Michhael Chiarello Michelangelo Inspired Pasta Food

CHIARELLO CHOCOLATE CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Cut the chuck into ¾-inch pieces, or, to save time, have your butcher do this for you. Place the chuck in a large bowl. Season liberally with pepper (about 20 turns of the pepper grinder) and grey salt to taste- remember half of this will come off in the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and 2 tablespoons of the chili powder. Mix this well and coat the meat with the masa harina (this is a ground hominy flour common to Mexican cuisine and easily found in the Mexican food sections of many grocery stores). The flour will thicken the sauce and give it a specific, Mexican taste.
• Preheat a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and then the coated meat, spreading it evenly so it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven in 1 layer. Leave it alone, without turning it, so the meat will brown and caramelize. Meanwhile, add the lard. The meat has a lot of moisture in it, so a good amount of steam will come from the pan before it is caramelized. As it browns, slowly turn each piece with tongs. Once all sides are caramelized, remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet to cool, leaving juices in the Dutch oven to saute vegetables. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until they start to caramelize and get soft. Add the jalapenos and allow to cook for 2 more minutes until soft. Add the tomato paste. Some of the same spices as were used on the meat will be used in the sauce. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the oregano, and 2 heaping tablespoons of the chili powder. Add beer. Stir to incorporate everything. Add diced tomatoes, and stir. Then add the reserved meat. Add chicken stock. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until meat is wonderfully tender. Strain juice from the black beans, add the beans to the chili pot and bring up to simmer. Then add chunks of bittersweet chocolate. Stir until it melts. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

MICHHAEL CHIARELLO MICHELANGELO INSPIRED PASTA

Steps:

• Prepare pasta, reserving some of the water.
• In oven, roast finely sliced fennel in olive oil, until just browning. Slice leaks very finely and bake them in butter with a dash of olive oil until soft. Reserve these components until ready to combine with pasta and other ingredients.
• In a hot pan, add olive oil and mushrooms (do mushrooms in two seperate batches) - do not move them until they begin to brown, about 1 minute. Then sauté until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until light brown. Add julienned tomatoes and basil and cook quickly to keep tomatoes from burning.

SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA - MICHAEL CHIARELLO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, unroll the pancetta.
• Cut it into 1-inch long chunks and then slice each chunk thinly across the grain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderately low heat.
• Add the pancetta and cook it until it renders some of its fat, about 5 minutes; do not allow it to crisp.
• Add the onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
• While the onion is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water.
• Add the red pepper flakes and parsley to the onion mixture and cook briefly to release their fragrance.
• Add the vinegar and simmer briefly until it evaporates, then add the tomato puree and 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
• Simmer briefly to blend.
• When the pasta is just shy of al dente, drain it and return it to the warm pot over moderate heat.
• Add the sauce and cook briefly so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce, then transfer the pasta to a warmed serving bowl and shower with the romano cheese.
• Serve immediately.