Chipotle Carnitas

Do you love tender pork? Do you enjoy the refreshing lime? Do you love the smoky chipotle peppers? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then this post is dedicated to you!

For the carnitas, buy yourself 2-3 pounds of pork shoulder goodness. Then chop it into one inch cubes.

Bring to a boil with six cups water, 2 smashed & peeled cloves garlic, peppercorns, cumin, & coriander. Then reduce heat, cover, & simmer for at least two hours.

About a half hour before you wish to eat this porky bliss, turn up the heat and brown the meat a bit more.

Serve on tortillas, with taco-like accompaniments.

For the chipotle sauce, combine two small chipotles, two anchos (minus seeds & stem), two cloves garlic peeled/smashed, one small chopped onion, & two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Then simmer for half an hour.

With a slotted spoon take out the peppers/garlic & put into a food processor. Reserve the stock.

Then combine one tablespoon unsweetened cocoa with one tablespoon cumin. Add to the food processor.

In a measuring cup squeeze the juice from two limes. Then add the reserved stock to make one cup of liquid. Add to the food processor.

Blend it all up. If more thickness is desired, reduce on the stove.

A finer meal cannot be had.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

The Boy Who Trapped the Sun- Home

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos

This is quite possibly the simplest recipe I've posted on yet. But I am a huge burrito fan, so here goes...

Chop up two large sweet potatoes & half an onion. Saute them just until tender in one tbsp oil, adding apple juice (or water) if they start to stick. Then add two cups of black beans, some cumin, & some cinnamon. Cook until heated. Then put into tortillas with some shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for twenty-five minutes. Pretty easy, no?

If you want to cut down on the cook time, & eliminate the need for the oven, then just grate the sweet potatoes instead. This is also a great way to make sweet potato quesadillas. Personally, I think the sweet potato flavor comes out more when they are shredded & it makes this meal even quicker/easier. If you don't mind grating.

Garnish with plain yogurt (or sour cream), salsa (in this case homemade), & fresh cilantro (so good).

It was recently Sandy Denny week over at my favorite radio station, & this is one of my favorites by her: Fhir A Bhata

Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Slaw

I think I found a new favorite food or really two new foods.

To make these fish tacos we used a lovely snapper. The recipe also recommends rockfish or tilapia. I haven't tried rockfish, but I don't feel like the tilapia texture would be quite so satisfying nor do I feel its subtle flavor would come through the spices the way the snapper's did.

To begin, make a mix of spices in a small bowl. 4 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground cumin, & 1/4 tsp red pepper (optional).

Then cut the snapper into one inch pieces. Dredge them in the spice mix. Then put them in oil that has already been brought up to medium high heat. Cook for about one minute on each side, or until brown & cooked through.

That's all there is to it!

Before I made the fish I also made the creamy cilantro slaw to go with it.

Mix 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, half a lime's juice, half a bunch of cilantro stems & leaves chopped, a few teaspoons dill, one clove of garlic chopped, & 2 cups of finely chopped cabbage.

The creamy cilantro tang is the perfect counterpart to the spicy deep taste of the snapper. Not to mention the crispness pairs well with the flakiness of the fish.

The textures in the complete taco are as enjoyable as the flavors, & both are spot on.

It was a good Sunday for us. Guacamole & bean dip while vaguely watching the super bowl. Individual projects with occasional glances across the room. Some serious conversations & some good laughs. All in all, a day of winning combinations.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): Capercaillie- The Tree

Sausage & Apples

Here's an excellent way to prepare breakfast sausage links, any time of the day!

Take four to six sausage links and brown them in the pan, then set aside.

Mix together in a small bowl one half cup apple juice, one quarter cup jelly (they recommend apple jelly or hot pepper jelly), & two tablespoons Dijon mustard.

Cut one medium onion into vertical slices. Place on medium heat, adding oil if necessary, until slightly brown.

Then core & slice three firm apples into thick wedges. Add to the onions & cook until brown. Then add the jelly mix.

