Chili Verde

I have been making this for quite a few years and it is still one of my family's favorites. I've also won several church chili contests with this



It is not what most people think of when they think chili. It has no beans, it is not red or white and it uses pork instead of beef or chicken. Many people are afraid to try it because it has a very green (verde) color, but those brave enough to give it a try soon become fans. It is an adaption of a popular dish served in many traditional Mexican Restaurants in the Central Valley in California. The restaurant version is more of a soup with a very thin watery broth



Ingredients
Approx 5 lb pork roast (pork shoulder, Boston butt, etc)
2 cans  Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1/4 cup flour or corn starch
salt and pepper
garlic
 

Over the years, I have developed a method of making it that is very easy and convenient for me. It takes two days. I buy the cheapest and biggest pork roast I can find. It doesn't matter if it has a bone or not. Pork shoulder roast or Boston butt work great.  I start by putting the roast in the oven at 350 for 3 to 4 hours. I season it liberally with salt, pepper and garlic. Don't add any water and just let it cook. When it is brown all over and juices flow clear when you poke it with a fork, take it out of the oven and let it cool for an hour or two. When the pan is cool enough to pick up without potholders, put it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, I take it out and scoop all the congealed fat off the broth. The fat will be white and very much like shortening. I put the fat in the trash. Then, I remove the roast from the pan and put it on a plate. Transfer the broth (it will be congealed) to a medium size sauce pan and heat on low.


Cut the roast into large chunks, removing the fat from the meat and discarding as I go. Depending on how long the roast was cooked, it may cut into chunks easily or it may shred...either works fine. If I see a vein of fat running through a piece of meat, I cut on that vein to remove as much of the fat as possible. Chunks should end up being about the size of a six sided die. Once the meat is all cut up and as much fat as possible has been removed from it, I put it in the crockpot. Pour the cans of enchilada sauce over the meat, replace the lid and turn the crockpot on low. Bring the broth to a boil then thicken to a gravy consistency with either flour and water or corn starch and water. The gravy can then be added to the meat in the crockpot. Allow to cook in the crockpot for 3 to 4 hours. Serve with grated cheddar or jack cheese and flour tortillas.

A crockpot of this will feed quite a crowd, it also freezes well and is great to use in burritos or over rice for lunch or a light dinner.

Bread

This is a family recipe. My Grandmother made this bread daily for her husband & 6 kids when my Mom was a kid. My Mom has always made it for holiday meals & on those chilly winter days when fresh baked bread is the only thing that can make you feel truly warm. I started making it when I was about 10. My Mom would buy a jar of yeast & 20 lbs of flour, then several times a week I would "practice" making bread. It really is one of those trial & error things that you have to make over & over to get the feel for. I don't make it as often as my family would like, but I do make it for all holidays & randomly through out the winter.

This recipe involves getting messy. Plan to have dough up to your elbows & flour all over the place.

Ingredients
2 cups very warm water
1 packet regular yeast (2 1/4 t )
2 T sugar
2 T vegetable oil
2 t salt
5 lbs flour (you won't use the whole thing, but it is best to have a full bag to start)

It is important to use a large glass bowl....I sometimes use the 5 quart stoneware insert from my round crockpot.

Read the instructions on the back of the yeast packet. The water should be 90 to 100 degrees. Pour water into large glass bowl. Add sugar, yeast, oil & salt. Mix around with your fingers to dissolve.

Start adding flour 2 cups at a time & mixing in well with one hand (keep one hand out of the mixture to use in getting the flour out of the bag or canister). It can also be helpful to have another person pour flour for you. You will know you are close to enough flour when it starts to get hard to mix the flour into your dough. The dough should have an elastic feel & when you knead it, there shouldn't be any stickiness.

Put the dough back in the large bowl & cover with a towel. Let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen until it doubles in size. Punch it down, sprinkling flour on it anywhere it is sticky. Cover & let rise again. The second rising will be faster.

Punch it down again. Break off a piece about the size of a racquetball. It should fit nicely in the palm of your hand. Knead the dough by pulling the edges out & folding them firmly back into the center. Continue kneading until a solid firm ball is formed. Place into a greased 13X9 baking pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Be sure to leave about 1 inch space around each roll. Cover with a towel & let rise until the rolls are touching each other.

Bake in the oven @ 400 for 20 minutes or until they are golden. Remove from oven, rub the tops of the rolls with butter for a soft crust or shortening for a firmer crust. Remove from pan & allow to cool slightly before serving. DO NOT cut into hot bread with a knife!!!!! Cutting with a knife will cause the bread to get gummy. Break open by hand to butter.

