New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday

Hey all. One more day and we’ve made it through another week, and with tomorrow being St. Patrick’s Day, we can eat ourselves silly with green bagels, green beer and corned beef and it will be over in no time.

Tonight’s dinner was a simple one, but brought together new and old favorites. Making use of items I had on hand already, I made Rachael Ray’s Manly Manny’s Chili. We’ve been making this one for a few years now. It’s easy to pull together and has a nice, subtle smoky taste.

For this week’s edition of Rediscovering My Library segment, I turned to Tyler Florence’s Eat This Book and made a new recipe, his Panzanella Salad. Full of simple, fresh flavors, I’ve never seen a Panzanella Salad recipe with either capers or anchovies in it, but I’ll definitely be repeating this one.

This week’s edition introduces of New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursdays introduces us to The Unemployed Cook, who hails from Tennessee. Whether it’s her Deconstructed Fish Tacos (l.o.v.e. fish tacos!), her Slow Cooked Baked Beans or her Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce, I know you’ll find something that speaks to your tastebuds – go check it out.

OK folks, all for tonight. Tune in tomorrow to see what’s on tap for the weekend, including details on a food party I bet you never thought I’d have! Until then…

A year ago today … the kitchen went to the dogs.

Panzanella
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 French boule, or loaf of round Tuscan bread, torn into bite-size pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 anchovy fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lemon, or as needed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 roasted red bell peppers, shredded by hand
1/2 pint red cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
1/2 bunch of basil, torn into largish pieces
1/4 cup celery leaves, torn into largish pieces

Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the bread chunks with 1/4 cup oil until the bread is wet with the oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and back until the bread begins to brown, about 10 minutes. While the bread is going, make the dressing. Use a large knife to chop and mash the garlic, anchovies, and salt to a paste on a cutting board. Scrape it into a large mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and stir together. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and gently stir. Taste for seasoning. Finally, add the toasted bread and toss it all together. Taste it and season one last time with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Manly Manny’s Chili
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Makes 2 quarts, up to 6 bowlfuls

2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lbs ground sirloin
Montreal Steak Seasoning or coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 bottle beer (6 oz)
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1-1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 oz smoky BBQ sauce
2 oz Frank’s Red Hot or other cayenne pepper sauce (about 3 tablespoons)
6 oz shredded smoked cheddar cheese for topping (optional)
chopped raw onions, for garnish (optional)
Corn tortilla chips, for dipping

Heat oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, till onions are soft. Add ground beef and brown, another 3-5 minutes. Season meat and onions lightly with Montreal seasoning or salt and pepper. Add beer and let it reduce by half. Stir in broth, paste, chili powder, cumin, smoky BBQ sauce and cayenne pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Servie with shredded smoked cheddar cheese and chopped raw onions and corn chips.

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