Pit Masters, Where Art Thou?

Pulled Pork

I blame Adam Richman, host and food challenge contestant on the Travel Channel show Man vs. Food.  We were watching Adam visit a barbeque restaurant this past week and both realized we were hankering for some good barbeque!  We searched our friend Google for a barbeque place in Central Pennsylvania (one that actually would have good barbeque – not a chain restaurant) and we came up dry!  The horror!  How can an entire area be void of a decent barbeque destination?!  We tried to put the thought of smoky, saucy goodness our of our minds, but were unsuccessful.  The thought that we couldn’t have it make the desire and NEED to have it that much greater!  So we went to the grocery store and picked up a pork shoulder.  We decided to satisfy our own craving; while we couldn’t smoke the meat, this pulled pork recipe sure hit the spot!  And since it makes so much, we are going to be able to satisfy any future hankering for finger lickin’ saucy goodness for quite awhile!

We’ve made this for a crowd in the past and it has always proven to be a huge hit!  We look like stars, but it is so easy to make!  Shhh!!!!

Ingredients

6 – 8 Pound pork shoulder (or butt)

2 Onions, chopped

1 Cup ketchup

2/3 Cup cider vinegar

½ Cup brown sugar

½ Cup tomato paste

¼ Cup red wine

¼ Cup paprika

¼ Cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ Cup yellow mustard

3 Teaspoons salt

2 ½ Teaspoons black pepper

Step 1

Place all ingredients, except pork, in a crock pot.  Stir the ingredients to combine.  Taste the sauce at this point and adjust according to your own taste.

 

 

Step 2

Add the pork to the sauce.  Coat with the sauce.  Cover the crock pot and turn to low for 8 – 10 hours.

Step 3
Remove the pork to a large dish.  It should be completely tender and will pull apart easily when using two forks.  If it does not, return it to the crock and cook for another half an hour before testing again.  If it does pull apart easily, turn your sauce up to high heat and leave the lid cocked so that steam can escape.  Skim any fat you can off the surface of the sauce.  While the sauce is reducing, pull the pork with the forks.  When completed, return the meat to the sauce.

Step 4

I like to make it a day before I will be eating it.  I cool it in the fridge overnight, and skim any solidified fat off the top.  Then, I heat it on high in the crock pot.  When it starts to bubble, I cock the lid again and let it thicken more, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to warm about half an hour before serving.

Serve on a soft, fresh roll!

Masters Tournament Party

Masters Tournament Party

The Masters Tournament will be starting soon - April 7 to be exact.  Five years ago, if someone said this to me, I would have thought, “And you think I care, why?”  Funny how things change with marriage.  I found losing control of the remote meant I had to either learn to like all sorts of sports or watch DVDs on my computer…low and behold, golf has become a sport I enjoy!  I remember the first time I found myself thinking, “I wonder if there is a golf tournament on this weekend?” and actually WANTED the answer to be “yes.”  That’s when I realized either my interests had broadened or the prospect of a weekend of golf sounded better than football, hockey or some other sport. J  I’ve determined it’s actually the former!  Shock of all shocks, I actually like watching golf! 

Last year, we made golf-themed appetizers for the final day of the tournament…it was fun and actually worked!  Our favorite golfer, Phil Mickelson, won his second green jacket!  Needless to say, we will be honoring the Masters again this year in an attempt to help Phil do well (the sports superstitions have also become an integral part of my life).  We haven’t decided on this year’s menu, but I thought I would share last year’s dishes with you.

The first dish was "Golf Balls on the Green."  We made lamb meatballs, put them over basil pesto and grated fresh parmesan cheese on top.

The second dish was "Buckets of Balls."  For this, we made sushi rice.  Then we wrapped discs of rice with nori, leaving plenty of room at the top.  We filled the "buckets" with salmon roe.  YUM!!!!  I absolutely adore salmon roe!  The pop of saltiness is positively divine!!!

