Elswets Homemade Chili Southern Style Recipes

ELSWET'S HOMEMADE CHILI, SOUTHERN STYLE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. When browned, you can either drain the grease and begin again with 3 tablespoons of oil, or use the grease. Remove beef and set aside for later, or use large skillet for next step.
• Saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery until opaque [not clear, but not solid white, either]. Add beef [or add TO beef if using a skillet]. Stir well. Add chili beans, tomato, and water, remainder of spices and herbs.
• Simmer over medium-low [or just high enough to keep it bubbling lightly] for two hours, stirring occasionally.
• After two hours, add beef and return to a light boil. Using a large measuring cup with handle, dip out 1 cup of the hot juice from the pot. Add in the Masa, stirring constantly to prevent lumping. When mixed into a smooth paste, SLOWLY spoon the mixture into the pot. Stir WELL to ensure no lumps.
• Return to boil and cook an additional 30 minutes.
• Let stand an hour before serving. Reheat and serve hot with grated cheese, parsley flakes, and cornbread.

ELSWET'S CREOLE STYLE CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Chicken: Place chicken pieces into a large pot. Add water, salt and pepper and bay leaf to the chicken pieces, enough to cover the chicken.
• Partially cover your pot and cook on medium until tender. Simmer gently, do not allow the pot to boil! The chicken will take 3 or 4 hours. When tender, remove the pieces from the broth, and keep warm.
• Gravy: There should be 3-4 cups of broth in the pot. Skim off the fat and measure the broth. For each cup of skimmed broth, mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of the fat with the same amount of flour.
• Stir several spoonfuls of the hot broth into the fat-flour mixture, and then pour the mixture back into the broth in the kettle.
• Cook the gravy until it is slightly thickened. Add sage, rosemary, and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Dumplings: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat the egg, add the milk to the egg, and mix with the dry ingredients.
• Drop by spoonfuls into the simmering chicken gravy, or roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 1 inch by 2-inch pieces and drop into the gravy.
• Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes. The cover must NOT be removed, while the dumplings are cooking.
• Debone the chicken, add back to pot. Add white wine and Gumbo File (ground sassafras leaves), stir and let heat for 8 minutes.
• Serve.

ELSWET'S BAKED SIRLOIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a loaf [bread] pan with aluminum foil. Grease the bottom with the full 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and place your bacon-wrapped sirloin steaks into the pan. Space them well from one another and from the sides, deposit a crushed garlic clove atop each steak, and arrange onion quarters in the corners of the pan.
• Pour the liquid ingredients equally over both steaks, then sprinkle the dry ingredients evenly.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and marinade overnight (tastes fantastic even when you don't have time for this step).
• Bake for 45 minutes on 350°F, after which, baste, turn onion quarters, recover, and bake for a additional 45 minutes (a total of 90 minutes baking time).
• Remove to serving plate, garnish, and serve. Enjoy!