Stewed pork with cucumber and tomato salad

Made some pork shoulder in my pressure cooker! We are so grateful for this wedding gift, and I've been using it!

Recipe:
3-4 lb pork shoulder
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 serrano chile, diced
2 tbs. achiote (annato) seeds
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp cumin
4 allspice berries
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 beef or pork stock
1 tbs. kosher salt
Cut the pork into large cubes (mine were about 1.5 inches). Salt the pork and brown in pressure cooker in batches, then remove. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and sweat. Add the spices Return the pork to the cooker and pour over the liquid. Seal the lid and cook for 35 minutes on medium pressure (this was according to my pressure cooker's guide--yours might vary, so double check).

Yellow Split Pea Soup in the Pressure Cooker

We are very grateful for our new pressure cooker, and for our new dishes! Thanks to those who bought us new gifts...they are definitely being used! 

Recipe:
1.5 cups yellow split peas
6 cups chicken stock. I also added some of the rib stock I made a few days ago
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small yellow onion, roughly diced
3 large garlic cloves smashed
1 to 2 strips of bacon, cut into sections (I used a cherry wood smoked bacon that is fabulous)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt (and you will need to add more to taste when it's done)
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
Toss your ingredients into the pressure cooker, seal, and cook for 35 minutes. The vegetables and bacon will essentially dissolve, giving it a wonderful flavor. I gave it a pass with my immersion blender just to make sure the consistency was smooth, but this soup turns out pretty smooth without much fuss. If you want to do a vegetarian version, I recommend using a high quality vegetable stock and a dash of curry powder instead of the chicken stock and bacon.

Grilled Lamb Loin Chops

 So last night I wanted to make something a little special for us, but I didn't have a huge amount of time. I opted for lamb because I found some beautiful loin chops at the store and I almost never make it at home. If you're short on time as I was, make the marinade first thing and get the lamb into it, then work on the sides in the interim.

Recipe:
for the lamb:
4 boneless lamb loin chops (you can also use bone in, I just went boneless because that's what the butcher had). Trim the excess fat (or ask the butcher to do it before you buy). Also, make sure they're at least 1 inch thick.
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tbs sea salt or kosher salt
2 tbs rosemary leaves
1 tbs thyme leaves
the juice of one lemon
Combine the garlic, herbs, salt and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse while slowly drizzling in the oil. It should make a yummy green paste. Rub that on the lamb loin chops and marinate it in the fridge (1-4 hours, preferably closer to 4 but I was in a hurry so I only marinated them for 90 minutes). Heat your grill to high (I got mine up to about 500 degrees).  Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before grilling, and wipe off the excess marinade. I like to give a quick dusting of salt and pepper before they hit the grill. Grill them for 5 minutes on one side, then carefully flip them and grill for another 5 minutes or until the lamb has an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. This should give you medium-rare, but grills vary so keep an eye on them. Allow them to rest for 6-8 minutes, wrapped in foil to keep them warm.

for the potatoes:
4 medium russet potatoes
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tbs olive oil
Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half into wedges. Toss in the oil and spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper (I also used a little garlic salt at the finish). Cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. If your wedges are on the larger side, you may need 35 minutes.

The spinach is pretty self explanatory. I sauteed it in a little butter until it wilted down, gave it a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt. Next time I'll try to do something fancier with it!

A note regarding portions:

We had lots of leftover potatoes, and we only at 3 of the loin chops between the two of us. If you're making this recipe for two, prepare for some delicious leftovers!

Venison Burgers!

 So last night my beloved came home hungry, and I didn't have time to go shopping. Fortunately, thanks to his hunting acumen, we have venison in the freezer! It's always best to use meat before you freeze it, but when you have that much meat, well, you pretty much have to freeze it unless you want to host a dinner for 30 people. I put it to thaw in the fridge before I left for work and it was ready to go when I got home.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground venison (we had ours done at a processing place)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced white onion
1 egg yolk

Mix the above ingredients very gently with your hands. Try not to compress the meat very much. Form into two equal patties and put in the fridge.


For the caramelized onions and mushrooms:

Take one tbs. butter and melt it in a skillet until it starts to bubble slightly. Add 1/2 a white onion (thinly sliced) and saute on low-medium heat for about ten minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste and lower the heat a little more, cooking about 20-30 minutes or until onions take on a nice brown color and an almost jammy consistency. Saute 1 cup mushrooms in 1/2 tbs. of olive oil (make sure you salt the mushrooms to your taste) until cooked down and no longer releasing liquid. Combine with the onions.

Grill patties for 6 minutes per side on medium-high heat (I use a gas grill, temp set at 500 degrees). Do not press down on the burgers or flip them more than once. Let rest for three minutes. Serve on your bread of choice (I used toasted sourdough but a ciabatta roll, toasted brioche or potato bread would be awesome, too).

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Herb Salad and Sriracha Mayo

My lovely brought home a whole tuna from a fishing trip, and I had to figure out where to start with it. He asked me to sear it, so I did! Here's how I did it...

4 8oz tuna steaks
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs vegetable oil

1/3 cup mayo
1 tbs Sriracha
1 tbs lemon juice

For the salad:
I used a mix of arugula, dandelion greens, fresh basil, and radicchio. I made the dressing with 1 tbs. sesame oil, 1 tbs. soy sauce, 1 tbs. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs. diced ginger, 1 tbs. vegetable oil and  1 tsp fish sauce.

For the mayo: combine the mayo, lemon juice and Sriracha and let sit while you prepare the tuna

If you're working with freshly caught tuna as I was, I would cut out the blood line.  With a sharp knife, make an incision on either side of the blood line so that the two incisions create a ‘V’ shape and remove.

Let the tuna sit out of the fridge for ten minutes, and coat with kosher salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet until it is very hot. Add the vegetable and sesame oils and then add the fish. Let it sear in the pan for 60-90 seconds, then flip it. Let it cook another 60-90 seconds, then remove it from the pan. Let it rest a few minutes and then cut each steak diagonally into 4-5 slices. Drizzle the mayo on top.

Easy Fajita Chicken with Vegetables, Beans and Rice

Black beans and vegetables:

Slice:
1 green bell pepper (make sure to take out the seeds and white parts)
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 yellow onion

Use:
1 can black beans (you can cook your own beans, but I do not have the time).

Saute in a large pan in 1 tbs. olive oil on medium for about ten minutes, tossing lightly. Add a teaspoon of salt and teaspoon of pepper. Drain the black beans and rinse them in a colander. Add them to the hot pan and stir vigorously. Cook until the veggies are slightly soft and the moisture in the pan is almost gone.

Marinade recipe:

1 tbs vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

Use 1.5-2 lbs thin cut chicken breasts. Marinate in a plastic bag about 30 minutes. Grill at about 450-500F for 6 minutes per side.  Make sure it's around 160 degrees F inside using a meat thermometer. Let it rest for 10 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil.

For the rice, I used a rice cooker. If you do not have a rice cooker, here's what you need: 

1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tbs butter

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the butter (optional--it adds flavor, but it's not necessary). Add the rice and cook for approximately 20 minutes. 

After you fluff the cooked rice, put the bean veggie mix on top. Slice the chicken and put it on top of the beans and veggies. There you have it: a healthy meal that is pretty affordable (and a staple of our house).

Mole Negro in the Slow Cooker

My fiance wanted chicken mole--typically I make it over the stove, but today we were busy and I thought it would be cool to try it in the slow cooker, and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs deboned

1 medium yellow onion, rough dice
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs sesame seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (or almonds, but I used pumpkin seeds)
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
1 dried ancho deseeded and stem cut out
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

Place the chicken in the crockpot on high and let sit while you get the sauce ready. Chop the chocolate and place in blender with the shelled pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins and other ingredients. Seriously, just put them all together, they'll be okay. If your blender is small, you can blend in two batches. Blend well and, if you like, strain the sauce (I strained mine through a sieve because I think it is a better presentation). Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook for 2 hours on high followed by 4 hours on low. Chicken should fall apart when poked with a fork.