Quinoa & Coffee Chili

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound dried beans
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 5 dried ancho chiles
• 2 dried New Mexico chiles
• 2 dried guajilo chiles
• 2 dried chipotle chiles
• 3 dried chiles de arbol
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes, fire roasted
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 5 cups water
• ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon finely ground coffee, Philz's Aromatic Arabic Blend
• 7 allspice berries
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• ½ cup quinoa

Instructions

1. First thing first, you will need to soak your beans, and you will need to do it overnight. There are many quick-soak methods out there for preparing beans and they all kinda suck. Want the best beans ever? Here is what you do: rinse the beans very well, then place them in a large mixing bowl with enough water to cover by double their volume. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and let them soak for at least 12 hours.
2. Now ya gotta make that chile sauce. I suggest doing this ahead of time, like when you start on the beans. It’s not complicated or anything, but then when you are in the throes of making the actual chili, it is one less thing to do. You’ll thank me later or be cursing my name if you don’t.
3. Add the chiles to a small frying pan and toast them on each side over a medium-high heat until the chiles begin to puff up. Add 2 cups of the water that when pressed back down, the chiles are covered. Bring the water to a boil then remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, until chiles fully soften.
4. Transfer the chiles to a food processor along with ¼ cup of the liquid and puree, adding more as needed. Strain the remaining liquid and reserve it.
5. It’s the next day, you’ve hopefully gotten some rest and are ready to tackle the rest of this. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot and warm it over a medium heat. Add in the chopped yellow onion and shallot and cook until the onions have softened and just begun to brown. Add the 2 celery ribs, cooking for about a minute and then add in the 5 cloves of minced garlic, cooking for another minute.
6. Add the 28-ounce can of tomatoes, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, ground cumin, tomato paste and brown sugar to the pot. Cook for a minute, combining the spices and sugar.
7. Strain and fully rinse the beans. Add them to the tomato mixture along with 1 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. This could take longer depending on the age of your beans.
8. Here’s where you’re gonna get tricky. This is what’s going to make this chili hella better than any other chili you’ve had. See, chili is not about any individual flavor… it’s about balancing everything you throw in the pot to create a rich, deeply textured experienced. Chili should never be one note… it’s a symphony. So let’s begin by adding in the chile puree and the chile-infused liquid.
9. Now, let’s whip out that bass guitar by adding in ½ teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon of finely ground coffee. You can use whatever brand you like; I used my favorite, Philz Coffee. I picked their Aromatic Arabic blend for its woodsy, earthy and smoky tones.
10. Now we are going to tie it all together. In a small frying pan, toast 7 allspice berries, 4 cloves, and 1 star anise over a medium heat for about a minute. Toasting whole spices heats up the volatile flavor compounds, creating new, more complex aromas. Most recipes will have you grind up your spices but I prefer working with whole spices for their complexity and the control you have over flavor. After you toast them, add them to a spice pouch and toss them into the chili.
11. When there’s about 30 minutes left of cooking the beans, toss in the ½ cup of quinoa, adding more water if needed. Cook until the quinoa is tender and the beans are fully cooked, with the lid still slightly ajar.
12. Now, everything is done, sorta. You have created one hella complex chili here, and the quickest way to ruin it is to salt it now. Chili is always best the next day, once the flavors fully get a chance to play together. So I would let it cool, pop it in the fridge and then taste it. You will probably use the 2 remaining teaspoons of salt to flavor it.

JAMBALAYA

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb. andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white or brown rice
• 2 Tbsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. thyme, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• (optional) 1 cup thinly-sliced okra
• salt and pepper

Garnishing

• Chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and mostly cooked. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken and sausage, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and mostly cooked.
2. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, rice, Cajun spice, bay leaf, thyme, and cayenne, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the rice is tender, add in the shrimp and okra and stir to combine. Let the mixture continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked and no longer pink. Remove bay leaf and season the jambalaya with salt and pepper and hot sauce and additional Cajun/Creole seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and serve with optional garnishes if desired.

FRENCH ONION SOUP BAKED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 8 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 tbsp flour
• 6 cups beef stock
• ½ cup sherry
• 1 bay leaf
• fresh thyme, 2 bundles, separated
• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tbsp chopped chives for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a heavy bottom stock pot or dutch add the oil and butter and melt over over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions and carefully stir so they are evenly coated with the butter and oil. Add a small bunch of fresh thyme tied in a little bundle. Cover and cook for 25 minutes until they are translucent. Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium, add sugar and kosher salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned, caramelized and reduced in volume.
2. Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low again and add the flour, stirring to coat the onions. Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in about 1 cup of beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits. Add the rest of the stock, sherry, and bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and fresh cracked black pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaf pour into a bowl and serve or set aside.
4. Brown the chicken drumsticks in olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
5. Drain excess oil and place chicken back in the same pot with chopped carrots and celery.
6. Place 4 cups of onion soup in a blender and process until chunky, not puréed completely. It needs to still have some body. Add the blended French Onion soup over to just cover and threw in another thyme bundle. Cook on a low simmer for 30 minutes for the chicken to be fall apart tender and the vegetables were still al denté.
7. Serve 3 drumsticks in each bowl and spoon vegetables and soup over. Chop the fresh chives as a nod to the onion and garnish on top.

Deviled Egg PASTA Salad

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Campanelle Shaped Dry Pasta
• 2 Cups Mayonnaise
• 4 TBS Yellow Mustard
• 2 TBS Brine from Pickle Jar
• 6 Large Hard Boiled Eggs
• 3 Ribs Celery, Very Small Dice
• 1/2 Medium Red Onion, Small Dice
• 1/3 Cup Sweet Relish
• Large Pinch of Sea Salt and Several turns of a Pepper Grinder to taste
• For Garnish use A Generous Sprinkle of Smoked Paprika

Directions

1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box. EXCEPT, for chewier Al Dente style cooking, boil for one less minute than recommended on package.
2. Drain and shake dry. Do not rinse as this will wash away the starch that helps the pasta stick to the sauce, keeping your pasta coated and not runny.
3. Remove hard boiled eggs from their shells, dice in large chunks just slightly smaller than the size of the pasta.
4. Combine all your other ingredient, except the eggs. You want to add those very last so you can fold them in gently.
5. Add pasta to your sauce and mix well. Fold in your boiled egg. Garnish with paprika.

Seafood Salad

Ingredients

• 14 ounces imitation crab
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 stalks celery chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• Salt

Cooking

1. Separate crab(boiled) into individual pieces and chop into 1/2 inch pieces, add to medium bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and gently stir until well combined.
3. Cover and refrigerate to store.