Paddy & Katie's Surprise Chili

We're getting ready for the big Pats v. Jets game tomorrow and making chili. We were inspired after several hours of back-breaking shoveling the other day. 1 1/2 feet of snow in Boston = buried cars. Only the antennas were showing. Anyway, after our hard work, we headed up to Magoun's for a few pints and had a delightful bowl of chili that included...andouille sausage. Aha! Not sure how this wasn't thought of before but it gives a thick chili a hint of gumbo, which is my other favorite meaty stew. What could be better than a combination of the two?? The following recipe was very impromptu - there are a few other unexpected ingredients (a mix of both Guinness AND wine) and it happened to turn out to be the best chili to date! I promise this will not disappoint.

1 1/2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano chili, diced
1/2 container baby bella mushrooms, large dice
1 large jalapeno, diced
1 1/2 large (28 oz) cans tomato (1 can diced, 1/2 can crushed)
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/2 lb sirloin tips, cut into 1/4 in. cubes
1/2 lb 85% lean ground beef
2 (hot dog length) links of andouille sausage
2 italian sausage links - removed from casing
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1/2 can Guinness
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 bottle Ipswich ale (for good measure - because one was open)
2 TB chili powder (or to taste)
1 TB chili flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
lots of salt and pepper
1 cup of corn

1. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot/dutch oven. Add the italian sausage and break up into small pieces as it cooks.

2. Add the sirloin and brown.

3. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Give it a good dose of salt and pepper.

4. Add the andouille and let it cook for about 5 min.

5. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and garlic, except the corn. Let it saute in the juices of the meat until soft.

6. Add tomato paste and incorporate well with vegetables.

7. Add the meat back to the pot and mix well.

8. Add the Guinness and wine (and Ipswich if you happen to have it :)

9. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. reduce to medium-high and simmer until the liquid is reduced to half, stirring every minute or so.

10. Add canned tomato, beans, corn, and spices.

11. Let it bubble for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

12. Cover and reduce to low. Let it simmer for another 2 hrs or so, stirring once and a while.

*serve with LOTS of melted cheddar cheese on top!

Homemade Ricotta

More cheese! I love ricotta and over the past couple of years I've been splurging on 'homemade' ricotta from the two Italian specialty shops here in Davis Sq. It makes such a difference - it's creamier, softer, and just has an overall marshmellowyness that the grocery store brands don't even come close to. The problem is - it's ridiculously expensive...and, it's not quite 'homemade' when it's made in someone else's home!

So, this is Barbara Lynch's recipe - it's incredibly easy, just takes a watchful eye.

**You need a candy thermometer for this - they're about five bucks at the grocery store or hardware store. You also need cheesecloth.

1 gallon of whole milk
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tb salt

1. Line a footed colander with two layers of cheesecloth and put it in your kitchen sink.

2. In a pot (spaghetti/pasta pot is the right size), combine all three ingredients and clip the thermometer to the pot.

3. Heat over medium-low heat and stir *continuously* until the temperature climbs to 140 degrees. Don't rush this by turning up the heat! It takes about 20 minutes. Not much will happen, just keep stirring!

4. When temp reaches 140, stop stirring and let sit until it reaches 175 degrees. This will take another 10-20 minutes. When temp reaches 175, immediately take off the heat - and don't let it get above 180. At this point, the curds form.

5. Gently scoop off the curds with a large spoon and put in the colander. Let it drain in the sink for about an hour until it's soft and spreadable. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will be.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. It will keep for up to a week.

Pear and Scallion Ravioli

I recently took a cooking class at the Elephant Walk in Cambridge. It was fabulous. Nyep, the owner, is an incredibly interesting woman with a remarkable story. She brought us back into their kitchen and let us loose with a few of her delicious recipes. This sweet and savory ravioli was particularly tasty as it's a great appetizer or party nibble.

2 medium pears, unpeeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 cubes
2 TB olive oil, plus 1/4 cup of olive oil for frying
3 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 pack of wonton wrappers
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp water

1. Heat 2-3 TB of olive oil in a large sautee pan until hot. Add diced pear and a pinch of salt and sautee until soft - about 5 min. Add the scallion and sautee for another 10-15 min. until soft but not mushy. Remove from heat.

2. Beat the egg and the water to make an egg wash.

3. Put one small spoonful of the pear mixture onto each wonton and fold over, forming a triangle. Brush a bit of egg wash on the edges to seal.

3. Put the sautee pan back on the heat and coat with olive oil. Heat to medium high and fry each of the raviolis until they are crispy and golden on each side.

4. Place them on paper towels to drain the extra oil.

Prosciutto and Fontina Pinwheels

Yes, it's fontina again, my most beloved cheese. Now that it's the holiday season, it's always good to have a few very easy and quick nibbles on hand. These are good as a snack or as an appetizer, great for parties and totally addictive.

