Maaarge....we're missing the chili!!

I was recently inspired by an acquaintance (Yak, ma man!) to make some chili. I haven't made chili in a long time, which is strange, because I love it, and used to make it all the time. But while I've made it probably one hundred times, I've generally stuck to the same old style - ground beef/pork/tomatoes/chili powder/onion/kidney and baked beans. I've ventured away from this model a few times, but never anything radically different. Perhaps this is why I haven't made it in a while; it just didn't seem exciting anymore. So when Yak told me about his short rib and chipotle chili, I was intrigued. I thought to myself "I have to try that", but quickly I decided it would be even better just to come up with something on my own, a bit different than something that had been made before. So I went shopping, looked in my pantry and fridge, and decided on New Mexico Beef Shank Chili. It might just be my new soul mate.

From my perspective chili is all about the chilies you use. I'm calling this "New Mexico" because I used dried and ground New Mexico chilies (red and green) as the main spice. These peppers have a great flavour and intense fragrance, but do not bring too much heat to the chili. I supplemented them with ordinary chili powder, some cumin, and a whole dried red hot chili for some heat. I also added 3 fresh jalapenos, chopped in relatively large pieces. Those were the chilies that made the base of my chili.

I chose beef shank because it is one of the most flavourful cuts of beef, and it is perfect for low and slow simmering.

One final note. I used my slow cooker for most of this cooking. I let it go for about 8 hours. Near the end, however, I was getting impatient (and hungry) so I transferred the chili to my dutch oven, put it on the stove and turned up the heat heat. I like my chili THICK, and a slow cooker doesn't let much moisture out. So if you want to thicken it up, this is a good thing when you are about 15 minutes away from being ready to eat.

What you need:

Meat: Beef shanks x 3, chicken or beef stock

Veg: Some bell peppers - 2 to 5 - mixed colours make it look nicer, onions, garlic, a can of cannellini beans, a can of black beans, and a large can of tomatoes (28 oz).

Spice/Herb: Ground dried red and green New Mexico chilies, whole dried hot chili, chili powder, cumin, jalapenos [You can use any chili or combination of chilies], a splash of vinegar, slat, pepper, sugar, salt and pepper

Garnish/Fixins: Green onions, lime juice, sharp cheddar cheese

Other: Chili spoon [preferably carved from a bigger spoon]

What to do:

Let me first say one thing. I mentioned that the chilies are the most important thing when making chili. The next most important thing is to layer the flavours. I mean, you could just throw all these ingredients into a pot or slow cooker and simmer away for 5 hours and you'd have a perfectly good chili. But if you take the time to layer the flavours your chili will take on whole new flavour dimensions and complexity. In this chili, I layered the flavours in three ways. First, I add my spices (chilies, cumin, salt, pepper, sugar) in several batches throughout the cooking process. Usually three. Right at the start, once in the middle, and again at the end to taste. Since the chilies mellow out over time, each addition will give off different flavours and aromas from the chili. It really makes a difference. Second, I brown the meat. This may seem obvious, but it is a must. Lastly, I caramelized the onion with some garlic. This brings a whole new dimension to the whole thing. Now for how its done. It's really quite simple.

1. If you are using a slow cooker, but about half a cup of stock, and the tomatoes in and turn it on as high as it goes. Since it takes slow cookers a long time to heat up, and you really should cook this for at least 8 hours, you might as well start with this.

2. Throw your first batch of spices, along with all the peppers, chopped into chunks.

3. Salt and pepper, and then brown off the beef shanks in some vegetable oil (in batches if necessary) , adding them to the chili once they get a deep golden brown.

4. In the same pan you browned the meat in, add a bit more oil, and then one large or two medium onions, sliced, to the pan. Turn the heat to medium, and let them get soft.

5. As the onion are cooking, add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and some black pepper. Mix it all in. The salt will help them soften faster, and the sugar will help the caramelization. Add in 3 or 4 garlic cloves chopped finely.

