Simple Baked Salmon

Back when I was single this was my go-to recipe when I met a new guy who didn't eat meat or was on a health kick. My friend Jen gave this to me and she got it from her mom (THANKS MRS. GOLDMAN!!) It's simple and tasty. I usually make it with a nice salad. It also pairs well with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies.

Baked Salmon

2 Medium-sized Salmon Fillets
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
6 tsp of McCormick Honey Soy Marinade

1. Preheat oven to 350. Rinse fish and pat down with paper towels. Line baking pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Lay fish skin side down.

2. Spread 1 teaspoon of Grey Poupon on Salmon (don't forget the sides.)It's o.k. if the fish isn't completely covered. 1 teaspoon per fish is all you need.

3. Spread 3 teaspoons of McCormicks Honey Soy per salmon fillets. This should coat the fish completely. Use more if necessary--make sure the side of the fish is coated as well.

4. Bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. Be careful not to dry out the fish. Place fish in broiler for 3-5 minutes. Top should be crispy.

Fried Catfish

2 Catfish Fillets

Canola Oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1⁄2 cup flour

2 Eggs

1/2 cup of Milk

3 tbsp. Old Bay
1 tbsp. Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1⁄2 tsp. Adobo
1⁄4 tsp. garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
8 catfish filets

Salt & Pepper

I always prep the catfish 30 minutes a head of time. I find that the cornmeal and flour doesn't fall apart in the oil.

1. Mix Egg and and millk (add a couple of drops of hot sauce for taste.) Season the fish with the Lawry's seasoning salt, garlic powder, Old Bay, Adobo and black pepper. Dip catfish in egg and milk mixture then thoroughly dredge catfish filets in flour and cornmeal mixture. Gently shaking off excess and wrap in wax paper.

2. Pour oil into a large deep cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet to a depth of 3" and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.

3. Fry catfish in the hot oil, without turning, until golden and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Transfer filets with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rice with Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)

I was never taught how to make Arroz con Gandules. I grew up in one of those homes where my mother cooked every holiday and NO ONE was allowed in the kitchen, so when the time came and I was on my own I wanted to learn how to make traditional Spanish rice. I found this recipe on Daisy Martinez's website, she hosted a show called Daisy Cooks (Oh! Where did you go Daisy?!) and she makes the most traditional Spanish (Puerto Rican, Dominican) food, I have ever come across. Below is her recipe for Arroz con Gandules.

Arroz con Gandules

* ½ cup Achiote Oil
* 1 cup Sofrito
* 3 tablespoons alcaparrado or coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
* 3 tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1½ pounds smoked pork neck bones or smoked turkey wings or one smoked ham hock
* One 13-ounce bag frozen pigeon peas or one 15-ounce can pigeon peas, drained
* 6 cups long grain rice
* Beef Broth, homemade or store-bought and/or water as needed (about 8 cups)
* 1 banana leaf, optional

1. Heat the achiote oil in a heavy 5-quart pot or Dutch oven over high heat
until rippling.

2. Stir in the sofrito, alcaparrada or olives, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook
until the sofrito stops boiling and starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes

3. Add the pork bones and stir until they’re coated with oil, then stir in the
rice until everything is mixed together and the rice is coated with oil.

4. Stir in the pigeon peas, then pour in enough broth and/or water to cover
rice by the width of two fingers. Top with the banana leaf, folding it up as
necessary to fit over the rice. Bring to a boil and boil without stirring
until the level of liquid meets the rice.

5. Take the banana leaf off, give the rice a big, healthy stir and put the
leaf back on top. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until
the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

6. Remove the banana leaf, give the rice a big stir and fluff it with a
fork. Serve hot.

**It's really important that you do not disturb the rice when cooking. After you have given the rice a big stir (step 5) WALK AWAY!!! Set a timer for 20 minutes and you will have perfect rice.

