bright & citrusy braised, shredded Mexican beef for tacos

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 pounds boneless beef for braising (chuck roast, flank steak, boneless short ribs, or other suitable cuts)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro (save a bit to chop for garnish, if you wish)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup water or stock

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large French or Dutch oven (or other burner- and oven-safe pot that's big enough to hold everything) over medium-high to fairly high heat, add the onion and pinch of kosher salt and saute until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. you're not caramelizing the onion; you're actually searing it a bit to get lots of good flavor, so let the pieces get nice and dark around the edges. you don't have to worry about softening them; they'll cook nicely with the beef.

while the onion is frying, cut the meat into large (1-2 inch) chunks. combine the paprika, cumin, chili powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, pepper, cilantro, garlic cloves, citrus juices, olive oil and water (or stock), and puree in a regular blender or with an immersion blender. add the meat and the pureed mixture to the pot and stir. bring to a simmer, cover with an oven-safe lid (or cover tightly with aluminum foil) and place in the oven. cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

when it's nice and tender (shreds very easily with a fork), turn off the oven. using a slotted spoon, scoop the meat out onto a plate. place the pot on a medium-low burner and reduce the cooking liquid, uncovered, until reduced by about half (you just want to reduce it enough so the finished mixture isn't watery). while the liquid is reducing, shred the meat using two forks, then add the shredded meat (and any accumulated juices) back to the pot. combine and adjust seasoning, if needed. serve with hot flour and/or corn tortillas, and accompany with crumbled cotija cheese, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, guacamole or avocado slices, sour cream (or crema fresca, or Greek yogurt) and wedges of lime. very good when served with Mexican-spiced oven fries (that recipe is coming next)!

honey-ginger barbecue sauce

oh, this is one of those recipes that's more than the sum of their parts. my father used to make his own barbecue sauce and it was so delicious. I decided to do a variation of his recipe that includes fresh ginger and honey, but the basic recipe is his. it smelled so heavenly right that I wanted to eat dinner the moment it was done!

this sauce can be brushed on meat before/after grilling (I tend to think it's best to do a dry rub before grilling, then brush with sauce during the last few moments), used in a crockpot or French oven with a roast to make shredded BBQ beef (that's what's happening with mine right now -- in the oven with a 2+ pound chuck roast at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours; when it's done I'll shred the meat into the sauce), or served alongside grilled/barbecued anything. it will keep in the fridge, in a jar or covered container, for at least a week or two.

• 1 stick butter, divided into 2 pieces: a 2-tablespoon chunk and the remaining 6 tablespoon piece
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup ketchup (the simplest kind you can find is best; either regular or unsweetened will work fine)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons Pickapeppa sauce (if you have it on hand -- it's good stuff)
• 1 cup red wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar will be good here, if you'd prefer)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 2-3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

in a large, deep saucepan or French oven, saute the onion in the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until browned. add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low (just enough to keep it bubbling). continue to simmer, uncovered (stirring from time to time) until thickened and glossy. remove from heat to allow to cool for a moment, then puree -- easiest to do with an immersion blender; if you're using a regular blender, be sure it's fairly cool so the heat doesn't blow the top off! do be sure to puree -- it brings out the ginger flavor and makes this beyond good.

quite tasty Texas chili

I combined several chili recipes, then adjusted them together to my taste and added the things I want in chili, and came up with something really good. note: sometimes I make "fancier" chili -- using stew meat (hand chopped), soaking and grinding dried pasilla, ancho and chipotle chiles -- this is not that kind of chili. this is a good, basic, easy-to-make recipe; the kind that every Texan (or honorary Texan!) should have in their repertoire. you're welcome to make this one your own, and of course, I'd love to hear how y'all do it. and speaking of "recipes" -- this is not so much a recipe as a set of guidelines. you can change many of the steps and/or ingredients: use all ground beef instead of a beef/sausage mix, or stew meat instead of either; soaked and ground dried whole chiles instead of chili powder (if you do this, use a little less chile and add a bit more ground cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper to compensate & balance the flavors), leave the small amount of tomato sauce out entirely or substitute Rotel or a similar tomato/green chile sauce, leave out or increase the green chiles (or use fresh, roasted & peeled green chiles)... the possibilities are almost endless.

Texas chili does not contain beans of any sort (unless you're making a vegetarian version, of course, which makes more sense than you might think -- with all these seasonings, the meat is not really the star). but if you wanted to make this into, say, Cincinnati chili, you could include some kidney beans, add a pinch of cinnamon, and serve over noodles, with optional toppings of grated cheddar, chopped onion, etc. in fact, except for the noodles, those toppings are fairly universal. try making it into a Frito Pie by pouring it over some Fritos (only Fritos will do!), either in a bowl or right in a single-serving bag, and top with cheddar, onions & jalapenos.

