Short Rib & Flank Steak Chili with Beans

While the fall season in NYC has been unbelievable, sunny and unseasonably warm in the mid-50s, I have had a fall craving for a meaty, chunky, flavorful chili. With the Bills out of town, I motivated today to prepare my first chili ever. And with either the Creuset pot or crock pot received as wedding gifts, I had two perfect vessels to prepare the meal, with the expectation it will be perfect for afternoon football tomorrow. I went with the crock pot because it's easy to leave behind in the kitchen without worrying about burning the building down.

Walking around Manhattan with Nicole and Layla, I stepped into the East Village Meat Market at 2nd Ave, just south of 9th Street. Sure enough the butcher selected 2 pounds of perfect, red fleshy beef short ribs. Later, I went to the Food Emporium - Bridgemarket, under the Queensborough Bridge, to pick up more ingredients (including a pound of flank steak to make a rib and steak chili with beans).

I reviewed a handful of chili recipes online, picked elements that met my preferences and called a few audibles along the way. I took careful note of portions, and the steps I took to cook. I won't fully know how it tastes until tomorrow, but it looks and smells outstanding. Here it is for you to try if you'd like...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 2 jalapeños (fresh)
• 2 chile de arbols (fresh)
• 1 chili pepper de anaheim (dried)
• 1 habanero pepper (dried)
• 1 red bell pepper (fresh)
• 1 medium white onion
• 2 15oz cans mixed kidney, pinto and black beans
• 1 19oz can red kidney beans
• 2 15oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 oz Guinness beer
• olive oil
• Spices/Herbs: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ancho chili powder, 1/2 tbsp hungarian paprika, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder. Extra chili powder and cumin to season meat.

Directions:

1. Remove bone from the short ribs, and trim fat off meat as desired. Rub ribs and steak with chili powder and cumin and set to side.
2. Chop garlic bulb horizontally one-quarter from the top to reveal the cloves. Place on sheet of tin foil, drizzle exposed cloves with olive oil, securely wrap bulb with foil and place in oven to roast at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
3. While garlic is roasting, de-vein and de-seed the the fresh jalapeños and chile de arbols, and the dry habenero and chile pepper de anaheim. If possible, wear disposable gloves when handling the peppers, because the capsicum (oil inside pepper) will be extremely hot and cause potentially extreme discomfort if touching the face, eyes, etc. Place cleaned peppers in a bowl and soak in 1 to 2 cups of boiled water for approximately 30 minutes, to soften.
4. Roast the red pepper directly over open flame on stove top, to char the skin. Remove from stove, cut off top, de-seed and quarter. Remove garlic from stove and squeeze out cloves (they should slip out). Place garlic cloves, charred red pepper and soaked hot peppers with water in blender and process until smooth. Strain pepper mixture, pressing pulp to extract as much fluid as possible. Set 2 cups of strained pepper sauce to side. Save portion of pulp to later add to chili to increase the heat as preferred.
5. In porcelain enamel cast iron pot (e.g. Creuset) or slow cooker (e.g., a crock pot), place beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, beer and 2 cups of pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer. Then add the spices and herbs. Keep covered.
6. In cast iron skillet, lightly coat with olive oil. Brown all sides of the short ribs and flank steak, cooking medium rare. Cut the meat into bite size chunks and immediately mix into chili. Then place minced onion into skillet and soften until golden brown. Add to chili. Taste, and if desired, add blended pepper pulp to increase the heat.
7. Simmer overnight.
8. To serve, consider chopped avocado, diced green onion, crumbled whole grain tortilla chips and/or shredded Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese.

Enjoy. And if you use this recipe, make any changes or have any suggestions, let me know by leaving a comment.

Wedge and Sledge with Pops

I helped my father today with a 250 lbs steel staircase frame he built to extend stairs from the upper level of my parent's backyard down to the water line of Lake Ontario. The plan is to build a deck up top overlooking the water, but to have stairs lead down to a concrete barrier he set at the water line for fishing, walking on the stones when the water level is down, etc.

