Recipes

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup ketchup
¹⁄₃ cup Worcestershire
¹⁄₃ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon paprika
¹⁄₄ cup brown sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon liquid smoke
Dash red chili pepper flakes
Pinch salt and pepper
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients except for onion and pork into crock pot. Stir until well blended.

2. Place pork and onions into mixture, coating both sides of meat.

3. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on LOW.

4. After meat is cooked break apart with fork and stir well to coat with sauce.  

5. Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser Rolls.

Comments
I’m still looking for the perfect pulled pork recipe in the slow cooker.  This could have been the one, although it was a bit too vinegary for my tastes.  Most slow cooker pulled pork recipes call for jarred bbq sauce which, in a pinch, is great, but I’m still hoping for a better from scratch option.  I found this recipe at squidoo.com.

Internet - Squidoo

Ingredients
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
¹⁄₂ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¹⁄₂ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ²⁄₃ cups brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¹⁄₃ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cardamom
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground allspice
Dash ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 cup dark hot chocolate, warm

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a large bundt pan. Remember to grease the tube in the middle.  

2. Microwave chocolate in a small bowl, stirring every 10 seconds until melted.  

3. In a mixer cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, stir in vanilla. Stir in chocolate and blend well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift flour with baking soda, spices and salt. Alternate adding flour and hot chocolate to the mixing bowl, mixing gently after each addition and starting and ending with the flour mix. The batter will be very wet. Scrape batter into bundt pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (until a skewer comes out clean). Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Comments
I have no idea where I found this recipe because it has been in my untried recipe folder for forever.  I was looking for something a bit unusual to serve with my Indian themed Game Day meal and I remembered this recipe.  It seemed like it would work well enough, so I gave it a go.  The result was a very moist, almost fudgy, dense cake.  The chai spices were fantastic and the cake was extremely rich.  

Shown here with Coconut Sorbet.

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Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot, depending on preference), casings removed
1 carrot or a handful of baby carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth (This is a great way to use leftover chicken broth from your slow cooker chickens!)
2 cans whole tomatoes (Cans are somewhere in the 14-16 ounce range, chopped tomatoes are fine too)
2 cups dried lentils, rinsed and checked for small stones
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Instructions
1. In a large pot (or Dutch oven), heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and brown, breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon.  Remove sausage from pot, leaving fat, and drain on paper towels.  

2. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic to pot and sauté over medium-high heat until tender.  Return sausage to pot.  

3. Add chicken broth to the pot.  Open both cans of tomatoes and crush any large pieces with your hands before adding to the pot.  Add all remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.  

4. Remove bay leaf and discard.  Remove ¹⁄₃ of the soup and puree it using an immersion blender or a regular blender, then return it to the pot and mix well.  Taste for seasonings, adjust if necessary, and serve.  

Comments
At the beginning of the year I had the pleasure of helping my parents out for a few weeks while my dad recovered from knee replacement surgery.  Obviously major surgery wasn’t the pleasure, but I’m eternally grateful that I’ve got a relationship with my parents that makes things like this a joy.  One of my “duties” was to make dinner every night and have it ready when my mom got home from work.  

My dad didn’t have many requests for food during his recovery, but one thing he did have a craving for was “soup like the sausage and lentil soup at Carrabba’s.”  Thankfully the internet is full of copycat recipes, so it wasn’t too difficult to find a few that I could play with to come up with this recipe.  

Then it turned out so well that when I got back home that weekend I made it again!  Now it’s a favorite, especially when the weather is wet and dreary.  

Shown here with Bread Machine Sweet Potato Bread.

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Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweet potatoes, mashed (I nuked mine like regular potatoes for about 6 minutes to cook them)
4 cups bread flour, plus more if necessary
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₃ cup brown sugar, packed
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dry milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Instructions
1. Add ingredients according to manufacturer’s suggested order. Set machine to white bread setting and light crust.  Press start.  

2. Keep an eye on the bread during the first mixing/kneading cycle.  If the dough appears too dry, add more water one tablespoon at a time.  If the dough appears too wet, add more flour one tablespoon at a time.  

