Pasta Alfredo with Meatballs

If you follow me regularly you know that my little website had a wee bit of a melt down.  Thanks for putting up with me.  :D  It was very upsetting to wake up one morning and find out that your content has been “deleted” when you didn’t delete it.  Turned out my domain had expired, so you all were being forwarded to an old site of mine that I had deleted.  But all is well now in Nosheryville and we can continue on with our regularly scheduled cooking program.

This dish came together because it is the end of the week and I am running low on groceries.  I had a pound of ground beef I had defrosted and the only thing I could think of at the time was to make some meatballs but I didn’t feel like your typical red spagetti sauce.  Not too long ago Smitten Kitchen posted baked rigatoni with tiny meatballs and it gave me the idea to do meatballs in alfredo.  I know that beef is traditionally suppose to go with red sauce but I didn’t feel like it yesterday and it is my kitchen and I can do what I want to….or is it my party and I can do what I want to?  Either day I can do what I want.

Add the beef, milk, panko, garlic, Italian seasoning, grated cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until they are evenly mixed.

Pinch off a small lump of meat, and roll the lump into a ball in the palm of your hands. (I used a cooking scoop and then divided the scooped mixture in half.)

Dust a cookie sheet with flour and place rolled meatballs on baking sheet (yes I know I forgot to dust the baking sheet, work with me people.)   Using a strainer or sifter dust the meatballs with flour.

Shake the pan back and forth, rolling the meatballs with the flour.

Place the meatballs a few at a time, in a strainer and shake to remove excess flour.

Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4-inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around.

When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels or a cooling grid to drain and do the next batch until all are done.  Place in oven a lowest possible temperature to keep warm.

At this point bring a large pot of water to boil to cook your pasta. While the pasta cooks, in large saucepan at medium heat combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and heavy cream, garlic; stirring constantly until smooth.

Once the sauce is smooth lower the heat and continue to stir until pasta is ready.  If you think the sauce it too thick you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Add pasta and as many meatballs as you want to the pan.  I had extra meatballs so I froze them for another occasion.

Toss until pasta and meatballs are well coated, serve immediately.

Yes, it can be a pain sometimes to make and form meatballs, but you would be surprised how easily these come together and I would say that these are an easy weeknight meal.  The sauce is also a lifesaver it super easy to toss together and tasty to boot.    I admit I have tried to make alfredo the traditional way before but I have a tendency to curdle the milk, so this is a much easier and fool proof option.  Of course if you want you can use these same meatballs for a traditional spaghetti and meatballs and the sauce for a chicken alfredo.  See you too can be like me and do what you want too.

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Pasta Alfredo with Meatballs

Meatballs (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 pound ground beef (or pork, or lamb, or a mix of the three)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 cloved garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan)
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Black pepper in a grinder
• 1 cup flour, spread on a plate
• Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

• 4 ounces Cream cheese, cut in bits
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup Butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 8 ounces (dry) Fettuccine, prepared according to package directions

Meatballs

Add the pork, milk, panko, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until they are evenly mixed.

Dust a cookie sheet with flour . Pinch off a small lump of meat, and roll the lump into a ball in the palm of your hands. (I used a cooking scoop and then divided the scooped mixture in half.)  When all the meatballs have been shaped, place them on baking sheet. (Yes, I know I forgot to dust the baking sheet, work with me people.)   Using a strainer dust the meatballs with flour. Shake the baking sheet back and forth, rolling the meatballs with the flour. Place a few meatballs at a time in the strainer and shake to remove excess flour.

Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4-inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around. When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels to drain and do the next batch until all are done.

Sauce & Pasta

At this point bring a large pot of water to boil to cook your pasta. While the pasta cook, in large saucepan at medium heat combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and heavy cream, garlic; stirring constantly until smooth.  Once the sauce is smooth lower the heat and continue to stir until pasta is ready.  If you think the sauce it too thick you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Add pasta and as many meatballs as you want to the pan.  I had extra meatballs so I froze them for another occasion. Toss until pasta and meatballs are well coated, serve immediately.

