Jay D's Bites: Black Bean Chili

When it comes to comfort food during the winter, we think of chili. We love that you can use different proteins and make it unique to you, especially during Louisiana hunting season. The depth of flavor coming from all of the different vegetables in this chili will have you going back for more. The chipotle and guajillo peppers from Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub gives this dish a kick of heat. This colorful, heart warming chili will satisfy your comfort food craving all winter long!

Black Bean Chili

Serves 4-6

Photo Credit: Jordan Hefler Photography

2 Tbsp canola oil
2 lb beef stew meat
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 ear corn (off cob)
1 cup carrots, diced
¼ cup jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
28 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
5 Tbsp Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub
2 Tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1¼ cup canned black beans
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lime, wedged for garnish
1 diced avocado for garnish
½ bunch cilantro, chopped for garnish

Heat canola oil and brown beef with salt and pepper to taste. Do not overload the pan, brown in batches to prevent steaming. Remove beef from pan and set aside. Add onions, bell peppers, carrots, jalapeños, corn and tomato paste to pan. Over medium heat, cook for 6 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Jay D’s Coffee Chile Rub, chili powder, cayenne and balsamic vinegar and bring to boil. Add black beans and chicken stock, then bring back to boil. Reduce to simmer and allow chili to cook 45 minutes to 3 hours. Garnish with lime wedge, diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

Jay D's Bites: Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes

by Aimee Tortorich

It’s officially chili season and we love this chili that uses sweet potatoes and black beans! Use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey for a quick and healthy edition of this cozy favorite. A little heat and smokiness from the rub is the perfect touch to give this dish a unique flavor.

Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Yield 4-6 servings

1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper
2 jalapeños
1 ½ lbs shredded turkey, cooked
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 quart of chicken stock

Heat a medium pot on medium heat and saute onions, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapenos in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, barbecue rub, and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are almost tender. Stir in shredded turkey and black beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Photo Essay: A look at Santo Domingo's Mercado Modelo

by Blair Loup

I recently ate and drank my way through Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and while at times things were very foreign to me, most of the time it felt a lot like home. It was hot, humid and I almost always had a beer in my hand.

The Mercado Modelo is full of interesting characters and beautiful produce. I had a few bites, got proposed to and snapped some gorgeous pictures.

Below you'll find a visual tour of the market. Be on the lookout for a post on all my experiences in the Dominican Republic!

Plantain carts and motorcycles. This is Santo Domingo.

Habaneros with a side of eggplant.

Peppers and potatoes.

Macadamia nuts.

Yucca is almost guaranteed to be on every table in the Dominican Republic.

Salted fish.

Drying flowers hang in nearly every booth.

Assorted hanging meats.

Bottles full of roots are strung up all over. Pour rum inside and you'll have Mamajuana, a local aphrodisiac.

While this man hacked heads of cabbage into slaw at an alarming rate, he also took the time to propose.
We haven't set a date yet.

4ft. tall cinnamon sticks. No joke.

Seeds and fresh eggs.

Flowers, grass reeds and palm leaves.

The prettiest beans in all the land.

The cashew fruit.

Bird's Eye chilis.

This trip to Santo Doming, DR was provided through trade with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism.

Jay D's Famous BBQ Chili Recipe

Jay will be demoing this chili recipe today at the Red Stick Farmer's Market. Come by to try some and restock on Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce!

Chili from last year's Brew at the Zoo

Jay D's BBQ Chili

Makes about 8 servings

2 lbs Ground Chuck 80/20

1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

6 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Serrano, seeded and diced

1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced

1/2lb Andouille, diced

12 oz dark beer

1/2 cup Jay D's Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub

1 tbs Mexican Oregano

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Chile de Arbol (can sub a different chili powder such as ancho, or just additional chili powder)

1 tsp Coriander

1 tsp Cumin

12.7 fl oz bottle of Jay D's Louisiana BBQ sauce

Cheddar Cheese, Chopped Green Onions, Sour Cream, etc. to garnish

In a cast iron dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat. Cook until all the beef is brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon, straining out the grease. Reserve the beef. Discard all but a couple tablespoons of the grease which can be left in the bottom of the pot.

If the same dutch oven over medium high heat, saute onion, bell peppers, garlic, serrano and jalapeno. Cook until the onions have been sweated and all the vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes.

Add the andouille to the vegetables and stir. Cook the andouille with the vegetables until the andouille starts to brown, around 5 minutes.

