PS - in order to have the weeks appear in order, I have to play with the posting date. So, ignore the date on top of each post. It won't be accurate.
Monday, September 17, 2012
PS - in order to have the weeks appear in order, I have to play with the posting date. So, ignore the date on top of each post. It won't be accurate.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Week 1: Cincinnati vs. Baltimore
Since my wife is a Cincinnati native and I was a 9-year resident, we were excited to kick off our Monday night ritual with some Cincinnati chili. If you've never tried Cincinnati chili, you'll never get it as good as Skyline chili (though I do enjoy Price Hill chili for my non-chain variety). The traditional way to eat this chili is over spaghetti, and topped with diced white onion (raw), optional kidney beans (heated separately), and VERY generously topped with shredded cheddar cheese. For the full Skyline experience, have oyster crackers ready and eat them with some hot sauce as an app/side dish. Then, put the crackers and hot sauce on the chili and spaghetti.
THE RECIPE (courtesy my friends Brian and Jessica)
Chili
2teaspoons table salt or more to taste
1 1/2pounds ground beef chuck
2tablespoons vegetable oil
2medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
2medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2tablespoons chili powder
2teaspoons dried oregano
2teaspoons cocoa
1 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2teaspoon ground allspice
1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
2cups low-sodium chicken broth
2cups water
2tablespoons cider vinegar
2teaspoons dark brown sugar
2cups tomato sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Accompaniments
1pound spaghetti, cooked, drained, and tossed with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
12ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1can red kidney beans (15-ounce), drained, rinsed, and warmed
1medium white onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE CHILI: Bring 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to
a boil in a large saucepan. Add the ground chuck, stirring vigorously
to separate the meat into individual strands. As soon as the foam from
the meat rises to the top (this takes about 30 seconds) and before the
water returns to a boil, drain the meat into a strainer and set it
aside.
2. Rinse and dry the empty saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and
add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onions and cook, stirring
frequently, until the onions are soft and browned around the edges, about
8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir
in the chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, black
pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly,
until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth,
water, vinegar, sugar, and tomato sauce, scraping the pan bottom to remove
any browned bits.
3. Add the blanched ground beef and increase the heat to high. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili is deep red and has thickened slightly, about 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. (The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat before serving.)
4. TO SERVE: Divide the buttered spaghetti among individual bowls.
OUR ALTERATIONS: We substituted Morning Star Grillers Crumbles for the ground beef.
THE VERDICT (Him): I missed both the texture and the fat added from ground beef. In general, I don't think the crumbles affected the taste TOO much, but as soon as you bit into a piece, you knew it wasn't ground beef. All in all, worth making again.
(Her): Daniella found the chili a little too spicy. She's very sensitive to spice, so we might reduce the cayenne pepper in the recipe next time.
For next week: Atlanta vs. Denver. We'll be making Denver omelet, Denver Green Chili and a quick peach cobbler for dessert.
Spoon the chili over the spaghetti and top with the cheese, beans, and
onion. Serve immediately.
THE RECIPE (courtesy my friends Brian and Jessica)
Chili
2teaspoons table salt or more to taste
1 1/2pounds ground beef chuck
2tablespoons vegetable oil
2medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
2medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2tablespoons chili powder
2teaspoons dried oregano
2teaspoons cocoa
1 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2teaspoon ground allspice
1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
2cups low-sodium chicken broth
2cups water
2tablespoons cider vinegar
2teaspoons dark brown sugar
2cups tomato sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Accompaniments
1pound spaghetti, cooked, drained, and tossed with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
12ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1can red kidney beans (15-ounce), drained, rinsed, and warmed
1medium white onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE CHILI: Bring 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to
a boil in a large saucepan. Add the ground chuck, stirring vigorously
to separate the meat into individual strands. As soon as the foam from
the meat rises to the top (this takes about 30 seconds) and before the
water returns to a boil, drain the meat into a strainer and set it
aside.
2. Rinse and dry the empty saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and
add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onions and cook, stirring
frequently, until the onions are soft and browned around the edges, about
8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir
in the chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, black
pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly,
until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth,
water, vinegar, sugar, and tomato sauce, scraping the pan bottom to remove
any browned bits.