Pernil

I've been preparing for the holidays with family, I'm Puerto Rican so in true holiday fashion I've have been stuffing myself with Pernil (translation: roast pork). Traditionally we marinate the pork shoulder for 1- 3 days. My grandmother taught me how to make a pernil a couple of years ago but I have tweaked her recipe slightly.

Pernil

• 4 ½ -7 pounds bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder roast (depending on how many you want to feed, 5 Pounds will feed 4-5 hungry people)
• Wet Adobo
• Sazon (Goya con Cilantro y Achiote)
• 1 Cup of Sour Orange Marinade (You can find a Goya brand at the supermarket)

1. Up to 3 days before you serve the roast, set the roast in a bowl skin side up. With a paring or boning knife, make several slits about 1½ inches wide through the skin of the roast and into the meat. Make the slits as deep as you can. Wiggle a finger in the slits to open them up a bit, then fill each with wet adobo, using a teaspoon. Turn the roast over and do the same to all sides. If you have adobo left over, rub it all over the outside of the roast. Rub Sazon all over pork. This will give the pork that great golden reddish tint. Finish by pouring Sour Orange marinade over Pork. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 day or up to 3 days. Turn occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Put pork in oven, skin-side up, cover w/ aluminum foil and bake for about 4-5 hours, depending on size of pork. (I’d say allow about a half hour per pound in baking .)
4. After about an hour and a half, check how much liquid remains in the pan - add a cup of water to the pan if you are low. Check every 30-45 minutes to make sure the liquid level remains about at least 1/2 ” deep. The pan drippings will mix with this and make a nice gravy.
5. About 30-45 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the aluminum foil to crunch up that delicious pork skin. Continue to check the pork –you want to make the skin crunchy not burnt.
6. After you remove the pork from the oven, let it rest for about 15-20 minutes.
7. Slice it up or shred it with your fork!

*A good rule of thumb for roasting pork is to cook the roast half an hour for every pound.

Wet Adobo

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 ½ tablespoon fine sea or kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Makes about ½ cup

Pound the garlic cloves and salt to a paste using a mortar and pestle (I get old school with it). Add the peppercorn and oregano, pounding well after each one to incorporate them into the paste. Stir the oil and vinegar.

Sweet Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagna

When I was kid lasagna was the only thing I would eat outside of hot dogs and my grandma's soup (oh how things have changed!) Over the weekend I got my weekend fix of the Food Network and watched my first episode of Ask Aida and she made Sweet Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagna. I was in the mood for some comfort food but with a twist so this fit the bill. It was DELICIOUS!!! Now I know some people aren't crazy about pork so you can make the whole thing with ground beef (just don't forget to skim off the fat before adding the tomatoes.) I actually substituted the lean ground pork for lean ground beef and I think the mix of the two flavors made it even better.

Sweet Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagna

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 25 min

Serves: 12 to 15 servings/10 cups sauce

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 (28-ounce) containers crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil (plus more for taste)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (plus more for taste)
Adobo (you know how much I love my Adobo!)
2 medium dried bay leaves

For the lasagna:
1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
24 ounces ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese, low-moisture or fresh, thinly sliced
2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)

For the meat sauce: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until just softened. Add sausage and ground pork and stir to break up meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat starts to color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate browned bits, until the alcohol smell is cooked off. Add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and season well with freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well mixed and tomatoes start to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in middle.

Spread 2 cups sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups sauce and spread it evenly over the noodles. Evenly dollop 1/4 of the ricotta across the sauce, top with 1/4 of the mozzarella, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with foil and bake until liquids are bubbling and noodles are beginning to soften, about 40 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown and noodles are completely tender, about 20 minutes more. Allow to rest 20 minutes before cutting.


I actually had family over and was still able to gossip, dance, drink and watch an episode of The Housewives of the OC ( 45 minutes total) I figured that was enough simmer time for the sauce so I proceeded to layer and pop in the oven. I was surprised how well the no boil noodles cooked up--In my best Scarlet O'hara voice "as God as my witness I will never cook another lasagna noodle again." All jokes aside Darren loved this this he ate it for dinner and brought to work the next day for lunch. On a scale of 1-10 he gave it a 9!!!!

