Ward off Winter's Chill - Make a Pot of Chili!

February is the perfect month for chili.  Since the weather is still cold and the days are still relatively short, chili is a wonderful way to “warm up” on a cool winter evening. Food Snob has found that chili recipes abound during February – for one thing, chili is usually a staple at Super Bowl parties – along with the buffalo hot wings and brownies! 

Chili is a very personal thing.  Like chocolate or brownies, most people are passionate about what makes for a good chili – and there are as many opinions on the essential ingredients are there are people.  Do you like your chili hot and spicy or do you prefer yours on the mild side?  Do you like pork in your chili, or do you prefer to stick to beef?  How about turkey or bison?  Do you add cheese, raw onions, and sour cream to your chili, or do you prefer it “straight?” 

However you like your chili, it is a delicious and healthy dish that Food Snob particularly approves of for these reasons:  (1) the meat protein is “stretched” by the addition of lots of vegetables (Food Snob’s recipe includes onions, garlic, celery, orange or yellow peppers, tomatoes, and jalapeno); (2) beans add protein and healthy fiber; (3) the dish is delicious when reheated for lunch or dinner a few days later (say “YES” to leftovers!); and (4) the “heat” ingredients can be adjusted to fit your taste or the taste of your family members.

Many people don’t make chili often because most recipes typically take quite a bit of time to get to the table– not so much on the preparation end, but on the simmering end.  Food Snob agrees that her chili tastes best if it is simmered for about 30 minutes to an hour after all the ingredients have been added.  However, the chili is still delicious when eaten as soon as the vegetables are tender – which is about 45 minutes after starting to prepare this dish.  If she is in a hurry, Food Snob serves the chili right away, and lets the leftovers simmer slowly, covered in the pot while eating dinner.  Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate or freeze for another meal or to eat for lunch during the week.  The chili will taste even better a few days later – Food Snob promises!

Food Snob created the chili recipe that follows about two weeks ago for the Super Bowl.  The flavor is fantastic – and the heat comes from three sources:  a small amount (1/4 pound) of chorizo; a jalapeno; and ground red chile from Chimayo, New Mexico.  Food Snob makes a trip to New Mexico every year just to purchase ground red chile grown near the little town of Chimayo, but you can find good ground red chile in the Mexican section of your supermarket. The important thing to remember is to NEVER use chili powder.  Purchased chili powder from the spice aisle contains no flavor and not much heat.  Your chili will be much improved if you buy real ground red chile and use that instead.  To adjust the ingredients in this recipe to your heat tolerance, try the following:  use hot chorizo if you like spicy chili; use regular chorizo if you prefer milder chili.  Before adding the jalapeno, cut off a small sliver and taste it.  If it is burning hot, and you don’t want your chili to be too spicy, use only a quarter or half of the jalapeno.  If you like your chili hot, use the whole jalapeno.  TASTE the chili before adding the ground red chile.  Add the red chile, a teaspoon or half teaspoon at a time, and taste after each addition.  You can always add more chile if you want more spice, but once you add too much, you can’t go backwards!  Tasting as you go is the key.

You can make this chili with your choice of organic grass-fed ground beef, ground bison, or organic/natural ground turkey. Try to find at least 90 percent lean ground meat or turkey if you can. You can choose pork chorizo, chicken chorizo, or turkey chorizo – but whatever type you purchase, try to find good quality natural or organic chorizo.  Food Snob’s recipe will ask you to drain the ground meat and chorizo in a colander once it has been browned, and rinse it with hot water before returning it to the cooking pan.  This technique helps to remove extra fat from the chili.

Quick and Hearty Chili – makes 8 servings

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat.  Spray the bottom of the pot lightly with cooking spray. Add to the pot:

1 pound 90% lean ground organic beef, bison, or turkey

¼ quarter pound chorizo sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey)

Use a wooden fork or spoon to crumble the meat. Adjust the heat as needed so the meat browns evenly but does not burn.  When all of the meat is evenly browned, set a colander in your sink and transfer the browned meat to the colander.  Rinse the meat with very hot water to wash away any residual fat.  Set the colander on a plate to drain.  Rinse the pot to wash away any fat; wipe with a paper towel. 

Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium low.  Add a small amount of:

canola oil (one to two teaspoons) – just enough to coat the bottom of the pot

Then add to the pot:

1 large onion, diced

1 large yellow or orange pepper, diced in ½ inch pieces

2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced

½ or 1 jalapeno, finely diced (depending on heat preference)

Stir the vegetables and “sweat” them by covering with a piece of parchment paper cut to the circumference of the pot.  To learn more about how to “sweat” vegetables, see Food Snob’s blog posting from January 5, 2012: Learn to Sweat Your Vegetables.  Stir the vegetables occasionally and, once the vegetables have softened (about 5 to 10 minutes), remove the parchment paper and add to the pot:

2 Tablespoons chopped garlic

Stir vegetable mixture and allow garlic to cook about one minute.  Then add the ground meat from the colander back to the vegetables in the pot and stir to mix.  Add immediately:

1 cup low fat, low sodium beef or chicken broth

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) no salt, organic diced tomatoes

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) black beans, no salt added

½ can tomato paste

1 Tablespoon leaf oregano, dried

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 to 2 Tablespoons ground red chile (or less, depending on desired heat)

1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar or honey

2½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 to 4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook a few minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add:

1 Tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar

DO NOT skip this ingredient!  Taste chili – add more salt if necessary and if you would like the chili hotter, add more ground red chile.  Ladle chili into bowls; serve with desired accompaniments.  Food Snob prefers her chili “straight.” 

Allow the remaining chili to simmer about 30 more minutes, covered, over very low heat.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze.

Next week – don’t miss Food Snob’s upcoming series featuring four fabulous fish recipes – the perfect antidote to Denver's 5280 Restaurant Week.  If you haven’t made your reservations for Restaurant Week, which starts Saturday February 23^rd and continues through Friday, March 8th, don’t delay.  Enjoy a three-course meal at participating restaurants (of which there are many) for $26.40 for one person or $52.80 for two.  Then eat healthy the rest of the week by trying one of Food Snob’s favorite fish recipes. Fish is the ideal option when you want to serve fresh, fabulous, heart-healthy food for dinner in a hurry!  

Romance in the Kitchen - Valentine's Dinner at Home!

It is Valentine's Day this Thursday - do you know what your dinner plans are? If you are undecided about whether to go out for dinner or stay home and cook, follow Food Snob's wise advice - stay home and cook!  It can be romantic to cook a delicious and simple dinner together with your valentine(s).  (Okay, Food Snob admits that her husband doesn't really think cooking in the kitchen is all that romantic, but he definitely is in love with eating the results!)  Whether you are one, two, or a family of four or more, by cooking your Valentine's dinner at home, you avoid: (1) the crowded restaurant scene, and (2) the prix fixe dinner, which always costs more than you want to pay and includes more food than you want to eat.

A number of years ago, my husband and I discontinued dinner out on Valentine's Day, opting instead for a cooking at home.  It's a great time to splurge with a wonderful entree and a rich chocolate dessert - after all - it IS Valentine's Day! You can include the kids - or wait until they've gone to bed - and enjoy a bottle of wine while you eat dinner by candlelight.  Take the time to set a pretty table, and make a simple, but delicious meal, such as the one highlighted in this week's blog.  You won't be getting home late, you won't be stuffed, and you won't be exhausted when you head back to work the next day.

Last Valentine's Day, Food Snob stopped at the local grocery store to buy a Valentine's Day card, and sitting by the check-out, packed in ice, was a display of wild-caught, frozen lobster tails.  Food Snob hadn't decided on her Valentine's dinner menu yet, but the lobster tails sparked her interest, and she purchased two tails for dinner later that evening.  For those of us that aren't lucky enough to live by the coast, a lobster tail is a viable option, and at about $6 for a 4 to 5 ounce tail, lobster is affordable.  Food Snob's husband, who grew up on the east coast and LOVES lobster, always wants TWO lobster tails.  Even if you serve a family member two lobster tails, you will be paying a lot less that eating lobster out!