Sprinkle one teaspoon basil on the top, & a pinch of pepper. Then add the sausages back to the pan. Cook on medium heat for ten minutes, or until sausages are completely cooked.

Really, you can't go wrong with sausage & apples. And I thought this sauce was especially savory.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): Park Bench Social Club- Cuckoo

Winter Vegetable Crumble

This recipe was really a three part process: crumble, sauce, & vegetables.

To make the crumble combine two cups rolled oats, two tablespoons wheat flour (I used rye), one tablespoon fresh rosemary, and one half cup finely chopped cashews. Mix together with two tablespoons oil. Set aside.

To make the sauce saute one finely chopped medium onion for 4-5 minutes, add two tablespoons of cashews & brown for 4 minutes, add a little over one cup of broth (I used homemade chicken broth), and two thirds cup milk. Stir together. Add a little bit of milk to two tablespoons flour, stir to make a thick paste. Add to the rest & incorporate. Then bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Then let slightly cool & send through a spin in the food processor.

To make the vegetables, choose two pounds of root vegetables ( I chose turnips & parsnips), chop to bite size pieces, steam for 10-12 minutes, then strain. (The book recommends you reserve the water for stock).

To complete the dish, put the vegetables into an oiled two quart baking pan, pour the sauce over the vegetables, & sprinkle the crumble over the top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

(Last night I discovered I will be making no money from this blog. The google-folks decided the clicks on my ads seemed suspicious to them. But I don't think we will miss them too much, no?)

This dish was hearty & the rosemary was a delight. I just love the golden brown hues, to me so reminiscent of the comfort of harvest-time.

This batch of turnips was much better than our previous attempt, & I read in the front of Simply in Season that the other batch were probably too ripe.

The splashes of color from last month's ads brightened our night. And we sat absently doing the word searches while chatting.

I served this dish with some blueberry tea. My husband said it tasted like "blueberry pie". What is it about tea that leads us to sit at the table for hours discussing our deepest wishes?

The world was dark & cold, even our cozy apartment was a bit drafty. Our two cats, usually at odds, were snuggled together for warmth. And we bunkered down on the couch under several blankets and watched an episode of Fraggle Rock.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio stationduring prep time): Boo Hewerdine-Harvest Gypsies

Savory Tempeh

This recipe recommends you use an oven proof dutch oven. I don't have one but luckily I have a nice cast iron skillet that does the same tricks.

Though this recipe was still fairly simple, I did think it was a bit more complicated than most in the Simply in Season cookbook.

That being said, we were excited to try two ingredients which are basically new to us, tempeh & kombu seaweed.

1. On medium heat, melt together two tablespoons each of butter & olive oil.

2. Add four three inch strips of kombu seaweed, three minced cloves of garlic, one tablespoon ginger, & two sprigs of fresh rosemary (you could also use sage instead of rosemary).

3. Cut one pound of tempeh into one inch squares & arrange on the top of the other ingredients.

4. Whisk together one cup water, two tablespoons soy sauce, & one tablespoon Maple Syrup. Pour over the tempeh.

5. Slice two medium onions, one and a half pounds of winter squash (we chose butternut), two medium parsnips, & two large carrots. Layer on the tempeh in this order. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and bring to a boil.

6. Transfer to a preheated oven & bake at 400 about 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

7. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables & tempeh to a serving bowl.

8. Add to the juices one and a half cups cold water, two tablespoons soy sauce, & two tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder). Simmer stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over the tempeh & vegetables.

Serve immediately! The recipe recommends serving over rice or bulgur. However, this already was plenty of food for us, so we opted out of the extra grains.

The recipe says 4-6 servings, but I think it's more like 10-12 servings. & so filling, too!

One thing the recipe promises is interesting & delicious smells even before the delightful flavors. & on this it delivers. These ingredients smell amazing from the moment they start cooking to the last delicious bite.

All in all a tantalizing & filling meal right before our weekend-journey!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Griogair Labhruidh - Marbhrann do dh'Uilleam Labhruidh

Hutspot & Dilly Mashed Potatoes

I tried two recipes last night, from Simply in Season. Or maybe one & a half...

