International Dinner - Russia

This week's dinner was managed by yours truly and my classmate Nick. Overall, it went great. I had my concerns with presentation as the food had a lot of the same colors. But my team had a great eye and a ton of talent that made each dish look great. I was most concerned by our dessert. It was called Jam Cake which was more like a torte. But it exceeded my expectations!

Blini-Buckwheat Pancake, Cured Salmon, Creme Fraiche, Capers, and Dill

Ukrainian Style Borscht

Shashlyk-Lamb Kabobs with Red Onion and Mushroom Caps, Served over Kasha, garnished with sauce and  green onions.

Jam Cake served with Hazelnut Liquor Creme Chantilly, Sliced Strawberry, and Strawberry Jam Sauce.

Unfortunately, I missed a picture of the Red Cabbage Salad before they all went out. We still have 2 dinners left. So if you haven't attended one, make a reservation today!

Real Ham Salad with "New" Nutritional Facts

It's that time of year when everyone makes those New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, get fit, being healthy, etc. In lieu of those who are watching what they eat, including myself, I will start to put Nutritional Facts on my recipes.

To try it out, I will post a quick Real Ham Salad recipe! I'm sure everyone has had their fill of ham, but if you're a bargain shopper and find a ham marked down after the holidays, make Ham Salad! And freeze the rest of course. Ham and Bean soup... Ham and Scalloped Potatoes... There are just so many things you can do with it!

Real Ham Salad
Prep. Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: None
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 8 (1/2 Cup Each)

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. Lean Ham
• 3/4 Cup Sweet Relish
• 3/4 Cup Salad Dressing (Such as Miracle Whip)

Direction:

1. Pulse ham in food processor to make small grain size pieces.
2. In a medium bowl, mix with Sweet Relish and Salad Dressing until combined.
3. Serve on bread of choice.

Calories-148

Fat-7

Carbs-9

Protein-10

You could lighten this recipe up even more by using Lite or Fat Free Salad Dressing. Keep in mind though that usually Lite and Fat Free items have more salt and/or sugar in them.

If you need a recipe's Nutritional Facts, let me know and I will try and get them for you.

Puerco Pibil

My buddy Joe introduced me to a dish called Puerco Pibil. Ever since the first time I experienced it, I fell in love with it. It is a slow roasted pork that is so succulent and packed full of tastebud tickling flavor! There are a few shortcuts you can take with this dish but I guarantee you, it's worth the effort to make it this way for maximum flavor. It can be served over rice or in tortilla shells. I usually use the latter and top it with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I use and tweak a recipe from The Spice House Website.

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. Boneless Pork Butt, cut into 1"-2" cubes
• 5 Tbls. Annato Seeds
• 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tbls. Whole Black Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. Whole Cloves
• 8 Whole Allspice Berries
• 2 Fresh Habanero Peppers, cleaned and minced
• 1/2 C. Fresh Orange Juice
• 1/2 C. White Vinegar
• 8 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tbls. Salt
• 5 Lemons, juiced (Limes can also be used instead)
• 1 Shot of Tequila
• Banana Leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a spice grinder, add Annato, Cumin, Peppercorns, Cloves, and Allspice Berries and grind until very fine. It's important to grind it fine as the Annato Seeds are like tiny rocks and will give it a gritty texture if left too large. Set aside.
3. In a blender, add Habaneros, Orange Juice, Garlic, Salt, Lemon Juice, Tequila, and ground spices. Blend until smooth.
4. In a large marinating bag or non-reactive bowl, pour mixture over cubed pork and coat evenly. Secure or cover and place in fridge for 3-4 hours. 
5. In a 9x13x2 pan, lay banana leaves down one at a time so that it is draped over the pan and enough is leftover to drape back on top. Refer to pictures for details.
6. Pour Pork and all marinade in the pan on the banana leaves. 
7. One at a time and alternating leaves, drape them back over the the top of the pork like you are wrapping a package.
8. Once all leaves are folded back on top, cover with foil. It may help to wrap the entire pan in foil. Place on or above a cookie sheet and put in oven. Roast for 4 hours. 
9. After 4 hours, take out of oven. Pull the foil off and carefully "unfold" the banana leaves to reveal the pork. With tongs, break up pork so it "shreds". 
10. Serve over rice or on tortilla shells with Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream!

Notes:

• Banana leaves are usually frozen and you can find them in specialty stores. They are not absolutely necessary but it does help add an extra flavor element you can't get without. The leaves are inexpensive and worth using.
• You can easily turn this into a crockpot meal. Simply add everything to the crockpot and I would cook it on low for 8 hours. 
• The habaneros are hot. However, by removing the seeds and ribs, it tones them down. The habaneros give the dish extra flavor and don't add that much heat. I am not a fan of "hot" food and I usually add just one and it comes out pretty mild. If you like spicy, add more habaneros.
• You can use limes instead of lemons. 

Puerco Pibil will make your house smell so wonderful. It is absolutely one of my favorite dishes. Please leave comments! If you have any questions, just ask! 

Pork Butt

All the spices

Habaneros and Garlic

Squeezing the Lemon Juice

Adding the Tequila

Adding the marinade

Banana Leaves

Lining the pan with the leaves

Adding the pork and maninade

Wrapping the pork and marinade with the leaves

All wrapped and ready for foil

Wrapped and ready for oven

Unwrapping

"Shredding" the pork

This is my favorite way to eat Puerco Pibil.

