Food tag

Heather tagged me in a recipe exchange. My charge is to post four favorite recipes. Because I have quite a few, I decided to post four "spicy" recipes because my husband tends to like those best.

Submarine Chili

Aware that Mr. Miller loves chili, Rachel and Deborah gave me a chili cookbook at my wedding shower. I've worked through about 1/2 of the recipes. This is Mr. Miller's favorite.

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

2 cups water

1 (8 oz.) can tomatoes

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp sugar

2 cups corn

2 cups red kidney beans

1/2 lb Cheddar cheese (cubed)

In a frying pan, saute the garlic and onion in vegetable oil. Mix in the beef. Pour in water until it's simmering. Add the tomatoes and seasonings, including sugar. Simmer for 1 hour. Dump in the corn and kidney beans. Simmer for another hour. Add the Cheddar cubes and summer for 15 minutes more. If you feel extra bold, add 3 squirts Tabasco per bowl. Serves 3-4.

Crispy Broccoli with Capellini in Broth

I discovered this recipe in a pregnancy magazine. It's vegetarian, but my husband still enjoyed it as a main course.

Kosher salt to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 large head broccoli, stems removed and florets trimmed into pieces 2 inches long with a stem about 1/2 inch check (4 to 5 cups)

1 quart chick stock (I used canned chicken broth)

1 to 2 tsp hot red pepper flakes or to taste

1/2 lb capellini

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the broccoli and season with salt. Cover and cook until just crispy and brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover, stir, and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken stock and pepper flakes.

Add the capellini to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet with broccoli and stock. Stir in half the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 2 grown men, or 4 women/children.

Grilled Green Chile Quesadillas

Most grocery stores do not stock smoked Cheddar. You're most likely to find it at a gourmet food store. Because it is an expensive cheese, I have often mixed it with regular Cheddar cheese to make more quesadillas without increasing the cost.

2-3 fresh chile peppers, such as pablanos (any variety may be used, according to your tolerance for heat)

6-8 large flour tortillas

1 3/4 lb brick of smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (approx. 3 cups).

Char whole chiles all over under broiler. Remove from heat and split. Scrape away seeds with a spoon and discard; dice chiles.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Char a tortilla and blister it on one side, 20 seconds, then flip tortilla. Cover half of the tortilla with cheese and chiles, then fold over. Press down gently with spatula. Cook quesadilla 15 seconds more on each side (til cheese melts) than transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 3 wedges. Serve wedges with salsa verde and sour cream. Serves 2-3.

I like to serve these quesadillas with Mexican Flag Salad, which consists of:

1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced

2 vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges

1/4 sweet onion, sliced

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 lime, halved

Evoo

Course salt

Arrange avocado slices in center of plate. Then surround with tomato wedges. Sprinkle with onion slices and cilantro. Squeeze lime halves over the plate, drizzle with evoo, and season with salt.

Chai Tea

Heather Ventrella introduced me to this recipe over a long, enriching conversation in her home one crisp January afternoon. This recipe puts Starbucks' chai tea latte to shame.

3 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks

14 cardamon pods (I've used ground cardamon at times, too)

14 whole cloves

1 1/3 c. milk

6-8 tbsp honey

4 black tea bags or 2 tbsp black tea

Place water in saucepan; add cardamon, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to boil. Cover Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add milk, honey, and tea. Bring to simmer and immediately remove from heat. Let sit 2 to 3 minutes, strain, serve. If you're only making tea for 1 or 2 people, you can save the rest in a thermal pitcher. Serves 4.

Now I tag Aunt Tracy, Andrea, Kaley, and Janet to provide four recipes each.