Corn & Bacon Muffins

Corn? Again?

Yup but this time is has some bacon and honey tossed into it.   You can never go wrong with bacon, it is loved by all!

I was recently asked to make some cupcakes for a 1 year old’s birthday and in the process of researching what cupcakes I was going to make I borrowed the book “500 Cupcakes” from my friend LT.  This little book is FULL of lovely cupcake and muffin recipes.  Too many to count….well 500 of them but you know what I mean.

I don’t know if I can bear to part with this little book, but I have to.  It was a V-day gift from her husband, so I will just have to get one of my own.

While I was scanning the book I found this recipe for corn muffins.  It also had a variation with italian sausage added, but I was all out of italian sausage.  I decided that sausage’s sister bacon would work just as well.  I also decided to substitute half of the sugar with some honey….yummy….honey.

First I cooked 6 strips of thick cut bacon in the oven.  I laid them out on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Let the bacon cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice.  You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet .

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.

Stir together until just combined.  Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray.  Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly.  The mold will fill almost to the top.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Now I don’t know about you but this is the only kind of muffin top I have actually ever wanted, the other kind is evil and unfortunate.  The ironic part is that the “evil” muffin top can be brought on by too many of the “good” muffin tops.  Does that make the “good” muffin tops, ultimately “evil” muffin tops or can that make “evil” muffin tops “good” muffin tops?  No that isn’t possible….is it?

Are you still there?  Did I loose you?

Hello….*tap* *tap*

Sorry I got lost in my own brain there for a moment.  It can be dangerous.

Regardless these muffin tops are good and delicious!  I mean they have bacon in them for heavens sake….hello!

These muffins are more on the cornbread side then cakey side.  They are more southern then northern, if you know what I mean.  You can have these in the morning, warmed up with a pad of butter and a cup of coffee and with fall on our heels, these muffins would be awesome with a bowl of chili.

Print Recipe

Corn & Bacon Muffins (adapted from 500 Cupcakes) (1 dozen muffins)

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4 sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup cooked thick cut bacon, diced (about 6 strips)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay 6 strips of thick cut bacon on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy. Let cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice. You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients, flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt, whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet ingredients, egg, buttermilk and honey.

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.  Stir together until just combined. Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray. Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly. The mold will fill almost to the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Canoas de Platanos Maduros (Sweet Plantain Canoes)

Guess what?  I had a canoe for dinner last night!

This is when you say in your head, “What? She had a canoe for dinner last night?” and I say, “Why yes!  Yes I did!”

It’s not the kind of canoe your thinking of.  You cannot sit in this canoe and float in the water.  In fact if you eat enough of these canoes you will probably sink in water, but we won’t discuss that.

Do you remember the Pastelon post or what I called Puerto Rican Lasagna?  This is basically an individual serving variation of that recipe.   This is a great option, especially for 2 person homes.  This way you can get the great taste without having a baking dish of leftovers in your fridge, it’s also a way to make it just a little fancy.  Although I think that leftover pastelon is a good thing to have in the fridge.

These are called Canoas de Platanos Maduros meaning Sweet Plantain Canoes.  Say “canoa” with me…. KA-NO-Aaa…..very good!   Now you know how to say canoe in Spanish.  This will come in handy when you rent that canoe while on vacation in PR.

We start with the filling.  This is a basic recipe of “picadillo” which is used as a filling in many Puerto Rican dishes.

Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.  Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.  Cook beef until brown and the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.

Peel four ripe plantains.  You want to be yellow with black spots.  The one is the back is REALLY ripe, which is ok because they firm up when you fry them.  You just have to be extra careful when you peel it.

Heat a large frying pan or dutch oven with about 2 inches of  vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden and slitely crispy.

Drain on a plate lined with paper towel, set aside and let cool.

When the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain.  Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe.

Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese.

Cheeeeeese!

Meeeeeeeat!

More cheeeeeeese!

Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Incredible awesome deliciousness in a canoe and they are so cute!  The plantains get even sweeter when you fry them and the crispy caramelized edges are to die for!  The savory meat filling is a great compliment to the sweet plantain.  I promise you will love this one.

