Beer for Dinner

• 4 ounces butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• Salt
• Cayenne
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated
• Dash hot red pepper sauce
• Tempura Broccoli Florets, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Tempura Broccoli Florets:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup seltzer water
• 8 fresh broccoli florets, blanched
• Salt and cayenne

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes to make a blond roux. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.
2. Stir in the beer and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the milk and cheese. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and hot sauce.
3. Reduce the heat and keep warm. To serve, ladle the soup into each bowl. Garnish with the Tempura Florets and parsley.

Tempura Broccoli Florets:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, egg, and seltzer water. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Season with salt and cayenne. Dip each floret into the batter, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the battered broccoli to the oil and fry until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serves 8

Thanks to Tarah

Labels: broccoli, butter, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, cornstarch, eggs, flour, hotsauce, milk, onions, parsley, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Bob’s Chili Con Carne with Habanero and Beans
version 10

Makes around six bowls of chili.

In addition to the usual kitchen hardware you will need:

• a crockpot, slow cooker or simmering element. A regular stove boiler element is generally too hot.

You will need the following ingredients:

• 800 mg of lean (but not extra lean) ground beef (about 28 ounces)
• 800 ml of crushed tomatoes (about 28 fl oz.)
• 540 ml tin of mixed beans (20 fl oz.) If you are in Canada, you won’t go wrong with the Unico version of this. In a pinch, a tin of kidney beans will do
• 1 medium sized onion (I like red, but any onion will do)
• 3 tbsp of bacon fat recovered from salt-reduced bacon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (or half a bulb of very finely chopped garlic)
• 3 tbsp of New Mexican chilli powder (regular American style works OK too)
• 1 tbsp (or so) of dry oregano. I’ve never measured out oregano in my life, prefering instead to throw it in by the pinch. But this is around the amount I’m using
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper. About eight full grinds of the pepper mill ought to do it
• 2 big habanero peppers. Scotch bonnets can be used instead for their heat, but won’t impart the flavour we’re after.
• 125 ml of water (about 1/2 of a cup)

Now I know what you are thinking, “¿dos habaneros? ¿está él loco?“* Keep reading and you’ll find out how we control the heat from the habanero.

Traditional chili recipes call for suet, but the bacon fat adds a most interesting flavour. Besides, you’ll get to eat a bunch of bacon sometime before this — ain’t nothing wrong with that! Bacon fat will keep for months in the fridge, so don’t feel as if you have to cook it the night before. The easiest way to get it is to cook a quarter kilo of bacon in a frypan until it is brown, not black, then pour off the excess fat into a ramekin. Cover the ramekin and put it in the fridge. Any chunks will settle to the bottom, leaving clean white bacon fat at the top. Use only the top two thirds of the fat — chuck the rest. It is important to use salt-reduced bacon, not just because it’s better for you, but to control the amount of salt. Crushed tomatoes have salt, the beans have salt, and the beef has salt. Add to this some regular bacon fat, and you will have a chili that tends to be too salty. You can add more salt if you like, but you can never take salt away, so we err on the side of caution here.

This recipe should fill your average crockpot maybe three quarters of the way up. Set your slow cooker to “Auto” or your stove to low. Chili has to be carefully simmered or it will burn and taste funny. If you see little bubbles at the sides of the pot (slow cooker) or a few in the middle every second (stove top), this is good. If the top is vigorously bubbling like a young pasta sauce — too hot. Cook the beef and put it, along with any fat it yields, into the slow cooker along with the bacon fat, and the tomatoes. Chop up the onion and throw it in there too. Most brands of crushed tomatoes don’t have enough water in them so add some or all of the water until the chili thins out to the consistency of a smoother pasta sauce — thick enough to draw a shape in, but not thick enough to form big mounds. What I like to do is add the water to the empty can of tomatoes and swish it about to get leftover tomato off the sides. Stir all of it up well and then leave it alone for about an hour or so. This will bring it up to temperature and melt the bacon fat.

Now throw in the rest of the ingredients except for the habaneros and the beans. Stew for around 4-5 hours, stirring once an hour, or whenever you feel like it. Get the stirring done fast so as to not lose too much heat.

