Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini with Sweet Italian Sausage

Helllloooooo!

Yes, I'm back.  It only took me a year and a half! In all seriousness, it's not that I wanted to stop posting on this blog, I just honestly haven't had the time. Between starting a new job, traveling a ton for work, and regular life getting in the way, this has just fallen by the wayside.  In the past, Eric would be working until 10 PM, so I'd have hours by myself to just cook and blog. Now, there's this fun thing called "spending time with your favorite human".  It's pretty sweet.

So! In the interest of actually keeping up with this, I have decided that the best way to keep myself motivated about posting is to keep it simple, stupid.  I don't have time to stage innumerable photos for every. single. step of the cooking process, or the time it takes to edit them, blah blah blah.  Which means that each post will likely only feature one picture of the final product, unless there's an intermediate step which is dying for a picture due to its complexity, or just my boneheaded screw-up.

Without further ado, here is my most favorite recent meal:

Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini with Sweet Italian Sausage (modified from here)

What You'll Need

• One bag frozen cheese tortellini
• One package Sweet Italian chicken sausage (typically 4-5 per package)
• 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup shredded or ground Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
• 1/2 cup light cream or fat free half and half
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable or chicken broth, more as needed to thin the sauce
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

What To Do

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.  Using a sharp knife, slice the casings of each sausage open lengthwise and add the meat to the skillet. Discard the casings. 

On a separate burner, bring a large pot of water to boil. 

Cook the sausage for 5-7 minutes until it is evenly browned, draining any fat that comes out of the meat. Use a spatula to constantly chop the meat into small crumbles. 

While the meat is cooking, finely dice the onion.  After the meat is browned, add the onion to skillet and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.  Add the pumpkin, broth, cream, and spices to the pan, mixing well to incorporate everything. More broth can be added as needed to bring it to your desired consistency. 

At this point the water should be boiling. Add the tortellini and cook according to the instructions on the package.  If you start them at this point they will be finished right when the sauce is completed. 

Cook the sauce for another 4-5 minutes until the sauce mixture is lightly bubbling.  Add the cheese and mix vigorously to help it melt. Serve immediately.

I served this with fresh steamed green beans. It may look like a steaming pile of orange cat food, but let me tell you - it. was. AMAZING.

I am a HUGE fan of pumpkin, especially in savory dishes, and as I've said before on this blog, I think it's highly under-appreciated.  I kept this sauce fairly thick, which worked well with the tortellini that have lots of nooks and crannies for it to disappear into.  This was my first time making it, so I followed the recommended amounts for the cinnamon and nutmeg, but after tasting it, you could definitely be more liberal with them without them getting overpowering. I think Eric was a little skeptical of how this would taste at first, but he cleaned his plate very quickly with lots of om nom nom noises, so I know it was a big success.  Another big plus is that this is a great meal to make on a busy weeknight as everything comes together in about 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

You say Pirogue, I say Pirohi!

Growing up, one of my all-time favorite foods was pirogues, or, as I grew up saying with my Czech/Russian side of the family, “pirohi”. You might know these from the ever-popular Mrs. T’s brand, but I was only used to eating ones homemade by my Aunt Julie, who made them once a year for Russian Orthodox Christmas. They are a staple of the traditional meatless Christmas Eve meal, as they are stuffed with potatoes and cheese and are served in mass amounts of liquid butter with chunks of onions. Nowadays, I eat the frozen brands more frequently, and have discovered a fresh version you can buy in the refrigerated section at most grocery stores. Although I love them, as do all of my other relatives, none of us ever knew the recipe or how to make them! I decided it was high time that the recipe be passed on to the younger generations, and convinced Aunt Julie to give us a master class. Here are the results…

Traditional Pirohi

What You’ll Need

Potatoes

• 8 large Idaho potatoes
• 3 slices regular American cheese
• Turmeric

Dough

• 9 + 1 cups sifted white flour
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp heaped with regular sour cream
• Salt
• Extra flour (for dough or dough board, if necessary)

Toppings

• 1-2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 medium white onion, diced

What To Do

Peel all potatoes and cut into rough chunks. Cook in boiling water until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain and let stand for 3 minutes to cool off. Transfer the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. While beating, rip slices of American cheese and add to bowl so that the heat of the potatoes will melt the cheese and it will be incorporated. Once potatoes are smooth, add turmeric until mixture has reached a bright yellow color to your liking (the spice is more for color than flavor, so it’s a personal preference).

