Monthly Archives: November 2010

Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos with Pickled Onions

November 15, 2010

I’m always in the mood for Mexican food. One of the things I miss most about living out West is the abundance of fantastic fresh Mexican restaurants. I haven’t found a single place in Richmond that compares. Luckily, it’s one of the easier cuisines to (successfully) recreate at home. I’m not claiming that all (or any) of my “southwestern” labeled recipes are authentic. I just know that they’re tasty and that’s good enough for me!

Here’s another taco recipe to add to your Mexican collection. This time it’s a pork shoulder slow-cooked to tender perfection in a fire-roasted tomato and chipotle sauce. The shredded pork is piled on warm tortillas with crunchy cabbage, smooth avocado, and robust pickled red onions. Remember to make the onions when you prep the pork. They need the better part of a day to marinate and become soft and sweet.

Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos with Pickled Onions

INGREDIENTS

Pork:
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 4-5 lb. bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pickled Onions:
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

corn or whole wheat flour tortillas
red and green cabbage, shredded
avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
sour cream
fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the onion, garlic, tomatoes, chipotle, W. sauce, and cilantro in a large slow cooker. Add the pork shoulder and season with salt and pepper. Cook on high for 4-6 hours until tender.

2. To prepare the pickled onions, in a small saucepan (or microwavable dish) combine the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the onions and oregano. Keep, covered, at room temperature for up to six hours before refrigerating.

3. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred with two forks (removing any fat and gristle). Skim the fat off the surface of the remaining liquid. Reserve 1/2-1 cup of the liquid. Toss with the pulled pork.

4. Serve over warmed tortillas with pickled onions, cabbage, avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

November 7, 2010

Here is Halloween treat #3. (I saved the best for last in my opinion.) This is Paula Deen’s recipe. I find her adorable, but most of her recipes scare me. (Buttered this, fried that…) But since this is dessert, I wasn’t going for healthy. These classic pumpkin bars turned out fluffy and moist with a thin yet rich layer of cream cheese frosting. Two of my favorite ingredients in perfect form. Just not husband friendly. (Anytime I bake with pumpkin I have to make an alternate dessert for Dustin. He won’t go near it.) Yeah, he’s missing out.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

3. Spread the batter into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

4. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Makes a 9×13 pan of bars.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Chicken Noodle Soup

November 4, 2010

For the last few months I’ve been  making hearty fall dishes, even though outside it still felt like summer. But today it’s dark and rainy and cold. So soup feels just right. I’ll admit that this dish isn’t weeknight material (unless you do the prep ahead of time). It’s a little fussy, considering you have to boil, strain, cool, and skim the stock. But making the stock from scratch is what makes it so wonderful. Once that step is done, the rest is simple.

This is your quintessential chicken soup. No special ingredients, no frills. Made with tender shredded chicken and classic egg noodles. But I’m sure you could easily add to it. Throw in a few extra vegetables. Try a different type of pasta or substitute rice. This base recipe is fool-proof. It’s now my go-to chicken noodle soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Stock:
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs.), giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
2 large onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turnip, halved
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
kosher salt

Chicken Noodle Soup:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced (I used 3)
2 celery sticks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock (recipe above)
6 oz. whole wheat wide egg noodles
2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I used all the meat from the chicken)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, finely chopped for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare the stock, place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts or 12 cups); too much will make the broth taste weak. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and a dash of salt, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 45 minutes- 1 hour (depending on the size of your chicken), partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.

2. Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a storage container.

3. Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, cool before covering and refrigerating it for up to one week or freeze.

4. To prepare the soup, place a large pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes, or until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper to taste. (This is when I removed the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Serves 4-6.

(Adapted from Food Network)