Thai Pulled Pork

Yes, my title says Italian and this post says Thai, but I am always up for a challenge.

My coworker and his wife, friends of several years, came over for dinner one night and made thai spareribs. They were ridiculously delicious, and I said I wanted to cook them myself one day. I never cooked anything Thai - this was the first time lemongrass, peanut sauce, and sesame oil stepped foot into my home.

I wondered how the flavors would taste with pulled pork, because you know,  I am always trying to find an excuse to use my slow cooker.... Well I made a pulled pork version of his Thai spareribs over the weekend and it came out damn good. This dish is gluten free too!

Ingredients: Feeds 8-10

• 5-7lb Pork Shoulder
• 2 large Lemongrass stalks
• 3/4 cup Tamari soy sauce
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Sherry wine
• 2 tsp peanut sauce (alternative: almond butter)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, chopped (or a teaspoon of jarred is OK)
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• Slow Cooker

Thai Marinade:
Cut the bottom 2 inches from each lemongrass stalk (discard upper portions). This is the usable part of the lemon grass. Slice lemongrass into thin rounds, then place in blender.



 Add tamari, brown sugar, Sherry, peanut sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger and blend until almost smooth. Blend in coconut milk. The marinade will have small chunks of lemon grass and garlic, but that's ok.

Pork:
Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker, set to high setting. 

Pour half of the marinade over the pork so it is evenly covered.  Crack some black pepper over the top, to your taste. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to be used later.

Cook on high for 3 hours, then change the setting to low. Rotate the pork, flipping the sides every couple hours. Cook on low for an additional 10-12 hours depending on the thickness of the pork. Cooking it for this long will allow for very easy pulling and soft, juicy meat. As you see in the picture above versus below, the meat actually pulled away on its own since it got so tender. 

Since this is a long cooking process, I cooked this over night. When I was free/awake I rotated the meat, so it isn't necessary to rotate it literally every couple hours

Next, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Pull the pork apart. Discard the juice in the slow cooker. Put the pulled pork back in the slow cooker and set to low. 

Pour 1 cup (a little more than half) of the remaining marinade over the top of the pulled pork and mix it in well (mix the marinade before pouring in since the oil and cocunut milk separates). Let this cook on low for 1-2 more hours so the marinade gets warm and the pork soaks it up.

Heat the remaining marinade in a small pot over the stove so you can offer it to whomever would like to add more sauce to their plate.

Serve on slider rolls or solo if you are watching your carbs ;)

Fresh Endives Stuffed with Olives, Anchovies, and Provolone

This is a tradition I created a few years ago at my parents' annual New Years Day family party slash food feast. It was such a surprise hit with everyone that we continued making it every year since. They are a great, light appetizer you can eat with your hands. If you want something different to bring to the table, this is it for sure! This is very quick and easy to make - It also makes a pretty presentation!

Ingredients:

• Raw Endive Leaves, rinsed
• Italian Green Olives, cut into small pieces around the pit
• Anchovies soaked in olive oil, cut into small pieces
• Sharp Provolone Cheese, diced into small pieces. 
• Drizzle of Olive Oil
• Cracked Black Pepper

Spread out the endive leaves on your platter.

Combine the olives, anchovies, provolone, olive oil and cracked pepper in a bowl and mix all together. 

Spoon in the mixture equally into each leaf. And you're ready to serve!

Turkey Chili

Chili is one of those foods, unlike most, that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes. Making a big crock pot of chili is a fall/winter must in my household. I always make a big batch and freeze small containers for future meals. My chili is made with ground turkey breast because it is leaner, healthier, and tastes just as good - if not better - than any other protein since it's cooked with loads of flavor. The great thing about this recipe is the versatility with the protein - if you are a vegetarian just take out the turkey and add more beans and peppers. If you want to make it with beef instead, go for it!

Today, I made the chili in a slow cooker and let it cook for 3 hours, but you can also cook it on the stove top for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours on a low setting.

Have a beer with this! Drink the same (pumpkin) ale that you used in the recipe. I used Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale - amazing!

