The Recipe Sharing Thread

The chili verde thread got me thinking. It seems there are some pretty good cooks around here, why not share some recipes? I'll get it started with my super easy, yet extremely tasty pork carnitas recipe:

1 medium to large pork roast (depending on desired yield)
1 medium to large sized yellow onion, sliced or coarsely chopped
6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
6-8 fresh whole Anaheim chilies, roasted and peeled* (canned will work if that's all you have available)
12-16 oz cheap piss-water beer (like you'd find in stroh's refrigerator, better stuff will be wasted)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In an oven safe pot large enough to cover the pork roast**, brown on all sides in olive oil (or whatever oil/fat you prefer for such activities). Once browned, remove roast and set aside. In same pot add onion and garlic, sautee until soft, but don't overdo it or the garlic will end up bitter. Add beer and simmer beer/onion/garlic for 5ish minutes. Put roast back in pot, cover in chilies. Add salt/pepper/any other spices that seem appropriate. Cover pot and place in oven at low temp (175° to 200°). Cook until pork shreds easily with a fork (typically 4-5 hours). Shred pork completely, mix well with chilis/onions/etc. Simmer uncovered in oven or on stove top until desired consistency is reached (usually 30-60 minutes).

Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

*Jalapenos, poblanos, habaneros, etc. may be added and/or substituted as desired.
**Also works in a Crock Pot, though browning the meat is tougher that way.

Shrimp Etouffee

(original from Emeril, modified as I went along)

2 pounds small shrimp (uncooked)
1/3 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups shrimp stock (my cheap method follows)
3 stalks celery - diced
1 medium onion - chopped
1 large green bell pepper - chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic (fresh minced)
Some chopped green onions
2 teaspoons pepper sauce (Crystal works well)
butter
'cajun' seasoning (whatever you like)
salt
fresh ground black pepper (you cracked em yourself fresh)
cayenne pepper
Zatarains Dirty Rice Mix, and its required ingredients (or your own dirty rice recipe if you're like that - I'm not)
A couple of dark beers (Pete's Wicked Ale works best  )



Make sure to get small shrimp - no need to go for jumbo, we want em nice and bite sized - more to spread around that way.  Remove the tails and put them into a pan for the stock, de-vein the shrimp as well.  Add water to the pan with all the tail remnants, add some vegetable bullion cubes (2-3 perhaps), bring to a boil, then let simmer to reduce.  Get this started early/first to allow for at least some reduction.

Pour yourself that first beer.

Get the rice started by following the directions on the box (yes, this is cheating but I don't care).

Now start the roux by pouring the olive oil into a large frying/sauce pan and bring to medium heat.  Stir in the flour after the oil is heated and stir the mixture pretty constantly for about 7-10 minutes for a brown roux.  Now add the trinity (celery, onion, pepper) and garlic - continue stirring for about 5 minutes for the veggies to soften.  Now that the stock has reduced a bit, strain out the shrimp remnents and pour 2 cups of the stock into the pan with the roux, along with the pepper sauce.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cover.

Pour yourself that second beer.

Now for the shrimp - in another large frying pan melt some butter on medium heat, season the shrimp with the 'cajun' seasoning, and saute for about 5 minutes until cooked.

Add the shrimp - and as long as you didn't use too much butter, it too - to the other sauce pan.  Mix and add salt, a little cayenne (or not if you don't like it very hot), and LOTS (really, I mean it) of fresh black pepper to taste.  Add the chopped green onions last and let simmer a few more minutes until the right consistency is achieved - thicker than soup, about a good chili consistency.  Simmer more or add stock as needed.

Spoon some dirty rice onto a plate, etouffee over the top - eat.

Okie-dokie.   I've been trying to think of one I could share; so many of the "recipes" I use are family recipes.  Anyway, I finally thought of one that isn't.

