FRIDAY

Texas-Style, Short-Rib Chili with Beer  |  Rosa Mexicano Guacamole & Chips  |  Alice Waters’ Limeade

It is Friday, we made it…{this photo was taken by Maddie as she waited for Michael’s ferry to arrive this evening}

Today was such a beautiful day here in the San Francisco Bay area!  Sunny and warm {temperatures in the upper 60’s}…our French doors overlooking the Bay were open all day.  Tonight’s dinner, and the sunset, provided a sneak-peek at summer days ahead…

This chili is not the chili you serve to a crowd {I have one of those recipes which I will share, soon}.  This chili is something special…succulent pieces of beef short-rib, slow-cooked to perfection.  I don’t know where the recipe originated, but the way I prepare it has evolved over time {it changed even today}.

Texas-Style, Short-Rib Chili with Beer

• 1 ounce package dried Ancho chiles
• 2-3 cups boiling water
• 2 large Pasilla Chiles ~ stemmed, seeded & diced
• 3 pounds, boneless beef short ribs, cut up into 1″ cubes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 slices thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled & chopped
• 1 large red onion, peeled & chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled & minced
• 1 can {28 0unces} diced tomatoes with their juices {I prefer the San Marzano brand}
• 1 small {6 ounce} can tomato paste
• 3 cups beef stock, divided
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 twelve-ounce bottle of beer { I recommend Lagunitas Pale Ale “New Dog Town”}
• Sauce from canned chipotle peppers in adobo {optional}

1. Start be stemming & seeding the dried ancho chiles…the dried chiles will break open and the seeds will fall out {with some coaxing}.
2. Place the dried ancho chile pieces into a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let steep for at least 20 minutes.
3. While the dried chiles steep, cook the bacon {over medium-high heat} in a large Dutch oven…this one is my favorite pot in our kitchen.
   
4. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon pieces to a plate lined with paper towels & set aside.
5. Season the short rib pieces with salt & pepper.  Place meat pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with the flour, tossing to coat the meat.
6. Working in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pieces of meat, add short rib pieces to the pot with bacon drippings and brown {over medium heat} on all sides.  Transfer browned meat to a bowl or platter.
7. Repeat with remaining short rib pieces, adding olive oil to the pot as necessary.  After all of the meat has been browned, set pot {with drippings} aside.
8. In a separate, large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add chopped yellow onion.  Cook until the onion just begins to soften and becomes translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
9. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cups of beef stock and the brewed coffee.  Bring this tomato mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove pot from heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
10. Drain the soaking ancho chiles {reserving the soaking liquid should the chili need to be thinned at any point}.
11. Transfer cooled tomato mixture and drained ancho chiles to a blender and blend until smooth.  Set aside.
12. In the pot with the drippings from the meat, add the diced red onion & green Pasilla chiles and cook {over medium-high heat} 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the brown sugar, cumin, oregano, stirring constantly.  Add reserved tomato mixture from the blender, together with the beer and remaining cup of beef stock, stirring to combine.
13. Return short ribs and bacon to this pot, stir and bring to a simmer.
14. At this point you can taste the chili and, if more heat is desired, add the adobo sauce {1 teaspoon at a time…be careful, a teaspoon delivers quite a bit of heat} to suit your tastes.
15. Transfer the chili to a slow-cooker and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.  Serve in individual bowls.  {Note:  let the chili cool at this point & then tightly cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.  Lift off solidified fat & then gently reheat to a simmer the following day.  Letting the flavors of the chili develop overnight really makes a difference in the end result}.

Ok…so I had a senior moment here, today, at this point in the recipe.  After pouring the boiling water over the dried chiles I set the bowl aside {as stated in the recipe}.  Well, I set that bowl so far aside that I completely forgot about them!  Never added them to the chili.  Found the bowl, with the soaking chiles, tucked behind my iPad {on its stand} when I was cleaning the kitchen.  As a quick fix, I added two teaspoons of adobo sauce {from the canned chiles in adobo} to the chili simmering in the slow-cooker.  The end result was  the best chili I have ever made!  This recipe has evolved once again...

Yup, right up there…that’s where those darn chiles should have gone if I had remembered them!  But…like I said, the chile turned out better just using the adobo sauce.

Next, prepare the Limeade about 2 hours before you want to serve it…

Limeade {adapted from Alice Waters in Chez Panisse Fruit}

• 10 limes
• 2½ cups boiling water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 small bunch mint
• Sparkling water {1 large 750-ml bottle or several individually-sized bottles}

1. Cut the limes in half & squeeze the juice into a glass measuring bowl {it should be about 1 cup}.
2. Put the juiced lime halves in a glass bowl and pour the boiling water over the lime rinds.  Let steep for no more than 10 minutes.  Strain this water into the lime juice and stir in the sugar.
3. Crush 5 or 6 mint leaves with your fingers & stir into the juice.  Allow the mint to steep for at least 30 minutes.
4. To serve, strain the limeade & dilute with half of the sparkling water.
5. Serve poured over ice in tall glasses and garnished with mint or pieces of lime.

About 30 minutes before you want to serve dinner, prepare the Rosa Mexicano Guacamole  {click on the recipe title, which is underlined, just before this to get the recipe}…seriously, the best guacamole I have ever tasted!

The surprise finish to this Friday evening dinner was a Key Lime Cream Bundt Cake served with freshly-whipped vanilla-lime cream.  But the chili & guacamole were so good, we indulged & left absolutely no room for this dessert. Tomorrow, I will make a rare Saturday post about this dreamy, creamy lime cake…stay tuned!

Happy Weekend!