Serve these babies with a side of “arroz blanco y habichuelas guisadas” (white rice and beans in tomato sauce) and you will be a happy camper.  You will probably have some “picadillo” left over.  No worries you can have it with…..well a side of rice and beans or if you are feeling daring you can make some “alcapurrias” or some “pastelillos de carne“.

You can also just stand over the sink and eat it straight out of the pan…..no judging here.

Buen Provecho!

-Send Help I am Sinking

Print Recipe

Canoas de Platanos Maduros (Sweet Plantain Canoes) (serves 4 with leftover filling)

Filling

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion,minced
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp adobo
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbs vinegar
• 1 envelope sazón
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 green stuffed olives, halved
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

Canoas

• 4 ripe plantains, peeled
• 1/2 cup white shredded cheese (like Monterey Jack or Swiss)
• vegetable oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.

Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.

Cook beef until brown and of the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.

Heat a large frying pan with about 2 inches of  vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes or until golden and slitely crispy. Drain on a plate with paper towel, set aside.

To assemble canoas: when the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain.  Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe.  Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese.  Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes

I am not a lover of pancakes, except for The Pioneer Woman’s Sour Cream Pancakes.  I don’t hate them, I just don’t love them.  I don’t know what it is, I find that most pancakes are too heavy in the morning and if given the choice between pancakes and french toast, french toast will win every time in my book.  However earlier this week Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet Corn Pancakes popped into my feed subscription and I was intrigued.  Then I thought what if I did a hybrid of sweet corn pancakes and sour cream pancakes, it was one of those “things that make you go hmmmm” (name the band).

I am not usually an experimenter of anything that contains the ingredients baking soda, baking power and/ or flour, but I though I would put my big girl panties on and give it a go.  It could only go one of two ways, horribly wrong or incredibly right….ok there is a third option of “they are ok”, but I like shoot for the stars or to crash and burn.  I am also all about being dramatic.

Strip the kernels from an ear of corn.  Be sure to ask the corn permission first you don’t want to be accused of anything.

Melt butter in a skillet and cook the kernels until they just begin to brown, sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl combine your dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking, soda and salt.   Whisk together to well combined.

In a separate large bowl, beat an egg at the bottom of the bowl, add sour cream, milk and vanilla, whisk until well combined.

Stir in the cooled kernels of corn.  I will try not to get corny, I promise.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

Heat your griddle to 350 degrees or a skillet over medium heat, brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup of batter at a time, 2 inches apart.  Cook the pancakes until they begin to bubble on top and the edges begin to dry.   Flip and cook until the bottom is a golden brown.  Repeat with remaining batter

Because I am all about being dramatic, stack your pancakes as high as you can, top with a fat pad of butter and drizzle with your favorite syrup.

Here is a mini action shot of me pouring syrup over my pancakes.  Please try not to lick the screen, 9 time out of 10 you will just taste dust and that is not good.

These pancakes have expanded my appreciation for pancakes.  They were fluffy, corny and had those awesome crispy edges that I think are required of a good pancake.

My favorite part of these pancakes was the texture that the corn kernels add to the pancake.  They give them a little crunch that pop in your mouth with sweet corny goodness.

It makes me wonder if maybe I should just drizzle maple syrup over my corn on the cob next time.  It’s one of those things that make you go hmmmm…..

Try some more breakfast options.

Peace out!

-Hmmmmmm

Print Recipe

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 7 to 10 4-inch pancakes

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for brushing pan
• 3/4 cup kernels cut from one large ear sweet fresh corn
• 1/8 teaspoon salt plus additional for seasoning corn
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal, any kind
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out skillet

Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in sour cream, buttermilk, corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.

Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium or set your griddle to 350 degrees. Brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown underneath. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with a pat of salted butter a super drizzle of maple syrup.

Tomato & Butter Sauce

Things around here got a little crazy for a bit with crazy margins, dropping sidebars and font so light in color it might as well have been invisible.  Thanks for putting up with me and my crazyness, you guys rock the house. *Doing crazy 80′s rock hand gesture while teasing hair and gassing myself with Aqua Net*

During this time of madness where I was obsessed with getting things straight, I needed to make dinner simple and quick.  I’ve read about this tomato and butter sauce before somewhere but I couldn’t remember where so I just made it up as I went.  It was an on the fly thing, but sometimes that is when you make your best stuff.

I had a carton of some local cherry tomatoes that I bought at the produce stand just a few days before.  I got them because they were such a great price and they were so cute, I just wanted to pinch their cheeks…..if they had cheeks.  I usually don’t buy fresh tomatoes unless I already have a plan for them, otherwise they are bound to go bad in my fridge.   I decided before it was too late I better put these darling little babies to good use.

You will be in shock, shock I tell you with the taste of this sauce! It is pretty awesome considering it has so few simple ingredients.  You may never go back.

WARNING! The use of butter here is crazy huge, so let’s agree to keep it on the DL (down low) from your cardiologist or anyone with a name ending in M.D.

It would be a good idea if you blanched the tomatoes first and peeled them, but like I said I was tired and sort of skipped that step…..ok not sort of, I did skip it.

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat add 5 tablespoons of butter, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Let it all simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cherry tomatoes start to pop.

Once the tomatoes start to pop, take a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon and crush the tomatoes.  You want to wait for the skin to pop or you could end up with tomato juice squirt all over you.  Add 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile back at the chicken ranch.  Wash about 1 1/2 lbs or 4 pieces of chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.  I am partial to thighs, but legs or breast will work, although you may need to cook the breast longer.  Rub the chicken down with 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Over medium-high heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a fry pan, add 2 crush garlic cloves and chicken.

Don’t forget to check you sauce and stir, u don’t want it to stick.

Don’t mess with the chicken too much.  Let them brown on each side for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until juices run clean, adding more butter 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.

During this time you should put a pot of water to boil, and boil the pasta until al dente.

Transfer the chicken over to the sauce, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  You can add a little bit of the chicken butter too if you want.

What the heck, right?  Go big or go home!

Now as if the butter content wasn’t enough why don’t we top the whole thing off with a few crumbles of goat cheese.  Why?  Because you can!

Pile up your pasta, spoon sauce over pasta, sprinkle goat cheese over top, garnish with some fresh basil and plate the chicks.

Chicks..maaaaan!

Purrrrrr, hello sweet mama! Where have you been all my life?

This sauce is awesomeness, and surprisingly creamy without the goat cheese.  If you add the goat cheese you get some extra creamyness not to mention awesome goat cheeseyness.

Is there a limit to how many “ness’es” one can use in a single post?

Anyway it was great and incredibly flavorful all with simple basic ingredients that you probably already have in your frig.

The spousal figure was in love with this dish, minus the goat cheese.  He has some personal issues with what he calls “fancy” cheese.

Peace Out Girl Scout!

- Chick who hides from anyone with a name ending in M.D.

Print Recipe

Tomato & Butter Sauce

• 25 cherry tomatoes
• 7 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of chicken stock
• 4 chicken thighs, skinless

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat add 5 tablespoons of butter, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Let it all simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cherry tomatoes start to pop.

Once the tomatoes start to pop, take a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon and crush the tomatoes. You want to wait for the skin to pop or you could end up with tomato juice squirt all over you. Add 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime,  wash about 1 1/2 lbs or 4 pieces of chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. I am partial to thighs, but legs or breast will work, although you may need to cook the breast longer. Rub the chicken down with 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a fry pan, add 2 crush garlic cloves and chicken.

Don’t forget to check you sauce and stir, u don’t want it to stick.

Let the chicken brown on each side for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until juices run clean, adding more butter 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.  During this time you should put a pot of water to boil, and boil the pasta until al dente.

Transfer the chicken over to the sauce, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. You can add a little bit of the chicken butter too if you want.

Now as if the butter content wasn’t enough why don’t we top the whole thing off with a few crumbles of goat cheese. Why? Because you can!

Pile up your pasta, spoon sauce over pasta, sprinkle goat cheese over top, garnish with some fresh basil and plate the chicks.

Chicks..maaaaan!

Apple Graham Crisp

About a week ago I got the idea to make an apple crisp with a graham cracker crumble crust.  You really can’t go wrong, bubbly apples and crispy sweet graham cracker topping.  The only problem that I ran into was that the topping was browning  way before the apple filling had set.

The first time I tried this I pulled the crisp out when the topping had browned but the filling was very runny, not cool.  This time I baked the filling for awhile and then added the topping 20 minutes before it was done.  This worked a little better but the topping was still a little too brown, although it tasted freaking awesome.

My conclusion is that the idea is a good one and adding the topping later is a good idea, but I think keeping and eye on it and covering it with foil when it starts to brown would be another option.

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees.  Peel core and slice your apples.  If you have one of these handy gadgets it’s not only easy but fun to do.

In a bowl combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp cornstarch and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to combine well.

Transfer apple mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile add 7 graham crackers to the food processor and process to coarse crumbs, about 3/4 cup of crumbles.  In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, pecans brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl.

Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps.

Sprinkle topping over baked apples and bake and additional 15 – 20 minutes, until apple filling is bubbly.  Cover with foil if topping begins to get too brown.

Ignore the hole to the left, it happens while baking sometimes.

Let the crisp cool for about 10 minutes and serve yourself a heaping helping.

The star here is the crumbly sweet and flavorful crisp topping.  I had to keep myself from planting my butt on the sofa with the whole pie dish and polishing it off.   If I had some vanilla ice cream in the freezer I would have been even happier and fluffier.

Like I said the problem that I ran into here is the topping getting too brown, but it wasn’t burned, it was still incredibly delicious! (insert Lucky Charms tune)  I have not given up, you will probably see an update here in the future resolving my browning issue.

Meaning the browning issues of the crisp…because I don’t brown I “red”.

Print Recipe

Apple Graham Crisp

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, diced

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees. Peel core and slice your apples.

In a bowl combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp cornstarch and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to combine well. Transfer apple mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile add 7 graham crackers to the food processor and process to coarse crumbs, about 3/4 cup of crumbles. In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, pecans brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl.  Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps.

Sprinkle topping over baked apples and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes, until apple filling is bubbly. Cover with foil if topping begins to get too brown.

Let the crisp cool for about 10 minutes and serve yourself a heaping helping.

Awesome Figgy Sandwich

Earlier in the week when I was at Whole Food on the hunt for some green tomatoes I stumbled upon some fresh figs.  I was so excited I practically snatched them out of the hands of the stock boy and quickly followed up with a happy dance.  Both Obed and the stock boy looked at me like I was mental, but I didn’t care, I had figs in hand!   You don’t understand finding fresh figs here in the midwest is not easy and they have such a short season to begin with.  I did my happy dance in the middle of Whole Foods produce with pride.

The fig hasn’t made many appearances on The Noshery because of the fact that they have such a short season and are a little hard to find here, but make no mistake I dig the fig…..HA! that rhymed.

I decided I was going to make myself a wicked awesome figgy sandwich with my figs.

I knew I definitely wanted some caramelized onions with this sandwich.  I love the sweet flavor of caramelized onions and how the ends get a little crispy and chewy.  Caramelizing onions is a bit of an art, you have to be patient and tend to them.  If they brown to quickly and the heat is too high they can burn.

I also did a little balsamic vinegar reduction just to top off all the sweet and salty flavors to come.

Assemble all your ingredients together.  Mmmm this is already looking pretty awesome.

I was extra lucky because I already had some olive oil dough in the fridge and was able to make some fresh focaccia bread, but a store bought focaccia will work just as well.  Also some toasted Italian bread or ciabatta bread would be great.

Top one slice of focaccia with prosciutto slices.

Then add your beautiful fresh figs.  I used calimyra figs but some brown turkeys would work well also.

Now those fabulous caramelized onions….*purrrr*

This is just going to get better because now you add some creamy goat cheese.

Drizzle some of the balsamic vinegar reduction over the goat cheese. Oh mama!

And because every sandwich can use a little green, top it off with some fresh basil.

I don’t know about you but I think this is a pretty smoking hot sandwich.

“How you duen?” *wink, wink*

I bit into this sandwich and I was in heaven.  Salty, sweet and creamy all in one bite.  It got a little messy there for a minute, but it’s all good.  Love can be messy and I was in love with this sandwich.

Awesome Figgy Sandwich

• 1/4 of a large onion
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• kosher salt
• sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• focaccia bread
• 2 slices prosciutto
• 2 – 3 calimyra figs, sliced
• goat cheese
• 4 fresh basil leaves

In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of kosher salt. When the onions begin to brown add a dash of sugar.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a cool plate or bowl to stop the cooking process.

