Chili

Last week I spent it "home alone". I'm glad to say I didn't have to use any of the training I've gotten from watching Macaulay Culkin battling home invaders dozens of times. I could have used some of those fancy skills when someone broke into my apartment almost 5 years ago, and stole my bike and laptop. However, I wasn't actually home when it happened, which prompts me to send a message: Telemundo and other Puerto Rican TV networks, stop showing Home Alone every few months! It won’t help anyone in real life!

Anyway, the main adjustment I had to make being alone was to cook for just one. It wasn't a big deal; I just had to follow the rule I lived by for years. It's simple; when you want to cook for one, you cook for two. I know that it sounds counterintuitive, but it really works, and to me, it makes perfect sense. When you cook for 2 (but only one person eats) not only you'll have leftovers to eat the next day, but many times it's just easier. I hate it when a recipe for one calls for half an egg, or 1/16 teaspoon of X or Y spice. Even worst, sometimes you have use different pots and the heat doesn't get distributed the same way the other one would, so the end result is not the same. So to avoid complicating my life, I cook for two when I want to cook for one. My rule kept me eating well all week, for less money than what I would have had to spend dining out, even if I were to go to fast-food restaurants (and we all know I wouldn't have gone there).

I had two goals for the last day I was by myself. The first one was to go out and enjoy the fall foliage. Since it was muddy everywhere, I didn't go hiking but I went on a short road-trip through the Ohio countryside to see historic towns embellished by the beautiful foliage. Turns out it wasn't a particularly bright idea to drive through Amish country on a Sunday. Of course, everything was closed so I could only see some historical buildings here and there from the outside, but not much more. I did see a lot of buggies, though... When I got hungry, I stopped at a restaurant that lured me in (Dutch Country Restaurant). Turns out they didn't quite have what I was expecting to eat, but they did have turkey and mashed potatoes. I don't think I've ever said no to turkey, so I had some. The food was delicious and the price was awesome.

After my "road-trip", I was ready to deal with my second goal for the day: grocery shopping and making dinner. I was finally done with the cooking for one. I asked myself, Angel, what would a good welcoming food be like? And then it hit me. When you welcome someone you love with food nothing says "Welcome!" like making one of his (or her) favorite foods. In my case I knew very well how much he likes the smell of simmering chili, and even more the spicy taste of it, so I decided to follow his favorite chili recipe and have it almost ready by the time he made it home. The result was the most amazing "Welcome Chili" ever. After simmering for an hour and a half, it had the perfect consistency, the perfect spiciness and the most deep, delicious flavor anyone could ask for. I'll share the recipe but like with most of them, as corny and cliché-y as it may sound, the most important ingredient is a touch of love. 

On the road shortcut

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen family cookbook
Nutritional info (without toppings): 430 calories, 39 g carbs, 18 g fat, 34 g protein

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus 1 more for later, if needed)
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground beef (90% lean)
2 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 15 seconds.

Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high. Break up the beef with a wooden spoon as you cook it until there’s no more pink (about 10 minutes). Since I used 90% lean beef I added an extra tablespoon of vegetable oil, but if using 85% beef it should be avoided. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes (with their juice), tomato puree and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat so it maintains a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes. If needed, season with additional salt and pepper to taste before serving. It can be garnished as desired. I used shredded asiago cheese and cilantro, but other cheeses, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt can be used.

Save those beans for a rainy day

                 

Yeah... It's raining... Again... Last summer was dry as hell, so apparently the universe is playing at "making amends" by sending us some extra rain this year. I mean, really? At this rate we will soon be calling global warming “global wetting” to be describe this pain in the... Out control, this rain keeps falling down totally out of control. Rants and semantics apart, I must admit there is something about rainy days that wakes up the cravings in me, and, no matter how hot it is, it makes me long for that warmth feeling inside that only certain foods can provide. 