Need an excellent baker?

If you don't know already, I'm NOT a baker. I can make any kind of food you want, unless it is a bakery item. I burn store bought cookie dough. BUT, if anyone ever needs baked items, please check out my friend Molly!

Molly does fantastic work. She specializes in cupcake featuring unique flavors and decorations. Flavors like  Maple Bacon, Quadruple Chocolate Bypass, Triple Salted Caramel, Strawberries and Cream are just a few of the unique masterpieces she has created. Molly doesn't do just cupcakes though. She also makes cakes, cookies, pastries, and any other kind of custom made bake good you may need. Molly is located in Northeast, PA. You can check out her Facebook page and become a fan!

Here are just a few of her masterpieces:

These are AWESOME!!

Strawberries and Cream

Beer Cupcake sprinkled with Hops

Fancy Sugar Cookies

Fondant Cake

Rose Cupcake

Creamsicle Cupcake

Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes

These are just a few of Molly's creations. For more pictures, descriptions, or to contact her, go to her Facebook page HERE!! Her contact information will be on there and she will be happy to answer questions and take orders! Let her bake you  a few spectacular treats for your holiday season.

Ever wonder why there is "Dark" and "White" meat?

Dark -vs- White Meat

So you're sitting at the table on Thanksgiving Day and a one of life's questions arises. White Meat or Dark Meat? What is the difference? What makes dark meat dark and white meat white? Look no further, I have your answer!

Muscles use a protein called Myoglobin to store oxygen when that muscle is used. The more that muscle is used, the higher the concentration of Myoglobin. The higher the concentration means darker the color. Since Chickens and Turkeys fly very little, if at all, the breast and part of the wing has a low concentration of Myoglobin. However, they do a lot of walking and running around which would give the legs and thighs a high concentration of Myoglobin. This also explains why ducks are all "dark"meat. They actually use the breast and wings to fly.

Other Poultry facts:

• The muscle tissue of poultry is similar to mammals except in the way it stores fat. Poultry doesn't have "marbling", it stores fat in it's skin, abdominal cavity, and the fat pad near it's tail.
• Poultry fat is softer and has a lower melting point than other animal fats.
• A flightless bird, such as an Ostrich or Emu, is called a "Ratite".
• To get a bird to cook evenly, truss it. Trussing is where you tie the legs together and the wings are tucked neatly behind the bird. This keeps the bird's legs and wings from overcooking.
• Tryptophan is the chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy.

I hope this blog post satisfies your curiosity if you've ever asked the question, Dark or White?

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chicken Puttanesca

A couple weeks ago, while at work, a fellow coworker was demoing Chicken Puttanesca. I've always wanted to make it and after trying his, I knew I HAD to make it!

Puttanesca is an italian sauce made of Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Garlic, Onions, Anchovies, and Herbs. It's very simple to make and very quick. It is also very fragrant, which leads me to the origin. According to this website, there are mulitple translations as to how this dish was derived. The version I heard said that it was made in brothels either to lure men in with the aroma or to feed the men while waiting for their "turn".

But for whatever reason it was made, it is a very tasty and vibrant sauce that you can make quickly on a weeknight and put over pasta or chicken.

I added the chicken to a Pasta Puttanesca recipe from my fellow coworker, Damian.
The sauce recipe can be found on Epicurious:

Chicken Puttanesca
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Dried Linguine
• 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbls Anchovy Paste
• 1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 (28 oz) Can Tomato Puree
• 1/2 C Pitted Kalamata Olives, chopped
• 2 Tbls Capers, drained and chopped
• 3/4 C Basil, coarsely chopped
• 1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• Flour, for dredging
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Tbls Oil, for frying (any oil you prefer, see step 2)

Directions:

1. Bring pot of water to boil for pasta.
2. While water is coming to a boil, Cut Chicken into 1/4" slices. Season with Salt & Pepper.
3. In a large skillet with deep sides, heat the oil for frying over medium high heat.
4. Dredge seasoned Chicken in the flour until slightly coated and shake off excess.
5. When oil is hot, toss in the floured chicken and cook until no longer pink.
6. Remove Chicken and set aside.
7. Add the Olive Oil to the hot pan. Add Garlic and Anchovy Paste and let cook stirring occasionally. It will look a little yellowish.
8. Add Tomato Puree, Olives, and Capers. Simmer until Pasta is just about al dente.
9. Drain pasta. Add Chicken, Pasta, and Basil to sauce and simmer for just a couple of minutes longer until the pasta is al dente.
10. Serve and enjoy! Goes great with Garlic Bread!

Seasoned and Sliced Chicken and Flour for Dredging

Dredging the Chicken

Frying the Chicken

Cooking the pasta

Pressing Garlic

Anchovy Paste and Garlic in the oil

If you don't have tomato puree, you can puree whole tomatoes in the blender.

Chopping the Olives

Everything in the sauce except the basil and pasta.

Everything mixed together, minus Basil. I used dried since I did not have fresh.

Finished dish

You can add or remove ingredients to you tastes. You don't have to add the flour, but it helps the sauce "stick" to the chicken better. 

As always, please feel free to leave any comments, positive or negative. I would love honest feedback on all my posts!