Braised Pork Shoulder with Parmesan Polenta

Braised Pork Shoulder with Parmesan Polenta

4 T 16 spice rub*
One 4-pound boneless pork shoulder**
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 onion, diced
Pinch, crushed red pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t ground ginger
2 C dry white wine
1/4 C dijon mustard
3 bay leaves
1 bundle thyme
3-4 C chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
1/8-1/4 C flour
1 T unsalted butter
Parmesan Polenta

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a cast iron pan over high heat. Coat bottom with olive oil. In the meantime, cut the shoulder in half; against the grain. Rub the spices into the shoulder, on all sides. Brown all sides of the pork in the pan (1-2 minutes each side). Set aside.

Remove fat from pan. Add a little more olive oil and cook fennel and onion until aromatic (7-8 minutes). Add a pinch of salt, red pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add white wine and cook down until it's about half (7-9 minutes). Transfer to a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the bay leaves and thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Fit the pork shoulder in the pan and pour in enough chicken stock to nearly cover the meat.

Put lid on the plan and put in oven for one hour. After an hour, turn pork over and cook another hour with the lid still on. Then remove the lid, turn the pork one more time, and cook for another 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to cutting board and tent with tin foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.

While the meat is resting, pour some of the liquid from the pot into your cast iron pan. Heat on medium high until it begins to bubble. Add 1/8-1/4 C of flour and 1 T of unsalted butter. Whisk the flour in so there are no lumps and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with parmesan polenta on the bottom, the gravy on top, and then the pork on top of that. The pork will be so tender, it falls off so you won't need a knife to serve - or eat - it!

* I make this and keep in my spice cupboard. One recipe lasts five or six uses.
** The butcher at the grocery store can remove the bone for you.

Parmesan Polenta

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt
• 1 cup long cooking polenta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
• 1/4 cup sour cream

In a medium size saucepan, bring the milk, water, and bay leaf to a boil. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. When it has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water if the polenta becomes too thick to loosen it up.

Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Puffy Tacos

1 C frozen corn
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 15-oz can of black beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 bunch of cilantro or 1 T cilantro paste
Flour or corn tortillas
Oil

Taco toppings such as guacamole, cheese (I like the Kraft with the hint of Philly cream cheese), sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and tomato

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the corn and cook until it's brown and begins to pop. Add the onion and cook another five to seven minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another two minutes. Open the can of beans and drain the liquid into a bowl. Using a fork, smash the beans, while still in the can, so you have some whole and some smashed beans. Add the beans and the liquid to the pan. Add the taco seasoning and cilantro. Cook until the liquid has simmered down.

Meanwhile, heat two inches of vegetable oil in a pan (I use my cast iron pan) until a drop of water skittles in the pan. Add a tortilla and cook, until brown. Flip over and create a bend in the tortilla to make a shell. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Cook the remaining tortillas.

Build your tacos with the black bean filling, cheese, and other toppings.

The shells will stay good for a couple of days so be sure to eat all your leftovers!

Pulled Pork Sammiches

I'm a vegetarian, but I'll taste meat if we're in a restaurant to see if I can replicate it or when I cook it at home to make sure it's perfect. I don't like the taste after 11 years of not eating...it's, um, grissly. 

That said, this is the most delicious pork I have ever had. And it's so easy!

1 T butter

1 can French onion soup

1 C ketchup

1/4 C brown sugar

2 T garlic

1 pork shoulder or rump roast (I like the rump roast; it's more tender)

Salt

Pepper

Hamburger buns (I use the homemade ones I keep in my freezer; they're worth the time to make)

Melt the butter in a heavy pan (I use a cast iron). Salt and pepper and then brown every side of the pork.

Combine the soup, ketchup, sugar, and garlic in a crockpot. Add the pork on top. Cook on low for eight to nine hours or high for four to six hours.

Remove the pork from the crockpot and let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred the pork. Return to the crockpot and mix with the juices and sauce.

Divide the pork between the buns.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Holy cow these are good. And so easy to make. You just need some time and patience. I like to make them and then freeze. They'll keep for three months in the freezer.

3 T warm milk

1 C warm water

2 t instant yeast (I buy a jar and keep it in the fridge; or one package will work, too)

2 1/2 t sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1 egg

3 C bread flour

1/3 C flour

2 1/2 t unsalted butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment , combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  

Add both flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated.  

Mix in the butter.  

Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or a silicone baking mat.  

Divide the dough into eight equal parts.  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, two to three inches apart.  Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, one to two hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven.   

Beat together one egg and one tablespoon of water.

Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown.  