Back in my hometown, where we have a semi-arid tropical climate, we start craving "rain-food" after the first signs of a thunderstorm, or any rain for that matter, because we need something to warm us up during those 78F "cold days". Our favorite under-the-rain go-to dish is the funche. Funche is a corn porridge, similar to polenta, but much crumblier.  It is part of our regional heritage since we can trace its roots back to Northern Angola (home to a large number of the slaves forced to work in the region's plantations) where a similar dish is called funge. We normally eat it in three combinations; all of them calling for liquid of some sort, since the funche crumbles are kind of "dry" in the inside. Kids normally eat it with milk, the same way you would eat cereal. The most common way is probably to eat it is with "stewed" codfish, and even though I barely tolerate eating fish, I have to admit it is delicious. Finally there's my favorite way of eating it: topping it with stewed beans. Now, that's just heaven, but it's also surprising. For someone who has always enjoyed variety in his food, to crave beans in those days was madness, considering we ate beans at home every single day. But what can I say? I like my beans.

Now that it's been raining for days (actually, for weeks) in Cleveland, I started craving "rain-food" again. I don't really feel like having the funche itself, as much as I love it. I felt like eating the beans instead. I wanted a soup and I wanted the beans; so I made a bean soup. Simple; it's not HIV science (which reminds me I gotta go to work soon).

I started by making a sofrito, the Puerto Rican cooking base. I took out my mini chopper and almost pureed an onion, a green pepper, three cloves of garlic, and a touch of olive oil. I saved it so it would be ready to be used a few minutes later. I cooked two chorizo sausage links in olive oil, and removed them from the heat. They were covered with foil to keep them hot, and cooking. The pan was feeling hot and lonely so I added the sofrito and cooked for a few minutes and then added chili sauce to spice things up. Then I added cubed carrots and cubed red potatoes, and to give my bean soup some more depth I added red wine and let them party on for a few minutes. I seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin and Spanish paprika. The beans went in, and then I sliced the chorizo and added it too. Thank God nobody was actually looking at my face when I was making this soup. My pleasure face would have certainly made it into the food-porn section of the internet. In my defense, I wasn't faking any of it. Oh yes... It was great. After enjoying all those smells, I added chicken stock to seal the deal, and I left it simmering for an hour. Listo. Now it was time for a very cold shower. 

When I came back I had a very nice, decadent tasting soup. It had the boldness of a spicy soup because of the sausage and its paprika, but it wasn't hot per se. The carrots added a somewhat sweet, balancing flavor, and the potatoes played their role releasing starch, giving the soup body without having to add flour. The only tragedy of the process was my inability to take a picture that really attested to the humbleness, still rich flavors of this soup. Mea culpa, mea culpa.

Not only the soup was great in flavors, but it was definitely a winner in the calorie and nutrition department. It was about 500 calories, with about 18 grams of protein. There were all the nutritional benefits of the vegetables, the roots and the beans in the soup. There is also a bit of fat via the chorizo. Still, with just about 500 calories, all the other good components, and the happiness it brought me, I would not consider this soup a cheat meal, but a good friend. And as a good friend, it made me feel warm in the inside and gave me comfort through those rainy and stormy days.

And as I finished writing about rain and food, the sun came out. Was it the soup? 

On the road shortcut

Sofrito

1 large onion

1 green pepper

3 cloves of garlic

Drizzle of olive oil

Purée the ingredients in a mini chopper, food processor or blender. Save it to use it later.

Soup
1 teaspoon olive oil

2 chorizo links (about 4 inches long)

Sofrito

1 cubed carrot

1 cubed red potato (large)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1 tablespoon chili sauce

1/4 cup red wine

4 cups chicken stock
1 can red beans (drained and rinsed)

Preheat a stock pot and add the olive oil. Add the chorizo. Cook, turning every few minutes, until they darken somewhat evenly (about 5-8 minutes).  Remove them from the pot and cover them with foil. Add the sofrito, and cook for about 5 minutes, mixing  often to prevent burning. Add the chili sauce and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add the cubed carrots and potatoes.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, mixing. Add the beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, and let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for an hour.