Chili N' Garlic Mashers with Skillet Cornbread (Jim Lahey Olive Bread Experiment. . . And Love!)

I had a desperate but brilliant cooking moment last night about six. I really didn't know what we were having for dinner yet. I've been struggling to get my cooking mojo back. (The post-holiday-my sister-is-gone blahs.) For comfort and nourishment, bread baking has sort of taken over. I have bread lust. Serious bread lust. I could live on bread alone--through the entire month of December. More on bread in a sec. So last night in my dire need of inspiration, this eureka moment happened. I had a craving for chili. I also had a craving for garlic mashed potatoes. Viola: enter the "chili-n'-garlic-mashed-potato-and-skillet-cornbread bonanza"! And this all came together in about forty-five minutes. I dare say it was genius. Dr. Thyme proclaimed it so. Well, I am going to second that. And I had seconds, too! And if you say, Oh, that's just inverted Shephard's Pie. Well, okay. You can call it that. But I usually don't season my shephard's pie with chili powder and cumin and cilantro and a TON of garlic. This hit the spot and then some.

I really wanted my first post of December to be cookies. Today, I am baking cookies. Posting on said cookies shortly. The danger in the cookie making is the mass consumption of the cookie dough that yours truly has a problem with. So I will need to pound out a few good miles of a run before setting out my flour and what-have-you for all things cookies and sweet. And for sharing my cookies, yesterday I snagged some really adorable cookie tins at Wal Mart--a buck a piece. Can't beat that with a stick now can you? Say what you will about Wal Mart (and I used to have a snooty friend who did say they were the evil incarnate), but I used to say back, Well, for those of us on a home budget and a single income household and not cashing a ridiculous salary--I'll take Wal Mart, Thank You Very Much!  

So the newest member to my cookbook family is, My Bread by Jim Lahey. Who for the not-in-the-know has written a no-knead, slow fermentation cookbook based on his bread-ness at Sullivan Street Bakery in New York. I've now mentioned this book twice in my blog. I am sure I will mention it again. Pictured here is the lovely olive bread which I made three times last week. Three. It is a beautiful bread to be sure. The method of pour the stuff in the bowl the night before, mix for about thirty seconds, cover and leave it be at room temperature (and use just a teeny bit of yeast, then allow the flour and yeasties to do their magic) and about dinner time the next day, shape, let rest a bit more, then bake in a cast iron pot--so easy, so delish--I'm in love. (I bought my Lodge brand cast iron Dutch oven at Target--yes I love Target, too) for about thirty bucks. Nothing could be easier, pain free and talk about outstanding artisan quality bread. I still LOVE my Artisan Bread in Five books--still always have a mash of their dough in my fridge as well--but to take on a few new bread recipes incorporating the Dutch oven--why not, I say? With all the fuss about to knead or not-to-knead taking place all over the bread web, I am of the mindset that as long as there's bread afterward, who cares? And it bakes up like this? Oh please. Just make some bread and you decide. I can go either way--but as you can see from the photo journey here--the bread result is quite impressive.

Today's bread experiment takes me into the Lahey baguette. His method for baking this Italian version of the French baguette requires the bread be baked under an upside down clay French Bread terra-cotta pot. Okay, well, I called EVERY kitchen supply store in St. Louis trying to get my hands on one to no avail yesterday. The one store that did have the bread baking pots only carried shapes I didn't need--not the long French Bread pot. I will improvise and test my loaf baking by shaping my loaf into about an eleven inch baguette (not too long that it falls off my pizza stone, and short enough to fit under my mom's oblong Dutch oven). I will post the results here shortly.

Meantime--here's last night's recipe. It bears repeating, this dinner was simply good grub--a comfort-food- craving, soul-satisfying meal. The skillet corn bread recipe is from America's Test Kichen and was so good, I'd make it again in a heartbeat! I substituted a 10" cast iron pot for their 8" the recipe called for. It made the bread come out thinner and crunchier. I baked it for about half the time stated--ten minutes vs. twenty. Then I subbed 1 teaspoon of canola oil mixed with two tablespoons water for the eggs. Otherwise, I followed the recipe straight. The cornbread was superb! It capped the chili-taters perfectly!

Chili N' Garlic Mashers

1 onion diced

2 celery stalks sliced thin

4 carrots chopped

6 garlic cloves minced

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 package of vegan soy crumbles

2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3-4 tablespoons chili powder (depends on how hot you like it--I like it hot!)

2 teaspoons dried ciliantro

S & P to taste

side of garlic mashed potatoes

side of skillet corn bread

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large saute pan or Dutch oven. Add all the chopped veggies and cook for about five minutes--until the onions begin to soften (don't worry about the carrots and celery at this point, they'll soften up as the chili cooks). Next, add the soy crumbles and mix well. Add the seasonings and mix. Then add the tomatoes and black beans. Cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove lid and allow to cook over low heat for an additional ten minutes or so. Season with more salt if needed and some freshly ground pepper. While the chili cooks, go ahead and prep your mashed potatoes and cornbread. Serve the chili over the mashed potatoes. Add vegan cheddar cheese and vegan sour cream to really take it there!