Ingredients: ~10 Servings

• 2-2.5 lbs Ground Turkey Breast
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
• 1/2 Large White Onion, copped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 bottle of Pumpkin Ale Beer (or another dark ale)
• 1 Can of Black Beans, drained
• 1 Can of Pink Beans, drained
• 1 Can of Kidney Beans, drained
• 2 14.5oz Cans of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 15oz Can of Tomato Sauce/Puree
• 2 Hefty tbs of Chili Powder
• 1 tbs Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Paprika
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pinch of Cumin
• Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
• Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
• Grated (Wisconsin) Cheddar [optional]
• Dollop of Sour Cream (fat free) [optional]
• Tortilla Chips or OysterCrackers [optional]
• Splash of Apple Cider Vinegar [optional]

In a large sauce pan, heat up the olive oil and add the onions, then the garlic and let them sweat out. Add all the chopped peppers and stir with the onions and garlic.

Let this cook for about 1-2 minutes, and then add the ground turkey. Smash the turkey with your spatula to make small chunks. Once it is about half way cooked, add in the beer and mix well.

Once the beer is about half cooked off, put the diced tomatoes and beans in the slow cooker. Stir

everything together, then add in the turkey, peppers and onions from your sauce pan into the slow cooker. If you aren't using the slow cooker, just add the tomatoes and beans into the sauce pan with the turkey. Add in all the spices and cook for 3 hours on high in slow cooker or 1.75-2 hours on stove.

Serve in bowls with 1-2 tablespoons of grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream (optional of course) and a side of oyster crackers and/or tortilla chips (also optional).  

Flourless Chocolate Rosemary Custard Cake

Should I refer to this cake as "Spiked" or "Spiced"? Well, it's a little of both, actually. I spiked the cake with red wine and spiced it up with some herbs and spices. Maybe it sounds odd, but that is actually what makes this dessert so delicious.

I wanted to make something unique for my parents' anniversary this past weekend. I've always been intrigued by the combination of heat and chocolate. I've also been intrigued by using herbs in desserts. Taking these two ideas, I invented this cake. It is a cross between a flourless chocolate cake and a chocolate custard... so let's just go with Flourless Chocolate Custard Cake... The combination of rosemary, espresso, cayenne, and cinnamon are very sophisticated and happily surprise the pallet.

PS - the cake is super rich, so a sliver will be enough per serving.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 16oz Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Stick of Salted Butter, ½ Stick of Unsalted Butter
• ½ cup Red Wine
• 1 tbs Ground Espresso
• 7 Eggs
• ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• Hefty pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Sprigs of Rosemary, de-stemmed & minced super fine
• Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Ganache Topping:

• 1 cup of Half & Half, or Whipping Cream
• 9oz Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Sprig of Rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Warm the butter and chocolate chips on low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the red wine, espresso, rosemary, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon. Mix well until the chocolate and butter is melted. Turn off heat and set aside to get to room temp.

In a standing mixer (or bowl with hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until it gets frothy (about 4-5 min). Add the vanilla extract.

Slowly pour the chocolate mixture and continue mixing until well blended. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes (or once a fork poked in the middle comes out clean).

Once done, remove the cake from the cake pan and cool to room temp.

In the mean time, let's prepare the ganache. Place the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. Warm the half and half in a small saucepan with the rosemary sprig. Once it comes to a boil turn off heat and remove rosemary. Pour the liquid over the chocolate chips and whisk until well blended. Refrigerate for a couple hours to set.

Spread over the cake and on the sides. Decorate the cake with a small sprig of rosemary. Keep cake regrigerated.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw

I've never been a huge fan of coleslaw, maybe because I didn't grow up eating it, ever. Things with mayo always sort of discouraged me. Over the years coleslaw has grown on me and I've learned that it can add nice flavor and crunch to certain dishes (like my pulled pork sliders!). We initially had this coleslaw in Wisconsin, credits to Ryan's mom, and he immediately fell in love with it. In an effort to be a good wife and make one of his favorite foods, I made this coleslaw (Ina Garten's), but tweaked it a bit to be my own. I used two different kinds of blue cheese for a more sophisticated flavor, and I used miracle whip instead of mayo to make it a tad bit healthier.

Ingredients: Party Size

Left - Roquefort, Right - Danish Mild Blue

• 1 Small Head Green Cabbage
• 1 Small Head Red Cabbage 
• 4 Large Carrots, cleaned and julienned
• 2 cups Miracle Whip (one jar) 
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard 
• 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp Celery Salt
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 lb Roquefort Blue Cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 lb Danish Mild Blue Cheese, crumbled

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Slice them very thin and chop into smaller slices, OR run them through a food processor. I prefer to hand cut so that I can get the size and texture I want. Transfer into a large bowl. Add the julienned carrots and mix altogether.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the miracle whip, mustard, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Add in the crumbled blue cheese and mix again. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Pulled Pork Hash and Eggs

I made Pulled Pork this weekend for Pulled Pork Sliders (recipe to follow), and there was A LOT of pork to go around. So, we decided to make a hash for breakfast. Umm.. YUM! I will explain the pulled pork process in a separate post, but basically I slow cooked pork butt for 12+ hours with salt, pepper, and a half can of root beer. However, you can make this hash with any left over meat, like steak, roast, corned beef, or you can even use bacon as a substitute! Today, we made this with eggs over-easy (a personal preference), but you can prepare your eggs as you please - poached (a close second favorite), fried, scrambled, or sunny side up.