So we brought the frame to a nearby steel worker's shop, where a guy works on heavy machinery (transl., farm equipt.), to keep it up against the wear and tear from battling crops and turning cattle turf from season to season. My father discussed having the guy turn a side job... to sand blast and coat to weather proof the stairs, considering they will confront the Buffalo winters at the edge of the lake. A typical Saturday when visiting the family (including space for Layla to run free outside of NYC). So on the way back to the house, we see a cord of firewood for sale, stop and buy half. We're having a big family party today, Wii bowling tourney, taco bar, the whole 9s, and having sparking embers will contribute to our party burning brighter.

It's unseasonably warm (50s by day, 30s by night), so it's drawing a lot of moisture and fog off Lake Ontario during the last few days. A pretty cool scene. Without prompting, as we're unloading the cord from the minivan, I turn around and my father is taking wood in the backyard to wedge and sledge. I couldn't believe it, especially after discussing it earlier this week with friends. While he was using the ax as the wedge, it worked fine since we were paring down the already chopped wood. I snapped a couple picks with the blackberry and here you go. Good times with the man.

Wild Boar and Massoferrato

Nicole and I went to Il Trulli last night with Jon and Lara for a great feature dinner and wine tasting. The two co-stars of the night included a whole roasted wild boar and the first production of a sangiovese wine from the restaurant owner's property in Tuscany.

The meal was extensive with an assortment of appetizers (assaggino), mild but remarkably tasty pan seared red mullet fillets, an incredible chestnut gnocchi with a variety of assorted mushrooms, and then the boar. Roasted for nearly the entire day, the succulent wild pig was incredibly moist, tender and full of flavor. The 120-pound beast was shipped in from Texas and weighed approximately 90 pounds after cooking. It was served in traditional Tuscan style with a simple portion of red and white beans, kale and cardoons.

Nicola, the owner, then provided some history on the acquisition of 40 acres of land in Tuscany some 15 years ago, the beginning of a process leading to the 2008 vintage of Massoferrato. The first wine produced on the property, just over 400 cases total. With little time spent in either the Scandanavian oak barrels or the bottle, this wine had rich flavor, reasonable tannins and a full spice and mineral palate expected of a wine from the old country. It paired well with the entree, continued to drink well after dinner, and contributed to a great night together with our great friends.

My Baptism

On November 8, 2009, I finally presented myself before God - and the Christian family I grew up with at Cheektowaga Community Baptist Church - to be baptized. Nicole was great to bring my flip video and capture it on camera. Unfortunately, it didn't pick up the sound, but Pastor Crossno provided a great introduction about baptism in the Christian faith and even kidded around a bit too. He joked that he was very pleased to have the rare opportunity to stand in the water to baptize a lawyer. See the video below!

Puerto Rico is a perfect spot.

Had a great time with Nicole a couple weeks ago visiting Puerto Rico and the various sites for our wedding. Beach and poolside was incredible and hot, and the casinos took a little of our money.

We had dinner in town at a couple different restaurants owned by our caterers and enjoyed everything, including this flash fried local red snapper.

In between visiting the hotel, the church and the reception site, we also hit up a local food stand that served up good machete chopped ribs, roasted chicken and mofongo with chicken and pork. It was definitely a lot of food to get before going to our tasting with the caterers, but grabbing a local beer and grub was a fun little interlude in between our jam packed wedding planning day.

It's an explosion.

On the way out to East Hampton, I told Owen it was time for some fireworks... a bacon explosion. We had a great day at the house, and in the process, we went shopping and decided to load up on one of our favorite food products... pork. So, check it out.
The full video: This is it. The Bacon Explosion!

Sunsets....