I could go on, but I think you know how to eat chili if you're looking at this recipe. so without further ado, here's how I made it today:

• 2 tablespoons oil (cooking oil or EVOO; whatever you have on hand)
• 1 smallish (or 1/2 large) chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 pound ground chuck (80/20, as in 80% lean, 20% fat)
• 1 pound hot pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean, but almost any kind will do, as long as you avoid wildly clashing flavors)
• 30-32 ounces low-sodium beef broth (I only had chicken broth on hand, and it did just fine; veggie would work, too)
• 1 bouillon cube (beef, chicken or veggie), crushed
• 1 8-ounce can El Pato Salsa de Chile Fresco (or 1/2 can of Rotel Tomatoes w/Green Chiles, or 8 ounces plain tomato sauce, or salsa, or... you get it; whatever's on hand)
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped, peeled green chiles (or a similar amount of freshly roasted, peeled & chopped green poblano or Hatch or Anaheim chiles
• 2-3 tablespoons ground paprika (hot or sweet, but not smoked -- that would be too overpowering here, though you could add a pinch of smoked paprika if you like)
• 1-2+ tablespoons chili powder (the kind that includes chiles, oregano, cumin, etc. OR use 1.5 tablespoons straight powdered chile, and add more oregano, cumin and black pepper to taste)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (start w/less, add more near the end if needed)
• 1-1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons masa harina, (if you don't have any masa flour on hand, do what I did -- tear a few fresh corn tortillas into quarters and throw into the chili, allow to cook ~15 minutes or so, until disintegrated), to thicken chili to your taste
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
• 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or whatever you have on hand -- just not super-fruity raspberry vinegar, nor straight white vinegar -- something mildly acidic, as a flavor counterpoint) or lime juice, again, to taste
• whatever else you like to add to your chili: I tossed in a couple of small bits of Mexican chocolate, but NOT much; you could add a pinch of cinnamon here, more oregano, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, garlic or onion powder (the only reason those last two items are in my kitchen are for chili -- they're traditional in Texas chili, and they just taste good in it -- just be sure you're using onion or garlic powder, not onion or garlic salt!), chopped canned chipotles -- whatever you like, except for salt! with all the bouillon cubes, pork sausage and regular chili powder, it's likely this chili will be quite well salted. however, if you think you want to add some, please finish simmering before adding salt -- you'll probably need less than you think.

in a large Dutch (Lodge cast iron) or French (Le Creuset) oven, or similarly large, heavy pot, heat the oil and lightly brown the chopped onion over medium-high heat. when translucent and browned to your liking, turn the heat to medium-low and add the minced garlic. continue to cook for a minute or two, then scoop it all out into a large bowl. put the pan back on the heat, and brown the ground beef, then drain off the fat, and scoop that into the bowl with your onions. then do the same with the sausage, breaking the pieces up. after pouring off all excess grease, add the onions, garlic & browned meats back to the pot, and pour in the El Pato sauce (or other tomato sauce) and broth (you can use two 15-ounce cans, or a 32-ounce carton -- or a similar amount of homemade) and bring to a boil. reduce heat to a medium boil and add the canned green chiles, 2 tablespoons of the paprika, 1 tablespoon of the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano, 1 tablespoon of the cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, and cook, covered, for ~45 minutes. then taste, and add the remaining paprika, chili powder, oregano, cumin and/or black pepper to suit your taste (if it's not hot enough, add a bit of cayenne pepper if you want -- but only after all of the various chiles have been added and have simmered for a bit). you can add another clove of minced garlic also, if you'd like. reduce heat to a simmer and cook another 20 minutes, then taste again and adjust heat/spices, and add the masa harina (or corn tortillas -- whatever you have on hand -- even regular cornmeal will work, but the flavor's best w/masa or corn tortillas), brown sugar (try adding a teaspoon at a time, until the right balance of flavor is achieved), a bit of vinegar, and simmer for 10 minutes. taste and  add salt if needed (mine didn't need any additional salt, which is surprising, because I'm a salt fiend!). serve with rice, macaroni noodles, saltines, Fritos, cornbread, sourdough -- however you like to eat your chili. top with shredded cheddar, sour cream (or crema mexicana), chopped white or green onion, sliced jalapenos, salsa -- again, however you like it. ENJOY.

ropa vieja

I adhere pretty closely to the spirit of the original version of this recipe, which was passed down to me years ago.

2-1/2 - 3 pounds flank steak, skirt steak or chuck roast, cut into roughly 2" inch chunks
salt and pepper
3-4 bay leaves
water to cover by at least one inch

lightly salt and pepper the chunks of beef. place in a heavy dutch oven with the bay leaves and cover with water by about 1/2". bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1-1/2 hours.

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely or crushed

add the garlic to the beef and continue to simmer for another hour, until beef is very tender. using a slotted spoon, remove chunks of beef to a plate and refrigerate for a bit until cool enough to handle.

1 - 2  cups dry sherry
20-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin

add sherry, tomatoes, paprika and cumin to the cooking liquid. raise the heat to high and reduce the cooking liquid by half, until the consistency is syrup-y. in the meantime, prepare the rajas:

3-4 large poblanos, peeled, roasted and cut into thin strips
2 white onions, cut into thin half-moon slices
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely or crushed
extra virgin olive oil to saute
a bit of sherry to deglaze

saute the poblanos over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes and add to the reduced cooking liquid. caramelize the onions for over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turn heat to low and add the garlic. continue to cook for a few minutes, then deglaze with a bit of sherry and add to the cooking liquid, which is now a sauce.

remove the cooked beef from the refrigerator and shred by hand, removing any fatty or gristle-y bits. add the shredded beef to the simmering sauce. after 10-15 minutes, you can start to skim off excess fat as it settles on top.

2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped VERY finely or crushed
salt and pepper to taste

add sugar and garlic, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. serve over garlic mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or sourdough bread, with a green salad. unbelievably delicious.