6. Turn the heat down to medium low, and let cook until they are a deep deep brown. (I added some dried ancho chili halfway through for even another layer of flavour. Not necessary though). When they are done, add them to the chili.

7. Add a splash of vinegar, the beans (drained and rinsed), and if needed, more stock to cover the meat. You can also add some tomato paste here if you want it even more tomato-ier. Let cook for 8 hours or longer (if you can stand it!).

8. At around 5 or six hours, remove the meat from the chili. It will be breaking apart by now, so make sure you dig around and get it all. Put it on a large plate or platter, remove the excess fat and the bones (but get the marrow out first!), and then shred the meat (and the marrow) together with two forks. Toss the shredded meat with your second batch of spices, then add it back to the chili. Cook for another couple hours.

9. Anytime in the last half hour, you can transfer to the stove to reduce more vigorously.

10. Add your final batch of chili spices. Taste, and adjust further. I like my chili to have a really intense flavour, so in the end I think I probably end up putting about 3/4 of a cup to a full cup of spices total (all the chilies, salt, pepper, sugar, cumin, etc.).

11. When you think it is done, remove from the heat, add a few chopped green onions, and give it a squeeze of lime. Stir and serve topped with grated cheese if you desire.

Toast or rice make good sides for chili. I used fresh bread sticks.

This chili turned out to be one of the best I've ever made (in my opinion). I'm not sure I'll ever go back to ground meat ever again. Next time, I will mix up the chilies a bit and try chipotle and ancho. I'll probably try a different cut of meat as well.

Korean Style Beef & Noodle Soup

I've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately, and earlier this week I had a real desire for a good soup. So I modified something I'd made before (Korean Oxtail Soup - aka Gori Gom Tang) into a nice noodle soup with a soy sesame ginger dipping sauce for the meat. It turned out really well. Here is what you'll need.

Meat: I used beef short ribs and a large chuck steak.

Herb/Spice: Salt, ginger, garlic, hot chilies (dried or fresh), black pepper, soy sauce, dark sesame oil, some dark vinegar - balsamic will do.

Garnish/Fixins: green onions, toasted sesame seeds, dipping sauce (recipe to follow), wheat and egg noodles (as opposed to rice)

What to do:

1. Put all your meat (as much as you want) into a large stock pot or dutch oven and cover with water (7-9 cups or so), add in a few Toonie sized slices of ginger (4 or 5) and a tablespoon of salt or so. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially cover and cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender

2. In the meantime, make the dipping sauce (Half of this goes directly into the soup and the other half is for dipping): In a small bowl, mix together a few tablespoons of soy sauce, about a third as much sesame oil, some crushed/chopped hot peppers to taste, a couple cloves of minced garlic, some black pepper, and some sesame seeds. Taste and adjust heat and soy - if it is a bit strong, you can add a small splash of stock or water.

3. When the meat is tender, remove it and take it off the bone/break into bite sized pieces.

4. Add half the dipping sauce mixture to the soup, and a splash of vinegar; taste and adjust seasoning with anything that is in the dipping sauce. If you want more ginger, you can add some minced/grated at this time too (If it seems to have reduced too much, you can add some more water at this point).
.
5. Return the meat to the soup, and simmer for a bit longer, maker sure it really is tender.

6. Add some wheat egg/wheat noodles right before you are read to eat, and wait until they are cooked (I suggest adding only as many noodles as you want to eat at that time). Alternatively, prepare the noodles separately in boiling water.

7. Serve topped with chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and Asian hot sauce to taste. As you eat, dip the pieces of meat in the sauce. If you are lazy, you can just add all the seasoning mixture to the soup and eat it.

Done and delicious!

An Entry from the "Road": Where to dine at Toronto's Pearson Int'l Airport (Terminal 1)

Now I've spent my fair share of time at the Toronto airport. For the past six years, anytime I've flown home to Sault Ste. Marie, I've had at least an hour lay over in Toronto. And even on days like today, where I'm just a tad early at the airport for my flight back to Winnipeg, I like to eat!

