Chocoholic Chili

I'm not sure what attracted me to this recipe. I'm not a big fan of chili, it's just so... I guess ugly is the only word I can think of, but it's also one of those things that you can only eat every once in a while, and its best hidden with oodles of chopped onion and cheddar cheese on top. It's reserved for days when "the men" are watching football games at my uncle's house and he has his chili prepared and all the fixings in little bowls, with a side of cornbread.

This chili, while still similar to a traditional non-Texas style one, is different. I realize that sentence makes no sense. It wasn't supposed to be a vegetarian chili, but I figured the turkey wouldn't be missed. It originally called for two cans of pinto beans, but I figured I'd give it a flavor and texture boost, and since it is winter break and I have the time, by using dried beans. It also seemed more like mole-coated beans, but that is probably because I let it simmer uncovered too long while I tried to figure out what was wrong with my cornbread (which was perfectly fine, I'd just underestimated the bake time.)

The chili was filling and warming. And just fine the way it turned out. I might even make it again sometime, though I'm sure by Thursday I'll hate it because I have a feeling it'll be my lunch for the next couple of days, though maybe I'll find a way to get through it faster (invite people over to join me, perhaps).


**There isn't a picture because my camera was out of battery and we were hungry. And then when I ate the leftovers today (Wednesday) I also failed to take pictures of it because I was rushing and it didn't look very attractive because it was a mess, though it did look pretty cool over the cornbread on a plate instead of in a bowl. Also, the picture is what the weather looks like... except it was overcast yesterday. Perfect for chili.

Chipotle-Chocolate Chili
adapted from Cooking Light December 2007
serves 8

Recipe notes: When I went to get the link from Cooking Light, I noticed hte reviews on the original recipe. Many people don't like the murky chocolatey taste, and it is pretty strong and covers a lot of the spice. I'm sure it would be just as tasty, if not more so, with the cocoa powder omitted or the chocolate cut back to an ounce or so.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups cooked pinto beans
19 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, minced
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
about 1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream to dollop on top
chopped green onions, to garnish (optional)

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan; saute 8 minutes or until tender. Stir sugar, chile powder, cocoa, cumin, black pepper, salt, beans, tomatoes, broth, and chipotle chiles into the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chocolate.

Divide chili among warmed bowls. Top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and onions, if using, and serve with some nice warm cornbread!

Ricotta Juice and Ravioli

My dad's friend brings us fresh homemade (by a small Italian store) ricotta every couple of weeks. One week, he brought the ricotta with extra "ricotta juice" and made a soup out of it with some ditalini and the reserved pasta water.

Over the weekend, I decided to try making homemade ricotta. It wasn't difficult at all, nor extremely time consuming (about an hour or so, but you could be multitasking as long as you remain close by). It wasn't cheaper though, nor better, than the ricotta that we get every once in a while. Maybe the only difference was the use of hormone-free milk (but I couldn't get a large enough hormone-free buttermilk, so I suppose that defeated that goal.)

My favorite thing to do with ricotta is to mix in some honey and eat it for breakfast, but since I made around 3 cups or so of ricotta, I needed another way to use it before it went bad. I saved the whey from when I made it, or as Franco likes to call it, the "ricotta juice", and considered making the ricotta soup. But then I came up with an idea that could actually serve as dinner.

I knew I wanted a pasta dish of some sort, and I wanted it to incorporate the ricotta, and possibly the whey, but I wasn't sure exactly what. I considered making pasta and tossing it with some ricotta, basil, and zucchini (I bought squash at the farmer's market over the weekend); making a fresh tasting lasagna with ricotta and pesto, or ravioli. The ravioli appealed the most to me. I've never made ravioli, but was feeling like some after finding an old issue of Food & Wine that had pasta sheets with crab between them and called it ravioli. For some reason, after seeing it, I wanted ravioli.

But I didn't want something thick and doughy. I wanted the light summer flavors to stand out, so that meant that I was not going to be able to make the dough. A rolling pin would not stand up to the job of making the pasta thin enough. Remembering Deb's post on pierogi, I decided on wonton wrappers and set out to make my ravioli. (Well, I did go to the store with my awesome new grocery basket to buy some milk and whole-wheat penne as a back-up, but that isn't really relevant.)

I also now realized that by changing the presentation of this dish, it is incredibly simple to make. Maybe I will submit some recipes to Bon Appetit (once I have the required number), because this is simple, and tasty, enough to make again.


Ravioli in Ricotta Juice
serves 5 (as a light meal, or more realistically, 2-4)
10 Basil Ravioli (recipe below)
3 cups whey or vegetable broth
2 medium tomatoes
3 medium summer squash (such as pattypan, yellow squash, zucchini, etc.)

In a large saucepan, heat whey or broth over medium heat. Dice tomatoes and add to the pot. Either thinly slice or dice squash, depending on if you want to add them to the whey or leave them raw. (I like raw squash, but some people don't. Mom would have preferred me cooking them.)

In a bowl, portion raw zucchini (unless cooking) and ravioli. Divide whey/broth among bowls and serve.


Basil Ravioli
makes 10-12 ravioli
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup (6 ounces) ricotta cheese, divided
3 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt*
20-24 wonton wrappers

In a food processor, combine basil, 1/2 cup ricotta, garlic, and salt. Process until smooth. Remove blade or transfer mixture to a bowl. Add remaining ricotta cheese and gently mix in with a fork.

In a small bowl, pour some water to use to wet fingers. Lay out a wonton wrapper, and wet along the edges with a finger. Put a tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center. Wet the edges of a second wrapper and place on top. Squeeze out air and with damp fingers seal the edges together tightly.
Repeat with remaining mixture and wrappers.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli in a single layer so they don't stick to each other and cook about 3 minutes, or until wrappers are cooked and soft.

*My ricotta didn't have any salt in it, and the filling didn't seem to need anymore salt than that, so salting to taste would probably be a good idea, and tasting it because how salty the cheese is would also impact that.

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Coconut Shrimp

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Coconut Shrimp
adapted from recipe by Corbin Evans in Food&Wine
Serves 4 as a first course

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots (about 1/2 lb), chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 - 2 tablespoons lime juice (juice from half of a lime)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup milk
1 oz (2 tablespoons) coconut milk
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
12 small shrimp, shelled
3 tablespoons shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 425º. In a large saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, ginger, and crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, and sesame oil. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in milk and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Toss the shrimp with the coconut and remaining two teaspoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a cast iron plate or parchment lined baking sheet and roast in oven for 5 minutes or until pink. Pour soup into warmed bowls and garnish each with three of the shrimp.