Crock Pot Pork Chops

3 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup


4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used skim)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste


Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning, and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add chopped potatoes and boil until tender. Mash slightly with a fork or hand mixer. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper.


Pile potatoes on to a plate, top with pork chop and the gravy that is at the bottom of the crock pot. 

Homemade Lollipops

It is so ridiculously easy to make your own candy that you should never buy any again.

You need a candy thermometer, a lollipop mold, flavoring, and hard candy coloring (different than regular food coloring). And then you're good to go!

2 C sugar
3/4 C water
2/3 C light corn syrup
1 t flavoring
1/2 t coloring

Mix together and cook, over medium heat, until the sugar is dissolved (about four minutes). Increase heat to high and boil until it reaches 300 degrees (about eight minutes). Add the flavoring and coloring. Pour into the molds (I like to put mine in the fridge for 15-20 minutes beforehand), add lollipop sticks, and let set (30-45 minutes).

Homemade Lasagna

This is going to look like a lot. It's not. Especially if you make sauce and meatballs and freeze them both. It's worth every second of extra time it takes to make it this way.

Lasagna Noodles
1/2 t salt
3 C flour
2 eggs
3 T water
1 t olive oil

You can either make them the traditional way by combining the dry ingredients, making a well, pouring in the wet ingredients and kneading into a ball. OR you can combine everything in your food processor, with the paddle attachment, and voila!

Once the dough is made, cut off pieces and run through your pasta maker. I set it on the highest setting and run it through. Then the lowest setting to get it as thin as it needs to be. Continue until you are finished with the entire ball of dough.

Bring a salted pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles. It takes less than two minutes so watch them carefully. Set aside.

Sugo
I use Big Mama's recipe and freeze it. It's better after it's been frozen and thawed. So take a container out of the freezer and thaw it.

White Sauce
1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour
3 1/2 C milk (do yourself a favor and use whole milk)

Melt butter. Whisk in flour. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium until it thickens.

Cheese Mixture
1 container ricotta cheese
1 C parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt
Pepper

Combine cheeses and egg together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meatballs
I always have meatballs in my freezer so I just cook them and then crumble into the pan. Or you can make fresh and just cook rather than rolling into balls.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb sausage (spicy, if you like it)
2/3 C breadcrumbs
3 T minced garlic
1/2 finely chopped red onion
1 t dried basil
2 eggs
2 T water
1/4 C gorgonzola

Mix together everything but gorgonzola. Add cheese at the end and give it a quick mix. Either shape into meatballs (and then freeze) and cook or just cook the mixture for the lasagna.


Assembly
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Spread some sugo across the bottom of the pan. Layer on noodles. Top with the cheese mixture. Top that with the meat. Then top with the white sauce. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Repeat (it'll take three layers) - sugo, noodles, cheese mixture, meat, white sauce, mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes.

I leave the meat out for me and the other vegetarians in my life.

And there you have it! Super delicious homemade lasagna that will beat every other kind you try from here on out.

Peach Jam

The lady at the farmer's market threw in a bunch of extra peaches the other day, which was really nice of her, but we'll never eat them all before they go bad.

So I decided to make some peach jam.

Ingredients
6 ripe peaches
1 C sugar

Directions
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the peaches and let boil for one minute. Remove and immediately place in a bowl of ice water.

Peel and pit the peaches. Slice.

Using a flat pan (I use my cast iron pan), line the peaches along the bottom. Cover in the sugar. Bring to a boil. Cook down until it's the consistency you like...between 30 and 45 minutes. The juice from the peaches and the sugar create enough liquid (like in the photo above) to boil.

You'll have to mix pretty consistently after about 20 minutes, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Rather than can mine, I just put it in small, round tupperware. Then I threw some in the freezer and kept one in the fridge. Of course, it's delicious on toast, but I also love it with brie on French bread or a cracker.

Ricotta Gnocchi and Scallops

I was watching Iron Chef and Cat Cora made ricotta gnocchi with some sweet butternut squash sauce and scallops. Because butternut squash is out of season and Iron Chef doesn't post their recipes, I had to come up with something on my own.

Here it is..richotta gnocchi and scallops with sweet corn, basil, walnuts, and brown butter. Holy cow is it good!

Ingredients
1 pound ricotta cheese, drained
1 egg
1 C shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 C flour
1 t nutmeg

1 C sweet corn, cut off the stalks
1 T butter

3 T butter
1/4 C walnuts
15 basil leaves (I tore mine right from the plant in the garden)

2 scallops
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions
Ricotta Gnocchi
If your ricotta cheese is wet (you can buy it dry at Whole Foods), you'll have to wrap it in cheese cloth and hang it over a bowl to drain overnight.

