REAL Texas Chili

prep: 20 minutes

cook: 1 hour (or longer if you have the time)

serves 8 to 10

you’ll need…

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 lb. chuck or eye of round, trimmed of fat and cut into ½-inch cubes
6 tablespoons chili powder (add more if you want it spicier!)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped or passed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
6 cups beef stock
2 cups crushed or chopped canned tomatoes (not drained)
½ cup masa harina (Mexican corn flour)

let’s get to it…

Heat the olive oil on medium high in large heavy stockpot or saucepan for 1 to 2 minutes.

Sauté the meat in the olive oil until browned; reduce the heat to medium low.

Stir in the chili powder, garlic and salt until the meat is well coated with the spices.

Add the beef stock and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to keep the meat from sticking and burning. Continue cooking until the meat is tender.

Place the masa harina in a bowl and whisk in 1 to 1½ cups of the chili liquid (try to avoid stirring in beef or tomatoes) until a watery paste forms.

Blend the masa mixture into the chili. If the chili isn’t thick enough, make another slurry until you get the desired thickness.

cooking know how…

• The flavor of your chili depends on the flavor of your chili powder. Buy fresh chili powder at a spice store or at a market where you know they make their own spice blends.
• Serve your chili with sides of shredded cheese, sliced jalapeño, chopped onions and Fritos (I love Fritos on my chili) so everyone can top it with what they like!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Green Salsa

prep: 30 minutes
cook: 4 hours

serves 6 to 8

for the Pork Roast you’ll need…
1 onion, cut into thick slices
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons marjoram
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder

for the Green Salsa you’ll need…
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, stem and seeds removed
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 lime, halved

let’s get to it…
Place onion slices on bottom of slow cooker and add chicken stock and bay leaves.

Mix garlic, marjoram, allspice, cumin and salt together in a small bowl to form a paste. Rub paste on pork shoulder; place in slow cooker, and lock on glass lid. Press Program and select 4 hours for Cooking Time. Press Enter and use arrow to move Heat Setting to Low. (You can make the Cooking Time longer, but the Heat Setting must be on Low).

Place tomatillos, jalapeños and garlic in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain; set pot aside. Blend tomatillos, peppers and garlic (in batches if necessary) in a blender or a food processor until smooth. Heat pot on medium high for 1 minute; add oil and onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Return blended tomatillo mixture to pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro and salt.

Remove pork shoulder from slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Shred meat with two forks, discarding fat, and place meat in a large bowl. Stir in half of the green salsa until meat is lightly coated. Serve meat on top of rice with remaining salsa, or in tacos, enchiladas or sandwiches.

Notes: Pour cooking jus from slow cooker into a resealable container and refrigerate overnight. Skim fat off the top of the chilled jus. Save jus and use as stock in other recipes. Jus can be frozen.

Fabio Viviani’s Seafood Cioppino

prep: 30 minutes
cook: 40 minutes

you’ll need…
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
4 leeks, rinsed well and sliced into thin rounds
salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
20 mussels, scrubbed
20 clams, scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, hot
1 cup squid, whole or cut in half
1 cup large shrimp (about 8), shelled and deveined, tails on, heads on or off
1 15-oz. can whole tomatoes, diced
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup parsley, minced

let’s get to it…
Heat the butter in a large stockpot and sauté the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Place the mussels and clams in the pot, give them a stir, then add the wine. Cook until the wine has disappeared, then add the stock.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 10-minutes until all the shells have opened (discard any that have not). Add the squid, shrimp, tomatoes and cream and let the soup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, adjust seasoning, and ladle soup into one large bowl to serve family style, or individual bowls. Serve with minced parsley.