Cuban Black Beans – Not Just for Ricky Ricardo

When Lucy Ricardo got in trouble in the I Love Lucy TV show, she might have less “splainin’ to do” if she’d softened up Ricky’s heart with this Cuban black beans and rice recipe. Sauteed vegetables, bacon, cumin, and chorizo, give these beans an authentic Cuban flavor. Serve them with plain white rice and lime wedges. You can add sour cream or hot sauce, if you want, but I don’t think they need much dressing up.

You’ll want to use dried, Spanish style chorizo in this dish, not the fresh Mexican kind. My local supermarket doesn’t carry it, but they do carry a chorizo sausage made by Colosimos, an excellent local sausage company. I cook it that up to use in place of the Spanish chorizo.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup minced cilantro. I like cilantro, but not enough to buy it. It has a kind of  “soapy” aftertaste to me, so I’ve substituted dried parsley.

Equipment Needed
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Garlic press (optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
Dutch oven or large pot.
Colander
Large spoon

Ingredients
2 slices bacon, cut into small peices
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound chorizo sausage, cooked or dried and cut into 1/2 pieces
2 cans (15 oz) blacks beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsely
Ground black pepper
Cooking oil

Directions
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the onions, bell pepper, cumin, and salt. Continue cooking until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, red pepper, and oregano. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the broth, bay leaves, beans, parsley, and sausage. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Spoon the beans over rice and squeeze a bit of lime juice over them.

Makes 8 servings.

Braised Pork with Colcannon for St. Patrick's Day

Unless you're Irish, Saint Patrick's day is mostly an excuse for drinking beer and wearing green. Come to think of it, that's pretty much what it's for if you are Irish. For a foodie, it's an excuse to eat Irish food. With that in mind, I'd like to share this recipe I found for a whiskey-braised pork shoulder with colcannon. Served with Irish soda bread, it should make a hearty supper.

Note: you can omit the whiskey if you want, replacing it with more broth. There isn't really a good substitute for whiskey in cooking.

Sauteed Pork with Mustard Sauce

Normally I'm not excited by a large cut of meat as the centerpiece for a meal. Don't get me wrong. I'm no vegetarian. Meat for meat's sake has just never been my style. Having said that, sometimes it's nice to to enjoy a simple cut of meat, pork in this case. In this case, simple means French cuisine.

Isn't “simple French cuisine” an oxymoron? Normally I would think so.

Sauces are a big deal in French cuisine, along with with herbs, cheese and wine. The idea of “mother sauces” is a core principle. Simple variations on the mother sauces create all kinds of wonderful dishes. The tradition of mother sauces has continued into modern times, and this recipe is no exception. It uses a mustard sauce, a simple variation on a basic cream sauce.

I think this dish works very well as a Sunday night dinner, because of it's nature. It would work equally well as a weeknight dish, though. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and doesn't dirty a lot of dishes in the preparation. It's a great example of a “one pot” dish. The pork is served with tomatoes to brighten the dish, but they aren't required.

Equipment Needed:
Meat tenderizer
Kitchen knife
Frying pan
Kitchen tongs (optional)

Ingredients:
4 medium Pork Loin, about 7 oz. each, or use pork chops
Salt, as required
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons Cooking Oil
2 1/2 tablespoons Butter
2/3 cup Cream
2 tablespoons Grainy Mustard
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
8 Cherry Tomatoes
4 sprigs Fresh Italian Parsley, or dried

Directions:
Tenderize the pork by hitting it with a meat tenderizer until it has a uniform thickness. Score the fat around the pork with the tip of a knife. Make 3 - 4 cuts into the fat, cutting partway into the meat, to cut the sinews. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over both sides of the pork.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute one side of the pork until golden brown. Turn the pork over and saute until the other side is also golden brown. Once browned, reduce the heat to medium low until pork is cooked through. Take the pan off the heat and remove the pork. Set aside.

Pour the oil from the frying pan and remove any excess oil with paper towels. Use tongs so you don't get burned. Put the butter in the pan over medium heat until it melts. Add the cream. Mix in the mustard and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let it cook until thickened slightly. Return the pork to the pan.

Transfer the pork to serving plates, pouring the remaining sauce over the pork. Garnish with tomatoes and parsley. Enjoy!

Make 4 servings.

Easy Slow-Cooker Barbecue Pulled Pork

If you've never had a Southern-style pulled pork sandwich, you don't know what you're missing. My wife and I recently shared one on our vacation to Newport in Oregon. It was the special at Cafe Stephanie in Historic Newport on Nye Beach. It's a great cafe, and their pulled-pork sandwich was pretty good, served with a perfect, crispy dill pickle spear and potato chips. To be honest, though, I like mine better.

You can use whatever kind of barbecue sauce you want. When I think of Southern-style pulled pork, though, I think of a vinegar based barbecue sauce. I've included the recipe I'm currently using. Feel free to change things up, though. That's the beauty of barbecue. Making your own signature sauces is part of the fun.

