Texas Red Beef Chili

This is a low sodium recipe that has been used for many years. This is not much of a variant but it is really good.

2.5 lb. boneless beef chuck.
1 large onion chopped fine
3 garlic gloves chopped
2 fresh or roasted, seeded bell peppers
2 large fresh passilla or ancho peppers
    Roasted, peeled and seeded
    Or 2 small cans diced Ortega peppers
1small can roasted diced low sodium tomatoes
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp chili powder, homemade or commercial
      Commercial may have excess salt
Make this:
Equal amounts of ground mew Mexico, California, Arbol and ancho peppers
Equal amounts of ground cumin, onion and garlic granules, black pepper, salt

I additional tbsp chili powder

Remove most fat from beef. Dice fine and render it down.
Dice onion. Add to rendered beef fat.
Finely cut up beef chuck. Add it in batches to keep heat up. Add 1 tsp kosher salt.
Add 2 tbsp chili powder. Continue frying so chili powder coats beef.
Add chopped garlic. Fry over good heat 5 minutes.
Add diced bell and pasilla/Ortega peppers day continue frying.
Add tomatoes and 1 tbsp chili powder.
Simmer 2-3 hours. Add salt to adjust flavor
Serve with finely diced onion, shredded yellow cheese, boiled kidney beans and or pickled jalapeños.
Go Cincinnati style 5 ways and serve the chili with all the above over spaghetti.

Snuffy Red Bar B Que Sauce

Makes 2 Quarts

44 oz Heinz Ketchup
4 oz yellow mustard
4 oz Mollasses
4 oz cider vinegar
8 oz filtered water

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce

Mix ingredients thoroughly and heat in large enough saucepan slowly.cool and place in containers to keep in refrigerator

Snuffy Rub 2012

This was supposed to have been posted last season.  Here it is for all to use.  Enjoy it, as it is one of the best, most authentic, and complex of them all.

This recipe is a compilation/revision of the 4 versions that are still available in print. 
December 2001
July, 2004
July 2005
December 2006

Chiles Molido, ground

8oz/225g  New Mexico Chili Molido
8oz/225g  California Chili Molido
4oz/120g  Pasilla Chili Molido
4oz/120g  Chilpolte Chili Molido
4oz/120g  Cayenne Pepper
4oz/120g  Paprika
4oz/120g  Ancho Chili Molido
4oz/120g  Smoked Paprika *

4 oz  basil leaves, ground
4oz  oregano leaves, ground
40z  thyme leaves, ground

1 cup garlic powder granules
1 cup onion powder granules
1 cup yellow mustard powder
1 cup black pepper, ground
1 cup white pepper, ground

16 oz regular salt

BASIC MEAT SAUCE, (SUGO DI CARNI)

I told Cassandra I was going to put up this recipe for red sauce up today.  This is basically how my Mom made it too.  Cheers, Bam, Jeah,,,here it is.

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
1tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
8 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz can tomato paste
32 oz can whole or diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp tobasco sauce
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cider, white or wine vinegar,
salt
pepper
1-2tsp Italian herbs, marjarom, basil, oregano, thyme, any or all
1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan or cast iron dutch oven, brown meat in olive oil.  Add the diced onion and garlic.  Continue browning meat and onion/garlic.  Add onion and garlic powder and some salt and pepper.  Add tomato paste, stir to coat the meat evenly.  Add the diced tomatoes, or if using whole canned tomatoes, pour into a bowl and break up the tomatoes before adding.  Add the tomato sauce.  add the tobasco, worchestershire, sugar, vinegar, and Italian seasoning.  Add the bay leaf.  Simmer sauce 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Remove bay leaf.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Serve with your favorite pasta.

Gumbo or Jambalaya

Gumbo it will be as I have some rice already from the other night.  I hope the Tasso ham  that I purchased at the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax is tasty.  Bruce
Aidells made some really good tasso ham, does he still make it.  I have not seen it locally for several years, ljbut it may still be available.  This ham is imported from Louisiana.  Huntington Meats makes some good sausages and I will be using the andouille too.  May go all in with chicken too. 

Snuffy's Gumbo

Holy Trinity
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 ribs celery, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
(garlic)

Roux
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp Snuffy rub

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs,
   cut in 1 inch cubes, seasoned with Snuffy Rub
1/2 lb andouille sausage, coined
1/2 lb tasso ham, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp Tobasco Sauce

1 Quart chicken stock, homemade preferable.

Brown off seasoned chicken in a bit of oil/butter, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon
Brown off andouille sausage coins in same skillet, remove to same bowl
Deglaze pan with a bit of stock, save

Cook roux.
Melt margarine in sturdy pot, 4-6 quart size
Add flour, adjust heat to incorporate flour and margarine into a brown paste, cooking a total of about 5 minutes.  Roux can be light to dark brown.  Be careful not get too dark.

Add vegetables to the roux and stir to coat. Continue cooking at higher heat for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are releasing liquid and soften into the roux.  Add garlic at this time.

Stir in heated stock slowly.  Initially the roux will be really thick, continue adding stock slowly until desired thickness of gumbo.  Add chicken, andouille, and tasso.  Add worchestershire and tobasco sauce to taste.  Simmer gently 20 minutes. 

Serve with your favorite rice, or try it over a firehouse favorite.  I used to prepare asian style chow mein noodles, Hong Kong style.  Boil noodles, drain well.  Cool a bit.  Heat 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil very hot.  Peanut oil is best.  Add noodles and fry until crisp on one side.  Flip and crisp the other side.  This will make a crispy noodle pillow.  Cut into wedges and spoon gumbo on top.

Eat well.

SNUFFY RUB

It happens on occasion.  The occasion this past month was to make a fresh batch of SnuffyRub.  I sourced most of the chili molido from La Tienda del Japon in The Grand Central Market.  I questioned the freshness of the ground white pepper, but it is not an issue.

To keep up with the culinary times I have added Smoked Paprika to the blend.  Several batches ago, as Chipolte Chili Pepper became popular, I added it to the original recipe.  It is now a standard ingredient that has been included for several years.  I think the smoked paprika will also stay in the recipe.

Kitchen Garden Delayed

It is still raining here in Santa Rosa. The earth is too wet to work , still. I expect that there will be some frosty days ahead after the rainy season. I have tried 2 times to propagate beets but I do not have the patience to do such as of yet. There are fava beans starting and blueberry bushes are starting to grow. Raspberry bushes are healthy, and the strawberry beds have been replanted for the most part with Albion and Quinalt. There are nice blossoms.