New Years Day dinner

I used to do this New Years Day meal for fun and in remembrance of my Southern mom. Lately I have been doing it a little out of superstition. Three years ago we had what Cassie said was a traditional Mexican New Years dinner.  We had none of the Southern food that was representative of good luck and a health for the year to come. The very next day, I fell and broke every bone in my ankle. 

Charlie is not a fan of black eyed peas with ham so I made a  chip dip with them instead. He like the dip.  The ham hocks were cooked with canary beans, also called Mayocoba beans.  We had collard greens, corn bread, green beans with new potatoes, deviled eggs, and pumpkin pie.

2017 New Years Day 

Ham and Beans.

Soak 1 lb.Canary beans (aka Mayocoba beans) overnight

Place smoked ham (not pork) shank and or ham hock (if meaty enough) in bottom of Instant Pot. 

Add soaked and drained beans and cover with water by a couple of inches.

2T +1t. salt Note: The cured and smoked ham shanks were salty. It does not need as much salt.

1/4 yellow onion, uncut

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

1 T. oil to prevent foaming

Cover and cook 30 minutes. Allow pressure to escape naturally

COLLARD GREENS

2 bundles collard greens

water to cover

2 large smoked ham hocks (used one this year)

1 cup sugar

Salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

salt__________

_tabasco sauce to taste added after cooked and drained.___

Directions

Thoroughly wash collard greens. Be sure to pull leaves apart and remove any sand. Remove stems, chop collard greens.

In a medium saucepan, bring  salted water to a simmer. Place smoked ham hocks  and greens in salted water 

Cover and cook greens for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

 BLACK EYED PEA DIP from Linda Rayburn, My sister.

 4 cups cooked, dried black eyed peas or 4 cups canned peas (mash some)

1 tbsp pea juice

5 jalapeno peppers chopped (remove seeds)  --(I used 3 1/2)

1/2 medium onion chopped

4 oz. can green chilis chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 lb. Old English sharp cheese

1 stick butter

Mix all except cheese and butter.  Melt cheese and butter in double boiler (I use microwave).  Add all other ingredients.  Simmer until hot.   Serve hot.

NOTE This year I could not find Old English sharp cheese so substituted Doritos cheese dip and omitted the cheese and the butter. Charlie loved it. 

Corn Bread Muffins made according to recipe on corn meal box.

Beef Pozole

Son gave me an Instant Pot as a Christmas gift. I used the slow cooker function to make Beef Pozole

Beef Pozole in the Slow Cooker

WRITTEN BY SONIA MENDEZ GARCIA

Yields: 6 people

Ingredients

• For the Pozole

• 1 MEDIUM SWEET ONION DICED

• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 POUNDS BEEF BACK RIBS YOU CAN ALSO USE SHORT RIBS (IF THE RIBS ARE WHOLE, I CUT THEM INTO INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS)

• 2 TEASPOONS CUMIN SEEDS

• 3 LARGE ROMA TOMATOES DICED

• 3-4 CLOVES GARLIC MINCED

• 1-2 SERRANO PEPPERS MINCED

• 1 LARGE POBLANO PEPPER DICED

• 1/3-1/2 CUP CILANTRO CHOPPED

• 2 BAY LEAVES

• 2 CUPS HOMINY COOKED

• 5 CUPS BROTH (I USED HALF CHICKEN AND HALF BEEF LOW SODIUM BROTH)

• SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

• For the Garnish: All Optional

• 2 CUPS CABBAGE SHREDDED

• 1/2 CUP RADISHES SLICED

• 1/3 CUP ONIONS DICED

• 1 AVOCADO SLICED

• 1 LEMON OR LIME, SLICED INTO WEDGES

• CHILE LIMON SEASONING OR RED PEPPER FLAKES, OPTIONAL

Directions

1 Layer all of the ingredients in the order listed in a 5-quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. 

Ham steak, salad, green beans and mac & cheese

Ham was just heated in a skillet. Salad was romaine, cheese and croutons.  Green beans boiled in water for about an hour then in a separate some onion and bacon were cooked with a little added bacon fat then the beans and bacon and onions were tossed together. Mac & cheese was Cracker Barrel brand.

Bang Bang Shrimp

My friend Beth told me about this recipe, so I looked up, found one that looked good and gave it a try today.  We had it with Orzo and glazed carrots.

BANG BANG SHRIMP

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

This tastes just like Cheesecake Factory’s version, except it’s way cheaper and so much tastier!

