Monthly Archives: April 2012
Cochinita Pibil Tortas
| April 30, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Mexican and Southwestern, Sandwiches |
For this month, I was paired with Kimberly from Rhubarb and Honey for Secret Recipe Club. I was really excited when I saw that she had a recipe for cochinita pibil – it’s one of my favorite things to order when we go out for Mexican, and I’ve been meaning to learn how to make it for ages. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find one of the key ingredients (achiote paste) and had to improvise. Although the recipe didn’t come out exactly like the restaurant’s (which has a thicker sauce with a stronger, more acidic flavor), it was absolutely delicious.
This isn’t your typical Tex-Mex type of food at all. While it’s strongly seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon, it isn’t hot and spicy at all. Even if you don’t normally like Mexican food, you should give it a try!
The recipe makes a ton so I’ve been having fun trying different ways to eat it. First, I had it with yellow rice, then I rolled it in tortillas with pickled onions and avocados. But my absolute favorite has been to eat it on a sandwich (torta) with crusty bread, a thin smear of garlic and herb goat cheese, lettuce, cilantro, pickled jalapeños, and more pickled onions. It’s a hearty sandwich – it would be great to bring along on a picnic after a hike – and it’s one of the best that I’ve had in a while.
Cochinita Pibil Tortas
Yields 10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes + 8 hours in slow cooker
This recipe was adapted from Rhubarb and Honey as part of the Secret Recipe Club. The original called for achiote paste, which I was unable to find locally. Based on various descriptions found on the internet, we improvised by using anatto seeds, jalapeño peppers, and allspice. I also adapted the recipe to be made in a slow cooker, since I didn’t want to be stuck at home for 6 hours while it roasted.
If you prefer to eat your cochinita pibil over rice on in tortillas, you can stop after step 2 and ignore the rolls, chevre, and sandwich toppings. I highly recommend making the tortas though. They’re awesome.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Orange Juice
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Juice of 2 Limes
- 3 Jalapeño Peppers
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Coriander
- 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Oregano
- 2 tablespoons ground Allspice
- 8 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons Anatto Seeds
- 5 pound bone-in Pork Shoulder
- Crusty Rolls
- Garlic and Herb Chevre
- Pickled Onions, Pickled Jalapeños, Lettuce, Cilantro, and other desired toppings
Preparation
- Make a marinade by combining the first 12 ingredients (orange juice through garlic) in a blender. Blend until smooth. Mix in the anatto seeds. Place the pork shoulder in a large plastic bag; pour marinade over pork. Turn pork to coat it evenly with marinade. Seal bag; refrigerate pork at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Transfer pork to a slow cooker. Strain the marinade to remove the anatto seeds, then pour it over the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours. Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and discard the bone.
- To make tortas, spread goat cheese on both sides of a crusty roll. Top with lettuce, then pork, pickled onions, pickles jalapenos, and fresh cilantro.
Creamy Avocado Smoothies {& Saving Recipes!}
| April 25, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Beverages, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Light, Vegetarian or Vegan |
I’ve hinted at it here and said it without saying it there, but since the beginning of the year I’ve been working on a lot of fun, recipe related projects. The biggest one is that I’ve been working with General Mills as the newest blogger for their healthy recipe site, Eat Better America. Since January, I’ve been sending them about one new recipe a week. Then I sit back and wait, and wait, and wait fo them to be published. The have a pretty intense editorial calendar and I knew going into it that there would be a long delay before my recipes went up – I was making “spring” themed recipes in February – but it was still hard to be patient.
Well, my first post is finally up – a green smoothie just in time for Earth Week! This isn’t your typical green smoothie though. I left the spinach and kale in my salads where they belong, and added an avocado instead. It makes the smoothie thick and creamy like a milkshake – it’s hard to believe it’s dairy free! The avocado also adds a really subtle, complex flavor (no, it doesn’t taste like guacamole. I promise!)
As much as I love the original recipe, I also love to play around with it to add new flavors. For something sweeter and less green, swap out the banana for frozen mixed berries and add a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. You’d never even know there was avocado in it – think of it as an avocado smoothie with training wheels.