Equipment needed
Slow-Cooker
Baking sheet
Medium saucepan
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (14 oz.) beef broth
2 – 3 pound pork shoulder roast, tenderloin, or boneless ribs
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Trim any extra fat from the pork. Add it, along with the salt and broth, to the slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 4 to 6 hours. Let it cool enough to handle safely and shred with a fork. It may not seem like it's working at first, but trust me. It will shred easily once you get started.

Make the sauce while the pork is cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pork from the slow-cooker, discarding any remaining broth (there won't be much). Toss with the barbecue sauce in a large bowl. Add as much barbecue sauce as you want, just don't add so much that it turns into soup. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Serve on good buns.

Makes about 4 – 6 servings.


To Make the Sauce
Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat, and slowly simmer for about 5 minutes. You don't need to cook vinegar barbecue sauce for very long.

Thai Meatballs and Noodles

It's not just the German's and Italians that like to marry meatballs with sauce and noodles. The people of Thailand enjoy it, too.

I've been getting into Thai cooking more and more, of late. Having a good Thai restaurant just a few minutes away to inspire me doesn't hurt, either. Not living in Thailand, or a large city, it's hard to find the ingredients in the original Thai recipes I'm using as a base, or at least ingredients that don't cost and arm and a leg. I've modified the original recipe to make it easier to make with ingredients that are readily available at my local grocery store.

Equipment needed
Large skillet or wok
Kitchen knife
Large pot or Dutch oven
Colander

Ingredients
12 oz. dried, wide egg noodles
6 cups water
1 tablespoon salt

For the meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground pork or beef
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 teaspoons fish sauce or low sodium soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon feel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil (peanut or canola)

For the sauce
1 pound bok choy (about 1 medium-sized bunch)
Small piece of fresh ginger (about 1 inch) or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 medium carrot
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried mint

Directions:
Make the meatballs, first. Combine the meat, basil, mint, ginger fish sauce, garlic, cinnamon, fennel and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well blended. Shape the meat mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. You should be able to make around 30 of them.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely brown all over and no pink is left in he middle. You'll need to do this in batches.

Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil. The meatballs may be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days, longer if you freeze them. Just make sure to thaw them before using.

Now you can start cooking the noodles. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the noodles and salt. Cook until al dente, and drain in a colander.

While the noodles are cooking, you can start on the sauce. Cut off the root end of the bok choy with a kitchen knife. Separate the stalks, rinse well under running water to remove any dirt or debris, and drain. Starting at the root end, cut the stalks and leaves into 1/2-inch slices and set aside.

Peel the fresh ginger piece, if using, and cut into julienne strips. Cut the carrot into 2-inch lengths, and cut into julienne strips, or half-moon slices. Set aside.

Heat the same skillet or wok you cooked the meat in (if you didn't prepare the meatballs in advance) over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, brown sugar, fish sauce, ginger and mint. Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the cooked (and thawed if frozen) meatballs and carrots to the stock mixture. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through. Add the bok choy and simmer 4 or 5 minutes longer, until the stalks are crisp tender.

Once the noodles are done, drain and transfer them to a large serving dish and pour the meatball mixture on top. Garnish garnish as desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Thai Fried Rice

With Christmas safely behind us, I needed to figure out what to do with the left over Christmas ham. Ham fried rice is a favorite around our house, but I thought I'd give it a Thailand twist. It was yummy. Even my wife was singing my praises for this one. The vegetables are cooked, but still crisp. creating an tantalizing texture difference between the soft rice, tender ham, and the lightly crunchy vegetables.

Fried rice recipes aren't only great for using left over meat, but also left over rice. In fact, they work better with day old cooked rice rather than fresh. The rice absorbs more of the flavors and liquids that way.

Equipment needed
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Large wok or skillet
Spatula or Wok tools

Ingredients
4 cups cooked turmeric rice
1 cup cooked ham or pork, cubed or ground
1 jalapeño pepper, finely minced (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dry ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chopped mixed vegetables such as celery, bok choy, carrots, or bell peppers
3 eggs, beaten
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Parsley or mint leaves for garnish

Directions
Chop, cut, slice or otherwise prepare all the ingredients as noted above.

Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat ham or pork until it starts to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Re-heat the pan. Add more oil if needed and swirl the pan to coat sides. Add the onions, ginger, jalapeño (if using), and turmeric. Stir fry until the onions just start to get soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes more.

Add the fish sauce and soy sauce. Mixing well. Stir in the vegetables and stir fry 3 to 4 more minutes, just until the vegetables are heated through and crisp tender. Add the rice and ham and cook until heated through.

Beat the eggs and add a small dash of salt. Push the rice mixture to the sides of the wok or skillet and pour the eggs into the center. Cook the eggs for 2 or 3 minutes more, lifting and stirring to scramble. It's okay if some of the rice mixture gets into the eggs. Once the eggs are cooked, but are still a bit glossy, stir the rice into them, and stir fry 1 or 2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions. Garnish as desired.

Serves 4.

This recipe feeds four people, but there are six of us. Seven if you count my teenage son's stomach as a separate entity. Be careful if you double it, though. You don't want to crowd the pan and there's plenty to crowd it with. I ended up making two separate batches.