The final dish was "A Hole in one."  We made a hot crab dip (recipe follows).  We spread the crab dip on baguette slices.  We topped it with chopped chives, a slice of black olive (the "hole") and a flag.  We made the flags using paper glued to a toothpick. 

We had a great time thinking up dishes with a golf theme!  This year, I definitely want to make something involving peaches, since the Masters is in Georgia.  I will post pictures after the event…but let me know what you might do to celebrate the tournament!  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Here’s the Hot Crab Dip recipe, as promised:

1 Pound crab meat (shhh…but I use canned!)

1 Cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

¾ Cup mayonnaise

¼ Cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Teaspoon Frank’s RedHot sauce (or more to taste)

½ Teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes.  Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Soup

Easy Chicken Soup (Adapted from Tyler Florence)

Chicken soup = the perfect comfort food when sick.  Period.  There’s an entire series of books that back me on this…it’s pure soul food!  As a child, when my sisters and I were sick, Mom popped open the Chicken and Stars (she is a great cook, but we were strange kids and preferred the canned stuff!).  The scent of that chicken broth just does something to the soul…one whiff and warmth spreads through the body…you can feel the healing power of chicken soup!  So when my husband came home sick last weekend, I knew it was time to make a quick and easy chicken soup.  Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Medium onion, diced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

2 Stalks celery, cut into ½ inch pieces

4 Sprigs thyme

1 Bay leaf

2 Quarts chicken stock

16 Ounces egg noodles (No Yolks worked great!)

1 ½ Cups rotisserie chicken, cut into ¾ inch cubes (Lemon Pepper was fantastic!)

Salt and pepper

Parsley

Step 1
I like to get the prep work out of the way, so everything else can go smoothly.  So let’s do that first, shall we?  Dice the onion, mince the garlic, prep the carrots and celery, chop the parsley and cube your chicken (if you prefer shredded chicken in your chicken soup, you may do that too!  I’m no chicken soup police!).

Step 2
With the prep work out of the way, we’re ready to get cookin’!  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3

Pour the stock into the pot, cover, and bring to a boil.  When it is boiling, add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Stir in the chicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste as well as some parsley.  Then remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. 

Feed your soul!  Enjoy!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parsnip Puree

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parnip Puree

I have a confession to make…I am obsessed with stuffing meat.  Weird, I know, but it’s true.  Pork chops, chicken breasts, if I can slit a pocket in it and stuff it, I will!  Sounds like I have some repressed surgical aspirations…hmm…could be true…I do enjoy deboning meat…a super sharp knife does excite me…but for purely culinary reasons!  I digress, back to the stuffing of meat.  I find it so satisfying to turn a blah piece of meat into something truly impressive.  It sounds difficult and scary, but it’s not at all!  And once you get the method mastered, you will think of so many interesting ways to stuff meat!  Just go for it!  Take the knife to the chicken…you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

¾ Cup red onion, diced

¼ Cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

5 Kalamata olives, diced

1 Clove garlic, minced

¼ Cup olive oil, divided

1 Box chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons dry white wine, divided

¾ Teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, divided

¼ Cup Parmesan

3/4 to 1 Pound parsnips

¾ Cup milk

4 Tablespoons butter, divided

½ Cup water

Salt and pepper

Step 1

The scariest part is the first step!  Once you have this done, the rest is super easy!  We’ll just get it out of the way, shall we?  Find your sharpest paring knife and carefully slice a large pocket along the side of each chicken breast.  Make sure you don’t cut through the chicken (you want it to hold all the delicious stuffing!), but don’t be afraid to cut the pocket close to the edges!  More stuffing = more flavor!

Step 2

Whew!  The hardest part is done!  The rest will be smooth sailing, so let’s get started!  We will get the chopping out of the way now.  Dice the onion and tomatoes.  Mince the garlic and chop the olives.  While you’re prepping, make sure you have drained the spinach too.  Squeeze all the liquid you can out of it.

Step 3

Place a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  When the olive oil has heated, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, olives and spinach.  Stir to combine.  Add the Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon white wine, ½ teaspoon each salt, pepper and Italian seasoning blend.  Stir to combine.  Transfer stuffing to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Step 4

Peel the parsnips just like you would a carrot.  Slice into 1 inch pieces.  Place the parsnips in a pot and cover them with water so they are completely immersed.  Cover with a lid and put the pot on the stove.  Turn it on to high, but keep an eye on it.  When it starts to boil, turn the heat back to medium high heat so it simmers.

Step 5

Stuff the chicken breasts.  Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper.

Step 6

Place the same skillet you used earlier (no reason to dirty another dish!) back on the stove.  Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and heat over medium heat.  When it has heated, place the chicken in the pan.  Cook on each side for 5 minutes.

Step 7
While the chicken is cooking, place 2 Tablespoons of butter in the milk and heat in the microwave until it has melted.  Check the parsnips.  When they are fork tender, drain them.  Place them in the food processor and puree them.  Add milk and butter until it is a very smooth, creamy mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

The chicken should be finished.  Remove it from the pan and add the remaining wine, butter, water and Italian seasoning to the pan.   Stir to deglaze the pan.  While this is reducing, you can plate.  Put a generous dollop of parsnips on two plates.  Gently place a chicken breast over the parsnips.  Check your pan sauce for seasoning (you may need some salt and pepper).  Then spoon it over both the chicken and the parsnips.  Dig in!  Congratulations!  You have now stuffed your own chicken breast and are on the way to obsession! J

Gastronome's Note:

You could add goat cheese or fontina along with the Parmesan for some extra creaminess and richness.  Also, I always cook the extra filling in the microwave to kill any bacteria from stuffing the chicken and then eat it for a snack!  It’s delicious on some baguette toasts with mozzarella or fontina melted on top!

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

I celebrated the spring-like February weather by making these last week.  The mango salsa screams warm weather and burgers always make me think grills, picnics and everything wonderful about summer!  Of course, now snow is in the forecast tonight, but perhaps that means it’s the perfect time to make these!  Winter outside, but tropical paradise inside…can you really beat that?!

Ingredients

1 Mango, peeled and diced

2 Jalapenos, cored and diced

1 Teaspoon cilantro, minced (more if you love cilantro…I am definitely a cilantro in moderation kind of gal!)

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 Pound ground turkey breast

¼ Cup spicy mango marinade (recommended brand: KC Masterpiece)

1 Small red onion, diced

1 Garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons bread crumbs

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

½ Teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 Burger buns

Step 1
Prepare the salsa.  Peel and small dice the mango.  Core and small dice the jalapeno and add it to a bowl with the mango.  Mince the cilantro and add it to the mango mixture; stir to combine and add the orange juice.  The orange juice will help the mango macerate slightly, but they will stay fairly firm.  Set the salsa aside.

Step 2
Dice the red onion.  If you have a large red onion, use half.  You don’t want too much onion because you want the burgers to hold together.  Mince the garlic.  Put the turkey in a bowl.  Add the onion, garlic, marinade, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to the meat.  Mix to just combine; if meat is over mixed, it will become tough.

Step 3
Score the meat into quarters.  Form four even sized burgers.

Step 4
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the burgers.  Cook on each side about 4 minutes (8 minutes total).  Remove the burgers from the heat and let them rest for 5 minutes, so they will not fall apart.

Step 5
Place a burger on the bottom half of each bun.  Top with a layer of mango salsa.


Gastronome's Note:  You will probably have leftover mango salsa...this is a VERY good thing!  It tastes delicious on tortilla chips!

