Friday, June 17, 2016

Chili Con Carne with Beef, Chorizo and Chipotle

Hey Guys ( and Gals) What's more comforting than a nice big bowl of chili con carne? This recipe combines ground beef with diced chorizo for even more meaty madness, and best of all, it cooks up perfectly in your slow cooker!

I'm into the comfort food, baby!

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
  • 1 large brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 medium chorizo sausages, skin off and diced roughly
  • 600-700 grams grass fed ground beef/mince
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 chipotle chilli peppers (dried or tinned), diced
  • 1 teaspoon seasalt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seed powder
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1½ cup diced tinned tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
  • Garnish: greek or coconut yoghurt, fresh coriander, spring onion
DIRECTIONS:
Slow cooker method
  1. Cook onion in olive or coconut oil over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. This can be done in a frying pan or directly in a slow cooker dish if it's heat-proof. Then add the diced chorizo, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes, until slightly browned.
  2. Now add the beef and break it apart while stirring with the onion and chorizo. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and spices and stir together for a minute to release the aromas.
  3. Finally, add the tomatoes and vinegar, bring to simmer and transfer to a slow cooker (unless already in the slow cooker dish, then simply place the vessel back onto the heat element).
  4. Cook covered for 2-3 hours on HIGH, 4-5 hours on MEDIUM, 6-7 hours on LOW.
Stove top method
  1. Repeat the same steps as above but cook everything in a large pot or a deep frying pan with a lid. Once all ingredients are added and brought to simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring a few times.
Oven method
  1. Repeat the same steps as above and once all ingredients are added and brought to simmer, transfer the mix to an oven-proof casserole dish or a Dutch oven, cover with foil and cook in a 200C/395F oven for 30-45 minutes. Stir half way.
Huh? What do you think? Enjoy! Eat well My Friends!

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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household