Comments
I found this recipe on about.com and decided that it would pair well with the Sausage and Lentil Soup I had planned for dinner.  Not to mention, it seemed like a good way to use up some of the sweet potatoes I’ve been getting at the market.  The bread turned out very well, although I did end up adding an extra ¹⁄₂ cup of water and 2 tablespoons of flour to get the dough to be the right consistency.  The bread was moist and flavorful; the spices added a great layer to the flavor.  

Shown here with Sausage and Lentil Soup.

Internet - About.com

Ingredients
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into ¹⁄₄-inch dice
1-2 cups winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄₄-inch dice (I have used buttercup and acorn squashes both with success.)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¹⁄₂ cups arborio rice
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
5-8 cups chicken broth, heated
4 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and squash and cook until the onion is softened but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the rice and stir until toasted and opaque, about 3 to 4 more minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  

2.  Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed.  Continue stirring and start adding the broth, ¹⁄₂ cup at a time, and stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding more.  Continue this until the rice is tender and creamy, about 18 to 20 minutes.  

3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter and Parmesan and stir until well mixed.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.  

Comments
This recipe originally came to me from Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano.  Every recipe I’ve made of his has been excellent and this is no exception.  It’s a great way to use up winter squash this time of year.  The original recipe calls for acorn squash which is how I made it the first few times but, this time, I had a buttercup squash that looked about the right size so I used it.  The taste was great and the rice turns a lovely, rich, pumpkin colour.  

One thing that I do need to be careful of these days is the salt content when I’m cooking with chicken broth.  I’ve switched to the “no salt” version of Kitchen Basics’s broths and, for dishes like this, it means I need to remember to add a little extra salt at the end to get the correct flavor.  

Shown here with Grilled Flank Steak.

Molto Italiano

Ingredients
²⁄₃ cup dry red wine
¹⁄₃ cup soy sauce
6 large cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₃ cup parsley, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 flank steaks, about 1 ¹⁄₂ pounds each

Instructions
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in sealable container or ziptop bag.  Add the flank steaks and coat well with the marinade.  Cover or seal and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.  

2. Heat grill (or grill pan or griddle) to high heat.  Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry.  

3. Grill 5-6 minutes a side, or until steak reaches your desired doneness.  Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes.  

4. Slice thinly against the grain and serve.  

Comments
I’m always looking for new marinade recipes and this one reached out and caught my eye on epicurious.com when I was looking for a marinade for the buffalo flank steaks I picked up at the market a few weeks ago.  After reading the comments to the recipe I decided to reduce the soy sauce by half and I believe that was the right call since this steak was perfect.  I’m still not entirely used to the grill so the flank steak probably could have used a minute or two more per side for medium-rare, but I’ll get there!  

Shown here with Winter Squash Risotto.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
1 pound beef tenderloin, top loin, or sirloin tip, well trimmed and sliced into thin strips
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill

Instructions
1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons flour and whisk until smooth. Add 2 cups of beef broth, whisking continuously.

2. Simmer until sauce is smooth and thickened. Set aside and keep warm.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have released all of their water, the water evaporates, and the mushrooms start to brown.  Remove to plate.  Note: You might need to use more butter (or olive oil) in this step and the following step depending upon your skillet.  If things start to stick, add more. 

4. Heat remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium-high heat and add beef and onions.  Cook, stirring often, until the beef is evenly browned and onions are soft.  Remove from heat.  

5.  Add mushrooms to beef mixture in skillet.  

6. Return sauce to medium heat and stir in sour cream, mustard, dill, and salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir until combined and heated through.  Pour sauce over beef mixture.  

7. Serve over rice or egg noodles.  

Comments
Stroganoff is a huge hit in my family and, as a result, I’ve got many different recipes for the dish.  This one came from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking and contained the mind-boggling instruction of “discard the onions.”  I never understood that so never bothered to obey.  

I like to save up the end bits of the filet mignon from the butcher to use in this dish, but it works equally well with whatever steaks you’ve got around.