Food Snob grilled the lobster tails, brushed them with a little melted butter, and served them with rosemary smashed potatoes and baked asparagus spears. Since it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without chocolate, she topped off the meal with chocolate lava cakes, served hot from the oven with vanilla ice cream.

Food Snob breaks all the rules on Valentine's Day and prepares a menu that does not meet her usual low-fat, low-calorie standards.  After all, Valentine's Day is a special evening - a night to splurge - within reason, of course.  Instead of serving the lobster tails with drawn butter and dipping each bite, Food Snob brushes the tails with butter before serving.  This technique will save you and your sweetie TONS of calories while sacrificing little in flavor.  The chocolate lava cake, which is very rich, is served in smaller portions so that you can enjoy its rich flavor without overdoing on the calories.

Lobster tails have been on sale in Denver everywhere this past week, as they usually are the week before Valentine's Day.  Food Snob, taking a friend's advice, found fresh asparagus on sale at Sprouts this week for $1.60 a pound. The ingredients for the smashed potatoes and the chocolate lava cakes are sitting in your pantry right now.  You can put this dinner together in about 45 minutes after you get home from work - and less if your Valentine helps you. What are you waiting for?  It's time to cook!

Valentine's Day Dinner Menu - serves 2, but can easily be doubled

Grilled Lobster Tails with Butter and Lemon
Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
Baked Asparagus
Chocolate Lava Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream

Put two 4 - 5 ounce lobster tails in a plastic freezer bag and thaw them in cold water while you prepare the lava cakes.

Chocolate Lava Cakes - makes 4 small servings - save 2 for another day

Butter four 5-ounce ramekins.  (If you don't have small ramekins, use two larger ramekins and SHARE the dessert.) Dust the ramekins with flour.

In a small bowl, combine:

one whole egg plus one egg yolk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks and the sugar until light yellow (about 2 minutes).  In a small microwave safe bowl, combine:

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli) 
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Cover and microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted.  Allow to cool slightly and add the chocolate to the egg mixture along with:

1 Tablespoon flour

Stir together and divide the batter between the four ramekins.  Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and set aside for later.

Baked Asparagus - serves 2

Wash and trim:

1 bunch asparagus (I prefer fatter asparagus to the skinny asparagus - if you use skinny asparagus, your cooking time will be shorter)

Dry the asparagus thoroughly with paper towels.  Line a large, rimmed baking pan with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray or with an olive oil mister.  Place the asparagus on the pan in a single layer.  Drizzle with:

2 teaspoons olive oil
kosher salt - to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Using your hands, coat the asparagus spears evenly with the olive oil and the salt - set aside for later.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes - serves 2

Scrub but do not peel:

2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes

Cut in quarters, lengthwise.  Slice potatoes in about 1/4 inch slices.  Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam over boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from steam and allow to drain.

In the bottom of a sauce pan, over medium low heat, add:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, or the leaves from one large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Cook the rosemary and garlic in the olive oil for about a minute until fragrant - but do not let the garlic brown.  Add the steamed potatoes to the olive oil mixture and use a hand-held potato masher to "smash" the potatoes.  The mixture will be thick, so you can add a small amount of non-fat greek yogurt, or some half-and-half, to help the potatoes come together.  Since it was Valentine's Day, Food Snob went for the half-and-half!  Just a tablespoon or two . . . then add kosher salt or sea salt and some pepper to taste.  Keep warm while you cook the remainder of the meal.

Grilled Lobster Tails with Butter and Lemon

Before preparing the lobster, preheat your oven to 500 degrees - you will be baking the asparagus in the oven once it is hot.

Now that the two lobster tails are completely thawed, use a scissors and cut the lobster shell lengthwise down the under side.  Pry the shell open and remove the lobster tail.  Check inside the tail and if you see any black stuff, wash it out. According to my internet research, the black stuff is part of the lobster's intestinal tract.  If one of my readers knows better, please inform!  Once the lobster is washed, dry it thoroughly with paper towels.  Coat the lobster lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Coat a grill pan or frying pan lightly with oil (you can also cook the lobster on your outdoor grill - if you can see what you are doing at night - brush with oil or coat with cooking spray before grilling your lobster).  Heat the grill pan over medium high heat until smoking.

