Cuban Flair

Living in Florida, the food has a lot of Spanish influence.  Once of the biggest influences we see is Cuban.  I LOVE a good Cuban sandwich but I was never brave enough to make one myself.  That is, until I was watching Food Network one day (what else is new) and I saw a recipe I knew I could handle.  So I whipped it up along with a soup I saw on the same episode and it immediately went into the meal rotation.

Cuban Sandwich and Black Bean Soup

Cuban Sandwich with Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 

Four 6-inch-long soft sub loaves, split 

About 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 

About 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 

4 ounces thinly sliced ham 

6 ounces sliced Swiss cheese 

1 cup dill pickle chips 

About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

Rub the pork all over with the cumin, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in a slow cooker and drizzle with the orange and lime juices. Cook on high heat until the meat is tender and falling apart, 6 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely shred.

Spread one side of each loaf with mayonnaise and the other with mustard. Build the sandwiches with the pulled pork, ham, Swiss and pickles (you will have some pulled pork left over).

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 of the sandwiches in the skillet and cover with another skillet, weighing it down with a heavy can or pot. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the sandwiches over, replace the top skillet and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding the remaining butter to the skillet.  

Note:  I used a sandwich press instead of a skillet.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped 

Kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

Two 15-ounce cans black beans, not drained

Fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving

Sour cream, for serving

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, jalapenos and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and black beans with their liquid. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer about three-quarters of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt. Serve topped with cilantro and sour cream.

Note:  I used an immersion blender to puree the soup.  However, if yo DO use a blender, first let the soup cool for five minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth.

A Mish-Mash Of Recipes

Yes, yes, you can all yell at me because of my absence.  I have been lax about updating ALL my blogs and I need to get back into the groove.  I did update my wine blog today so I figured while I was on a roll, I would update this one too.

The weather here in Florida is in the 80s most days now but when it was cooler, I made a deal with myself to use my Crockpot at least once a week.  I've posted a few of favorite recipes in the past but I have a couple more I would like to add. 

The first one is from the Skinnytaste blog.  Man, I LOVE that blog.  I had posted a similar recipe before the Super Bowl but this is the one I ended up making.  It's not a Crockpot recipe PER SE, but I'll add my notes about what I did at the end.

White Bean Turkey Chili

2 small onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp chili powder, to your taste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp oregano
2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
4 16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups of fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup of fat free sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium flame. When hot, spray oil.  Add onions, garlic, saute about 5 min.
Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes.  Add salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes.  Add beans , broth, cook uncovered about 10 minutes.

Lower heat and cover, simmer about 45 minutes mixing occasionally.  Add sour cream and cook 5 more minutes.  Adjust seasoning and salt to taste.

Top with chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, light sour cream, jalapeños and reduced fat cheddar if desired.

My notes:  I pretty much halved this recipe.  I just used one 20 oz. package of regular 93/7 ground turkey and halved the rest of the ingredients.  I also added a pablano pepper, used less chicken broth and omitted the sour cream.  I did saute everything together but right before I got to the part where it says to add the beans, I put everything in the Crockpot and cooked in on Low for about 6 hours.  It was SOOO good...I think I may make it again this week!

I am not sure of the origin of this recipe.  My friend Lana posted in on a message board ages ago and I have made it a few times since.  I did find this one that is similar, but not quite the same.  My family loves it and it's SO easy.

Crockpot Pot Roast

2-3 lb chuck roast
1 can Campbell's tomato soup (I use the low sodium)
1 large white onion, sliced
2 handfuls baby carrots
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced.
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
1or 2 Bay Leaves

Place the roast at the bottom of the crock pot. Season liberally with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the vegetables around the roast, and cover everything with the tomato soup. Season again with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the bay leaves on top.

Cook on low 8-10 hours, until veggies are tender and roast falls apart.

My notes:  I skip the second seasoning because to me, it's a bit too much.  It sounds so weird but trust me, it's GOOD.

OK, this is my last Crockpot recipe.  Again, I am sure you can find this around the Internet but I'm posting it as I got it from a message board.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 envelope Italian Dressing (Good Seasons Zesty works well)
1/4 c water
1 - 8 oz cream cheese (I use low fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use low fat, low sodiukm)
1 - 4 oz can mushroom ( I skip these)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix salad dressing and water together. Put over chicken, cover, and cook on low for 3 hours. Add cream cheese, soup, and mushrooms. Stir well and cook one hour on low.

Serve over rice or noodles.

OK, my next recipe says it's for the oven but I make it on the grill.. Obviously, with the weather the way it is here in Florida, I grill almost year round here and I much prefer it to heating up the oven.  And, as I've said before, I try to be mindful of what we eat.  I'm not a huge pork fan in general but I do love pork tenderloin and it is very low in fat.  My husband finds it kind of blah, though.  Or at least he did until I tried this recipe.  I have the cookbook it's in but I'll link the title to the Food Network Page.  Just one note, while the recipoe calls for 3 pork tenderloins, I have used the same amount of marinade and only made one although I am sure you could cut back on things.

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (I've skipped these if I don't have them)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

I have a nagging feeling there was another recipe I wanted to post but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.  I promise that as soon as I remember it, I'll post it.  And I promise to post more often...it gives me the incentive to try new recipes!

I Love Me Some BBQ!

I'm not talking about cooking out I'm talking about Southern style BBQ which is PLENTIFUL down here in FL. But I like to make my own too with my favorite being pulled pork. Yeah, it's not great FOR you but man does it taste good. I searched high and low for a good recipe that had good seasoning and I found this one by Tyler Florence which I use for the seasoning. For the sauce, I based mine off of the Neeley's BBQ Sauce but I add my own twist since I couldn't find my beloved chipotle BBQ sauce I used to buy in CT down here nor could I find anything even close. So here is my take on those recipes.

Pulled Pork

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.

When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour BBQ sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun, and top with some coleslaw. Serve with pickle spears and BBQ sauce on the side.

Neelys BBQ Sauce

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

And here is my addition:

1 or 2 FINELY chopped chipotles in adobo, seeds removed (how much you use can depend on the size of the chipotles and how spicy you like it)

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

I've made this for my friend Wendy and her family so maybe she'll chime in with her review. Hmmm, I think I know what we'll be eating during the Super Bowl!