Honey Yogurt Squash Puree

On its own, this butternut squash puree is pretty awesome! But combining it with something spicy sent it into another orbit! The something spicy I used this time around were sauteed onions with picante smoked paprika…served them with a couple of lamb chops squeezed in the middle.

But let’s talk about the puree. Peel, deseed, and cut a butternut squash into one-inch chunks, toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 until very tender. You could boil it, but roasting really brings out the flavor of the squash.

Once it’s cool enough, mash or throw it into the food processor with a couple of tablespoons of honey. The amount of yogurt depends on how thick both your puree and yogurt are, but I would say you should add at least a few tablespoons. Once you’ve got your desired consistency, salt and pepper to taste and reheat in a Teflon pan when you’re ready to serve.

Salsa Verde Smothered Pork Chops

I love my condiments, especially when you want dinner on the table in fifteen minutes...but you want it to taste like you spent an hour.

Salt and pepper the pork chops and place in a hot pan with just a dab of oil to help kickstart the browning. Give them less than a minute on each side then turn down the heat to low. Add a cup of salsa verde, flip the chops a couple of times to coat with the salsa, then cover the pan and let simmer.

Depending on the thickness, they’ll be done in anywhere from two to five minutes. Serve with the salsa verde spooned over the top.

Honey Lime Red Cabbage Salad

This honey lime dressing made for a tangy cabbage salad, but it would work just as well on spinach, kale, or roast veggies.

In a jar with a lid, combine the juice from two limes, two tablespoons of honey, a third to a half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of Dijon, a half a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a quarter teaspoon each of black pepper and cumin.  It’s the cumin that really takes it over the top.

Shake vigorously, taste for salt, then toss with the red cabbage. I didn’t have any on hand, but some chopped scallion or cilantro would have been great.

Taiwanese Chicken

This dish is a winner!  Unbelievably delicious…so much bang for the buck. Can’t wait to make it again.

With just a small splash of vegetable oil, lightly brown two pounds of bone in chicken thighs or legs in a large heavy pot and set aside. Add a third of a cup of sesame oil, six to eight peeled whole garlic cloves, five scallions cut into one-inch pieces, a 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8” slices, and three halved small Thai red chiles…one if you’re not a fan of spicy. Leave on medium heat for three to four minutes.

Return the chicken to the pot along with any juices that accumulated, a cup of sake or dry white wine, half a cup of soy sauce, and two tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil then quickly reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Set the chicken aside and lightly boil the sauce until it’s a syrupy consistency, shouldn’t take long. Turn off the heat, stir in a few forkfuls of jarred Thai basil leaves, return the chicken to the pot for a few minutes and serve with some rice.

Garlic Scallion Edamame

Shelled edamame are one of my freezer staples. They’re so incredibly versatile, I use them in salads, soups, pastas, curries, stir fries, or simply sauteed as a veggie side dish. In fact, sautéed edamame are one of my go to sides on those, not in the mood to cook, kind of evenings.

They don’t require any prep, just remember to pull them out of the freezer a couple of hours before dinner. And even if you forget, you can put them in a strainer and run them under some warm water to defrost quickly.

Unlike most sauteed vegetables which I do at high heat, I do edamame a little differently. I start with a generous pour of olive oil in a large sauté pan and a couple of minced garlic cloves over low heat to let the garlic impart its flavor into the oil.

Then, after a few minutes I turn up the heat to medium low, add the edamame, a couple of chopped scallions, some salt and pepper, and cook for five minutes and done.

The Best Chili Ever

Bacon, coffee, and beer are amazing on their own, but would you ever think of putting them all in your chili? I gave it a try, and I’ll never make chili any other way again.

Over a medium flame, use a pair of tongs to char two large poblano peppers on one of your stove’s gas burners. Once they are completely blackened place them in a bowl and seal tightly with saran.  Wait ten minutes, remove the charred skin with your hands, deseed, cut into one-inch pieces, then set aside.

In a large pot, lightly brown two pounds of ground beef then remove and set aside. Add a third of a pound of diced bacon and a large chopped onion to the pot, sauté for ten minutes or until the onion starts to brown.

Add a can of tomato paste, a tablespoon of cumin powder, two tablespoons of chili powder, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, two minced garlic cloves, two chopped jalapeno peppers, and three finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Stir often and adjust the heat if necessary to ensure the spices don’t burn.

After a couple of minutes, return the ground beef to the pot along with three14oz. cans of diced tomatoes, a large cup of strong coffee, six cups of chicken stock, and a 12 oz. beer of your choice. Cover, bring to a quick boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for an hour.

Rinse three cans of black or pinto beans in a strainer, stir into the chili with the poblano pepper pieces and simmer for another hour covered.

If it’s too soupy after it’s finished cooking, continue to simmer uncovered until it reduces to your desired thickness.  Salt to taste.

