I used to be one of those bloggers who despised other bloggers ahead of the game posting recipes for the upcoming season as a preview of what's to come out of their kitchen and onto their website. Of course what I was feeling is inferiority for being behind the pack posting in season recipes when I should be like the fashion and auto industries always looking ahead and never looking back. I kid, I kid but seriously Foodies & Foodettes while the proverbial ink is still drying on my Summer Lovin', My Ode to Produce post bidding adieu to the hazy summer days, I'm officially ushering in the autumn recipe season with my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. This chili verde recipe is brought to you in part by the gourmet minds behinds Marx Foods who are hosting the Blogger Chile Recipe Contest. Be sure to marvel at all of the recipe entries, then vote for my Beef & Bacon Chile Verde Recipe 9/12-9/16.
For the main source of heat in my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde recipe I chose the Aji Amarillo, Habanero, and Mulato chilies from Marxfoods.com.
- 1lb bacon (slab or sliced)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Marx Foods dried habanero chili
- 3 Marx Foods dried mulato chilies
- 2 Marx Foods dried Aji Amarillo chilies
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 green tomatoes
- 2 yellow tomatoes
- 8 poblano chilies
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 grated carrots
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
Directions
Roasted Poblanos & Tomatoes Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Coat poblanos and tomatoes with olive oil and coarse ground salt. Make sure there is also enough oil coating the bottom of the pan. Roast until the poblano skins blacken and tomato skins split, about 15minutes. The Poblanos will be done before the tomatoes. Remove the peppers and put them in a large bowl and seal it with saran wrap. Let the tomatoes roast 5-7 minutes more. Add them to the bowl and re-seal it.
Gems. Roasted green and yellow tomatoes.
After toasting my Marx Foods dried chilies, I saved the seeds for when I plan on scorching myself in the future.
The Whole Enchilada, er, I mean Chili
- In a saucepan, cook the ground beef. Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked beef into the large pot which will cook the chili together. Take the pan off of the heat, but don't wash it.
- In another saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to the large pot as well.
Meet the meats of my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. The ground beef is organic and the bacon was leftover from a Sunday breakfast. Feel free to opt for a slab of bacon and cut it into cubes.
- Put the beef pan back on the burner and add 2/3 of the bacon grease to the beef pan. Add the carrots, onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft over medium heat. About 15 minutes.
- Add the entire contents of the pan to the pot with the cooked meats.
- Add 1 tbslp. of the dried chili paste.
- De-skin and de-seed the roasted poblano chilies and tomatoes. Cut into 1/4" pieces and reserve as much of the juices as possible.
- Add the chopped, roasted veg to the chili pot with 2 cups of chicken stock.
- Over medium heat, bring chili to a bubble. Let bubble 5 minutes then reduce the heat to low. Let reduce for 20-25 minutes more.
Bread and butter is the perfect companion for the slow burn on my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde.
Notes on Heat: *I was warned by my farmer's market produce vendor that the poblanos I purchased were unusually hot. With that fore knowledge, I started by adding 1tbslp. of my dried chili paste. If your poblanos aren't as hot, start wtih 1 tblsp., taste it for heat, adn then add more if you really want to feel the burn.
Notes on Reheating: **Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water when rehaeting the Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. Like most awesome dishes, this chili tastes better and hotter as it sits and stews in its on juices.
Notes on Voting: *** Visit Marx Foods Blogger Chile Contest between 9/12 and 9/16 to vote for my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe. Come on, do it. I'd vote for you, promise.
Summer Lovin, My Ode to Produce
Summer is quickly drawing to a close but it obviously doesn't want to go gently into that good night. This summer was loud, hot, and wet. This summer was boisterous. This summer said, "You thought Spring was uproarious? You ain't seen nothing yet! How'd ya like if I scare the willies out of everybody with a national debt crisis, earthquakes, and hurricanes?" We'd prefer sunny days, fire flies, and canoe trips down the Wekiva River since you asked, summer.
But this summer was tumultuous and did I say hot? The weather this season is ablaze with fire from the sun and sopping from humid air closer to soup than a gaseous element. Even though this summer was all of these annoying and wack things, it was also bountiful in all produce foods. A wave of appreciation came over me this summer as I combed my organic and farmer's markets for best US grown produce I could find. Recently I've been on a mission to make produce the main staple of my diet for all the reasons why everyone else has already said you should. This means weekly produce jaunts and intimately getting to know my produce purveyors. Its reassuring to see most markets in my neighborhood label the geographic origin of their produce showing a true conscience about what foods they are providing to the community. For regular shopping I do my best to buy local, and then products from the US. That is my compromise in the desire to be as creative as I wish as a cook as well as being a mindful conservationist and food purist.
Agenda aside, this season's yields were not only succulent they are beyond the pale beautiful. So alluring in fact that I was utterly compelled-nay, propelled to photograph the gems and jewels of fruits and veg which graced my table. {Lest we forget my obsession over local eggs purchased for the Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies.} These photos have no recipe companion or event anecdote. This post, because this summer basically demanded it, is dedicated only to the photographic splendor of my summer love, produce.
Main Post Image: Easter Egg Radishes
Um, do I really need to say more than Easter. Egg. Radishes? No, but I will-just a bit. This beauteous bushel of singular jewels are an excellent example of heirloom vegetables. I adored them so much, I got up close and personal with them from two angles. And they packed quite a bit of unexpected biting spice.
Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
It was the early summer when I fell for produce. My family is known for two pasta salads for summer picnics and BBQs, the vegetable variety pictured here and the macaroni tuna salad. After whipping this one up for Father's Day in June I was awestruck by how composed this salad seemed to be with no effort put into the presentation. So my love raged on...Cauliflower Cross-Section, Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Cross-sections of large fruit or veg is a naturally beautiful composition. This one happened on accident, but the next one won't.
Golden Delicious Organic Apples
To be truthful, I can't recall what these apples became dish-wise but I remember being impressed by their uniformity. Sometimes we love the truly unique produce which is often referred to as 'heirloom', and other times its the reproduction of a perfect model which stuns of sense of aesthetics. Enter, my apples.
Farmer's Market Summer Basket
Saturday is Winter Park, FL farmers market day. This market has been going strong for years offering fresh produce, local goods, and flora and fauna. Its a feast for the eyes and ears as well as the mouth. On a recent trip I was finding it next to impossible to hold in my hands all of my produce choices as I shopped. As I struggled to not juggle my selections, one of the vendors asked me if I wanted a basket. Not just for now at this moment of awkwardness, but forever. Forever? Forever, ever? Touched by this generosity and bawled over by my composed basket of fruits and veg, I photographed the whole lot as soon as I got home. While each item in this basket was divine, two items are of special note. Moscato grapes and yes, purple bell peppers! The Moscatos were a flavor and texture adventure; one I couldn't appreciate as a child when they and I were first acquainted. And purple peppers, well, the very informed gentlemen vendor told they came from Tennessee and they only come up but once a year and every year he goes there and gets them. Bravo my good man, bravo.
And with the purple bell peppers, my photographic ode to summer produce comes to a close much more quietly and sweetly than summer itself.
Thanks summer, you made your point. You rule. Now can we get to fall already?