Return the beef to the pot and stir. Add the beer and the Jay D's BBQ Rub and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the oregano, chili powder, chili de arbol, coriander and cumin. Stir and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce. Stir and simmer everything for another 10-20 minutes.

Serve warm in a bowl. It can be served over rice, with tortilla chips, as a Frito pie or eaten by itself. If desired, garnish with cheddar cheese and/or chopped green onions, sour cream, or anything else you can think of.

Barbecue Bites: Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Chili

Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Chili

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, Jay D's is a super versatile barbecue sauce. It is, in every sense of the word, gourmet. 18 different ingredients come together to make the stuff chili dreams are made of.

Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Chili
Makes 6-8 servings


2 lb. lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cup Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed or diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups, kidney beans, soaked overnight
1 (7 oz.) can chipotle salsa
2 cups, water


In a large sauce pot, season the ground meat with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and brown with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once browned, remove meat from saucepot and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute garlic, bell peppers, and onions until soft. Add ground meat back to the sauce pot and add tomatoes, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, salsa, and water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Stir often to prevent sticking on bottom of saucepot. If chili becomes too thick, add a half cup of water at a time and let reduce until beans are soft.  

Curbside Links it Up!

Because serving up some of the best burgers in town from a food truck just wasn't enough, owner and chef Nick Hufft recently launched his next endeavor in his expanding mobile food empire: Curbside Links.  This new truck has a very familiar look, but the results are vastly different.  The links truck serves up gourmet, homemade sausages on artisan buns with incredible toppings.  To go along with the glorious encased meats, Nick also serves up potato chips that he slices himself before deep frying them to a crisp and adding one of several different seasonings.

Curbside Links: Polish Sausage with Tin Roof Amber Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Red Onion, and House-made Chips

Curbside Links has multiple sausages on the menu and I can't wait to try them all.  On my first visit to the truck I went with what has quickly become Nick's #1 seller: Polish Sausage with Tin Roof Amber Chili, Cheddar Cheese, and Red Onion.  The bun held up well to the sausage and chili, which seemed quite remarkable in itself.  As for the sausage... pretty darn fantastic.  Scrumptious, even.  Eating this sausage sandwich made every other ordinary hot dog from now on barely worthy of a participation ribbon, at best.  The chili paired excellently with the Polish sausage and I enjoyed all of the red onion too as it added a little kick of its own.  At the end of the day, my stomach no longer growled and my taste buds were fully satisfied.  Props to Nick and his new Curbside Links truck.  I'll be back for more.

Turkey Day with Virtual Potluck and Marx Foods

A group of food bloggers from around the country who were brought this Fall for the Emeril's cookbook promotion has together decided to continue to work together on other projects. I'm very proud to be a member of the Virtual Potluck group and hope to continue to do some amazing things such a wonderful and inspirational group of bloggers. One of our first promotions is to cook a virtual Thanksgiving meal with ingredients from Marx Foods, a gourmet specialty food company that can send amazing ingredients straight to your door. You can actually use a promocode this week to get a discount at Marx Foods: Enter “POTLUCK” into the “Coupon Code” field at checkout for 10% of everything in the store. Valid 11/21 – 11/27.  My contribution was part of "Turkey Four Ways" meal that I prepared for WBRZ news in Baton Rouge. The special should air the night before Thanksgiving. You can find links to the rest of the Virtual Potluck meal on Cookistry, and you can find all four turkey recipes at Deep South Magazine, but below is the recipe for the Smoked Sea Salt and Puya Chili Oil Seared Turkey Thighs with Brandy Wine Black Trumpet Mushroom Cream Sauce!

Smoked Sea Salt and Puya Chili Oil Seared Turkey Thighs with Brandy Wine Black Trumpet Mushroom Cream Sauce
2 turkey thighs
2 tsp. smoked sea salt (or kosher salt) - From Marx Foods
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper or to taste
1 puya chili with stem removed (or guajillo or other medium-heat pepper) - From Marx Foods
3 T grapeseed, sunflower or canola oil, divided
1/2 ounce dried black trumpet mushrooms or other mushroom variety - From Marx Foods
1 cup hot water
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup cream
1/4 pound butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat turkey thighs dry with a paper towel. Lightly score the skin of both thighs with a knife in a crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle skin side with smoked sea salt and place aside to rest for at least 10 minutes. In a food processor, add the chili and 2 tablespoons of oil. Pulse the food processor to incorporate and make chili oil. Place dried mushrooms in hot water and let soak for at least 10 minutes. Heat the chili oil over high heat in an oven-safe sauté pan. Sprinkle the turkey thighs with black pepper and place skin down in the chili oil. Sear the skin side for 4-5 minutes and then flip the thigh over. Transfer pan to oven and continue to cook for 30-35 minutes until the thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