Gochujang Glazed Salmon

Tired of the same old broiled salmon? Create a dinner that’s restaurant worthy, it only takes an extra ten minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400, then, in a small bowl stir together three tablespoons of gochujang paste, half a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, and a tablespoon each of sesame oil, honey, and rice wine vinegar.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with just few drops of vegetable oil. Salt and pepper your salmon filet and set it in the pan skin side up. Wait two minutes, flip, brush the glaze over the top, cook for another minute, then pop it into the oven for 10 to 15 more depending on how you like it cooked.

Gravy

January is all about comfort food, and gravy makes most anything way more comfy. Pour some over pork cutlets, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, biscuits…the list goes on and on.

Gravy comes down to two things, a stock and a roux. As far as a stock goes, I use Better Than Bouillon chicken, beef, vegetable, or mushroom base, all available locally. If you are roasting chicken or beef, you can add the drippings as well. Whichever stock flavor you use, it’s best to dissolve the base in hot water beforehand and set aside to cool slightly while you’re making the roux.

The roux is what will thicken the stock into a gravy, it’s simply equal parts butter and all-purpose flour. For four cups of stock, melt four tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan over medium to medium-low heat. Once melted, add four tablespoons of flour and let it cook for approximately ten minutes, whisking frequently. You’ll know it’s done when you get a faint smell of toast and the color starts to brown…but be careful not to let it burn.

When your roux is ready, add the pot of stock a ladle at a time, whisking as you go to keep it from getting lumpy. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes to let it fully thicken, salt and pepper to taste.

Easy Skillet Enchiladas

This is a great one for a New Year’s Eve gathering or some end of the season football!  Not only is it sure to please, but it can be prepped beforehand, and will soak up three times its weight in alcohol. These quantities are plenty for a group of four to five, double or triple as required.

In a small sauce pot, heat a can of enchilada sauce on low. You could add three to four finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but not a deal breaker if you don’t. Love those things!

While that’s simmering, sauté a large shopped onion for five minutes over medium heat in a large sauté or straight sided pan. Add a pound of ground beef, a half a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder. Once the meat is browned, if you’re using black beans or corn, now’s the time to stir them in. 

Next, pour in the enchilada sauce along with 12 corn tortillas cut into bite size pieces. Stir well, cover, and leave on low heat for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.

To finish, spread two cups of shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese and a chopped scallion over the top, then either remove from the heat and cover, or place uncovered in a 350 oven until the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite salsa, and/or sour cream.

Cheers to 2022!

Shrimp with Parsley Lemon Pesto

I honestly can’t say enough about the importance of a quality food processor, it’s a life changer in the kitchen. I’ve had the same one for nearly 30 years, with a couple of replacement parts, and use it at least twice a week. Treat yourself this holiday season, it’s one of the easiest ways to elevate your cooking.

One of the things I use mine most for are “pestos.” They aren’t all technically pestos, but almost always include some garlic, greens, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. For this shrimp appetizer, I used a chopped bunch of parsley, stems and all, and a handful of spinach.

I always start by finely pulsing a coarsely chopped garlic clove with a sprinkle of kosher salt. Next in goes the greens, then, with the food processor running I drizzle in the olive oil until I’ve reached the desired thickness and consistency. It usually takes around a quarter of a cup.

For this parsley lemon pesto, I squeezed in the juice from a quarter of a lemon along with the greens. And no matter the ingredients,” basil, arugula, cilantro, parmesan, or a splash of vinegar, you always have to taste for salt before unplugging your processor.

Anchovy Olive Skewers

These anchovy olive skewers, or Pinchos Gilda as they’re called in Spain, are the perfect nibble along side a holiday cocktail. There are many variations, but all include a pitted manzanilla olive, an anchovy, and a hot pickled pepper.

They go together quickly, and can be made hours ahead of time. If you can’t find plain manzanilla olives, the pimiento stuffed ones will do. And for the peppers, the Matiz piparra are best…and you can find them at Mehuron’s. You could also use a pepperoncini, or for something less spicy, a dilly bean.

Start by wrapping an anchovy fillet around the olive then skewering it together with a toothpick. Slide the pepper up against the olive on one side, and a cube of Manchego cheese on the other. Done.

Cheers!

Steamed Cauliflower and Celery

Time for a cleanse before the next round of holiday indulgences begin. Steaming doesn’t have to be boring; a flavorful mix of vegetables and a tangy vinaigrette will liven up any dinner.

Start with the vinaigrette by combining the juice from one lemon, three times as much extra virgin olive oil, a small minced shallot, some finely chopped parsley, and a quarter teaspoon each of sugar, salt, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Next, cut a head of cauliflower into florets, and a couple stalks of celery into eighth-inch slices. Bring your water to a boil then add the vegetables to the steamer basket and cover. Cook until tender, about five minutes, but check after four by sticking a knife into the thickest part of a stem. You don’t want it to get too soft.

When it’s done, drain the hot water, let the vegetables sit for half a minute to drain, then toss them in a bowl with the vinaigrette.