I imagine you are wondering about the habanero… so tasty… but so hot! How do we control the heat? If we chopped them up fine and threw them in at the beginning, we would extract all of the capsaicin from them and the chili would be too hot for most. So we’re not going to do that. Instead, we are going to use the pepper itself as a kind of bouquet garnee. About halfway through that 4 to 5 hours, take the habaneros and cut through them twice, about three quarters of the way up along their length, leaving the top intact. This allows flavour to flow out of the pepper, but leaves them big enough to find later. Drop them in. Getting flavour from a habanero this way takes at least an hour, so on the next stir, break out your spoon and give your chili a taste. There should be a delightful floral-like smell and a slight fruit flavour as well as some heat. If it is hot enough for you, fish out the habaneros, gently shake the chili off of them, and throw them away. If you are like me and like lots of heat, leave them in until the end. If one of your habaneros is missing a quarter, don’t freak out, all you have to do is get most of it out to control the heat.

In the last hour or so, drain and stir in the beans. Tinned beans are already soaked and slightly mushy, so all you have to do is get them in there to absorb some flavour. Don’t drain the beans completely, in fact, adding a a tablespoon or so of the bean juice is often not a bad idea, as the slow cooker may have lost too much moisture over the last few hours. Nearing the end of the cooking we are expecting the chili to get stiffer, but no too stiff. When hot you should be able to pull a decent rounded spoonful from your bowl, but not ice cream sized chunks.

And that’s it. Spoon it into a bowl and enjoy!

Thanks to cobolhacker

Labels: bacon, beans, beef, cayenne, chili, chilipowder, cumin, garlic, habanero, onion, oregano, tomatoes

Posted by Steve at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 tablespoons anise seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (I omitted this as those are expensive, and it still tastes and smells good)
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
• 8 skinless chicken thighs
• Salt
• 1 cup shelled fava beans
• 1/2 cup fresh peas
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound button mushrooms halved
• 8 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• One 12-ounce bottle belgian beer
• 1/2 cup heavy cream.
• 1/4 cup coarsley chopped flat parsley.

In a small skillet, toast the anise seeds over moderate heat, shaking the skillet until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let the seeds cool slightly, and then crush with the side of a knife.

In a mini food processor, combine the seeds, garlic, saffron (if using), paprika, anc cayenne. Add the lemon juice and puree. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl and stir in 1/2 cup olive oil.. Ad dthe chicken thighs and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the chicken is marinating, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add salt and the fava beans, and cook for one minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fava beans to a small bowl and cool slightly. Add the peas to the boiling water and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the peas. Peel the fava beans and add to the peas.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, scraping off the excess. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and cook over moderatley high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.

Wipe out the casserole, add the butter and heat until melted. Add the mushrooms, sliced scallions, and cook over moderate heat sirring occasionally, until any liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the beer, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the casserole.

Return the chicken thighs to the casserole and season wth salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Add the cream, fava beans, and peas, increase the heat to moderate, and cook uncovered until the sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.

Labels: beans, butter, cayenne, chicken, cream, flour, garlic, lemon, mushrooms, oliveoil, paprika, parsley, peas, saffron, scallions, stew, thyme

Posted by Steve at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

312 Beer Cheese Soup w/ Brie, Chorizo and Manchego

• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 2 cups of thinly sliced celery
• 6 pack of 312 Beer (2 bottles for the soup and the other 4 for you!)
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of ground coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 pound of cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 pound of brie cheese, sliced (leave the rind on)
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 8 cups water or stock
• Mexican-style chorizo, cooked and drained very well (or Soyrizo)
• Shredded manchego cheese

Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add the onion, celery, fennel, cumin, coriander and crushed red pepper. Sautee on medium heat and stir frequently until everything is caramelized, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring constantly. Add the beer! Stir and scrape the bottom of the stockpot to deglaze the pan (all that stuck-on stuff is really flavorful and you want in the soup, not stuck to the pan). Add the water/stock and bring everything to a light boil. Add the cheddar and brie cheese and stir to combine. Lower the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup for one to two hours on low heat and stir occasionally to blend the melted cheese into the broth.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a bit of chorizo and shredded manchego cheese.

Thanks to Gaper's Block

Labels: brie, butter, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, chorizo, cumin, fennel, flour, oliveoil, onions, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup pale ale or nut brown ale
• 8 ounces (approximately 2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 1-inch slices good-quality bread, toasted

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and cayenne until smooth. Add ale and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the flavor of the alcohol. Over very low heat, gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth; this will take 4 to 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Thanks to Oregon Live

Labels: bread, butter, cayenne, cheddar, cheese, flour, mustard, worcestershiresauce

Posted by Steve at 1:04 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cans Great northern beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 med. onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, Minced
• 8 oz. Salsa Verde
• 2 tsp or more ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 cups canned chicken broth
• 1 can beer
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste
• 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese
• Sour cream and salsa

Place chicken in large sauce pan. Add cold water to cover and bring to simmer. Cool until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool, cut into small pieces.

