Mash Potatoes

12 New Potatoes
6 T Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T cream or 1/2 and 1/2

Oven 375
Toss potatoes with Salt and pepper bake 25 minutes
Mash potatoes with butter add S&P to taste add cream

Meat Loaf

2 T butter
1 c chopped fine onions
1/4 c celery diced
2 cloves, minced
3 steps bacon, diced
1c mushrooms, diced
1 lb beef, 83%
1/2 bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 c ketchup, divided in half
1 1/2 T # 7 or bourbon
1 t Lea & P
1/2 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T heavy cream, optional


Saute onions, celery and garlic. 3 mins.
Add bacon and mushrooms 4 mins.
Cool and then mix in meat, crumbs, egg, 1/4 c ketchup #7,Lea & P
Make loaf on rimmed sheet and bake
Make glaze with soy, sugar, ketchup in a bowl
After 10 mins brush loaf, return to oven for another 20 mins

Kale, pine nuts and currants salad

This was inspired by a lunch I had in Craft's Restaurant, NY inSeptember 2017.

4 ozs Currants, dried
3/4 c White Balsamic Vinegar divided
2 T Rice vinegar
2T Honey
2 T Olive Oil
1 t kosher salt 
6 ozs. pinenuts, lightly toasted
1 bag Simple Nature Kale, stems removed
Salt and pepper
2 ozs Pecorino regiano cheese 

Soak currants in 2/3 c Balsamic for up to 24 hours
Mix rice vinegar, honey, salt and olive oil in a glass bowl, set aside
Ribbon cut kale and add dressing. Let rest for at least 1 hour... massage every half hour
Add currants and nuts to kale and gently mix
Plate to serve adding more cheese to taste.

Quinoa and Peas Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled 
1/2  sugar snap peas, cooked 1 minute and cut 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2  c chopped cilantro
1/4 c Olive oil
1 T Olive oil
3 T white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c parmesan cheese

In a bowl, combine oil and vinegar with salt
In large bowl mix quinoa, peas, nuts, cilantro and dressing
Top with parmesan cheese.

Sorrel

Sorrel is a year round drink in Trinidad.
It is used for many health aliments: to lower blood pressure.
To simulate the production bile by the liver and in the reduction of elevated cholesterol and triglyceride.
To prevent clogging of the arteries and a weight loss aid when taken daily.
A glass of sorrel a day, will keep the doctor away, because of its powerful antioxidant properties.
High in vitamins and minerals, similar to cranberries and pomegranate juices.
Will detoxify the entire body.

1 # sorrel petals, dried
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
5 T sugarer or to taste
2 litters water
Rum to taste few cloves
1 lemon zest and juice

Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat and add petals, ginger zest  and lemon juice.
Cover and let rest for 24 hours.
Strain through cheese, squeeze. add rum and pour into cleaned bottles. Add 2-3 cloves, seal.

Tortilla Espanole

Ingredients:
1/2 cup each olive and canola oils
1 onion , medium chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup fingerling potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced, salt
1/4 t sea salt
4 eggs

Procedure:
In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, cook onions in oil
Cook on high for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3-4 minutes do not brown
Reduce heat to low and cook until onions are translucent, 15 minutes
Layer potatoes in pan to cover onions. Gently stir frequently, trying not to break potatoes
Continue cooking for about 20 minutes
Beat eggs with salt until frothy fold in potatoes and let rest for a couple minutes
Heat oil in an iron pot and add the egg mixture  into it
Let mixture thicken on low heat
When most of liquid evaporates flip over omelet with plate and continue browning
Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Cured Salmon

High end dish with little work, makes this a go to item.
Get a nice side of salmon, about 3 pounds, dill , salt, sugar, and white pepper.