3. Add the blanched ground beef and increase the heat to high. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili is deep red and has thickened slightly, about 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. (The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat before serving.)
4. TO SERVE: Divide the buttered spaghetti among individual bowls.
OUR ALTERATIONS: We substituted Morning Star Grillers Crumbles for the ground beef.
THE VERDICT (Him): I missed both the texture and the fat added from ground beef. In general, I don't think the crumbles affected the taste TOO much, but as soon as you bit into a piece, you knew it wasn't ground beef. All in all, worth making again.
(Her): Daniella found the chili a little too spicy. She's very sensitive to spice, so we might reduce the cayenne pepper in the recipe next time.
For next week: Atlanta vs. Denver. We'll be making Denver omelet, Denver Green Chili and a quick peach cobbler for dessert.
Spoon the chili over the spaghetti and top with the cheese, beans, and
onion. Serve immediately.
Week 2: Denver vs. Atlanta
Denver posed some interesting challenges, but we settled on a Denver omelet, Denver green salsa, and for Atlanta, a simple peach cobbler.
The Recipes:
Denver Omelet: This normally calls for ham, cheddar, peppers and onions. We left the ham out.
Salsa (from denvergreenchili.com):
Ingredients
12 – 13 tomatillos, quartered (~6 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup green chiles
1-2 jalapenos
1-2 serranos
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 cup cilantro
salt to taste
Instructions
Sautee tomatillos on high heat 2-3 minutes, then
add onions & garlic & cook on medium until
slightly browned – about 3 more minutes.
Blend in blender with green chiles, vinegar and sugar.
Add and blend jalapenos and serranos a bit at a time
to adjust heat to taste.
Add cilantro & blend.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, no more than 2-3 days.
SIMPLE peach cobbler: mix peach slices, brown sugar, and crumbled ginger snap cookies in a pie dish. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until peaches soften and cookies brown. Top with Cool Whip.
ADJUSTMENTS: My wife doesn't like cilantro or spicy peppers, so we left those out. I prepared the salsa as written, but instead of cooling, I let it simmer in a soup pot and served it warm over the omelet. I happened to have some leftover homemade challah bread, so I put the omelet on top of a toasted piece of bread and ladled the salsa liberally on top.
THE VERDICT: Overall, it was good, but the salsa recipe really needed the cilantro and spicy peppers. It was a bit too sweet without them. Perhaps I should have left the sugar out since there was nothing spicy in it that needed sweetening.
NEXT WEEK: Green Bay vs. Seattle. Our plan is to make Wisconsin beer cheese soup, homemade soft pretzels, and some sort of coffee dessert since Seattle is the home of the first Starbucks.
The Recipes:
Denver Omelet: This normally calls for ham, cheddar, peppers and onions. We left the ham out.
Salsa (from denvergreenchili.com):
Ingredients
12 – 13 tomatillos, quartered (~6 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup green chiles
1-2 jalapenos
1-2 serranos
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 cup cilantro
salt to taste
Instructions
Sautee tomatillos on high heat 2-3 minutes, then
add onions & garlic & cook on medium until
slightly browned – about 3 more minutes.
Blend in blender with green chiles, vinegar and sugar.
Add and blend jalapenos and serranos a bit at a time
to adjust heat to taste.
Add cilantro & blend.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, no more than 2-3 days.
SIMPLE peach cobbler: mix peach slices, brown sugar, and crumbled ginger snap cookies in a pie dish. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until peaches soften and cookies brown. Top with Cool Whip.
ADJUSTMENTS: My wife doesn't like cilantro or spicy peppers, so we left those out. I prepared the salsa as written, but instead of cooling, I let it simmer in a soup pot and served it warm over the omelet. I happened to have some leftover homemade challah bread, so I put the omelet on top of a toasted piece of bread and ladled the salsa liberally on top.
THE VERDICT: Overall, it was good, but the salsa recipe really needed the cilantro and spicy peppers. It was a bit too sweet without them. Perhaps I should have left the sugar out since there was nothing spicy in it that needed sweetening.
