Pulled pork- comfort food and so easy!

Pulled Pork- so many ways to make this wonderful, comforting dish. You can roast, crock pot and in my case use the pressure cooker. Crock pot is a such a great option for those who work all day and want a delicious meal ready for them by the time they get home. For me, I’ really bad at time management so I use the pressure cooker to get tender, moist results in half the time.

Pulled Pork

1 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1.5 cups chicken broth
One 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed

Combine all the spices. Rub the spice mixture onto the pork on all sides. Marinate the pork for 3 hours or overnight.

Let the pork rest out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Heat the pressure cooker with canola oil on high, sear the pork, 2 minutes on each side. Remove, add a tad more oil and saute garlic and onions, scraping any brown bits on bottom of pot, for 2-3 mins. Return the pork, add chicken broth until it reaches half way of pork. Seal the lid and cook on low heat for 1-1.5 hours. Shred pork and toss in bbq sauce (recipe below). Serve on bread, tortilla or in this case indian pancake (recipe will follow soon) with slaw or pickled red onions or salsa verde.

Barbecue Sauce

1.5 cup of the pulled pork liquid
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon unagi sauce aka eel sauce (hoisin sauce optional)
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (depends on your spice tolerance)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in small sauce pan and let it simmer on medium/low heat for 10 minutes or until thick sauce-like consistency.

Crock pot: rub pork in spice mixture, place in crock pot with chicken broth, garlic and onions. Cook on high until the pork is fork-tender, 4 to 5 hours, or on low, 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork to a carving board. Let the pork stand, about 5 minutes.)

iphone captured and edited. I love my phone.

:/ that’s a long name for a dish, I should shorten it… eventually.

Hello rosieeats fans, followers and curious visitors! Finally, another update! Life has been busy indeed and I am loving every single moment of it. For example, I was selected to fly to LA to be a part of a nation-wide cooking competition for a week (which I got eliminated and will not be on tv, sad). Nonetheless, it was truly an incredible experience that I will never take for granted. (Sorry for lying to all my friends about why I was going there, I know you guys all hate at me) I stayed another week in LA with my best friend and had the time of my life. Now, that I’m back in this wintry-cold weather, I am extremely motivated and excited to continue cooking (and now baking) and share my love of good eats to the world. I met a lot of amazing, passionate foodies (real foodies) and this dish was inspired by an amazing cook who cooked alongside me when we prepared our signature dishes.

I usual post more simple recipes because I want it to be accessible to everyone, everywhere. This recipe is a little more adventurous and requires some asian (filipino) specialties, like ube powder and extract. I purchased mine from a local filipino market, but both can be obtained from amazon.com. Just try it, you’ll love it!

What is Ube you ask? [ooh-beh] is a purple yam, filipinos are obsessed (and so am I) with using ube in a variety of their desserts. Not only does it provided a beautiful, vibrant purple hue to food, it has a subtle sweet vanilla-like taste, its very unique.

Fig and Soy Sauce Korean Fried Chicken

1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup mirin or other sweet rice cooking wine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6 dried mission figs, roughly chopped (3 tablespoons of fig preserves if you don’t have dried figs) 

2 tablespoons of potato starch (corn starch could be used)
salt
chicken wings

Wash and pat wings dry. Sprinkle with salt and potato starch until evenly coated on wings. Heat a deep pan with 2” of canola oil. Heat to 320F.  Fry the wings for approximately 10 mins, working in batches.

Meanwhile combine all the ingredients for the sauce and heat in a pan until syrup-like in consistency. Set aside.

Once all the wings have been fried, heat the oil to 375F and fry again for another 2-3 mins. Remove, draining as much oil as possible and toss in the sauce. Top with toasted sesame seeds, chopped figs, scallions… whatever your heart desires, options are endless. Serve with ube waffles (recipe below) and syrup. I also serve this dish with pickled condiments, like red onion, peppers, cucumbers, kim chi or radishes. 

Ube Waffles

1½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup powdered ube
2 teaspoons of ube extract (very intensifies the ube flavor)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups milk
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs

Preheat waffle maker. Mix ingredients until smooth. Bake waffles. Easy as that.

Asian fusion at its best. And it’s healthy! I’m keeping new years in mind and all of the resolutions to lose weight (because I need to too).