INGREDIENTS:                                                                                    

1/2 cup vegetable oil, or more, as needed         

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 large egg

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup Panko

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

FOR THE SAUCE

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

To make the sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey and rice vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine Panko, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

Working one at a time, dip shrimp into buttermilk mixture, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.

Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve immediately, drizzled with sweet chili sauce.

Two Asian Fried Chicken recipes.

I was at the Asian market yesterday and discovered a new kimchi.  For the last 30 years we got ours made in Chicago.  This one came from Korea, so I got it and it was part of dinner tonight.  One of Charlie's favorite recipe's is one for Korean chicken wings. I wanted to try Japanese popcorn chicken so I made both as well as snow peas and pickled daikon.

Japanese Popcorn Chicken (Karaage)

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2-3

3 boneless chicken thighs, chopped into 1-inch chunks

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons ginger, finely grated or minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup potato starch

Oil, for frying

Lemon wedges and parsley to serve

PREPARATION

1. Combine the chicken with the garlic, ginger, soy, sake, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a pot over high heat until about 340°F.

3. Give the chicken a stir to re-incorporate the marinade, then sprinkle the potato starch on top. Lightly toss until somewhat combined, but do not mix until each chicken piece is evenly coated because the uneven pockets of potato starch will give the chicken its signature unique texture. 

4. Fry half of the chicken at a time, until light golden and bubbly, about 5-7 minutes. The oil temperature will drop to about 320°F. Rest the chicken on paper towels and increase the heat.

5. Heat oil to about 390°F, then fry the chicken again for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain the chicken on paper towels.

6. Serve with lemon and parsley!

7. Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Chicken

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2-3

10 chicken wings and drumettes

1 cup cornstarch

Oil, for frying

Sesame seeds, for serving

Batter

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup water

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gochujang)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

PREPARATION

1. Mix the ingredients for the batter in a bowl until smooth with no lumps.

2. Heat oil in a pot to 340°F.

3. Dip a chicken wing into the cornstarch, shaking off excess, then dredge the wing into the batter, dripping off excess. 

4. Fry half of the wings at a time for about 5-7 minutes, until light golden. The oil will drop to about 320°F.

5. Drain the wings and increase the heat.

6. Heat oil to about 375°F.

7. Fry the wings a second time until golden brown and crispy. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir until bubbling. Toss in the wings.

8. Enjoy!

Glazed Pork, Korean Spinach, oven fried Yams.

Glazed Pork

FLORENCE FABRICANT YIELD8 to 10 

The grilled (or broiled) slab of pork for arroz gordo, a dish from Macau, resembles Chinese roast pork. But it can easily stand on its own. Just be sure the meat is at least 2 inches thick so it will brown nicely without overcooking. Slice it to serve as an appetizer with strong mustard, or add it at the last minute to stir-fried mushrooms. You could substitute pork loin for the shoulder.

Featured in: An Entertaining Plan To Maximize Mingling. 

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons honey

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

1 pound pork shoulder, about 6 inches long

1 Combine wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, paprika, cinnamon and honey in

a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch

with 2 tablespoons cold water and whisk into sauce. Cook until thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool.

2 Place pork in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Add half the sauce and mix

well with pork. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining

sauce.

3 Bring pork to room temperature and heat a grill or broiler. Sear pork,

turning once or twice, until glazed, browned and cooked through, 6 to 10

minutes, depending on the heat of the grill. A thermometer should read 145

degrees.

4 Just before serving, slice pork 1/2 inch thick. Baste with reserved sauce.

SPINACH KIM CHE  (SIGEUMCHI NAMUL)    2 servings

10 oz. spinach 1 T. Sesame oil

2 T Soy sauce 1 T scallion, minced

2 tsp Sugar 1 tsp vinegar (optional)

1 1/2 tsp sesame salt salt & red pepper (optional)

BLANCH SPINACH IN BOILING WATER UNTIL BRIGHT GREEN ( ABOUT 2 MINUTES).  PLUNGE INTO COLD WATER.  SQUEEZE OUT EXCESS WATER.  MIX REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND  TOSS WITH SPINACH.  SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR REFRIGERATE UP TO SEVERAL DAYS.

Yams

INGREDIENTS

2 large yams, peeled and cut into ¼ thick fries

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss yam fries with oil, salt, and Cajun seasoning until coated. Spread out evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes then flip fries with a spatula. Rotate pan and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until nicely browned and crisp.

Sous Vide cooked salmon.

This was a frozen dinner cooked to temperature with a sous vide cooker then finished in a hot skillet. Asparagus was leftover from the other day.