Once the potatoes are made, let them sit uncovered so that they reach room temperature.

In the meantime, start making your dough. Sift 9 cups of flour into a large pot. Add the 3 beaten eggs, water and sour cream and mix with a wooden spoon.

If the dough is stick, gradually add flour from the extra sifted cup until it reaches a proper dough consistency. Flour a large, flat surface, preferably a wooden cutting board or a clean table. Put your dough ball on the board and cover.

The dough needs to stand for about half an hour. While it is resting, bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Put a stick of butter into a small pot on a nearby burner but without heat – the warmth of the boiling water will melt the butter. Add about half of the diced onion into the butter pot, as it will soften slowly over time while being continually heated.

After the dough has rested, it should be a large puffy ball that is ready to be cut and rolled out.

Cut a small hunk off of the main dough ball and place it onto your floured board. Using your floured hands, knead the dough for 1-2 minutes to test its consistency. The dough may be very sticky, so add flour minimally as needed. Once it is no longer sticking to the board or your hands, reflour the board and roll out into a ¼ inch thick circle.

Make sure that you can lift the thin dough circle off of the board – if it is getting stuck, scrape the stuck part off with a knife and add more flour to the board.

Once the dough is evenly rolled out, use a small circular mold or the floured rim of a juice glass to cut the dough into small circles.

Using a teaspoon, put small mounds of potato into the center of each of the dough circles. Try to keep the potato tightly packed and towards the center so it will be easy to seal the dough in the next step.

Fold the edges of the dough and pinch them together until it is totally sealed. You can dampen the edges with a small amount of water if the dough is dry and isn’t sticking together well.

Lay the finished pirohi on a cookie sheet. Once the sheet is full, you can cook a large batch at once. Place all of the pirohi into the pot of slowly boiling water, and add a few pinches of salt. Since the dough is uncooked, they will all sink to the bottom. The nice part about cooking pirohi is that you don’t need to time them – as soon as they pop up and rise to the top, they’re done! This usually takes about 5-10 minutes but it all depends on your dough, and how many you have in your pot.

Place the cooked pirohi into a large Pyrex dish and cover with the melted butter and chopped onions. Go back to your dough ball, cut another hunk, and start the process again!

I dare you to restrain yourself from popping at least 2-3 of these in your mouth as soon as they come out of the pot. It’s impossible.

You don’t have to go as crazy and use as much melted butter as this recipe calls for, but man, it really does make them incredibly delicious. I usually make Mrs. T’s pirogues by boiling them and then sautéing them with a SMALL amount of butter (1-2 tbsp) and a lot of caramelized onions. This makes the dough slightly golden and crispy on the outside, and the potato warm and melty on the inside, so I can only assume that these would be equally yummy prepared in that fashion. You can also reheat these as-is in a microwave, but I prefer an oven so that the dough doesn’t dry out. The recipe makes about 100 pirohi, but these freeze really well, so you can stick them in a Tupperware and reheat on an as-needed basis. It may seem like a lot of work, but this is an inexpensive, delicious homemade dish that is worth every second of the effort, even if you only do it once or twice a year. I’m so glad that I was finally able to learn all of the tricks of the trade from the Master Chef herself, so big thanks to Auntie Julie for teaching us and for allowing her hands to be featured in all the photos!

Gobbles!

No, that is not the gobbler that I will be happily feasting on all weekend. This big guy, along with two of his other buddies, resides on the grounds where I work. Since we are approaching our national Annual Turkey Massacre, these 3 plucky fowls have decided it is high time to assert their presence and remind me of their cuteness by stalking around the parking lot, flapping their wings, and looking generally disgruntled. Guilt. It’s what’s for dinner.

^{Gobbles? (This picture, and this post’s title, will make no sense until you watch this piece of genius from South Park.)}

So! Thanksgiving is in 4 days and I CAN’T WAIT. I looooove Thanksgiving. What’s not to love about a whole day celebrating mashed potatoes (heavenly), butternut squash (highly underrated), stuffing (aka thigh padding), and PIE?! Yes, I am thankful for all of the many blessings in my life. But without fail, every single year, I am especially thankful that I have free rein to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I am not kidding.

No, this is not a recipe for pumpkin pie. Everyone has a family recipe that they follow, or a version of the one on the cans of pumpkin, and they are all equally delicious. Like butternut squash, though, I think pumpkin is an underrated vegetable that should be utilized in more dishes.

Since I had a craving for pumpkin-related foods, I decided to make a soup and a non-pie dessert (I am saving myself for my beloved). This soup is incredibly easy, and whether or not you choose to include it in your holiday dinner, it would go great with those leftover turkey sandwiches everyone looks forward to the day after Thanksgiving.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (recipe adapted from Panera)

• 2 large carrots, chopped
• ½ white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz. cans of 100% pumpkin puree
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups (or 1 15 oz. can) light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground (or 2 tsp minced fresh) ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar

Peel then roughly chop your carrots, onion, and garlic (evenness in size/shape doesn’t matter, since you’ll be blending it later). Heat the butter and oil on medium heat until they get hot, then add the veggies, ginger, and curry powder. Mix well so the spices evenly coat the veggies, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the carrots start to soften.

After the carrots soften, add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer while covered for about 10 minutes.

At this point the broth will have cooked down a bit, and the color will have richened from the veggies breaking down into the liquid.

Next, add the pumpkin, coconut milk, salt, and sugar.

Mix well, then continue cooking on medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes, or until the contents are thoroughly hot.

At this point, you can either transfer your soup to a blender or food processor, or puree it using an immersion blender. I used my immersion blender and the soup reached an even, rich thickness after blending it for about 1 minute.

Heat this for another minute or two, then serve immediately with fresh, crusty bread.

If you want to get all fancy, you can top this with some crème fraÎche, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or minced red bell peppers. Personally, I was barely able to restrain myself from shoving my face in the bowl, so the foo-fah was unnecessary.

Eric proclaimed this to be the best soup I’ve ever made. With the exception of my tomato basil bisque, it was also the easiest. Without using too many snooty foodie terms, this soup has an amazing depth of flavor. The first taste has mild pumpkin overtones, but each successive bite has layers of vegetables and spices that meld into one un-frickin’-believable meal. We both had large bowls of this for lunch and our plates were literally wiped clean by the time we finished 2.3 minutes later. I cannot recommend this enough – it’s by far my favorite recipe that I’ve made in many months!

Stay tuned…tomorrow (or, knowing me, possibly a day or two later in the week) I’ll post a simple recipe for Pumpkin Crunch Bars that will knock your socks off!

Pork ‘n Beans

My labmate, Danielle, and I are really good at wasting time by talking about completely random crap. One of our favorite topics, by far, is food. Like me, she will eat the hell out of anything involving cheese, which is undoubtedly the world’s most magical food. Now that we’re both trying to eat healthy(er) – or at least most of the time – cheese is a little less prevalent in our conversations. The other day she was telling me about a delicious dish that I just HAD to try – escarole and white beans. Since her recipe only instructed me to use “a shit-ton of garlic”, some kind of wilty green vegetable, and white beans, I made my own variation. I served this with a grilled, bone-in pork chop and sweet potato fries dusted with chipotle powder (not homemade) for one helluva meal.

What You’ll Need:

Wilty Green Vegetable and White Beans

• 1 bag or 1 large bunch of fresh escarole or spinach – traditionally this is made with escarole, but I’m contrary and I like spinach better
• 1 can cannellini (white) beans, NOT drained
• A shit-ton of garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled and roughly chopped
• Copious amounts of black  pepper
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Grilled Pork Chop

• 2 large, bone-in pork chops (appx. 5 oz. each)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• A pinch of the following spices:
  • Chipotle powder
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Smoked paprika
  • Garlic powder

What To Do:

Heat your grill until is is nice and smoking hot.

