The Ash Creek Papers

I was recently given a gift of The Official Disney Parks Cookbook containing “101 Magical Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault.” In Editor Pam Brandon’s forward she notes that the recipes “… make it easy to enjoy the dishes at home.  Some are fuss-free; others take a little time.”   In addition to main dishes, the 101 recipes include starters (not a focus for me), desserts (I don’t do desserts) and drinks (gimmicky with some esoteric ingredients that are fun to drink there, but a bit much for home assembly).

As luck would have it, the very first recipe intrigued me.   Brandon introduces the recipe, “This was Walt’s favorite meal. The original Disneyland version of the recipe appeared seasonally through the years at restaurants such as the Plaza Inn and River Belle Terrace.  Over time, the ingredients evolved, too, with past versions including dried thyme and paprika. This is the current version and mainstay at the Carnation Café on Main Street, USA.”

Yes, I have another chili recipe, but I wanted to give this a try. My version uses just ground beef (or ground bison), other spices and is without beans. So adding stew beef (I used cut-up tenderloin) and pinto beans would be a new wrinkle for me.

Chili is “comfort food”; and comfort food deserves wine of a similar stripe.  And my go-to’s for comfort food wine are: Côte du Rhône, Barbera, Valpolicella and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  I have put the Cadetto “Monty” into three different wine tastings.  Beautiful fruit and enough muscle to take on the spices in a chili dish.  If you prefer “new world” wine, then a flavorful Zin would do nicely here.

Podere Castarani Montepluciano d’Abruzzo Cadetto ’18 (Abruzzo, Italy )
With over 200 years of history Podere Castorani spreads across 75 acres of lush countryside in the province of Pescara, Italy, between Majella National Park and the Adriatic Sea. Pleasant fresh blackberries on the nose. Medium-bodied with a tight, crisp texture. Fresh blackberry and pip grip and flavor. 90pts James Suckling

WALT’S CHILI & BEANS

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 blue cheese stuffed olives
A goodly amount of ice
¼ Cup Olive Oil divided
¾ lb beef stew meat
1 small onion diced
1 medium green pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 tbs ground cumin
1½ tbs chili powder
1 tbs onion powder
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbs tomato paste
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
2 tbs beef base
1½ cups of water
1 can (14.5 oz) pinto beans, rinsed an drained

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Heat 2tbs of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add stew meat and sauté meat about 8 minutes, ‘til browned on all sides.  Remove meat and set aside.

3. Add remaining 2tbs of oil.  Add onions and green peppers, sauté ‘til soft about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté ‘til fragrant, about 1 minute,

4. Add ground beef.  Cook, stirring to break up, ‘til beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  Drain excess fat.

5. Return stew meat to the ground beef mixture.  Add cumin, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, diced can tomatoes, chopped plum tomatoes & beef base and water.

6. Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to simmer over low heat for 3 hours

7. Add pinto beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

8. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion & diced tomatoes.

n.b. I shaded back on the cayenne pepper.  I had a question mark regarding the addition of water to the recipe.  As you might imagine, it made for a less thick chili than the recipe I have used in the past.  Although I enjoyed it, the next time I put this recipe into play, I think I will scale back the amount called for. Lastly, I thought red kidney beans were the beans of choice if beans are going to be used.  I thought the pinto beans were perfect. 

England might not take first place for unappealing names for food, but here is a small sampling of names that are certainly worthy of consideration: Spotted Dick, Clotted Cream, Mushy Peas, Bangers & Mash, and for our consideration today: Toad in the Hole.   {Before we get too far, Toad in the Hole on this side of the pond usually refers to an egg cooked in a hole cut out of a piece of bread.} Essentially this recipe is a brilliant combination of two of my favorite foods: Yorkshire Pudding and Bangers (sausages with an English accent). However, I have tweaked the original recipe and substituted Dutch Baby for Yorkshire Pudding.  Dutch Baby can either be prepared sweet or savory, and savory is the call here.  Simply put, add garlic and fresh rosemary to Yorkshire pudding and voilâ… Dutch Baby! An improved version of the English staple. Most recipes for Toad in the Hole also include an onion gravy as a side.  And while I do think that the gravy does well with Bangers and Mash, I think it hurts the aesthetics for this dish.

 My choice for wine is Clos St. Antonin Côtes du Rhône ’22. Since 2019 I have used previous vintages of this wine in 16 tastings. It is no secret how much I love this wine.  Why would it be a go-to red in so many tastings?  Because it is my “Swiss Army Knife” red wine.  It’s enjoyable on its own merit, and it goes with every comfort food dish imaginable. Cue Toad in the Hole!! Other wines that would work? Alsatian Pinot Gris, Mosel Riesling and Greco di Tufo from Campania.

Clos St. Antonin Côtes du Rhône ’22 (Southern Rhône, France)
Clos Saint Antonin is a 15ha estate located outside the town of Jonquières within the Côtes-du-Rhône Village of Plan de Dieu.  Clos Saint Antonin was purchased by the Sabon family, owners of Domaine de la Janasse, in 2014. While the whole family is involved with its farming and winemaking, Isabelle Sabon is heading up this new project – one supplemented by some of her family’s vineyards in Le Crau for the Clos Saint Antonin Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The Côtes-du-Rhône from Clos Saint Antonin comes from the younger vines on the property between 30-50 years old. The 2022 is a sturdy Côtes du Rhône, with a lot of stuffing. A stylish core of cherry and apple wood rests upon smoldering iron and graphite, adding to the firm structure. The finish is long and firm, with notes of warm spices and black tea. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. 90pts Wine Spectator

TOAD IN THE HOLE 

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue cheese stuffed olives
3 eggs
¾ Cup flour
¾ Cup milk
1 tsp Kosher Salt
6 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
6 tbsp butter
4 Dinner sized English bangers (or sausages of your choice)

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Set oven to 425°
3. Whisk together 3 eggs, flour, milk & kosher salt. Let sit for 5 minutes
4. In cast iron skillet on blazing high, melt butter, sauté garlic and chopped rosemary. About 1 minute, ‘til fragrant. Add the bangers to the skillet.
5. Add egg batter to skillet around the bangers.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden
7. Thank me, when you get the chance.  Personal checks, also welcomed!

n.b. I used Weisswursts for my sausages which I pre-browned on my Weber Grill.  I sourced the sausages from Alpine Wurst & Meat House.  They have local availability in Shop Rite, but the selection is limited. They offer a “combo pack” 1 each of Bratwurst, Krainerwurst, Weisswurst & Bauenwurst which I think would be a great play.  And the next time I think I will cut the sausages into 1” pieces and scatter them in the skillet… sorta like pepperoni on pizza.   Easier to slice and plate.