While the onions are caramelizing, put balsamic vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by 1/2 and liquid becomes syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Assemble your sandwich, start with a slice of focaccia, top with prosciutto, figs, onions and goat cheese.  Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the goat cheese, top with fresh basil and another slice of focaccia bread.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Many of you don’t know this but when I was a Air Force brat my family was stationed in Warner Robins, GA.  I spent most of my childhood in Georgia.  Even though I spent many years in Georgia I have never been a big fan of southern food.  Don’t get me wrong I appreciate it and crave it once in a while, but it is rarely my first choice.

However there is one dish that I fell in love with during my time in George…fried green tomatoes…oh and peach cobbler, but that will be a post for another day.    Oddly enough I haven’t had fried green tomatoes in years…yesterday I decided to put that to an end.

The great thing about these is that they come together lickity-split.  The hardest part about this dish was finding the green tomatoes.  Thanks to a produce stand of a local farmer, I had green tomatoes in hand.

Set up a dredge station with one bowl of beat eggs, a bowl of the cornmeal mix and 1/2 inch sliced green tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper.

I did experiment with 1 dredge vx. 2 dredge and I decided that the 1 dredge was better.  Dredging it twice make the coating a little thick and the tomato doesn’t get a chance to soften, so I recommend dredging just once.

Heat a skillet with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.   Fry the tomatoes about 2 min. each side, but do not overcrowd the pan.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and enjoy.

Yummy crunchy, corny, tomato goodness.

Obed had never had a fried green tomato and although he looked at them suspiciously he tried them and cleaned his plate.  I fell in love all over again and reminisced of the times that my mom, sister and I would order fried green tomatoes at Po’folks.

Print Recipe

Fried Green Tomatoes (Cookie | June 2008)

• 4 large, firm green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil

Sprinkle the tomato slices with the salt and pepper; set aside.

Set up dredging station. Combine the cornmeal and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs.

Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/2 inch of oil, then place it over medium-high heat.

Dredge the tomato slices in the egg and then the cornmeal mixture.

Fry as many tomatoes as fit comfortably without crowding the pan, until nicely browned, about 2 minutes a side.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter to drain. Repeat until all the tomatoes are cooked.

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts

It’s hot outside and after roasting a pork shoulder earlier this week at 1 million degrees, I felt like something with no heat required would be best.   Not to mention, many of you have zucchini coming out your ears this time of the year. 

When Obed asked me what was for dinner yesterday and I told him that he was grilling chicken and I was making a zucchini salad he was not super excited.  He didn’t have a problem with grilling the chicken, he was “poo, pooing” the idea of a zucchini salad.   I don’t think salad is in Obed’s vocabulary.

This is one of the simplest and refreshing salads that you can make.  That is my opinion anyway….whatever that is worth.   

For my salad I used two zucchinis and one yellow squash.  Trim the ends off the vegetables and run a vegetable peeler from top to bottom, slicing them into ribbons.    When you start to see seeds stop and start slicing from the other side, leaving the core.

Place zucchini and squash ribbons in a bowl, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.  Which I didn’t do because I didn’t want to turn the oven on, but if you feel so inclined I encourage you to do so.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Cheese makes everything better…..right?

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.  If you are the more organized type, you may want to do the dressing first, but after a long hot day I was not organized nor I did know my name.

Toss everything together a TA-DA you have a wonderfully crisp and light salad to go with your husband’s grilling. 

Yes ladies if you want to grill, feel free.  I am all about equality.  I just believe that I have an equal right not to sweat like a dog in front of a hot grill when it is 102 outside…..I am just saying.

The jury (Obed, aka Spousal Figure) came back with a ruling on the salad and declared it good enough to moan, grunt and have seconds…..and then pout when it was all gone.

It really is a wonderful salad and a quick and easy side dish after a long day.  You can even add some diced chicken breast have it as your main dish. 

Print Recipe

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts  (adapted from Bon Appétit  | August 2010)

Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp dry rosemary, crushed

Salad

• 2 large zucchini, trimmed
• 1 large yellow squash, trimmed  (about 2 lbs total)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Small wedge of Parmesan cheese

Whisk together dressing ingrediants ina  small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside.

Using vegetable peeler and working from top to bottom of each zucchini, slice vegetables into ribbons.  Place ribbons in large bowl. Add nuts and parm then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional nuts and parm if desired.