1 Side of high grade salmon, remove bones, skin on
1cup dill, chopped
8 ozs. Kosher salt
8 ozs. sugar
1 t white pepper

Combine dill, salt, sugar, and pepper
Spread 27 inch wide foil on counter, top with plastic wrap
Place salmon, skin side down, in center of plastic
Top salmon fully with spices
Enclose salmon on all ends,sealing it
Place salmon on board its size, top with other
wrap or tie for easy turning
Place in fridge in glass bowl with sides for 48 -60 hours
turn every 12 hours
To serve: unwrap salmon, remove skin and slice thinly

Just A Cookie

This is my recipe of the week. A PE friend gave me a 64 ozs pack of craisins (dried cranberries) so I am using them up.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, soften
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 t baking soda
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup craisins

Cream sugars with butter
Add vanilla and eggs one at a time
Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture
Use 1 T on baking sheet with parchment paper
Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Mom's Bake

4 cups flour
41/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T brown sugar
1/8 t cinnamon powder
2 T butter, soften
2 cups warm water

In a bowl, mix first 5 ingredients
Cut butter into flour
Add 1 3/4 c water. Mix with spoon.
Knead on board. Make into 12 to 14 golf size balls
place balls on half a sheet, let rest 30 minutes or more.
Roll out balls and flatten 
Fry in 275-300 degree oil

The Taco mix

2 T oil
1 onion yellow dice
2 T sofrito
1 package sazon
4 cloves garlic minced
2 # ground beef, 80%
2 T chili powder
1T cumin
S & P to taste
2 t cornstarch
2t smoked paprika
1 t crushed red-pepper flakes
1cup chicken stock
Hard tacos

Toppings : avocado, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, jalapeños, sour cream.

Saute onions 5-7 minutes with sofrito and sazon

Add garlic then beef. Cook until meat starts to turn brown, stir and break up items. pour off excess grease but about 2T.

Add the chili, cumin, salt, pepper, cornstarch, paprika, flakes, and stir to bring to a simmer cooking uncovered till sauce thickens slightly4-5 mins.
Heat tacos in a 325 oven until crisp and smells nutty
Serve meat mixture in shell along with toppings of choice.

Citrus Sorbet by Joanne weir

Ingredients:
1/2 c lime  juice
2 c orange juice
1c coconut milk
1 c sugar

Place in ice cube tray for three hour in freezer
Then place cubes in blender, it becomes like ice cream
Fill scooped out oranges, top with zest

Quinoa:

Toast 1 cup quinoa in oven, about 5 minutes.
 Add two cups stock, cover with foil and bake in oven 15 - 20 minutes

Shrimp Salsa:
Segment two oranges. Rough cut some in half. Add 1/2 cup red onions chopped, 1 serrano peppers finely chopped,
2T mint leaves chopped , 3T  cilantro chopped, 2 T  olive oil, 2 T Tequila, pinch salt, 1 cup orange juice reduced to 3-4 T,
Chilled then add to citrus ingredients.
Shrimp:
Skewer shrimp on two wooden skewers, so as to have them not curl-up
Grill one minute on each side
Serve with grilled, citrus salsa and quinoa

Signature Drink

Color and taste goes a long way since the days of the Fitzgerald, one of the first gin drinks that introduce thee use of bitters.
mixologist Ricky Lyn blast off with this "the Gatsby" version.

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 ounces  Silver Gin
1 ounce floral liqueur
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 cranberry juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes peach bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake well.
Strain into two glasses
Garnish with rose petals

Shark and Bake

Shark
Make green seasoning:
2 c green onions, chopped fine
2 c chives, chopped fine
2 c cilantro chopped fine
1 cup thyme fresh, chopped
1/2 c marjoram
2 T tarragon
2 T rosemary
2 c onions chopped fine
3 scotch bonnet, seeded to taste
1/2 c vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients. Use to season shark 

Bake
4 cups flour
4 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 T sugar
pinch cinnamon
1-2 T butter
1 1/4 lukewarm water
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
Cut in butter
Stir in water, and knead into ball, let rest for at least half an hour
Divide into a dozen balls
Heat frying oil in heavy cast iron frypan 
Flatten balls into a 4 inch disc, and fry 1-3 minutes per side
If disc starts swelling into a "blob", flip 