Joy of Cooking (1997)

Ingredients
For seasoning liquid
6 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

5 cups white rice, cooked and chilled
6 eggs
3 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
¹⁄₃ cup mirin
4 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 bunches broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Instructions
1. Mix seasoning liquid ingredients and set aside.  

2. Spread rice in a shallow baking pan or sheet and break apart any clumps with your fingers.  

3. In a medium bowl beat eggs with ginger, garlic, vinegar and mirin.  Set aside.  

4. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over high heat in a large nonstick (or well seasoned) skillet or wok.  Add chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through.  Remove to sieve and return skillet to heat.  

5. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet and allow to heat.  Cook broccoli for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Remove broccoli to sieve with chicken and return skillet to heat.  

6. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet and allow to heat.  Add eggs to the skillet and cook, stirring, until cooked through.  Remove eggs to sieve with chicken and broccoli and return skillet to heat.  

7. Heat remaining teaspoon of sesame oil in the skillet and add cold rice.   Cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken, broccoli, eggs, peas, and seasoning liquid to the skillet.  Stir well to fully incorporate and coat evenly.  Serve.  

Comments
I had some leftover peas from a dish I made last week, so I was inspired to make fried rice.  It’s one of those dishes that I’ve made numerous times over the years but never quite loved as much as I love the fried rice I’ve gotten in restaurants.  I think this variation might have done the trick.  The seasoning liquid came from an epicurious.com recipe and everything else was just what I happened to have.  When you make this, use what you’ve got!  If you’ve got green onions, which my store was out of, go for it!  Sugar snaps would also be great, or mushrooms.  If you have pork or steak, toss those in.  Or leave the meat out all together, increase the eggs, change the broth to veggie broth and you’d have a great vegetarian dish.  This is an extremely flexible dish.  The flavor of the eggs was fantastic and a bite with all of the ingredients was just perfect.  And, as long as you’ve got the day-old rice on hand, this is a super simple meal to throw together.  Even when you’re exhausted from Aikido.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
²⁄₃ cup chile garlic paste
6 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
2 pounds pork chops (I used boneless loin chops that were about ¹⁄₂-inch thick)
8-10 cups baby bok choy, tough parts of stems removed

Instructions
1.  Whisk together chile garlic paste, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, and ginger in shallow dish. Set 4 tablespoons marinade aside. Add pork to remaining marinade; let stand 30 minutes.

2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Place pork chops in skillet, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Remove chops from skillet.  

3. Add boy choy to skillet and remaining 4 tablespoons of marinade.  Sauté, stirring, until just leaves are wilted but stalks are still crisp.  

4. Serve pork and boy choy with rice.  

Comments
This is based on a recipe from epicurious.com.  I didn’t have access to one of the key ingredients, so I tweaked the recipe based on what I did have access to.  The pork turned out very well, if a little on the spicy side.  The bok choy was a bit vinegary from the chile garlic paste, but I think that could be rectified by reducing the paste to ¹⁄₃ cup from the ²⁄₃ cup that I used.  I’ll try that next time and update this recipe with the results.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
1 ¹⁄₄ pounds turnips, peeled and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
16 ounces frozen peas, thawed

Instructions
1. Mix 6 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons dill in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels leaving fat in pan.  

3. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add turnips to bacon fat and sauté until tender and golden, about 10-15 minutes. Drain turnips and return to skillet, leaving heat at medium-high.  Add peas and dill butter and stir until peas are heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.  

Comments
This recipe is from epicurious.com, I found it while trying to find a new way to use the turnips in my CSA box.  Oh my gosh, it was delicious.  The flavor of the dill went extremely well with the turnips and the bacon was a great component as well.  I believe that, next time, I’d make this with only 4 tablespoons of butter instead of the 6, because it was a bit buttery in the end.  The recipe called for twice as many peas, but we all thought it was better with 16 ounces instead of 32.  Turnips have a lovely flavor and this dish was extremely simple.

Internet - Epicurious