Chillo en Escabeche (Red Snapper in Escabeche Sauce)

When I was in my first year of college in Puerto Rico, I was usually done with classes by noon.  After English Lit my friends and I would sometimes pile up into our cars and head out to the beach in Luquillo.

We would first make a stop at the kiosks that lined the street in front of the beach for lunch.  They have a huge variety of fresh food, deep fried goodies and fresh fish at prices that were friendly enough for the college poor.  One of the things I loved and still to this day was anything in escabeche sauce.

Escabeche sauce is almost like a pickling sauce and has a great sweet/vinegary taste to it.  It is more on the oily side then the vinegar side, but I am confident you will love it.  The great thing is that if your not a fan of fish, no problem you can still enjoy this sauce.  This sauce is for marinating seafood as a main dish or yucca and green bananas as a side dish. They all turn out equally delicious.  I love, love, love escabeche.

Combine all the ingredients for escabeche sauce in a large pot and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from stove and allow to cool completely.

Rinse snapper and give it a pat on the back with a paper towel.  Huh?  Pat it dry with a paper towel.

Score the fish using a serrated knife.  Season on both sides with adobo and lemon juice.

Meanwhile back at the stove…..

Heat skillet with vegetable oil and fry garlic until golden brown, remove garlic.

Dredge snapper in corn starch evenly on both sides and dust of excess.

Fry the fish…that’s pretty simple.

Fry it on both sides until a crispy golden brown.

Pour half of the sauce into a deep dish, place fish on sauce and pour remaining sauce over it.

Let cool and marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours.  Remove from fridge and allow to come to almost room temperature, serve with rice or boiled roots like yucca, salted and drizzled with olive oil .

The bonus is that this is a great plan ahead meal.  Make it before a busy day and all you have to do is pull it out of the fridge and it is ready for dinner.

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Chillo en Escabeche (Red Snapper en Escabeche)

Escabeche Sauce:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 6 o 7 grains pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 lbs. onions sliced
• 1/4 cup pimientos or diced red pepper
• 1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives

Fish and frying ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. red snapper (about 4 fillets)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Goya Adobo with pepper
• corn starch
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

Combine the ingredients for the escabeche sauce. Simmer 45 minutes. Let chill.

Clean the fish and sprinkle with salt and lemon. Dredge fish with corn starch. Heat a pan with oil and fry garlic until golden brown, remove garlic and fry fish until brown/gold on both sides.

Pour the escabeche sauce into a deep glass dish and place fish slices over sauce. Cover with more sauce. Follow the same instructions with all the slices.

Let cool, refrigerate 24 hours.  Serve cold.

*Be sure to use a glass dish and not metal or plastic as the vinegar may react with metal or plastic.

Pioneer Woman’s Pizza Crust

There is a battle going down in this house over pizza and the “appropriate” toppings.  I like bianca pizzas with veggies, stinky cheeses, onions and ham, the spousal figure insist that pizza must be slathered in sauce and cheese and covered with and obscene array of meats, no vegetables are to make an appearance on his pizza.  Lets just say that we don’t see eye to eye when it comes to pizza.

This pizza was an attempt to come to a happy medium but he still picked the tomatoes off the pizza. *sigh*  However we both agreed that this was a fan-tabulos crust.

Another bonus about this recipe is that it makes two pizza crust so you can make one and freeze the other one for later.  This way you always have homemade pizza dough on hand.  You will almost never have to buy store bought pizza dough again and after trying this dough you probably never will.

Let’s a make-a pizza!

FYI, no fancy tossing of dough occurred during the making of this pizza.  It would have just ended up on the floor or on my head.

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with dough hook attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour.

Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until forms into a ball.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, toss to coat dough in olive oil, ten cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in warm place to rise 1 to 2 hours.

After dough has risen, divide in half. When ready to use dough preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet.

Using your hands stretch the dough to your desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan.  I then drizzled the dough with olive oil and sprinkled Italian seasoning and minced garlic over top, instead of your typical pizza sauce.

