Memorial Day Whiskey Glaze

This glaze works great with beef and turkey, or any meat really, and will compliment any Memorial Day BBQ spread.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 large vidalia onion, minced
• 1.5 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced 
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2.5 Valencia oranges
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey (or any whiskey of your choosing)
• Caster sugar (Optional)
• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier (Optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Place minced shallots, onions and garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup water on a skillet, and cook on high heat heat until the vegetables are brown and well caramelized, about 25 minutes.  Stir frequently.
2. Add brown sugar to the onion mixture.
   1. When the sugar melts, mix into the onions. 
   2. Taste, and add more brown sugar if a sweetness isn't detected
3. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.
   1. Add the juice from 2 1/2 oranges
   2. Place in blender, and puree until there are no chunks.
4. Add whiskey and Grand Marnier.
   1. Taste to ensure that the whiskey flavor is present.  If not to your liking, add more.
   2. Add a tablespoon of caster sugar if mixture doesn't have enough sweetness, and repeat.  Caster sugar is another name for super fine sugar, and will dissolve more quickly than regular granulated sugar.
5. Enjoy warm or cold.  The glaze will last for 3 -4 days in the fridge.

My Mexican Pizza

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, here is a fresh take on a classic comfort food.  The pizza starts with a whole wheat base and fire roasted salsa.  Next, the pie is dotted with a southwestern bean dip, caramelized onions and roasted corn.  Finally, turkey chorizo sausage, pepper jack and cheddar cheese take the pizza to a whole other dimension.  Fortunately, this is one pie that you can turn to like a lost friend...you'll want to eat My Mexican Pizza once again.

Huevos Health-cheros with Home Fries and Fire Roasted Salsa

Huevos Rancheros is classic Mexican breakfast fare consisting of a fried egg on top of a corn tortilla, covered with salsa.  My parents occasionally ordered this delicious dish when we lived in New Mexico, despite the grease factor.  Traditional Mexican fare has never been known for being healthy.  My mom always looked for ways to lighten up dishes without sacrificing flavor.  This recipe is a tribute to the original, using many of my mom's tricks.

First, instead of fried eggs, use either 2:1 or 3:1 mixture of egg whites to yolks for an omelet.  Whisk the eggs to add air, creating a light and fluffy omelet.  The omelet is also stuffed with sauteed veggies for added taste and texture, and placed on top of a flour tortilla.  Also, good salsa is a must.  I decided to make fresh Fire Roasted Salsa, and was not disappointed.  A lightly sauteed mix of home fries, onions and red peppers provides the perfect accompaniment, and brings the meal together.  This new take on a classic dish will satisfy the taste buds without packing on the pounds.

 

Soy Marinated Chicken

I mentioned in an earlier post the Japanese style chicken wings I'd been having for lunch last summer. They're served out of a tiny store-front on west 19th street and if you're in the neighborhood, I highly recommend giving them a try. Back in August I tried out a sweet-soy glaze for some scallops and this weekend I marinated some chicken in a similar brew and was very happy with the results.

They're not quite what you'll get on 19th street, but still pretty good.

Chicken Piccata Recipe

Chicken Piccata was always one of my mom's favorite dishes. I remember her ordering it regularly when we were kids and went to Lamanda's Restaurant (the place also had great clams oreganato - I wonder if it's still there...). So when her birthday rolled around this year, I decided to bring back this classic. It's a simple dish that comes together quickly and easily. It might be making regular appearances around our house from now on.

One Pot Roasted Chicken

This is closely based on Tin Pig's recipe for Rosemary Garlic Chicken.  While that produces a crisp exterior, I wanted to try something slightly different using a pot, and adding broth.  Like the original recipe, it takes about 5 minutes to prep, and then gives you time to relax (or give your kids a bath) before sitting down to dinner.

Preheat oven to 375

Time to prep: 5 minutes

Time to cook: 1hr and 15 min. (give or take)

Ingredients:

8 chicken parts - thighs and drumsticks/legs are best 

1 head of garlic, broken into individual cloves, peeled whole

2 1/2 cups broth (veggie or chicken broth - homemade or buy organic at your supermarket)

1 large onion - red or yellow, sliced into medium size rings

Olive oil

Rosemary (1 sprig fresh or 1 tsp dry)  (note: i sometimes leave this out because kids don't like it)

Salt and Pepper

Put all clean chicken parts in large dutch oven or other large pot.   Drizzle olive oil enough to cover all pieces.   Liberally sprinkle salt (kosher salt is best).   Add cracked black pepper.   Flip pieces over and do the same on the other side - be sure to drizzle more olive oil.   Add all the garlic cloves, the onion, the broth, and the rosemary (if using it), to the pot.  Put in oven, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 min.   

 

Chicken Soup Recipe

Many people have a story of their grandmother's chicken soup that would simmer for 12 days before it could be served. While I hold true to certain cooking traditions, sometimes I want a soup that can be eaten the same day I begin preparing it.

Nothing against your grandmother, but this is a full-flavored chicken soup that comes together fairly quickly and is hearty enough to be a full meal. I find that if you start with a good stock, the soup nearly makes itself. As with most things, I've used my homemade vegetable stock in this recipe, but feel free to substitute with your favorite chicken / veggie stock.

Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo) Recipe

When I was younger, my mom learned how to make Spanish style chicken and rice from a neighbor of ours. There were a few other latino-influenced dished she picked up along the way, but this is one she made frequently.

Once I was on my own and cooking for myself, this dish quickly became a habit of mine. I've mentioned a few times in this space that I've never had much time to cook on weekdays, so I'm big on dishes that can be prepared in large batches and refrigerated / frozen for mass quantities of leftovers. This is one of those dishes (but don't freeze this one - the rice doesn't revive itself so well. That said, it keeps nicely in the fridge for 7-10 days).

The original recipe I learned from my mom called for two Goya products - Recaito and Sazón - as the main seasonings. Those are fine products but as I got older I preferred to use as little prepared products as possible and do as much from scratch as my talents and available time would allow. So I've replaced both of those with some fresh herbs, veggies, and dried spices. The end product doesn't taste exactly like the one mom used to make, but you can still find some behind the milk, waiting to be heated up after a long day at work, fairly often.

Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

Buffalo Chicken Wings seem to go hand in hand with autumn. Maybe it has something to do with football, or maybe buffalo wings just make for a nice transition from outdoor grilling to indoor cooking. Whatever the reason, the recipe is fairly simple, though I depart from the original by baking my wings instead of frying, and adding a couple ingredients to the sauce.

Rosemary Garlic Chicken Recipe

As I'm sure most parents will agree the weekends seem to fill up so quickly with chores and child-focused activities (multiple soccer games, birthday parties, etc.) that sometimes there's simply not enough time for yourself. For me that means not having time to cook what I was hoping to, and on those occasions I need a good, quick, standby that doesn't require too much prep time. 

This rosemary garlic chicken recipe is so easy, the hardest part is preheating your oven. The kids love it and you end up with some nice roasted garlic cloves when it's all done.