Before putting your lobster tails in the pan, put the asparagus in the preheated oven.  If the asparagus are skinny, you will need to check them in about 3 minutes - if they are larger, you will need to check them in about 6 minutes. You want the asparagus to be tender-crisp.  Larger asparagus will be done about the same time the lobster is done - remove from the oven and keep warm.

Place the lobster tails in the grill pan and grill on one side for about two-and-one-half minutes to three minutes, depending on thickness.  While the lobster is grilling, melt in the microwave:

1/2 tablespoon butter

Turn lobsters over and grill another two-and-one-half minutes to three minutes. Lobster tails will be firm. Remove tails to a warm plate; brush the tails with the melted butter.

Serving the Meal

Food Snob likes to plate her dinners, particularly for a special occasion.  Divide the smashed potatoes between two plates.  Top each mound of potatoes with a lobster tail, drizzle with any juices.  Place asparagus spears on either side of the lobster tails.  Add a lemon slice and serve.

Before sitting down to dinner, turn your oven down to 450 degrees.  After you've enjoyed your lobster tail and your glass of wine and are ready for dessert, pop the chocolate lava cakes into the oven and set your timer for 6 minutes.  The lava cakes will bake while you are clearing the table and making coffee.

Check the cakes after about six minutes - you want to remove the cakes from the oven when the outside edges have raised and are "set," but the center is still sunken.  If the outside is not set, cook a minute or two more.  If you overcook, the cake will not be "molten."  Remove the cakes from the oven and let rest a minute or two until you are ready to serve.

Invert the cakes onto individual plates, dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Next week:  Food Snob just developed a new recipe for a quick and tasty chili - it is delicious made with ground turkey, ground bison, or grass-fed beef.  It's perfect for a cold February day, can be made in about 45 minutes, and serves 8.  You can enjoy it for dinner and again for lunch later in the week!

Brownie Competition - and the Winner Is . . . .

In February 2011, the cover of Bon Appetit magazine pictured a stack of fudgy, moist brownies accompanied by the headline:  "Best-Ever Brownies - Warning:  You Will Eat the Entire Tray!"  This headline sent Food Snob on a two-year quest to determine whether the brownies featured in Bon Appetit magazine were, in fact, the best brownies ever, or whether she could find another brownie recipe that was even better.

Now, brownies are a very personal thing.  Some people like their brownies dense, chocolatey, and fudgy.  Food Snob falls into that category.  Others like their brownies lighter and "cakier;" these types of brownies work well in brownie sundaes, but in Food Snob’s opinion are not so great eaten on their own.  Some folks prefer their brownies with nuts (that would be Food Snob); others prefer theirs with no nuts.  Some prefer their brownies with frosting, chocolate chips, coffee, liqueur, or toffee filling.  The variations are endless.  Food Snob was attracted to the Bon Appetit brownie recipe because it was advertised as dense, chocolatey, and fudgy, and the brownies contained nuts.

The first step was to MAKE the brownie recipe to see how good the brownies really were.  The recipe, entitled Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies, calls for very simple ingredients:  butter, cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, walnuts, vanilla, and a small amount of flour (small amounts of flour and the absence of milk make the brownies fudgy not cakey). You have these ingredients in your kitchen right now, don't you?

Of course, Food Snob never makes a recipe exactly as written.  EVERY recipe gets adjusted a little to reduce the saturated fat, sugar, and calories without sacrificing the flavor.  Brownies are especially challenging because, let's face it, not much about them is healthy.  However, a LOT about them is delicious, so Food Snob believes in adjusting what she can and then savoring the results in moderation.  If the brownies turned out to be the best she had ever eaten, moderation was going to be difficult.  After all, the headline had warned her that she would be eating the entire tray!

The brownie recipe, even with Food Snob's adjustments, was all it promised it would be.  These brownies are fantastic.  It IS hard not to eat the entire tray.  The secret is to freeze them and take them out one at a time and savor them slowly.  The pleasure lasts longer that way, and you can still indulge without feeling guilty.