Caribbean Meatballs with Polenta

Chef Edouardo Jordan has this unique upbringing: Stints at the French Laundry in Napa Valley, and Per Se and Lincoln in New York. The Florida native was schooled in classical French technique and high-end  Italina cooking. His Spiced meatballs were a winner at my Sunday meal today. 
Optional notes: Bought Parmigiana Reggiano at Cavallai"s in Oviedo with a $5 discount coupon. 
I have not made polenta in years, so I bought an Ancient Harvest's basil and garlic polenta from Publix $3.89 for 18 ounces. 

                  Meatballs with Polenta
1/2 pound Parmigiana Reggiano, (save rind), grated (two cups)
2 bay leaves
1 shallot, peeled and and halved
2 cups chicken stock
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
2 T soy sauce 
2 T Worcestershire sauce 
2 T parsley, chopped 
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 T cayenne pepper
1 t ground cardamom
1 pack, 18 ozs. Ancient Harvest polenta
1-2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Make broth: In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups chicken stock, shallot, rind, bay leaves, 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins. strain, discard solids and return broth to a simmer until ready to serve.

Meatballs: in a large bowl mix ground beef, soy, worcestershire, parsley, egg, and spices.
With wet hands, roll beef into golf size balls and place on small baking sheet. You should have about a dozen.
Bake for 10 minutes, temple and rest for 5 minutes.

Polenta: In a medium sauce pan, break up polenta, add 1 cup of chicken sauce . Cook on low heat. Use a hand blender to puree.
Add 2 T butter, 1 cup grated cheese and continue cooking.
To serve, place polenta on plate, place 3 meatballs on each and sprinkle with grated cheese. 
Spead some broth around on polenta. Serve with a salad.
Serves 4.

Ensalada Roja for a Valentine Today

Yes it was in "Off Duty" and I used it! Off duty is my favorite section in the WSJ on Saturday.
The last two entries in the Slow Food Fast was by Chef Hugo Ortega: a Tomatillo-Chicharron Guisado, and now, red salad with blue Cheese and candied nuts.
Chef Hugo hails out of Houston via Mexico and owns 5 restaurants, the latest, Xochi opened in January.
This red salad recipe, includes candied nuts, julienne apples, radicchio and endive. Trader Joe's had a red endive, a first for me. No deliveries on this one. Enjoy!

1/2 cup sugar ( I went half and half with Sweet and Low)
1/4 cup water
1 cup raw walnuts, roasted 8 minutes
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 c Orange juice
3 T lime juice, zest first and save
1/3 olive oil
2 heads radicchio heads
1 head endive, at Trader Joe's
1 fuji apple cored, and julienne
2/3 cups blue cheese
2/3 cups pomegranate seeds ( I had saved in freezer)

Candied nuts:
Heat water and sugar in a sauce pan, stir to dissolve sugar. When golden brown, add nuts
and stir to coat, about two minutes.  Spread on wax paper to cool.

Dressing:
Whisk OJ, lime juice, salt and pepper together. Drizzle oil, whisking until emulsified.

Assemble Salad:
In a large bowl, toss radicchio, endive, apples, blue cheese seeds, and nuts together. toss in enough
dressing to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, divide evenly among plates

A Daughter'S Cocktail

Last Friday, while having brunch with my daughter at Bongos in Disney Springs, she ordered a Prosecco. No big deal I said, but then I wanted more after tasting hers.
My cocktail includes Angostura bitters, a botanically infused alcoholic mixture made in Trinidad and Tobago by the House of Angostura.

