Timothy's White Chili

Timothy's was a wonderfully eccentric eatery, opened by Tim Barnes in the early 1980s, on East Broadway in Louisville, Kentucky. They served continental style food and frequently displayed a "now sauteing" neon sign in the front window. Most Louisvillians will remember it and, although I wasn't introduced to it until I moved here almost 18 years ago, I still remember going there with friends to savor some of their awesome "White Chili".

In March of 1991, Bon Appetit did an article on Timothy's and published the White Chili recipe. I was ecstatic when I found it and have been making it ever since. When Tim died in the late 1990s, the restaurant closed and reopened in Indiana in 2003. They still have his chili.

Every other year, I spend the Christmas holidays in the southwest visiting my daughter and her boyfriend. They have a great house with 4 cats in Austin Texas. We have a wonderful week of Christmas, zoning out on food, wine and card playing. We all three love to cook, so instead of going out to eat, we spend every night cooking for each other. Last year, I cook for two nights and guess what I made for them...and their friends? Yep! White Chile. And they loved it! So I've decided to share the recipe with you ..........just go easy of the hot stuff. My mouth is still smarting!




Yield: 6 servings

2-3 8 oz. cans Great Northern Beans
2 LB chicken breasts
1 ½ tsp. oregano
1TBL Olive oil
¼tsp grnd cloves
2 med Onions, chopped
¼ tsp Cayenne
4 Garlic cloves, minced
6 C. Chicken stock or broth
8 oz. Chopped mild green chilies
2tsp. Grnd cumin
3 C. Monterey Jack; grated
1/2 C. Sherry

Garnishes: Salsa, Chopped fresh cilantro, Sour Cream

Saute chicken in heavy large saucepan. until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, remove skin, & cut into cubes. Heat oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, and cayenne pepper and saute 2 minutes. Add beans and stock and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1/2 hour. Add chicken and 1 cup cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts. Continue to simmer for another 1/2 hour. Add sherry 5 minutes before finished cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream, salsa and cilantro. (recipe edited by Aleksander House)


If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment

Louisville's Food Culture

Louisville, Kentucky is definitely on top of good nutrition for it's residents. City gardens and outdoor fruit and  vegetable markets abound during fair weather. Most local restaurants are proud to say their produce in gown within the immediate area. That goes for their wines and Bourbon whiskies too.

In addition, our bed and breakfasts pay very close attention to what they serve our guests. At the Aleksander House, we always use the freshest ingredients and make sure our fruits and vegetables, as well as our breakfasts meats, are not only fresh but of the highest quality.

Breakfast in Bed

Wake up to Tyler Florence's French Toast Waffles with Caramelized Apples and Bacon. Served with a mocha cappuccino whipped up with an immersion blender."

I found the above video and recipe while I was scoping out Macys department Store to purchase a new waffle iron. One of mine broke a week ago and I still haven't found a replacement that I like. I had two Toastmaster Belgium Waffle Bakers that I just loved.  Now I'm having trouble find the same waffle iron. I don't think they make it any more. I did see one on EBay. They referred to it as Vintage and it was used. I didn't want to take a chance.

My irons make a round Belgian waffle with deep indentations that fits perfectly onto our B&B china ware. If I buy a replacement that is not the same shape or does not have deep indentations on the grid, then we will not be serving uniform portions to our guests and that just wont do.

There are waffles, and then there are Belgian waffles. A regular waffle can run through a range of possible flavors and textures – from light and crispy, to hearty and filling – and can be any of a variety of shapes, according to the type of waffle iron that you own. A Belgian waffle is always light and it is always made in a deep waffle iron that maximizes the amount of batter exposed to the griddle for maximum crispness of the finished waffle. Their deep pockets are ideal for collecting syrup and butter, and while all types of waffles are good, there is nothing quite like a good Belgian waffle.

We need two because if we only have one it takes too long if we're making waffles for four or more guests having breakfast at the same time. If you've ever worked in a kitchen or restaurant, you know that keeping the food hot is a priority. And you have to be care with waffles. If you hold them in the oven too long they will dry out. You want them crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Anyhow, after unsuccessfully scouring the web for a duplicate of the one working iron I have left, I came across this Cuisinart round waffle maker...Not sure I will purchase it as it is not a Belgian waffle maker...the indentations are not as deep on the grids and the waffle is not a thick as Belgian waffles, which are 6-7 inches thick. So I will keep looking...but I still think the recipe and the breakfast shown on the video above are interesting and look delicious.



