I had the most amazing pupusa this morning at the Westchester Farmers Market – Beans, cheese, a cabbage salad (curtido), and spicy salsa – all for only $2! Seriously, those El Salvadorans need to raise their prices. I’ll do some blogging soon about our trip to El Salvador that my family took a few months ago, and I’ll also show you how I made my own pupusas at home. They taste extraordinary, they are healthy, and they are very easy to make! For now, just drool over the picture above.
Happy (Chinese) New Year!
I am back my foodie friends! We had a busy, but wonderful, holiday season and now I am trying to get caught up with real life. I’m a bit behind on posts, but here are a few you can look forward to: Kalbi (Korean short ribs), Artichoke Pie, Arancini, Swedish Meatballs, Baked Potato Soup, Goat Cheese Quiche, and much, much more!
For now, let’s talk about Pork and Shrimp Potstickers (made in honor of the Chinese New Year), and Purple Brussel Sprouts with Browned Butter and Lemon. When I took the kids to the farmers market last week, I asked them to find fruits and veggies from every color of the rainbow, and to our surprise and delight, we found purple brussel sprouts! I trimmed the bottom, quartered them, and drizzled them with olive oil and kosher salt and roasted them on a sheet pan in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Then I took 2 Tablespoons of butter, and browned it over medium heat in a small skillet, and poured it over the brussel sprouts in a bowl. I squeezed some lemon juice until it tasted yummy and added a little bit more kosher salt. Simple and SO delicious. We all scarfed them down and my kids even asked for seconds. I’m not sure there was a discernable difference between the purple brussel sprouts and the green ones, but my husband was convinced these were less bitter. And the reason I’m talking about them before the potstickers is because those purple brussel sprouts stole the show!
Okay, now onto potstickers, which I got the recipe from FineCooking.com. The mixture of pork, shrimp, and other yummy stuff was easy to mix up – you can easily substitute the pork with ground chicken. Also, next time I would do either pork or shrimp because I didn’t feel like the shrimp flavor really came through. I do wish I had ground my own pork shoulder in the food processor (next time!), because my 95% fat free ground pork that I got at the market, made the dumplings not as moist as I would like.
A few more recipe notes: I did not make my own dumpling dough – just bought the round dumpling wrappers from the market. Also, I did not have rice wine or sherry, so I used marsala. The scallion-soy dipping sauce took the potstickers over the top (salty, sour, and sweet), I’m only sorry I forgot to take a picture of it! If using store-bought dumpling wrappers, dab a little water around the edges, or if you have a 4-year-old kid, they would be happy to do that for you.
Assembling them was pretty easy and this particular recipe made tons!
So, I froze half of them and can’t wait to put them into broth with some veggies, for won ton soup!
Looking for a meal to please both the kids and you – and is healthy? Look no further than chicken tacos with roasted broccoli (this ain’t your boring steamed broccoli)! I had some organic chicken thighs (better than breasts for tacos because they stay so moist) and corn tortillas in the freezer and immediately thought of tacos.
There is a chicken recipe I’ve wanted to try from Fine Cooking August/Sept 2011 (my favorite magazine), where you marinate the chicken (you could also use fish) in Tamarind soda(Jarritos brand) and soy sauce – check it out here.
I’m not sure the Tamarind soda really came through, all I was tasting was soy sauce, but I still loved it because it tasted like one of those Asian fusion tacos. I toasted the corn tortillas over a gas flame on my stovetop, which makes them taste so amazing! Then I let the kids fill their own tacos, which they loved. Fillings: chopped tamarind soy chicken, shredded sharp cheddar, diced avocado, and homemade salsa. For the salsa: I grilled some tomatoes just enough to get some charred marks allover them, then threw them into the blender with some white onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt.
As for the Roasted Broccoli, heat your oven to 425 degrees and cut florets from either 1 large head of broccoli, or 2 smaller heads. Put the florets on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and some kosher salt. Toss everything really well with your hands and spread out. Roast for about 20 minutes then toss around with a spatula and roast for another 10 minutes or so, or until the stalks are tender. The broccoli develops little toasty bits all over them, transforming the broccoli to something so tasty that it doesn’t even taste like broccoli. My kids scarfed them down and then asked for seconds and thirds!
Carnitas Tacos
I’m back, my fellow foodies! My family and I were off to Scotland for a wedding, then a family reunion in New York, and after that we bought a house and moved. Life is just getting back to normal and I’m so anxious to cook again! We recently had a Housewarming +Plus+ party – celebrating our house, summer birthdays, surviving Carmageddon, among many other happy things. I absolutely love Mexican food and I thought tacos and mojitos would be fun party fare. Here is the full menu (I admit, perhaps I went a little overboard):
Carnitas (recipe follows)
Potatoes and Poblanos (recipe follows)
Red Peppers and Onions (sautéed peppers and onions in olive oil with salt and cumin)
Grilled Tomato Salsa (recipe follows)
Grilled Tomatillo Salsa (recipe follows)
Smoked Gouda Cheese Dip (a mix of shredded gouda, mayo, goat cheese, jalapeno, cilantro, and scallions – it’s my copycat recipe from whole foods)
Chili con Queso Dip (cream, chilies, cheese, a bit of cornstarch – can’t remember exactly how I made it)
Sweet and Spicy Pepitas (a combo of salt, brown sugar, chipotle powder, and melted butter, mixed with roasted pepitas)
Guacamole (thanks Janette and Joanne for bring amazing guac!)
