Super Bowl Food

Cincinnati Chili with Hunter Hill Zinfandel

Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio work with a woman who used to teach in a Cincinnati high school.  Every year around Super Bowl time her friend sends her a container of Cincinnati Chili.  Rick and the Trio love this dish and they have recreated this tasty dinner from a recipe found on the About Foods website.  Rick's addition to the feast is the Hunter Hill Zinfandel and cornbread with honey.  The fruitiness of the wine goes perfectly with the flavors of this spicy chili. 

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (hamburger)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa or 1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti
Toppings (see below)

Preparation:

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion, ground beef, garlic, and chili powder until ground beef is slightly cooked.

Add allspice, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, unsweetened cocoa or chocolate, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Make the cornbread and then add honey to some butter.

Put the spaghetti, the chili, the cheese, the onions, the kidney beans and the cornbread on a counter so that the guests can help themselves.

Cincinnati chili lovers order their chili by number. Two, Three, Four, or Five Way. Let your guest create their own final product.
Two-Way Chili:   Chili served on spaghetti

Three-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with shredded Cheddar cheese

Four-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with chopped onions

Five-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with kidney beans (used canned beans)
 

Hunter Hill Vineyard And  Winery                                                                     The Hunter Hill vineyard and winery is located in Soquel on the old Manildi farm that in the late 1800s raised apples, stone fruits, and grapes.  The wine was made for home consumption. Christine, a granddaughter of the Manildis married Vann Slatter and they returned to the farm to raise their own children. In 1992, Christine and Vann decided to replace the old apple trees with Merlot grapes and they started to experiment with making wine. By 1998 the winery moved from the basement of the house to a new facility and Hunter Hill was bonded. The six-acre property now produces ten to eighteen tons of Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah grapes each year. They produce about 2400 cases of wine per year.      Hunter Hill was named after the Slatter’s Chesapeake Bay retriever, Hunter, who died over five years ago. Her muzzle still graces the Hunter Hill label and business cards.      The family also is in the construction business, having owned Santa Cruz-based Slatter Construction since 1985. They were responsible for rebuilding much of downtown Santa Cruz after the earthquake in 1989.

Comfort Foods From Rick And The Hefty Trio

The holiday lights are over.  It's cold outside and it gets dark really early.  This is the time of year when people turn to comfort foods to sustain themselves both mentally and physically.  These are the feel-good foods of our childhoods and often they come from our ethnic roots.  Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio want to share their favorites with you.  Click on the headings for a link to the recipes.

Polish Pierogies and Cabbage Rolls

Rick remembers those wonderful times with his grandparents.  The air would be filled with the beautiful sounds of the Polish language and English.  Rick's uncle was going to the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and his grandmother would proudly proclaim in her very accented English, "My son is going to the state pen."  

Then his grandmother would fill a plate with stuffed cabbage rolls and right next to them would be his favorite, cheese and potato pierogies, sauteed in butter and with lots of sour cream.

Irish Beef Stew 

Erin McGinity remembers the Irish stew of her childhood.  Everyone would be sitting around the table and her mother would ladle the thick brown broth filled with carrots, onions, and beef into a bowl.  Her mother placed the stew over buttered noodles which provided that extra touch.

Chicken  Cacciatore 

Teresa Spinelli remembers what it was like to be from a large family.  Every Sunday the family would sit down together for conversation and pasta.  Her favorite was Chicken Cacciatore consisting of a huge bowl of spaghetti covered with a red sauce and lots of pieces of chicken.  She loved to cover her plate with Parmesan cheese and a piece of  homemade bread just out of the oven with butter melting over every nook and cranny.

Steak Tampequena

Leti Ramos's mother served  Steak Tampequena on special occasions when people came to visit.  A thin piece of steak was covered with onions, tomatoes the green chili and a piece of cheese. Leti remembered how delicious the steak tasted accompanied by rice and beans.  She also had fond memories of the good times the visitors and her family had as they ate and talked.