In a separate sauté pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to stir for another minute or two. Drain the mushrooms, chop them a little if desired, and add to the pan. Add some freshly ground black pepper. Lower the heat to medium. Add in the white wine and cook until reduced by half. Carefully pour in the brandy and continue to reduce for a few more minutes. Add the cream and again cook until reduced by half. Reduce heat to low. Stir in and melt the butter. Taste and add salt as desired. Once the butter is in, do not return the sauce to a boil. Pour sauce over turkey thighs and pasta if desired.

LCI's Race to Cannes Final: Jeremy Campbell vs Bryan Poche

Jeremy Campbell (left) and Bryan Poche went head to head in the finals of the Louisiana Culinary Institute's Race to Cannes cooking competition.  When I judged Round 2, groups 3 and 4 earlier in the competition, I actually helped score both Jeremy and Bryan to victory.  Seeing both of them in the final got my mouth watering before I even knew what was on the menu!

Jay Ducote and the other judges prepare to be well fed

The chefs knew they would be working with the three main ingredients of Louisiana Pompano, Jerusalem Artichokes, and Fresh Fennel.  However, just before the start of the competition, both chefs were given the mystery ingredients of Smoked Mussels, Raw Pecans, Crab Butter (crab roe), and Assorted Fresh and Dried Chilies.  Both chefs were tasked with incorporating all of the ingredients into either their appetizer or entrée as a full ingredient, not just a garnish.  I love the added level of difficulty for the finals!

Judges taste Bryan's appetizer

Bryan Poche's "Creole Stewed Octopus and Fried Grits"

Bryan presented what he called a "unique play on the ever popular shrimp and grits."  He was certainly right about that!  The dish featured some morsels of octopus that had been slow-cooked in a bath of tomatoes, chilies, and more.  To add a little something extra to the grits, he molded them and then coated the grits with a batter before frying them to crunchy golden exterior.  I love the extremely creative play on a popular dish, as well as the balls he had to use octopus in his dish.  Everything tasted great, and I think the chilies he had to use as a mystery ingredient added a nice touch.  The one critique that I made was that the dish looked like a bit of a monochromatic mess on the plate.  I would have liked too see a few different colors or even a green garnish to balance out all the red and orange.

Judges try Jeremy's Salad

Jeremy Campbell's "Braised Squid with Warm Arugula Salad

Jeremy's appetizer consisted of a salad.  However, this was no ordinary salad.  Rather than fry his squid like so many others, he braised it in red wine and served it over warm Arugula tossed with lemon and black pepper vinaigrette.  He also added some pecans in order to use a mystery ingredient and provide a little extra crunch.  Each bite of the salad left me thoroughly impressed.  The fact that the Arugula was served warm and slightly wilted added to the unique factor.  Still, the highlight of the dish easily came from the beautifully cooked squid with that gorgeous purple color after it had been braised in red wine.  Compliments to the chef, for sure!

Jay Ducote readies himself for the main courses.

Bryan Poche's "Crabmeat Stuffed Pompano

My highest rated dish came from the plate of food that I would have most likely ordered again... or tried to cook for myself.  Bryan described his inspiration as taking two things he loved and putting one inside the other.  And why not put a crab cake inside a piece of fried fish??  He topped the expertly fried Pompano, which isn't usually a frying fish due to its oily nature, with a mixture of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and pepper jack cheese.  The colors in the entree worked far better than they did in his appetizer.  However, the sunchoke gratin left a little to be desired.  It tasted slightly undercooked and a little bland, but still managed to be pretty good.  To wrap up the plate, the braised fennel that Bryan served had to have been the best fennel I've ever had.  The texture, color, and taste were all spot-on.  The dish as a whole really impressed both my eyes and taste buds!

