Tortilla Español with purple potatoes and squash.
Similar to this trusty ol’recipe but we swapped purple potatoes for regular potatoes and added some yellow squash to the onions.
Slow roasted pork shoulder with sweet and sour cabbage.
Pork: Generously coat pork with dry rub of fine ground coffee, brown sugar, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, salt. Wrap in plastic wrap and marinate in fridge for awhile. Cook in dutch oven at 350 degrees uncovered for 1/2 hour, then covered for another 2 hours or until pork is cooked to about 160 degrees.
Cabbage: Slice 1 small head of cabbage and 1 onion into thin ribbons. Saute until soft. Meanwhile, whisk together honey (1T), balsamic vinegar (1t), cider vinegar (1t), stock/broth (2T). Add honey and vinegar mixture to cabbage, season with salt & pepper, cover and simmer until soft.
Butternut squash and caramelized onion galette
This recipe from Smitten Kitchen is a delicious way to use butternut squash, caramelized onion and swiss cheese. Lately we’ve been using pizza dough instead of pastry crust, and it works great.
Polenta with Chorizo and Mushroom Infused Marinara Sauce
We made polenta the other night (I will spare the details to making it because the type of cornmeal you use changes how long it takes to cook). For the sauce, we sauteed some chorizo meat and mushrooms and added the mix to jarred marinara and brought it to a simmer. The flavor was amazing with some spice from the chorizo and the mushrooms added a nice touch.
Fast-forward to 1pm today - I sliced some of the leftover polenta and sauteed it in some olive oil to reheat the polenta. We microwaved the remaining sauce, wilted some greens in the pan once the polenta finished cooking, and Emily, in either a throwback to her days in Spain or her interest in Japanese cuisine, asked for a fried egg on top. The result is in the picture above.
Eggplant, chickpea puree, roasted pepper and arugula sandwich
From ‘Witchcraft by Tom Colicchio
Ingredients
1 eggplant cut into 3/4 inch rounds
Kosher salt
1 red pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon capers, drained
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped
ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup hummus (home-made or store bought)
1 french baguette
1 cup arugula
Place the eggplant on a sheet pan and salt generously on both sides. Lay another sheet pan on top of the eggplant and place a heavy object on top to add pressure. Set aside for 1 hour.
Roast the red pepper whole under a broiler until skin starts to blacken, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the pepper and place in a brown paper bag to cool. Once cool, peel off the skin and slice the pepper into strips. Set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat without browning. Add the garlic. Once the garlic starts to brown, add the capers until they start to open. Add the tomatoes. Season with pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the eggplant dry and brush off excess salt. Brush with remaining olive oil and cook in a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes until soft. Place cooked eggplant into skillet with tomato mixture. Add basil and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Cut the baguette into sandwich sized pieces, then slice each piece in half. Spread hummus on each side. Layer red pepper on one side and the eggplant mixture on the other side. Place arugula on top of the eggplant and put the sandwich halves together. Eat!
Chile Verde
From Simply Recipes
Ingredients
1 pound tomatillos
5 garlic cloves, not peeled
1-2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
2 anaheim or poblano chiles, or cuban peppers
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 pork chops, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
pinch of ground cloves or a few whole cloves
1 can cannelini beans
1-2 ears of corn, cooked and kernels removed
salt
pepper
olive oil
Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves and the whole anaheim or poblano chiles or cuban peppers, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven. Put the chiles or peppers in a paper bag to help steam the skin. Let everything cool enough to handle.
Remove chiles/pepper from paper bag and chop them. Place tomatillos, skins included, into blender. Remove the now roasted garlic cloves from their skins, add them to the blender. Add chopped Jalapeño peppers, other chilies/peppers , and cilantro to the blender. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.
Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan and has a better chance to brown well. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl, set aside.
Pour off excess fat, anything beyond a tablespoon, and place the onions and garlic in the same pan and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pork back to the pan. Add the thyme and tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the meat) and add the cloves. Add a little salt and pepper. (Not too much as the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit.)
Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender. Add the cannelini beans and corn about 15 minutes before cooking is finished. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Shrimp and Green Onion Pancakes
From Bon Appetit
Ingredients
Pancakes
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut into 1/3-inch pieces
1 medium onion, halved, very thinly sliced
8 green onions (white and pale green parts only), cut into 3- to 4-inch-long matchstick-size strips
1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into 3- to 4-inch-long matchstick-size strips
Sauce
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Preparation
Pancakes
Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups cold water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, gochu garu, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Mix in shrimp, all onions, and carrot. Let batter stand 1 hour at room temperature.
Sauce
Whisk soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, lemon juice, sesame oil, and gochu garu in medium bowl; divide among 4 to 6 small dipping bowls.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of two 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillets over medium heat. Add 1 cup pancake batter to each, spreading to edges of skillet. Cook until edges are firm and bottom is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using spatula, turn pancakes over. Cook until second side is golden brown and shrimp is cooked through, about 4 more minutes (center will be soft). Increase heat to high and cook until bottom is deep brown, about 1 minute longer per side. Slide pancakes out onto cutting board. Repeat with remaining oil and batter, forming 2 more pancakes. Cut pancakes into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with dipping sauce.