Over the next two years, Food Snob tested the brownies against other favorite brownie recipes to see which recipe was better – in every taste trial, the Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Recipe was the winner hands down.  Food Snob made side-by-side comparisons with her own favorite brownie recipes, brownie recipes published in the newspaper and on the internet, and even the Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownie recipe first published in Cooking Light in September 2011.  The Cooking Light recipe, which is very good, was featured as the best chocolate recipe ever during the magazine’s 2012 anniversary year.  Still, the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownie recipe from Bon Appetit was better.  You can view the winning recipe from Cooking Light at this link: Cooking Light Brownie Recipe. 

This past week, and just in time for the Super Bowl, People Magazine and the Denver Post featured John Elway’s favorite brownie recipe, served on the menu at Elway’s restaurant.  See John Elway's Brownie Recipe.  Since she was planning on featuring her brownies in this week’s food blog, Food Snob dutifully baked both recipes:  John Elway’s brownies and the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut brownies.  Family and friends who compared the two brownie recipes nixed John Elway’s recipe, and the Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownie was the runaway favorite from 100 percent of testers hands down (okay, Food Snob only asked five people to test the brownies).  In fairness to John Elway, his recipe does state that the restaurant serves the brownies with ice cream and caramel sauce.  Food Snob’s family had them for dessert one night with ice cream and caramel sauce and we agreed that the brownies were better that way.  Still, we weren’t inclined to “eat the whole tray.”   

So, were you thinking about bringing brownies to a Super Bowl party tomorrow?  Do you want to treat a loved one to something more special than a box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day?  Try this brownie recipe and Food Snob promises that your brownies will be more interesting than the Super Bowl.  Wrap them up in a pretty box and your Valentine will be thrilled with a treat that tastes better than truffles.

A word about brownie mixes.  Do not even THINK about making your brownies from a brownie mix!  Brownie mixes contain all sorts of artificial ingredients to make them shelf stable and they do not taste anywhere near as good as the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies.  The Cocoa Walnut Brownies are fool-proof, require only one pot to mix the batter, and can be in the oven almost as quickly as a mix.  Food Snob refuses to eat brownies from a mix EVER; when she goes to a pot luck she can tell just by looking which brownies are made from a mix and which are not and she stays away from the ones that are made from a brownie mix.  They are not worth the fat and calories. 

There are several secrets to success when making the brownie recipe that follows.  First, the recipe calls for browned butter – browned butter is what gives the brownies such an amazing flavor.  Do not skip this step.  Food Snob has already reduced the amount of butter in the recipe – to reduce it more compromises the flavor.  Second, the recipe asks you to line your pan with foil – leaving several extra inches of foil on each end.  This amazing technique allows you remove the brownies from the pan after they cool, while still in the foil, and after peeling back the foil, create absolutely perfect squares. No sticking to the pan!  Finally, Food Snob has reduced the sugar and the nuts, and cuts the brownies into 24 squares instead of 16 squares.  Smaller brownies are just as satisfying as large brownies and have fewer calories.  These brownies weigh in at 120 calories each, with 2.4 grams saturated fat and 8 grams total fat. 

Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies – makes 24 pieces

Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies are on the left;
Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies from Cooking Light are on the right 

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving a 2 inch overhang.  Coat foil with cooking spray. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place:

5 Tablespoons good quality butter

Melt butter and continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at the bottom of pan, stirring often about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add, stirring until melted:

5 Tablepoons trans fat free spread for baking, such as Smart Balance

When melted, immediately stir into pan:

7/8 cup sugar (3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons)

¾  cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spoon into measuring cup, then level)

2 teaspoons water

¼ slightly rounded teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Let mixture cool about 5 minutes.  Then add, one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition:

2 eggs

When mixture looks thick and shiny, add

1/3 cup flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

Stir until blended.  Beat vigourously 60 strokes.  Stir in:

1 cup walnuts, measured and then chopped coarsely

Once combined, transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes.  Do not overbake  Cool in pan on rack.  Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan.  Cut into 4 strips.  Cut each strip into 6 brownies.  Can be frozen for several weeks – if they last that long!

