Thanksgiving can be the most stressful day of the year for those of us who are called upon to cook. That's because we want everything to go right, taste great and for everyone to enjoy themselves. High expectations for sure. Plus we all have either screwed up a holiday dish or two ourselves or at least have witness someone else's disasters. Well old Chili is here to help you get through the day with at least your sanity intact. Below
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With the holiday season right around the corner, I thought we could focus a few of the up coming post on hors ‘d orderves or horse divers as I have been known to call them. Get it? Never mind.Back to the Big Easy on this one. This plate of stuffed mushrooms can be found on the menus of several fine restaurants all over New Orleans. While there are countless ways to stuff a mushroom, few are as extravagant as this zesty
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The other day I was contemplating what the most expensive, gourmet plate of chili cheese fries might look like. More on this later, but when I got to the chili component I quickly thought of Gallagher's Gourmet Chili. Gallagher's is one of the oldest and best known steakhouses New York City and was originally a speakeasy back in the 1920's. Since 1964 they have been known for their fantastic aged steaks. They age them for 21 day right on the premises.A little less famous but
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Now we are talking old school New Orleans, French influenced Creole cuisine. Merchand de Vin sauce, which translates "Wine Merchant Sauce", was made popular by the French wine merchants attempting to sell more of their wares by creating new marketing avenues. Well it worked because this sauce was just the ticket for the somewhat flavorless beef tournedos and was and still is a mainstay in the grand old Creole Palaces in the Big Easy.Most versions of this recipe call for either the addition of demi-glace or
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Chilorio is a pork dish from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is most often used as a filling for tacos, burritos or tamales. While it is similar to my spicy, citrus infused East Coast Carnitas, this chilorio recipe has a mellow, satisfying, more rustic taste. I guess this is Mexican comfort food in my book. I don't know how authentic the recipe is but I know it works. Slow cooked pork simmered until tender then made crispy with a quick fry in pork
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In a previous post I tried to emulate the migas dish found at Magnolia Cafe in Austin Texas, famously known as "Love Migas". I truly believe that if God walked the earth for a day he would eat migas for breakfast and most certainly migas from Magnolia Cafe. Provided he could get a table.This is hands down the favorite weekend breakfast for the Chili family and especially during the holidays. Realizing that not everyone, especially me, has the time on
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I couldn't imagine visiting New Orleans and not spending at least one mid-morning eating beignets and drinking Cafe au Lait at Cafe du Monde. Thankfully Terry Thompson included recipes for both in her book "New Cajun-Creole Cooking". Not sure if it is still in print.As for beignets, I have not met a single soul that didn't fall in love with these tasty treats. They are sort of like donuts only better and you can't eat them without getting the powdered
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