"She shimmers like a California sunset
Lady lady, glitters but there's no gold
She carries sweetly infectious magic formulas
I'm so delirious, is she that serious?
Or is she bringing me on, I've been waiting so long"
~ Jamiroquai (from Love Foolosophy)

Atlantic Dunes Reserve Beach

We have settled in at the house in East Hampton, and with June behind us have settled in on some really nice weather. The fourth of July weekend was complete with sun filled days to relax at the beach, golf, play volleyball or just lay around the pool. We ended up having a great first night on Thursday at Georgica for a little bottle service and dancing, then spent Friday around the pool. Nicole, Laura, Owen, Alex and I went to Buckskill Tennis center nearby for Alex and I to have a showdown on the grass courts there. It was the first time I had ever played on grass, and even though I haven't played in a while, was able to pick up my shots pretty well on the funky new surface. When complete, I walked off the court victorious having won 6-1, 6-1. I've heard Alex has been practicing since, so a rematch may be in the works. We also hit up Surf Lodge out in Montauk to celebrate the Independence Day evening, and we all ended up loving the space and our time out. Of course the rest of the weekend was left to relaxing, hitting a few golf balls and getting recharged for the week ahead at work.

Crustaceans Arrive at 10 Lafayette

It took us a little while to get our act together, but we finally stepped up and got our shellfish on. Dan, Jason and I drove to our fresh seafood shop from last year in Sag Harbor, loaded up on many pounds of steamers and enough fresh lobster for everyone at the house. We left Dan to the boiling and he really came out with hot, steaming and tender grub. I don't think anybody left the dinner table that night unsatisfied. And there should definitely be more to come later this summer... because how can you go wrong with a lobster dinner, right?

We had a Buddy Holly Sighting.

Ok... so it was Nemo, passing through NYC before Mohit's massive wedding in Chicago. A group of us including, Fischer, Sandukas (and his concubine), Vermychuck, me and Nicole, Rayan Joshi and Owen rolled into Quality Meats in midtown for some pretty good steaks and wine. I ended up getting the bone-in aged rib steak, which was massive and very properly cooked at medium rare. Interesting about the wine list is that they have a sommelier's choice, where they'll pick from a number of very good wine selections for $75. Many are wines that are in low quantity so no longer on the list, but would typically fetch a much higher price tag. Anyways, we ended up enjoying a few more drinks after dinner at the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel. All in all, d'aahhh... nice.

Tennis Anyone?

Dan, Julie, Nicole and I took advantage of going to the nearby public courts in Amagansett this Sunday afternoon to hit some tennis balls. I think it was actually the first time either me or Nicole were around a tennis court together, no less hitting together. I was extremely surprised and very impressed with her natural talent around the court. While she must have hit some recreationally in the past, she really showed a knack for getting around the court, understanding the game and taking a good swing at the ball. I might just have a hitting partner for the rest of my life too!

A Dog Day's Afternoon

Even Layla got into the action on a sunny day out in East Hampton this early summer.

Out at Gosman's dock

Memorial Day weekend marked our first weekend out in East Hampton. While this initial post is a bit late, we had a great time at our new house. A great balance of people, some from last year, and new people too. The weather on the weekend was pretty decent as we got settled in at the house, just warm enough to lay out in the sun and hop in the pool from time to time. Threw the bocce ball around a bit and also played some volleyball. On Memorial Day, our wind down day, we piled into Bennett's car and headed out to Montauk... something we never did last year. We hopped out of the car at Montauk Point, by the lighthouse, and also went to Gosman's dock for some fried clam strips, fresh fish and a cold beer. Topping that off with an ice cream cone was a great way to end a perfect start to the summer.

The Bacon Explosion

I needed to have easy access to this recipe and website. It's everything BBQ. Thought you should have easy access to it also. And while on the subject of bacon, I thought it was fitting to have a good laugh with Jim Gaffigan... enjoy.

Jim Gaffigan - Bacon - KING BABY

The Inaugural Grill

Nothing like an early rise at 4:45am to motivate and hit the golf course with friends for a 6am tee time. But when you are playing on the better public courses within 25 minutes of Manhattan, this is the only way to get through a round in about 4.5 hours and back in the city by noon. Split Rock has played great a couple times now, and while weekends are progressively more busy, the group is looking to his more.

