Recipes by Kim Hunter: Cape Scott Chicken; Colossal Chili; Tremendous Tamale Pie

Kim Hunter's Cape Scott Chicken

One chicken, about three pounds, cut into 8-10 pieces
Garlic salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Paprika
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 cup brown rice
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
2 or 3 medium onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons raisins
1/2 pound fresh green peas

Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Wash and dry chicken pieces. Sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper and paprika. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, in a shallow baking pan large enough for them to fit in one layer without touching. Bake 10-15 minutes at 550 degrees or until the chicken is brown and crispy and well-rendered of fat. Then remove to paper towel to drain. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add the salt, a bit more pepper, saffron and rice. Stir well. Mix in the carrots, onions, parsley and raisins. Place the chicken on top, skin side up. Do not overlap. Cover the pot and bake in the oven for one hour. Remove pot from oven. Lift the chicken out. Scatter the peas over the vegetables. Put the chicken back on top, cover the dish and continue to bake for 1/2 hour. Serves 4.

Kim Hunter's Colossal Chili

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1 pound ground chuck
1 can tomatoes, drained (reserve juice)
2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
1 large green pepper, diced
1 pound lean ground round
1 pound Italian peeled plum tomatoes with basil leaf (drained, reserve juice)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed cumin seeds
1 large bay leaf
2 - 1 pound cans kidney beans, drained

Heat butter and vegetable oil in large skillet. Saute onion, garlic and green pepper until vegetables are soft. Add ground beef (chuck and round); cook over low heat until meat begins to lose its red color. Stir often to keep meat-vegetable mixture crumbly and loose in texture.

Add drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered. Meanwhile take about 1/2 cup drained tomato juice and mix with celery seed, cayenne, cumin seeds, basil, bay leaf and chili powder. Cook this "seasoned" tomato sauce over low heat to reduce about one half in volume. Add to tomato-meat mixture. Cook chili uncovered about 2 hours, stirring often. During last half hour, add kidney beans with additional 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thick. If necessary, add more tomato juice but use sparingly so as not to dilute the flavor and texture of the chili. Spoon into individual bowls. Garnish with chopped sweet white onion and crushed red Italian pepper. Serves 6-8.

Kim Hunter's Tremendous Tamale Pie

For the crust:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water

Mix cornmeal with 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Add to  2 1/2 cups boiling, salted water. Stir with wooden spoon to prevent cornmeal from lumping. Cook over low heat 25 minutes or until thick.

Line well-greased 2-quart casserole with 3/4 of the cooked cornmeal. Reserve remainder for decorating the top. Bake 25 minutes in preheated 400 degree oven until crust is dry and pulls away from the side of the pan.

For the filling:
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and chopped
1 4-oz. can pimientos, drained and diced
1 pound lean ground chuck
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 green pepper, cut in small squares
1 pound lean ground round
1/3 cup flour
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 pound can Italian plum tomatoes with basil leaf, drained (reserve juice)
1 - 7 1/2 oz. can unpitted black olives
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons crushed Italian red pepper (or 3 chiltepin chiles)

Heat butter and vegetable oil in skillet. Add onion, green pepper and pimiento until onions are golden. Lift out vegetables and reserve. Season the flour with salt, oregano, parsley and pepper to taste. Form meat in one-inch balls, roll in flour. Brown in pan drippings in same skillet in which vegetables were cooked; shake pan to brown meat on all sides. (Or place meatballs on broiler rack lined with aluminum foil, browning on all sides.)

Prepare "seasoned" tomato juice using about 1/4 cup juice, blend with chili powder, crushed Italian red pepper (or crushed chiltepin chiles). Simmer over low heat to reduce about one-half.

Add "seasoned" juice to skillet (or cooking pot) with cooked vegetables, tomatoes, olives and meatballs. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes. Spoon into cooked dry cornmeal crust. Top with remaining cooked cornmeal to form upper crust. Cook in preheated 350 degree oven about 45 minutes. Serves 6-8. Serve with tossed green salad, Mexican beer (or Bordeaux wine) and fruit for dessert.