Now Promise Food Snob that you won't eat the whole tray!  When you try these brownies, comment and let Food Snob know what you think. If you have a favorite brownie recipe, please share!

Next week's blog - skip the restaurants and cook a quick and elegant dinner for your Valentine!  Food Snob supplies the menu; you supply the wine and the candles!

In Love with Leftovers - Braised Chicken with Red Wine

Food Snob is a BIG fan of leftovers - in fact, family members who do not like leftovers are not welcome at Food Snob's dinner table.  For people with limited time to spend in the kitchen - and who wants to spend all day in the kitchen - leftovers can be lifesavers, as long as they are healthy and delicious.

Leftovers can be challenging, however, since many fish, chicken, and meat dishes never taste as good warmed up as they do when they are freshly prepared.  Introducing "Braised Chicken with Red Wine," which is the one of the most incredible chicken dishes I have ever eaten - and it is just as good reheated as it is when freshly cooked.  In fact, the recipe recommends the dish be made ahead and reheated.  This chicken stew reheats well because it uses only chicken thighs or legs - no chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are easily overcooked and do not reheat easily; hence chicken breasts are not good candidates for any stewed or braised dish.  I have served this marvelous winter dish to dinner guests and family members alike and received rave reviews every time.

The recipe for "Braised Chicken with Red Wine" was first published in John Broening's column in the Denver Post in early 2012.  Food Snob is a big fan of both John Broening's Denver restaurants and his weekly column in the Wednesday food section. John recommends seasoning the chicken overnight and cooking it the next day; Food Snob, who is always in a hurry, has seasoned the chicken immediately before cooking and the dish was still delicious.

"Braised Chicken with Red Wine" does not comply with one of Food Snob's most basic recipe requirements - to be able to prepare the dish and get dinner on the table in 45 minutes or less.  The stew requires 1 and 1/2  hours in the oven. However, the dish is quick and easy to prepare, so you can make it during the weekend and enjoy it as a quick meal during weeknights.  So, if the Super Bowl gets boring on Sunday, have these ingredients on hand and you'll have a wonderful meal ready when the game is over - or for supper the rest of the week!

Food Snob has made some adjustments to the original recipe, primarily to (1) reduce the fat, (2) reduce the sodium, and (3) increase the vegetables.  The adjustments have improved the health of the recipe without sacrificing its fantastic flavor.  Comfort food at its best!

Braised Chicken with Red Wine - serves 8 to 12 depending on size of chicken thighs

Overnight, several hours, or right before cooking, combine the following ingredients for the seasoning mix:

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon fennel, crushed with a mortar and pestle or with the side of a knife

Wash, dry, and remove the skin and all visible fat from:

12 large bone-in chicken thighs (purchase natural or organic chicken for the best flavor)

Coat the chicken thoroughly with the seasoning mix.  If you do not plan to cook the chicken right away, refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.  When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat a large Dutch oven (or heavy, oven-safe pot with lid) over medium heat; coat with cooking spray and add a small amount of canola oil - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  When the Dutch oven is hot, dredge the chicken thighs in flour, shake off any excess and brown in the Dutch oven in batches, six at a time.  If you cannot eat gluten, omit the flour. Adjust the temperature of the Dutch oven so that the chicken browns slowly and evenly, but does not burn. Turn the chicken occasionally so that it browns on all sides; add a little more canola oil or cooking spray if needed. If you are in a big hurry, which Food Snob usually is, you can heat both a skillet and the Dutch oven and cook all 12 chicken thighs at the same time.  When the chicken is nicely browned, remove from the Dutch oven and put on a plate or platter (do not stack the thighs).  Add to the Dutch oven:

1 large yellow onion, diced
4 to 5 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut in 1 inch lengths
10 to 12 shitake mushrooms, washed and chopped coarsely