Thai Curry Turkey Burger

1 pound ground turkey
1 shallot, minced (or small onion)
1/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry paste or curry powder
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and form into 4-5 patties. Coat a pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Place the burgers in the pan. Cook the burgers for 7 minutes on each side. Top with tzatziki sauce. Serve on a bun, lettuce (lettuce wraps) or in this case, whole wheat pita. I went an extra mile and added a grilled mushroom cap and snow pea sprouts.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup finely chopped english (seedless) cucumber
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint and dill
salt and pepper
splash of olive oil and lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. That’s it

(Ugh, this iphone photo sucks. I definitely should use my SLR camera more. I need an assistant… ahem Ching!)

Photo is a bit grainy, nonetheless, this dish is definitely a show stopper for any occasion. Its also super simple.

Filet Mignon with Herb Brown Butter

2-4 filet mignon steaks, 1 to 2 inches thick
salt and pepper
canola oil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves of garlic, smashed whole
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Make sure the steaks have come to room temperature before cooking, 30 minutes.

Heat a pan on high heat. Pat the steaks dry with paper towel. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add canola oil to pan, enough to coat. Make sure pan is very hot before adding in the steaks. Sear untouched for at least 3 minutes. Flip and cook from another 3 minutes. Next, add the garlic, butter, rosemary and thyme to the pan, baste the steaks with the herb butter and cook in the preheated oven for a few minutes until desired temperature. (120°F to 125°F for rare, 130°F to 135°F for medium rare, 140°F to 145°F for medium).

Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes off of the pan. Serve with potato or cauliflower puree and vegetables. Drizzle the herb brown butter over the steaks.

(iPhone captured. Seriously do not have time to whip out the SLR camera anymore.)

Whoa, two posts in one day. This is pretty crazy since I haven’t posted anything since July. I got a lot of requests for this recipe so I figured it would be a useful posts for people, especially since its the new year and people are looking for healthy alternatives. Alfredo and bechamel sauce are so decadent and delicious, but definitely heavy and calorie dense. This sauce was creamy, velvety and full of flavor, I didn’t miss the traditional cream sauce at all. Enjoy, I think you’ll love this one. And it’s only 5 ingredients!!! So easy.

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Boil the cauliflower florets in salted boiling water until fork tender, 5-7 minutes. Next, using a slotted spoon, add cauliflower to blender. Pour some of the cauliflower water into the blender and puree for 1 minute. Add 1 clove of garlic, 1 tbsp of butter and some lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add splash of cauliflower water until your desired consistency. (If you want really creamy, add a splash of heavy cream/half and half or milk OR a splash of extra virgin olive oil for silky goodness). Add any herbs or spices to change it up.

Serve with pasta, quinoa, rice, risotto, meat, vegetables. The options are endless!

(Taken with iPhone… not bad right?)

Happy New Years everyone!!! Woot woot 2014!

I know, it has been a really long time since I updated. My life is just different now than when I started this blog. I recently moved from DC to VA and I don’t have a lot of free time and the convenience to blog anymore. My routine used to be: off from work, take a short ride on the metro, walk a very short distance from the metro to a supermarket, buy a few groceries,  walk across the street to home, cook, snap photos, eat, blog and get ready for work.

My routine now: off from work, take a very long metro ride (1 hour, 3 different connections), 10 min walk home that is not close to a supermarket, wait for Jay to get home with the car, debate on whether to cook, eat out or sleep because I’m exhausted. Blogging has definitely been put on the back burner. So many things has happened since my last post, its completely overwhelming sometimes. I have also become an aunt to 2 babies, a nephew and a niece- 1.5 months apart! Enough about my life, I’m going to share this recipe because it’s still cold out and I love pumpkin everything during this time. I used brioche, but I like using challah bread for this as well. Make sure you leave your bread out for a day so it can get a bit stale.

Pumpkin Pie Brioche French Toast

Serving size- 8

4 large eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup of whole milk (more if needed)
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all spice)
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 slices day old brioche (or challah), sliced 1-inch thick
unsalted butter
vegetable oil

Preheat oven 250F.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, puree, milk, spices, sugar and vanilla extract.

Heat a large pan or skillet on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of butter and a 1 tablespoon of canola oil, swirl the pan to evenly coat. Dredge the bread slices in the egg dish and soak on each side until well coated and soaked through, but not soggy. Fit as many slices on the pan, cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the toast to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

(Optional) Caramelized bananas: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add sliced bananas and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the bananas with cinnamon.

Serve with bananas, maple syrup and a sprinkle of confectioners sugar.

Swiss chard is so beautiful. I love the colors. (I excuse the bruising, I had the chard in my frig for a bit)

Kale is the new black. Kale is the new sexy. Kale is everywhere!