The Simply in Season Hutspot is basically a roast. You put the roast in water & salt, then simmer for two hours. Then add potatoes, carrots, & onions. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Then slice the roast & mash the rest.

I kept some of the broth for later use, & combined the other part of it with flour to make a nice gravy.

The recipe I used suggested you can cook the potatoes/carrots separately, which is what gave me the idea of trying the Dilly Mashed Potatoes instead of adding the potatoes/carrots to the roast. Since the feature of Hutspot is the mashing together of carrots and potatoes, & the Dilly Potatoes recipe also calls for that.

To make Dilly Mashed potatoes you boil the carrots and potatoes together until soft. While they are boiling you saute green onions & fresh dill in butter.

Then you mash the potatoes & carrots all together. Add the dill/onions. Then add one cup plain yogurt. Bake at 350 for thirty minutes. The recipe suggests as an option that you bake with some cheese on the top. I opted not to.

I also made my Mother a vegan version of the potatoes. I used olive oil instead of butter and left out the yogurt for her portion.

That's right! My parents joined us for dinner last night.

I must say, I enjoyed the combination of carrots and potatoes. And the yogurt really added richness to them. The roast was wonderful as well, tender & moist.

And after a satisfying well-portioned meal for four, we sat in the living room & chatted.

We chatted about the state of the union, debt, & even this blog. When they left the hour was late & the apartment felt sleepy without them.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Steve Tilston- King of the Coiners

Golden Carrot Bake

This is another incredible comfort-dish. While the Bounty Rice featured Italian flavours reminiscent of lasagna, this Golden Carrot Bake follows in the tradition of quiche. On the one hand it is not so rich as quiche, but on the other it feels lighter & more guilt-free with no loss of yum-factor.

This recipe, once again from Simply in Season, was split into three easy steps.

1. Boil 3 cups of shredded carrots, 1.5 cups of water, a half cup of brown rice, salt & pepper. Then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Do not strain.

(I used long grain white rice. So I only simmered for fifteen minutes.)

2. Add to the pot 1.5 cups of shredded Monterey Jack, one cup of milk, two eggs (beaten), a quarter cup of chopped onion, & nutmeg.

(I used green onion for added colour.)

3. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish & bake at 350 for an hour. Then sprinkle a half cup of shredded Monterey Jack on the top & bake for another two minutes.

I served ours with some tea. We sat at the table for a few hours nibbling "just one more small slice" & sipping tea. One thing that always amazes me about good food is the good conversation it invites. Especially when shared in good company.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Damien Dempsey- Madam I'm A Darlin'

Wild Rice Bake

Yesterday I made the "Wild Rice Bake", and earlier in the day there was actually some sunshine coming into our apartment!

The wild rice & pearl barley were so visually appealing to me, and I enjoyed capturing that a bit in that sunlight.

The first step to this dish was rinsing and then boiling one cup of wild rice. This filled the apartment with an almost herbal aroma.

Next I sauteed the

two cups of onion in two tablespoons of olive oil. My brother taught me to pile the onions up in the pan, pour the oil over them, and then leave for five minutes. The onions cooked up quite nicely this way. He tells me they cook up quicker this way because they are containing the heat.

Next I mixed the wild rice, onion, and one cup pearl barley together in a 9X13 dish.

Then I chopped up four cups of sweet potatoes. The recipe called for two cups parsnips and two cups sweet potatoes. I think the parsnips would have definitely added to the dish. However, it was reaching the end of our grocery-week and this is what I had to work with.

I also chopped up two cups of butternut squash, any winter squash would do. I found a pretty easy way of chopping up butternut squash over here. I microwaved it for three minutes first, and this made the skin softer to cut through.

Then I mixed the squash & sweet potatoes with one pound of whole mushrooms (which the recipe reassures are optional). I spread this on top of the grain mixture, & sprinkled it with salt and pepper. In the future I may add some oregano or paprika. I'm not really a salt & pepper only person. But I tried to stay true to the recipe since it was my first go at it.