"Sweat" the vegetables over low to medium heat  for about 10 minutes until vegetables soften. (To sweat vegetables, cut a round circle of parchment paper just a little bit smaller than the size of the Dutch oven and cover the vegetables with the parchment paper.  The parchment paper lets the some of the steam escape, but prevents the vegetables from drying out.  For a more complete description of "sweating vegetables," see Food Snob's January 5, 2012 Posting.)  Add:

1 Tablespoon minced or crushed garlic

Cook vegetables for about a minute longer - but do not allow the garlic to brown.   Add:

2 cups red wine

Cook the wine and vegetables until the wine is reduced by about half.  Then add:

1 cup tomato puree
2 cups low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Allow the mixture to return to simmer, then add the chicken back to the Dutch oven.  Cover and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Remove the chicken from the oven. If you want to eat the chicken right away, remove the chicken from the sauce and place it in a casserole or serving dish. Keep warm (you can place the chicken in a 180 degree oven).  Put the Dutch oven and sauce back on the stove and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, to reduce the liquids to a sauce consistency.  Stir in:

1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar (do NOT skip this ingredient - if you don't have sherry vinegar, use  wine vinegar)
16 green olives, cut in half

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta. Cool any leftovers and refrigerate for another meal.

If you decide you don't want to eat the chicken stew right away and you decide to finish the sauce later, you can refrigerate the chicken and sauce after you remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. When ready to eat, reheat the chicken and sauce in the Dutch oven and when the chicken is hot, remove it to a casserole or serving dish and keep warm.  Finish the sauce as described above.

Next Week:  Don't miss the results of Food Snob's Brownie Competition - just in time for Valentine's Day!

Pancakes for Breakfast! The Saturday Morning Comfort Food

It's been freezing here in Denver in January and Food Snob has eaten her way through pot after pot of soup - check out her previous recipes for Red Lentil Soup (February 2, 2012) and Chicken and Barley Soup with Dill and Lemon (March 8, 2012) - she's made both of these in the past two weeks.

Even though the weather has warmed up a bit the past few days, January is the month for comfort food.  Comfort food is especially important in Denver right now, since we are all suffering depression from the Bronco's recent playoff defeat and we need all of the comforting we can get.  "Eating healthy" also tops the list of New Year's Resolutions for many of us, so not just "any" comfort food will suffice; comfort food in January must also be made from healthy ingredients and be low in calories and fat.

Pancakes for breakfast - made from scratch - are one of Food Snob's favorite comfort foods.    Pancakes, which can be healthy and are quick to fix, are served at Food Snob's house every Saturday morning.  Saturday breakfast without pancakes on the table earns glares from Food Snob's family members, who are disappointed with any alternative.  And, what question does Food Snob's husband ask when he wakes up every Saturday morning, guaranteed?   Without exception, he wants to know what kind of pancakes we are having this morning.

Although Food Snob loves to go out for breakfast, she typically stays away from pancakes served at even the best breakfast restaurants.  Pancakes in restaurants are heavy on white carbohydrates and sugar, and portions are too large.  When Food Snob wants pancakes she makes her own.

To boost both the taste and nutrition value of her pancakes, Food Snob has developed recipes that are 100 percent whole-grain, high in protein, and low in sugar and fat.  To do so, she has adopted the following pancake-making rules:

• Eliminate all fat from the recipe (trust me - your pancakes will not stick if you have a good griddle - you can coat the griddle lightly with cooking spray).
• Add protein to your pancake batter - protein helps the pancakes to "stick with you" longer. Eggs, fat-free greek yogurt, and fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese increase the protein and help level out the "insulin spike" you may have when you eat food heavy with carbohydrates and sugar.  Family members who think they don't like yogurt or cottage cheese will never know that they are eating it - and let's just keep that OUR secret (unless the family member is allergic or cannot tolerate dairy products - then eliminating dairy is essential).  Adding a small amount of nuts to the pancakes provides healthy fats, crunch, protein, and great flavor.
• Use whole grains in your batter.  For example, by substituting white flour with whole wheat pastry flour, you can create pancakes that are 100 percent whole grain.
• Top your pancakes with fruit and use syrup sparingly.  Warming the fruit, adding lemon juice, sweetening with a small amount of agave nectar and a bit of no-calorie sweetener such as Splenda or Truvia, if you need it, can create a delicious topping that minimizes the need for syrup.
• Splurge on real maple syrup, and use it sparingly.
• Limit portion size.  Two six-inch pancakes (three or more if you are my son, who can eat more pancakes than anyone I've ever seen) will fill you up and keep you full for hours.

