Recently in Slowcooker / Crockpot

Her on-line cooking shows were funny and entertaining and random friends started suggesting she try out for The Next Food Network Star.  Aarti wasn’t convinced but her husband said, “You have nothing to lose. Just send in a video and see what happens.”  Two months later she received a response and with it came with a commitment.  She said, “They told me if we pick you, you have to do this. It’s a good thing they told me that because I probably would have quit.” She was excited and terrified and remembers crying in fear the day the car pulled up in front of her apartment to take her to the airport.

Aarti’s lack of confidence was a focus during the Next Food Network Star episodes.  I found that ironic.  How was she supposed to gain confidence when constantly reminded she lacks it? She acknowledged that she has always had a confidence issue.  During the show she continually questioned whether she deserved to be a contestant. However, she continued to win more cooking challenges then any other contestant on the show.  And over time and with continuous praise about her food from the celebrity judges, her confidence improved. She said . . .

“I went from filming in my kitchen… on my time… with my husband to the intense pressure of Food Network.  You have to be a really bold person to do Food Network. Some people can do it.  And others can’t.  You have to produce outstanding food and make people believe what you’re saying at the same time.  It’s a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy.”

It was evident when Aarti won that she did have what it takes to be on Food Network.  “Aarti
has that all-too-rare combination we seek in our stars; a passionate food expert who is warm, radiant, fun, and relatable,” said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Programming & Production of Food Network.  “Aarti also brings a new world of flavors to Food Network and is perfectly suited for viewers seeking new inspirations.”  Indeed, Aarti’s infectious smile and charm make you want to keep watching her no matter what she is cooking.

“I was most excited to meet Paula Deen. I love to watch her and could watch her all day. It isn’t her food necessarily, she just has a way of talking to you like you’re sitting right there…. Like you’re in her living room and she’s just handed you a glass of wine.  When I met Paula for the first time I could sense her positive energy from across the room.  She has a warmth like she’s lit up from the inside.  And I learned a big lesson from her that you don’t have to be a prisoner of your situation.  You can bust out of it.”

“Keep at it.  Be disciplined about your blog, if you’re hoping to have this take you somewhere.  People get used to regularity, and start to count on it.  If I skipped a week of the cooking show, I would get panicked emails from people: “Is Aarti Paarti still happening?”  Amazing.  There were days when I really didn’t want to edit the cooking show (she is proud of the fact that she taught herself to edit on Final Cut Pro software) but Bren held me to it.  If you promise to put something up the next day, put it up.  Credibility is everything in the blogging world.  Well, and in the real world too!”

For the Rub:

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 onion, minced finely
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 1 serrano pepper, sliced thinly (seeds discarded if you don’t like it spicy)
• kosher salt to taste
• 2 cups mango puree
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

• brioche
  rolls
• Bread
  and butter pickles

Whenever it snows in Colorado, I get the craving to make chili.  Doesn't matter whether it's a traditional red chile, Texas style... New Mexico pork green chile - it's all good.  Last night we received 10 inches of new fresh powder... so I broke out my new All-Clad slow cooker and made this variation of red chili.  The inclusion of peanut butter was recommended by my friend and incredible chef, David Wells.  I know... it sounded strange to me too.  But, it adds a wonderful woodsy flavor to the chili. You can use canola oil if you're concerned about the fat content in the bacon.  However, the bacon adds a really nice flavor.  Use good quality, nitrate-free bacon.

All-Clad . . . All the Time!

Recently, All-Clad graciously sent me one piece of their new d5 stainless pans to test drive.  They encouraged me to use the pan and provide honest feedback.  I agreed.  Odds were in their favor that I would write a nice review.... Disclaimer: I am a card-carrying All-Clad fanatic.  Their products are terrific and I've been using their stainless steel pans for about 17 years.  Let's face it, there are less expensive pots and pans on the market... but they just don't work as well and I find you end up replacing them.  So, when I got serious about cooking . . . I invested in serious pans that will last a lifetime.

I doubted they could really improve upon the performance of their classic stainless line.  It conducts heat nicely, is dishwasher friendly and always sparkles after easy clean-up.  Boy, was I surprised by the improvement from the 3-ply design I have to the new redesigned 5-ply stainless line (hence the name d5).  

They graciously sent me a 6-quart saute pan that is absolutely the best pan I've ever had!!  The pan has a very prominent place in the kitchen as I've used it almost every day since it arrived. The new d5 technology conducts heat so evenly across the bottom of the pan, even cubes of meat that are pushed off to the side -away from the burner brown evenly!  In fact, it's probably as close as you can get to the heat performance of copper without paying the high price tag of copper.  Newly redesigned handles are much easier to maneuver the pan - especially one so large and heavy.

The 6-quart size is absolutely ideal for so many meals.  It has such a large surface area. I used it throughout the holidays  . . . breakfast . . . lunch . . . and dinner.

All-Clad is very clever . . . they know that once you have a piece of this cookware in your home . . . the full fledged addiction will set in.  Now, I can't wait to add more pieces of this line to my ever growing All-Clad collection.  Bottom line... they've done it again.....

I. Heart. All-Clad.

If you are interested in checking All-Clad's d5 line, it is available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma.