I've patronized most of the dining and drinking options in Terminal 1, which is where you'll be if you fly anywhere on Air Canada. So here is what you have to choose from, and what I've thought of them as airport dining options.

The Exchange Cafe - 2.8/5

This the place I eat at the most, mainly due to its proximity to the gates where Soo flights tend to go from. I go there often enough that one of the waitresses knows me!

The menu is pretty limited, so I usually just go with the burger, which comes topped with bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce and onion, and fries on the side. The burgers are ok, but fries are quite delicious. I've also had the steak sandwich there, which essentially is a whole, but moderately sized sirloin sitting on a bun topped with grilled peppers and onions. Its not great, but its not terrible either. Other things on the menu include pizza, some wraps, some soups, etc. The main dishes tend to be priced between $10 and $20.

There is a full bar, but the on tap beer. Selection is limited to Molson Canadian, Coors Light, and Rickard's Red. The domestic beer is about $9 a pint.

Hogtown Bar and Grill - 2.9/5

Hogtown's menu is very similar to the Exchange's. There may be some slight variations, but I'm pretty sure the food is the same. I've been there twice, and both times had the burger and fries. I don't think I could tell the difference. One thing they do have, which the Exchange doesn't, is a bit of sushi. I haven't tried it, but it looks alright for pre-made sushi.

The bar service at Hogtown is also the same as the Exchange.

One benefit of Hogtown is that it is in a really nice and open part of the terminal. The seating is out in the open, and just fenced off, so it's great for people watching. Also, if it's daytime, the sun shines through the 100 foot high glass ceiling.

Prices are on par with other places reviewed here.

Casey's On Stage - 2.8/5

I just at Casey's for the first time today. It offers a nice change from the previous two eateries. The menu is much larger, and even the things that are the same, such as the bacon-cheese burger (which I had... mainly for comparison), are a bit different.

The menu at Casey's offers lunch-type fare, such as sandwiches and burgers, but also has bigger, more dinner oriented dishes like ribs, steaks, pasta, and seafood. Additionally, the on-tap beer selections is a bit more diverse, adding Alexander Keith's and Stella Artois to the mix.

The bacon-cheese burger at Casey's had potential to be better than anything else I've had at the airport, but in the end, 'm not sure what to think. The burger seemed to be more "real" at Casey's, ingredient-wise, but its preparation wasn't that good. The way in which it was assembled basically cooked the lettuce (I guess it was right next to the hot burger). Furthermore, the "toasted bun," which was relatively fresh kaiser roll, was a bit soggy. The french fries were also way way under par, compared with those at Hogtown and the Exchange.

Overall I was not impressed, but because of the greater variety of dishes on the menu, I could see myself trying it out again. But if I want a burger, I'll be going somewhere else.

Prices at Casey's were about the same as the other two.

Now these three places don't represent every dining option in Terminal 1, but they are three of the maybe four or five "full service" restaurants available. These are the ones you will be close to if you are flying domestically on Air Canada. There are a few other smaller cafes and bars as well as the other restaurants that I have not tried out yet.

I don't know what it is, but I can't resist sitting down for a beer and a bite when I'm in this airport. Even if the food is mediocre at best, there is something about it that can make a weary traveler very happy.

I will update this post when I eat at some of the other eateries, during future lay overs.

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

A feast from the Subcontinent

I've made it sort of a goal of mine to cook at least one big, ostensibly elaborate - but in fact quite simple, dinner each week during the summer. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands, and what better way to spend that time than cooking!

So today when I woke up on the holiday Monday, I decided I needed to make a good dinner. I had Indian food in my head because I haven't had it in ages. So I flipped through couple of books, and got some ideas.

I decided on 3 main dishes; two meat, and one vegetable.

I'd make Pork Vindaloo: pork shoulder braised in a dark sauce flavoured primarily with cinnamon, as well as coriander seed, cardamom, cloves, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, and thinned with white vinegar.