I’m also working on a new feature here on Healthy. Delicious. that will help you save and organize your favorite recipes. A “save” button will now sit at the top of each recipe I post, right next to the print button. If you create a free account with ZipList, you’ll be able to save any recipe you choose to a virtual recipe box. You’ll be able to tag, sort and search the recipes that you’ve saved and make grocery lists based off of them! I’ve added two new links to my navigation bar that will help get you started – “Recipe Box” will bring you to your personalized recipe box and “Shopping List” will allow you to add and delete recipes and ingredients from your shopping list.
The best part is that lots of other sites I love (Simply Recipes, Bell’alimento, Whats Gaby Cooking, and Savvy Eats, to name a few) use the same service, and the recipes you save from them will go right into the same box (ie. your recipe box isn’t limited to just my recipes). Fun, right? I’m kind of a spaz when it comes to organizing recipes that I see online and want to make so I really love this idea. I hope you do too!
So far, I’ve added the save button to all of the recipes I posted in 2012. I’m working on adding it to the archives too – hopefully within the next few weeks you’ll be able to save any recipe I’ve ever posted.
Baked Risotto with Sausage and Kale
| April 23, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Italian, Quick Weeknight Meals, Risotto, Shawn's Favorites, Winter |
The man who works in the parking garage near my office was in a particularly bad mood this morning. I can’t say that I blamed him. Saturday’s warm sun had gone away, and cold rain settled in. The air was heavy and damp and everything looked gloomy. As he watched person after person head into their toasty warm offices filled with friendly colleagues, he was stuck sitting alone in his little booth (that is, until he had to come out in the rain to deal with my permit issues). On top of all that, it was Monday. I wished that had some of this hearty sausage and kale risotto to share with him – with it’s stick-to-your-ribs warmth, it would have been sure to cheer him up. I could have used some myself.
I have a ton of risotto recipes – a quick search shows that I’ve shared well over two dozen variations over the last few years – and I’ve always contended that, while it requires a half hour of near constant stirring, it really isn’t difficult to make. (It isn’t.) Most of the time, I actually enjoy standing over the stove, coaxing the rice into a creamy porridge. But sometimes, well, I just don’t feel like stirring the damn risotto.
I first heard of baked risotto a few years ago, but I never bothered trying it out. Like I said, I actually like stirring risotto. It makes me feel good, like I’m earning my keep in the kitchen. Last week though, a long day at work (in very cute but verrry uncomfortable shoes) made standing over the stove the last thing I wanted to do when I got home. As I transferred the pot of rice from the stove to the oven, I imagined a thousand Italian grandmothers rolling over in their graves.
But you know what? It worked. Really, really well. It wasn’t quite as creamy as risotto made on the stove I don’t think I would have known the difference had someone else served it to me. And the combination of sausage on the risottto and in the risotto, too? Wife of the year award, right there. Not bad, considering it cooked itself while I put my feet up.
Baked Risotto with Sausage and Kale
Yields 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
When risotto is cooked on the stovetop, contant stirring is required to loosen the starches, which thicken the broth and give the dish its texture. In this baked version, bubbles from the boiling liquid knock the starches loose.
Ingredients
- 1 pound reduced fat Italian Sausage (about 6 links)
- 1 small Onion, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup Arborio Rice
- 1/2 cup White Wine
- 2-1/2 cups Chicken Stock, warmed
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 3 cups chopped Kale
- Salt and Pepper
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425*F. Remove the casing from two sausage links and crumble the meat into an oven save skillet or enameled dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute, or until the grains mostly translucent with a small white center.
- Stir in the wine and cook until it is all evaporated. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the cheese and kale, allowing the heat of the rice to wilt the kale. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the remaining sausage links. Sear them over high heat until the skins are deeply browned and begin to blister. Transfer to the oven until cooked through.
Perfect Roast Chicken with Lemon & Za’atar
| April 18, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Chicken and Poultry, Salads, Shawn's Favorites |
I recently finished reading the book Beaten, Seared and Sauced. Have you heard of it? It’s about a guy a decade or so older than I am who decides to upend his career and enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. The book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be (I couldn’t relate to the narrator at all; he was kind of lame and he complained too much… which, funnily enough, sounds just like me) but it was still an enjoyable read and had some interesting insights into the life of a culinary student.
Mostly though, it left me craving roast chicken.
