Tag: tomato

Tony’s Big Chili Yum Yum

So I’ve been talking up a big game regarding my chili recipe, and figured I ‘d finally getting around to sharing the Yum Yum from Tony’s Kitchen.

The first part I’ll just go over is this chili is incredibly kick ass with or without the meat, and is vegan friendly to boot (sans the meat). So no crying about your diet. The spices can be moderated easily to suit your palate and easily accommodate the whole household. As usual, this isn’t portioned for a few servings, this is portioned to feed the family and have loads for leftovers.

We’re going to go over the list of Yum-Yums (in-greed-ee-unts) now. Remember you’ll want to read the whole recipe before jumping in on this…;)

Ingredients

BIG FAT RED KIDNEY BEANS FOR CHILI!#1 BEANS
1lb Red Kidney Beans
I’ve tried black beans, and even black eyed peas, they still don’t work anywhere near as well as good ol’ Red Kidney Beans.

#2 SPICES
I tried about 20 different combinations and this one got the most kudos from my guinea pigs friends.
1.5 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic
3 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp ground multicolor pepper
3 tbsp red pepper
3 tbsp chili pepper (sometimes more)

Veggies for Chili!#3 VEGGIES!
This is where the chili really stands out. This really adds to the flavor of the chili and kills the competition.
.5 bell pepper (red)
.5 bell pepper (green)
.5 bell pepper (yellow)
4 celery sticks
3 tomatoes
3x Giant Hot jalapenos
3x large seranos
1-2x habanero (optional, will make things very hot for people not used to peppers)
1-2 cups of corn

Veggies for Chili!#4. MEAT
2lbs pork loin or ribeye (I am going to try it with Bison next!)

Prep

#1 Prep the beans by themselves first, they take the longest to get ready by far. I bring half a pot of water to a boil. Pour them in. Let the boil continue for 3 minutes. Take them off hot, let them soak warm for however many hours they decide to take πŸ˜‰

#2 & #3 About an hour before you want everything to be ready, boil water in a spare pot, for #2 & #3, chop up everything in #3, mix them all together, add boiling water to desired consistency. Let that mixture stew up…remember we want all that stuff to cook & soak hot for at least an hour.

Chopped Ribeye for Chili!#4 Pork loin really does way better for this stuff, the meat stay moist and more mean than beef, so much that ribeye is the only competition. No prep necessary except maybe dicing it all up ahead of time. I usually just dice it all up and throw it into the #2 and #3 mix about 20-30 minutes before serving.

Drain the beans and mix with the rest.

Variables

* If you are vegetarian/vegan, you have only to omit #4 and you’re golden.
* Adding a can of tomato sauce does a ton of good.
* You can skip the jalapeno and serrano by adding a can of RoTel hot, but to be honest, the pepper taste isn’t quite the same.
* Do not use canned beans!!!! (They’re Nasty!)
* 2 bell peppers are just as good as three halves mentioned above…I just love the taste they bring to the chili.

Specific People Notes:
@Jessazombie, I have not tested this with Tofu. Use at your own risk…but it does have cumin!
@andriastanley, I couldn’t get croutons to work…BUT garlic bread is surprisingly good with this!
@thebloggess, do not cook this in a red dress, but you should certainly act like it πŸ˜‰
@laurenacarlton, this is that chili your hubbie and talked about at that place that time




Spaghetti Night in TonyTown!!!!

There are art forms…here…on Earth…among men. One of them is cooking good stuff…like spaghetti. Mine is pretty good, so I am sharing.

Now I will list this stuff off to you so you know what I am doing to yield food that usually makes me a popular guy of the evening on Spaghetti Night in TonyTown.

Qui sono gli ingredienti!

Sauce Ingredients:
16-32oz of Barilla Spaghetti No.5 or De Cecco Spaghetti No.11 <- The best!!!! (Always go for al dente!!!!)
1 12oz Can of tomato sauce
1 12oz can of diced tomatoes
1 12oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 12oz can of tomato paste
1 14oz-15oz can of whole tomatoes
(Can you see where this is going? Its enough sauce to feed an army!!)
1 Whole fresh white onion – diced
2 bell peppers – diced, no seeds unless you’re weirder than me and like them
16oz of whole mushrooms
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
6oz Pinot Noire

The following seasons are used, but it’s up to the cook as to the amounts, as some people will NOT like my amounts.
Rosemary: 1-2 tablespoons
Thyme: 1 tablespoons
Sage: 1 tablespoon
Oregano: 2-4 tablespoons
Basil: 1-2 tablespoons
Garlic: At least 6 toes. Minced.

Meats.
If available, use 2-4lbs if fresh Italian sausage for the meatballs, I prefer the spiciest I can get my hands on. Roll into balls ~1.5″ in diameter.

Tempo per preparare la festa …
All this is in order…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Sauce.
Time to make: 1hr
The sauce is the easiest part, but also takes the longest. Modify to your desires, as I am very big on not overcooking the sauce. Set your sauce pot/pan on Med-low flame (same on electric) and open all the tomato cans listed above and pour them in. Immediately add the white onion, bell peppers, and green onions. Also add the Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, and minced garlic. We’re going to add the mushrooms in later.

The Meatballs.
Now, with saucepan #2, take those whole mushrooms and mix them together with 2 cups water, 6oz Pinot Noire, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp black pepper, 1tbsp basil, and 1tbsp of oregano. Leave on medium heat and stir occasionally, when simmered, add the meatballs and warm them up and steep them until they are no longer red in color, the entire batch shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes…if you need to increase heat accordingly.

Pasta.
Very easy, boil pasta al dente. The best temperatures and instructions tend to be on the package you’re buying. If the instructions don’t tell you they are al dente, keep an eye on the paste about 75% of the way into cooking the pasta and you’ll find the right texture easily.

Finishing Up.
Take the prepped meatballs now slightly cooked and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet and place in oven, cook until browned (usually ~25-35 minutes the way I like them). Take the mushrooms and drop them in the pasta sauce, which should be pretty warm now and cooking rather tastily.

Extras you don’t want to forget!
Garlic bread!
I Prefer big honkin’ loaves of crusty bread slices in half, each half spread generously with butter, garlic, and basil. Broil to desired crispiness πŸ˜‰ I know there are a lot better recipes for garlic bread but most of them call for turning the spread into a very oily batter/spread and it’s a personal preference not to πŸ˜‰

Salad!
I will usually chop up a head of romaine lettuce and throw it in a bowl and top with baby roma tomatoes, shredded Colby-jack, chopped purple onions, and garlic croutons. I am a big balsamic vinaigrette fan, but most people actually like Parmesan vinaigrettes more.