Smoky Red Chili - Ingredients:

• 5 slices of bacon (chopped and crispy)
• 4 pounds beef chuck roast (trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
• 1.5 onions (chopped)
• 3 green jalapeno chiles (seeded, stemmed and minced)
• 1 red jalapeno chile (seeded, stemmed and minced)
• 2 tablespoons dark red (hot) chile powder (I order mine online from New Mexico)
• 2 tablespoons cumin (warmed in a pan, milled fresh from whole cumin seeds)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 (small) corn tortillas, torn into small squares
• 4 cups Organic chicken broth
• 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 dried red chile pod (warmed then milled)
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon Mexican chocolate
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• fresh lime juice
• grated queso fresco
• sour cream, for garnish

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Chop and add to the bottom of the slow cooker.  Drain bacon fat/oil from the skillet and set aside.

Pat beef dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Add 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil to the skillet and heat over med-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the beef, then add to the slow cooker.  Repeat this process with the remainder of the beef. You want that nice slightly burned brown bits at the bottom of the pan... not too burnt but just enough to add a nice rich flavor to the chili base. And it's VERY IMPORTANT that you don't crowd too much of the beef into the pan or it won't brown... it will steam... so make sure there is plenty of room between beef chunks.

Add 2 more tablespoons of the bacon oil or butter to the same skillet and add onion, jalapenos, chili powders, cumin and salt.  Cook until they soften (about 5 minutes) Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds... Then add the tomatoes.  Blend well and simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Pour into slow cooker.  Add milled chile pod.

Place tortillas and chicken broth in a pan and heat until mushy.  Place in blender or food processor and blend until pureed.  Stir into slow cooker.  This will thicken the chili and add a nice corn flavor.

Add chipotle, peanut butter, chocolate and cinnamon to the chili... blend well.  Cover and cook until the meat is tender (this may vary depending upon your slow cooker) I cook on low for about 8-9 hours.  During the last 2 hours, stir in the beans and fresh oregano.  To serve, stir in some fresh cilantro and lime juice.  Garnish with freshly grated cheese and or sour cream.  For an extra kick, swirl a little adobo sauce from the chipotles in with the sour cream.

Vegetable-Leek Beef Barley Soup

Today is April 18th and it snowed 3 feet at our home yesterday.  It's cold and has been either raining or snowing most of the day.  A hearty soup was in order for this Spring storm. My husband loves beef and barley soup, so I made this today and it turned out quite well!  Enjoy...

• 3.5 lbs boneless chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cubed 1/2 inch 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pat of butter
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups, crimini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 red potato (optional, more if you love potatoes) cubed 1/2 inch
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup - dry red wine
• 1 28 oz can - diced organic tomatoes
• 3/4 cup  pearled barley
• 4 cups organic chicken broth
• 4 cups organic beef broth
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Ancho chile powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat large skillet on stovetop.  Pat beef cubes very dry (they will brown easier if dry on a pre-heated skillet)  Once skillet is hot, add olive oil (should be shimmering and lightly smoking)  Add beef and brown quickly on all sides.  Brown in two batches so that beef isn't crowded during browning - add more olive oil if needed.  Place browned beef in slow-cooker.  

Add butter to same skillet.  The skillet should have remnants and browned bits from browning the beef.  Add onions, carrots, celery and leeks.  Saute until soft (about 7-8 minutes) Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add red wine.  Scrap up all browned bits from bottom of skillet.  Pour sauteed vegetables in slow cooker with beef.  If  adding mushrooms, use the same pan to saute' mushrooms until soft and juices are rendered (about 10 minutes) then add to slow cooker.

Add tomatoes (with juices), pearled barley, thyme, broths and bay leaf to slow cooker.  Set to cook for 7-8 hours on low.  Cook until beef is very tender.  Add chopped parsley 20 minutes before serving.

This is another favorite cold weather recipe... it's fun to play with the quantities and taste as you go....

Ingredients

• 3 dried ancho peppers, stemmed and seeded

• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika

• 2 tablespoons whole coriander

• 1 tablespoon cumin seed

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 onions, chopped

• 2 or 3 beef marrow bones to flavor stock

• 3.5 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• Seasalt and freshly ground black pepper

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 canned chipotle chile, chopped

• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, hand crushed

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons masa harina (possibly more to thicken)

• 1/2 tablet Mexican chocolate (about 1 1/2 ounces)

• Grated queso fresco, for garnish

• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

• Lime wedges, for garnish

(or swirl the adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilis into sour cream for garnish)

Directions:

CRITICAL STEP: In a small dry skillet over low heat add the ancho peppers, oregano, paprika, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until they begin to smell, about 2 minutes. Put the spices into a spice mill or food processor and grind until they are powdered. Set aside. You'll love warming spices - really brings out the flavors...

Heat a large heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch Oven over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons olive oil and the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the toasted spice mix, the garlic, chipotle, jalapeno, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Season with salt and stir well. Add beef marrow bones....Add some hot water until the meat is just covered with liquid. Return to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and shred it with a fork. Return it to the pot, stir in the masa harina and chocolate, and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove marrow bones.

Serve with the queso fresco (Mexican cheese in good grocery stores), cilantro, and lime for garnish.

Oh and lots of beer!!