Savory Chicken in Port Sauce

(about 4 servings)

This is a relatively simple chicken braise which is packed full of flavor. It's a great recipe for entertaining because once everything is in the pot you can leave it for an hour or so while you tend to other things. In the meantime your kitchen will fill with an amazing and inviting aroma as this tasty chicken dish cooks.

1 tbsp oil for frying, such as coconut
1 3/4 - 2 lb skinless and boneless chicken thighs, about 8 
salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 medium onion chopped, about 1 1/2 cups 
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large tomato, diced
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup tawny port
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid over a medium-high flame.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Fry them until they are browned. Remove from pot and place onto a large plate. Lower the flame.

Add the onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened. Stir in the diced tomato.

Return the chicken to the pot as well as any juices that might have accumulated. Sprinkle the paprika evenly over the chicken and add the bay leaf.

In a measuring cup combine the port, tomato paste, mustard and apple cider. Pour this over the chicken and onion mixture. Bring everything to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid and set the heat to low.

Cook for about 45-60 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Remove the chicken to a warm serving plate. Increase the heat and simmer the sauce until thickened; 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley or cilantro and serve.

This braised chicken goes well with rice, roasted potatoes or buttered noodles.

Vegetable Fried Rice

(4 servings)

The last time I spoke with my sister, she mentioned she likes to make fried rice. What she described sounded delicious and I realized I couldn't remember the last time I made any. Fried rice is terrific when you think about it. It's economical, easy to make and a great way to use up leftovers for a really tasty meal.

There are a few things which come to mind when making fried rice. Vegetables are best cut into similar sizes for even cooking. Leftover rice from a day or two ago is ideal because it's drier, however you can use rice made on the same day. Just fry it a bit longer until most of the extra moisture has evaporated.

2 tbsp oil (I used coconut oil)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into small dice
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cups bean sprouts
2 - 2 1/2 cups cooked (and cooled) rice
1 tsp or more, hot chili sauce (optional)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
2-3 green onions, sliced

Heat half of the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-low heat. Stir in the ginger and garlic and fry for 30 seconds or so. Stir in the red pepper and saute for about 30 seconds. Stir in the corn and peas and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the bean sprouts.

When the sprouts just begin to wilt, remove from heat and place the vegetables into a large bowl. The vegetables will be under-cooked and crunchy.  They will continue to cook in the bowl as they steam and when the rice is fried you will return them to the skillet or wok where they will cook further. At this point you just want to heat them up.

Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Set the flame to medium and when the oil is hot add the rice. Saute the rice until it begins to dry out a bit. This will happen quickly of the rice is a day or two old. If you cooked the rice earlier in the day it will be moister. You might have to lower the flame somewhat to keep it from burning. Cook and stir the rice until it stops steaming and most of the moisture has evaporated.

If you are using a hot sauce, stir it into the rice now. When it's evenly combined, make a well in the center and pour the beaten eggs there. Using a wooden spoon scramble them and mix them evenly into the fried rice. Stir in the reserved vegetables. Sprinkle the soy sauce over the vegetables and rice. Increase the flame and continue to cook while stirring, until the mixture is hot and the vegetables are done to your liking.

Remove from heat and fold in the green onions. Serve.

Spiced Cantaloupe Salad

(4 servings)

A week or so ago I came across this interesting recipe for a cantaloupe salad seasoned with a dressing containing fish sauce. I was pretty intrigued. A teaspoonful of fish sauce on its own can be unpleasant tasting, but add some to a dish and it can provide a wonderful complexity and depth of flavor that would be difficult to mimic otherwise.

I used cilantro for this Thai inspired salad because I only had regular basil on hand. Thai basil has an anise-like flavor which would have been really nice for this. The cilantro was better than using the regular basil, in my opinion. I also added a jalapeno pepper because those little red ones are just too darn hot for me. I suspect regardless of how you tweak this salad, it will still be really tasty. I've already made two batches of it!

adapted from morestomach
1 large cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, dice (or use a hotter red pepper)
2 green onions, sliced
small handful cilantro or Thai basil, chopped or thinly sliced
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp honey


Place the cantaloupe, jalapeno pepper, onion and cilantro into a salad bowl. Add freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Combine the lime juice, fish sauce and honey in a small bowl. Pour over the salad mixture and toss until everything is evenly combined.

Serve.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

(about 6 servings)

A four pound pork shoulder roast might seem like a lot for six servings, but you'd be surprised how much of that ends up as rendered fat. I weighed the cooked meat after I removed the fat and bone. There were about two pounds of tender pork left.

This recipe becomes a two day process for me because I like to refrigerate everything overnight so I can remove as much of the cooled fat as possible.