One package of puff pastry - thawed but still cold
About 6 slices of prosciutto
1 cup shredded fontina (you could use asiago, parmesan, romano...)
1 egg beaten with 1 1/2 tsp water

Heat oven to 375.

1. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to about 10 x 15in rectangle. Halve it lengthwise.

2. Top the pastry with prosciutto and then the fontina, leaving about 1/2 in. border on the far edge (you'll need this extra pastry edge to seal the roll).

3. Carefully roll up the pastry from the long side (you'll get about 2-3 times around (if you roll from the short edge, they'll be huge). Roll the dough as tightly as you can.

4. Brush the end border with the egg wash and seal.

5. Wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for a half hour so that it firms up.

6. Remove from fridge/freezer and plastic and slice 1/4 in. rounds. Place each spiral on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Ooey Gooey BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

There are dozens of bbq sauces in the grocery store, but it's surprisingly easy to make! Use this recipe as a base and change it up according to what you're in the mood for - sometimes I use fresh ginger to brighten it up, more or less vinegar changes the zing factor, and additions such as Worcestershire or A1 are good too!

BBQ Sauce:
3 TB ketchup
1 TB cider vinegar
1 TB mustard
1 TB molasses
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Leftover roast chicken, pulled from the bone...amount depends on how monstrous you like your sandwiches. You can always save the leftover bbq sauce for something else.

Dill pickles - sandwich or round cut.
Bulky sandwich rolls
Cole slaw

1. Put the bbq sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Throw in the chicken and let it bubble for about 10 minutes.

2. Assemble your sandwiches with the pickles on top.

BONUS FLAVOR: add cole slaw into your sandwich. Don't have any?? Mix 3 cups of shredded, bagged cabbage with 1/4 cup mayo, 1 TB cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, or until the cabbage softens and absorbs some of the juices. The creaminess of the cole slaw goes great with the bbq!

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

This quiche is always a hit. I think it's the fontina, one of my most favorite cheeses. There are few things easier to make than a quiche and they always seem much more sophisticated than they really are. It's especially easy if you use a store-bought frozen crust. I won't say anything about those (a-hem!), so I'll refer you to my fool proof crust recipe...just cut it in half: Fool Proof Crust

1 pie crust (refrigerated store-bought, or homemade rolled out and ready to go)
2 TB (1/4 stick) butter
2/3 cup chopped shallots (I don't like using onions - they overpower the quiche)
5 cups sliced assorted mushrooms (use shitakes - no stems! and baby bellas if you can)
4 large eggs
1 cup milk (use at least 2% if you can)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg (if you have it)
1 1/2 cups grated fontina

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Place crust in dish (use a deep dish) and poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown. **REDUCE heat to 325.

3. Melt butter in a skillet and add shallots. Saute until softened and then add the mushrooms. Cook until tender and beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate and cool slightly.

4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper and nutmeg. Stir in 1 cup of the fontina and add the mushroom/shallot mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

5. Pour filling into crust and bake for about 45 minutes until puffed, golden brown and just set in the center.

Coconut Layer Cake

Have I mentioned lately that I love all things coconut? I'm all over anything that smells like a bottle of suntan lotion. And coconut + cake? Even better! Here's a simple cake recipe that actually takes a fraction of the usual layer cake time. The secret is in the very thin cake layers which allow for quick cooling. And more layers = more opportunities for frosting. Everybody wins!

*This recipe makes about three 1-inch cake layers. Add to make more!

Vanilla Cake

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (don't have self-rising flour? Use 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus 2 1/4 tsp baking powder, plus 1/4 tsp salt)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (still needed even if you use substitution above!)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly butter three round cake pans. Nonstick pans come in very handy since the cake layers will be thin and fragile. (If you only have two, you can reuse one once the first two are out of the oven, it won't take long!)

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flours (and other dry ingredients if you substituted). Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated, but don't overbeat!

6. Pour a third of the batter into each cake pan. You should have a very thin layer (1/2 inch or so).

7. Place the cakes in the oven and watch them! They will only take 5-10 minutes depending on thickness and your oven. Have a toothpick ready to test - they're done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When baking thin layers like this, they'll likely bubble a bit like a pancake. Remove when just cooked through or else they'll come out like crunch cookies :)

Cream Cheese Coconut Frosting

2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened and cut into smallish pieces
6 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups shredded coconut

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth on medium speed. Add the vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Taste as you go, the sugar can be cut or added depending on preference. Add 1 1/2 cups of the coconut and mix to blend.

2. Ice your cake and sprinkle the remaining coconut on top.