Cochinita Pibil

I fell in love with this recipe at a Christmas Eve Party-my friend Andy made this recipe and it was love at first bite!
I was in Sunriver over Memorial Day weekend and made this for all of my friends staying with me at the condo. This recipe makes a ton, so invite lots of people over. There were five of us we had at least half of it left over. I love the tanginess of this recipe and it also has a really nice depth of flavor, with an intense citrus undertone from the lemons. I used the rest of the meat for pulled pork nachos which were equally delicious.

Cochinita Pibil

5 Tablespoons Annatto Seeds
2 Tablespoons Cumin Seeds
1 Tablespoon Whole Peppercorns
8 Allspice Berries
½ Teaspoon Whole Cloves
3 Jalapeno Peppers
½ Cup Orange Juice
½ Cup White Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Salt
8 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Juice 5 Lemons

5 Pounds Pork Butt

Heat all of the spices in a frying pan until fragrant. Place into a mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder (or you can use an electric coffee grinder.)
Remove the seeds from the jalapeno peppers and chop coarsely.
Process the orange juice, vinegar, jalapenos salt, garlic and the spice powder in a blender until liquefied. Add the lemon juice and tequila and puree until incorporated.
Cut the pork into 2 inch chunks. Leave the fat on the meat, to keep the pork moist. Place in a large self sealing plastic bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and turn to evenly coat the meat. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Add the meat to a large dutch oven lined with parchment and fold parchment over the top of the meat to completely cover. Cover the top of the dutch oven with foil and then place on the lid, to seal in the steam. Roast for 4 hours. Open packet carefully; the meat should shred easily with a fork if done.
Serve over rice or shred and serve on tortillas to make tacos.

Cucumbers in Vinegar

I remember growing up and eating these at my great grandmothers house. She always had fresh garden veggies to eat and it seemed that every summer meal was not complete without the vinegar cucumbers. She used cucumbers and onion, which I left out, but either way it’s tart, tangy, and delicious.

Cucumbers with Vinegar

I’m almost embarrassed to call this a recipe…all you do is peel and slice your cucumbers, then cover with white vinegar, sprinkle in a little salt and pepper then let sit for a couple hours! If desired slice up a sweet onion and mix in.

Barbecue Sauce

Whenever I barbecue I like to make my own BBQ sauce, it just tastes so much better than the bottled stuff. I like a really sweet barbecue sauce, so I use quite a bit of sugar, but you can cut this down as much as you like according to your taste. This recipe makes enough sauce for a whole chicken, or about 6 breasts.

Barbecue Sauce

1 Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Ketchup

In medium saucepan, sauté onion in a little oil until soft. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes for flavors to blend together. You can add more chili powder to make it spicier if desired and can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking as well.

Cucumber Citrus Salsa

I was in the mood for salsa the other day, but didn't want to go to the store so I decided to create a salsa with the ingredients on hand, it turned out pretty darn good too. I just kept adding ingredients until it tasted right. I ended up making fish tacos and used this as a marinade and also as a salsa, and then I used it on grilled chicken as well, so it’s pretty versatile.

Cucumber Citrus Salsa

1 Small Onion
1 Large Handful Cilantro
4 Limes, Juiced
1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 Bunch Spinach
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Dried Chili Flakes (or one jalapeno chili)

In a food processor or blender add the onion, cilantro, and lime juice and process until finely minced. Add all remaining ingredients and process until smooth, adjust seasonings with sugar, salt & pepper to taste.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

My friend Heather was in town last weekend and asked me to show her how to make risotto, we decided that a mushroom and asparagus risotto would be delicious, so here is what we came up with.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

1 Large Onion, diced
1 Shallot, Minced
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt & Pepper
1 Pound Crimini Mushrooms, quartered
4 Portabella Mushrooms, stems removed and cut into strips
1 Pound Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Cups Arborio Rice
6 Cups Mushroom Stock (or chicken stock)
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for garnish

Heat stock in a saucepan and keep warm. In a large skilled sauté the onion and shallots with the salt & pepper over medium hi heat until softened. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Next add the asparagus and rice to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Add one ladle of the stock to the rice and stir until all moisture is absorbed, continue adding the stock to the rice one ladle at a time while constantly stirring until all stock is absorbed and rice is tender. (This will take a out 30 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve with a shaving of parmesan cheese on top.