I'd also make what I'll call a Cardamom Coconut Red Chicken Curry. This dish might be reminiscent of Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken, but the spice composition is somewhat different, and I think it is tastier and superior to the two former dishes.

Lastly, I made a curried cauliflower dish with some homemade curry powder that I'd made on a previous occasion.

To go along with these dishes, I made a raita (yogurt sauce/dip), basmati rice, and I got some naan bread, as well as pappdams. Then I made a Lassi Meethi for dessert. Here is what you'll need to do this one!

Pork Vinadloo



Meat: A few pounds of pork shoulder, cut into chunks

Herb/Spice: garlic, ginger, cinnamon, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, mustard seed/powder, cardamom, salt, black pepper, vinegar



Garnish/Fixins: Chopped cilantro

What to do:

1. Toss a couple tablespoons of a neutral oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat, and all the ingredients except the pork, vinegar, and cilantro

2. After about a minute of cooking the spices in the oil, at the pork and raise the heat to medium high. Cook for about a minute

3. Add the vinegar, and a bit of water to cover the meat.

4. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about an hour and a half - longer if you want.



5. When the pork it tender, check the sauce - adjust thickness as desired (I like to reduce it enough that it sticks to the meat well).



6. Serve topped with chopped cilantro

Cardamom Coconut Red Chicken Curry

Meat: Some chicken pieces - preferably dark meat on the bone - I used four whole legs

Veg: a can of tomatoes, fresh chilies (jalapeno or Thai, or anything you can find), onion

Herb/Spice: Cardamom, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and pepper, a can of coconut milk, butter

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped Cilantro



What to do:

1. Melt some butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and throw in 2 onions, sliced - cook until soft.

2. When the onions are soft, add a couple tablespoons each of garlic and ginger (both minced), as well as a couple fresh chilies (seeded, stemmed, and chopped finely) - cook for a minute.

3. Add the can of tomatoes, liquid and all, and break up the tomatoes with whatever you are stirring with - Let simmer for 10 minutes

4. Add the coconut milk, followed by the chicken (I suggest taking the skin off if there is any; but left on the bone) - Bring to a strong simmer and let cook for at least an hour.



5. [Optional] After about an hour, I decided to remove the chicken from the sauce and take the chicken off the bone. You don't have to do this if you don't want to.

6. [Optional] Also, while the chicken was out, I added a dollop of butter, and pureed the sauce with a stick blender to bring it to a really nice velvety texture. Return the chicken to the sauce.



7. Add a handful of chopped cilantro, and stir. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings - add more of all the spices if you want to add a bit more depth of flavour. It will probably need a bit of salt.

7. Serve topped with chopped cilantro

Curried Cauliflower

Veg: head of cauliflower, trimmed and left whole

Herb/Spice: curry powder, neutral oil, lemon juice, cumin

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the cauliflower, and cook for about 10 minutes or until its tender.

2. If you are doing this an hour or two ahead, just remove it from the water and let it cool. If not, throw it into a bowl with ice water to cool it down right away. When its cool, break it into small pieces.

3. Add about 3 tablespoons of oil to a large non-stick fry pan and put to medium heat; then add the curry powder. Stir until the curry powder turns a dark. But be careful not to burn it!

4. Add the cauliflower and toss in the oil and curry powder, and add some salt and pepper. Cook until the cauliflower is coated, heated, and turning a nice brown colour.

5. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Garnish with more curry powder, some cumin (seeds if you have them), cayenne pepper (if you want to make it a bit spicy), and the juice of half a lemon. Serve!

Raita

*This is one variation on many that you could make

What you'll need:



Plain Yogurt (I like the Mediterranean style - its thicker and I think it works better)
Cucumber - grated
Cumin
Mustard Powder
Sugar
Salt.

Stir all together in a bowl. Adjusting all the seasonings to taste. It is supposed to be a cooling condiment to go with some of the hotter dishes.



Lassi Meethi

Alright, here is a bonus thing I made for dessert. Lassi is a thick yogurt based drink that can be made either savoury or sweet. Here, since it was for dessert, it was obviously sweet.