Lay the desired topping over the dough, I went with bacon, Italian Sausage, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.

I even got the bonus of a crust bubble.  I love crust bubbles!

Look how crisp and golden this crust looks!  It was absolutely delicious and so easy to put together. I may never buy store bought pizza crust again.

The pizza was done way before Obed got home from work and it took every fiber in my body not to eat the whole thing.  I totally contemplated eating the entire pizza, discarding all the evidence and just making him a sandwich or something.  But that is not the loving wife thing to do…..is it?

This crust is crispy and practically buttery. No soggy crust issues here. You know you want some!

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Pioneer Woman’s Pizza Crust (2 crusts) (The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with dough hook attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until forms into a ball.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, toss to coat dough in olive oil, ten cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in warm place to rise 1 to 2 hours.

After dough has risen, divide in half. When ready to use dough preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet.

Using your hands stretch the dough to your desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan.

Lay the desired topping over the dough and bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.

The remaining dough can wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 6 months.

Pollo Sofrito

Yesterday I got some good news.  My camera should be home in 1.5 weeks!  Although this little point-and-shoot has gotten me through the last few weeks and has a great macro lens, I will be happy to have my camera home where it belongs.  It was in fact a bad shutter and it is a $178 repair but I don’t care.  She is coming home!  It’s like the prodigal son….well daughter, because my camera is a girl.  :D   I am even more excited because right before my camera got sick I had bought a new 50 mm F/1.8 lens and have yet had a chance to give it a try.

Enough rambling about my camera let’s move on to the food.

I thought I would share one of my go to, easy, no fuss, no muss dinner options.  I call it pollo sofrito because all I use basically is chicken and sofrito.  I love dinners that come together will minimal ingredients, minimal effort and requires minimal hovering over the stove.  This qualifies as one of those dinners.   I used 5 chicken thighs because that is how I roll, but you can use any cut you want.

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.  Remove the skin from your chicken and season with my personal favorite magical seasoning, Goya Adobo.   I usually eyeball it, I would guesstimate about 1 Tbs, which was 4 – 5 circles over the chicken.

Whisk together, 4 Tbs of sofrito, 3 Tbs of olive oil and 1 Tbs of distilled white vinegar.

Heat a skillet at medium-high heat, lightly brush chicken with sofrito mix and brown chicken in skillet in batches, about 5 minutes.  Transfer browned chicken to glass baking dish.

When done browning chicken, deglaze the skillet with 3 Tbs of choice of broth, beer or white wine.  Be sure to scrap up all the yummy brown bits.

Pour broth with yummy browned bits over chicken.

Generously brush chicken with remaining sofrito mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clean, basting periodically.

This is a delicious, juicy and flavorful chicken.  I serve this chicken with rice or rice and beans and some fried plantains.  DE-LISH!

This is suck the bone clean chicken, which is even better then finger licking chicken and it is easy!  Who doesn’t like that?!

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Pollo Sofrito

• 5 chicken thighs
• 1 Tbs Adobo
• 4 Tbs sofrito
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
• 3 tbs of chicken broth (or any liquid of choice)

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees. Remove the skin from your chicken and season with my personal favorite magical seasoning, Goya Adobo. I usually eyeball it, I would guesstimate about 1 Tbs, which was 4 – 5 circles over the chicken.

Whisk together, 4 Tbs of sofrito, 3 Tbs of olive oil and 1 Tbs of distilled white vinegar.

Heat a skillet at medium-high heat, lightly brush chicken with sofrito mix and brown chicken in skillet in batches, about 5 minutes. Transfer browned chicken to glass baking dish.

When done browning chicken, deglaze the skillet with 3 Tbs of choice of broth, beer or white wine. Be sure to scrap up all the yummy brown bits.

Pour broth with yummy browned bits over chicken.

Generously brush chicken with remaining sofrito mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clean, basting periodically.

Serve this chicken with rice or rice and beans and some fried plantains.