Grilled Veggies

Grilled Veggies

It’s finally warm here in Portland, and I celebrated by firing up the barbecue last night. I can’t think of anything better in summer than a delicious plate of grilled veggies! I grilled up some asparagus and peppers last night to go with my bbq chicken, and to be honest, I could have done without the chicken.
All I do is brush my veggies with a little olive oil and the sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and grill until tender, how easy is that?

Cornish Game Hens

I used to fix Cornish game hens all the time and realized that I haven’t cooked them for a few years. They are a good mix up from your regular chicken breast also they, cook quickly, and look much more appealing than a traditional boneless skinless chicken breast. This is also a meal that is easy to throw together during the week after work if you want to have some friends over and look a little fancier than the big bucked of KFC. I served these over a fennel salad for a light healthy dinner.

Cornish Game Hens

2 Cornish Game Hens (also known as “rock” game hens)
Salt & Pepper
Herbs de Provence
Olive Oil

Cut hens in half with kitchen shears by cutting directly down the breast bone and then cut down both sides of the back bone and discard. Clean the hens thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Place hens on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper and herbs de Provence. Place in a 375 degree pre heated oven and cook for about 30-45 minutes until 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Tent with foil and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Fennel Salad

I love the fresh anise flavor of fennel and thought I would make a simple salad to go with dinner last night. This salad turned out absolutely delicious. The fresh taste of the fennel, cucumber, cilantro and spinach was a little taste of summer. The good thing about this salad is that the ingredients are available year round so you can always have a very fresh tasting green salad, even before summer hits.

Fennel Salad

1 Large Cucumber
1 Fennel Bulb
1 Handful of Cilantro, lightly chopped
½ Bunch Spinach
Salt & Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Peel and seed the cucumber and cut into very thin slices. Next cut the fennel bulb in half, cut out the core and slice as thinly as you can, leaving the frauds. Mix together the cucumber, fennel, cilantro and spinach in a large bowl. Now drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper and mix together. If you don’t care for cilantro, you could substitute a handful of flat leaf Italian parsley.

This is what a fennel bulb looks like if you haven't used this vegetable before. The frauds look similar to dill and the some stores cut these off when putting it out on their shelves. I have also seen fennel labeled as "anise" so don't feel you picked the wrong thing if that's what it's labeled as.

Chicken Strips

When I first started making fried chicken I never put corn meal in the batter, but have been using more and more in my recipes and this one turned out pretty darn good. I love the crispiness and texture it adds to the breading. I usually don’t make chicken strips, but was watching a movie and wanted to make something quick and so decided to cut the chicken up into strips so it would cook quicker. I do love the extra breading you get tough, a definite plus!

Chicken Strips

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Teaspoon Salt & Pepper
1 Teaspoon Paprika
½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or more to taste)
Vegetable Oil, for frying

Mix all dry ingredients and dredge chicken to thoroughly coat. Heat 1 inch oil to 350 degrees in a deep heavy bottomed skillet and fry chicken until golden brown and crispy (a few minutes on each side). Remove chicken from oil and drain on a paper towel, sprinkle with a little extra kosher salt and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Banana Bread

I had a couple of bananas hanging out in the kitchen this last week and decided to whip up some banana bread. I only had 2 bananas so I was off on the internet on a wild search for a recipe that only used 2 bananas, and came across this recipe from the food network by Emeril. I changed the directions dramatically, as he was using a food processor and an electric mixer, I thought that was completely un-necessary, as I don’t have a crew to clean up my mess after I cook! My bread pan is also an inch smaller in width, so the bread took a little bit longer to cook than this recipe calls for and the crust was a little too dark for my liking. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon, who makes banana bread without cinnamon? Overall I was happy with the bread, not impressed by any means, but it was good and fairly banana-y considering the use of only 2 bananas. I think next time I will opt to throw a couple more in for good measure! Oh, the bread turned out very moist too, which I loved…must have been the yogurt!

Banana Bread

10 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used ½ cup of nonfat yogurt to reduce the fat)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups cake flour (or 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour combined with 1/4 cup corn starch)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (optional)

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the bananas, sour cream eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Next sift together all the dry ingredients and add in 3 batches to the butter mixture, beating lightly in between each addition. Fold in the nuts if using.
Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.