Jul 27, 2011 Posted in Chef Notes, Restaurant Reviews

Hatchet Motel

Published in Chef Notes, Jackson Hole News & Guide, July 27, 2011
Shared by Chef Ron James
Hatchet Motel

 

Hatchet Resort Beef and Buffalo Chili

Serves many. Freeze some for later.

2 c olive oil

2 chopped red bell peppers

2 chopped green bell peppers

2 chopped yellow bell peppers

3 chopped white onions

1 c minced garlic

4 c Anaheim chilies

3 lbs ground beef

1 lb ground buffalo

#10 can plum tomatoes

#10 can kidney beans

#10 can black beans

3 small cans tomato paste

1 c cumin

1 c chili powder

½ c salt

½ c black pepper

½ c paprika

½ c Worcestershire

2 bottles Snake River Lager

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil, add vegetables and cook until tender. Add the beef and buffalo and seasonings, stir until browned. Drain and add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire and beer. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then slow simmer for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste. Add spices ¼ cup at a time until desired flavor is achieved.

They serve this as an entrée, on nachos and it makes an awesome chili dog, as long as you use all beef franks.

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We were in the heart of Dixie the other night, just east of Moran Junction at the Hatchet Resort in the Whetstone dining room. Hospitality and good cheer were bubbling over, a diverse crowd of people were all seeming pretty darn happy. Delicious looking plates streamed by us into the dining room trailing enticing aromas. We settled right on in.

I’d heard from several sources, including a journalist from Oregon who contacted my editor at the paper that the folks from Mississippi who were there were serving up some really fine food. On a beautiful summer night why not find out?

Greeting us with a friendly smile and that unmistakably warm drawl was Ron James, the manager. When I asked about “the chef” in our initial phone conversation James told me there was no chef. He learned to cook from his Grandma and his Great Grandma. “I always liked to make big spreads for loads of people. A little bit of this and a little bit of that goes a long way as long as you don’t go overboard.” That’s as good of a philosophy of how to cook as any I’ve heard. James’ son Josh is part of the crew. He cooks dinners. His dad shared that Josh hadn’t been schooled as a chef either. He worked construction and lived with his cousin who was trained in the field. They just loved hanging out and experimenting with recipes, cooking for friends. That’s how he learned.

The whole staff shares that hospitality gene and James shares credit with his staff. “We all work really well together. They are great,” James told me. “If they don’t carry their weight, I get rid of them.” One of the guys said, “It’s kinda cool. We’ve served folks from 24 countries. If they stop by once, they come again.”

Some things are meant to be. James shared that he was born in Natchez and went to school in Hattiesburg. (I don’t know if you know this, but our states are quite similar in that the whole states are both like small towns.) He lived south of Memphis and managed a furniture store for a long time. Then, in a less happy period of his life, he was managing the footwear department of a Sportsman’s Warehouse. This guy came in looking for winter snow boots. James asked, “Now why would you need boots like this in Memphis?” The gentleman, Billy Graves, said that he ran the Hatchet Resort in Wyoming. James said, “Take me with you! I can be there tomorrow to start working.” He obviously had no idea how long the drive was, but drive to Jackson Hole he did. Graves stayed for the next year. Three years later James says he is here to stay. Managing a store is not that much different from this. It’s all customer service.

The Hatchet was homesteaded as a ranch in 1892. In the mid 1950’s after the highway went through, the motel was added. In 1998 the current owners partnered with the Jackson Hole Land Trust to buy it out of bankruptcy auction. They permanently protected the land’s scenic vistas and wildlife corridors, leaving 7 of the 800 plus acres for the resort operations.

The Whetstone dining room building has been added in the last few years. It is a beautifully crafted log building with expanses of glass facing the Tetons beyond a lush meadow. The bar and the fireplace are surrounded by hammered copper. The furnishings are made by local artists, some fashioned from antique sleds. There is an upright piano. The whole environment is ripe for festive gatherings.

One of the first plates that caught my eye was the nachos. They looked great! Our shared recipe is the chili that serves as their base. The pizzas I saw also whetted my appetite. We had a Caesar salad that was a fine balance of flavors, crisp romaine and hand made croutons. They offer a chef’s salad (even though there’s no chef) and a garden salad, plus a Wrangler salad that includes grilled flat iron steak, red onions, tomatoes, feta and garlic croutons.

The entree choices include half pound buffalo and beef burgers, bacon wrapped filet (the most expensive at $29.95), ribeye steak, brisket, grilled chicken, trout and barbeque shrimp. All include a salad, potato choice and vegetable. Homemade spaghetti and meatballs or Fettucini Alfredo is $12.95 and comes with house salad and garlic bread.

