Isaac's White Chili with Cinnamon & Jalapeño Pepper

My son is as interested in cooking as I am, and he follows foodwishes.com. He wanted this dish for dinner, so he shopped for the ingredients and oversaw the cooking of this meal which included the cornbread that I included with this other chili recipe (only I used whole wheat this time in the cornbread and less than 1/2 the sugar). The white chili tasted fabulous! The herb measurements are left up to the chef, so I don't have exact measurements on the seasonings for you, but I'll list the ingredients.

2 lbs chicken thighs, skinned & de-boned then chopped
1 onion, chopped
garlic
cumin
cinnamon
chipotle pepper
cayenne
salt
black pepper
oregano
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 red sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & choped
1 can tomatoes with green chilies

You can watch the video of how to make this chili here.

Whole Wheat English Muffins

Hot, toasted English muffins with tea. Uh-huh. Perfect on these endless winter days. I love making English muffins on a lazy day. I enjoy cooking a large batch on the stove top and then freezing the leftovers for later. It's easy to grab one from the freezer any time and pop it into the toaster after thawing. These are usually made with white flour, but I substituted mostly 100% stone ground whole wheat this time, and they taste delicious.

1 cup milk, scalded
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups whole wheat stone-ground flour
2+ cups unbleached bread flour

Prepare the milk, yeast and butter and combine (after allowing to cool). Add flour 1 cup at a time and knead into dough until soft. Add more flour if necessary. Form dough into a ball, place in a large bowl, spray lightly with oil, then allow to rise double. Roll out dough to 1/2" thick. Cut into rounds, dip each round in cornmeal and allow to rise for another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Cook each round on a lightly greased griddle over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes on each side until brown and cooked through. Cool. Split muffins and toast before eating.

Hint: If you want a more convoluted spongy center, try not to handle the dough too much as you roll it out and cut the muffins.

Layered Burritos

The difference between the typical Protestant casserole and a really great casserole is time and quality. If you make your tortillas from scratch, and grind your own poultry, and use high quality cheeses and fresh herbs, then it's no longer "just" a casserole, it's comfort food full of fabulousness.


Soak and boil 2 cups of dried beans until done (makes about 5 cups cooked beans)

Make 20 homemade tortillas using this recipe. You can experiment with whole wheat to make these more healthy.

Grind or finely chop 10 organic chicken thighs (bones removed)

Cook the ground chicken in a Tbsp of canola or olive oil with:
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 T ground dried sweet chili pepper, seeds removed
2 T finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Smash about half of the beans and add all the beans to the cooked chicken. Cook for a few minutes more. Adjust seasonings.

Layer 15 of the tortillas in a 9 x 13" casserole dish with:
The chicken-bean mixture
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup jack cheese
5 chopped tomatoes including juice and seeds
A bit of your favorite picante sauce (optional)

Cook at 350ºF for about 45 minutes to an hour. Cut and serve with salsa, fresh sour cream, guacamole, olives, lettuce, hot pepper sauce, etc.


PS: my teenagers ate this before I had a chance to take a photo of the finished product. I guess that means it was a success!

My Favorite Fine Fettle Kettle Recipes of 2009

Pumpkin Black-Bean Chili with chicken


Dave's Indian Rogan Josh


Adara's Pad Thai



Potage Saint-Germain


Portobello-Onion Lasagne with Chianti-Gorgonzola Sauce


Homemade Tortillas With Chili-Lime Chicken, Rice & Black Beans

Lebanese Muhammara








Irish Parsnip & Apple Soup









Ukrainian Borscht









Chicken Soup with with Salsa













African Bean & Squash Soup












Dave's Beef Chili


Root Stew with chicken

Root Stew with chicken

A hearty, healthy chicken stew made of various roots and seasoned with fresh rosemary, oregano, and tarragon. Wonderful on a cold winter evening.

6 chicken thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces (with bones and skin removed)
2T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 yam, peeled and chopped in bite-sized pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped in bite-sized pieces
1 baking potato, peeled and chopped in bite-sized pieces
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in bite-sized pieces
1 turnip, peeled and chopped in bite-sized pieces
1T fresh, diced rosemary
1T fresh, diced oregano
1T fresh, diced tarragon
Salt & Pepper to taste
16 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth

In a large pot, cook the chicken, onion and garlic in the olive oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the roots and fresh seasoning. Cook until just nearly tender. Add the tomatoes and broth and simmer until roots are done.

New Orleans Gumbo

The word "gumbo" comes from the Central Bantu dialect term for "okra" which is ngombo. Okra is indigenous to Africa but is popular in the southern United States. The great thing about making gumbo is that you can be creative. The only stipulations are that you use okra and you begin the dish with a brown roux. Gumbo usually has some shellfish, but not always. Most people add andouille sausage and a fair amount of cayenne pepper and hot sauce. A lot of times gumbo is made to use up leftover meat or poultry or fish.

Veggies:
2 Tbsp butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 lb chopped okra (you can use frozen okra if fresh can't be found)

Brown Roux:
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 cup flour

Poultry & Fish:
1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs cut in bite-sized chunks
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled
1 lb lump crab meat
1 1/2 lb andouille sausage

Liquids:
8 cups chicken broth
16 oz can of chopped tomatoes in juice

Seasoning:
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh parsley
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , or to taste
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco), or to taste
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1/2 lemon
filé powder



Prepare all your veggies and sauté them in the butter until tender. Set aside. Make a roux in the bottom of a large sauce pan or small gumbo pot with the butter and flour. Cook over medium low, stirring constantly, until it looks like color of milk chocolate. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Prepare your meats. To prepare andouille sausage, cook for ten minutes in a small amount of water in a covered sauce pan until done. Then slice in 1/2 inch pieces. Add chicken to the sautéd veggies and cook until chicken is done. Add the sausage and chicken and veggies to your roux, then add the liquids. Add all the seasonings except the hot sauce, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and filé powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

In the last ten minutes, add the raw shrimp, lump crab, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and lemon juice to the pot. Cook until shrimp is done. Never over cook shrimp or it will be rubbery! Remove the bay leaves and serve, sprinkling the filé powder over the top of each serving.