Weekly Recipes

WEEK 5 RECIPE

mom and dad

Grilled Pork Tacos Al Pastor


Here's the recipe-from Rick Bayless, the chicago mexican food guy (La Frontera Grill)


1 pkg achiote paste (31/2 oz)

3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1/4 cup sauce from the can.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

11/2 lbs of pork shoulder (can use loin too if you like), slice 1/4in thick

1 medium red onion sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

Coarse salt

1/4 medium pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/4 in rounds

Serve with 24 corn tortillas, warmed, and smokey chipotle salsa


If you are ambitious you could make your own tortillas using masa harina.  Follow directions on bag or find recipe on line.  Might also try Bayless' web site at La Frontera grill.

1. In a blender, combine achiote paste, chiles, sauce, oil, and 3/4 cup water; blend till smooth.  Use a 1/3 of the marinade to coat the pork all over. (Put in big zip lock bag, close, and then mix it around-works well.  Let this bag sit in the fridge for an hour.

2.  Set up grill for indirect cooking.  That means coals on one side or around a foil pan in the middle.  Have to have a part of the grill that is not over coals directly.  Clean and oil grill.  Brush onion with oil and salt and place over hot side of the grill in a single layer.  Cook until grill marks on both side of the onion, 3-5 minutes per side.  Flip only once.  Move to cool side of the grill and let cook until soft, 5-8 minutes.  Repeat with pineapple.  In batches, grill pork over hot side of the grill, about 1 minute per side.

3.  Transfer pork to cutting board, chop into 1/4-1/2 in pieces.  Add to a skillet on stove or grill to keep warm.  chop onion and pineapple into pieces and add to skillet and toss.  Serve with tortillas and salsa.

Smokey chipotle salsa

1. Heat skillet and add 3 garlic cloves and 4 tomatillos with husks removed (this comment is for jessica), and halved.  cook tomatillos cut side down until brown, completely soft, and garlic is browned.
2.  Transfer garlic and tomatillos to blender or processor, along with 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and 1/4 cup water.  Process to coarse puree and transfer to bowl to cool.  May need to thin with a little water.  Salt to taste.


Seems like a very simple and quick meal on the grill.  I havent tried it yet.  could add some fresh avocado slices for color and taste.  Might serve with a simple salad and call it a day.

love, dad

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WEEK 4 RECIPE

fran and josh
Steak and Chimichurri Sauce w/ side of Edamame Salad & Molten Chocolate Cake

You can prepare the steak however you'd like but since the chimichurri is so flavorful I just seasoned it with salt and pepper and grilled. The following is for the chimichurri sauce...throw everything in a food processor or blender and you're done!

Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup parsley leaves, about 1 bunch, stemmed
4 garlic cloves, rouchly chopped
1 small jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped (more if you like it really hot)
3 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (I like a little more)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt

Edamame Salad
~Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Chill until you eat. This salad tastes better or plain depending on how strong the radishes are and how good the cilantro is. BUY FRAGRANT CILANTRO!
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen shelled edamame (run under cold water in a colander to unfreeze)
1/4 c seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 bunch radishes (8 oz) cut in half and thickly sliced
1 cup loosely pack chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Molten Chocolate Cake
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao), plus 4 chucks for the cake centers
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

~Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly butter four 6 oz ramekins or custard cups.
~Bring a few cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan over LOW heat. Place a glass mixing bowl over the pan (but not touching the water) and add the chocolate and butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until both the chocolate and butter have fully melted. Keep warm.
~If you can, while melting chocolate and butter, use an electric mixer (KitchenAid) to beat the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt until pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. STIR in the melted chocolate, the flour, and vanilla.
~Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Stick one good chunk of chocolate in the center of each ramekin. Bake the cake on the center rack (put on baking sheet for ease) for 8 to 10 minutes (much closer to 8) until the exterior is just set (the center should still mostly be liquid. The cakes can be eaten straight from the ramekins, but it's more dramatic to slide them onto plates (after letting them rest a minute or two), where the molten chocolate can flow freely. We made some homemade.

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WEEK 3 RECIPE

caitlin and spencer
Pork Chops and Corn Bread Stuffing & Strawberry Chocolate Trifle

On Sundays I am all about easy crockpot meals. I love waking up early and taking a relatively short time to make a delicious dinner. Additionally, I love coming home from church to delicious smelling foods. This recipe is a comfort food recipe that was delicious in flavor and so simple to make. I also made a mushroom (don't be scared girls, I loved it) gravy for the pork chops. It's optional but it did make a great deal of difference. Spencer made a side of garlic mashed potatoes and I also made rolls. My roll recipe is from my Amish cookbook and it is so easy. I'm going to include that recipe as well. Finally, for dessert I made a chocolate strawberry trifle. It was so yummy! I'm going to include that recipe as well. Hope you enjoy!

Pork Chops and Corn Bread Stuffing
Nonstick cooking spray
4 pork chops
1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed golden mushroom soup
1/4 c butter
1 16 ouce package frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
1/2 of a 16 ounce package of corn bread stuffing mix. (I used a 6 ounce package by accident and it was fine but you might want to do more, however, it fed 4 fine)

1. Lightly coat a slow cooker with cooking spray, set aside. Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. In the hot skillet cook chops, half at a time, until brown. Remove chops from skillet; set aside.
2. It a very large bowl stir together the soup and melted butter. Add frozen vegetables and stuffing mix; stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared cooker. Arrange chops on top of stuffing mixture.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Easy Mushroom Gravy (Tastes like mom's pot roast)
1 Can of golden mushroom soup
1/2 package of lipton onion soup mix
water
flour

Take a skillet and pour one can of golden mushroom soup into the pan. Fill the empty soup can with water and place in the pan. Stir with a whisk till combined. Add 1/2 of a package of lipton onion soup mix. Stir together and heat. The sauce itself will thicken. I added flour and warm water together in a mug to make a thickening paste and added some to the gravy to make it even thicker. It turned out to be delicious. You will love it, I promise!

Easy Dinner roll recipe
2 packages dry yeast
3/4 c warm water
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c butter, melted
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, divided

Preheat oven to 375. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1 cup flour; mix well. Shape dough into ball. Grease dough, turning to grease all sides. Return dough to bowl. Cover; Let rise until doubled. Punch down and shape into balls; let rise for 30 minutes or longer. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. Yields about 12 rolls. (more if smaller)

Strawberry Chocolate Trifle
Here is the link for the trifle. The only things I did differently was that I added chocolate chips to the pudding and I used a cake mix, not a brownie mix. I recommend that because the brownie would have made it a little too rich for me. Everyone loved it and it made an awesome presentation.

 Enjoy! Jess, I'm making the gyros tomorrow and I'm so excited!

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WEEK 2 RECIPE

jessica and michael
Chicken Gyros with Homemade Pitas


I kind of cheated because I made these this week, but they are so good! They reminded me of this little restaurant in New York called King David's. We had lots of family memories there. I am sure Michael won't mind if I make them again. Take note: The chicken should be marinated for at least an hour and make the sauce a half hour before serving! Quick, easy and delicious!

Chicken Gyros
Source: adapted from Annie-Eats
Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
To assemble: Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

** If you are feeling ambitious, here is the recipe for the homemade pita!

Directions:
       Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
      Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

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WEEK 1 RECIPE 

christy and greg
Chicken Francese


Ingredients

  • 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
  • All-purpose flour, for dredging
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
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