Recipe: Chile Con Carne

Chile Con Carne

Yield: serves 8

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced

1 1/2 pound ground beef

1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Tablespoons chile powder

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 cup V8 juice

2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes

2 cans of beans (kidney beans and chick peas work well), drained and rinsed

Tabasco to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat oil until hot, but not smoking.  Sauté chopped onions, peppers and garlic until soft.  Add the ground beef, and cook until completely browned.  Drain excess fat from the beef/vegetable mixture.

Sprinkle chili powder and cumin over the beef.  After spices are well combined, add V8 juice and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste.

Simmer mixture on low heat for approximately 90 minutes.

Add beans to the pot.  Simmer an additional 20 minutes, or until completely heated through.

Serve over white rice.  

Recipe: Braised Beef Short Ribs

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Yield: Serves 6 

Ingredients

 5 lbs beef short ribs

 all purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging

 olive oil for frying

 1/2 pound slab bacon, cubed, and fried until crisp (save rendered fat for later use)

 6 cloves of garlic, chopped

 2 large onions (about 16 oz), peeled and chopped

 6 carrots, peeled and sliced

 small bunch of fresh rosemary

 1 1/2 cups beef stock

 1 1/2 cups red wine

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Dredge ribs in seasoned flour, knocking off excess.  Heat olive oil in a heavy, oven proof pan until hot (but not smoking). Brown short ribs in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan.  Transfer short ribs as browned with tongs to a large plate. 

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Cook onion, carrots and garlic over moderate heat, stirring until lightly browned.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add bacon, rosemary, stock and wine to the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits adhered to the pan.

Return ribs to the pan, placing them in a single layer. (Liquid will not completely cover the ribs.)  Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Braise the ribs approximately 3 hours, or until fork tender. 

Transfer ribs with tongs to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.  Poor cooking liquid through a fine sieve set over a saucepan. Discard solids and skim excess fat from cooking liquid.  If desired, the liquid can be thickened with 1 tablespoon tomotoe paste and/or a flour slurry.  Serve sauce on the side.