Cuban pot roast and sandwiches

Cuban Pork Roast

I made this Cuban Pork Roast for dinner but got hungry at 3 so we either had a late lunch or  early supper. I suspect it will be a late lunch for Charlie and an early dinner for me.

Recipe By:  Christine L.

"Black beans and rice are the logical accompaniment to this hearty pork roast. A salad of orange slices, red onion and arugula dressed with a tangy cilantro vinaigrette would  be refreshing. If there are any leftovers, make media noches, the Cuban sandwiches that are made with Swiss cheese, ham and toasted egg bread in addition to roast pork."

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon dried oregano                                           

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and tied

Directions

Heat a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and peppercorns to the pan; stir constantly until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Cool.

Using a mortar and pestle, crush toasted spices with garlic, salt, and oregano to make a paste. You can also do this in the small bowl of a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl, and stir in orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, sherry, and olive oil.

Place the pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour citrus marinade over meat, and seal. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the bag over occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Transfer pork and marinade to a roasting pan, and place in the oven. Roast for about 2 1/2 hours, basting with pan juices occasionally, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Add small amounts of water to the pan if it dries out. Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve, and serve.

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Cuban sandwich

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 8″ Cuban roll, split

½ cup leftover roast pork shoulder, shredded

3 slices deli ham

3 slices Swiss cheese

10 dill pickle chips

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of roll and top with pork, ham, cheese, and pickle chips. Spread mustard on top half of roll; cover bottom. Heat oil in a 10″ skillet over medium-high heat, and cook sandwich, weighing it down with a cast-iron skillet and turning once, until golden brown and cheese is melted, 8–10 minutes. Cut in half and serve hot. 

Pulled pork and roasted green beans.

Instant pot pulled  pork simply cooked with some BBQ sauce and cola.  Also roasted green beans @ 425º for 10 minutes with a spritz of oil. I boiled the green beans first because neither Charlie nor I care much for crunch green beans.  After roasted, it was tossed with Parm. and fresh basil.  Corn relish was store bought.

Tacos tonight

Easter Dinner

Boars Head ham, deviled eggs, asparagus sweet potatoes, corn bread and cheesy scalloped potatoes plus the upsidedown cake already shown.

Pineapple upsidedown cake in a bunt pan.

I put melted butter and brown sugar in the bottom of the bunt pan,  used fresh pineapple with  half rounds cut to fit in with maraschino cherries to fit in between and then topped it with Duncan Hines cake with a package of instant vanilla pudding, oil, water and 4 eggs.

Chicken and dumplings

The Asian market had stewing hens at a good price so I cooked one in the Instant pot pressure cooker with some vegetables loosely using the recipes below.

CHICKEN STOCK

1 onion, peeled and stuck with 3 cloves

1 carrot, scraped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of parsley

1 tsp. dried thyme

6 peppercorns

3 qts. water

1 tbsp. salt

Put the chicken pieces, vegetables, garlic, herbs, peppercorns, and water in a deep 8-quart pot and bring to a boil.  After 5 minutes, skim off the scum that forms on the surface with a wire skimmer or large spoon.  Continue to boil rapidly for 15 minutes, skimming, reduce the heat; cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  Season with salt to taste- about 1 tablespoon.  Strain the broth through a sieve lined with several thicknesses of cheesecloth into a large bowl and cool thoroughly in the refrigerator. Save the gizzards if you like them for eating. Discard the rest of the vegetables and chicken parts.  When the stock is cold, remove the layer of fat that has formed on the surface.  You should have 2 1/2 quarts of stock.

DOUBLE CHICKEN BROTH

Put the cold, fat free stock in an 8 qt. Pan with a whole stewing fowl or roasting chicken weighing 4 to 5 pounds.  Bring slowly to a boil, skim off any scum that forms on the surface; reduce the heat; cover and simmer gently until the chicken is very tender, about 1 hour for a young chicken, 2-2 1/2 hours for a fowl.  Remove the chicken and either serve it as poached chicken or remove the skin and take off the bones and use the meat for salad, hash, chicken pie or creamed chicken.

Strain the broth through a cheesecloth and skim off the fat. You now have 2 quarts of beautifully rich, strong broth to use for cooking.

OLD- FASHIONED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Follow the recipe for poached chicken in double chicken broth (above). While the chicken is cooking, make up the dumplings, which will be added for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

DUMPLINGS                                                      

2 C. sifted all-purpose flour                                   

3 teaspoons baking powder                    

1 teaspoon salt                                         

2 eggs

2/3 C. milk

Sift the dry ingredients together.  Beat the eggs and milk together lightly and blend with the flour mixture to make fairly stiff dough.  About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid from the pot in which the chicken is cooking and drop rounded tablespoons of the dumpling dough over the surface of the liquid, spacing them a few inches apart to allow room for them to puff up. Cover the pan, keeping the liquid at a simmer, and cook the dumplings for 15 minutes, until light and cooked through.  Do not remove the lid while the dumplings are cooking.  Serve with poached chicken.

dumplings ll stir toghether dry ingr. cut in fat, add milk & stir until sticky

Chili dog was dinner tonight.

I had never heard of Amy's brand of soups but they looked like they might be good.  They were expensive enough to be good.  I made a chili dog with a can of their chili.  It was the worst chili I ever had. Bleach.

Shrimp Scampi

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi

TOTAL TIME: 0:30 LEVEL: EASY SERVES: 2 TO 3

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp, butterflied

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 package angel hair pasta

PARMESAN BREADING:

1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

3 tbsp. shredded Parmesan, plus more for topping dish

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

CREAM SAUCE:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. white wine

4-5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 pint heavy cream

1/2 red onion, diced

1 plum tomato, diced

1 tsp. fresh basil, chopped, plus more for topping

DIRECTIONS

1 Toss shrimp in baking soda and salt mixture. Leave in fridge for 15-20 minutes.

2 Cook angel hair pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

3 Make the Parmesan breading: Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl. Coat shrimp in breading.

4 Warm olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Use tongs to place the shrimp in the skillet. Cook shrimp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until it’s curled up and is pink and white, not gray or translucent anymore. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.

5 Make the cream sauce: Add white wine and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic. Stir occasionally, letting the sauce reduce, for about 8 to10 minutes.

6 Add the heavy cream, stir and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the onion, stir and let the sauce simmer for 5 to7 minutes. Add tomato and basil, stirring to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7 Divide angel hair pasta among plates. Top with shrimp and cream sauce. Garnish with additional Parmesan and basil if you’d like.

Beef bulgogi

Charlie marinated some beef overnight so we had bulgogi for dinner with some seaweed, kimchi and rice. Dessert was strawberries with angel food cake.

Steak and baked potato

Grilled a couple of rib eye steaks and had them with baked potato, salad and Southwest bean salad.  Bean salad had black and red beans, hominy, corn, green and red peppers and onion. It was in a spicy sauce.

Chicken and rice with a teriyaki sauce plus broccoli rabe and bernaise.

The other day when I made stir fry beef teriyaki, Charlie was remembering how many fast food chicken teriyaki restaurants in Seattle there were and how good they were. He looked up a Restaurant teriyaki sauce and I told him to e-mail it to me and I'd make it.  He said it was exactly like he remembered it.  The chicken breast was just grilled outside with some salt and olive oil, then put on top of some rice and the sauce was poured over it.  The broccoli rabe was steamed for a couple minutes and topped with some Bernaise sauce which melted right in.

Bernaise sauce 

I cut the recipe in half and used chives and dried tarragon plus champagne pear vinegar

1 Tbsp + 2 sticks butter

3 Tbs shallots (I used fresh chives)

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp champagne vinegar

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp fresh tarragon

cook shallots and tarragon in a Tbsp of butter, then melt the rest of the butter, allow to cook somewhat and slowly add it to egg yolks with a whisk (like making mayonnaise) until you get a little volume and can add it to the stand mixer to finish. Add vinegar to thin as needed. 

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

READY IN: 6mins

Recipe by JuniperNW

You know the nice, sweet, thick Teriyaki sauce you get from your favorite takeout joint? Now you can have it at home.

Ingredients   YIELD  1 1/2 cups, approx. 

    1⁄4  cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger

   1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder

5  tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 -2  tablespoon honey

2  tablespoons cornstarch

   1⁄4 cup cold water

Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating.

Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan.

Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.

Add water to thin if you over-thick it

Chicken grilled outside to 165º 

Stir fry beef teriyaki and a spinach salad

Beef Teriyaki Stir-fry

1 lb. beef sirloin steak

1/4 C Teriyaki sauce 

2 Tbsp. apricot preserves

3/4 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh grated)

1 (16 oz pkg.) Frozen stir-fry vegetables with noodles (I used fresh vegetables- snow peas, celery, bell pepper , carrot, and broccoli rabe.  Used chow mein noodles.

Vegetable oil

Trim and slice beef. set aside

Combine Combine sauce, preserves and ginger. Set aside.

Stir fry vegetables in oil until cooked but not soft. Set aside

Add more oil and cook meat.  Return vegetables and add sauce. Toss to coat and heat through.

Serve with noodles.

Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette

1/8 C. olive oil (I used corn oil because the olive oil I had was for cooking and didn't taste like EVOO and did not make a good choice for salad dressing in MHO)

1/8 C. stewed tomatoes (I used tomato paste)

1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp honey

1/8 tsp. Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Portobello Salad

Combine grilled mushrooms, spinach, blue cheese and toss with Tomato-Basil dressing.

I added some onions cut thin and kept in rings. Used small rings of white onion.