If you don't yet have something to bring to your family holiday gathering then I would highly recommend this.

Cider-Brined Fried Chicken

This is the best fried chicken EVER!! Don't let the cider brine fool you.






Cider-Brined Fried Chicken

2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup salt
1 (4 1/2 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 quarts vegetable shortening, for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together cider and salt until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and enough water to coat and soak 1 hour in the refrigerator. Chicken should be completely submerged in brine.

In a large pot, heat vegetable shortening until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cayenne and black pepper. In a paper bag, shake together flour and cornstarch. Drain chicken from brine and dip in batches first in egg mixture then in flour mixture to coat. Set on wire rack to let coating sit for 10 minutes. In 2 batches, fry chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Remove from oil to drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson

Wild Mushroom Ragu with Mashed Potatoes, Bacon and Carmelized Onions

I am so excited about this recipe!!! It was the first time I attempted this and it came out DELICIOUS! Darren gave it an 8 on a scale of 1-10 (Yay!!) and the recipe doesn't call for any meat. Yup, you heard me right- NO MEAT. Recipes like this don't always go over that well with "D" but he's on a health kick so I was able to convince him to try it (I also had to promise him that I would make steak tomorrow.)

I tried the Skinny Bitch thing for a total of 2 weeks, during those 2 weeks I realized that one can not sustain on salad alone, seriously everything we put in to our body has some kind of animal by product. So even though being a Vegetarian isn't for me I'm always looking for recipes that are tasty and don't include meat. This recipe calls for bacon (which you can omit) and chicken stock which can swap out for vegetable broth.

Ingredients For the Wild Mushroom Ragu:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs Mushroom, cleaned and chopped (I used Oyster, Shitake, Portobella, Chanterelles, and Button)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 peeled and chopped shallots
1 garlic clove chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup good quality red wine
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Carmelized Onions

3 Russet potatoes
1/2 Vidalia Onion
3 slices of bacon
1/4 cup of Chicken stock
1 cup Half & Half
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
4 Tbsp Butter


Bring pot of salted water to a boil, add 3 peeled russet potatoes, cut in half to cook faster. Cook for 20 minutes or until tender enough to pierce with a knife. While potatoes are boiling cook onion slices in olive oil, when onion starts to brown add chicken stock and reduce. When cooked completely set aside. Clean pan and cook bacon as usual. Drain on paper towels, cut into bacon bits.

Remove potatoes from pot add half & half, butter, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients. Taste, add more and salt and pepper if needed. Add bacon and carmelized onions.

While potatoes are cooking:
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic, cook 3 minutes and add the chopped mushrooms, fresh herbs, salt and pepper, sauté about 7 minutes, turning occasionally.

When all the water has been cooked out of the mushrooms add the red wine and reduce, then add the chicken stock, butter, tomato paste and cook another 5-6 minutes.

After writing all these ingredients out I realized that it might seem a little overwhelming but it really was simple. The bacon was precooked from the morning, the potatoes were boiling and the onion was simmering on the back burner. Most of my attention went to the mushrooms. I turned off the the pan with the mushroom while I prepared the mashed potatoes, everything fell together at the same time. I think the whole meal took 30 minutes to get on the table. Try it you won't be dissapointed.

Basics: White Rice

Before I found this foolproof recipe I either overcooked my rice or undercooked it (even those rices in a box- how pathetic!) So, one day I had a conversation with my mother and she said to me in her most condescending voice, "you're using the wrong pot!" I know it would be really helpful to just use one of the pots that came in the 10 piece Pot & Pans set you picked up from Target when you moved in to your home but one of the best investments you can make is buying a dutch oven pot. If times are tough (we are in a recession) and can't see yourself plunking down a bunch of money for a pot then buy a cheap caulderon from any supermarket in your neighborhood. Ask they have them!

