New Recipes for the Cold Days Ahead

Last weekend Craig and I went camping up near Mammoth. In anticipation of the frigid nights, I wanted to make us something warm and hearty to eat around the campfire. We had just made a trip to Costco and came home with a pre-cooked roasted chicken so I wanted to use this in the recipe so it wouldn't go to waste. Here is what I ended up making:

Chicken and white bean chili

• 5 fresh Anaheim chilies
• 1 fresh poblano chili

3 cans white beans (i used 2 white beans, one pinto)

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 small container half and half
• 1 whole roasted chicken shredded
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black pepper is fine too)

Garnish

• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup sour cream
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Purchased tomatillo or green chili salsa

Cook the chopped onions in the butter for a few minutes then add the flour. Stir and cook for another minute.

Roast the peppers under the broiler or on the grill until they are black on the outside. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit for a few minutes then remove and peel skins off. Chop.

Add chicken broth and half and half and stir well to incorporate the flour onion mix. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and just let it cook, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa. This is seriously delicious!

Enjoying my chili by the fire. We toasted bread sticks by the fireside and were excellent to dip!

Yesterday I got home from a wild weekend in Palm Spings and plopped myself down on the couch to relax. I looked through my list of recorded shows and checked out what Tyler Florence had made on the most recent episode of Tyler's Ultimate. He was making Cioppino, which happens to be one of my FAVORITE things in the world. The cioppino at Brophy Bros in Santa Barbara is a meal I literally dream about and crave on a daily basis. The recipe Tyler was making was a little too technical for me (ie using whole dungess crabs and blending chorizo sausage in a food processor for the base of the broth) but the idea of cioppino was already making my mouth water. I quickly logged on to Epicurious.com, my favorite site for recipes, and found a quick and highly rated recipe. Here it is:

QUICK AND EASY CIOPPINO

1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes (recipe calls for 1/8 tsp but I like it spicy)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice (use San Marzano tomatoes if you can find them, they really make the difference)

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

1/2 pound skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish such as halibut, hake, or pollack, cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 pound cultivated mussels

1/2 pound shrimp

1/2 cup small scallops

Pulse fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, and clam juice and boil, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide, 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves