Black Bean Chili

  

Today we had our first real snow of the season---WHICH I LOVE!!  Yes, I’m one of THOSE people who actually love cold weather and snow—deal with it!  Anyway it inspired me to make a crock pot full of chili after church—and I have to say it was very well received by my crew.  My Mother and Grandmother made this delicious chili throughout my whole life.  I am so blessed to have been exposed to the beautiful legacy of the art of preparing fresh, from scratch—family meals.  I’m very thankful and I hope that my children and grandchildren will continue what my Grandmother  (and her Mother before her) started, by teaching their children how to cook and to have fellowship in the kitchen.  Have fun!

Ingredients: reduce amounts for a smaller batch

2 to 3 lbs. Lean ground  beef

1 large sweet onion, chopped

3 large cans of Hunt’s tomato sauce (or make your own sauce from fresh tomatoes)

1 large can diced tomatoes (or fresh)

1 to 2 cans of black beans or small Navy beans (or use dry beans that have been soaked and then cooked)

3 T. chili powder

3 t. black pepper

¼ cup sugar

Instructions:

*Saute ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onions are translucent.

Drain and rinse in hot water.

*Combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans and seasonings in a  crock pot.  Add meat mixture to the sauce and beans.

* Cook for 2--4 hours (or less).

*Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.  Add more chili powder, hot sauce, red pepper flakes or Rotel tomatoes to make chili more spicey.

*As you serve, add your favorite chili toppings (sour cream, fritos, sharp cheese, etc.).

Deep Dish Pizza

                         

This recipe may seem a little daunting, but it is worth it. This is a “show-off” dish! Your family will be impressed---and you will definitely be well fed afterwards.  People usually fight over the leftovers!  We went to Chicago and had authentic Chicago-style pizza.  Then I became obsessed with coming up with my own recipe.   It took a bit of trial and error—but I think you will find that this comes very close to the real deep-dish pizza you can only find in Chicago.  Enjoy!!

2 packages dry yeast

2 cups very warm water

1 T. sugar

1 t. kosher salt

*Mix the above ingredients and let sit for about 5 minutes or until  foam and bubbles form.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

5 and ½ cups flour

½  c. cornmeal

½ c.  vegetable or canola oil

4 T. olive oil

*Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together and then add yeast mixture.  Mix at high speed until a ball of dough forms.

*Lightly oil a large stainless steel or oven safe glass bowl with olive oil.  Add the dough ball and turn once to coat the other side.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for up to 2 hours until dough has doubled in volume.  If my kitchen is cold, I place the bowl in a warmed oven (achieved by turning the oven to 200 degrees and then turning it off  for 10 minutes before I put the bowl in).

*When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and knead it for 3 minutes.

*Divide the dough in half and then roll out one of the halves into a large round.  The round should be approximately ¼ to ½ inch thick.  Press the round evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 or 12 inch springform pan that has been lightly sprayed with PAM.  The round of dough should hang over the side of the springform about 1 and ½ to 2 inches.  Trim the rest away and save for another time.

*The second half of the dough should be rolled out to approximately ¼-1/2 inch thick but needs to be the diameter of your pan (if you are using a 10 inch springform pan---this round needs to be 10 inches in diameter, and 12 inches in diameter for a 12 inch pan).  Set this round of dough aside---it will be used as the top of the pizza.

*Turn your oven to 375 degrees---it can preheat as you fill your pizza.

*Place the springform pan, with your bottom crust in it, on top of a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with PAM.

Filling the pizza:

*You can use anything you wish to fill your pizza.  What I found to be unique about the pizza I had in Chicago was the freshness of the ingredients and the order of the pizza “toppings”.  I enjoy filling this pizza with the following layers:

1-Thin slivers of sweet onions.

2-Thin strips of red and yellow bell pepper.

3-Thin (almost shaved) slices of black forest ham.

4-Thin rounds of Canadian bacon.

5-Round slices of Provolone cheese.

6-Finely grated Italian Cheese (usually mozzarella and parmesiano-reggiano)

7-Thinly sliced ripe tomatoes  (be generous with this layer—and overlap the tomatoes  to really make 2 layers if possible).

Finishing the Pizza:

*Press the pizza toppings down a bit if needed before putting the top crust on to make it as level as possible.

*Place the top round over the tomato layer.

*Bring the dough that is hanging over the edge of the pan up and over in order to create a finished edge.  You can crimp the edges if you wish or just fold them over.

*Brush the entire top and crimped or folded edges of the pizza with an egg wash  (which is 1 egg with a few drops of water beaten in).  This will create a beautiful shiny surface for your pizza.

*Bake at 375 degrees  on the lowest rack in the oven for 40 minutes or until hot throughout and golden brown.

Tent aluminum foil over the top of the pizza if it becomes too brown during the baking process. 

*When finished cooking, remove pizza from oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan.    Cut into wedges and serve with salad.    The leftovers are delicious!!