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Politics & Government

Secrets from an Assemblywoman's Kitchen

Cooking Demo: This busy mother of five shows us how to make quick fix white bean chicken chili.

There are a lot of places you can find Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz around the region. It might be  where her youngest, Max, is a senior.  It could also be Kings or Shoprite, where she stocks up to cook meals from scratch for her five kids ranging in age from 17-26.  Despite high school, college and fulltime jobs, they're regularly at home for a little home cooking (more on that in a minute). But what makes Nancy Munoz a local icon is that you will also find her serving in the New Jersey General Assembly in the 21st legislative district, representing parts of Union, Morris, Essex and Somerset Counties.

It's a remarkable story.  Assemblywoman Munoz's seat in the assembly was originally filled by her late husband, Dr. Eric Munoz.  His untimely death from heart complications left his seat suddenly vacant.  Nancy, a nurse by profession, was busy raising her kids and dedicated to community service endeavors in Summit. However, inand his voice in the assembly, she ran for his seat and won.

So, now you will find her at meetings fighting for health care, or chatting with Governor Chris Christie or listening to her constituents about any issue that might fall within her district.  But, at the end of the day, she's still cooking dinner for her kids.  By the way, she's one heck of a cook and her white bean chicken chili is tried-and-true.

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"This is a recipe that I make for my children a lot, and which they love.  It is spicy, and the amount of spiciness can be adjusted."

Any variety of chili from scratch in 30 minutes is a pretty amazing feat.  But the secret to getting that cooked-all-day flavor is using a store bought roasted chicken. Most supermarkets these days sell whole chickens fully cooked and ready to go. Since they do all the work, all you have to do is throw the ingredients together and simmer just long enough to marry the flavors. It's chili in no time from a mom and an Assemblywoman who knows all too well how to get it all done.

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Quick Fix White Bean Chicken Chili

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 6-8

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 large onions, chopped

1/3 cup flour

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

2, 15 oz cans white cannelini beans, drained

2, 4 oz cans chopped green chilis

4 cups cooked diced chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken purchased at the supermarket)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Garnish

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

1 cup sour cream

chopped fresh cilantro

purchased green chili salsa

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add flour and stir (do not brown!).  Gradually whisk in chicken broth.  Simmer gently until thickened.

Add white beans, chilies, chicken, chili powder, hot sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.  Simmer gently to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.

Serve with assorted garnishes.

Patch food columnist, Amy Currie, a mother of three and teacher at the  Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills, is the author of Memoirs of a Home CookEvery Great Recipe Has a Story and her latest cookbook, Secrets of a Home Cook. You can e-mail her at summitpatchdish@gmail.com.

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