Me Make-a Lasagna

I do jumping jacks…

I do squats….

I lift dumbells until my arms become lasagna noodles…..

Then I come home and make a delicious, meaty, cheesy lasagna.

This may seem counter productive, but I torture myself so I can have a slice of this yummy lasagna.  I do however refrain from eating the entire pan.  I think we all can agree that Italian food is one of the most comforting foods.  In my opinion no meal gives you a bigger hug then a saucy, cheesy lasagna.

I have been wanting to make a lasagna for a while now and I have had the noodles sitting in my pantry for at least 2 months.  I finally got around to it after enduring 2 tortuous weeks of fitness boot camp.  Don’t get me wrong I enjoy being tortured 3 times a week at 5:30 am…..really I do.

No seriously…..I do. I feel great!  No pain, no gain….right?

I cannot express how much I love a saucy, cheesy lasagna and this one did the trick.  The original recipe called for carrots and brown sugar, but I thought that would give it a sweetness that I don’t usually associate with lasagna.  I am all about savory and cheesy when it comes to lasagna.

I made this lasagna in a 9×9 pan because there are only two of us and I thought a 13×9 would be a little much.  If you want to do a family size 13×9, I would use 15 noodles and double the sauce and cheese mixture.  Also when baking the lasagna place a baking sheet under it because the sauce and cheese may bubble over.

Mmmmm cheesy, meaty, saucy….need I say more?

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Three Cheese Lasagna (adapted from Bon Appetit – March 1997)

SAUCE

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces lean ground beef
• 6 ounces mild or spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
• 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper

LASAGNA

• 12 lasagna noodles (you will have to trim the noodles for 9×9 pan)
• 1 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 large eggs
• 2 cups finely grated mozzarella

SAUCE:

Heat oil in large heavy pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 12 minutes. Add beef and sausages to pan; sauté until cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool.

LASAGNA:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water.

Combine ricotta and Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in egg.

Drain pasta and pat dry. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 9×9-inch glass baking dish. Place 4 noodles over sauce, overlapping and trimming to fit. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture. Spoon half of the sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick). Repeat layering with 4 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 1 cups mozzarella and sauce. Repeat and top off with extra shredded cheese and fresh basil. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine

It has been so long….I feel as though it has been an eternity since I last posted.  I am still waiting word from Canon about what exactly is wrong with my camera and when will I be getting it back.   But I must forage on and I got my hands on a decent small point and shoot.  It is nothing like my camera but it will have to do for now.

Yesterday I had, what I guess you would call…. cooker’s block?  I had no clue what to make for dinner so I started to thumb through the flagged pages of my Bon Appetit issues.  I came upon this recipe and realized that I had everything I needed to make it. What are the odds of that?  Moroccan meatballs and some homemade pita bread sounded good to me.

Be prepared to cry when making this….not because of it’s beauty and deliciousness although you may cry for that reason….but because you will be chopping 3 1/2 cups of onions and grating 1/3 cup of onions.  At one point I thought my eyes were melting, but of course it was just me being dramatic again…my eyes were fine.

If you look closely at the ingredient list almost all items are things that you would already have in your pantry.  Who would think that you could possibly have a Moroccan dish hanging out in your pantry?  Your pantry is probably more international then you would imagine with the additions of a few items here and there.

You may also want to consider wearing gloves when forming your meatballs.  The saffron and tumeric give you hands and nails a yellow ting giving you a nice authentic jaundice yellow look.  It’s really not cute and a pain to get off.  I am a wee bit embaressed walking around with my jaundice fingernails.

I had never had Moroccan food before and really did not know exactly what to expect, but these meatballs were tender and flavorful.   The seasoning is warm, cozy and perfectly hearty for the cold winter weather.  The tummy was declared full and satisfied.