Minestrone

1 large Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Basil, fresh
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
3.5 cups Kidney beans
.5 cup Garbanzo beans
3 cups Water
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 6 oz can Tomato Paste
1 quart Tomatoes, broken OR 1 quart chunky tomato sauce
1 cup Shell Macaroni


In a 4 quart pot, combine tomato paste, chicken broth, water, and beans.  Chop large onion and garlic cloves, and chiffonade fresh basil.  (Optional: sauté garlic in olive oil after it's chopped.)  Stir in onion, garlic, oil, and basil.  Bring to boil on medium-high heat, then cover and simmer on low heat for an hour, stir occasionally.  Add broken tomatoes/tomato sauce and pasta.
Return to boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes (or until 'til pasta is al dente).

I'm sure it's not the best minestrone recipe out there.  The summer of '06 I was looking for minestrone recipes and that's what I've modified the one I found to.  At least, that's what I've written it down as.  I modify it as I go.  I don't sauté the garlic and probably would add more, but not everyone here likes garlic.  Usually, I add closer to 1.5 cups of pasta, and sometimes I change the water and chicken broth measurements to 1:1.  Usually, I'll substitute another quart of tomato sauce for the tomato paste and water also.  By no means would it be considered a "classic minestrone", but I like it. 

lol! 

Actually, I don't have to search for 'em.  I saved each on as you posted 'em.  Want them all?

Good stuff everyone.  I'd share one but all my recipes are usually printed on the cans of the ingredients.  I'm good at following directions though so I'll give these a try.  Seriously though my staple meals are:

Purple Pork Chops:  1/2" thick boneless pork chops browned in butter with salt and pepper.  In a corningware thingy pour over cream of celery and cream of chicken and 1 cup of red wine.  Sprinkle onion soup mix over it cover and cook 325 for 2 hours.  Serve over rice.

Beef and Burgandy:  can be made with many cuts of beef one being round beef chuck cut into cubes.  In same corningware thingy pour over cream of golden mushroom, then another cream of something I can't recall with a cup of wine.  Cook 325 for 1.5 hours or so and serve over egg noodles.  

See I suck bad.  

Karen cooks.  I drink beer.  I'll pass on some these however.

Garlic?

Bean Dip

take 1 cup of pinto or black beans (drained of 'juice' if canned)
take 1/2 cup of kernel corn (see above)
add in 2-3 medium sized cloves of crushed garlic
add in some fresh or minced onion (to taste, really... not too much needed)
add in some cilantro, and oregano (2 good pinches)
add in some salt and black pepper (to taste)
add in a small handful of peanuts or fritos
add in 1 lime's juice

in blender, pulse several times, then run on low while slowly adding enough oil (grapeseed is very neutral.... nice olive oil will work too) to thin it to your chosen consistency


pour in bowl, dip in with chips of your choice.



Chicken

Part 1  (requires the following fresh clean produce:)
3 medium peeled carrots, trimmed at both ends section thinly
1/4 of a red Fuji apple, diced finely
1/5 of a large orange honeydew melon, dice finely, no rind

combine the above slowly with grapeseed oil and a touch of celery seed and garlic in a chopper/processor have a thick paste at end.  Refrigerate until later


Part 2  (requires fresh clean produce:)
3 large leak leaves
3 large green onions
1 medium scallion

Cut 2 leak leaves at base and tip, set aside
Chiffonade the other as finely as possible

Mince the green onions from tip to the white inception

Press the scallion like garlic, be sure to catch/retain the liquid as well

Mix minced green onion, pressed garlic, and chiffonaded leak leaf in small bowl, season very very lightly with cilantro and lemon peel


Part 3
Get 2 8 oz ultra lean and cleaned chicken breasts

Get a frying pan just covered with grapeseed oil and bring to ultra high heat. (Warning, this will splatter later, be careful if unfamiliar)

Add the minced onion mix carefully, let brown lightly for about 30 seconds. 

Carefully, strain out this oil, let strained onion mix cool to room temp aside, retaining oil

Return oil to pan, and allow to come to high, but not ultra high heat. 

