Ancho chile salsa, High Plains Buffalo Chili and Manchego-Jalapeno Beer Bread

It's Sunday in football season! That has always meant a stove full of food for me growing up. And so I am picking up my mom's tradition. So after a delicious early brunch at Sidecar (brunch menu hasnt drastically changed) with my college roommate and her husband I sent Matty for ingredients and I got to work. I started with my very first savory bread. It is a beer bread, not a regular bread. But considering how I usually avoid anything that could be construed as baking, this is a big deal! And it was a hug success! Yay! It was so tasty and moist and perfect. Then I made a buffalo chili (what is football Sunday without chili?) which sounded really different and cool. And it was. It is like a combination between chili and beef stew. Which buffalo. It is so meaty and rich tasting. And finally I made a batch of ancho chile salsa for an appetizer (and to use with Chile Rellenos later in the week). Also delicious though I think it was a little oregano-y (but that may have been due to a mistake of when I added it, or maybe I would just use less). Matty also made a batch of guacamole to have with the salsa. And he currently has a batch of Apple Oatmeal Crisp in the oven that I will have to tell you about later. So here are the recipes, enjoy!

Manchego-Jalapeño Beer Bread


This savory quick bread pairs well with soup or chili and is ideal for an open house or casual get-together. Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice) (More power to you if you can eat just one slice) Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups) (I used 3 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Manchego cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican beer (such as Dos Equis) (I used Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über pils)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and chopped jalapeño to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes (only took 20) or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

CALORIES 148 (28% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g); IRON 1.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 108mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20.6g; SODIUM 244mg; PROTEIN 4.7g; FIBER 0.7g

High Plains Buffalo Chili


Similar in flavor to beef and with less saturated fat, buffalo makes an excellent choice for chili. (I love cooking with buffalo. It is leaner, so be careful not to dry it out, and so much more flavorful than beef) Stirring in the cornmeal at the end yields a distinct taste and texture. (We grated a little manchego cheese over the top) Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup) (I would say 4 servings) Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2008

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground buffalo (we couldnt find ground buffalo this morning so I used Trader Joe's ground buffalo steak burgers [1 1/4 lb] and defrosted them in the microwave first)
2 tablespoons New Mexican chile powder (I used regular chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 1/2 cups water (I used 2 1/2 cups water and 1 cup chicken broth)
2 cups diced peeled baking potato (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 tablespoon stone-ground cornmeal

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add buffalo; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in chile powder and pepper.

2. Add 3 1/2 cups water, potato, and next 5 ingredients (through sage) to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until potato is very tender. (After 50 minutes I turned the burner all the way down and let it sit on the stove for another 3 hours or so) Stir in cornmeal; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

CALORIES 216 (23% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 1.7g,mono 2g,poly 0.7g); IRON 3.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 31mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.6g; SODIUM 603mg; PROTEIN 25.9g; FIBER 2.9g

Ancho Chile Salsa

From EatingWell: January/February 2009

This mellow salsa, made with dried ancho chiles, is a good all-purpose salsa. It's delicious with anything from scrambled eggs to tostadas. A rich tomato flavor is important in this salsa, so when tomatoes are out of season, good-quality canned tomatoes may be a better choice than fresh. Adapted from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta: Recipes from the World-Famous Spa (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008) by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider with Chef Jesùs González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta.

About 2 1/2 cups | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 large dried guajillo, New Mexico or California chiles, (about 3/4 ounce) (I used 4 guajillo)
  
• 2 large dried ancho chiles, (about 3/4 ounce) (we used 1 ancho)
  
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 small cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 large tomatillos, husks removed, washed and chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups water, or vegetable broth (I used water)
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried, preferably Mexican (I used regular dried)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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Preparation

1. Wearing gloves, remove the stems, seeds and inner ribs from the chiles and tear the chiles into large pieces. (Kitchen scissors here are really useful and the gloves are more to keep your fingers from turning red than for heat)
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chile pieces, onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the chiles are fragrant and the onions are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatillos and tomatoes, reduce heat slightly, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes more. Add water (or broth), salt and pepper (I accidentally added half of the oregano here). Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Stir in oregano and let cool for a few minutes (I let this sit for about 2 hours until we were ready to use it) . Puree the sauce in a blender until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in cilantro.

Nutrition Per 2-tablespoon serving : 18 Calories; 1 g Fat; 3 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 119 mg Sodium; 85 mg Potassium