The original recipe had 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper but I cut it down to a 1/4 tsp.  It was warm without being spicy, I thought it was perfect.  It also suggested serving the meatballs with a lemon couscous but Obed and I are not fans of couscous so I made some pita bread instead.  I will share that recipe with you later.  :)  I had to make two other adjustments because I was missing a few things.  I was out of ground ginger so I grated some fresh ginger instead and I substituted the saffron for half a packet of sazon con achiote.

It worked out perfectly.  We loved it and I may just have to try some more Moroccan food in the future.

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Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine (adapted from Bon Appetit Jan/2010)

Meatballs:

• 1 pounds ground beef (20% fat)
• 1/3 cup coarsely grated onion
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

Stew:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 packet sazon con achiote
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 cups 1/2-inch-thick carrot slices (cut on diagonal)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnish
• 1 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves

Meatballs:

Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.

Stew:

Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté about 15 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and saffron; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring stew to simmer. Stir in carrots. Carefully add meatballs to stew; gently press into liquid to submerge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over. Cover pot; place in oven. Bake until meatballs are cooked through and carrots are tender, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle spinach over stew. Cover and bake until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes longer. Gently stir to mix in spinach, being careful not to break meatballs. Remove cinnamon sticks. Season tagine with salt and pepper. Spoon couscous into bowls; top with tagine. Garnish with cilantro and lemons.

Lamb Ragu

If anyone has been following my twitter feed you are well aware that my camera is sick and has been sent to Dr. Canon.  I cannot express how upset I was to send my camera off for repair.  I feel like I have lost an appendage.  Alas I have hope that it will return to me like new and we will be back to our old tricks again.  Unfortunately I have no back-up camera and this is hindering my posting process. 

I went digging through my photos to see if I had something that I hadn’t posted yet.  I found this lamb ragù which was delicious but I wasn’t happy with the photographs and thought I would re-shoot it in the future.  I had also made my first attempt at homemade pasta and over cooked it to the point that the noodles pretty much dissolved in your mouth.  It was not a good texture, it was mushy.  Rookie pasta making mistake….fresh pasta does not have to boil nearly as long as dry…duh!

Earlier in the week we were at Sam’s after a winter storm and all the meat was on sale including the lamb shanks.  For a long time Obed was reluctant to try lamb since he had tried it before an it was gamy, but he decided he was willing to give it another try.  I had been dying to make some kind of lamb dish so I jumped at the opportunity when I got the green light.

This ragù was simple to make and just requires time to braise.   I did add a few more veggies to the original recipe to give it a bit more heartiness since it was so cold and dismal outside.   I also used red wine instead of white wine because I had it on hand and I did not feel like trekking any further in the snow to get another bottle of wine.   Beside when cooking with red meat I almost always default to red as opposed to white wine.   Call me old fashion but I just think it makes more sense.

With minimal effort and a few hours later I had a beautiful and rich lamb ragù.   It was perfect and hearty and I killed it with mushy noodles.  I was so disappointed.   But I redeemed myself eventually.  I had some ragù left over so a few days later I boiled a pot of rigatoni, tossed it with the ragù, placed it in a baking dished, topped it with shredded mozzarellaand baked it at 350 for about 25 minutes or until the cheese was melted and bubbly.  It was a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  Obed was pleasantly surprised by the lamb and was successfully converted.  He gobbled up every bit of the non-mush noodle version. 

Although my noodles were a sad and mushy failure, the ragù was a success and it was vindicated when paired with properly cooked noodles and delicious melted cheese.  This is a great dish for the weekend or if you are stuck indoors surrounded by snow.  If you were are like Obed and have an aversion to lamb you can easily substitute it with beef tips or even maybe some yummy short ribs.

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Lamb Ragù (adapted from Bon Appetit Nov 1998)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 lamb shanks (each about 3/4 pound)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 pound small button mushrooms, halved
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in purée
• 1 1/4 pounds rigatoni pasta

Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over high heat. Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Add to pot and brown on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer lamb shanks to platter. Add onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary and crushed red pepper to pot and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Return lamb to pot. Add wine and boil until liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add 3 cups beef stock and tomatoes to pot; return to boil.