Add 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary powder (or fresh pulled equivalent), a small pinch of garlic, and 3-5 threads of saffron to high heat oil. 

After letting these infuse the oil a bit, carefully add the chicken breast(s) (depending on size of pan)

The outside will sear brown on the first side within 20 seconds, turn them over and do the same to the other side.  This is all we need to do with the pan now, bring the chicken breasts out to drip dry for a moment on a paper towel/plate while you turn off your sizzling hot burner and let the oil cool down. 

Part 4
Take the 2 uncut leak leaves, lightly oil, and grill at high heat for 1 minute per side
remove, and plate

Adjust grill temperature to medium-medium high , and finish cooking the chicken breast on the grill. 

When the chicken breasts are ready, remove from grill and get ready to plate in the following manner


Part 5
Lay leak leaf on plate
Remove carrot/puree mix from the refrigerator - spoon it gently over the leak
Place the chicken breast on top of the puree, and let it sit 2-3 minutes.  - This will melt the puree a bit and make sauce ooze out - yum
Finally, top with the green onion/leak/scallion mix. 

Part 6
Serve with a honey wheat roll, and a green salad of your choice
Be sure to add crushed black pepper to the top of the onions mix, too


Enjoy!


It takes time, but it's not very hard.


Key is good quality ingredients, and 'checking' the sauce as you go (slowing mixing in the really flavorful ingredients {honeydew, carrots}.. maybe my exact amounts would overpower you, maybe not)


Of course, if you go with the above, you'd probably want something else (a side, or a salad, etc)


Whatever you decide.



Chili

Habanero Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Yellow, and Orange Bell Peppers
Leek (white part)
Fresh pressed garlic

all diced, and pan fried in a bit of grapeseed oil

take these and liquefy them in a blender


brown 90% lean ground beef in same pan, with cumin, ground cayenne pepper, and a small pat of butter.


take liquified veggies, add in pureed tomatoes, with also chunks of diced tomatoes. mix with ground beef, grease from cooking, and black and pinto beans. (2/1 ratio)

add in touches of black pepper, rosemary, and cilantro.

simmer/reduce for a couple of hours



Corn

1 cup kernel corn
washed clean, and semi-redried


3 oz grapeseed oil
1 oz canola oil

1 tsp fresh pressed/ground garlic
1 pinch ground chipotle powder
1/2 pinch cumin powder
2 pinch salt
1 pinch fresh ground rosemary
black pepper to taste


bring oil to high heat on stove in wok / frying pan

add in herbs
spread

add in corn
fry lightly for 8-10 minutes under frequent stir

bring to medium-low heat


add in fine porto, pref 20 year tawny

allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes



Fun with Burgers

chop/process together:

1/3 cup kernel corn
1/4 of a red bell pepper
1/2 tbsp grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic
2 pinches lemon powder
2 pinches rosemary
1 pinch chipotle powder
1 pinch cumin powder

mix into 8 oz lean ground turkey/beef

form 1-2 patties

grill.


place inside a lightly oiled/grilled honey/oat grain bun.


eat.



Rice
in one pressure cooker:

2 cups mix long grain rice (whole foods)
2.75 cups water
.75 cup green tea
2 tablespoon peanut oil
4 tablespoon coconut milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon ground paprika
1 tablespoon fresh lemon powder
1 tablespoon ground celery seed
1 tablespoon vietnamese cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon ground celery seed
leaves of one large stem from fennel
6-10 threads saffron
15-20 whole black peppercorns (pref bold indian)

stir well

cook 12-14 minutes

stir well again

let sit 2 minutes

eat, enjoy



Rice and Beans

on one burner,

take 1.5 quarts warm water
add 4 tablespoons peanut oil (assuming not allergic)
add zest of 1 lemon, or equivalent in powdered lemon peel
add 4 pinches oregano
add 2 pinches cilantro
add 2 pinches chiffonaded basil
add 1 pinch crushed cumin
add 2 pinches cayenne and chipotle grinds
add 20-40 whole peppercorns
add 8 pressed garlic cloves
add 4 oz tomatoe puree