There’s a passage about three quarters of the way though the book where the author explains that many chefs cite roast chicken as their favorite meal. It surprised me – I figured they’d prefer something a little more adventurous or luxurious. Game, or truffles, or foie gras. But then he described the crisp, salty skin and tender meat that falls of the bone, and I was sold. He went on to explain his roasting method: blasting the bird with hot air to crisp the skin, elevating it on balls of foil so that the air circulates better, tipping out the accumulated juices to see if they ran clear. I reread that passage about 5 times, letting it soak soak in. The next thing I knew, I was at the store buying a chicken.
(The passage was beautiful and I wish I could post it here, but I didn’t think to copy it before the book went back to the library.)
Although Dixon’s method was now ingrained in my memory, I couldn’t help but put my own spin on it – my method is a mash-up of his and the Zuni method, which involves flipping the chicken onto its breast while it roasts so that the juices flow into it and keep it moist. For good measure, I slipped a few slices of lemon under the skin and seasoned it generously with za’atar. The result? A perfect roast chicken with skin that crackled with the slightest touch and succulent meat that was like butter under my knife. Made in under an hour.
It was easy to see why it would be so many chefs’ favorite meal.
Perfect Roast Chicken
Yields 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus resting time
Total Time: 50 minutes
This method takes a little more attention than other roast ing methods – you’ll have to flip the chicken over twice – but it’s well worth the effort. Flipping the chicken has the effect of roasting it on a spit, distributing the juices throughout the meat and keeping the breast from drying out. You’ll also want to truss your chicken (bind its legs) and inset a lemon or onion into the cavity to prevent hot air from flowing into it and overcooking the breast. Check out this video for a tutorial on how to truss your chicken without twine or other material – it’s what I did here and thought it was genius.
Za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend, is one of my favorite all purpose seasonings. You can use whatever you like though – herbs de provence is great, as is a simple rub of thyme, salt, and pepper.
For an easy side dish, cut potatoes into a 1-inch dice and toss them with olive oil. Because of the high cooking heat, they’ll roast in about 30 minutes – put them in the oven the first time you flip the chicken and leave them in to finish cooking while the chicken rests.
Ingredients
- 1 All-Natural Chicken, about 3.5 pounds
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Za’atar, or seasoning of your choice
Preparation
- The night before you plan to roast the chicken (or early that morning), remove any giblets from the chicken and pat the skin dry with a paper towel. Cut the lemon in half, and place half inside the cavity. Slice the other half into paper thin circles and slip them under the skin – two under the breast and two under the fattest part of the thighs. Rub the salt and za’atar into the skin, then truss the chicken and transfer it to the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to begin cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge to bring it up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 475F. Put a small pan (I used a 9-inch cake pan) in the oven while it preheats.
- Make three wads of foil, each slightly smaller than a baseball, and place them in the center of the heated pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the foil, so that it’s elevated (you may need to adjust the placement of the foil so that the chicken balances). Roast the chicken for 30 minutes – the skin should be golden and will start to blister. Remove from the oven. Discard the foil wads and flip the chicken onto it’s breast. Roast for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken onto it’s back for 5-10 more minutes to recrisp the skin. Gently tip the chicken so that the juices that have accumulated into the cavity run out into the pan – the chicken is done when they are clear and have no trace of red.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
I made these salads with the leftover chicken breast, and they were the best salads I’ve had in ages. I topped sweet mesclun with roast chicken, red seedless grapes, camembert, and small cubes of crusty bread, then drizzled it with a vinaigrette made from walnut oil, tarragon vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. I think I could eat the salad every day!
Shrimp + Grits with Creole Cream Sauce
| April 15, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Fish and Seafood, Lent, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites |
Sometimes I come up with ridiculously complicated recipes with ingredient lists a mile long. I know, it’s incredibly annoying. Other times, I get into the mood for simple food. As long as you use good, quality ingredients, you really don’t need to use a million spices and seasonings to make things taste good. Lately, I’ve been in a simple kind of mood.
I’m taking a class about food blogging right now, and this afternoon I listened to an interview with Molly from Orangette. She commented that as she became more interested in food and cooking, she became less and less interested in fancy ingredients and food trends and focused more on the simply joy of eating something like cheese and crackers. That comment really made me pause and think about my own cooking. Back in the day if you asked your mother or grandmother for a copy of a favorite recipe, you’d get it written on an index card. It might have taken up both sides, but it probably wouldn’t compare to today’s recipes, which could easily fill an entire printed page.
