In Progress: Navy Bean and Chicken Chili

I'm way behind on posts, so this one isn't going to be very chatty. We had to adopt this recipe for dried beans. It came out a tad soupy, but very delicious, especially since we amped up the amount of jarred jalapenos and the garlic. In future iterations - and there will be future iterations, since this is flavorful and filling -  we'll start decreasing the liquid a cup at a time and fiddle a bit with the cooking/what to add when times (beans were perfect but chicken got a tad stringy) and see where the sweet spot is. Below, our riff on the Slow Cooker Revolution original.

• 4 c chicken stock
• 2 c beef stock
• 1 15-o. can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 onions, minced
• 4 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 t ground cumin
• 2 t ground coriander
• 1 lb. dried navy beans
• 3 lbs. chicken thighs, skin removed if you want
• salt and pepper
• 4 T minced, pickled jarred jalapeno chiles, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced
• 2 avocados, pitted and cut into 1 in. pieces

In a blender, puree the hominy and 2 cups of stock till smooth, about 1 min. Pour into slow cooker.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, garlic, fresh jalapenos, cumin and coriander. Cook till the vegetables are softened and somewhat browned, 8-12 min. Stir in 1 cup stock, scraping any browned bits. Pour mixture into slow cooker.

Add beans to slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook till beans are tender, about 5 hours on high.

Remove chicken from slow cooker. Let cool a bit, then shred into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones and return the meat to the slow cooker.

Stir in pickled jalapenos, then let sit till heated through, about 5 min. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve, garnishing with avocado bits.

Brazilian Black Beans with Pork

Absolute home run of a recipe - the stew was smoky, rich and full of flavor; the sauce added a perfect accent of sharp, grassy tang. We pretty much followed the recipe in Cook's Illustrated's Slow Cooker Revolution - our reliable go-to - save for deglazing the onion and bacon mixture with a cup of water. I scraped the pan pretty well though, and the stew was more than rich enough, so no harm done. I may try a bit of acid next time, though. Recipes for the stew and the accompanying sauce follow.

• 6 oz bacon
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1/4 c tomato paste
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground coriander 
• 4c chicken broth
• 1 lb dried black beans
• 1 lb sausages, halved and sliced 1/2 in. thick
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 lb boneless pork butt roast, cut into 1-1/2 in. pieces
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute the bacon over medium-high heat till crispy, about 5-10 minutes. Add the onions, tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander and cook till the onions are softened and beginning to brown, 10 or so minutes.

Meanwhile, put sausages, bay leaves and broth in the slow cooker. Add the onion-bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5-7 hours on high (took us about 5) or 9-11 hours on low, till meat is tender and beans are done. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve over rice and with Brazilian hot sauce (recipe below).

Brazilian Hot Sauce (makes about 3 cups)


This was good, though I may add a bit more jalapeno/include a bit of pith and seed next time.

• 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced (seeds and white pith removed if you're inclined)
• 1/3 c white wine vinegar
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1T cilantro (used 1/4c parsley)
• 1/2 t salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes, till flavors have melded.

Brassica di Seville: Goi Ga Bap Cai (Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad)

So that seven-plus pound cabbage from a couple of weeks ago? There's still some left after this latest recipe. The salad, courtesy of Wandering Chopsticks, turned out to be a perfect dinner to bring to Nationals Stadium for this year's Opera in the Outfield (a wonderful production of The Barber of Seville, with a deft and assured Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva). The full recipe - including sub-recipes - is reproduced below. Even with a bare 30 minutes to chill, it tasted wonderful - flavorful and filling, with a nicely varied texture.

• 2 scant cups shredded chicken (I boiled four small thighs; will use more next time)
• 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1 medium head of cabbage, sliced very thinly

• 1 red onion, sliced thinly
  
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar

• 1/4 cup patis
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• juice from 1 and 1/4 lime
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (substituted for 1 chile)
  

Prepare the hanh dam (Vietnamese vinegared onions). Dissolve 2 tsp. sugar in 1/4 cup of rice vinegar. Add thinly sliced red onion; use more vinegar if need be to cover. Leave for 15 minutes or till onions get soft.

Prepare the nuoc mam cham (Vietnamese fish dipping sauce) - I opted for the spicier version. Mince three cloves of garlic along with the juice of 1 and 1/4 lime, 1/4 cup patis and 2 tbsp. sugar; adjust flavors to taste. Set aside.

Boil the chicken (I did so in about a quart of water with a half a head of smashed garlic, some of which I added to the dipping sauce afterwards, and a chopped onion); set aside.

Slice the cabbage as thinly as you can. Julienne the carrots, then stem and roughly chop the cilantro.

Combine everything - veggies, vinegared onions and dressing - in a bowl and mix. Correct seasoning if necessary.

Chill for at least half an hour, longer if possible, to let flavors meld. Enjoy.