Judges taste the Race's final dish

Jeremy Campbell's Pompano Bouillabaisse

Our final dish came from Jeremy and it packed some heat.  He plated a pompano bouillabaisse which featured fresh pompano simmered in white wine, sherry and tomatoes served over Louisiana popcorn rice.  The broth also included some chilies and smoked mussels from the mystery ingredients that added a really unique flavoring to the bouillabaisse.  Adding even more complexity to the stock, Jeremy added some brown sugar to round out the smokiness and heat.  Everything tasted spectacularly rich and it became difficult to put the fork down.  I would have liked to see some contrasting texture, but other than that, this dish proved to be a serious winner.

In fact, it did carry Jeremy on to the victory.  Scores as whole were extremely close, but Jeremy pulled out the win, and with it a trip to be part of the culinary team at the Cannes Film Festival in France.  I'd like to congratulate both Jeremy and Bryan on a job well done.  The Race to Cannes is a fantastic culinary competition and I can see plenty growth in its future.  To learn more about everything going on at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, check out their website at www.louisianaculinary.com!

A New Dog in Town: Frankie's Dawg House

Frankie's Dawg House in Baton Rouge

No matter how high my standards for food may get over time, I sure hope I never lose my love for a good hot dog.  I'm not talking about Oscar Mayer or those red colored franks you can buy by the 48 pack, I'm talking about serious, quality wieners (that's what she said).  Baton Rouge has a new spot to find just that: Frankie's Dawg House.  Located in a renovated building just off of Perkins on Cedardale, the gourmet hot "dawg" restaurant has a menu to meet anybody's taste buds.  From classic dogs to crazy combinations, and from all beef to alligator, Frankie's menu is as impressive as it is vast... and as it is pricy.  More on that later.  First, let's examine the food.

The above menu is only a portion of what Frankie's Dawg House offers, though it does cover most of the gourmet hot dog selections.  The free toppings and side items are found elsewhere.  I stopped by Frankie's with Eusebio and Ashley and we decided to get an array of dogs to aid our judgement process.  I took a stab at the Dawg of the Month, "The Fatty" ($6.95, pictured above, top right).  This smothered frank came with chili, cheese, jalapenos, and Cajun fries.  The only way to eat it was with a fork.  While tasty, The Fatty ended up being my least favorite hot dog of the day.  Eusebio opted for the "Swamp Dawg" which featured alligator sausage with grilled onions and spicy mustard ($7.95, pictured above, bottom right).  This dawg proved easier to eat as it used the bun as a delivery mechanism to the mouth instead of a fork.  The onions and mustard went well with the gator sausage.  I found myself impressed enough to think this may actually be gourmet.

Drunk as Duck Dawg: Duck Sausage, Peppers, and Mustard

The "Drunk as Duck" Dawg ($7.95) had a plump duck sausage on a bun along with a mixture of grilled peppers and some mustard.  While very similar to the above mentioned Swamp Dawg, I think I liked the combination of duck sausage and peppers more than alligator sausage and onions.  Either way you go, I think both are pretty quality sandwiches.

Morning Glory: Dog, Bacon, Cheese, Fried Egg, and Maple Syrup

By far the most innovative, curious, and fascinating dog of the day came in the form of breakfast.  The "Morning Glory" hot dog ($4.95) contained plenty bacon and cheese as well as a fried egg.  To top it off, it uses maple syrup as a condiment!  Genius!  I only got one bite of this beauty, but it is actually will get me back in the door.  Everything actually played really well together.  The sweetness of the syrup topped it off after the taste of bacon, egg, and cheese hit my tongue.

For as good and relatively gourmet as the dawgs were, I'm still skeptical of the life of this business if the prices remain so high.  While they are using quality products and serving generous portions, they are pushing, or perhaps breaking through, the price limits of what people are willing to repeatedly pay for a hot dog.  The duck and alligator dogs were tasty but certainly not worth the $8 each that they cost.  Most people can eat two hotdogs, but if you try to down two gourmet dogs, you're not leaving for under $10 and could be paying as much as $16... for hot dogs!  While I like a good hot dog, I don't want to pay ballpark prices for them.  The base dog with a couple free toppings runs $2.95.  That's not terrible, but its also expensive for a plain hot dog.  To build your own with up to 5 toppings costs $4.95.  That's just a little too high for my liking.  While I felt the Morning Glory was approaching a fair price at $4.95 (only because at $3 less than the Drunk as Duck and Swamp Dawgs it is a bargain), there are others that just aren't worth the money.  There are also several sides worth eating but no meal deal to get a dog, side, and drink for a cheap lunch.  Hopefully things like that will change once the business gets going, but I'm fearful of repeat business when the ticket prices for hot dogs are this high.  Still, I hate to be too down on the place.  I enjoyed everything I ate and I liked the  little restaurant itself.  Baton Rouge needs more places like this so I really hope they figure out a model that will keep customers coming in and business doing well.  Best of luck, new dawgs in town!

