Jamie Oliver's on Another Mission

It's no secret that I'm a huge Jamie Oliver fan. I've written about a few of his projects, waxed on about his books, and recreated many of his recipes. Now he's made it to the cover of today's NY Times, Sunday Magazine with a great article about his newest venture...well, read the article! You can even check out his achievements.

Naturally there were a couple of "easy peasy" recipes for us from Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals ...

Chili Con Carne and Mini-Shell Pasta with Smoked Bacon & Peas.

Which is my perfect segue before heading out to enjoy this glorious day....Abby of Eat the Right Stuff is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night. She's also doing it for the second time and I know we can count on her for a delightful roundup. Please be sure to help her out. Send all your amazing dishes to: abby (at) eattherightstuff (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email. November and beyond are wide open. What are you waiting for...it's great fun and a fabulous way to get introduced to other awesome bloggers.

Thanks again, everyone for a truly wonderful roundup this week. Couldn't do it without you all!

Company's Coming and Best Balsamic Apple Cider Vinegar

The sun is shining, the market was perfect...except for one duo that sounded like they were torturing cats...but I won't dwell on that. I really didn't need a ton of things...obviously I had to buy some croissants and just look at this awesome crown of pain d'epi...

...so gorgeous and it probably won't even make it to dinner. I'm envisioning a relaxing afternoon after all the chores and running around....munching some of my favorite Ran-Cher goat cheeses smothered over chunks of fresh bread...but I digress....

We're having good friends over to enjoy some conversation, good wine and dinner. I actually prepared the main course yesterday. Although winter is officially gone and the sun is shining brightly, it's still cold enough for gloves and a leather jacket. So dinner will be a family favorite....

Chorizo & Bean Chili

Jalapeno Corn Bread

and Katherine Hepburn Brownies with some ice cream.

I'm even adding a new dish to the mix...Crunchy Cucumber & Red Pepper Salad with Cumin & Fresh Mint...from a gorgeous new cookbook...Once Upon a Tart ....but more about those in another post.

And what does all this have to do with going to the market and the photo at the top of the page?

Well, the secret ingredient to this chili is the Balsamic apple cider vinegar from Boates farms. I usually buy a couple of bottles in the Fall when we go to apple picking in the Annapolis Valley and the chili used up the last of my supply. This vinegar truly makes the best salad dressing ever. Drizzle a little with some almond oil over mixed spring greens and you'll have everyone licking the bowl clean and asking what you did to make it so tasty.

This morning, I was a little worried when Mr Elderkin himself (it's at his orchard that I usually buy the vinegar) told me he had run out...although I did buy a bag of beautiful honey crisp apples from him. Fingers crossed and breath held, I headed directly over to the Boates Farm stand and lo and behold...the last two bottles were sitting on the counter. I even was nice enough to leave one bottle behind for someone else to enjoy.

Now it's on to the rest of this glorious day, but what's your favorite "secret" local ingredient that you can't live without?

No Pasta Tonight

The magazine is open to the right page. The garlic, fresh basil and butter are sitting on the counter. The shrimps are in the freezer and the pancetta in the fridge, but tonight's pasta is on hold.

Why...you ask? Because I'm a genius. First let me say that it is -7C (19F) with a windchill of -25C(-13F) and yes it matters if you have to leave your windows open. So who in their right mind would do something that forces you to leave the windows open? That would be me. I chose today to stain my bookcase. I definitely need more shelves in the living room...all those cookbooks and food magazines in piles on the floor are driving me mad. We did some furniture rearranging on the weekend and now I can't stop myself.

By tomorrow, I'll be a happy lady and perhaps by the weekend, I'll even have everything set up. But tonight, I have that polyurethane film lining my nose and that's all I can smell.

So tonight's dinner....Choc Chip Chili from the freezer. Hopefully the robust flavors will make it past the poly smell.

Don't forget to send me your entry for the 100 Presto Pasta Night Celebration by Thursday. Just email the recipe if you don't have a blog of your own and I'll post it for you. Email: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com. And don't forget to tell your friends to join in the fun too.

