Fiery Jalapeno Sauce

School is out, our neighborhood berry stand is open, the ice cream truck is making its rounds and the sun is shining. We’ve been enjoying graduation, Father’s Day, wedding anniversary and birthday festivities during this past week – so much to celebrate! Sam’s high school graduation ceremony was truly wonderful. I was filled with pride (and a few tears) as the music began and the students filed into the stadium. What an incredible Class of 2013! And now, on to more summer ...

With warmer weather here, we are grilling and eating more salads. A marvelous condiment that appears often on our table and barbecue is this jalapeno sauce. Our family loves heat and spice, so when our friend Alison first made this fiery sauce for us we quickly devoured it.

I’m always a fan of chiles and vinegar together (homemade sriracha is another staple of ours). Alison uses balsamic vinegar in this sauce, and I think it is a brilliant addition. Fresh jalapenos, garlic, olive oil, shallots and balsamic vinegar are blended to create a quick sauce that packs a wollop of flavor.

This jalapeno sauce is an easy way to liven up a dish. I’ve been stirring it in to salad dressings and jazzing up grains with it. Definitely a favorite around here! With grilling season upon us, it makes a terrific marinade, too. Over Father’s Day weekend, we slathered boneless chicken thighs with this green hot sauce and barbecued. It was simply fantastic!

Happy summer to you!

Fiery Jalapeno Sauce
Makes 2 cups
Inspired by Alison Philbin of Mt. Gardner Inn

1 pound fresh jalapenos, roughly chopped and including the seeds (be careful when handling the chiles  - wear gloves or wash your hands well after chopping)
1 large clove of garlic
1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until a smooth sauce is formed. Store in a covered jar in the fridge. It will keep for at least a month.

“Award Winning” Beef Chili

We like football in our family. My son, Sam, is an especially avid, loyal Seahawks fan and you can imagine how happy we’d all be if the Seahawks were in this year’s Super Bowl! Sigh, it was an exciting season, but it was not meant to be. Let’s hope for next year! So, on Super Bowl Sunday, we will be gathered around to watch the Ravens and 49ers play and will, of course, need to eat.

My Super Bowl menu has evolved over the years to include deviled eggs, spicy Korean chicken wings, nachos (this year I’m making this Nacho Cheese Sauce) and our family chili – a thick, hearty bowl of simple beef, no beans. While I love veggie bean chili, sometimes the richness of beef is called for and that’s when I make this one.

Back in the late ‘90s, Bob entered his company-hosted chili cook-off. He and his buddy got together to create the ultimate meat chili. They wanted it to be pure beef. With beer. And spice and heat. But no beans. Now, I’m not kidding, this chili really is award winning! Judges came from CASI for the chili cook-off to taste and judge, and this chili won first prize for the meat category! I really wish I had a photo to share with you from the event, but this was back in my toddler-and-baby-days, and remembering a camera as we hustled out the door just didn’t happen. But what a thrill!

This hearty chili recipe is now part of our family repertoire, and the only tinker we’ve made is to add tomatoes ... we just really like tomatoes in our chili. Oh, and I decreased the amount of beer scrawled in the original recipe (or maybe that was the amount the guys consumed while cooking the chili?).

Making the chili couldn’t be easier as it’s done in the slow cooker. You could brown the meat and onions first in a frying pan if you’d like, but I prefer the ease of tossing everything into the crock pot, giving it a stir and leaving it to simmer all day. Fragrant spices, onions, garlic, chiles and tomatoes cook slowly with the beef, and it’s heavenly to come home to a house filled with the mouthwatering scent of chili. The beef becomes meltingly tender, and I use a couple of forks to shred and break up about half of the meat for a variety of textures. After scooping out a bowl of chili, be sure to have a toppings bar ready with green onions, corn chips, olives, avocadoes, sliced jalapenos and tomatoes. I like to add a squeeze of fresh lime to mine, too.

Robust, with a nice buzz of spice and loads of flavor, this is one to settle back and enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday!

Award Winning Beef Chili
Serves 6-8

4 pounds beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons chili powder (I use a medium spiced one from Penzey’s)
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise with seeds (increase or decrease to your taste)
12 ounces dark beer
14 ounces diced tomatoes, with juice
6 ounces tomato paste

Optional toppings
Corn chips
Green onions
Black olives
Diced tomatoes
Diced avocadoes
Sliced jalapenos
Lime wedges

Pull out your slow cooker. Add the beef, onion, garlic and spices and stir to coat. Add the jalapeno (s), beer, tomatoes and paste and stir gently to mix. Pop the lid on, set the cooker on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours and walk away.

When ready to serve, use 2 forks to shred and carefully break up about half the chunks of meat (the beef will be so soft it will be easy to do).  Serve the chili in bowls with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Spicy Pickled Green Beans and Jalapenos

Before I jump into pickles, I just want to say how grateful I am for the caring, supportive words shared in response to my last post.  I am fortunate to be part of such a kind, gracious community.  Thank you.

This Friday begins the annual Can-a-Rama weekend.  What a terrific time to start preserving your garden or farmers’ market bounty.  Seeing tiny leaves unfurl and stems grow tall thrills me.  I’ve decided the scent of tomato leaves is one of the best fragrances ever and would happily bottle it if I could.

We are huge fans of anything pickled.  My taste buds tingle just thinking about pickles! Last summer I pickled carrots, tomatillos and green beans.  I felt a surge of pride each time I opened the fridge!  This summer I chose to ramp up the spice and pickle green beans and jalapenos together.

A gentle heat infused the fresh green beans, making them a tasty and addictive afternoon nibble.  The jalapenos were fiery and left a pleasant buzz in my mouth. They added a warm flavor to the radish-goat cheese-pickled onion baguette sandwiches I made for Bob and Sam’s fly-fishing adventure with our friend, Greg. (Sam is learning fly-fishing this summer as his senior project ... how cool is that?).

On a whim, I sliced two peaches and covered them with the leftover brine overnight.  The sweet-salty peaches were delicious when added to a salad, and the fruity brine made a unique vinaigrette when whisked with olive oil.  Happy pickling!

P.S. Just saw Moonrise Kingdom and love this sweet summer movie.

Spicy Pickled Green Beans and Jalapenos
Makes 1 quart plus 1 pint

1 pound green beans, stems snipped and broken in half if too tall for the jar
1 pound jalapenos, sliced thinly lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Have ready a clean, sterilized 1 quart and 1 pint jar.  Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Add the green beans and jalapenos and blanch them for 2 minutes.  Drain the pot.  Divide the green beans, jalapenos and garlic slices between the jars.

For the brine, combine the vinegar, water, salt and sugar in the same large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Carefully fill the jars with the brine to within 1/2 inch of the top of the rim, covering the vegetables completely. Discard any leftover brine. Place lids on the jars and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Over time, the heat of the jalapenos will mellow.