Last night, I made a roast chicken that was so good that I almost cried. It was a simple dinner, but I used great ingredients and solid technique and that really showed in the final product.
I was nervous when I made these shrimp and grits a few weeks ago – it didn’t seem like I was putting enough in them, and I was worried that they’d be bland. In the end, I shouldn’t have worried. This isn’t a pretty dish and the ingredients and preparation are simple, but it has ton of flavor and it was exactly the kind of comfort food that we were in the mood for. If your handwriting is small, you might even get the recipe to fit on an index card.
Shrimp and Grits with Creole Cream Sauce
Yields 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutesOne afternoon last month, Shawn called on his way home from work and asked if he should pick up something to make for dinner – he knew that I didn’t have anything planned. I told him that I’d cook, but I really didn’t have any ideas. I asked him to just grab whatever looked god and I’d figure out something to make. When I finally got home, I found that he had purchased a pound of shrimp, a block of monterey jack, and a carton of grits. I guess he knew what he wanted!
I’d never made shrimp and grits before (and had only ever eaten it once!) so I consulted a few friends on twitter for guidance. I added a pepper that I had the the fridge and, taking a cue from the menu at New World, made a spicy Creole cream sauce to blanket everything with. The resulting dish might not be traditional, but it definitely hit the spot.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 1 cup quick cooking Grits
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 pound peeled and deveined Shrimp
- 1 Tablespoon dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- ¼ cup Skim Milk
- ¼ cup Tomato Juice (from a can of tomatoes)
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, or more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Onion, chopped
Preparation
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the grits. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
- Meanwhile, combine the shrimp, oregano, thyme, and a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the shrimp until it is thoroughly coated.
- Melt the butter in a small pan set over high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until it’s lightly tanned – like the color of coffee with cream. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir in the tomato juice and cayenne.
- Add the oil to a skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp. Cook for a few minutes, or until the spices begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pepper and onion. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Bitter Chocolate & Blood Orange Cake
| April 8, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Cake and Pastry, Desserts, Indulge |
I took a break from reality last week. I took a week off work, bought myself a pass for unlimited yoga, read three books, played around in the kitchen…it was wonderful.
One of the first things I made was this bitter chocolate and blood orange cake. The idea for it had popped into my head while I had been dreaming about birthday cakes the week before, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
While this cake didn’t look exactly how I pictured it would – the center fell, which could have been because the batter is so heavy or could have been because my baking powder has been expired for three months (oops!) – it was exactly what I wanted. Everything abut this cake is intense. It’s sinfully rich with an almost brownie-like texture and a complex, bittersweet flavor that lingers in your mouth for what seems like forever.
This isn’t a celebratory kind of cake and it’s not something that kids are likely to enjoy but, served with some whipped cream, it was the perfect post-yoga pick-me-up.
Bitter Chocolate and Blood Orange Cake
Yields 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes.
This recipe makes a six inch cake- a size that I’ve found is perfect for two people. If you don’t have a six inch cake pan, it can be baked in muffin cups. I don’t think the recipe would lend itself well to a full sized cake, but if you insist, you can try doubling the recipe and baking it in a bundt pan.
I chose to drizzle my cake with chocolate glaze. It would be just as good with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Almonds, finely chopped or ground
- 4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (60%)
- 1/4 cup unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup fat free Blood Orange Yogurt*
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 6-inch cake pan and lightly dust it with cocoa powder.
- Add the chocolate and butter to a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the yogurt and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Mix together the almonds and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in the egg. Mix in the chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan. Cool completely before removing the cake from the pan.
Bitter Chocolate and Blood Orange Cake
Yields 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes.
This recipe makes a six inch cake- a size that I’ve found is perfect for two people. If you don’t have a six inch cake pan, it can be baked in muffin cups. I don’t think the recipe would lend itself well to a full sized cake, but if you insist, you can try doubling the recipe and baking it in a bundt pan.
I chose to drizzle my cake with chocolate glaze. It would be just as good with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Almonds, finely chopped or ground
- 4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (60%)
- 1/4 cup unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup fat free Blood Orange Yogurt*
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 6-inch cake pan and lightly dust it with cocoa powder.
- Add the chocolate and butter to a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the yogurt and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Mix together the almonds and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in the egg. Mix in the chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan. Cool completely before removing the cake from the pan.
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