Fish Poached in White Wine
1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. tilapia or basa filet
1 shallot, minced
2 scallions, chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbls. fresh parsley
1 Tbls. butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the fish with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of the fresh parsley.
In an oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the shallots and scallion until just soft. Add the fish to the skillet and pour in the wine until the fish is just covered. Bring to a simmer and then transfer to the oven until the fish is opaque throughout (about 8-10 minutes).
Remove the fish from the skillet and keep warm on a plate. Bring the remaining liquid to a simmer on the stove over medium-high heat. Simmer until the sauce thickens a bit (about 3 minutes). Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with orzo or Israeli cous cous.
Genovese Green Beans and Potatoes with Pesto
1 pound green beans, washed, stemmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound red potatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoons grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
Cook the vegetables
In a pot of boiling water, cook the potatoes until they can be easily poked with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove the potatoes and let cool. Once the potatoes are cool, cut them into bit sized pieces. In a separate pot boil or steam the green beans for about 3 minutes so they are still crisp and bright green. Remove from boiling water and shock in cold water to stop the cooking.
Make the pesto
Combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust the amount of any ingredient to taste.
Toss the green beans, potatoes and pesto in a bowl until the vegetables are well coated with pesto. Can be served warm or cool.
Blueberry-Limoncello Cooler
Inspired by Giada de Laurentis
Serves 2
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 large basil leaf, cut into a chiffonade
pinch of cane sugar
3 oz. limoncello
16 oz. tonic or soda water
2 ice cubes
Muddle blueberries, basil and sugar. Split the mixture between two Tom Collins glasses. Add 1 1/2 oz limoncello to each glass. Top each glass with an ice cube and 8 oz tonic or soda. Stir to combine, and drink!
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Apricot Onion Jam
From The Kitchn
Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
4 onions, sliced and quartered
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons thyme (or similar herb)
3 heaping tablespoons apricot jam
1 cup arugula (optional)
1 baguette
Pork Tenderloin
Marinate the pork tenderloin in 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In oven an oven safe skillet, sear the tenderloin on all sides, about 4 minutes per side until browned.
Move the tenderloin in pan into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140 degrees.
Remove and let rest about 20 minutes before slicing into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick rounds.
Apricot Onion Jam
Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, until they begin to get soft. Don’t stir too often so the bottom of the pan can begin to brown. Add the chicken stock and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar; reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the apricot jam and stir to combine. The sauce will thicken but should still be easily stirred. Add the thyme, stir to combine, and cook for a few minutes for flavors to combine, then remove from heat.
Assemble the sandwich
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and lightly toast it. Layer the arugula, sliced pork and apricot onion jam on the baguette. Cut the sandwich into eighths and serve.
Seared Duck Breast with Fig-Port Sauce
Adapted from Janis McLean of Morrison-Clark Restaurant
serves 4
2 cups Port
3 shallots, minced
8 figs, quartered
4 cups chicken stock
3 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 Tbl butter
4 duck breast fillets (6-8 oz each)
salt and pepper
Sauce
In a small sauce pan, simmer the port, shallots, and figs and reduce by 2/3’s. Once the mixture is syrupy, add the chick broth and again reduce by 1/2. Add the balsamic vinegar. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender and pass it through a sieve to remove any pulp or seeds from the figs. Return back to the saucepan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it thickens to a sauce. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste. Note: the sauce can be made ahead of time and warmed up in the sauce pan while the duck is resting.
Duck Breast
Score the skin side of the duck with thin cuts, in a diamond pattern. Be careful to only cut through the layer of fat and skin. Season both sides of the duck with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Do not add any oil or butter. Place the duck in the pan skin side down and turn the heat down to low. Cook over low heat and allow the fat to render out. When small beads begin to appear on the raw side of the breast, turn the heat back up to medium-high and cook for a minute or two until the skin gets very crispy and brown. Flip the breast over and cook for another 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from the pan and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
8 oz spaghetti
4 oz pancetta, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2-3 whole cloves of garlic
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 eggs
2 tbsp. olive oil
Sautee the pancetta, onion and garlic in olive oil until the pancetta is slightly browned. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain pasta and transfer to mixing bowl and add the pancetta mixture. Gently toss together. Once the pasta has cooled slightly crack two eggs on top of the pasta and toss until the egg evenly coats the pasta. Finally, add the cheese and mix to combine with the pasta evenly.
Tortilla Espanol with Microgreens
From: Host Mom Puri
Ingredients
5 medium sized potatos, diced
1 large onion, diced
5 eggs (an egg per potato)
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
Microgreens for garnish (optional)
Procedure
*If flipping in the pan makes you nervous, slide the tortilla onto a plate cooked side down, put the pan on top of the plate and flip. Now the tortilla is back in the pan, uncooked side down.