Red Rice (rice cooked with onions, diced tomatoes, and veg stock)
Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad (recipe follows)
Watermelon
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Buttercream frosting(recipe follows)
Rhubarb Crumble with vanilla ice cream (recipe follows)
Mango Blueberry Ice Pops (TJ’s mango passion fruit juice and blueberries in ice pop molds)
Mojitos (made with the mint in our backyard – recipe follows)
For the taco bar fixins’, I had flour and corn tortillas, queso fresco, shredded jack cheese, crema, chopped onions, and chopped cilantro
Pork Shoulder
CARNITAS
I adapted this recipe from a Costco cookbook years ago….I’ve made this tons of times and it is foolproof!
6-7 pounds boneless pork shoulder (best price at Costco)
1 large onion, cut into a few large hunks
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T kosher salt
2 ½ cups water
Cut pork into 3-inch chunks. Place pork, onion, garlic, salt, and water in a Dutch oven. Cover tightly, bring to a boil and cook slowly for 2 ½-2 ¾ hours, or until pork is fork tender (stir occasionally). Shred pork and let cool in juices.
Variation: BBQ Pork – add BBQ sauce and serve with sandwich rolls and coleslaw.
Variation: Hawaiian Kalua Pork – add 1 Tablespoon of liquid smoke along with the pork in the directions above.
*The pork can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator and gently reheat.
POTATOES AND POBLANOS
I adapted this from a cooking class I took a while ago.
12 poblanos (also called Anaheim chilis)
1 onion, diced
5 potatoes, baked, peeled, and diced
About1 1/2 cups heavy cream
First you need to char the poblanos. I did this easily on my gas grill. When the skin gets all black, put them in a bowl or on a tray and cover with a dish towel. When they are cooled, peel off the black skin (do not rinse under water) and stem and seed the peppers; then dice. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and cook the onions until translucent. Then add the poblanos, and potatoes and heat through. Then add the heavy cream and lots of, you guessed it, salt. The heat of chili peppers varies greatly, so you will want to adjust things to your taste. This is an absolutely delicious taco filling with some queso fresco and cilantro – truly outstanding!
Grilled Tomato Salsa
SALSAS
For the salsas I just charred tomatillos and tomatoes on the grill, along with jalapenos, garlic, and onion. I whizzed these up in the food processor with some lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Tomatillos are a revelation. I just bought some seeds and will be growing them in my backyard soon…
FRESH CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
Corn is in season and it’s so sweet and delicious! So I cut the kernels off the cob and sautéed them in a little olive oil. I let them cool for a bit then added some black beans, lime juice, scallions, cilantro, and salt.
Vanilla Bean cupcakes with Buttercream frosting
VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES
These are my go-to vanilla cupcakes, courtesy of Martha Stewart. I use vanilla bean seeds in place of the extract and make sure not to overcook them – I usually check them for doneness a couple of minutes before the recipe says to. Also, Martha’s Buttercream frosting recipe is always delicious – I use organic butter, not just because it’s better for the environment, but it also tastes better.
RHUBARB CRUMBLE
I’d never had rhubarb until a couple of years ago, when I decided to give it a try – now I’ll do (almost) anything for rhubarb! I got this recipe from Oprah’s website and made 2 changes: I added ½ cup of oatmeal to the crumb topping – I like the taste and texture it adds, and I reduced the granulated sugar down to one cup (I don’t like things overly sweetened). This was a HUGE hit at the party – I can’t tell you how many people came up to me and said, “I didn’t even know I liked rhubarb!” That’s why I love food and cooking for other people – it can unexpectedly bring joy into your life and then you can share that joy with others!
MOJITOS FOR A CROWD
We have a ton of mint growing in our backyard so, of course, mojitos came to mind. I searched online for Mojito recipes for a crowd and got some great ideas and here’s what I mixed together:
Makes 24
Lots of mint leaves
3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cups mint simple syrup (recipe follows)
6 cups of light rum
Ice
Seltzer
Put mint leaves in a pitcher and add just a bit of lime juice to make the muddling a bit easier. Muddle the heck out of those leaves. Then add the rest of the lime juice, simple syrup, and rum. Guests should fill their glass with ice, pour mojito mix halfway up and then fill the rest with seltzer. This is so refreshing that you have to remind yourself not to down too many too fast on a hot summer evening. (Perhaps that is the reason I forgot to take more pictures!)
Mint Simple Syrup
A bunch of mint leaves
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Put the mint leaves and a little of the water in the bottom of a saucepan. Muddle the heck out of the mint. Add the rest of the water and sugar and bring to a boil and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and cool completely. Strain and chill.
Good food helps make a good party, but great friends are what make a party wonderful!
Norm and Cindy – great friends!
tiny cook BIG APPETITE 