Mmm... even as I type this, it's been a few hours since we ate and I still have the awesome, awesome flavour of the chile sauce in my mouth. I was tired of chicken and ground beef in my tacos and enchiladas, we'd been eating a lot of pork lately and I didn't want that, so I thought I'd do something with a little more pop. Came out so good!
I woke up today with Nerf Herder's "Pantera Fans In Love" stuck in my head... no idea why! So it's what I'm using for the recipe tunes. -jen
12 oz beer of choice (I used PBR because that's what we had)
1 and 1/2 cups red chile sauce (see recipe below)
Trim excess fat from chuck roast. In a small dish, mix together salt, pepper, oregano and cumin. Sprinkle evenly over entire roast (bottom too!) Place roast in slow cooker and cover the top with the minced garlic. Add chiles and onion, making sure to cover the top of the roast with them. Pour lime juice over veggie-covered roast and then add the beer, pouring it on the side of the roast (not over it!)
Cook on high for 6-8 hours, until you can shred the roast easily using two forks. While roast is cooking, make your chile sauce and pico de gallo (see recipe below).
When roast is done and shredded, drain over a bowl and set broth aside. Put the beef back into the crock pot and add 1 and 1/2 cups red chile sauce, as well as 1/2 cup of the reserved broth. (You can refrigerate or freeze the broth to use later in a delicious soup, like Spicy Mexican Pepper Soup!) Turn slow cooker to low and cook another half hour.
Serve in tacos, tamales, burritos, enchiladas, over rice, on nachos, whatever!
1/4 pound dried guajillo chiles (if you like it hot, use 1/8# dried guajillo & 1/8# dried chipotle)
1 medium onion, chopped
9-10 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup packed cilantro
1 jalapeño (optional, for spiciness!)
juice of 1-2 limes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Caldo de Pollo (or 1 chicken bouillon cube)
2 cups hot water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. If you want a hotter chile, tear off stems but leave seeds in dried chiles. If you want a mild one, tear off stems and empty out seeds. (I recommend at least keeping half the seeds.) Place seed pods on baking sheet and roast for 3-4 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Let chiles cool to touch before packing them into a large blender. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, cumin, oregano, Caldo and carefully pour the hot water over everything. Blend until completely pureed.
PICO DE GALLO Time: 5 minutes Difficulty: Easy Makes: about 2 cups
1 large tomato
1/2 medium onion
1 jalapeño
1/4 cup packed cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
In a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until desired consistency (I like mine like a relish). If you don't have a food processor, just dice everything small.
This is Part 2 of our Tall Cans recipes. The first recipe, Tall Can Mexican Black Beans, was actually made with a whole tall can of Tecate. Between the enchiladas and salsa verde here, it's really only 2/3 of a tall can of Tecate, but that just leaves the extra 1/3 for you to finish off. I really liked the beer flavour in the salsa verde. I don't usually use beer when I make it, so this was a first, and I think I'll make it with beer from now on!
Much like the black bean recipe, these recipes were inspired by the
Transplants' song, "Tall Cans In The Air." But since I used that song
for the bean recipe, I think it's fitting that I use a different
Transplants song. Justin and I always joke about their song, "Gangsters
and Thugs", because living in Humboldt County, we can relate to the
chorus, "...some of my friends sell records, some of my friends sell
drugs." It's a good sing-a-long, kiddies. -jen
ENCHILADAS DE POLLO (Chicken Enchiladas) Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 30-45 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes (not including the chicken baking) Makes: 15-20, depending on the size of your chicken thighs
6 baked chicken thighs
vegetable oil
1 medium onion, julienned
2 red bell peppers, julienned
2 jalapeños (de-seed for less heat), julienned
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup Tecate beer
1 can (4oz) diced green chiles
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
corn tortillas (15-20)
salsa verde (see recipe below)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
*I seasoned the thighs under the skin with salt and pepper, but left the skins on to bake. Baked at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeños. Sautee for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, Tecate, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking until all of the liquid has disappeared and vegetables are soft. Remove from heat to cool.
Discard the chicken skin and shred the chicken meat from the bone into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked vegetables, green chiles, cilantro and cumin to the chicken, mixing. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
"Wet" tortillas, fried and dipped in salsa
Place 1/2 a cup of the salsa verde into a shallow dish (I like to use a pie plate) and have an additional plate available to hold the "wet" tortillas.
In a small skillet that will fit a single corn tortilla, heat enough oil just to cover the entire bottom of
the skillet over a medium-high heat, and keep the oil nearby for refills. Using tongs, place a corn tortilla
into the hot oil for 5 seconds, then flip and cook 5 seconds on the other side. Let the excess oil drip into your pan and place the tortilla right into the salsa, just to coat. Remove from salsa, letting excess salsa drip back into pie plate and set the wet tortilla onto your extra plate. Repeat, stacking the wet tortillas on top of each other on the plate until finished. Add oil to your skillet and salsa to your pie plate as needed.