Bite and Booze Entry: Marx's Foods Iron Foodie 2010 on Foodie BlogRoll

VOTE FOR BITE AND BOOZE IN THE IRON FOODIE 2010 NOW!!!

I recently had the pleasure of being selected as one of the top 25 challengers in the Marx Foods Iron Foodie 2010 contest on Foodie BlogRoll.  You can find the blog post that I wrote to enter here... but the best part was getting to cook with the secret ingredients that Marx Foods sent me!  I had no idea what to expect when I opened the package, but to my surprise there were some pretty interesting ingredients awaiting some culinary creativity.

Eight Products To Choose From

The challenge asked each competitor to choose three products from the group of eight secret ingredients.  My secret ingredients included:

• Dried Aji Panca Chilies
• Vanilla Beans
• Fennel Pollen
• Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms
• Tellicherry Peppercorns
• Dulse Seaweed
• Maple Sugar
• Smoked Sea Salt

The dish I decided to create was a pan-seared duck breast with smoked sea salt and dried Aji Panca chilies over a homemade Tellicherry peppercorn pasta with a wild Porcini mushroom cream sauce.  I got hungry just thinking about it.

The first step was to place a little bit of the smoked salt on the skin side of the duck breasts and let them sit over night in the refrigerator.  This helps to draw out the moisture in the skin and allow it to get extra flavorful and crispy when cooking the next day.

Duck Breasts with Smoked Sea Salt

Next I needed to rehydrate the dried wild porcini mushrooms, so I placed them in a bowl with some warm water.  I also gathered some of my other ingredients for sauce including shallots, olive oil, white wine, brandy, cream, butter, salt, and some tellicherry peppercorns.

Imgredients for the Wild Porcini Mushroom Sauce

Next it came time to make the pasta.  I gathered the flour, eggs, water, olive oil, salt, and crushed black peppercorns and then starting combining them to make the dough.  

Tellicherry Peppercorn Pasta Ingredients

After I got the pasta rolled out and cut, it was time to put the focus back on the porcini mushroom cream sauce.  I started with cooking down the shallots in olive oil.  After they were translucent, I added the brandy and white wine (1 cup each), peppercorns, and mushrooms, then let that reduce about before adding a cup of cream.  Once that had reduced about halfway, I started whisking in the butter.

Wine, Brandy, Shallots, Mushrooms, and Peppercorns Reducing

Wild Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce

Now that my sauce was left to just simmer and let the flavors continue to meld together, all I had to do was boil my pasta and cook the duck breasts.  I put the homemade pasta in boiling salted water and let it get nice and tender.

Boiling the Homemade Peppercorn Pasta

And now the highlight: I added a little bit of chili oil that I made with the dried Aji Panca chilies and olive oil to a pan, sprinkled some chili seeds on the salted duck breasts, and seared the duck skin-side down for a few minutes to ensure a crispy skin.

Duck Breasts Searing in Chili Oil

After I got a good sear on the skin side, I flipped the breasts over, seared the bottom very briefly, then moved the pan to the oven with the skin up.  I let them continue to cook in a 400 degree oven for about 8-9 minutes, then removed them and let the duck rest for a bit.

Crispy-Skin Duck Breasts Moved to the Oven

Smoked Sea Salt and Aji Panca Chili Duck Breasts Resting Before Being Sliced

Now that everything was cooked, all I had to do was plate the dish.  I move the boiled pasta into the pan that the duck breasts cooked in with little chili oil residue.  I then ladled some of the mushroom cream sauce on to the pasta and tossed that around to get coated really well.  I started the plate with the pasta and cream sauce at the bottom and then topped that with a sliced duck breast, then finished the dish with a drizzle of the cream sauce over the duck and a little parsley for garnish.  Bon Appetit!

Finished Product: Seared Duck Breast with Smoked Sea Salt and Dried Aji Panca Chilies over Homemade Tellicherry Peppercorn Pasta with a Wild Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce