Gold Medal Meals: El Cubano

 Earlier this week I told you how my German Pork Roast was a set up for another dish. That dish was tonight's dinner.

I guess I fell in love with the Cuban Pork Sandwich when I lived in Florida. They were pretty common fare down there, and usually pretty good. Since then I've figured they're a great way to use leftover pork, too. And they're easy to make.

Ingredients
1 loaf soft, crusty bread (If you can find a Cuban loaf, go with that, as that's the traditional bread. I found what I think the local grocery store called a French loaf, which was long, wide and not very high. You can certainly scale this down. I went with the big loaf, because I was making it as a family dinner with leftovers for lunch)
Roasted pork sliced (I used one of the two I made with the German Roast Pork)
Ham
Swiss cheese
Mustard (I used deli mustard)
Pickles

Directions
Slice the bread in half and spread the mustard on the top half. Layer the bottom with the slices of pork. Top with a layer of sliced deli ham, Swiss cheese and plenty of pickles. Top with the other half of the loaf.

Of course, the key to a Cuban sandwich is heating and pressing it. Traditionally, it's done with hot bricks. Seriously. But if you're like me, you probably don't have a lot of hot bricks sitting around. I do, though, have a George Foreman Grill that also doubles as a sandwich (panini) press. So I heated that up, cut the sandwich in half so it would fit and grilled each half for several minutes. You want to add some pressure to flatten it as much as possible, and may even need to rotate the sandwich along the way to get it even. It's done when the bread is nice and toasty and the cheese inside is good and melted. That's it! This sandwich will not disappoint.

To add to the Cuban flavor, I served it with black beans, (Spanish) rice and, of course, fried plantains. Unfortunately, I learned the trick to plantains too late. Turns out you need really (over)ripe ones. A lot of the stuff I read said the blacker the better, as you want a high sugar content, so buy them several days ahead and put them in a paper bag to try to ripen them. At any rate, peel the plantains and cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. In 350-degree oil, fry them for about three minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Standing the pieces on their end, smash them flat with a spatula. Put them back in the hot oil for a minute or so until they are golden brown. Remove, drain and sprinkle with salt.

 

I'm gonna take a few days break in posting recipes. We're having Chicken Lombardi tomorrow for a taste of Italy. Then we're going out of town for a few days for a wedding. I promise more recipes next week. If you have any ideas, feel free to share!

Gold Medal Meals: Pierogi

When I was in college, my Broadcast News teacher was David Hazinski. At the end of the school year, he would host a party at his house, complete with authentic Polish sausage and pierogi made by nuns at a convent in Pittsburgh. So imagine his dismay when one year he found out the nuns had retired from the pierogi making business, and he had to find them somewhere else.

For those who don't know, pierogi are basically Polish dumplings, which can be filled with all sorts of things, from the traditional potato to meat to fruit and other desserts.

Well, I have a little idea now what those nuns went through to make their culinary art, and I will admit, this recipe does not really fit into my goal of easy-to-make dishes. It was definitely labor intensive, but good things are worth the effort, right? I did a simple online search, and when I saw one that mentioned Pittsburgh, I had to go with that in honor of Hazinski and the nuns.

Now my pierogi were surely not as good as the ones the nuns made, but they were pretty good. And they marked another country off the list in my Olympic tour of dinners.

Ingredients
2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
Butter and onions for cooking


Filling:
5 large potatoes cut into pieces
1 onion
8 oz shredded cheese
2 tbsp butter

Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add beaten egg, sour cream and butter to flour mixture. Mix until a good dough forms, but don't overdo it. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 20-30 minutes.

Boil cut up potatoes in a large pot until fork tender. While the potatoes are cooking, chop onions finely and saute in butter. When potatoes are done, drain and mash. Mix in cooked onions and cheese. Let mixture cool. I also added some salt, pepper, parsley and garlic powder just for a little extra flavor. You can tweak however you want.

On a flour-dusted surface, roll out dough until about 1/8" thick. Using a cookie cutter or a drinking glass cut out circles depending on how big you want. Make about one-inch balls of filling and wrap inside a circle of dough. If the edges don't seal, moisten with a little water. A good seal is very important, or else you'll wind up with empty pierogi.

This picture is of a double batch, which is about 30-35 pierogi. I made them last night so they'd be ready to go for dinner tonight. I made about half of them and plan to freeze the rest for another day. If I were to make them again in the future, I would put them in single layers separated by wax paper, as they tend to stick together and then tear a little as you pull them apart.

When it's time to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in batches, place the pierogi in the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes. They'll float to the top. Let them dry and cool.

In a large pan, saute half a chopped onion in some butter. Working in batches, cook in the butter and onions until brown and a little crispy.

Apparently the traditional accompaniment is sour cream, which is a good combo. They may not look like much, but these little fried carb balls are quite filling.

I served mine up with some sauteed carrots for a little color.

Again, these may not meet with Hazinski's approval, and they're certainly nothing like the nuns made, but it was definitely a fun experience. I would like to experiment more with different flavors in the future, especially the dessert versions. It's also given me confidence to try my hand at ravioli, as I've long wanted to do. Smacznego! That's Polish for bon appetit!

Gold Medal Meals: German Pork Roast

We got back on the podium tonight, if you will. After taking an American fast food break from our run of Gold Medal Meals, our culinary tour moved back to Europe. Germany specifically.

The way I arrived at this dish is interesting, in that I actually had to figure out a meal that would give me the leftovers I need for another dish later this week. I don't want to give it away, but the main ingredient I need is roasted pork. So I figured the Germans would be a good choice to do up a pork roast. Indeed, I found several recipes for Schweinebraten, and picked a simple one. As always, I made some slight adjustments for my needs and based on my stock of ingredients. Also, I'm including the ingredients and directions I followed, but below that I've included some notes I think would make this even better.

Ingredients 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
1 teaspoon mustard (I substituted deli for stone-ground)
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, thyme and rosemary, crushed 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
2-4 lbs pork roast (the original recipe calls for boneless whole loin roast, but for economy's sake, I went with a loin rib end roast)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges (I suggest
3 medium onions, cut into wedges 
1 medium yellow tomato, cut into wedges

Directions
Mix olive oil, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and spices in a bowl. Rub mixture all over the roast. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Add potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Cook for 40-70 minutes or until pork reaches 160 and potatoes are cooked through. Let meat rest 10 minutes before slicing

  

Now, I'd never cooked this before, and the pork turned out tender and juicy, but I thought it could have used a little more flavor. Using the stone-ground mustard that the original recipe called for probably would have helped. I also would have liked a little more color, and would probably use a regular red tomato if I ever make it again and/or some carrots. That being said, we thought the roasted yellow tomato was delicious! I might also toss the potatoes in a little oil and maybe a little seasoning, such as seasoned salt or onion soup mix just to add a little flavor.

Regardless, like I said, the roast was very nice. A little apple sauce definitely made a nice accompaniment, and helped our two-year-old enjoy it a little more.

Again, this was a set-up meal for something later this week. The only hint I'll give is that it won't be European like tomorrow's meal will be.

Gold Medal Meals: Teriyaki Bowls

Last week I mentioned to my wife that for dinner Friday night, in honor of the Olympics, we should have something British. Unfortunately, I didn't find a recipe in time that I liked, so we wound up having Chicken Tacos. That led to another idea, though. I decided for the duration of the Olympics, we would have a dish inspired by a different country each night. Check off Mexico.

Of course, there is no shortage of international cuisine to choose from, but the theme of this blog is to focus on stuff that's not crazy hard to make. So for night No. 2, I thought long and hard. Finally I decided on something Japanese: Teriyaki Bowls. This is something I fell in love with when I lived in California near a restaurant called Yoshinoya. Basically, it was a bowl of steamed rice with Teriyaki chicken (or beef) and steamed veggies. When I moved to Gainesville, FL, there was a place called Maui Teriyaki that served something similar. All in all, it's a tasty dish that's pretty healthy.

Ingredients
2 cups rice (Whatever kind you like. I used brown rice to make it a little healthier)
1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (I used low sodium)
2 chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
1 bag frozen cauliflower, carrot, broccoli mix (the store here calls it California mix)
1/2 an onion sliced thin
1/2 a head of cabbage sliced thin

Directions
-Cook rice according to its directions.
-In a medium saucepan, bring one cup of water to a boil. Add the frozen veggies. Return to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.
-In a large saucepan, heat the Teriyaki sauce and onions over medium-high heat. When it starts to boil add the chicken. Put the California mix veggies on top of the chicken and the sliced cabbage on top of the veggies. Pour some of the hot water from the veggies over the cabbage. Cover with a lid.
-When the sauce starts to boil, reduce heat to medium, and let cook for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and all the veggies, especially the cabbage, are tender.
-Put rice in a bowl and top with cabbage, veggies and chicken. Add more sauce if desired. (I remember extra sauce being one of the best parts at Maui Teriyaki)

That's it. Like I said. It's pretty simply, and really yummy. I like to add some hot Chinese mustard to mine.

So two nights down, and a couple more weeks to go. It looks like a sudden strong thunderstorm kept my wife from getting to the grocery store, so we'll honor Team USA with some authentic American southern BBQ (take out).

Southern Classic: Shrimp & Grits

With the Mrs. home on maternity leave/summer break (she is a teacher), I've been spoiled a bit by coming home to a lot of dinners on the table. That means I haven't had a chance to do a lot of cooking myself, but today, I was back it.

If you've ever spent time in the South, you may have tried to the classic dish Shrimp & Grits. It is an incredibly delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed at any meal. We make it for Sunday dinners from time to time, but I guess traditionally it's a breakfast/brunch dish. Believe me, though, it's good  any time.

I found the basis for this recipe doing a search for "easy shrimp and grits" and finding a recipe on
"Southern Living" magazine's website from a restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. I've adapted it just a little, by using a Vidalia (read: sweet) onion instead of green onions, as I normally have one on hand and like to think it adds a little more traditional southern flavor to the dish. I also use olive oil (again, I have it and like it), and use whatever shredded cheese that moves me for the cheese grits (tonight I used some Cheddar Jack and an Italian blend.

Now before we get down to the recipe, a very important piece of advice. You need to make this dish like you're on a TV cooking show. In other words, have everything measured out and ready to go. This is not a hard recipe, but it all happens quickly, and it's two dishes in one that must be cooked at the same time. I'll try to give you the timing as we go.

Ingredients
2-4 bacon slices
1 pound peeled, cleaned medium shrimp
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil (or just keep all the bacon drippings)
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia (sweet) onion
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Hot sauce to taste

Cheese Grits
14 oz chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cook grits
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup sharp Cheddar and 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan)
Hot sauce to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper


Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

When the bacon is almost done, in a medium saucepan, combine 14 oz chicken broth, skim milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Back in the skillet, sauté mushrooms in hot drippings with oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add onions, and sauté 2 minutes.

As veggies cook, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the shrimp and dredge in flour. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

Back to the grits: Stir in cheese, white pepper and hot sauce.

Spoon shrimp mixture over hot Cheese Grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

It may not look like the prettiest dish in this photo, but it's delicious! My wife says it's as good as any version she's had in a restaurant. I served it with warm French bread. Also, as different people have different tastes, I like to add more hot sauce to my personal plate, but you do need a little while cooking for the flavor.

If you're making this for breakfast or brunch, serve it along with scrambled eggs and biscuits. Leftovers also go nicely with some eggs for breakfast. Enjoy!

Just in time for summer: Fall-off-the-Bone Ribs

The unofficial start of summer has arrived, and that means grilling season. Every dad wants to be a master griller, but let's be honest: It's not always as easy as we'd like. I, for one, often have trouble knowing when meats are cooked properly, which really frustrates me.

By the way, when we moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina when I was a kid, my family learned an important lesson. Up north, barbecue is a verb, as in, "Let's barbecue this afternoon," or gerund, as in, "We're going to have a barbecue." In the south, it's a noun, as in, "We're having barbecue for dinner."

Anyway... while I am yet to master steaks or even burgers, I have learned a recipe for ribs that is always sure to impress. Before we start, though, I will tell you that rib experts/snobs will probably tell you that this is not the real way to cook ribs, because apparently if a rib falls off the bone, it's been steamed, instead of smoked. A rib, they'll tell you, should be chewy and require some work with your teeth. Well, if this recipe is wrong, I don't want to be right! That's how good it is.

So how did I discover this? Simple. I Googled "easy ribs" or something like that, and found a recipe for dry-rubbed ribs that is easy and delicious. Through a little experimentation, I have tweaked it a little and guarantee success.

So here's what you'll need:

2 racks of pork ribs (whatever kind you want will work)
Your favorite BBQ sauce if desired.

For the rub:
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
The juice of half a lime (or the whole lime, if you'd like!)

Rinse the ribs with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Lay each rack on its own long sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. You MUST use heavy duty foil for this. The regular stuff tears way too easily.

Mix all the rub ingredients together in a small bowl until it forms a gritty paste. Rub it all over both sides of each rack until they are coated evenly. Don't forget the sides! The rub is pretty spicy, but it will mellow as it cooks.

Fold up the foil for a tight seal. You may need to an extra piece to cover any seams, and you may need more later if it starts to leak and cause flare-ups on the grill. Let the ribs chill in the refrigerator for as long as possible. The longer the better, as the meat really soaks up the flavor, so if you can leave it overnight, great, but I've done it for about an hour, and it's still fine.

Heat your gas grill to 300, and put the wrapped ribs right on the grate. Cook for about 2.5 hours. Remember, when you're barbecuing, low and slow is the key. After about 2.5 hour, use a sharp knife, and cut open the foil.

Brush on your favorite BBQ sauce on the meaty side if you want, and carefully flip the ribs onto the grate. Brush the backside with the sauce and let cook for another 5 or 10 minutes or so per side until the sauce caramelizes and forms a nice, sticky crust.

 

Look closely at the picture above, and you can see where some of the meat tore away while flipping. That's how tender these ribs are.

Usually two racks is more than enough for four people. Be careful as you move them from the grill to a platter and to a plate. They can be so tender that they will fall apart as you transfer them.

It's Greek to me: Souvlaki & Greek Potatoes

Sorry the blog has been so quiet lately. As you might imagine, with our new addition, there's little time for things like this. Plus, we've had some great friends who have spoiled us with meals, so there hasn't been a whole lot of cooking. Nevertheless, I have a couple more recipes ready to go, including this one.

It's Greek Festival weekend in Wilmington, but with a couple of little kids, we decided not to try to navigate the event and make our own Greek dinner. The idea is inspired by my favorite dish at a great restaurant back home in South Carolina: Zorba's. Anyone who has grown up in or around Irmo knows Zorba's, and the Souvlaki Platter there has long been my standard order. You can serve this up with beef or chicken. We made chicken last night, so that's what you'll see in this recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken breasts and/or beef tips/steak (really any cut will do)
Greek/Souvlaki seasoning (I use Cavender's Greek Seasoning)
Olive oil
Balsamic or red wine vinegar
Potatoes
Stewed tomatoes
Oregano
Basil
Mint
Tzatziki sauce (recipe below)
Pita bread

For Souvlaki
Cut meat into bite-sized pieces. In zip top bag combine about 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, Souvlaki seasoning (at least a couple tablespoons) and mix together. Add meat, a spring of fresh mint, fresh basil and oregano and marinate at least 30 minutes. Place on hot grill (I use my George Foreman Grill), sprinkle with more seasoning if desired and cook until done.

For potatoes
Cut peeled potatoes in half. In medium pot, cover with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for four minutes. Remove most of the water and add in a can of stewed tomatoes, some oregano, mint, basil and Greek seasoning. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until fork tender.

Tzatziki Sauce

 

2 cups Plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is even better)

1 Cucumber

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

Peel cucumber. Cut in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Chop cucumber as finely as possible. Place chopped cucumber on thick layer of paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mix in small bowl with rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Serve Souvlaki and potatoes with sauce and warm pita.

I also made a side of spinach by heating a little olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add crushed garlic and cook until it's almost brown. Add in a bunch of spinach leaves. Turn to coat and heat until done. Remember, spinach cooks down a great deal, so a full bunch will only give you about a small bowl full.