bring to high boil (careful to not foam off your pan)
add in rice (pref mix long grain or brown) to make 4 wet cups
simmer just under full boil carefully on medium high until rice is 'almost' done as normal.
strain rice, and keep about 1/2 cup of liquid. recombine in dish , letting final liquid absorb in


on a second burner,

take 6 tablespoons grapeseed oil and 3 tablespoons butter or equivalent
bring to high heat and add healthy splash of port or very sweet red wine
careful for potential flame*
drop heat to 80-90% and add in 2 finely diced whole yellow or red (or mix) bell peppers
add in (heftily , but to taste) crushed orange peel, small pinch garlic powder , and lots of ground black pepper, and 2 good pinches fresh stripped rosemary
sautee until translucency is beginning in the peppers.
add 1 cup each kernel corn and black beans
drizzle 2-4 tablespoons walnut oil (strong flavor, to taste, and assuming not allergic) , and 2 tablespoon apricot or peach jam.
spike heat to ultra high for 30seconds to 1 minute , depending on power of your range burner
drop heat to 50-60 percent and stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes


prepare rice on medium serving plate as a 'volcano' , adding the bean/corn salsa in the crater.

(option) add 2-3 pinches of cheese of your choice on top of hot salsa making a nice crusty melt.


add as accompaniment to any southwestern inspired chicken or steak dish.

enjoy.



Thai Curry Chicken
grill chicken breasts or thighs 1/2 way cooked

in saucepan: bring to simmer
3 cups (light) coconut milk
4-6 tsp 'thai kitchen' green curry paste
diced bell peppers (2 or 3)
diced carrots (2)
diced water chestnuts (lots)
diced potatoes (2)
diced leeks (1)
green beans (lots)
lemmon pepper or lemongrass
pinch cinnamon
(optional, add black pepper)


add in diced chicken from the grill
simmer 2 more minutes, then lower to low heat and cook 10 more minutes


meanwhile, cook 2-3 cups of jasmine rice


plate rice in a 'bowl' shape
add 'soup' into the rice bowl


 
Turkey
well, here goes, as i said, this one's pretty easy

(amounts to serve/feed 2 )


---------
bring medium saucepan with 1/2 water to almost boil
add in juice of 3 limes
add in juice of 1 tangerine
add in 2 tablespoons of butter (or, preferably, olive oil spread)
add in 6-8 crushed cloves of garlic

allow to cool to medium high heat
add in baby new potatoes, about 1&1/2 cups, peeled

stir occasionally for 30 minutes
lower heat to about medium low, allow to cook another 20 minutes or until tender
-----

take 1/4 of a large green or yellow bell pepper
take 2 small or 1 large peach (peeled)
cut until small enough to chop/process
add in to processor with 2-3 tablespoons of walnut oil
add in 2-3 pinches of shredded coconut
process until of desired consistency.
(this mix can be reduced on stove if desired, but is not required)

-------
(amounts may generate some waste... that's a given with prepping in this manner)

in a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup 2% or higher-fat milk, and 1&1/2 to 2 eggs
on a plate/board, cover with 12" circle of white corn meal, about 1 cm deep
add in crushed rosemary powder, enough to cover all
same with thyme
add in 1 pinch of cumin
with a fork, mix thoroughly herbs into the cornmeal


take 4 4-oz lean turkey breasts (pref 93% lean)
soak them in the egg/milk for 4-5 minutes
dredge heavily in the corn-meal/ herbs

cover bottom of medium to large frying pan with grapeseed oil
bring to high heat (warning, this is HOT*)
preferably, have a spatter screen for your pan
add in the turkey breasts, 1 at a time, or 2 at a time if your pan is that large
cook for 2 minutes per side, flipping 3x
remove steaks and drain on paper towel

plate steaks, add peach-pepper compote on top, with potatoes on the side (butter drizzle optional, black pepper demanded! )
--------------

enjoy.