Create an assembly line with your stack of wet tortillas, shredded chicken mixture, shredded cheese, and a large, rectangular baking dish. Place a thin layer of salsa verde on the bottom of your baking dish. Set a wet tortilla into the baking dish, fill with shredded chicken mixture and shredded cheese, and roll, placing the enchilada seam-side down. Continue until your baking dish is full. Spoon the remainder of your salsa (about 1/2 a cup) over the enchiladas, as well as the remainder of your shredded Jack cheese (also about 1/2 a cup).
1 can (28oz) tomatillos, drained (or 7-8 fresh, large tomatillos, roasted)
1 can (4oz) diced green chiles
1 cup Tecate beer
1 teaspoon chicken base (or 1 chicken bouillon cube)
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
salt & pepper to taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes until translucent and tender. Add all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for 25 minutes. Pour into a blender to puree (but don't fill your blender more than half-way or it could explode hot salsa all over you! Ouch! Work carefully in batches... or use a stick blender and avoid that whole mess.) Add salt and pepper to taste.
I love when a recipe is actually inspired by a song, rather than coming up with a recipe and then searching for a song to go with it! I'd been in a Tim Armstrong mood the other day (when aren't I?), but wasn't feeling like Rancid, so I pulled out both albums by the Transplants. As soon as I heard the song "Tall Cans In The Air", I knew I had to do a beer recipe with tall cans! I brainstormed a lot of ideas (and will still do more), but in the end, I decided going with a Mexican theme. The black beans are Part 1 of my Tecate dinner, and they came out great! I'm not even a big fan of beans, but seasoned with all these great flavours, I couldn't help but love 'em.
Justin and I actually were discussing whether or not we could taste the beer in the beans... 3 cups in a recipe is a hell of a lot of beer. However, it didn't really seem to stand out. There wasn't a super distinct beer flavour, but I'm sure after simmering for hours with a load of other flavours, it's just going to blend in with the rest. I wouldn't change the recipe at all... though I might be inclined to try a darker beer next time, perhaps a Negro Modelo?
And so I present to you the Transplants (whom I've been listening to all week), doing "Tall Cans In The Air"... lemme see 'em! -jen
TALL CAN MEXICAN BLACK BEANS Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: Overnight soaking Cook Time: 3-4 hours Serves: 6-8
1 pound dried black beans
8 cups water
5 cups chicken broth
1 tall can (24oz) Tecate beer (separated)
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped (de-seed for less heat)
3 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
1 can (4oz) diced green chiles
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
few dashes of Green Tabasco
Sort through dried beans to check for small pebbles. Soak in 8 cups of water overnight.
Using a colander, drain soaking water from beans. Place beans in a large stock pot with 5 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of the Teacate beer. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to simmer for 1.5 hours.
Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeños, garlic, green chiles, cilantro, lime juice, bay leaves, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, Tabasco, and remaining 1 cup of Tecate. Continue simmering with the lid off for another 1.5-2 hours. Part way through the second simmer, using a masher, mash up some of the beans to help thicken the sauce. Cook down until desired consistency. Sauce should be slightly thickened, but they shouldn't be soupy.
So this recipe is comes from my father-in-law and is one that is a homemade version of the classic Chicago sandwich, the Italian Beef. There are notable differences, the main one being shredded beef vs the authentic, super-thin, deli-sliced beef and the fact that it's braised in a slow cooker rather than slow roasted in an oven. Despite these differences, the flavor is amazing and therefore renders all arguments as to the authenticity of this recipe a mute point. This makes a good bit, as well, so you can have a nice little dinner party or some delicious sandwiches for lunches all week long.
We've done a couple of variations to the original recipe that was passed on and I'm sure others will try some variations of their own, altering it in infinite ways. We've used beer or red wine for the braising liquid, added sliced onions or peppers for some different flavors, and used a variety of herbs and spices and condiments to see what piques the taste buds in new and interesting ways. Feel free to doctor it up any way you see fit and be sure to tell us so we can try it if it comes out well.