After the round, Bennett and I decided it was a perfect afternoon for a cook-out... 80 degrees, NBA playoffs basketball and a little day 2 action of the NFL draft. Bennett picked up hot sausages, bone-in chicken breasts, drumsticks and fresh veggies. I got started on the grill, with the classic bbq/buffalo sauce spiced chicken, later added the sausage and veggies, and alas... we marked the season with the inaugural grill. Like riding a bicycle, I think the food was prepared perfectly even though this was the first fire in months.

The NFL Draft is here.

All I have to say is, I hope the Bills make wise decisions. I'll take 10 players with the heart and drive of this little guy (but so long as it's in a body that is at least 6'3 and 255).

Good Friday

Had an opportunity to do a little cooking for my fiancée this Good Friday. A veggie and fish dinner, started with a whole wheat pasta primi with homemade red sauce... scratch made with crushed Italian tomatoes, mixed with sauteed garlic, fresh basil and Italian parsley, crushed red pepper and dry oregano. I picked up a great piece of wild striped bass and seasoned with fresh ground pepper, kosher sea salt and a light dusting of cayenne pepper. Simply seared in the cast iron skilled and then finished cooking through in the oven. The best part of the meal was the eggplant tower (pictured below). Quarter to half inch slices, stacked with different veggie fillings in each layer and coated throughout with remaining red sauce. Melted fresh grated fat-free mozzarella and reggiano cheese held it together perfectly. Layer one was filled with julienned zucchini, layer two with thin sliced mushrooms, layer three with finely chopped orange peppers and topped with more cheeses and fresh basil and parsley.

AYCE Mussles at BXL East

BXL East just opened in midtown on 51st and Lexington, close to home, and the place has a great deal on Sundays and Mondays... $20 All You Can Eat mussels, with a number of different varieties. A couple of us went this past Monday, enjoying a few Stella Artois and a mix of 5 lbs each (10 lbs total!) of these friendly marine bivalves, namely: Marinieres (white wine & onion broth), Provencale (tomato, basil & garlic), Grand Mere (cream, bacon & onions), Thailandaise (coconut milk, lemongrass and curry), and Marocaine (green olives, cilantro & tomato). Wasn't too packed and the service was very good. Rating: 3.5 out of 4 moules, with a few frites to boot.

TO in the B-Lo.

A potential circus is coming to town, but the Bills may finally make good use of this T.O. I'm not talking about time-outs, which coaches wasted multiple times last season... but the enigmatic, mercurial, volatile and unpredictable Terrell Owens. First impression is that he makes the offense particularly better; he had more yards and TDs last season than all other receivers not named Lee Evans. Second impression is that the Bills have nothing to lose, season ticket renewals/sales were starting off slowly, and a significant splash was necessary (this dwarfs the Drew Bledsoe splash from 2002). Finally, I'm glad to see local media writers, including the typically critical Jerry Sullivan, embrace the selection, even if national media coverage is more negative of the signing and the expected effect on the team next season. Local media members are smart (even if not intentional) to paint a welcoming story, particularly when TO seemed luke warm on the city... "This may not be probably the most ideal place for a lot of people... but I beat to my own beat." Then he turned things around well, stating... "the Bills made some eyes open... these guys have all those pieces... in Trent I see tremendous upside... Buffalo, last season, they gave themself a buzz."

I know I'm looking forward even more to my 3rd season as a season ticket holder. Hopefully the team can begin and sustain success like last year's 5-1 start through the entire season, and we'll use this T.O. frequently and to our advantage.

As an update, looks like a certain Fuhrer wasn't too happy about the T.O. signing.

The Human Voice as an Instrument & Abadía da Cova

Went to see Vinx last night at Cafe Wha?, and while surrounded by a small crowd in a less than ideal venue, he as usual was pitch perfect and with a better live voice than any other singer I have witnessed. Hit up Las Ramblas for dinner, for great pinxtos (including octopus, frog legs, mussels). The co-owner treated us to Abadía da Cova, Licor de Hierbas (herb liquor), which at about 33% alcohol by volume is a distilled sugar cane based spirit instead of like wine grapes based grappa; the Abadia smacks of a fresh herb garden, seasoned with 20 different herbs and spices. Really unique flavor, served as an after dinner digestif.