Latin Rubbed Grilled Pork Loin Pesto Flatbread

What do you do with leftover grilled pork loin?

Make grilled flatbread, of course!

Step 1:  Roll out the dough.  I was lazy and bought pizza dough from the store, pre-made.  What?!  Yes.  For $0.99, which is less than the cost of the 5-6 cups of flour you'd need these days, you can save yourself the hassle and rising time.  Oh, and it stores well in the freezer for that last minute, "How do I best re-purpose these leftovers?" kind of dinner!

Step 2:  Brush dough with EVOO and grill on very high heat, about 3-4 min per side to get nice grill lines.  Dough will bake in oven later, so it's okay for it to be a bit soft in the middle still.

Step 3:  Spread grilled flatbread with any sauce or moisture base you want.  I used a cilantro pesto I made fresh from my herb garden because the rub on the pork loin had a cayenne, cocoa powder, chili, cumin base of flavor.

Step 4:  Top with anything else you want.  Here, I used caramelized onions, mushrooms, and a bit of Havarti cheese.

Step 5:  Garnish with fresh herbs: cilantro.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Who doesn't love the taste of a buttery, flaky scone with their morning coffee?  This is actually a recipe I follow, but what I love most about it is that the recipe is very forgiving:  you don't have to measure things perfectly, and it still turns out great!

ISO 400 f/1.8 1/125

Cranberry-Orange* Scones

2/3 C Buttermilk or plain yogurt                       
8 TBS. cold unsalted butter, cut up

1 lg. egg                                                           
1 C. cranberries, raisins, or whatever you like in the scones

zest of one orange (about 1-2 tsp; *optional)
3 C all purpose flour
½ C sugar
4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 TBS. butter, at room temperature

Large sugar crystals for the top

Heat oven to 375 degree.  Measure buttermilk in a 2 cup glass measure; beat in egg with a fork.  Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir to mix well.  Add the 8 Tbs. butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine granules.  Add the cranberries, orange zest (if desired) and sugar and toss lightly to distribute evenly.  Add the buttermilk mixture.  Stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.  (DO NOT OVERMIX)  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and give 5-6 kneads, just until well mixed.  Form into a ball; cut into 8 wedges.  Form each wedge into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle tops of each scone with large sugar crystals if desired.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until medium brown.  Remove to a wire rack.  Brush with the 1 TBS. of soft butter.  Let cool, uncovered, at least 1 hour before serving.

Braised Short Rib Bulgur Risotto with Asparagus and Mushroom

My obsession with wheat berries has translated into alternative forms of the whole grain.  Gluten allergies beware:  although delicious, steer clear!  Bulgur wheat is simply a form of processed wheat berry that has been cooked, dried and part of the bran removed.  I decided to try making something with bulgur that was not a porridge and was not a simple pilaf-like side dish creation.  Instead, I thought:  risotto.

Short ribs were a steal at the store this week, and they are so delicious!  I started by seasoning the shortribs with salt and pepper,  and quickly searing the shortribs in a pan coated with olive oil on all sides until brown with crust.  I put them in a crock pot, covered them with beef broth and a few cloves of garlic and let that cook overnight.

The next evening, I removed the short ribs from the crock pot, allowing them to cool.  The meat was pulled and set aside.  The broth was set aside to separate the fat off of the broth.  I added enough water to the broth to make 4 C of stock.

Then, I prepped the veggies:  one bunch of asparagus, one package of baby portobellas, one shallot, 5 cloves of garlic.  I cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and the mushrooms into manageable sized pieces.  I minced the shallot and garlic.  

In a heavy bottomed skillet, I heated olive oil and quickly sauteed the mushrooms and asparagus, just until slightly soft, removing and setting aside.  In the same skillet, I added a bit more olive oil and sauteed the garlic and shallot until soft. To this, I added 1 1/2 C of the bulgur stirring to coat the grain with the oil in the pan.  When the bulgur began to toast, I deglazed the pan with about 1 C white wine.  From there, the basics of risotto began:  add 1 C of the beef broth stock, stirring the bulgur until all liquid is absorbed.  Repeat until all broth is used and bulgur becomes silky and soft in texture.  Add 1/2 C grated parmesan, and 1/2 C cream.  Return the asparagus and mushrooms to the bulgur risotto and incorporate.  Note:  I did not have cream, so I used sour cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a portion of pulled braised short rib on top.  This dish, full of richness, melt in your mouth creamy risotto and short rib, is sure to taste like an expensive and luxurious meal from a top notch restaurant!

Homemade Chinese Egg Noodle Soup with Baby Bok Choy and Homemade Shrimp Egg Rolls

It all began with baby bok choy that had to be used.  I really enjoy this shrimp wonton noodle soup in Chinatown, but I didn't have the motivation to make homemade wontons.  In retrospect, I realize that I probably could have made the dough.  Instead, I ended up making two labor-intensive dishes.  First, I made egg noodles from scratch.  It was actually much easier than I expected:  flour, water, egg, salt.  Hand-mix, allow to sit for 30 min, then roll out into long ovals, tri-fold like a letter, cut into thin strips, and boil.  I kind of followed several recipes; but I really ended up winging it as usual.  I put the noodles and baby bok choy in a vegetarian broth with some tofu, mushrooms, and carrots.

