Chili!

I LOVE slow cooker recipes. I love that I can just throw everything into the pot, switch it on and forget about it. I love that the smell of food cooking is so wonderful to come home to. And I love that I don't have to throw myself into food preparation as soon as I get home.


I found this recipe, through looking at a friend's photo of jams and chutneys!  The fruit of a half hour on the internet of blog diversions...like going on a treasure hunt, or entering a maze where I'm not bothered about finding the 'right' way.  It is from a cookery blog called Coconut & lime.

Here it is:

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lbs lean ground beef
28 oz can crushed or coarse ground tomatoes (or whole, smashed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instead of all these different spices, I used garam masala which has them all and more... because I love shortcuts. Didn't have any Worcester sauce, either, which didn't seem to matter.

To serve:
1 lb spaghetti
sour cream
chopped raw onions
dark red kidney beans (heated through)
shredded extra sharp cheddar

Directions:
In a large skillet saute onion, garlic, ground beef, and chili powder until ground beef is just barely cooked. Take care to break the meat into small bits. Drain off any excess fat. Add to a four quart slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir. It might look a little dry but that is okay. Cook for 8-10 hrs. Stir.

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.

There are several ways to eat Cincinnati style chili:
3-way: Spaghetti topped with chili, covered with shredded cheddar cheese
4-way: Spaghetti topped with chili, cheese, onions
5-way: Spaghetti topped with beans, chili, cheese & onions

Cannelloni? Those large pasta tubey things filled with sauce...

I subscribe to a couple of blogs: She cooks and Can't Cook a Lick. Both about cooking. Both fun. I was reminded of a recipe I've long wanted to try. But haven't. It's quite complicated. But here it is anyway: thank you, LeAnn! I'll tag this entry with 'things to try'. Watch this space...

Cheese Filled Manicotti with Meat Sauce

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• onion, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 2, 26 oz jars marinara sauce (no sugar in the ingredients)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• dash or two of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Filling:

• 2 lb container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded 5 or 6 cheese Italian blend (whichever your grocery store stocks)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• dash nutmeg

To assemble and serve:

• 8 oz package manicotti noodles
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• Grated Parmesan
• Fresh torn basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Prepare sauce:

Brown ground beef in a dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper. If using onion, add at this point. Stir in red pepper flakes, marinara sauce, dried basil, cinnamon and sugar. Reduce heat until sauce is softly simmering.

Prepare manicotti shells as directed on the package. Be careful not to overcook. Drain and set aside. (Prepare the filling while the pasta cooks.)

Prepare the filling:

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.

To assemble:

Spoon about 2 cups of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. Fill the cooked manicotti shells with the ricotta mixture using a pastry bag, a small spoon or your hands (I use my hands… it’s just easier.) If a shell splits while you are filling it don’t worry about it. You can place it seam side down in the pan and no one will notice 

As you fill each shell, lay them over the sauce in your prepared pan. Once all have been filled, top them with more sauce. You want to pour the sauce down the center of the shells, leaving the ends exposed so they will get a little crispy as they bake. And… because it just looks prettier and that’s important too.

Sprinkle the two cups of shredded cheese over the sauce. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown a bit.

Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

To serve, place one or two (most people will go for two) filled manicotti shells on dinner plate. Spoon a little extra sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese and fresh torn basil leaves.

I'm already wondering about using fresh lasagne and simply rolling it up around the filling...or tortillas...or making a pasta layer dish...or...