Cover pot, transfer to oven and bake until lamb is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Using tongs, transfer lamb to large bowl. Cool 10 minutes. Cut meat off bones into generous 1/2-inch pieces (discard bones). Return meat to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold; cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Transfer pasta to large serving bowl. Spoon sauce over pasta. Serve, passing Parmesan cheese separately.

Carnitas

Let’s make taco night a special night.  Bypass the gritty ground beef with the taco seasoning envelope and those stale taco shells, that break when you bite into them ultimately spilling taco juice all over your white shirt.  Because that is usually how it works doesn’t it? 

The great thing about these tacos is that they can come together as easily as the other tacos with the use of a slowcooker.  Contrary to popular belief a slowcooker is just for pot roast.  Don’t stereotype the slowcooker, it can do some pretty cool things. 

First you need a 3 lbs pork shoulder (butt) cut into cubes.  To make your life easier get your hands on a boneless one if you can.

Juice 2 large oranges and you should have about 3/4 cup of orange juice.

Then squeeze the juice out of 1/2 a lime.  Reserve the rest of the lime for garnish later. 

You will also need to mince 7 cloves of garlic and chop 1/4 cup of cilantro. Which I did photograph but it was horribly blurry so lets just pretend there is a picture of minced garlic and cilantro below.

In the slowcooker combine all the ingredients, pork, juices, garlic, cumin, salt, cilantro and stock.

Give it a good stir and try to arrange all the pork into a single layer at the bottom of the pot.

Cover and set on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon.  Heat a stainless steel or aluminum pan with 2 Tbs of olive oil.  Using a slotted spoon transfer the pork from the pot to the pan in batches.  Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it.   

Do not crowd the pan with pork for best results.   If you like you can deglaze the pan with about 3 tbs of beer per batch and cook till evaporated.

Fill flour or corn tortillas with pork  and garnish with chopped onion, avocado, fresh cilantro and a lemon wedge.

Here is to redefining taco night!  Trust me your family will love it and it just as easy to make as its predecessor.   The pork is tender and flavorful with all the savory elements of an authentic taco at a stand taco.

I admit there was a time that I left my slowcooker in the corner collecting dust because I thought it was just a glorified pot roast cooker, but I was so wrong.  The slowcooker can produce culinary genius if used to its fullest potential. 

Here are a few more slow cooker recipes on The Noshery:  Ropa Vieja con Arepas - Slow Cooke Puerto Rican Pork (Pernil - Pollo Fricase (Chicken in Wine Sauce)

If you like reserve 3 cups of the pork and it’s juices for a great Posole soup, which I will be posting before the end of the week.

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Carnitas (adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen)

See notes before starting this dish.

• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup of chicken or beef stock
• 1 Mexican beer (optional)

In a slowcooker combine all ingredients and stir.    Arrange the pork so it sits as a single layer at the bottom of the pot.  Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon.  Heat a stainless steel or aluminum pan with 2 Tbs of olive oil.  Using a slotted spoon transfer the pork from the pot to the pan in batches.  Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it.   Do not crowd the pan with pork for best results.  

If you like you can deglaze the pan with about 3 tbs of beer per batch and cook till evaporated.

Serve on tortillas garnished with chopped onions, avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedge.

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*Notes:  I did not brown the pork before putting it into the slowcooker and I think I should have.   I suggest seasoning the pork with the cumin and salt and browning it before putting it into the slowcooker. However I have not tired it which is why I did not add this to the actual recipe.

If you don’t have a slow cooker you can do it stove top by combining all ingredients in a dutch oven or large heavy pot.  Arrange the pork so it sits as a single layer at the bottom of the pot.  Bring mixture to a boil and cover loosely.  Allow meat to simmer until tender and liquid is evaporated, about 3 – 4 hours.  If liquid evaporates and the pork in not yet fork tender, add more liquid and continue to simmer.  Spoon pork with rendered fat into hot pan and continue recipe.

If you choose the slowcooker method you will have some juices in the pot when the pork is done.  Strain this juice and reserve with 3 cups of pork  for Posole soup.