While it’s preheating, lightly dust both sides of your pork chop with the chipotle powder, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Generously cover both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the pork chop for about 5 minutes per side. Don’t make the mistake of repeatedly flipping it – you want to get a nice sear on both sides!

After flipping your pork chops to cook on the second side, heat a large sauté pan and the olive oil on medium heat until the oil gets hot. Add your shit-ton of garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic starts to turn golden brown. My shit-ton of garlic was approximately this much, and in this case “roughly chopped” meant hacked into large hunks:

While the garlic is simmering away, thoroughly rinse and drain your spinach, escarole, kale, collard greens, or whatever wilty vegetable you have chosen. After shaking off most of the water, dump the contents into the pan and cover.

After a minute or two, stir the vegetables so that the already wilted leaves get moved to the top of the pan.

By now, the pork chops should be cooked. Remove them from the grill when they are just barely pink on the inside, and let them rest while the veggies finish cooking. This will ensure they are fully cooked by the time you sit down to eat, but will remain most and avoid that dried cardboard texture poorly cooked pork chops can have.

Once most of the leaves are wilted, dump in the entire can of cannellini beans, goo and all. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the beans get hot. By this point, all of the veggies will be cooked down and the bean goo will have condensed into a nice thick sauce that coats the leaves.

Liberally douse the entire pan with freshly ground black pepper; mix, then repeat the step. It may seem like a lot of pepper, but it helps jazz up what could otherwise be fairly bland.

Side Note: At this point, the pork chops have rested for a few minutes and are perfectly cooked. Even though the USDA just changed their guidelines on how to properly cook pork, I still prefer my pig to be a uniform white color without any hints of pink (blame it on my many, many hours spent working with foodborne pathogenic bacteria).

Like I said earlier, this is one helluva meal. The sweet potato fries with chipotle seasoning are from the Alexia brand, which I think are the best prepackaged french fry option out there, both in terms of healthfulness and flavor. As for the home cooked items, the pork literally exploded with flavor. I know a lot of people think pork can be boring and tasteless, but this was tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious. The cayenne and chipotle blended well for a punch of heat that was by no means overpowering, but was definitely addictive. I kept wishing there was more meat left for me to eat. The veggies were, in a word, amazeballs. Even though they are so incredibly simple to make, I couldn’t get enough of them. The addition of the white beans plus the ridiculously huge amount of garlic is enough to make any spinach hater happy, but I thought they only helped to make the spinach shine. I seriously could have eaten the entire batch of veggies alone for my meal and been perfectly happy, but then again, I am the kid who announced to her sixth grade class that my favorite food was broccoli. (Yes, that was met with the jeers and derision you would expect.) I can’t recommend this entire meal highly enough – it’s fast, super easy, and it tastes like you put so much more effort into it than you really did! And just to top it all off – it will get you pretty darned close to what the new “healthy meal” is supposed to look like. Enjoy!

Welcome back, Kotter.

Well aren’t you just surprised to see me again! It’s been forever, I know. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I usually test out most of the recipes that end up on this blog on the weekends, when I have a fun thing called “free time.” It’s still a foreign concept to me. Between having every second of the last month’s weekends packed with majorly important stuff (Ph.D. commencement, bridal shower, dying from the flu, etc.) and trying to go to the gym 3-4x a week (still going strong after 3 months!), there’s literally not been a day when I’ve had the time or energy to sit down and write a post. My laziness has been transferred from not exercising to not blogging.  Sorry, pals.

ANYWAYS. Part of the shift in seasons, which seems to be happening so slowly this year, is the inevitable changes in foods that make their way onto my dinner plate.  As soon as it’s feasible for me to grill, I cook the majority of my meals that way so that my apartment doesn’t reach thermonuclear heat levels. Since even putting my stove on for any lengthy period makes it a sauna, I try to limit hot cooking as much as possible. My favorite way to avoid unnecessary heat is to make a giant pasta salad and eat it throughout the week. This conveniently cuts down on cooking for the week, and allows you to throw in whatever random produce you might have laying around. I never met a pasta salad I didn’t like, and this is the most basic, year-round version I’ve come up with. Since it was torrential downpouring on Friday, when my farmers market was open, I didn’t catch anything fresh, so this features frozen veggies, but feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand.

Simple Pasta Salad (designed by me!)

What You’ll Need

• 1 box of pasta (typically rotini, cavatappi, farfalle, or any other pasta with a squiggly shape that will trap the dressing well)
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetable (carrots, corn, green beans)
• 1 ham steak (¼” thick – may purchase at deli or buy Hatfield’s prepackaged)
• 1 cup reduced fat or fat-free mayo
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp celery salt
• Copious amounts of black pepper
• Salt to taste

What To Do:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Even though I only eat whole wheat pasta when serving it hot with a tomato or alfredo sauce, I almost always use regular white pasta when making salads. I think the nuttiness of whole wheat pasta might overwhelm the other flavors here, and make it a heavier dish.

I forget the name of these little guys, but they were shrimpy in size and had 3 fun spirals on each side. Good enough for me.

After the pasta is cooked to al dente perfection (seriously, you don’t want it mushy here), rinse it under cold water for about 2 minutes. You can use a spoon or your hands to continuously move the pasta so that all of it will be chilled. Keep it in the colander and let it drain while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Put the frozen veggies in a saucepot and just cover them with water. Heat on high until they just come to a boil, then remove them from the heat.

While the veggies are cooking, cut the ham steak into ¼” cubes.

Dump the pasta into a large mixing bowl. Transfer the veggies to the colander, then rinse them with cold water just as you did for the pasta. Once they are no longer hot, dump them on top of the pasta, and add the ham cubes.

Add the mayo and stir well so that all of the pasta is evenly coated. Full disclosure: I don’t actually measure how much mayo I put in. I approximated that it was about a cup, but it definitely depends on a) what ingredients you’re including in your salad and b) how much you like mayo. While I like the flavor, I’m one of those people who doesn’t like things overly mayo-ey. You can add more or less to get it to the consistency you like – I would say this one ended up “lightly” mayo-ed. If 1 cup seems like a lot, remember that you have an entire pound of pasta, veggies, and meat in there – it’s not as much as it seems.

Add the celery salt, garlic salt, and onion powder, then mix well. As for pepper, I usually add an even black layer over the top of the salad, which is about 3 tbsp worth. It seems like pepper overkill, but this is what gives the salad it’s great flavor, so don’t skimp! Give everything a really good stirring so that the spices aren’t clumped in any one area.

I recommend chilling this for an hour before eating, but you can also serve it right away if it’s mealtime. If you don’t have time to pre-chill it, then it’s very important to make sure you rinse the pasta and veggies until they’re cool to the touch.

I served this with a grilled BBQ chicken breast and some oven-baked garlic bread. What an easy, tasty, and light summer meal!

Southwest Chicken Chili

Even though I posted a similar recipe not that long ago, I thought I’d throw this recipe up as a simpler and slightly less spicy option.  I clipped this recipe out of a Parade magazine because it seemed like it would be easy to make, and I liked all of the flavors in the dish.  I’ve made this several times since then and tweaked it here and there, and it’s always been a hit.

Easy Chicken Chili (adapted from this recipe)

What You’ll Need

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” cubes [Note: Originally I used 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs with the fat trimmed off]
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can 98% Fat Free Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup [Note: I used 2 cans of soup because I like more liquid]
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 ½ cups frozen corn
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion and pepper. 

Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is white throughout. Season with the various spices.

Once the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft, add the condensed soup, water, corn and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 more minutes.

I served this with crusty Italian bread and some Mexican cheese sprinkled on top.  This is a quick alternative to the other chicken chili recipe I posted, and uses items that are basic staples of your pantry, making it a great option for those weeknights when you get home late and don’t feel like slaving over a stove for hours. I have made this with other vegetables thrown in (finishing off the random dribs and drabs in my freezer) and have added other spices (chipotle powder, cayenne pepper).  You can tailor this to your own taste, or enjoy it as is!

Roasted Poblano and Tomatillo Chicken Chili

As I’ve mentioned before, Eric got me a couple cooking classes at Whole Foods as part of my Christmas gift.  One of the classes, Chili for Chilly nights, was oh-so-conveniently scheduled for the day before the Super Bowl.  I think it’s safe to say that he had an ulterior motive in mind when signing me up for classes, doncha think?  Anyhoo, the class was great – we learned how to make 3 chilis that were featured in my Whole Foods’ annual chili cookoff – Clam & Bacon Chili (the winner – I will feature it here at some point in the future), Bob’s Game Day Chili (a traditional meat-based chili) and the Engine 2 Diet Chili (a vegan version featured in the same cookbook as this soup).  The fourth chili was one the chefs had concocted the night before from some leftovers they had in the prep kitchen, and, in my opinion, it was the best.  I’ve been calling it "Green Chicken Chili," but that makes it sound a wee bit unappetizing and as if the chicken is long past rotten.  So, I came up with the rather long and clunky title of this post, when really it would be sufficient to just call this "A Party In My Mouth."

Green Chicken Chili

What You’ll Need

• 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken (or, precook 2-3 large breasts and shred/cut into cubes)
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 3 poblano peppers, roasted and peeled (or 1 can of Hatch green chilies)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ jar tomatillo/salsa verde (roughly 10 oz. total)
• 2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 small bag frozen corn
• 1 small bag OR 2 cans black-eyed peas/cannelini beans (roughly 2 cups total)
• ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Before you chop your veggies, start out by roasting your poblano peppers.  This is an easy process that helps bring a sweetness and subtlety of flavor to the pepper, while also reducing its spiciness. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and lightly brush their entire surface with olive oil.

Move your oven rack to its highest position, then set your oven to broil. Cook the peppers directly under the broiler until the surface starts to blacken and the skin starts to bubble and pop.  Periodically rotate the peppers until all sides are evenly cooked.

I clearly do not know how to follow my own directions, as I a) used 2, not 3, peppers, and b) thought I was super-chef enough to not require a baking sheet at all. Funnily enough, when peppers start to cook, they create juices.  Which drip. And sizzle.  Use a baking sheet.

This is evidence of my amazing awesomeness at photography.  When I looked at this on the tiny screen of my point-and-shoot, it looked like a cool, arty photograph that would convey a sense of the heat from the oven.  Instead, it looks like my peppers are in the middle of a really bad acid trip.

While your peppers are roasting, prep your veggies by chopping the onions and garlic.  To prepare the jalapeno, cut off the stem portion, then cut the entire pepper in half.  Remove all seeds (they are what contain the heat) and remove the white ribbing.  Cut it into very small (⅛ inch) pieces.

It got to the point where I was impatient with how long the roasting seemed to be taking (in all actuality it was about 10 minutes), so I decided to take my peppers out whether they were fully roasted or not (hunger is a compelling force). A good pointer is to check the stems of the peppers – if they are blackening, then the peppers are close to done.  Immediately after taking the peppers out, place them in an airtight tupperware container or Ziploc bag for 10-15 minutes.  The steam and heat formed inside of the container will help lift the skin of of the peppers, at least in theory.

In keeping with my theme of being a half-assed excuse for a food blogger, I forgot to take pictures of the next part.  After the peppers had cooled for about the right amount of time, take them out of the container.  Pull on the stems so that the entire top, including the inner part with most of the seeds, comes right out.  Simple enough.  Then, you’re SUPPOSED to be able to squeeze the peppers like a tube of toothpaste and have the skin peel right off.  Easy? No.  Fail? Yes.

My pepper’s skin slide off in one piece so much as peel like a pasty white boy after a hot summer day. I pretty much gave up after I realized I was quickly destroying my pepper and figured the little bit of char left would add to the flavor.  In the end, I was right. I cut the peppers down the center, removed whatever seeds were remaining, and chopped the poblanos into small, mushy strips.

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven on medium heat until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, then sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes until they are slightly translucent.  Add the peppers and garlic, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the chicken broth, salsa, black-eyed peas, frozen corn, and chicken. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until everything is heated through.

Minus the roasting of the peppers, this is an extremely quick recipe if you choose to use the precooked rotisserie chickens available in any supermarket.  Ideally, you could make this with the leftovers from the chicken that you ate for a previous meal.  As I mentioned in the ingredients list, you can make chicken specifically for this dish, but it will significantly add to the prep/cooking time.