In large pot saute onions in oil until translucent. Stir in garlic, salsa verde, and seasonings and saute a couple of minutes.

Add beans, broth, and beer. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken meat and 1 cup of cheese, stir until the cheese is melted and the chicken warmed through.

Season with salt to taste. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Thanks to WhiplashGirlchild

Labels: beans, cayenne, cheese, chili chicken, cloves, cumin, garlic, hot, onions, salsa, sourcream, stock

Posted by Steve at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (e.g., Guinness)
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 tableespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.

Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Thanks to ritten

Labels: beef, carrot, cayenne, flour, garlic, onions, parsley, stew, thyme, tomoto paste

Posted by Steve at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1/2 lb ground meat (I usually use buffalo, venison, or elk)
• 12oz Beer (I prefer a dark ale)
• 24oz chunky tomato sauce
• 2 green, red, or yellow peppers (diced)
• 1 small chili pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 Large carrot (diced)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2-3 stalks of celery (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 C beans cooked or canned
• 1T ground cumin
• 1t chili powder or even cayenne powder
• salt to taste
• water or broth to use if a thinner consistency is desired

Brown the meat in a large pan. For a little extra flavour sprinkle some cumin, salt, and even garlic powder in the meat while cooking it. If using a very low-fat meat a little olive oil helps it to cook nicely. Remove the meat and set aside (refrigerator)

Add all the vegetables and spices (not the beans) to the pot. Add the beer. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften, 30 minutes or so. Then add the tomato sauce and simmer awhile longer. If needed add some water or broth.

When the flavor and texture are near the desired result add the beans and meat. Perfect hearty chili for cold winter nights.

Thanks to burdockboy

Labels: beans, beef, carrot, cayenne, celery, chili, cumin, garlic, onion, peppers, stock, tomatoes

Posted by Steve at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 12-ounce bottle of beer (not dark)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 lemon wedges
• 3 dozen mussels, scrubbed well in several changes of water with the beards scraped off
• minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

In a large pot, bring the beer to a boil with the bay leaves, the cloves, the coriander seeds, the mustard seeds, the cayenne, the salt, and the lemon wedges and boil the mixture, covered partially, for two minutes. Add the mussels, steam them, covered, over moderately high heat, stirring once or twice, for 4 to 7 minutes, or until they are opened, and discard any unopened ones. Serve the mussels sprinkled with the parsley.

Serves 6 as an appetizer, about 3 as a main. Don't forget the crusty bread to sop up the juices!

Thanks to Bay of Fundy Blog

Labels: cayenne, lemon, mussels

Posted by Steve at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground sirloin (or beef chuck, trimmed, if you prefer)
• 6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small can of green chili’s
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 tablespoons ground cumin
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 - 8 dashes cayenne pepper, more if desired
• 2 (12 ounce) cans beer
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with puree
• 1 large tomato - coarsely chopped
• 3 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
• Red onions, chopped, for garnish
• Limes, wedged, for garnish
• Oyster crackers or sliced baguette, for garnish

In a 5 quart pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the meat. Add the garlic and onion, cook until soft. Return the meat to the pot. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne, 1 can of beer (use rule #486; one for the pot, one for me…), green chili’s, crushed tomatoes and coffee. Simmer uncovered at a low temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occassionally. Don’t let it dry out, add beer as necessary (see rule #486). Add chopped tomato, kidney beans and second can of beer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, squeeze of lime, or chopped red onions. Or all of the above.

Thanks to Common Place Book

Labels: beans, beef, cayenne, cheese, chili, coffee, cumin, garlic, onion, oregano, sourcream, tomatoes

Posted by Steve at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 cups Amstel Light
• 3 lbs. grated Gouda
• 3 lbs. grated smoked Gouda
• 6 tsp. dry mustard powder
• Pinch Cayenne
• 6 tbs. corn starch

Crush cloves in large sauce pot

Add Amstel Light and slowly warm to simmer

Gradually add cheese and stir continuously

Slurry (add water until paste-like) mustard powder, add water if needed for texture

Add in Cayenne

Slurry cornstarch and add until desired thickness

Use thick bamboo skewers and serve with grilled crusty bread and pretzel sticks, apple wedges, radishes, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes... anything you think tastes better covered in cheese.


Thanks to The Bachelor Guy

Labels: cayenne, cheese, fondue, garlic, gouda, hot, mustard

Posted by Steve at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 4 smoked turkey legs
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 large can of puréed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (14 ounces)
• 2 cans of kidney beans (15 ounces)
• 1/2 of a beer or 3/4 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Hungarian paprika
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder

The problem with just substituting ground turkey for ground beef in most chili recipes is that turkey doesn't have the same rich flavor that beef does. Which means that the chili just ends up a bit bland. By substituting meat from smoked turkey legs (which you can either smoke yourself or find at the grocery already smoked) you add back some hearty flavor while still cutting down on fat content. The addition of more spices and herbs will also help carry the flavor over to this healthier version of chili.

Remove the skin from the turkey and discard (while it is flavorful, it is high in fat). Chop the meat and discard any bits of bone or cartilage. Place a dutch oven or large skillet over medium high heat and add the bell pepper, onion and olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is soft. Add the garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, or just until you can start to smell it. If you plan on cooking this in your slow cooker, you can now turn your cooker on and add the contents of your skillet. If you're cooking this in the dutch oven on your stovetop, lower the heat to medium low.

Add the tomato products and stir. Open the cans of kidney beans and drain and rinse them. Add them and all the other ingredients in the cooking vessel. Stir to combine, cover and let cook. If cooking in the slow-cooker, your chili will be done in about 2 hours if cooked on high, or 4 hours if cooked on low. If cooking on the stove, it will be done in 1 1/2 hours over medium low or 2 1/2 hours over low.

It's even better to make the chili the day before and store it in the friedge to be warmed up the next day. To cool it quickly, place ice from several trays in your sink. Fill your storage container or containers with chili, then nestle them into the ice and then add water until at least 1/2 but no more than 3/4 of the dishes are underwater. Let them rest until the ice melts and stir the chili occasionally to cool it evenly. Once it's cool to the touch you can cover them and place them in your refrigerator. The next day, pour the chili back into your slow-cooker or dutch oven and cook on low for 30 minutes to an hour or until it's steaming and warmed through. The flavor will be significantly better, and you'll be able to taste it to determine if you need to adjust the spices or add salt or sugar.
Serves 8-12.

Thanks to Gapers Block

Labels: beans, brownsugar, cayenne, chili, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, honey, hot, onion, paprika, stock, tomatoes, turkey

Posted by Steve at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) ale
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 3/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in milk and stock. bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Return the mixture to the pot and set over medium heat. Add the ale, Worcestershire and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more; do not allow the soup to boil. Season with salt and cayenne. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6. Thanks to Cooking in KC

Labels: butter, carrot, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, flour, milk, mustard, onion, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1 package chicken thighs (6 count)
• 1/2 package Hilshire Farms Polish Kielbasa (or other smoked sausage), sliced
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 large white onions, chopped (DO NOT use a food processor)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 2 cups white rice (regular white rice. NOT Minute rice!!!)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 12oz beer (Budweiser works fine)
• flour to coat chicken
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• A handful of chopped parsley (hard to put too much)
• Salt to taste
• Lots of cayenne pepper

Start off by washing the chicken and placing it skin side down on a plate (you can remove the skin if you want). Now, depending on how spicy you want it, coat the chicken with Cayenne pepper until very red (I use a LOT of Cayenne in mine). Don't worry about getting it too hot, since this is the majority of the pepper you are going to add and it will cook into the rest of the dish. Turn the chicken pieces over and lightly coat the skin side. Let sit for 15 minutes or so to soak it all up.

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large heavy cast iron or aluminum pot (don't use thin aluminum or stainless steel since the rice will tend to stick and burn if you're not really careful). Place the flour in a paper bag (season the flour lightly with salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, etc). Place a couple of pieces of chicken at a time into the bag and shake to coat.

Fry the chicken in the oil until golden brown. Don't worry about cooking it all the way through just yet. Remove the chicken. Now place the onions, celery, garlic and bellpepper into the pot (along with a bit more oil if necessary) and saute them until the onions are transparent, scraping the bottom of the pot often. Add the rosemary, thyme and parsley and cook for a minute or so.

Place the sausage slices, chicken, and a little water into the pot and mix well with the vegetables. Turn heat low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes (until the chicken is tender). Stir the mixture frequently, always scraping the bottom to keep things from burning (break the chicken up a bit with the spatula as it cooks. It should break up naturally as the dish cooks, but this just helps things a little).

When the chicken is cooked, add the washed rice and stir it into everything for a couple of minutes. Pour the warm beer and the water in and stir things for another minute or so. Taste it at this point and adjust the salt if necessary. Now, keeping the heat low, cover the pot and cook until the rice is tender (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). Stir the mixture every now and then, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Thanks to joyofcookingguide.com

Labels: cayenne, celery, chicken, garlic, hot, kielbasa, onions, peppers, rice, sausage

Posted by Steve at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post