I absolutely love the fall for cooking, eating, entertaining and just the sheer beauty of all of the colors changing. Also I love just being able to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket or sweater and smell the crispness in the air.
I have fondness for all of the seasons as I love Spring because it is finally starting to get warm after the winter freeze here in Chicago. I love Summer because there is so much we get to go outside and enjoy; especially since it has been so fun bringing my daughter outside to play at the park and in the pool. I love winter because it is my birthday and we have Christmas. Even though it is cold and nasty outside here that time of year. We do get beautiful snow falls and I am so excited to play in the snow this year with the little ones.
However, with all of that said, Fall is by far my favorite season. I love everything about it and most of all the yummy foods that we start making again in the fall.
We start braising and making chili and soups and that feel good to your bones kind of food. That feed your soul kind of food and as a chef, I just can’t get enough of those types of dishes. So, I have two here for you today.
I love both of these recipes and make them all throughout the fall and into the winter. Both are great for entertaining or for just enjoying at home on a lazy Sunday.
Chef’s Tips
When making homemade chili, whether you do it on the stove or in a slow cooker; give it the time to develop the flavors. Add in different chiles to the recipe to find your right heat. Chili freezes amazingly well, so make a big batch and freeze the leftovers. This way you can enjoy even on a weeknight.
Homemade Chili
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeno remove the stems and seeds and finely dice
- 3-4 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 beer-I like to use Corona but use whatever you like to drink. Nothing too heavy
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 dried pasilla pepper
- 1 dried ancho pepper
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 can low sodium black beans
- 1 can low sodium red chili beans
- 1 container low sodium beef or chicken broth
- Garnishes-crackers mac noodles, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, green onions, diced avocado, sour cream, chives
Instructions
- Start out by heating a large sauce pan to medium-high.
- Saute the ground beef and ground turkey until browned. Drain in a colander and set aside.
- Add a small amount of oil to the pan and add in the diced onions, diced peppers and diced jalapeno pepper.
- Saute the vegetables until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the garlic and let it cook until fragrant, about another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the browned meat back into the pot and mix well with the vegetables. Add in the tomato paste and stir to coat all of the meat and the vegetables. Let that cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the paste has dried out a little bit and is beginning to coat the bottom of the pot. This will cook that harsh tomato taste out and help thicken your chili.
- Next, add in the dried oregano, paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and let it all cook for 1-2 minutes. This will help toast them slightly as there is not much liquid in the pan at this point.
- Once you start to really smell the herbs and spices, you want to deglaze your pot with the beer. Add in the whole beer and then stir to bring up all of the little brown bits on the bottom. This will bring up all of the flavor. Let that cook at a boil for about 8-10 minutes. The liquid will reduce slightly and the alcohol will cook off.
- Add in the diced tomatoes and the stock you are using. Also, at this point you want to put in your whole dried pepper. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Turn the heat all the way down to low and half cover your pot. You will let this cook for an hour to an hour and a half at this point, on low, stirring occasionally.
- After about 1-1 ½ hours, you will add in your two cans of beans. Do not rinse them, just open them and dump them in. This will also help your chili thicken and add a nice flavor. Cook on low for about another hour or so until you have reached your desired thickness. Everyone has a different preference on thickness of chili. Some people like it more like soup and others like it heartier. I prefer it a little on the thicker side, so I usually do about another hour and a half or so. Check your seasoning one final time and add salt and pepper if needed. ;;Serve with your favorite garnishes or cool it down and bag it up for freezing. I like to freeze the chili in zip top gallon bags and lay them flat. This way they take up less room in the freezer and they freeze more evenly. Enjoy!
The next recipe I was actually surprised that my husband loves. It is a more “untraditional” pasta sauce, but it is so good and we cannot get enough of it.
This is another great recipe for freezing and pulling out when you want to enjoy it with some pappardelle or orecchiette pasta. We fell in love with this sauce a few years ago and I have been making in the Fall ever since.
Chef’s Tips
There are so many ways you can jazz it up for entertaining too. You can add in goat or ricotta cheese at the end, right before you serve it. Or you can even saute some delicious kale and toss that in with the sauce and the pasta. You don’t even have to serve it over pasta. You can enjoy it over polenta or even zucchini noodles.
Think of some other ideas and send them my way. I can’t wait to hear what you have come up with. Let me know in the comments.
Braised Pork Ragu
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 1 1½- lb. boneless pork shoulder Boston butt, cut into 1½” pieces
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot peeled, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 14- oz. can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 pound pappardelle or other small pasta-orecchiette or short rigatoni
- ¼ cup ½ stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup grated Parmesan plus more
Instructions
- Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook meat, turning occasionally, until browned, 10–15 minutes; transfer to a large plate.
- Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Tie rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf into a bundle with kitchen twine; add to pot along with pork, tomatoes, wine and add water just to cover meat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until meat is very tender, 1–1½ hours.
- Discard herb bundle. Using 2 forks, shred meat in pot; cook, uncovered, over medium heat until sauce is thickened, 8–10 minutes.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
- Heat sauce in a saute pan. Add pasta; cook, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Mix in butter and ½ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta drizzled with oil and topped with more Parmesan. Enjoy!