What you need:

A cup or so of plain yogurt,
A cup or so of ice cubes
A bit of cold water
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cardamom - 1 tsp or more to taste

Blend everything together in a blender, adjusting water, ice, yogurt for desired thickness, and other ingredients for desired flavour. They are incredible.


There you have it! A holiday weekend-ending Indian fest. This all turned out very well tonight, and we demolished the food. Luckily I made a lot of everything so I'll have something to bring to work for lunch everyday this week, albeit a very shortened week!

Pork Braised in Coconut Milk

While I was writing my last post a little while ago, I was also cooking up some late lunch/early dinner for myself on this fine Saturday afternoon. I had some cilantro that I bought at Organic Planet last week that needed using, so I decided to do something Southeast Asian. Since pork prices are rock bottom - this dish seemed perfect. I JUST ate it, and it was amazing.

Meat: Pork shoulder (2-3 lbs) cut into 2 inch pieces

Herb/Spice: coconut milk, a couple fresh hot chilies (Thai are preferable, but I had to go with jalapenos, because that is what I could get), a few cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and nam pla (Asian fish sauce)

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped cilantro and green onions, some Sriracha or other hot sauce, a few lime wedges

What to do:

1. Brown off the pieces of pork in a large sauce pan, adding salt and pepper while doing so.

2. Add garlic and chilies and garlic (both minced), and stir for a minute or so.

3. Add a can of coconut milk and the equivalent of a can of water or some light stock (You can double up on the coconut milk if you want it even richer) and a couple tablespoons of nam pla.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a lower heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

5. When the pork is tender, check the liquid - if it looks like a good "saucy" consistency, its good. If its a bit runny, reduce it a tad. If its a bit thick, add some more liquid!

6. Remove from the heat, stir in a handful of cilantro and green onion.

7. Serve, topped with more of the garnish, some hot sauce, a few squeezes of lime, and some sticky or jasmine rice!

Easy Roast Chicken with a Kick!

Alright folks, here is something I have tried a few times when roasting a chicken. The idea if from Mario Batali's book, Molto Italiano. He calls it the Devil's Chicken. It gives the chicken a great crispy crust, and a nice kick.

Meat: 1 whole chicken

Veg: Anything to make a small salad with. Mario suggests a cherry tomato, red onion, and parsley salad with a red wine vinaigrette (What I did the first time I made this - very good). This time I did a red and green bell pepper and cucumber salad because that is what I had

Herb/Spice: Dijon mustard, a whole lot of fresh cracked black pepper, salt, extra virgin olive oil

Garnish/Fixins: Some spicy extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry.

2. Rub or brush chicken with olive oil, and then sprinkle very liberally with salt and pepper - inside and out.

3. Put chicken on a roasting rack and cook for about 45 minutes - you want it to get nice and brown

4. In the meantime, mix together about two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, with about a quarter cup (yeah, that's right, a quarter CUP) of fresh cracked black pepper, and about a tablespoon of olive oil.

5. When chicken is brown, remove and brush all with the mustard/pepper mixture; then return to the oven until it is done - about 30 minutes, or until the deepest part of the thigh registers about 165 Fahrenheit with a meat thermometre.




6. Carve it up, serve with salad, and drizzle with olive oil!



Done. Easy and delicious. Try it.

Restaurant Review: The Tallest Poppy

The Tallest Poppy: 3.9/5

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of having lunch at The Tallest Poppy here in Winnipeg. This restaurant, located at 631 Main Street serves up fresh, local, organic food on a menu that changes daily.

Inside, the restaurant is nothing special, but very comfortable - you would expect it to be filled with hipsters, but that was not the case at all. There are about eight tables, some minimalist decor (albeit with a very cool ceiling), the counter, and the menu board featuring the day's offerings. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and feel, with patrons coming from all walks of life from business persons to street people, to our group that was heading off to a tasting at the Winnipeg Wine Festival right after lunch. In addition to the restaurant's feel, the owner was very hands on with service and made sure we, as well as every other customer, was welcomed and had everything they wanted. Our server was also quite knowledgeable and friendly as we, jokingly, pummeled her with questions about everything from what the best thing on the menu was, to where all the ingredients came from.