The nightly specials were London broil w/ mashed potatoes loaded with caramelized onions and a generous portion of al dente cooked fresh broccoli or a pork chop with white wine cream sauce, sauteed mushrooms with angel hair pasta with pesto and broccoli. The London broil was excellent. We shared the barbeque shrimp, 6 large grilled tasty crustaceans, with crisp sweet potato fries and a sauteed medley of colorful peppers, onions and zucchini.

Everything was just plain delicious. All were served cheerfully in a timely fashion. As we watched the sun dip below the horizon, we were bathed in the laughter of a huge table of folks from the neighborhood enjoying the evening.

I loved the fact that none of us even mentioned dessert.

 

Jul 13, 2011 Posted in Magazine Articles

Italian Cuisine (r)Evolution

Jackson Hole Magazine | Summer 2011
View article at LifeintheTetons.com >

America has long had a love affair with Italian cooking. That’s easy to understand. It’s too delicious and comforting and sensual to resist. Our picture is pizza or spaghetti with meatballs, candles in basket wrapped chianti bottles, maybe eggplant or chicken parmesean, with great disparity among the spellings of the cheese from Parma. Getting a handle on the multi-faceted explosion of what is happening in the world of contemporary Italian cuisine takes some thought and reflection.

It was in the 1880’s that the population boom of Italian American immigrants mushroomed from just a few thousand to four million by 1920. During those turbulent decades Italy was stressed by the unification of its city states. Many wars and rebellions caused economic pressures, particularly in the agricultural southern regions.

The United States was romanticized for its images of vast open spaces, cheap land and welcoming arms. A different reality awaited those immigrants upon arrival. Mostly this Italian population settled in cities along the east coast or in the growing state of California. Coming from agricultural backgrounds they often lacked skills for urban living. Although many eager workers found available jobs at menial labor, some utilized their skills in the culinary world. They started little neighborhood restaurants. This was the beginning of Italian American gastronomy.

Unique regional cuisines were formative in the history of Italy, influenced by the neighboring Greeks, French, Africans, Austrians, and Etruscans. Historically, Italy was a passage for the Christian crusaders to the Mideast and voyages to the Silk Road, China and the Orient. The climate diversity from mountains and plains to sea coasts, north to south was expansive. Each city state and region was as described in today’s words, a locavore community. They built their lives around what they had on hand.

The populations of Italians who migrated here generally came from the southern regions surrounding Naples and Sicily. They brought their regional specialties that became what we recognized as Italian food. Of course, those meals were formed by what was available in those times, the American varieties of meats, seafood, cheeses, grains, produce, herbs and spices. Within our scope of awareness, that was what Italian food was. From coast to coast the menu choices and preparations were pretty much the same. (more…)

May 12, 2011 Posted in Magazine Articles

Be Ready (72 Hour Kit)

Teton Home and Living | Spring 2011
View article at LifeintheTetons.com >

The first time emergency preparedness appeared on my personal radar screen was shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. That temblor, which became known as the World Series Quake, occurred in San Francisco Bay on October 17, as the San Francisco Giants played the Oakland A’s in Candlestick Park.

Television networks with national feeds were there to cover the World Series and covered the earthquake instead. The blimp overhead broadcast pictures of a section of the fallen Bay Bridge in its odd diagonal resting place, along with shots of collapsed buildings and neighborhoods ablaze. While those aspects of the disaster were shocking, it took children to really grab my consciousness about the enormity of what had happened.

While in the area for a work-related project, I was tutoring students at a neighborhood elementary school in Point Richmond. The children were palpably frightened by the ubiquitous news coverage of the damage, and of the injury and death surrounding them. It showed in their eyes, and in their distracted behavior. They needed to talk about it. They asked questions and needed answers. We decided to explore together ways to allow them to feel more secure in facing future emergencies.

Our search found results—some simple, some surprising. We learned certain precautions were within their grasp and concrete enough to enhance the kids’ sense of security. It started with creating an affordable emergency supply kit for their families, a possibility even for those from low-income households.

In emergency preparedness, the rule of thumb is to be able to sustain yourself and your household for three days until help becomes available. The bare necessities include a gallon of water a day per person, food items that do not need refrigeration or cooking, plus a can opener, a flashlight, and a radio (both battery operated), along with spare batteries. The list of items can be much longer (see the full recommended contents from the Red Cross 72-hour emergency kit, in box). Even these few rudimentary supplies offered a level of comfort to schoolchildren following the earthquake. It helped, knowing they could protect themselves against thirst and hunger. They now had a safeguard against being in the dark without a communication link to the outside world. (more…)