I served this topped with a little bit of shredded Colby Jack cheese and some crusty bread.  This makes enough for 6 large meals, and like many soups/stews, I think it tastes better after the flavors have time to meld overnight or longer. No matter when you eat it, this is a wonderfully fresh and vibrant take on chili. I absolutely love tomatillo salsa, and poblano peppers are especially delicious when roasted.  Although this may sound like it’s very spicy, it’s only got a little bit of kick to it.  Taking the seeds out of the peppers helps keep it rather mild, and most of the zip comes from the canned salsa.  If you can’t find poblano peppers in your supermarket (I had to buy mine at Whole Foods), using a can of green chilies is an affordable substitution that will give you approximately the same flavor. Also, feel free to use some tofu and vegetable broth to make a delicious vegetarian/vegan version. I have another chicken chili recipe that I had been planning on posting here for some time, but it was quickly forgotten in the aftermath of how awesome this chili is.  I will post the other one at some point, but in the meantime I strongly recommend expanding your culinary minds and tastebuds and giving this a try!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Yay for the Super Bowl!  Whether or not you’re a football fan, this Sunday is definitely one of the biggest eating days of the year.  In fact, I think it rivals Thanksgiving for that title, purely because there is almost nothing healthy consumed during the Super Bowl, and Thanksgiving pies are at least balanced out by all the vegetables.  While I didn’t go crazy and ban “junk” food from our small gathering this year, I did try to make semi-healthy versions of things.  I’ve wanted to make pulled pork for a long time now, so I dug the CrockPot out of my closet, threw a bunch of random ingredients in, and crossed my fingers for good luck.  Six hours later…success!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

What You’ll Need

• 2 lb lean boneless pork roast
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed and finely minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 tsp powdered chipotle pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

For Sandwiches

• Soft sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• Hickory smoked BBQ sauce
• Cheddar cheese slices

Trim the visible fat from your pork loin and cut it into large (1 inch) cubes. Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until it is very hot.  Melt the butter and add the pork.

Coat the pork with the paprika, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper. Sear the cubes until all sides are browned, but not until they are cooked all the way through.   Transfer the pork into the slow cooker.

Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat down to medium low.  Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, or until they are slightly softened.  Add the water and bring to a slow simmer. Scrape any of the browned pork from the skillet into the water.

 

Pour the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker.  Add the tomato paste, then mix until it is fully dissolved and the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Add the apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and sugar, giving the pot one good final stir.

 

Cover the CrockPot and cook on high heat for 5-6 hours, or until the pork is falling apart.  I stirred this 3 or 4 times during the cooking process so that the edges, which were boiling, wouldn’t get overdone compared to the rest of the pot. After the pork is tender and fully cooked, you can turn the heat setting down to warm until you are ready to eat.  Once that time comes (and boy, will it be fast – this will literally make your house smell amazing), scoop the pork out using a slotted spoon, drain, and transfer to a large bowl. It’s okay to get the onions with the pork, you’re just trying to avoid getting too much extra liquid.

Using two forks, pull (hence the name!) the pork apart until there are no large chunks and it is uniformly shredded. Pile a large amount onto a soft bun, top with your desired amount of BBQ sauce and red onion, add a slice of cheddar cheese, and enjoy!

Not to pat myself on the back, but this was pretty freaking delicious.  The pork was moist and flavorful on its own, having absorbed all of the different flavors from the cooking juices.  It’s important to remove as much of the juice as possible when you’re draining it from the CrockPot, because otherwise the bun will get soggy, and no one likes wet bread. I used slightly less BBQ sauce on my sandwich than the one in the picture, simply because I liked the taste of the meat on its own, but that’s a matter of personal preference.  The onions provide a crisp, refreshing contrast to the softness of the meat and bread and are, in my opinion, a non-negotiable part of any pulled pork sandwich.  All in all, this took about 20 minutes total for preparation time, not including the afternoon hours of cooking when I basically ignored it.  This is a great recipe for any party, future football Sundays, or weekdays when you want to come home from work to a simple yet tasty meal. 

P.S.: This will easily feed 6 people for a total cost of about $7, not including pantry staples – it doesn’t get much more affordable than that!