If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment

How to Cut A Mango

I absolutely love Mangoes but when I go to the fruit market, even though they always look delicious to me, I usually don't buy them. Why? Because I have so much trouble slicing and pitting them. I have a Mango sitting in my frig right now and have been reluctant to eat it...until today, that is. Today, I found this video. It makes slicing and pitting Mangoes look so easy, I'm going to slice and eat mine for breakfast tomorrow. Why don't you join me?
 


compliments of Just One More Bite

If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment

Crispy Zucchini Sticks

Ingredients
Serves 4
3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and black pepper in a shallow bowl.

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into eighths. Cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces.
Combine zucchini, vegetable oil and water in a resealable plastic bag.
Shake to coat zucchini. Remove zucchini from plastic bag.
Coat with the bread crumb mixture.
Arrange zucchini in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned, about 7 minutes.
Serve immediately with warm spaghetti sauce, if desired.

Grandma's Secret Tip
The summertime flavor combination of zucchini and basil was one Grandma liked. So she often added 1/4 teaspoon dried basil to the bread crumb mixture before coating the zucchini with it. She sometimes set out a bowl of warm meatless spaghetti sauce for dipping the crisp zucchini sticks into. (recipe and tip from Grandmas’s Kitchen)
 If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment

Pear and CheddarGalette

Ingredients

Crust
pastry for single-crust pie
Filling
1/2 cup cheddar
 2 cups pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Burnt Sugar Syrup Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Spray an 8-inch tart pan with oil and line with pie pastry. Sprinkle crust with cheese.

Combine pears, lemon juice, and nutmeg in a medium-size bowl; toss well. Add brown sugar and flour; toss gently. Mound fruit mixture on top of cheese. Fold edges of pastry up over the pear mixture. I sprinkled the top with nutmeg.

Bake at 400-degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the burnt sugar syrup topping, in a small, heavy saucepan (cast iron is best), heat sugar until it
dissolves. Drizzle syrup over galette.

Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
Dump the sugar in a skillet on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-low. You don’t actually “burn” the sugar–you melt it. The sugar will just…melt. Seriously. Who knew? (Stop laughing. I’m from the suburbs.) Stir only occasionally. The less you stir, the better. If you can’t restrain yourself, walk away for five to ten minutes and come back. It will turn a golden brown color.

Now add the hot water, continuing with your heat on medium-low. (The online recipe instructed me to boil the water before adding it. This was not in sync with the old-time recipe and it’s not necessary. (Old church ladies know this stuff!) I made the burnt sugar twice, with each recipe, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to boil the water. Just use it hot right out of your tap. That’s good enough.

The melted sugar gets all excited when you add the water and it will bubble up. Then it will calm down and after another five to ten minutes (again, it doesn’t like to be stirred too much), it will look like pancake syrup.

Turn off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature while you start preparing the cake. The syrup is thin while it’s hot, but as it cools, it thickens. By the way, if you’re ever snowed in and have to have pancakes, this makes a pancake syrup in a pinch. Add a bit of maple flavoring if you have some on hand and it’s make-do maple syrup. Just remember, however much you want to make, use equal parts sugar and water. You know, if you’re snowed in and have to have pancakes. I wouldn’t want anyone to go without pancakes ever again. It’s an unnecessary tragedy.

Note: Using 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1 1/3 cups water, you’re going to end up with approximately 1 1/4 cups Burnt Sugar Syrup after it cooks down in the process. Your exact mileage may vary.




If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment

Garlic Grilled Tomatoes

 This recipe was adapted from Steven Raichlen the BBQ king. I make these delicious tomatoes as a side dish frequently,  to serve with quiches and omelets. They're a great addition. They can be done on the grill or broiled in your toaster oven. This is a great summer recipe when tomatoes taste their best right off the vine.


Ingredients
4-6 ripe tomatoes
salt
fresh cracked pepper
crushed garlic
olive oil
thyme
grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
Cut your tomatoes in half crosswise, season with salt and pepper. In a small frying pan add crushed garlic, olive oil and fresh thyme, cook til golden, take off the heat and add in grated parmesan cheese. Place your tomato halves cut side down on and oiled grill until you get grill marks, then turn them over with tongs and spoon the garlic cheese mixture on top and continue cooking.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment