Slow Cooker HOT Texas Chili

HOT Texas Chili

I love a great chili. I have participated in many chili cook-offs, but rarely place because I like my chili HOT. If you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen. The following is my basic chili recipe minus my 3 secret ingredients. When you make chili you always need to have a secret ingredient or three. I have different recipes based on the method of cooking, this one is for a 6 hour slow cooker. Of course you can substitute different chili’s and spices to taste.

I find that adding sweet tends to allow people to take the heat.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chuck (80/20), large grind preferred
• 1 pound chorizo, large grind preferred
• 1/2 pound diced chuck (1/4 inch cubes)
• Chilies
  • 3 Serrano chilies, chopped
  • 4 Thai chilies, chopped
  • 2 Red Habanero, chopped
  • 3 Red Hot Holland chilies, chopped
  • 3 Red Fresno chilies, chopped
  • 1 Poblano chili, chopped
  • 2 Red Dulce Mediteraneo chilies, chopped
  • 3 Jalapeño chilies, chopped
  • 2 dried New Mexico chilies, whole
  • 2 dried Cascabel chilies, whole
• Spices
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (I use my own blend)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 3/4 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 8 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups red wine
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Secret ingredients 1 (H), 2 (O) and 3 (T)

Directions:

Add wine and tomatoes to slow cooker set on low. Brown chuck, chorizo and diced chuck. Add to slow cooker undrained. Mix well. Prepare onion, fennel, garlic and chilies, add and stir in to slow cooker. Add spices and mix well. At about the 2 hour mark add brown sugar and mix well. Slow cook for 6 hours on low.

Serve in deep bowl with crackers and beer.

A nice spin to this dish is to add 1/2 to 3/4 pound of diced peeled deviened shrimp in the last hour of cooking.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Stacy’s Guacamole

Guacamole isn’t my favorite dish, but people ask me to make them a batch from time to time and it is always a hit. It has a bit of a kick to it. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

• 4 large Haas avocados
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped (a white onion works well too)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 Roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 4 Serrano chili peppers, chopped
• 2 Jalapeno chili peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
• 8 drops Tabasco sauce
• zest and juice of 2 limes
• 2 shots tequila
• 1 lime wedge

Directions:

Stacy's Gaucamole

Ah, the easy part. Add peppers, bell peppers, onion, garlic in food processor. Mix until well blended. Add rest of ingredients reserving 1 shot of tequila, lime wedge and 1 teaspoon of salt. Lick the skin between your thumb and forefinger, then sprinkle salt onto the area. Using the same hand that contains the salt, hold the lime with thumb and index finger. Lick the salt, down the tequila, and bite the lime. Swish it around in your mouth for a couple of seconds and then swallow. Now mix rest of ingredients in the food processor until well blended and creamy. Serve with tortilla chips.

If there are more than one person in the kitchen, this recipe may require more tequila, salt and lime wedges.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

This dish was inspired by the dish I cooked on my profile photo shoot. I wanted to make it a little more authentic Cajun style.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Shrimp peeled, deveined and cut into 1/2 sized pieces
6 oz Boudin (Canjun style if available)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon course ground pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
Tabasco

Directions:

Add olive oil, minced garlic, chopped onion and bell pepper to a saute pan over medium to medium high heat. Remove boudin from casing and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Add the boudin to the saute pan with the paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Saute for 5 minutes until boudin is well heated. Add rice and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently,  until rice has absorbed the broth. Added shrimp 3-5 shakes of Tabasco and cook 3 minutes more or until shrimp is cooked and has a nice pink shade.

Variants:

For a main dish, leave shrimp uncut serves 2.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Spicy Vegetable Basmati Rice

Great side for seafood and pork dishes. Spicy but not too spicy for most people.

Ingredients:

1 chopped medium green bell pepper
1 chopped medium red bell pepper
1/2 chopped medium red onion
1/2 chopped medium white onion
1-2 chopped Anaheim pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon course ground pepper
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Basmati rice
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco recommended)
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Bayou Blast Center Loin Chops with Spicy Vegetable Basmati Rice

Add peppers, onions dry spices, garlic and olive oil to sauce pan over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes stirring frequently until vegetables are soft.
Add rice and cook for an additional 5 minutes stirring frequently.
Add chicken broth and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for an additional 20 minutes, stirring once or twice during this time.
Uncover and cook for an additional 8-12 minutes until rice is thoroughly cooked and broth is absorbed or reduced. Fluff with fork and serve.

Notes:

Most long grain white rices can be substituted for Basmati rice.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Shrimp Rice

A really tasty dish, fairly easy to make.

Ingredients:

6 Scallops
6 Strips Bacon
Salt (Sea Salt is preferable)
Fresh ground pepper
Paprika
Olive oil
1/2 pound shrimp (30-40 count), shelled and deveined
1/2 Green bell pepper
1/2 Red bell pepper
1/2 White onion
2 Jalapenos peppers
2 Serrano peppers
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup white rice
2 Cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons of Louisiana style hot sauce (Tabasco recommended)

Directions:

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Shrimp Rice

For the rice. Chop onion and bell peppers each vegetable should yield about 1/2 cup. Remove the seeds and veins from jalapenos and Serrano’s, then chop. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning the rice. Add bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, Serrano and garlic to rice cook for 3-4 more minutes for vegetables to soften. Again stirring frequently. Add hot sauce and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Add shrimp on top of rice cover and simmer for 6 more minutes. This will steam cook the shrimp. Shrimp is done when it is pink and firm. Remove from heat and mix the shrimp in with the rice.

Preheat oven broiler. Wrap the scallops with bacon and secure with a toothpick such that the toothpick extrudes on both sides.. In a shallow baking sheet, place the scallops and drizzle each with olive oil. Lightly season each scallop with salt, pepper and paprika. Place under the broiler and cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove and turn the scallops, this should be made simple by using both ends of each toothpick and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook for 6-7 more minutes until bacon is cooked through.

Plate the rice in a bed covering each plate about 1/2 inch thick. Add scallops and serve.

Popularity: 4% [?]