NEXT WEEK: Green Bay vs. Seattle. Our plan is to make Wisconsin beer cheese soup, homemade soft pretzels, and some sort of coffee dessert since Seattle is the home of the first Starbucks.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Week 3: Green Bay vs. Seattle
As promised, we made soft pretzels, Wisconsin beer cheese soup, and in honor of Seattle, had Starbucks for dessert (no cooking involved, just a stop by the local Starbucks).
THE RECIPES:
Soft Pretzels (courtesy of Alton Brown and foodnetwork.com)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup (courtesy Foodista.com):
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Onion, Chopped
2 Carrots, Chopped
2 Celery Sticks, Chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, Minced
4 tablespoons of Flour
1 cup Wisconsin Beer
4 cups Broth (Veggie or Chicken)
1/2 cup Half& Half
2 cups of Wisconsin Cheddar, Shredded
1 tablespoon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to Taste
Preparation
1
Start out by melting up the butter on medium heat. Add in the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook it all for a good 3-4 minutes.
2
Add the flour to the pan and stir it in well.
3
Next up you'll add in the beer and the broth. Let the soup heat up to a gentle boil.
4
Once your broth hits a gentle boil, turn the heat down to low and add in the the half & half and the cheese.
5
Allow the cheese to melt completely and then add in the mustard, worcestershire, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
6
Grab your immersion blender and smooth out your soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree batches in a blender. Just make sure you don't fill it more than a third full at a time and cover it tightly so you don't end up with a soupy mess.
7
Add a bit of salt to taste and you're ready to enjoy a big ol' bowl of true Wisconsin love.
CHANGES AND OPINIONS:
The pretzels were great and we'll make them again! I think the butter content was too high and made them a bit more rich than I would have liked. But, I prefer the stadium/street pretzels to the Auntie Anne's variety, so that's just personal taste. Very easy to make.
The soup...I just didn't love it. The mustard/beer/cheese combination was great, but not all the melted cheese incorporated with the broth so we ended up with gloupy chunks of cheese. We substituted 1/4 of the cheddar cheese with swiss. I think it might be better to turn this into a pure dip instead of a soup. I won't be making this again.
Next week: Chicago vs. Dallas
THE RECIPES:
Soft Pretzels (courtesy of Alton Brown and foodnetwork.com)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup (courtesy Foodista.com):
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Onion, Chopped
2 Carrots, Chopped
2 Celery Sticks, Chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, Minced
4 tablespoons of Flour
1 cup Wisconsin Beer
4 cups Broth (Veggie or Chicken)
1/2 cup Half& Half
2 cups of Wisconsin Cheddar, Shredded
1 tablespoon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to Taste
Preparation
1
Start out by melting up the butter on medium heat. Add in the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook it all for a good 3-4 minutes.
2
Add the flour to the pan and stir it in well.
3
Next up you'll add in the beer and the broth. Let the soup heat up to a gentle boil.
4
Once your broth hits a gentle boil, turn the heat down to low and add in the the half & half and the cheese.
5
Allow the cheese to melt completely and then add in the mustard, worcestershire, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
6
Grab your immersion blender and smooth out your soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree batches in a blender. Just make sure you don't fill it more than a third full at a time and cover it tightly so you don't end up with a soupy mess.
7
Add a bit of salt to taste and you're ready to enjoy a big ol' bowl of true Wisconsin love.
CHANGES AND OPINIONS:
The pretzels were great and we'll make them again! I think the butter content was too high and made them a bit more rich than I would have liked. But, I prefer the stadium/street pretzels to the Auntie Anne's variety, so that's just personal taste. Very easy to make.
The soup...I just didn't love it. The mustard/beer/cheese combination was great, but not all the melted cheese incorporated with the broth so we ended up with gloupy chunks of cheese. We substituted 1/4 of the cheddar cheese with swiss. I think it might be better to turn this into a pure dip instead of a soup. I won't be making this again.
Next week: Chicago vs. Dallas
Friday, September 14, 2012
Week 4: Chicago vs. Dallas
Torn between CHicago-style hotdogs and deep dish pizza, I made Chicago-style hot dogs baked inside pizza dough. So, like a giant pig-in-a-blanket with all the condiments baked in.
THE RECIPES:
For the Chicago dog, we used a kosher hot dog, pickles, sour kraut, and hot peppers. I made the dough recipe below (halving the recipe) and this was more than enough for 3 hot dogs. We could have easily stretched it to 4, but probably not more.
Before placing the pickles and sour kraut on the dough, I squeezed them out and let them dry a bit in a cheese cloth so the dough wouldn't get too wet.
I separated the dough, worked it into a rectangle, placed the hot dog and condiments in, and folded the dough around it. I baked it at 425 for about 20 minutes.
I used the following pizza dough recipe since we make our dough in the breadmaker.
http://www.food.com/recipe/my-best-ever-breadmaker-pizza-dough-50101
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour or 4 cups bread machine flour
1 tablespoon of your favorite pizza seasoning (mine is Wildly Delicious Italian)
4 teaspoons fast rise yeast
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Directions:
1
MEASURE all ingredients except cornmeal into bread pan in order listed; Select dough setting.
2
REMOVE dough to lightly floured surface and cover with plastic wrap; Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
3
SPRINKLE cornmeal on large 16 inch pizza pan or on a pizza stone and press dough into pizza shape; Cover with a towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
4
SPREAD with desired sauce, seasonings and toppings.
5
BAKE at 425F for 20-30 minutes; I like to partially bake the pizza on a pan for about 8 minutes and then transfer it to a hot pizza stone sprinkled with the cornmeal for the remainder of the cooking time.
6
I find by baking it initially on the pan it is easier to transfer to a pizza stone thus maintaining its large size.
THE RESULTS:
We had too much dough for the hot dogs, so there ended up being a LOT of dough around not much filling. However, baking the dogs in the dough surrounded by moist toppings made the hotdogs extra juicy! I'd definitely make this again and even cut it into thirds for a party treat. The hot dog and toppings sit fairly loosly in the "bun" so a toothpick might be needed for party purposes.
THE RECIPES:
For the Chicago dog, we used a kosher hot dog, pickles, sour kraut, and hot peppers. I made the dough recipe below (halving the recipe) and this was more than enough for 3 hot dogs. We could have easily stretched it to 4, but probably not more.
Before placing the pickles and sour kraut on the dough, I squeezed them out and let them dry a bit in a cheese cloth so the dough wouldn't get too wet.
I separated the dough, worked it into a rectangle, placed the hot dog and condiments in, and folded the dough around it. I baked it at 425 for about 20 minutes.
I used the following pizza dough recipe since we make our dough in the breadmaker.
http://www.food.com/recipe/my-best-ever-breadmaker-pizza-dough-50101
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour or 4 cups bread machine flour
1 tablespoon of your favorite pizza seasoning (mine is Wildly Delicious Italian)
4 teaspoons fast rise yeast
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Directions:
1
MEASURE all ingredients except cornmeal into bread pan in order listed; Select dough setting.
2
REMOVE dough to lightly floured surface and cover with plastic wrap; Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
3
SPRINKLE cornmeal on large 16 inch pizza pan or on a pizza stone and press dough into pizza shape; Cover with a towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
4
SPREAD with desired sauce, seasonings and toppings.
5
BAKE at 425F for 20-30 minutes; I like to partially bake the pizza on a pan for about 8 minutes and then transfer it to a hot pizza stone sprinkled with the cornmeal for the remainder of the cooking time.
6
I find by baking it initially on the pan it is easier to transfer to a pizza stone thus maintaining its large size.
THE RESULTS:
We had too much dough for the hot dogs, so there ended up being a LOT of dough around not much filling. However, baking the dogs in the dough surrounded by moist toppings made the hotdogs extra juicy! I'd definitely make this again and even cut it into thirds for a party treat. The hot dog and toppings sit fairly loosly in the "bun" so a toothpick might be needed for party purposes.
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