Ingredients: For 2

• 2 Yukon Gold Potatoes, chopped into small cubes (one potato per person)
• 1-2 tbs diced Vidalia Onion
• 1 tbs Butter
• 3 Small Cherry Peppers, (the jarred kind) diced
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• Salt and Pepper to season
• 1/4 cup Water (or more as needed)
• Pulled Pork
• Eggs, prepared as you wish

In a large to medium skillet, heat up the butter. Then, add in the onions and sweat them out. Add the potatoes, and mix them in well with the onions. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Mix in the cherry peppers and water. Continue stirring so that the hash is mixed well. The water will assist the potatoes in cooking thoroughly. Let the potatoes cook with the lid on for about 10 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Stir occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add additional water as needed. Taste for salt/pepper, add more as needed.

Add in your pulled pork (or your substitute protein) and let cook together for another couple minutes.

Serve with your eggs!

Heirloom Tomato and Balsamic Reduction

There's just something about biting into an heirloom tomato that makes it special, compared to a normal tomato. When you are making a salad or an appetizer where tomato is the focal point, I recommend looking for the heirlooms.There are a few different types of heirloom tomatoes...The kind in this post is a cross-pollination hybrid. Yes, we can cross-breed tomatoes just like we do dogs ... use two different parents! That's how we get the marble colors, stripes, and multi-colored tomatoes.

I used a few ingredients to create this masterpiece. First, I found an amazing extra large tomato, but you can find perfectly good heirlooms smaller in sizes. With that, you just need some olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, balsamic, honey, sugar, and some really darn good cheese. The cheese I picked here is called Roncal - a creamy sheep's milk cheese from Spain. It was a perfect pick to pair with the tomato and balsamic reduction...not too mild, but not too stinky. This simple appetizer was so fantastic, easy to prepare and looked beautiful!

Balsamic Reduction: For 1 Large Tomato

• 4 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Honey (I used Lavender Honey to give an extra kick)
• 1/2 tsp Sugar

Tomato Salad:

• Extra Large Heirloom Tomato, thickly sliced
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Roncal Cheese, sliced

For the balsamic reduction - heat the balsamic in a small pot until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and add the honey and sugar. Mix until it is fully dissolved. Once the balsamic cooks down and thickens remove from heat. That's it!

Slice the tomato like so.

To plate, first drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom of your plate. Add the largest layer of tomato slices on the bottom base. Add another drizzle of oil on top and some sea salt and cracked pepper. Repeat layers, largest to smallest. Drizzle a little of the balsamic reduction on the side for display, and put the remainder in a small dish for additional use. Add the Roncal on the side.

Dip a piece of tomato and cheese into the balsamic reduction - and enjoy!

Warm Calamari Salad

This ties into my post about Chilean Sea Bass ... this was the appetizer for the main course! It was a night full of seafood goodness. I randomly got some whole calamari from the fish section while I was at Whole Foods. Figured I can't go wrong with it.

There are so many ways to prepare calamari, other than the classic (and delicious) deep frying. Doing a deep fry with the flour and oil was way too messy for a Friday night - so I went with something light and simple.

Ingredients: For 2

• 3 Whole Calamari, cleaned and cut into rings.
• 3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic Glove
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced
• 1 tbs Parsley, chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean and cut the calamari into rings. If you have tentacles, just rinse them and pat dry.


Before

After

Toss everything with the olive oil in a bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper - toss again.  Heat a frying pan, and add the calamari so that everything is evenly spread in a single layer. Flip all pieces a couple times, cooking for about 5-7 minutes. The calamari will turn white and the tentacle legs will curl up and shrink. They will cook fast, so make sure not to over cook them or they will be chewy and rubbery.

Once done, plate them, squeeze the lemon on top and toss with the fresh parsley. Garnish with extra parsley and a lemon wedge in case you need more.