Kale has never looked so good. I remember kale used to be the garnish around salad bars. It was always underrated and now it has made a reemergence and we see it in cooking, snacks and smoothies. So I got inspired to made kale chips because I just came back from a barre class and I wanted a healthy snack. Something that was healthy, salty and crunchy. Being that I had kale and swiss chard in my frig, what better to make than kale and swiss chard chips. So there you have it, zesty lemon kale chips and spicy swiss chard chips.

There are a lot of recipes that entail tossing the leaves with olive oil and the salt before baking. I have found that it was too salty for my taste. I prefer baking the leaves first and then sprinkling with salt after.

Zesty Kale Chips

• 1 pound Tuscan kale (1 to 2 bunches), thick stems removed and leaves sliced crosswise into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• lemon juice
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss kale with oil, and spread in a single layer on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake the kale and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon zest, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Let cool on sheets.

Spicy Swiss Chard Chips

• 1 pound swiss chard (1 to 2 bunches), thick stems removed and leaves sliced crosswise into 2-inch ribbons
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• garlic powder
• cayenne pepper
• paprika
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss chard with oil, garlic powder, cayenne, and paprika and spread in a single layer on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake the chard and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and let cool on sheets.

Enjoy!

It’s the middle of summer and I’m making a very comforting winter-like meal. Sometimes I just need a break from the salads and lean meals and dive into a bowl of creamy, savory comfort food. Polenta goes so well with almost any protein and vegetable. It’s a perfect blank canvas for anything you want to put in it. I just so happened to have mushrooms and cauliflower in my pantry. So just be creative with whatever you have in stock. I eventually put a poached egg on top after I took this picture just because I wanted more creamy yolky goodness.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup of corn grits (fine cornmeal or quick cooking-polenta)
• 2 tablespoon of butter, divided
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese (any cheese you like, pecorino romano, goat, asiago, manchego, cheddar…)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp of olive oil, divided
• 1 lb of mushrooms (whichever you like)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• thyme leaves from 3 sprigs
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (optional if you have a lemon)
• cauliflower florets from 1/2 head of cauliflower

Bring vegetable broth and milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowly incorporate the grits in a slow stream and lower the heat to just about simmering. Constantly stir until liquid is absorbed and the polenta is thick and soft, 15 mins. Remove from heat and stir in butter, cheese and season with salt and pepper.

While the polenta is cooking, heat a large skillet with olive oil and butter. Add the mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat, without stirring, until browned on the bottom, about 3 mins. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are browned and tender, about 6 mins. Add the garlic and cook about 1 min. Stir in thyme, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a bowl.

Wipe the skillet down with a paper towel, and return to heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute the cauliflower, 3 mins. Add the garlic and cook about 1 min. Pour 1/4 cup of vegetable broth into pan and continue to cook the cauliflower until they’re al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate the creamy polenta with mushrooms and cauliflower. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired. I topped this dish with a poached egg (drools!).

Not my prettiest picture.

I used spam (lite!) because I didn’t have canadian bacon on stock. If you haven’t notice I only make things that I have readily at hand. I’m not always a great planner when I cook and I’m usually very hungry so I don’t have patience for grocery shopping. That’s why I always encourage creativity and similar substitutions for ingredients. Anyways, this post is just a refresher for poached eggs since I posted a similar recipe a long time ago and hollandaise sauce.

Poached Eggs

What you need: fresh eggs, pot of water, white vinegar

• Heat a pot of water, half way filled, to the point where its just about to simmer.
• Crack the egg into a small container (ramekin, teacup, expresso cup) for easy pouring.
• Put a splash of vinegar into the hot water.
• Using a whisk, create a whirlpool with the water.
• Gently drop the egg in the direction of the moving water.
• Don’t be alarm, the egg white will gradually wrap itself around the egg.
• Let it cook depending on how runny you want your yolk (I leave it in for a few minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon, taking the edge of the spoon to scrap and cut the stands of egg whites that have not adhere to the egg.
• I usually carefully run the spoon and egg under a gentle stream of cold water to stop the cooking process (too lazy to make a bowl of ice water).
• Place on paper towel to drain excess water.

Easy Hollandaise

(I use the double boiler method sometimes, but using a blender is great/easy)

What you need: 2 large egg yolks, 1 tbsp of warm water, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 stick of unsalted butter (melted), blender.

• In a blender, combine egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and salt; blend until frothy.
• With blender running, pour in melted butter in a very thin stream, blending until sauce is thick and emulsified.