Smokey Chili Mac...its all from the smoked spices

I'm a huge fan of smoked spices and salts.  Why? Its easy to add smokiness to the final product without having to resort to using "liquid smoke" which does leave a funky aftertaste at times.  The obsession started with simple smoked paprika for salmon a few years ago and has since grown to include other smoked spices in the pantry.  This recipe uses a few to bring about a complete change in a family standby.

In my pantry I have recently added ground dried chipotle.  That is a potent smoked and dried jalapeno that instead of being packed in a liquid adobo sauce it is simply ground to a powder.  Use it sparingly and you can always add a bit more if the final dish doesn't pack enough heat...its a lot easier than trying and failing to remove some if you add to much.

Another trick I use to punch up the flavor and give it an all day simmering taste is to use beef bouillon to the Chili Mac.  I do use the "Better than Bouillon" brand as it is much lower in salt than the cubes are.  If you use the cubes wait to season with salt until after you have dissolved in the cube to prevent over salting your dish.

Smokey Chili Mac

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz can beans (I used basic kidney beans)
• 1/4 t chipotle  chili powder
• 1 t  smoked paprika
• 2 t chili powder
• 2 t Better than Bouillon beef flavor
• 2 C water
• 1 1/2 C macaroni
• salt
• pepper
• Monterrey Jack/Cheddar shredded cheese blend.

Brown beef in large stock pot.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add spices and cook an additional minute stirring the whole time until they are toasty.  Add tomatoes, water and bouillon.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Add macaroni, increase heat and cook 12-15 minutes until tender.  Serve in large bowl with a sprinkle of the shredded cheese.

Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Love, love, love me some butternut squash soup. Its such a versatile gourd you can't help but come up with a hundred iterations of the basic soup.

This time around I took a cue from Ina Garten and roasted the squash. I found that it concentrated the flavor nicely plus took on a nice roasted flavor as some of the flesh caramelized.

To continue with the smokey roasted theme I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They brought on some nice heat as well as a hint of smoke that played nice nice with the butternut squash.

Finally, I have finally gotten it through my head to season at each step of the process as its so much easier to "get it right" when you do it that way rather than try to do an entire batch at the end. Funny how that works, but there is little left to do salt wise at the end if you do it as you go along and you don't have to worry about over salting either.

Spice Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• approx 4 lb butternut squash
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1 c chopped carrot
• 1T chopped garlic
• 2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo
• 1 t adobo sauce
• 3 14 oz cans chicken broth
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Split the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and add 1t salt to each half. Add 1/4 t fresh ground black pepper to each half. Place on baking sheet and bake in 325F oven for one hour and test for doneness. (It took 1hour 20 minutes to test done for me tonight). It will pierce with a fork with no resistance when done. Cool and scoop out flesh into a bowl.

Add 1T olive oil to sauce pot. Add carrots and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Add chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Add garlic and stir in cooking for 1 minute longer.

Put onion mixture in blender with 1 can broth. Run on puree until smooth and return to sauce pan. Add 1/2 of squash to blender with 1 can broth, puree and add to onion mixture in sauce pan. Repeat with remaining squash and can of broth. Over low heat bring to simmer.

Serve hot with a garnish of thinly sliced hot peppers and cilantro. (If you are one of those who can't deal with cilantro you can use flat leaf parsley).

Black Bean Chipotle Chili

I've had this can of chipotle chili's in adobo sauce hanging around for a bit as I picked it up for making this kick butt shrimp dish.

With cooler than normal, outright Novemberish weather the last few days I decided I wanted to make chili and experiment a bit with the chipotle.

Chipotle is a smoked dried ripe jalapeno. When packed in adobo sauce it becomes soft again. As it is a ripe jalapeno to start with it is higher in natural sugars, slightly sweeter than the green variety. As it was smoke dried it imparts this wonderful smokey flavor to the dish. Not a bad combo to work with in the kitchen when it comes to chili makin'.

The amount of chipotle you add to the chili determines the heat. If you want a mild tang go with fewer, if you want full on burn where your ears burn and you break into a cold sweat add more. I strongly recommend you sample a bit of the chipotle BEFORE you get all crazy and add it to your other ingredients as there is no going back once in. Seriously...the burn sneaks up on you once you get past the smokey sweetness of the chipotle.

Black Bean Chipotle Chili

• 1.5 lbs ground beef (I use coarse ground chuck)
• olive oil
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 T garlic - minced
• 2-6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can beef broth
• 1/2 t black pepper
• bay leaf
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T cilantro
• salt

In large sauce pot add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Over medium high heat crumble in the ground beef. Cook until well browned. Add onion, cook about 5 minutes longer until onion is translucent. Add garlic and stir in cooking 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients. Check for salt and season to taste.

Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour with cover ajar to allow some steam to escape and the chili to cook down concentrating flavors.

Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese as garnish.