Rum Glazed Cornish Hens Stuffed with Sweet Plantains

This Christmas Obed and I spent our first Christmas alone…..well really our second Christmas, since we spent our first Christmas in the hospital.  Last year I was hospitalized on Christmas Eve with chest pains.  Turn out it was a pulmonary embolism, in laymen’s term….I had a clot in my lung. FUN!   Let me tell you that sucker hurt, but the doctor’s were kind and pumped me full of drugs.   The hypothosis was that the clot was brough on by the “I don’t want to get knock-up pills” that I had started taking 30 days, to the day, prior.   Obed and I got to spend our very first Christmas as a married couple in the hospital opening presents.  Although we did have quite a parade of friends and family come to visit.  No worries though, everything is back to normal, clot gone and treatment done.

So I consider this Christmas our first “real” Christmas, since we managed to stay out of the hospital this year and actually open presents under the Christmas tree, but it was our first Christmas away from family.  I wanted to make it a little special so I thought I would get “down-home” and a little “fancy” with some Cornish hens.  Although we were far from family and friends this year, it beats last year’s Christmas without a doubt and it was a white Christmas to boot. 

Let’s cook shall we……

In a blender combine garlic, onion, orange juice and lime juice with seasons sugar, cumin, oregano, lemon-pepper, black pepper, salt and cilantro.  Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and blend until smooth.

Divide marinade and marinate Cornish hens in large Ziploc bags for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.  Trim the ends of the ripe plantains and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until skins are dark and begin to split. 

The plantain will also push out the ends.  Remove from oven and cool.  Once cool enough to handle, peel plantains, slice and place in a medium bowl.

Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, garlic and rum in a small bowl.  Add 3 tbs of the butter rum mixture to the plantains.  Using a fork or potato masher, mash the plantains and set aside. 

Try not to eat them straight out of the bowl….you will be tempted.

Turn oven up to 400 degrees.

Remove Cornish hens from marinade and pat dry.  (Advisory:  This is a photo before marinating.  I forgot to take a photos after marinating….oops.)

I will confess that I thought these were so funny and cute I held them up by the wings, sang a little song and made them dance.  I was sure to call Obed over to watch.   He asked if I had taken any medication. 

Now brace yourself, this is when it starts to get frisky.

Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the hen, season the hens under the skin and inside the cavity with salt and pepper, then rub the butter rum glaze under the skin and in the cavity.   Reserved half of the butter rum mixture for basting.

Loosely fill the cavities of the hens with mashed sweet plantains.  Tie up the legs with roasting twine.  (I was out so I used sewing thread….shhhhh…don’t tell)

Place in a roasting rack or pan and generously brush the skin of the hens with butter rum glaze.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hours, basting periodically with butter rum glaze and drippings, or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees.

Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes.

This chicken was fantastico!  I got many praises and grunts from the spousal figure.  He even took the bones of my plate and sucked them clean.  I know that sounds  a little gross, but well….whatever.

The chicken was tender and juicy, full of flavor and the glaze gave it a hint of sweetness.  You can easily do this same recipe substituting the hens for a whole chicken if you like. 

My favorite part were the sweet plantains.  They soaked in all the flavor of the chicken and were absolutely divine.  I will be making this again without a doubt.

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Rum Glazed Cornish Hens Stuffed with Sweet Plantains

Mojo Marinade

This marinade can also be used for steaks, pork and fish minus the sugar.

• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbs of sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano flakes
• 1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup olive oil

In a blender combine garlic, onion, orange juice and lime juice with seasons sugar, cumin, oregano, lemon-pepper, black pepper, salt and cilantro.  Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and blend until smooth.

Divide marinade and marinate Cornish hens in large Ziploc bags for 2 hours or overnight.

Cornish Hens

• 2 3 lb Cornish Hens
• 3 large ripe plantains
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 3 1/2 tbs of brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup of dark rum (I use Captain Morgan Spiced Rum)
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or with a silicon mat.  Trim the ends of the ripe plantains and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until skins are dark.  The plantain will also push out the ends.  Remove from oven and cool.  Once cool enough to handle, peel plantains, slice and place in a medium bowl. 

Whisk together butter, brown sugar, garlic and rum in a small bowl.  Add 3 tbs of the butter rum mixture to the plantains.  Using a fork or potato masher, mash the plantains and set aside.

Turn oven up to 400 degrees.

Remove Cornish hens from marinade and pat dry.  Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the hen, season the hens under the skin and inside the cavity with salt and pepper, then rub the butter rum glaze under the skin and in the cavity.   Reserved half of the butter rum mixture for glazing.

Loosely fill the cavities of the hens with mashed sweet plantains.  Tie up the legs with roasting twine.  Place in a roasting rack and generously brush the skin of the hens with butter rum glaze.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hours, basting periodically with butter rum glaze and drippings, or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees.  (If skin begins to brown before hens are ready tent with aluminum foil.) Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes.

Serving suggestion :  Arroz con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)

Cuban Sandwich

I hope and trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and is slowly recovering from any turkey overdoses.   Obed and I headed east to Arkansas to spend our Thanksgiving weekend with old friends, we were very grateful for the invitation.  However since Thanksgiving was in another state for us, we have no turkey leftovers.  But I did have some leftovers of my Slow-Cooked Puerto Rican Pork (Pernil)  from an office pot luck on Tuesday.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving leftovers I figured I would show you how to assemble a traditional Cuban sandwich.

Cuban sandwiches are one of my favorite sandwiches.  When I was in high school back home in Puerto Rico I would go to this bakery called “Facciola” that served the best Cuban sandwich I have had to date.  I have seen different variations and twists on the Cuban sandwich but this is how you make a traditional Cuban sandwich.

Supplies needed, crispy crust bread, ham, pernil, Swiss, mayo, mustard and pickles.  A Cuban is not really a Cuban without these essential items. 

If you have any sort of aversion to mayo I recommend you look away. First slice your crispy bread and lay on the mayo….don’t be shy. 

Then spread on some yellow mustard. 

Every true Cuban sandwich I have ever had has Swiss cheese, not cheddar…not American…but Swiss cheese. 

 The most important and delicious, some out of focus/blurry left over pernil.

Top it off with a few slices of deli cut ham and; 

 don’t forget the pickles, I use sweet butter pickles.  It’s really not a Cuban if it doesn’t have pickles.  Obed always leaves out the pickles, so I call him a traitor.

Once you have all your goodies stuffed between two crispy slices of bread, lay it on a hot sandwich press brushed with melted butter.  Brush the top of the sandwich with butter also.

 Aaaaand press for 1 -2 minutes, then turn the sandwich and press again.  This way you get an evenly flat sandwich.

Aaaaah delicious beauty is before you!  Not to mention my favorite sandwich of all time.  

This is a great way to make use of your pernil leftovers and if you happen to be one of those that decided to smoke your turkey this Thanksgiving, I think that would make a pretty good sub for the pork.  This sandwich produced quite a few odd moans and grunts from Obed so it was definitely a hit.

I did make the bread fresh using ”Artisan Bread in 5 Mins a Day” Master Recipe: Boule shaped into a Batard, which is like a baguette rolled 3 inches in diameter.  Baked at 450 degrees for 30 minutes with a baking pan filled with 1 cup of water on the bottom rack to create steam, and make a perfect crust.

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Cuban Sandwich

• Crispy crust bread loaf
• Pernil leftovers
• Swiss cheese
• ham
• yellow mustard
• mayonnaise
• sweet butter pickles

Heat sandwich press.

Slices bread to desired length, spread with mayonnaise and yellow mustard.    Stack Swiss cheese, pernil, ham and pickles, top with bread.

Brush sandwich press with melted butter, place sandwich on press and brush with butter.  Press for 1 – 2 minutes, until cheese begins to melt, then turn and press for another 1 -2 minutes. 

Enjoy hot off the press.  

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