Then, I made egg rolls with some wrappers and shrimp I found in the freezer.  The classic egg roll filling was employed:  green cabbage, mushrooms, carrot, scallion, shrimp chopped up, all mixed with some sesame seeds a bit of Chinese 5-spice and some fresh ginger and garlic.  Of course, I pan fried the egg rolls and kept them crispy on a baking cooling rack on top of a baking sheet in the oven.  This keeps the bottoms from getting soggy too because the cooling rack keeps the whole egg roll raised above the baking sheet and allows the entire surface to crisp up.  I served them with a sweet and spicy red chili and mustard dipping sauce.

This was my first time making a pasta from scratch:  spaetzle is the same ingredients, but the process is much easier.  The noodles were absolutely delicious and I'd highly encourage those who haven't tried making pasta to do so!
Preview

Easiest Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

Happy New Year!  For the NYE celebration this year, I was tasked with bringing a dessert.  Who doesn't love the salty-sweet combo of the chocolate covered pretzel, especially while imbibing holiday spirits?  This Christmas, my cousin made these chocolate covered pretzels with her kids because it's a great family project that keeps the kids occupied and full of chocolate all at once.  It also turns out that these chocolate covered pretzels are no-hassle.  You are not left with a bowl of melted chocolate, chocolate and sprinkles everywhere, and dipped pretzel rods requiring space for the re-hardening process of the chocolate.  Instead, these chocolate covered pretzels make no mess, take about 10 minutes to make, and are the perfect ratio of sweet chocolate to salty pretzel.

Step 1:  Lay pretzels on a nonstick baking sheet (parchment or silpat lined).  The grid-like pretzel shape is recommended.  This shape is called pretzel "Snaps".

Step 2:  Unwrap chocolate kisses or hugs (the white chocolate striped kisses) and place one per pretzel

Step 3:  Bake in oven at 250 F for about 3-5 min or until kisses just begin to melt slightly

Step 4:  Remove from oven, allow to cool for about 2-3 min until kisses just begin to re-solidify.

Step 5:  Press an M&M into the center of each slightly softened kiss

Step 6:  Allow all of the chocolate to complete harden

Step 7:  Exercise self-control...they are delicious!

P.S. Kisses and M&Ms often go on a major sale right after some sort of holiday.  This is a great time to purchase the supplies needed for this recipe.  Hugs very rarely go on sale, sadly.  As you can see in this image below, the Easter M&Ms offer a great color palette for baby or bridal shower treats!

Pastel colored Pretzels

Red Velvet Cheesecake with Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzel Sticks

Happy Birthday to four people today!  This called for some super rich dessert!  I first had this at a local restaurant on my birthday about 2 years ago; and I could not get it out of my mind (and I'm not the dessert person).

Here it is - I pretty much followed a recipe--wow!  It's from Southern Living (clearly - where else would there be a recipe for cheesecake with a layer of cream cheese icing on top?!).  It's delicious!  I added my own twist of chocolate covered mini pretzel sticks, and I also used Oreos for the crust, not chocolate grahams.


It's also very festive for the holidays!






Enjoy!

Happy Hanukkah (Chanukah)!

I couldn't help but think of my Grandma, Great Aunt, and the rest of my amazing family this first eve of Hanukkah!  Therefore, I made a last minute decision to prepare a quick Hanukkah feast:  and a great one, too!  Besides, who can possibly resist deliciously golden fried potato latkes?!  Now, the recipe for the latkes is a secret, so that I can't share, and as for the rest, I didn't do much, I just winged it as usual.  I forgot to buy apple sauce for the latkes at the store, but luckily I had 4 leftover apples in the fridge from apple picking back in early Fall.  

Thankfully, apples last a while in the cool of the refrigerator.  Peel them, dice them, slightly cover with some water or apple juice and the juice of half a lemon, and simmer until soft.  Then, run them through that food mill, and voila: apple sauce!  This is my personal favorite on potato latkes, though some like sour cream or nothing at all.

I also decided last minute to make the brisket.  Crazy, I know.  However, I put it in as soon as I walked in the door, and let it cook about 2 1/2 hours at 375 F.  It was tender and ready to go by an 8 PM dinner, which is not terribly late, all things considered.  The brisket was meant to be simple, and full of classic flavors that remind you of Grandma and Great Aunt's house:  seared on both sides seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne; deglazed with a bit of Vermouth; then covered with water, about 2 TBS of worcestershire sauce, 2 TBS dijon mustard, and a can of tomato paste; and left to braze at 375 F for about 2-3 hours.

Don't pay attention to the "green stuff" on the plate.  This, too, was a last ditch attempt at being healthy...but it was not that appetizing, and simply served as color on the plate.  If you really must know, it was a green bean and spinach puree, but I mistakenly added some basil from the garden to it, and that completely threw off the flavors.  Next time:  no basil.

Anyhow, it was a delightful Hanukkah meal, and nobody is ever sorry to have eaten a yummy latke....or two...or four!