Panzanella Salad

Now I present to you the final recipe of my Italian feast.  Mind you by this point my guest had arrived and I was trying to cook, entertain and photograph all at the same time.  Unfortunately due to my lacking skills in multitasking, step-by-step photos didn’t happen and may of them were blurred.   The good news is I didn’t burn myself, sever any fingers or accidentally poison my guest, so I think I did ok.

This was my first Pazanella Salad and why I deprived myself so long of this beautiful salad is beyond me.  I guess I always thought that it was just a salad with glorified croutons.  I was so wrong and I am so sorry.  *Stupid, stupid, stupid*

I made this salad with a day old loaf of homemade olive oil bread, but you don’t have to do that, a store bought French bread or boule will work just fine.  I just lucked out and happened to have some dough in the refrigerator.  Thanks to this wicked awesome cookbook!

This salad is everything you could ever want it to be, full of flavor, textures, color and simple….simple good!  Nothing complicated about this dish.  To make my life a wee bit easier I made the dressing and chopped the vegetables the night before.  When it was time to assemble I just toasted the bread in a cast iron skillet, combined everything and tossed.   I almost followed the recipe to a “T”, but I left out the capers and basil….only because I was distracted.     But it;s all good, it was still delicious and nutritious!

The salad was an instant hit and of course my guest were picking out their favorites.  Some liked more peppers, some liked more tomato. but everyone wanted more bread. 

The idea that a Panzanella is a salad with glorified crutons was so wrong.  Croutons are there just as a garnish but in a Panzanella the bread is the star.  It takes in all the flavor of the salad without getting soggy, it really is a wonderful salad.   Perfect for the summer and a better option than a heavy potato or pasta salad.

Print Recipe

Panzanella   (Barefoot Contessa. 2001)

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs capers, drained

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend

Porchetta Pork Roast

Back to my Italian Feast dinner party over the weekend.    Of course on Monday I had to start with dessert. Everyone likes dessert first. 

Most of the time when you think of cooking Italian for friends you immediatly think of making a pasta dish, that was the first thing that crossed my mind anyway.  But of course. me being me, I don’t like to do default, I like to try something different.  

This dish caught my eye because it reminded me of my Pernil but with Italian seasonings.  It was something I was very familiar and comfortable with but still something different and of course being a Puerto Rican gal pork will always have a special place in my heart.

First I had to get the rub all together.  Take 2 tablespoons of fennel seed and toast them in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly browned.  You don’t need to add any oil or anything to the skillet.

Now if you are up with technology and have a super-duper gadget kitchen, you just may have spice mill.  If you do add the fennel seed and all the other remaining spices and grind to a medium-fine consistencey but not powder. 

However if you don’t have a spice mill you first pump some iron and then use a motar and pestal. 

That is what I did.  It took some elbow grease and a little sweat of the brow, but I crushed it pretty good. 

If you do not have a spice mill or mortar and pestal you can pour all the spices into a reasealable plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin, crushing the spices.

It’s all about improvising people…you know channeling your inner McGuyver.

Place the pork in a glass baking dish.  Mince or press 6 garlic cloves and rub your pork on all sides with garlic and rub.    Do it evenly and don’t be shy, the pork likes the rub down….it told me so.  Don’t ask it was a weird day. :/

After the rub down loosely cover with wax paper and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees .  Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and transfer the pork fatty side up on to the baking sheet.  Drizzle the pork with olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven tempurture to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 3 hours and 15 minutes or until the pork is tender and a thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190 degrees. 

Pull the pork roast out of the oven and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. 

Before slicing take a moment to smell the intoxicating aroma and appreciate the beautiful crust on this succulant piece of meat.  Mmmmm!

This roast did not disappoint me or my guest.  It smelled incrediable and it was so tender that the meat just fell apart when Obed cut into it.  My favorite part was the crust…..the crust was to die for!

The bonus…we had leftovers that made some awesome sandwiches and pasta later in the week.

 

Print Recipe

Porchetta Roast Pork  (Bon Appétit  | June 2010)

• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 5 1/2- to 6-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).  If you do not have a spice mill you can also use a mortar and pestal or place all the seasonings in a resealable plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin, crushing the spices.

Place the pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork and coat with spice mixture on all sides. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Thinly slice roast.

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