Food Snob uses different pancake recipes depending on the season - a winter favorite is Organic Spelt Pancakes with Berry Compote.  Spelt is an ancient cousin of wheat that is higher in fiber and lower in gluten.  Spelt pancakes are fast, easy, and delicious - you can make these pancakes in about the same time as pancake mix (which, by the way, is not allowed in Food Snob's kitchen).  You can purchase organic spelt flour at your local grocery store and whole wheat pastry flour at Sprouts, Vitamin Cottage, or Whole Foods.  Food Snob serves her pancakes with low-fat organic turkey sausage, meatless sausage patties, or turkey bacon.  One sausage link or patty, or one slice of bacon, provides great satisfaction without overdoing it.  

Here are a few rules on making pancakes from scratch, if you aren't used to doing this:

• Pancakes are a quick bread, so don't over-stir your batter once you add the wet ingredients, all at one time, to the dry ingredients.  Stir gently just until all dry ingredients are moistened and don't worry if the batter isn't perfectly smooth.
• Use an electric griddle, if you have one, set at 375 degrees.  Electric griddles allow you to cook a lot of pancakes at one time and create a consistent, even heat.  If you don't have an electric griddle, you can use a large frying pan.  Heat it on medium heat.  
• Test the griddle by sprinkling with a few drops of cold water before adding your batter.  The drops will spatter and jump if the griddle is hot enough.
• Pour the batter onto the griddle with a measuring cup (Food Snob uses about 1/3 cup to make a 6-inch pancake).  The pancakes will spread out into a six-inch circle if the batter is the right consistency. Top the pancakes with a few nuts, and wait for bubbles to appear on top of the batter.  Flip the pancakes before the bubbles start bursting.  If you wait until the bubbles burst, you will have cooked the pancakes too long. Do not smash the pancakes with the spatula, once you flip them.  A family member, who shall remain unnamed, did this once, to Food Snob's horror!

Food Snob's recipe for Organic Spelt Pancakes was modified from one she found in Bon Appetit magazine.  She reduced the fat and sodium in the recipe and added pecans for crunch.  Here's her recipe:

Organic Spelt Pancakes with Berry Compote - makes 8 to 10 six-inch pancakes

To prepare Berry Compote, place in a medium, microwave safe bowl:

one-half of a 16-ounce bag of frozen triple berry medley (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)

Microwave on high for about two minutes.  Stir the mixture and add:

one 6-ounce container of fresh blackberries, washed

juice from 1/4 of a lemon, freshly squeezed

1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar (may substitute maple syrup)
ground cinnamon, to taste

Taste, and if more sweetness is needed, add a small amount of Splenda, Truvia, sugar, or more agave nectar, depending on your preference.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Set mixture aside while preparing pancake batter.  

To prepare Organic Spelt Pancakes, preheat electric griddle to 375 degrees. Stir together with a whisk in a large bowl:

1 cup organic spelt flour

2 Tablespoons yellow corn meal

1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar (packed)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together:

3 organic, high omega-3 eggs

1 cup rice milk, soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, or skim milk

1/2 cup fat-free greek yogurt

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir together until all dry ingredients are moistened; mixture will not be perfectly smooth.  Do not over mix!

Test griddle with drops of cold water as described above.  Spray griddle lightly with cooking spray.  Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Pour slowly and allow batter to spread evenly. Immediately top each pancake with:

a few pecans, broken into large pieces

When small bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over. Do not wait until the bubbles break.  Cook until brown on the underside. Remove pancakes to individual serving plates, top each pancake with warm berry compote. Serve with warm maple syrup or agave nectar, applied sparingly!  Prepare to be comforted!

Watch for Food Snob's comfort food recipe for next week:  The Best Chicken Stew - perfect for cold January days and equally delicious when served as a leftover meal on another day!