Tasty Morsels 

2 pounds of pork shoulder/butt (it’ll reduce)
1 tablespoon of paprika
A pinch of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves

In a small bowl, add the paprika, onion powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Using your hands, rub the mixture on all sides of the pork. Set to marinate in the fridge for an hour. (I’ve actually omitted marinating before too.)

Preheat your oven to 220 F. Place the pork in a stockpot. Pour the chicken stock around the pork and add the bay leaves. Cover and cook for 4-5 hours, until the pork is fork tender. Flake the pork using a fork or your fingers.

Adapted from: Chocolate Shavings

I’m making this right now. Please don’t judge my loved-but-clearly-burned pot. Read more…

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2 C chicken or duck stock
3 pinches saffron (threads)
duck legs/breast (about 2 lbs)
1 medium onions, chopped
(note: I used pinches of the below spices)
ground cumin
ground cinnamon
ground coriander
ground ginger
ground cayenne
ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for sauteing
Juice from lemons

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Warm up the stock, and add in the saffron, leaving it to steep. Remove all external fat and skin from the duck. Roast the duck for about 20-30 minutes (or until juices run clear), remove and let cool, and shred with a fork.

Saute the onion in olive oil until golden. Remove the onion from the pan and transfer it to a bowl. Mix in the shredded duck, spices, and cilantro, and set aside.

Whisk the flour and olive oil together in the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is nice and thick. Add the saffron-steeped stock and whisk.

Raise the oven to 500 F. Roll out pie dough (frozen or fresh) fairly thin and line your pot pie tins/cups. Fill with meat mixture and squeeze some lemon juice on top. Poke a few holes.

When you put the pie in the oven, lower the heat to 425 F. Bake until top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate, reduce the heat to 375 F, and bake an additional 30-35 minutes until done.

Adapted from: Gothamist

Whoa. This is my new favorite – in a long time. The flavors. The colors. Duck. Read more…

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Ingredients in full post
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toast bread in 1 tbsp. butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat until crisp and then transfer to a bowl. Return pan to heat.

Saute onion, celery and apples in 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat until soft. Stir in thyme. Add vegetables to bread cubes. Toss mixture with broth, vinegar and seasonings until liquid is absorbed. Wipe out the skillet.

Prepare chops. Fill pockets with bread mixture. They will be full, but you’ll probably have some left-over stuffing. Saute chops in oil over medium-high heat until brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Carefully turn the chops over and add any extra stuffing to the pan at this point. Transfer pan to the oven. Roast about 8 minutes, then remove the chops and stuffing from the pan and set aside. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Saute shallots for the sauce in 1 tbsp. of butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with cider, wine and vinegar. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Finish sauce with thyme, salt and pepper.

Adapted from: A Sweet Pea Chef

Yummmmmm. I love apples and pork together. This was pretty fun to make despite the messiness. Read more…

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1 lime, juiced
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2lb chicken thighs
1/2 cup coconut peanut sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/8-inch match sticks

2 baguettes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon siracha
1 bunch cilantro, woody stems removed

Whisk the lime juice, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Add the chicken and toss until well coated. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Whisk the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl until dissolved. Add the carrots and toss until combined. Set aside to pickle for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drizzle olive oil in a pan. Pan-fry the chicken in batches: Cook until the chicken is firm to the touch. Set aside to cool. When the chicken is no longer piping hot, toss it together with the peanut sauce in a medium mixing bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the siracha. Season with a sprinkle of salt.

Toast your bread for a few minutes until crusty. Slather mayonnaise on the top slice, pile chicken on the bottom slice, topping with drained carrots and cilantro.

Adapted from: Big Girls, Small Kitchen

I really love Vietnamese food. It only gets better because now I can make Vietnamese sandwiches myself! One of my coworkers was really impressed that I had made this at home. Read more…

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12 oz large pasta shells
2 TB olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic
1 lb (16 oz) lump crab meat
1/4 c fresh minced parsley
3 oz Gruyère cheese (for topping)
Fresh minced chives (for garnish)

Sauce:
4 TB unsalted butter
5 TB all-purpose flour
3 c milk (low-fat or fat-free is fine)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the pasta to just under al dente according to the package directions. You will have more pasta shells than you need, which is good because some will inevitably break while cooking. Since it’s much easier to stuff unbroken pasta shells, use the ones that didn’t break for this dish.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat; add the pepper, celery, and onion and sauté until softened but not brown, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.

In a medium pot over medium-low heat, warm the milk just until it comes to a very gentle simmer. In a separate medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Cook the butter/flour mixture for about 3 minutes (it will be a light blonde color), whisking constantly. Gradually whisk the hot milk in, then add 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil; let it boil for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and whisk in 3 oz Gruyère.

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter the casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the cooked vegetables, crab, parsley, 1 c of sauce, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stuff the crab mixture into the shells and arrange in the prepared dish; pour the remaining sauce on top. Bake for 20 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 3 oz of Gruyère on top and bake another 10 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh minced chives.

Adapted from: An Edible Mosaic

Tasty, tasty, tasty. I love crab. I tried really hard not to eat any before baking… Read more…

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1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 chorizo sausage, chopped
1 tbsp harissa* (I’ve used red pepper chili sauce as a sub)
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
14 oz brown lentils, rinsed, drained
Jar roasted red capsicums, drained, and sliced
(I’ve used red peppers as a sub to the above)
250 ml chicken stock or water
1 pound peeled green prawns (tails intact)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and chorizo, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the onion softens and the chorizo starts to crisp. Stir in harissa and cook for a further minute. Add tomatoes, lentils, capsicum/peppers and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly. Season the prawns with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add to the pan. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked through. Stir in the parsley.

*Harissa is a North African chili paste from delis and gourmet food shops.

Adapted from: Chef Wanabe

Oh man. I LOVE this. Read more…

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