Tuesday, February 16, 2010

RECIPES: Kathi's White Chili and Heavenly Buttered Rolls

The other night I made CLASSIC BBQ CHICKEN (click for the link to that recipe.) I love this recipe! And since I have made a pack with myself not to waste the chicken carcass (because it makes wonderful broth and can make one more meal with the chicken) I decided to make White Chili using the left over carcass from the BBQ Chicken. I served the chili with these addicting Heavenly Buttered Rolls. Did I say addicting? I meant ADDICTING!

Once again, I think my MIL (mother-in-law) will be proud of me. Can you believe it Penny, I haven't thrown away a carcass since I started this blog. I admit it, I use to throw away the carcass because I didn't want to mess with it. My mother and grandmother would probably have a fit, like Penny did, if they knew that I did that. Actually, Penny didn't "have a fit," she's not like that!

Anyway, I found a recipe in my "Crème de Colorado Cookbook" but as you know by now, I have a hard time following a recipe without doing things "my way" so I decided to give it to you the way I did it and call it Kathi's White Chili.



KATHI'S WHITE CHILI

One Chicken Carcass

Put the lonely chicken carcass in a large pot of water and place on stove. Add 3 or 4 peeled carrots and 4 to 5 stalks of celery cut into quarters. Then add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. onion powder, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. basil and 2 tsp. chicken seasoning along with any other seasoning you think would add nice flavor. I'm guessing on the amounts because I usually just go through my spices and add what ever jumps out at me, I never measure, I just dump it in and hope I don't ever do it on any one spice! Call me reckless, but that's the way I do it! Bring to boil, then turn down the heat to a strong simmer (is that a cooking term?) and cover with the lid.

If you don't have a carcass laying around in your kitchen, you can do this with a whole chicken!

Meanwhile, dump 1 pound dry White Northern beans into another large pot, bring to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. I don't wash or sort my beans, once again, there's that reckless side of me, and I've never had a rock in my meals, at least I didn't find one as I was eating the dish!

Now go to a "Herd Quitters" meeting like I did for 2 1/2 hours with Dan the Man. Or just find someway to kill 3 to 4 hours. Ohh, hope the house doesn't burn down while I'm gone. Reckless again, I know...

When you get back and if your house is still standing, take the chicken carcass or whole chicken out of the broth and turn off the burner. Chicken should be falling off the bone. If it is not to that point yet, turn the heat up a little, put the lid back on and check back in half an hour.

Let the chicken cool and then when it is cool enough to work with without burning your fingers, pull the meat off the bones and put in the refrigerator.

Strain the broth, keep the carrots, but toss the celery. Strain the beans. I guess if you see a rock or other foreign object, you can remove it. Dump the beans into the broth, cut the carrots into chunks and add to the broth and place on the stove. Simmer and cover until the beans are tender, somewhere around an hour or so.

Meanwhile... If you did the whole chicken, shred what ever chicken meat you want to add to the chili and put the rest into a bag and freeze. You can use the left over for another meal. You need about 3 cups of chicken for the chili. I got my other chicken from the freezer, out of my shredded chicken stash I have in there. It was my last package so I'll have to boil up some more chickens soon.

Anyway, this recipe sure is long....

After the beans are tender, add the chicken, lots of cumin (I love, love, love cumin) like 2 or 3 tablespoons, two cans (you know those little cans) of diced green chiles and anything else you want to flavor the chili with. You could add onions, jalapenos, whatever... The secret to a great soup is the spices you add so be sure to taste the broth and add some if you think that it needs it. Cook for a half hour or so on low heat. Let those flavors meld together.

Yummmm, smells so good!

Serve with sour cream and shredded Monterey jack and cheddar cheese. Oooo, sliced black olives would have been good, too bad I didn't have any.

Delish!


Then I also made these rolls.

They are heavenly, addicting, so good they should be outlawed!




HEAVENLY BUTTERED ROLLS

Generously spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Put seven Rhode’s frozen dinner rolls in the skillet. Cover with a towel and leave for 5 hours or so, or until the have risen and are touching each other in the skillet. They should completely cover the skillet if they have risen enough. Brush with melted butter. Use real butter, don't skimp! Sprinkle with course salt like kosher salt or course sea salt. You can stop there or add more flavor by adding sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic powder, dried onion flakes, rosemary... You get the idea. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden brown on top. Serve in the skillet and try to behave yourself. You don't have to eat four of them, but you can if you want to!



I baked mine just a little too long. Hate it when that happens, but they were still delicious and I had a hard time behaving, actually I didn't behave at all! I ate three! Oink, oink!

It was just Dan the Man and myself for dinner that night, so I didn't want them to go to waste!

There I feel better justifying my weakness.

oink!

Tator in his basket with His Piggy

(my mom gave me this little pig about 30 years ago,
it oinks when you squeeze it and Tator has adopted it.)

2 comments:

  1. The white chili is similar to the one Annie gave me except hers also has a can of shoepeg corn in it. Very delicious! the rolls sound great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your chili inspired me. I made some yesterday similar but I added grated potato and canned beans. Mine was the super quick version but it was yummy. I did garlic cheese biscuits instead of the rolls. The biscuits are addicting too! I think I will have to try your pie since French silk is darcy's favorite

    Marianne

    ReplyDelete