... I cooked with tea on the weekend!
I was asked to bring some lunch out to the feed the guys helping my dad re-roof his cottage, so a pot of chili came to mind. I added some Lapsang Souchong to the batch and what a great smoky flavour it added.
While I was browning and seasoning the ground beef in one pan and then sauteing some onion, celery, carrots and zucchini, I was also thawing some frozen roma tomatoes in a pot over low heat. As they thawed, they released some juice and I added a teaspoon of the tea to it. Once the tomatoes were fully thawed, I broke them up with a wooden spoon and started adding my other ingredients, chili powder and chili lime seasoning, various kinds of beans (rinsed first to prevent too much "music" later - beans beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you... you know!), frozen corn and tomato sauce. I combined all of the ingredients in the pot and left it to simmer.
It was delicous - we enjoyed it outside on the deck with some garlic cheese loaf. The smokiness was subtle and appropriate for an outdoor, fall meal.
Don't hesitate to share your cooking experiments with tea by leaving a comment.
Happy sipping and blessings, Ann