Then I poured over the top three cups of our homemade chicken broth & one cup of apple cider.

It baked for an hour at 375 degrees, filling the house with a grainy-sweet & chicken smell.

The result was what I would describe as a playful dish. The colors and textures of the meal were visually appealing and the flavors were equally tantalizing. The texture was firmer than I would have supposed. The result was a filling dish made to feel even more satisfying by mouthfuls of chewy goodness. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection, and balanced out the heartiness of the rest of the meal with a bit of softness.

The recipe said it serves 6-8. I would say it serves more like 8-10. We certainly have plenty of leftovers. I would also not recommend serving this dish as a side, I think it felt like the feature dish it was.

I served this dish with mulled apple cider. This added the smell of cinnamon to the aromas wafting through our apartment. The apple cider was great, but I felt its flavors were lost when paired with the meal. It made a fine dessert, however.

The meal gave us plenty of positive energy, which we spent grocery shopping for next weeks adventures...

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Kathryn Tickell-Peter Man

Vegetable Vindaloo

Last night we sampled the Vegetable Vindaloo. It was a bit of exotic. We've been making curries for years with potatoes, ever since I figured out how to make a satisfying curry sauce out of tomato paste, coconut milk, and seasonings. Knowing our love for tomatoes, I opted to mix tomato sauce into the rice.

Since I was making a half recipe of the Vindaloo, I mixed up the whole amount of spices and put half of them into the tomato sauce. Ultimately this kind of dish is made by its spices. And this was a savory balance of spices: salt, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, cardamom (the recipe called for cardamom pods but I used ground cardamom), pepper & a cinnamon stick.

I served it with teacups of milk. Mind you, our chili powder is spicier than average. In fact, we purchased it at an Indian food store, and it was labeled there as "Extra Hot Chili Powder".

This recipe, from Simply in Season, was some-kind-of-sensational. It was simpler than my typical process, so much so that I allowed myself too much time for the project. But the vegetables were crisper than our typical fare. Our potatoes usually end up mashed, but in this recipe they held their form and crisped around the edges.

All in all this was a flavorsome variant on a household favorite, sure to warm up any night.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Seth Lakeman-Lady of the Sea

Comfort Rice-Dish

As we were sampling the beet salad, we had "Bounty Rice" baking in the oven.

There were several variations of this recipe. The one I originally meant to try was cooked on the stove. However, it called for sour cream and we'd used all of ours in the dilly bean soup. Below this variation was a "Cajun" version made on the stove without sour cream. The variation I opted for was essentially the same as the original, minus the sour cream, & baked in the oven.

This dish may not sound like it, but it is usually served with Italian flavors. Tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, & mozzarella. The recipe calls for beef or pork, and since we've had the perfect amount of beef sitting in our freezer for a few weeks now, I opted for that.

On a tangent, we are not vegetarians. However, we find meat is often an extra cost and we love vegetables. For example, for this week's groceries we spent our same weekly budget for groceries. We came away with, in all seriousness, five more bags of groceries than the week before. So much of it vegetables!

So this is just to say, I like this book because most of the recipes don't have or are light on the meat & dairies. I would take it a step further and say that in most cases these recipes could be easily adapted to a vegetarian or even vegan lifestyle.

The recipe did not call for fresh fennel, though some of the recipes up ahead in the book do. I think I would like to try this dish with the fennel next time and also with Italian sausage in place of the beef. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

This dish was amazing. Definitely a comfort food for any cold night. It was like lasagna, only with less cheese, less meat, rice & Brussels sprouts!

Really the recipe called for cabbage not Brussels sprouts. We had some of the sprouts left over from a good sale a few weeks ago where we picked up four pounds of the little cabbages. Cabbage would have been much easier to prepare for this dish. I opted to use what I had, in the spirit of this cookbook, but would generally find the cabbage more practical.

I am so glad to add this dish to my list of foods to snap together & dig into when there are troubles or coldness in our world.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Steeleye Span- Captain Coulston