Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric #thestew

This is my version of Alison Roman's NYTimes recipe that is taking the internet by storm. It is REALLY good. #thestew

Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1 knob of ginger (3 inches), finely minced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 T ground turmeric
1 T Trader Joe's South African Smoked Red Pepper (or combo of smoked paprika and red pepper flakes will do)
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans coconut milk
1 box of stock (chicken, veggie, or Aldi's Tom Yum Stock)
1 bunch of kale (or other greens)
1 c mint leaves or 1 T dried mint

Yogurt and bread for serving

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. 1. Add turmeric, red-pepper flakes and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
   2. Using a potato masher, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides (this will help thicken the stew). Add coconut milk and stock to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened and flavors have started to come together, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to taste as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. 
   3. 1. Add greens and stir, making sure they are submerged in the liquid. (Note: I added the reserved chickpeas back in at this point, you can also save them for garnish). Cook a few minutes so they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper. Add dried mint if using dried instead of fresh.

1. Divide among bowls and top with fresh mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric?regi=1&join_cooking_newsletter=false

Sheila's Red Chili

2 lb of ground beef
1 lg onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 lg can whole tomatoes
2 lg cans diced tomatoes
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
3 cans chili beans
32 oz tomato juice
2 T cumin
5T chili powder
1 T paprika
1 t chipotle powder
salt pepper

Brown ground beef in a large pot with onion and garlic, salt and pepper generously while cooking. Drain fat from beef. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer for several hours. As chili cooks break apart the whole tomatoes.

Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and saltines or oyster crackers.

Baked Creamy Mac 'N Cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
salt
8 T butter
8 T flour
4 C whole milk
6 c shredded cheese (smoked gouda, swiss, sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Turn oven on to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large pan. When it is bubbling, add flour and cook for several minutes until it turns light brown. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a low boil to allow sauce to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Slowly whisk in cheese until sauce is smooth. Add macaroni and pour into a buttered baking dish (you can serve at this point if you don't feel like baked mac 'n cheese).

Bake macaroni and cheese until bubbling around the edges.

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Alfredo Pasta

This is a recipe made by special request from my son.

3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 C cooked andouille sausage
1 C sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
cajun seasoning
1/4 c white wine
3 c heavy cream
1 lb penne pasta, cooked al dente
1 c parmesan cheese
parsley

Turn on oven to 350

Coat chicken in cajun seasoning and blacken both sides over high heat in a cast iron skillet. Put in oven for 10 minutes or until it comes to 165 degrees. Slice chicken in strips and set aside.

In a large pot, heat oil and sauté garlic, sausage, chicken slices,  sun dried tomatoes, and T of cajun seasoning. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil to thicken sauce.

Add Parmesan, salt and pepper, parsley. Then stir in pasta.

Serve with green salad.

Pork Chops in Chile Verde for the Instant Pot

Pork Chops in Chile Verde for the Instant Pot

8 bone in pork chops
salt and pepper
oil or cooking spray
1/4 c water
3 lb tomatillos, chopped
2.5 lbs Hatch chiles, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 c Sheila's salsa verde

Salt and pepper both sides of pork chops. Turn instant pot on to sauté. Put a small amount of oil in the pot. In batches brown pork chops on each side. You may need to add a little more oil to fry all of the pork chops. Add onion and continue to saute for a few minutes. Loosen the browned bits with a little water. Layer the pork chops in the onions, tomatillos, and Hatch chilies. Pour the salsa verde over the top. Put on lid and seal vent. Pressure cook for 12 minutes. Allow to naturally vent for 10 minutes and then do quick release. Remove pork chops and blend sauce with an immersion blender. Serve with rice and extra cilantro.

Sheila's Hatch Chile Salsa

August is Hatch chile time! I love to find different ways to use these delicious
 chilies.

3 lbs freshly roasted Hatch chilies
6 chopped tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped stems okay
1 T salt
few twists of smoked pepper
2 limes, juiced

Combine ingredients. Let flavors meld for 30 minutes or so and serve with tortilla chips.

Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, Thyme and Oregano

It is that time of year when you need to find things to do with all of the produce from your garden. Normally pasta sauce is made best with plum tomatoes, but this sauce is okay with slicing tomatoes because there are just too many of them for me to eat in a sandwich! 

If you have plum tomatoes, use them instead! I tried adding carrot for the first time. I read that adding a carrot, both grated and whole, will reduce the acidity in the sauce and eliminate the need to add sugar. Why not try it?

8 lbs of slicing tomatoes or 5 lbs plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and seeded
1/4 c olive oil
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled, grate half and put the other half in whole
1 head of garlic, cloves crushed
2 t anchovy paste
1 T tomato paste
1/2 t red pepper flakes or to taste
2 bay leaves
1 t salt
1/4 c dry white wine (optional)
1/4 c torn basil leaves
1/2 t dried oregano or one sprig of fresh
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh flat leaved parsley
1 1/2 c water

Heat oil in large pot. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic and grated carrot and cook for one more minute. Add anchovy and tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook until color deepens. Add white wine if using and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for at least 3 hours or until the sauce has cooked down so it isn't watery. Remove the bay leaves and stems of the herbs. Use in your favorite recipes.