To go with a Chicago dish we naturally turn to a Chicago band that needs no introduction. We've featured them before and probably will again at some point because they've been around that long and they're just that good. Screeching Weasel is one of my favorite go-to punk bands when it comes to feeling nostalgic and returning mentally to the days of my youth, so I couldn't help but go with the song "Hey Suburbia" as suburbia was where I grew up for the most part. -justin
ITALIAN BEEF Time: 6-12 hr Difficulty: Easy Serves: 6-8
1 medium onion, about a cup
4 tbsp minced garlic
5 tsp beef bullion or beef base
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
8 oz peperoncini with liquid
2 cups water
22 oz beer
2.5 lbs of boneless beef chuck roast (or other fat laced beef shoulder cut)
Simply add all ingredients to slow cooker and set on low for 10-12 hrs or high for 6-7 hrs. When done, shred the beef with forks, or other suitable utensils, and add back to braising liquid. Serve on a crusty Italian bread roll with some shredded cheese; we prefer mozzarella. To be truly Chi-town authentic, you'd need to top it with some giardinara and dip your roll in the braising liquid, or "juice", before loading it up and serving.
So Jen had been craving some chili lately and I decided to make a batch on Wed, which happened to be April 20th, Carmen Electra's birthday! Also, it is supposed to be some sort of stoner holiday or hippie celebration or something...not sure where I heard that. Anyway, since stoners, bachelors, and assorted college students (was that redundant?) always have a trusty can of chili in the cupboard for that "Crap I can't afford food" emergency meal, I thought it would be fitting to undertake such a meal on said day. For musical accompaniment, I had a variety of tunes but the most fitting for this adventure would have to be Sublime's "Smoke Two Joints". I know it's not very punk but they used to be a punk band...and, well, we live in Humboldt. Reggae, ska, and such are just the norm around here. Everyone's got a Che Guevara tee or a knitted rasta hat and dreads, so this works for the day and setting.
This chili is actually very easy to pull off and has an amazing complexity to the flavor and heat. There's a slow, medium burn at the end of a spoonful that stays with you for a bit and warms the body nicely but it's not very hot up front. It has a bit of chocolate, cinnamon and agave nectar (to mellow out some of the heat) so it's very Mexican inspired and ends up having a very silky texture and a dark, smokey flavor that is a definite plus in my book! Plus, it's made with a whole bottle of dark beer, which we all know makes everything taste better! - justin
CHIPOTLE CHOCOLATE CHILI Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 2-3 hours Difficulty: medium Serves: 8-10, depending on serving size
BEEF
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef (20/80)
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
12oz bottle of dark beer (I used Lost Coast Brewery's 8Ball Stout but a porter or Guinness would work nicely as well)
VEGGIES
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 whole poblano chili
1 whole jalapeno chili
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed
1 quart chicken broth
2 cans (14oz each) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed
1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
1 tablespoon Chili de Arbol powder
1 tablespoon Pasilla chili powder
2 Tbsp Light Agave Nectar
To start the beef you'll need to heat a high-sided skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the 3 tbsp of olive oil and when it starts to shimmer add the ground beef. As the beef starts browning add the salt and pepper and cook until well browned. Drain off the excess fat and add the cumin, cinnamon, and chocolate to the beef and continue stirring to melt the chocolate chips. Once they are mostly melted add the bottle of dark beer (making very sure to save a bottle for sampling...you know, for safety) and cook the liquid down till it's mostly evaporated. This concentrates all the seasonings and flavors in the meet before it's added to our vegetable base.
Fire roasting the jalapeno and poblano chilies is not necessary but can be done very quickly over a gas burner on the oven. Use tongs so as not to fire roast your finger tips. When the skin starts to snap and pop and singe, you are done. The peppers can then be cut in half, seeded, ribbed, and diced.
In a separate soup pot, add your 2 tbsp of olive oil and set on medium high heat. When the pan is hot, toss in your onion and sweat it down until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. While the onion is sweating, puree the whole peeled tomatoes and the chipotles in adobo (found in the Mexican or ethnic aisles of the market) in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, poblano, and jalapeno to the onion and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the powdered chilies, tomato/chipotle puree, and the chicken stock, turn the heat up to high, bring the pot to a boil, and let it boil uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
After the 20 minutes are up, puree the entire pot. I used a stick blender but a standing blender or food processor would work. Make do with what you have. The main idea is to break down the sauce to a smoother consistency, unless you want a chunky chili, in which case, ignore this whole paragraph.
Add the meat to the veggie pot and stir in. Cover with a lid and let it simmer on low for an hour. Add the 2 tbsp Agave nectar (one could alternatively use maple syrup or some light molasses, or dark brown sugar for another twist on the flavor profile) and stir in thoroughly. At this point, one must taste and season as needed. If it's too spicy, add a little more sweetness to cut some of the heat. If it's not spicy enough for ya, toss in another chipotle and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Serve with some bread for sopping, a little grated cheese and some sour cream and you have one killer bowl. This pot of chili will serve 4-6 folks with hearty appetites.
Oh, almost forgot to mention the best part! This chili gets better with age...to a certain extent. It tastes great the night that you make it. Try it the next day for lunch and you'll find that the flavors really marry in the fridge overnight.
Time: 5 minutes
