot and spicy, stick with beer.  Otherwise, earthy, fruity reds are a great way to go.  I started with Leinenkugel Classic Amber and then chose a Monastrell (that's mouvedre from Spain) called Wrongo Dongo (yes, that's not a typo) from Jumilla, 2008.  Purple, fruity, dry and earthy.  Put a little chill on it.

Stage 3 Add a can of chopped tomatoes (24 oz.) and two cans of your favorite beans; I use cannellini.  Finally, add about 2 cups of chicken stock (or water) and a couple bay leaves.  I also put a couple whole dried red chili peppers.  Stir it up some more, put the lid on and bring it to a simmer.

When is it done?  Well, you want those flavors to wed, but you also want the right consistency; not too soupy, not to thick.  I simmer for about 1/2 hour and then take the lid off and simmer for 15 more minutes.  This reduces and thickens.  Just stop cooking when it looks good to you.  How you finish it is up to you.  Grated cheddar or even asiago or parmesan is nice.  Cornbread is par for the course, but I prefer a crusty sourdough for mopping up that goodness.

Enjoy the game!!

Warning: make sure you aren't still eating in the 9th inning.  You'll find yourself jumping up and down and could spill something.  Also, if Lidge is pitching, you could get upset stomach.

Whewwww.  Off to L.A.!!! Go Phils!

Out to the Park

Meeting a group of alumni from C.I.A. out at Citizen's Park tonight to watch the Phils play the Astros.  It's going to be fun, but I'm most excited it's the final Dollar Dog Night of the season!  Woohoooo!  Let's hope the boys ge a little home-field magic workin'!!