"Garden Variety Lasagna"

"Garden Variety Lasagna" (named by my brother-in-law, Marcus)
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

This recipe is similar to the last one I posted, since both use eggplant, tomato sauce and cheeses to entice people to eat their veggies. J But this is more like a lasagna than a custard based casserole and I absolutely love the addition of fennel and bell peppers in this dish!  Fennel has recently become my new obsession, so be on the lookout for more fennelized recipes on this blog!  I just adore the anise flavor it lends and roasted fennel = flavor punch!  This recipe makes enough for a crowd (I would cut it in half if serving 4 – 6 people).  I made it for a family get together and it went over really well; it is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!  And have fun with the veggies…don’t like eggplant?  Try using zucchini!  There are many ways you could adapt this recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants, cut into ¼ to ½ inch-thick slices

4 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1 inch thick slices

2 orange bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1 inch thick slices

2 yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1 inch thick slices

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 (26 oz.) jars marinara (Roasted garlic flavored is PERFECT in this!)

1 teaspoon crushed red peppers, less if you can't handle the heat!

1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 ½ pounds mozzarella, shredded

2 cups Parmesan, grated

1 cup plain bread crumbs

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the vegetables on three separate baking pans – one for eggplant, one for fennel and one for peppers.  Drizzle olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper.  Make sure they are evenly coated.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning them over once partway through to cook evenly.

Step 2

As the vegetables roast, prepare the marinara by heating it in a pot over medium heat.  Add the Italian seasoning and crushed red peppers.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.  When the sauce is warmed, add ¼ - ½ c. Parmesan to it.  It will add a nutty and salty kick to the sauce.

Step 3

When the vegetables are finished roasting, turn the heat back to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 4

Spoon about 1 ½ cups of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.  Arrange the eggplant on top of the sauce.  Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella and ½ cup of Parmesan over the eggplant.  Distribute the peppers evenly over the cheeses.  Spoon 1 ½ cups of sauce over the peppers.  Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella and ½ cup of Parmesan on top.  Layer the fennel over the cheeses and then spoon another 1 ½ cups of sauce over the vegetables.  Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and drizzle with olive oil.

Step 5

Bake for 30 minutes.  The top should be golden and the sauce bubbling.  Serve after resting at least 10 minutes.

Eggplant Gratin

Eggplant Gratin (Adapted from Ina Garten)

The Super Bowl is over and I'm a little finger fooded (I think I just made a new word!) out, so it’s time to make something that requires silverware (although this former Buffalonian and husband did make some killer wings – the recipe will be posted at a later dateJ)!  This eggplant dish will make even eggplant haters into eggplant lovers.  I have made this for a number of events, and it is always a crowd favorite.  As written here, it will serve four with generous servings.    

What You Need:

Sauce:

1 Jar of marinara sauce (Classico Tomato and Basil works great)

3 Strips bacon, chopped

1 Clove garlic, minced

Crushed red pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Olive oil for drizzling

1 ½ lbs. Eggplant (approx. 2 small to medium sized eggplants)

½ c. Ricotta

2 Eggs

½ c. half and half

1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

¼ c. Asiago, grated

Salt and pepper

Step 1

Sauté bacon in a sauce pot over medium-low heat.  When it has rendered and is getting crispy add garlic, crushed red peppers to taste and olive oil.  Cook for 30 seconds before adding the jar of sauce.  Simmer on low heat while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Step 2

Brush olive oil over both sides of the eggplant slices.  Note: Eggplants are like little sponges, the oil will quickly disappear into the greedy purple vegetable, but don’t give it any more!  They will become saturated with the olive oil and won’t brown nicely.

Step 3

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, about 5 minutes total (they should be golden brown).  Repeat in batches until finished.  Drain the slices on paper towel.

Step 4

Whisk together ricotta, eggs, half and half, ½ c. Parmesan, asiago, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.

Step 5

You are now ready to assemble the beautiful, saucy concoction!  In an 8x8 casserole dish, place a layer of eggplant.  Sprinkle with some Parmesan, salt and pepper.  Spread approximately ¾ of the sauce over top.  Add a second layer of eggplant and more salt and pepper.  Spread the ricotta mixture over this layer.  Spoon the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle more Parmesan over the sauce.

Step 6

Bake for 10 minutes.  Then lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking for 20 minutes (or until custard sets). 

Enjoy!  I think the combination of luxurious cheese and tangy sauce along with the meaty eggplant is absolutely divine.