Since it was around noon on a Saturday when we went, the menu was a mix of breakfast and lunch dishes. On the menu that day were a number of sandwiches (roast chicken and pork) served with ruffled potato chips, their classic style breakfast, a breakfast sandwich, an egg strata, and a several other things.

All of the Tallest Poppy's sandwiches are made with their fresh homemade challah, which I thought was exquisite! They serve this bread as their toast as well. I chose the roast chicken sandwich, which had pieces roast dark meat chicken, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, cheddar cheese, as well as some mayo. It was awesome. One of my dining-mates also had this sandwich, and claimed, with absolutely no reservations, that it was the best sandwich he'd ever had in Winnipeg. It's incredible how something so simple can be made so special by using fresh, high quality ingredients, and really good bread.

Overall I had a great experience at this neat little eatery, and will definitely be making a return visit. If you want something fresh and tasty, I suggest you check it out. Try going in and just asking them to "make something good" and you won't be disappointed!

Prices at the Tallest Poppy are extremely reasonably, with almost everything on that day's menu coming in at under $10 (The sandwiches were about $6). The Tallest Poppy also does family style fixed menu brunches, that include several courses of whatever the chef decides to whip up for that day. I haven't tried it yet, but I definitely will.

This is so good I don't know where I am...

or remember my name.

Today, for the first time, I made my favourite dish to eat in the world: Mole Poblano (pronounced "mole-ay") [In reality, this probably isn't very "Poblano"; it's more just a way to make a dark mole, which is characteristic of that from the Peubla region]. This is a labour intensive, time consuming Mexican dish that is more complex than probably anything you've ever tasted. The version I made was relatively simple (a slight variation on Mark Bittman's recipe in The Best Recipes in the World), but traditionally these recipes will have over 30 ingredients, involving as many as 10 different kinds of chiles.

Mole Poblano is the dark, rich sauce made primarily from a variety of fresh and dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, stock, and unsweetened chocolate or cocoa. It comes together as a rich, dark,velvety sauce that is a match made in heavan for chicken; or even better: turkey (So tonight I did both chicken and turkey with my mole).

You may ask: if this is your favourite thing to eat in the world, then why is this the first time you've ever made it? I might answer: I've never been able to get the variety of dried chiles necessary. The actual types of dried chiles you get isn't all that important, because pretty much every family in certain Mexican regions have their own recipe. What is important is that you get a variety. I had my mom pick up some for me in Florida recently. I four types of Mexican dried chiles: Whole dried chipotles (aka smoked jalepenos), ground ancho chiles, ground red New Mexico chiles, and ground green New Mexico chiles. I also got some whole dried Thai bird's eye chiles, but those are for another entry!

If you can get a few types of dried Meixcan chiles, you can make Mole Poblano. This is also probably a spot to mention that there are countless varieties of mole which you can make (just google it!), but Poblano, or from the region of Peubla, is my favourite.

I served my turkey/chicken Mole Poblano with some slow cooked beans, and "Arroz Mexicano" (aka Mexican rice").

Here's what I did.

Mole Poblano

Meat: Turkey and chicken legs, chicken broth/stock

Veg: Whole canned plum tomatoes, jalapenos, onions

Spice: Cinnamon, dried chipotle pepper, dried ground ancho pepper, dried ground red and green New Mexico chiles, bay leaves, thyme, cliantro, unsweetened chocolate, salt and pepper

Garnish/Fixins: Cilantro, fresh tomatoes, hot sauce, corn tortillas



1. Put the fresh and dried (chipotle) jalapenos in the bottom of a hot, dry stock pot, and char them a bit, but not too much, then remove and put aside.



2. Reduce the heat under the stockpot, add some extra virgin olive oil, and then the onions (chopped), garlic (minced), and about a quarter cup of chopped cilantro - cook until onions are soft.



