Simple lunch: Polenta, egg, and salad

Wine and Cheese tasting party with Chili on the side

The spread and helping myself to some wine!

Delicious cheese, salami, and wine :)

My favorite holiday/winter party back home was my college wine and cheese tasting party.  We used to buy enormous bricks of amazing cheese from Costco and a bunch of nice wine, dress up, listen to jazz, and eat/drink the night away.  There really isn't a better combo out there!  Inspired by the holiday-like cold weather, and feeling nostalgic lately, I decided to bring the party to BA.  This time around, however, I added a little twist and made and huge batch of chili, something that had been on my mind after being disappointed by the chili cookoff the other weekend.

Everyone was wonderful enough to bring nice wines and great cheese!  Everything was self-serve and delicious.  My chili recipe was inspired by some I had read online and turned out to be a success.  The key was definitely cooking it for about 10 hours over the course of 2 days.  I combined these two recipes for a super recipe.

Recipe 1 and Recipe 2

I used these ingredients in the end (my proportions were for 15 people, so I tripled what the ingredients gave in some cases and added my own touches):

2 teaspoons oil

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 chili pepper, chopped

1/2 Kilo lean ground beef

1 Kilo beef sirloin, large cubes

3 cans whole tomatoes

1 large corona beer (the 3/4 liter one, or what size that it)

1 cup strong coffee

1 can tomato paste

1 chicken stock cube

3 very large tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons sriracha

3 large tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon jalapeño power 

500 grams kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

3 ears of corn, cut off cob

2 large tablespoons of flour 

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan brown the meat, drain the fat if excessive.  My meat was super lean so I didn't have to drain the fat.
2. Remove meat and set aside.
3. Add the garlic and onion to the same pot, cook and stir until tender.
4. Add the meat back in and the tomato cans with liquid, beer, tomato paste, can of garbanzo beans with liquid, corn, chili pepper, chili powder, bouillon, cumin, oregano, honey, cayenne, cocoa, and hot sauce. Mix well.
5. I bought dried kidney beans so I boiled them in another pot until they were almost done and added them to the chili when ready.
6. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours.
7. Stir in the flour to make the chili a little thicker.  Continue cooking.

The entire key to a good chili is to cook it 3 hours the night before and let it rest on the stove (heat off) over night.  The next day, continue simmering and stirring it.  The longer you cook, the better it tastes, the thicker it gets, and the more tender the meat becomes.  I served it with casancream and green onions.

Herman: The Argiest of all Argie Restaurants

Sometimes when the resaca is going strong and the lazy factor is even stronger, I make poor decisions to try something new.  The other weekend was a prime example of my poor decision making abilities.  I went to Herman for brunch, a TYPICAL Argie restaurant known for its awesome milanesas and nothing else.  In the mood for eggs, I ordered the "colchon of eggs baked in tomato sauce and peas."  Sounded decent, so I gave it a try.  GRAVE error.  It was the biggest asco I've ever tried to put down in my life.  Uncooked eggs, way too much sauce, just terrible.  I even sent it back to cook longer because while I like my eggs runny, I don't much care for the whites to be runny as well.  Bottom line, go for milanesas ONLY.

"Colchon of eggs, tomatoes, and peas"

Suprema Nepolitana

Lentil Soup: Cure for cold weather

It's officially winter and I'm officially a wimp!  I can't stand the cold.  I'm from California and prefer wearing flip-flops all year-round.  These last few days I've been rocking the grandma sweater under the peacoat, with scarf and uggs outfit.  Pretty sexy if you ask me.  The other night, I was so cold that I just wanted a nice, hot bowl of soup.  I had lentils, curry, onions, and cheese.  I followed this recipe and added a touch of pancetta to the base.  Hearty, warming, and tasty.