Saturday - Part Two

After a lovely breakfast, we actually did venture outdoors for some fresh (seriously fresh) air and a splurge at our favorite magazine store - Atlantic News, where they have tons of fabulous foodie magazines - domestic and imported. I picked up three of my favorites: Fine Cooking, Saveur and, from Down Under - Delicious - Australia with plans to blog in front of the tv, pick an old movie to watch and flip through them all.

And...welcome to my wacky world - three great gourmet magazines and what did we choose to have for lunch....hot dogs & Heinz baked beans. I did add some Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar & some garlic powder, but still.

I do make a mean Chorizo & Bean Chili that is absolutely fantastic, but it takes 2 hours. And besides, some days you really just want to return to your childhood...a time with no cares, and something your mother used to whip up. And I'm embarrassed to say...I still crave it from time to time.

So what's your guilty pleasure from your childhood?

Forgetting my Own Golden Rule About Spices

Not too long ago, I wrote about Nigella's latest book - Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities. After all, even if you don't celebrate Christmas, there's Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and just generally getting in the holiday spirit, there are recipes here for everyone.

This time of year, in addition to it being time for folks to drop by and hang out, it's also getting to be very, very wintery. I love to have a hearty soup or stew in the fridge or freezer for just such occasions...or no occasion at all...and Nigella's Choc Chip Chili is perfect. I mean, seriously - my favorite chorizo and chocolate chips in the same recipe...come on!

That said, I forgot my own words of wisdom about heat in a dish....one word...taste! This dish has three sources of heat...the chorizo sausages (everyone makes them differently and I should have just fried up a thin slice to get a sense of things, but ....nooooo), a fresh red chili (but not knowing which is which, and how hot/not so hot...well, see above, again, I didn't taste), dried crushed chili pepper flakes (at least I didn't add these).

Truthfully, this is an awesome dish and I will definitely be making it again. Hopefully, I will do some tasting along the way. It's much easier to ADD heat at the end of cooking than to take it away.

What's your trick after over spicing things up?

Chorizo & Bean Chili and Another Favorite Toy

I’ll be honest, this is not my most favorite time of year. There are more leaves on the ground than in the trees (and they’re not so crisp after all the rain and wind we’ve had lately). The colors have mostly faded to varying shades of yellow – greenish yellow, orangey yellow, and even a pale yellow that’s almost translucent. That said, it’s breathtaking – literally – when a vibrant patch of red shows up. The sky, even when it’s sunny has a grayish color to it, and don’t even get me started on how early night falls around here….all signs that winter is not far off.

All that’s true but I do love late Fall for the slow cooking – lots of stews and chilies and soups. It’s been a while since I’m mentioned any more favorite kitchen toys and I realized that my beautiful Copco Dutch oven (made in Denmark) has been sitting on my stove for the last week or so and will stay there for many months to come. It was one of my first “fancy” pots bought too many years ago to mention. It’s porcelain coated cast iron, cobalt blue on the outside and white on the inside (to always showoff the food) and it still looks brand new. I love the weight of it, the pure gorgeous colors (it goes right to the table to impress everyone). The fact that nothing sticks and it’s so easy to clean is an added bonus.

This week I’ve already made an easy (well just about everything I make is easy) tomato based oven stew with chunks of beef , mushrooms, onions, carrots and potatoes; my family’s favorite chili with red kidney beans and a mixture of ground (I know, I know there are many of you chili fans who think it’s sacrilege to use ground meat) pork and beef; and one with cured chorizo sausages and three kinds of beans in a truly awesome sauce. I’m still testing for the cookbook and I’m hoping to have an e-version ready before the holidays.

Just to whet your appetites, here’s the recipe for

Chorizo & Bean Chili
From Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 - 1.5 hours
Serves 8 and freezes well

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz/200 g cured Chorizo sausages, thinly sliced
2 ½ cups onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup dark molasses
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Chipotle chili powder or mashed canned chipotle in adobo sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup Cider vinegar
¼ tsp each ground cloves & ground allspice
1/3 cup bottled chili sauce
1 (159oz/540 ml) can each Black beans, Kidney beans, and Pinto beans, rinsed & drained
chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325ºF/170°C.

2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté 2 minutes. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients, adding beans last. Mix well.

3. Bake uncovered for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. Taste after 30 minutes or so and adjust seasonings as required.

All you need is some crusty bread and a salad and you’re all set.