Pulled pork is especially good served with corn salsa and cooked rice.

1 large onion, chopped, (about 1 lb)
1 bay leaf
4 lb pork shoulder or butt, with the bone
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne

Spread the chopped onion evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the bay leaf. Place the pork over the onions with the fat side facing up.

Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour over the pork and cover the slow cooker with the lid.

Cook on low for about 8-10 hours or until the meat is fork tender. If you happen to be around, you can turn the meat over about half way through, but this isn't essential.

The tender meat will fall off the bone. Remove as much fat (and discard) from the meat as possible, then shred the meat with a fork. Place into a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Remove the bay leaf and place the sauce into the refrigerator overnight too.

The next day remove as much of the cooled fat (and discard) from the sauce as possible. Combine the sauce and pork and reheat everything.

This delicious pulled pork goes really well with corn salsa and rice.

Corn Salsa

(about 4 1/2 cups)

I used raw corn for this salsa. It was sweet and had a nice crunch to it. Cooked corn works too.

4 cups corn
1 large jalapeno pepper, diced fine (leave the seeds for more heat)
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
freshly squeezed lime juice from 1-2 limes

Combine the corn, jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro and a small amount of salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the mixture until well combined.

Sprinkle the juice from one lime over the salsa and toss again. Taste. Add more salt, pepper and lime juice as needed.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Dressing

(4 servings)

Another tomato salad! I love tomatoes. I can eat them everyday, especially when they are at their peak. This time I left them out on the counter to marinate in rather robust anchovy and caper dressing. Life is good!

6-8 anchovy fillets, chopped
1/4 red onion, diced fine
3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1 heaping tbsp capers
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest, minced
a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper (or to taste)
salt, to taste (the anchovies are salty, so be careful)
1 lb heirloom tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh basil or parsley, sliced or chopped

Place the anchovies, onion, olive oil, half the lemon juice, capers, garlic, lemon zest, and pepper into a small bowl. Mix until well combined. Add more lemon juice, if needed and also salt. I usually don't add additional salt, but today I found myself adding a small amount. Set the dressing aside.

Wash the tomatoes and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Divide and arrange them onto four salad plates. Sprinkle each with some fresh basil or parsley. I usually use parsley for this, but I didn't have any on hand. So I added the basil instead, which I quite enjoyed in this salad. Use whichever you prefer.

Spoon the dressing evening over the tomatoes. Leave out on the counter for at least 20 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld.

Extra Sharp Cheddar Spread

(about 1 1/2 cups)

I used to envy my sister who lives in California and has easy access to Trader Joe's. They seemed to be all over the place and I loved to accompany her there whenever I was in town for a visit. Well, they finally arrived in Texas, and yesterday I went to the grand opening of one in my neighborhood. It probably wasn't the best day to go as it was extremely crowded, although I must say I was very impressed by how quickly and smoothly they managed to check everyone out.

Despite this being their first day, some of the produce at Trader Joe's was pretty disappointing. The lemons looked old, most of the jalapenos had some kind of fungus developing on the stems and the corn was way past its prime. The cheese department on the other hand was terrific. They had a good selection of cheeses. I walked away with four different varieties of "extra sharp" cheddar I wasn't familiar with to try out at home.

Hopefully their produce will be in better shape the next time I'm there.

8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, I used a white one
3-4 tbsp white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
2-3 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 clove garlic, minced
a few pinches cayenne pepper

Cut the cheese into one inch or smaller chunks and place into the bowl of a food processor along with 1 tablespoon of wine (to start), 2 tablespoons of sour cream, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and cayenne. Start by pulsing the mixture until the cheese breaks up. Scrape down the sides, if needed.

With the motor running add more wine and/or sour cream until you have a nice smooth consistency for spreading. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Mango & Blueberry Sour Cream Crisp (Gluten free)

(4-6 servings)

This crisp is similar to the nectarine pie I made last year. The sour cream cream mixture forms a custard of sorts as it bakes; it's very nice with a variety of fruits or berries.

Serve this crisp warm or at room temperature.

fruit filling
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
3 cups mango, diced (2 large mangoes)
1 cup blueberries, washed and sorted

streusel topping
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp sucanat or brown sugar
3 tbsp cold butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Butter an 8 inch square baking dish and set aside.

Whisk together the sour cream, egg, honey, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add the mango and blueberries and toss until they are evenly coated. Set aside.

Combine the almond flour, rice flour, sliced almonds, sucanat and butter in a small bowl with a fork until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of petite peas.

Spread the fruit and sour cream mixture evenly  in the prepared baking dish. Top with the streusel mixture.

Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and continue to bake another 35-45 minutes or until the top has browned nicely and the filling is bubbling hot.