Once dry, place the ricotta cheese in a bowl. Add the egg, parmesan cheese, salt, flour, and nutmeg. Mix together really well. Using either a pastry bag or a ziploc bag, fill it with the mixture. If using a ziploc, cut off the end so you can squeeze the mixture through.

Coat a cookie sheet with a pile of flour. Squeeze the mixture into one inch logs onto the flour. Coat the logs in flour and roll into balls.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Drop balls into the water. They rise to the top when they're finished cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place in a warm oven to keep warm.

Spring Corn
Warm up the corn and butter in a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep on low until ready to use.

Brown Butter Sauce
Place butter, basil, and walnuts in a pan. Melt the butter and cook until it begins to turn brown.

Scallops
Carefully coat the scallops with salt and pepper. In a heated cast-iron pan coated with olive oil, place the coated side down. While it's cooking, add salt and pepper to the other side. Cook on medium high heat until a nice brown crust is created. Flip over and cook the other side.

Assembly
Place six to eight gnocchi in the bottom of a bowl. Add the corn and sauce. Top with scallops.

I know this looks like a lot of work, but it took less than 30 minutes, from beginning to end. And it's better than anything you can get in a restaurant. YUMMY!

Zucchini Bread

This is my mom's recipe. I've never strayed from it because it needs no improvement.

Ingredients
3 zucchini, peeled and shredded
4 eggs
1 C vegetable oil
3 C flour
3 C sugar
3 t cinnamon
1 t soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
1 C nuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pans.

Beat eggs and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add zucchini and beat. Add nuts. Mix well.

Fill loaf pans 1/2 full and bake for one hour. I use mini loaf pans so you only need to bake for 45 minutes if you do the same.

Margherita Pizza

Last night we were under a tornado watch, the wind was blowing like crazy, and it smelled like rain. And I decided it was a good time to fire up the grill and make some pizza.

Boy am I glad I did! I dubbed it Deliciousness from the Grill on Facebook.

And guess what? It's so easy you're going to be mad you didn't think of it.

Ingredients 

1 package whole wheat pizza dough (I buy mine at Whole Foods)

3 T butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package burrata, sliced
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
Basil, torn into bite-sized pieces
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Fire up the grill (I like mine as hot as possible). While it's heating up, roll out the dough and place on a pizza stone. When the grill is ready, put the dough on and cook for four or five minutes. You don't want the dough to be fully cooked, but you do want it to begin firming up.

In the meantime, melt the butter and add the garlic.

Take the dough off the grill and spread the butter/garlic sauce over the dough. Add the tomatoes, burrata, and basil. Using your thumb, place it over the olive oil spout and sprinkle over the pizza. Do the same with the vinegar. Add salt and pepper (about 2 tsp of each).

Return the pizza to the grill and cook 8-10 minutes.

Now I'm hungry again.

Crab Cakes with Chipotle Pepper Sauce

This was the winning favorite of the boys' side of the table when I tested recipes (the girls liked the lemon aioli better).

Chipotle Pepper Sauce
3 yellow peppers, sliced
2 chipotle peppers
2 T honey
1/4 C seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 t ground black pepper
Pinch of salt

Add everything to a food processor. Blend well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Crab Cakes
4 Certified Steak & Seafood crab cakes
Olive oil

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the crab cakes from their packaging. While the meat is delicious, the cakes lose their form. I found if I used a 1/3 measuring cup and reformed the cake in that, then flipped it into the saucepan, it maintained its shape.

Cook on both sides until browned.

Serve immediately.

Disclosure: I used Certified Steak & Seafood Company crab cakes because they were sent to me as part of their March Nutrition Month blogger campaign. Other than them not keeping their shape, they were very fresh and delicious.

Tuscan Bread Soup

This recipe began in Italy. We were in some teeny, tiny town in wine country and Tuscan bread soup was on the menu.

Then, my friend Nat Slavin sent me his recipe with a note that said, during the winter, he always has a pot of it in his fridge.

This is a combination of both recipes, with my own little additions.

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 14-oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
6 C vegetable broth
2 Parmesan heels (Whole Foods has them in their cheese department)
1/2 loaf cibatta bread, cut into squares
2 T herbs de Provence
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

In a large stock pot, melt the butter and warm up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened, three to four minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook another four minutes. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, Parmesan heels, herbs de Provence, salt (just a pinch), and pepper (about 1 teaspoon). Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for an hour. Add the cibatta.

It's actually better if you let it sit, untouched and in the stock pan, in the fridge overnight. But it can be served immediately. It makes excellent leftovers.

Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

One of my most favorite restaurants (behind Naha, of course) is The Purple Pig.

They have this beet appetizer on their menu that is AMAZING! And I don't normally like beets.

I wanted to try to make it at home and I think I got it. On the first try, even!

Ingredients
3 large beets
1 ounce creamy goat cheese
2 t heavy cream
Pistachios, chopped (I like the Planters salt and pepper pistachios; I shell them and then chop)
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Beets
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While it's warming up, trim the beets, cut in half and place face down on a cookie sheet with a rim. Drizzle with olive oil, 2 T of water, salt and pepper. Roast until you can pierce the beets with a butter knife - about 50 minutes.

Let cool. Using paper towels, rub the skins off. Cut into fourths.

Goat Cheese
Place goat cheese and cream in a glass bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until it looks like frosting. Top with chopped pistachios.

When the beats are cooled, add the goat cheese mixture to the top and serve.

Trust me on this. Delicious!

Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

Lemon Aioli
1/2 C mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
1 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Mix all together. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Crab Cakes

4 Certified Steak & Seafood crab cakes

Olive oil

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the crab cakes from their packaging. While the meat is delicious, the cakes lose their form. I found if I used a 1/3 measuring cup and reformed the cake in that, then flipped it into the saucepan, it maintained its shape.

Cook on both sides until browned.

Serve immediately.

Disclosure: I used Certified Steak & Seafood Company crab cakes because they were sent to me as part of their March Nutrition Month blogger campaign. Other than them not keeping their shape, they were very fresh.

Steak and Bean Salad

Bean Salad

2 cans pinto beans, drained (reserve 1/4 C liquid)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 T cilantro, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T green onion, diced
Juice of one lime
1/4 C good olive oil
2 t oregano

Salt
Pepper

Mix everything, including the reserved liquid, together. Refrigerate for at least one hour (can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight).

Steaks

4 Certified Steak & Seafood Company filet mignons

Kosher salt

Pepper

Remove the filets from their packaging. Season all sides generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Grill or cook over medium heat. For medium rare, cook for four minutes on one side and three minutes on the other.

Let rest for five minutes.

Spoon the salad into a serving bowl. Slice the filets and arrange on top of the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Disclosure: I used the Certified Steak & Seafood Company filets because they were sent to me as part of their March Nutrition Month blogger campaign. I'm a vegetarian so I can't tell you if they were great or not, but my guests said they were some of the best meat they've ever had.

French Onion Soup

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 yellow onions, sliced
3 shallots, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 C dry red wine (I use cabernet or merlot)
6 C vegetable broth (or beef, if you're not vegetarian)
Salt
Pepper

Whole wheat baguette, sliced and toasted
Shredded gruyere cheese

Melt butter and olive oil in stock pot over medium high heat. Add onions, shallots, leek, garlic, and thyme and cook until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. Add flour and mix well. Cook for five more minutes. Add wine and bay leaf. Simmer for five minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Boil for 10 minutes. In the meantime, turn the broiler on high. When soup is finished, take off heat and ladle into bowls. Top with 3-4 slices of bread and shredded cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and begins to turn brown.

Guacamole

I've spent the past few months perfecting my guacamole recipe and I've done it! Here it is...in all its delicious perfection.

2 ripe avocados

1 large red tomato, diced

2 jalapenos, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 8-oz whole kernel corn

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lime

2 tsp cilantro (I use the kind in the tube)

Tabasco milder jalapeno (green)

Tabasco chipotle smoked

Salt

Pepper

Mush the avocados (I have a mortar and pestle so I use that, but a fork works almost as well). Add diced tomato, diced jalapeno (I remove the seeds, but you can keep them, depending on how hot you like your guacamole), diced onion, corn, and minced garlic. Mix together. Roll the lime on the countertop to loosen the juices. Slice in half and squeeze one half of the lime's juice into your mixture. Squeeze out cilantro and add to mixture. Add seven drops of green Tabasco and 14 drops of smoked Tabasco. Salt and pepper to taste.

We really like the tortilla chips that Whole Foods makes fresh each day, but you can serve with any chip. Let me know what you think!

French Toast Casserole

My cousin and her husband are in town and I wanted to make something for breakfast that wouldn't require my having to go to the grocery store because, well, it's cold outside. So was born this French toast casserole.

5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup cream
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
Brioche loaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Mix together the eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slice brioche and cover bottom of pan. If you have enough bread, add a second layer. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Let soak for 15 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.