3. In the meantime, stem and seed the fresh jalapenos, and cut into pieces.

4. When the onions are soft, add about a cup and a half of chopped tomates (canned will be better if the fresh ones aren't that good), about 2 cups of chicken stock, the cinnamon, thyme, bay leaves, the fresh and dried jalapenos, all the rest of the chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for a while.. maybe half an hour.



5. Once its had time for the flavours to blend, add about 1 ounce (one full sqare of baker's chocolate) of unsweetened chocolate, and stir while it blends in. Continue to simmer.



6. At some point after its simmered a bit longer, either use a stick blender to puree the sauce, or allow to cool slightly, transfer to a blender, and puree. Continue to simmer the sauce.




7. At this point preheat your oven to 400, and then put some olive oil on a baking sheet, and the pieces of poultry, as well as some salt and pepper. Throw it in the oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes, and then turn the broiler on to brown the skin. Once its pretty nice and crip, transfer the meat to the simmering sauce. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes..



8. At this point, the chicken/turkey skin will be a bit soft, so I removed it from the sauce, and put it back under the broiler until it gets all nice and almost "grilled" looking. All the while continuing to simmer the sauce.



9. Now I added more chicken stock throughout the sauce cooking, especially to help cook the poultry. But in the end, you want it to be thick, so while the poultry is browning under the broiler, reduce the sauce on high heat until it coats the back of a spoon - or even thicker if you want. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.



10. Take the poultry out of the oven, put on a serving platter or something big enough to carry it, and top with a generous portion of the mole, and the garnish with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.



11. Get your fixins together: Wrap corn tortillas in foil and heat in oven/toaster oven for about 10 minutes (Corn tortiallas NEED to be hot, or they will crack); Slice a couple tomatoes (I salt and peppered them, gave them a squeeze of lime, and topped with some cilantro as well), more chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and the left over mole sauce.

12. Assemble tacos with pieces of the poultry that you've torn off the bone (shredding it a bit is the best) - I like to top it with extra mole, hot sauce, cilantro, and tomatoes. Sometimes I like just the meat and sauce on the corn tortilla alone.



Beans

What you need: A bag of dried red kidney beans (what I used) or black beans, some cumin, several cloves of garlic, a couple lime wedges, water, and some time!)

What to do:

1. If you have time, soak the beans overnight - this will greatly reduce the cooking time.

2. Then put beans in a sauce pan, cover liberally with water, and bring to a boil


3. When it comes to a boil, add a tablepsoon of cumin, and a few smashed garlic cloves

4. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are tender (at least an hour --> I cooked mine for 3.5 hours to get them to a glorious texture - they weren't pre-soaked) - You will likely have to add more liquid to keep the beans covered (either water or broth)



5. I chose to take a potato masher to mine about 2 hours in to release all the starch and break the beans up.


6. When they are nice and broken down and in a big mass; they are done.

When they are ready, add another tablespoon of cumin, a couple minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and a couple squeezes of lime. Combine and serve!

Arroz Mexicano

What you need: long grain rice, an onion, some garlic cloves, a couple tomatoes, chicken broth, and a bit of oil.

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add rice. Stir until the rice is golden brown.

2. In the meantime, puree the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a paste in a blender/food processor.

3. When the rice if brown, add the puree to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.

4. Add the broth (about twice the amount of rice you have; i.e. one cup of rice and two cups of liquid), bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until rice is tender - about 20-30 minutes)



5. Toss the rice with a fork - or "fluff" it, I guess is what its called, and serve!


That is it! A great Mexican Sunday dinner here in Winnipeg. Andrew and I just gorged on that. I wanted to make this in honour of my favourite restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie closing - Los Mexicanos. Mole is pretty much the only thing I ever ordered there. It was amazing there, although tonight's turned out to as good, if not better! I am very happy. Now I can make this again and again (until I run out of chiles, at least).



Best. Meal. Ever.