So I got a new EveryDay Food magazine in the mail and I found a Cuban meal I just had to try. I am happy to report it is a major winner. I, unfortunately, had to forgo the recommended accompanying Cuba Libre as I had my first Tae Kwon Do class and needed all the balance I could muster.
Pico de Gallo (all recipes from EveryDay Food magazine)
3 medium tomatoes, diced medium (2 cups)
2/3 C finely diced red onion
1/2 C roughly chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBSP lime juice
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
Combine all ingredients and season with coarse salt and ground pepper.
Baked Plantain Chips
2 lbs green plantains or green bananas, scored, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
1/4 C vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 with racks in lower and upper third of the oven. Divide plantain slices between two rimmed baking sheets. Toss with oil then arrange in a single layer on the sheets. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Bake until golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and flipping plantains halfway through. Drain plantains on paper towels. (To store, place cooled chips in an airtight container, up to 2 days.)
Roasted Pork with Onions and Citrus
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 lg white onion, diced medium (2 1/2 C)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped
1 1/4 C strained fresh orange juice (from 4 juice oranges)
1/3 C fresh lime juice (from 6 limes)
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 C fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3 1/2 to 4 lbs) fat trimmed
1. Preheat oven to 450 with rack in lower third. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, four minutes. Add orange and lime juices and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, stir in oregano, and remove from heat.
2. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper and place in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot (pork should fit snugly). Pour onion mixture on and around pork, leaving some on top. Roast, uncovered, 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven and reduce temperature to 350. Ladle onion mixture and juices over pork. Cook, uncovered, until cooked through (an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the pork should read 155), 1 1/2 hours, basting pork with onion and juices every 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing. To serve, skim fat from cooking juices and spoon sauce over sliced pork.
Cuban Red Beans and Rice
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 white onion, diced small (1/2 C)
1/4 green bell pepper, diced small (1/2 C)
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 TBSP chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 C long grain white rice
1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until onion is soft, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add cumin, oregano, and rice; stir, and cook one minute. Add beans and broth, stir, then season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
All of these items were delicious. I would recommend making the pico de gallo and plantain chips ahead. Otherwise, you are competing for oven space. if you want to use the plantains to scoop up the pico de gallo as intended, cut them on a pretty extreme diagonal. I will warn you that they are not all that easy to peel, but worth the effort. The pork is simple to prepare, just be sure you have two and a half hours to attend to it. The mojo is perfect over the pork and the red beans and rice are excellent on the side. My five year old ate both and loved it. The red beans and rice could presumably be made vegetarian with vegetable broth. It could be great as a light main dish.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Hot Weather Food
I find I make a great deal of Asian food. This has been especially true this summer as it has been so hot. They know hot weather and good food in Thailand.
Vegetable Pad Thai (from EveryDay Food magazine)
8 oz dried, wide, flat rice noodles
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
2 TBSP fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 scallions, finely chopped, green and white parts separated
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (optional)
1/2 C fresh cilantro
1/4 C chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1. Soak noodles according to package instruction. Drain. In a small bowl , whisk together sugar, lime juice and soy sauce.
2. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. About 30 seconds. Add eggs, if using, and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate. Add noodles and soy sauce mixture to skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. Serve noodles with lime wedges with peanuts and cilantro as garnish.
*Easy add-ins: Before adding the noodles, toss thinly sliced chicken breast or peeled, deveined shrimp into the pan.
I made this with shrimp as a main course. I found noodles at the Giant food store labeled "Pad Thai Noodles" so that was simple enough. You let them soak for 30-45 minutes in warm water and then drain them. I added one tablespoon of fish sauce to the soy sauce mixture, mostly because I like it and it seems to go well in any Thai dish. I was not disappointed. I also used the eggs. If you do all the prep while the noodles are soaking, this is a very quick meal to throw together. It would be just as tasty as a purely vegetarian dish. You want to make sure you keep tossing the noodles in the skillet or they will stick to the bottom as the sauce absorbs. I threw together a side salad to round out the meal.
Vegetable Pad Thai (from EveryDay Food magazine)
8 oz dried, wide, flat rice noodles
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
2 TBSP fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 scallions, finely chopped, green and white parts separated
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (optional)
1/2 C fresh cilantro
1/4 C chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1. Soak noodles according to package instruction. Drain. In a small bowl , whisk together sugar, lime juice and soy sauce.
2. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. About 30 seconds. Add eggs, if using, and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate. Add noodles and soy sauce mixture to skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. Serve noodles with lime wedges with peanuts and cilantro as garnish.
*Easy add-ins: Before adding the noodles, toss thinly sliced chicken breast or peeled, deveined shrimp into the pan.
I made this with shrimp as a main course. I found noodles at the Giant food store labeled "Pad Thai Noodles" so that was simple enough. You let them soak for 30-45 minutes in warm water and then drain them. I added one tablespoon of fish sauce to the soy sauce mixture, mostly because I like it and it seems to go well in any Thai dish. I was not disappointed. I also used the eggs. If you do all the prep while the noodles are soaking, this is a very quick meal to throw together. It would be just as tasty as a purely vegetarian dish. You want to make sure you keep tossing the noodles in the skillet or they will stick to the bottom as the sauce absorbs. I threw together a side salad to round out the meal.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Four Alarm Dinner
It's been a crazy summer of guests and travel. I had a birthday and got some fantastic kitchen equipment, some of which is still in boxes. I hope to try it all out soon. I got to use my new Shun chef's knife on this one. It comes from a cookbook put out as a fund raiser for The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund. Terry Farrell was a New York City firefighter (and a volunteer firefighter out on Long Island) who perished in the September 11 attacks. His brother started The Terry Farrell Firefighters fund in his memory. It's mission is to help fire departments around the country get the equipment they need, either through grants or donations. My cousin is the director of the Pennsylvania branch and has helped move used, donated equipment from departments who are upgrading to departments in need. He also sold me the cookbook.
Sausage and Peppers (from California Firehouse Cookbook, by firefighter Vito Gioiello)
6 links Italian sweet or hot sausage
2 TBSP olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 C white wine
Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove sausage from the skillet, and slice.
Heat the oil in the skillet. Stir in the vegetables. Season with basil and oregano. Stir in the white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
Return sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables, Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through. If you like pasta, mix the sausage with your favorite pasta for a great meal with some vino, if you are off-duty, of course.
This is very easy to make and delicious. You could easily scale this recipe down (it makes 6 servings) or up (if you have big enough pots). I would recommend letting the sausage brown as you slice the vegetable. Whole sausage takes a while to cook through and you can save yourself prep time. I tossed it all with rigatoni and made some take-and-bake bread to round out the meal. And, of course, some red wine. I was off-duty.
Sausage and Peppers (from California Firehouse Cookbook, by firefighter Vito Gioiello)
6 links Italian sweet or hot sausage
2 TBSP olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 C white wine
Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove sausage from the skillet, and slice.
Heat the oil in the skillet. Stir in the vegetables. Season with basil and oregano. Stir in the white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
Return sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables, Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through. If you like pasta, mix the sausage with your favorite pasta for a great meal with some vino, if you are off-duty, of course.
This is very easy to make and delicious. You could easily scale this recipe down (it makes 6 servings) or up (if you have big enough pots). I would recommend letting the sausage brown as you slice the vegetable. Whole sausage takes a while to cook through and you can save yourself prep time. I tossed it all with rigatoni and made some take-and-bake bread to round out the meal. And, of course, some red wine. I was off-duty.
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