A brief pointer on rice, short grain rice has different taste and texture; it's chewier, because of this you will see most recipes call for long- grain rice (I prefer Carolina brand). Some people rinse their rice one or more times before cooking it. I never do, and it comes out just fine. Rice should be stored in a cool place in a tightly covered container.

White Rice

1 1/2 cups of Long Grain Rice
1 tablespoon of butter
1 Tablespoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of Water (enough to cover rice by the width of two fingers)

In a dutch oven/caulderon or a smaller pot with a heavy bottom, over medium-high heat. Bring the water, rice, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil over high heat--do not stir. Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the hat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a flork and serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

If for some reason your rice seems slightly undercooked (rice tastes chalky) put the lid back on (makes sure the burner is off) and let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. The rice will steam cook and is ready to serve.

To reheat rice that has been refrigerated, I prefer the microwave. Put the rice in a bowl, sprinkly a little water on top, cover the bowl with a paper towel and cook until hot.

Boneless Porkchops with Radicchio Slaw

Hi all!

For my first ever Cornbread and Caviar entry I decided to make one of my favorite healthy go to meal. Boneless Pork Chops With Radicchio Slaw! Here's the scenario: I came home late from work and rushed over to the gym for my 45 minute Total Body Conditioning class. By the time I got home and settled it was 8:15 and NCIS was already in full swing. I needed to make something quick but tasty-- I was HUNGRY!! Then I remembered one of my favorite cookbooks Nancy Silverton's book A Twist of the Wrist. I know that some people have an issue about this book granted some of the recipes call for canned ingredients (oh heavens NO!) but really I could careless, I look pass those recipes and pick what I like. Long story short in 20 minutes I was sitting down with some juicy Boneless Porkchops with Radicchio Slaw.

INGREDIENTS

(for the pork chops)

4 6-ounce boneless pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)

2 teaspoons pork rub (I didn't have pork rub so I through on a little Adobo)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup canola oil

(for the slaw)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup salt packed capers, rinsed and chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped (about 1 heaping tablespoon or so)

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

juice of half a lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small head radicchio, shredded (about 4 cups)

METHOD

Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper then sprinkle over the pork rub, rubbing it into the chops. Set aside.

To make the dressing for the slaw, combine the olive oil, balsamic, capers shallot, rosemary, and lemon juice. Season with the salt and pepper.

To cook the chops, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the oil is almost smoking (preferably cast iron). Carefully add the chops to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until they are a rich brown. Flip the chops, turn off the heat and let sit in the pan for 3 more minutes. The pork will feel firm to the touch, but they should still be moist and juicy.

Leave the chops in the pan while you finish the slaw.

Pour the dressing over the shredded radicchio and using a pair of tongs, gently toss to coat and combine.

To serve, place a pork chop on each plate and top with a generous mound of the slaw. (I actually did the opposite--I told you I was hungry!)

Warning: The radicchio has a slightly bitter flavor but this is balanced out with the olive oil and the sweet balsamic vinegar. The rosemary gives the dressing a sort of woodsy taste and the capers (ooohhhh I do love capers) a briny tang. The lemon mixes well with the salt and pepper and brings all the flavors together. I added more lemon than the recipe called for because of the bitterness of the radicchio (are radicchio in season or something?) I usually add a little dijon mustard to the recipe because I like the way it pairs with the shallots but I decided to stick with the recipe for this go around.

I know that there are some concerns about under cooked pork but if you cook it in the cast iron pan it does a great job cooking thoroughly. After the pork chops sit in the pan for a while I make a little cut and make sure it's cooked if it's not then I cook it on high for 2 minutes. That will do the job. Don't cook it any longer or it will dry out. It's key that the pork chops are about 3/4 inch thick. If you don't think that will be fill you up then you can always throw on another porkchop.

Serves 4