Recipes

Beth’s Chile Mole

Ingredients:

2 lbs extra ground beef or turkey

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves or two tbsp garlic powder

3 tbsp kosher salt

2 ½ tbsp cumin

2 ½ tbsp cinnamon

3 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp instant coffee

½ cup good cocoa powder

2 tbsp worstershire sauce

¼ cup BBQ sauce

1-2 canned chipotle peppers

1 cup red wine

1 large or 2 med onions

2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

¼ cup peanut butter

1 lime

1 29 oz can of pinto beans

1 16 oz can of black beans (you can use any beans that you like)

½ red bell pepper

2 ears of fresh corn

Several sprigs of cilantro

Instructions:

Heat large 6 quart pot.  Add olive oil and ½ of all the dried spices, garlic and marjoram, heat for approx 30 secs.

The add ground meat, smashing with fork until there are no large clumps of meat and until meat is cooked through (if there is any water from the meat, let it cook off)

When done add rest of the spices and 2 the tbsp of salt and let them really infuse with the meat.   (don’t worry  if spice mixture is sticking to the bottom a little it will come up when you add in the liquids.)

Next add onions and cook until very soft.  Add chipotle peppers, cocoa powder, stir until well combined (meat should look very dark and rich) then set aside on very low heat while you Open cans of tomatoes. 

Put tomatoes and tomato sauce in blender or food processor, add remaining salt and pulse 2 or 3 times until smooth.  Then add them to the meat mixture.  Return to med heat and let cook down for about 20 mins.

Add peanut butter and juice from ½ lime.  Stir until incorporated, then add your beans, simmer for another 20 mins.

Slice the corn off the cobs, add it to the pot along with the red bell pepper and cilantro just before serving. 

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Beth's Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups peeled, diced apples
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice or similar spice blend
• ½  tsp salt
• ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (both)
• ¼ cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan or glass dish.

Mix together the oil, vanilla and diced apples in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the eggs and add the sugar. Mix well. Add to the above mixture.

Stir in flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. (At this time, you can also add 1/2 cup of nuts if desired). Mix all ingredients. The batter should look very thick almost bread like.

Pour and spread mixture into greased pan. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, depending on your oven(in my oven it takes closer to 55 min) until golden brown on top and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Set to cool in pan for about one hour.

Options: I like to brown some butter and honey and drizzle on top.  You can serve this warm alamode or with whip cream.  You can also bake this in cake pans and layer it.  Use a cinnamon or brown butter cream cheese frosting.

Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter divided
8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1 t. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1-3 T. milk, optional

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup butter until browned. Cube up the other half of butter and place in a small bowl, pour browned butter over top and mix until all the butter is melted. In a large bowl beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until creamy. Add 1-3 T. cold milk if needed to thin to a spreading consistency. Frost any cake with this frosting. Chill until ready to serve. Makes about 4 cups frosting.  


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Beth’s  Wine Braised Brisket  (adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds beef brisket
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bottle red wine
• All-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 quart good-quality canned beef broth
• Minced parsley, for garnish
• 2 packages mushrooms
• 2 tbsp Wistorschire Sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Pat brisket dry (If meat is wet it will not sear as well.) Season the brisket evenly on both sides with salt and pepper and cinnamon. Set aside in the fridge for 20 minutes

2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Evenly sprinkle the brisket all over with flour, shaking off excess. Heat a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When it is almost smoking, turn the heat to medium-high, carefully add the brisket, and sear until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter. Pour off the fat from the Dutch oven and add another 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic,onions, celery, and sauté until glossy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add all the parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and continue to cook 1 minute more.

3. Return the browned brisket to the Dutch oven and add the wine and beef broth.  Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pot and carefully place it in the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours till liquid in Dutch oven is reduced and thickened. 

4. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until they cook down a little, then add wistorschire sauce and balsamic vinegar turn down heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes til they are sort of brown and carmelized. Add sliced carrots on top an cover cook til carrots are slightly soft. Cover and keep warm.

5. When the meat is done, it should be soft enough to pull apart with a fork (if not, put it back in for another 20 minutes, taste broth, and adjust the seasonings if necessary with more salt and pepper and remove the thyme and bay leaves.

6. To serve, use a sharp knife to cut the brisket across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on heated serving plates or on a heated platter, spoon half the sauce over it, and garnish with mushrooms and carrots. Sprinkle with minced parsley and pass the remaining sauce on the side to pour over potatoes.

TIPS ·If you can't find a 5-pound brisket at your supermarket, cook 2 smaller pieces.
·While the meat braises, keep the heat gentle since boiling tightens rather than relaxes the meat's fibers. Check the liquid in the cooking vessel and if it's bubbling more than slightly, turn down the heat.  For neater slices, you could let the brisket cool before cutting it across the grain. Reheat the slices in the sauce. That makes brisket an ideal dish to prepare ahead. Just cook and slice it the day before, and reheat it in the oven in its sauce for about half an hour at 300°F before serving.


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Rainbow Quinoa Salad Recipe (adapted from recipe on the internet, can’t find original to credit)

Ingredients:

• 5 tb Olive oil
• 1/2 c Quinoa; White rinsed in cold water
• 1/2 c Quinoa;  Red rinsed in cold water
• 2 c chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 ts Ground cumin
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 4 tb Lime juice
• 1/4 ts Ground black pepper
• 1 c Cooked or canned black beans
• 1 c Whole-kernel corn
• 1 lg Ripe; peeled, seeded,
• 1 sm Sweet; seeded and
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 2 Greens; finely
• 3 tb Chopped leaves
• 2 tb Chopped fresh leaves
• 2 c Mixed salad greens

Preparation

1. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add quinoa and stir until toasted and aromatic--about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, cumin, and salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed--about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes; with fork, fluff quinoa and set aside at room temperature to cool.
2. Layer salad in large triffle bowl or tall glass or ceramic bowl. First the mixed greens, then the quinoa, then each color vegetable and bean making sure different color with each layer.
3. In medium-size bowl, whisk together remaining 4 tablespoons oil, the lime juice, and black pepper.  Or any vinaigrette dressing that you like. Then sprinkle the fresh parsley and cilantro on top.  Another way to present this it to layer the salad and quinoa and then on top add all remaining ingredients in pie like sections with some herbs in the center.