Hamburger and Rice

This is a staple in our house, one of those things that EVERYONE loves. It is simply browned ground beef mixed with white rice. The seasonings seem to be the key.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef (I usually buy the 80% lean, the extra lean doesn't work well, some fat is necessary)

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Lemon Pepper

2 cups long grain white rice

1 t salt

2 T butter

Break up the ground beef & cook in a large frying pan on medium heat. Season well with Montreal Steak Seasoning & Lemon pepper. Boil 3 cups of water in a large sauce pan that has a tight fitting lid. Add salt & rice to boiling water, return to a boil for one minute, then cover & reduce heat to medium Low. Allow rice to cook for 15 minutes. When the ground beef is browned, reduce heat to low until the rice finishes. Remove lid from rice, add butter, replace lid & let sit for 5 minutes. Drain any remaining grease from the ground beef. Turn the frying pan back up to Medium High, add rice to ground beef & stir well. Cook together for a minute or two in the frying pan, stirring constantly. The rice will pick up the residual spices from the pan.

This goes well with green beans or peas as a side dish. Leftovers store well & are GREAT heated back up the next day for lunch.

Chicken & Rice Stir Fry

Have I mentioned that my family is picky? Everyone will eat chicken & everyone will eat rice, but some will not eat it if I mix them together. To avoid dinner time melt down, I set aside a portion of the chicken and a portion of the rice before mixing in the rest of the ingredients for the stir fry.


Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breast (boneless thighs work too)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups long grain rice
frozen sliced carrots (not the cubes)
frozen sugar snap peas
can of sliced water chestnuts
soy sauce
minced garlic
black pepper

In a large frying pan or wok on medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup butter. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, more if you really like garlic, less if you aren't a garlic fan.

Start the rice in a medium sauce pan....I use 3 cups of boiling water for 2 cups of long grain white rice, reduce the heat to low once the rice comes to a boil & cover with a tight fitting lid. Let the rice cook for 15 minutes, then remove it from the heat & set aside. Don't remove the lid yet.

While the rice is cooking, slice the chicken breast into cubes and add it to the pan with the garlic, sprinkle with black pepper. Use a spatula to push the chicken around until all sides have turned white or slighty golden, then cover the pan or wok with a lid. Let the chicken simmer approximately 20 minutes.

When the chicken & the rice are both done(if you have picky eaters some chicken can be set aside for them at this point), remove the lid from the chicken and add the frozen vegetables, then put the lid back on. Open the can of sliced water chestnuts, drain them & rinse in cold water. Add to the pan with the chicken & vegetables. Add 1 cup soy sauce. Remove lid from rice & fluff it with a fork. (Set aside a portion for any picky eaters). Add rice to the frying pan or wok & stir gently to combine all ingredients. If there is not enough liquid in the pan to coat all the rice, add more soy sauce. Cover with lid & allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

This is a very hearty meal, left overs reheat well & make a great lunch for the next day. Variations: you can use fresh carrots, sugar snap peas, green onions, bell peppers, etc, however they should be added to the chicken before the start of the 20 minute simmering period. This also works great with small cubes of beef instead of chicken.

Italian Sausage & Penne Pasta....sort of a casserole

I have picky eaters, so it is rather rare to find something that everyone likes. This is one of those rare recipes. Hubby used to order an Italian dish when we would go out & from it we came up with this idea.

Ingredients:

1 lb bulk Italian Sausage (hot or mild, depending on who's eating it)
box of Penne Pasta
Can of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (Garlic & Herb is my favorite)
grated Mozzarella cheese
oregano
basil
parmesan cheese

I start by browning the sausage in a frying pan and boiling the pasta until it is tender. Once the sausage is cooked, add the can of Spaghetti sauce, then add the extra herbs and the parmesan cheese to taste. Once the pasta is done, drain it & pour it into a 9x13 baking dish. pour the sauce & meat mixture over it, mix lightly just to cover all the pasta with sauce. Last, add the mozzarella cheese over the top & put it in the oven to bake at 400 until the cheese is light brown & bubbly. From start to finish this shouldn't take more than an hour to have on the table.

This is GREAT with garlic bread & a green salad. If your family will eat it, you can also add green peppers and black olives to the sauce before adding it to the pasta. Other variations: Link Italian sausage works too, I slice it into thin rounds. I've also used ground beef or plain ground pork seasoned with extra garlic, oregano & basil.