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😀Thank you for purchasing my books.  Bob Miller

A Winter Comfort Food

Irish Shepherd's Pie, Garden Tomatoes, And Dutch Crunch Bread

The long periods of darkness and very cold temperatures cry out for hearty dishes.  Cheer up with the ultimate comfort food--Irish Shepherd's pie.  This recipe is from Death Of A Foster Child and it pairs well with a Pelican Ranch Cinsault.  

Irish Shepherd's Pie  

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium chopped onion

2 sliced carrots

4 tablespoons flour

1 can of beef stock

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 pound cooked ground beef or ground turkey

1 1/2 pounds mashed potatoes

8 ounces of frozen peas

Irish cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F. Brown the ground beef or ground turkey. Remove from the pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onion and sauté it. After adding the carrots, stir in the flour and cook until it is slightly browned then add the stock and herbs.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it a little by cooking for about five minutes. Add the meat and bring it back to a boil. Add the frozen peas.

Place in a pie pan or a deep baking dish and cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake for about 30 minutes. Grate some Irish cheese over the top about 10 minutes before the end of cooking for extra flavor.

Serves 4

Death of a Foster Child explores the guilt felt when the foster placement of a teenage girl in the home of Rick Podowski and his wife failed. To complicate matters, the foster child was brutally murdered and the authorities believe she was selling drugs on the school campus and by implication asserted that the foster parents allowed this behavior. Rick Podowski with the help of Leti Ramos, Erin McGinty and Teresa Spinelli, also know as The Hefty Trio investigate to learn the truth.

In the process of investigating, they discover the world of drug sales on the high school campus, the underlying challenges facing students in a gang-infested school, as well as the difficulties faced by special education students. The reader will experience the frustrations of foster parents when faced with a system that is designed to keep the children dependent. Suggestions to improve foster care and move the children towards independence are provided at the end of the book.

Take A Break From Leftover Turkey Dishes

     

     
 Are you dreading using the leftover turkey for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  Well, forget it 
 all and make this delicious baked apple pancake.

 A baked apple pancake was first mentioned in Murder Before The Bell when Rick tried to

 woo his new girlfriend. When it comes from the oven it is absolutely beautiful.

Batter

4 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Fruit

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large tart apple (no need to peel)

Blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in food processor.  With the machine running add vanilla, butter, and nutmeg.  Let it stand for thirty minutes.

Slice the apple.

In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet melt the butter and coat the sides of the pan.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar cinnamon and nutmeg over the butter.  Cover with apple slices and the other 1/4 cup of sugar.  Use medium-high heat until the mixture bubbles.

Pour the batter over the apples and place in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for fifteen minutes.  Reduce the heat to 375 and bake for ten minutes more.  Serve immediately

Makes 3-4 servings.

This recipe adapted from Machine Cuisine Cooking Classes

Food and Wine Pairings From Death Of a Foster Child

Death of a Foster Child explores the guilt felt when the foster placement of a teenage girl in the home of Rick Podowski and his wife failed.  To complicate matters, the foster child was brutally murdered and the authorities have accused her of selling drugs on the school campus and by implication asserted that the foster parents allowed this behavior.  Rick Podowski with the help of Leti Ramos, Erin McGinty and Teresa Spinelli, also know as The Hefty Trio, investigate what really happened.

In the process of investigating, they discover the world of drug sales on the high school campus, the underlying challenges facing students in a gang-infested school, as well as the difficulties faced by special education students. The reader will experience the frustrations of foster parents when faced with a system that is designed to keep the children dependent. Suggestions to improve foster care and move the children towards independence are provided at the end of the book.  

Food and wine pairings mentioned in Death of a Foster Child include the following:

• Erin's Irish Shepherd's Pie with Pelican Ranch Cinsault
• Erin's Irish Potato Casserole with Windy Oaks Pinot Noir
• Teresa's Italian Chicken Macedonia with Rexford's Pinot Gris
• Teresa's Italian Eggplant Involtini with Odonata Malbec
• Leti's Mexican Pineapple stuffed with seafood with Mun's Pinot Noir Rose
• Leti's Mexican flan
• Rick's Polish Borscht with Myka Cellar's CFM
• Rick's Polish Cheese Crepes with MJA Winery's Rose