                                                        Prosecco Cocktail
Bottle of Prosecco
Angostura bitters
2 sugar cubes ( for one I used equal with a dash of bitters)

Two chilled flute glass
Soak sugar cubes with bitters, about 1teaspoon
Put cube in flute glass
Pour Prosecco to about 2/3 fill
Garnish with fanned strawberry
The bottle takes no prisoners
Serves two

Sidecar or Midnight In Paris Cocktail

The classical Parisian cocktail that originated around the early 1900s. Named after a favored patron, a Frenchman whose particular choice of transportation to and from the bar was a chauffeur-driven motorcycle sidecar.
Looking at its smoky-pink hue to the tart and floral flavor, this mixture is just in time for Valentine's Day.
The Sidecar: Lemon wedge, superfine sugar, Cognac, Cointreau (or triple sec) lemon juice and a lemon twist. Having a perfect balance of strong, sweet, and sour elements, it could have been the inspiration behind the Margarita and the Daiquiri.
Midnight in Paris, now, a "Signature" drink from cocktail queen Brittany McPeak. In trading out the usual triple sec for rose´ simple syrup, "a change that brings out the aromatics in both the cognac and the wine."
Not much complication here, it leaves lots of time to snuggle up with your main squeeze.

 Midnight in Paris
           
 For rose´ reduction
2 cups rose´ wine plus some for rinsing glass
1 cup sugar
           
 For Finish  Drink

2 ozs Courvoisier VS cognac
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz rose deduction

Combine 2 cups of rose´ wine and 1 cup sugar in a sauce-pan.
Simmer until the sugar dissolves, approximately 15 minutes, cool
Rinse a martini glass with real rose´ wine
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain
Garnish with a Luxardo cherry

Spicy Tea Time

It is a pungent, gently bitter tropical plant, related to ginger, with bulky, bright orange roots that have been used in Asian cooking.

It is looked upon the cross-cultural spice,  the people of the Caribbean have been eating it in curries since I was a boy.

Shown to lower rates of Alzheimer's disease by blocking the formation beta amyloid, the substance responsible for for the plaques that obstruct cerebral functions.

Turmeric is a standard cure for runny nose, the dizzy rush of a fever. And yes, reports says, "it use has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties."

                      Spiced Tea
                     
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch piece of turmeric peeled and grated
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated 
1 cardamon pod
1 cinnamon stick
3 black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
1 black tea bag

In a small pan over a low heat, add the water, turmeric, ginger, 
cardamon, cinnamon, peppercorn and honey
Bring to a simmer, then pour in milk, and add the tea bag
When milk is steaming,  adjust sweetness
Strain through fine-mesh strainer and serve.
Serves 1

Papa Got A Brand New "Pernil" Bag!

That line comes from lyrics to a James Brown back in the 70s. But honestly,  I haven't tasted some good pernil since last year.

Sunday was a good day to roast one, after the first of many days in support of the stronger sex in these political times!

Did you know that at Bravo Supermarket you pay 30 cents a pound more for them to split a nine-pound leg of pork butt in half. That is $3 average per butt (some weighed 10-11 pounds.) I bought the whole and split it in less than one minute. Saved half for another meal.

So, what is new about a well-cooked piece of pork? I cooked it in my slow cooker! The aroma was  fabulous. You don't have to turn on the oven till the end for that crispy skin.

                                   Roast Pork Butt  (Pernil)
                                  Serves 6

9 pound pork leg (butt end), sawed/cut in half; save half for another day
4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
1 T.  dry oregano leaves
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 pack Sazón seasoning
1 T. Jamaican jerk rub

Procedure:

1. Wash meat a minute or two under running water.
2. Rinse with 1/4-cup vinegar and then rinse again with water.  Pat dry and make 1/2-inch slits to meat. This will let seasoning get into the meat.
3. In a bowl mix garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, oil, Sazón and jerk to make a paste.
    Rub paste on meat, making sure it gets into slits.
4. Place meat in crock pot, skin side up. Cover and set to low. Cook for about 6 hours.

Roasting:
Set oven to 400 degrees during the last 15 minutes.
5. Place pork on a baking tray in oven for 25 minutes till crisp.
6. Remove from oven. Pull or slice off skin.
7. Using two forks, shred meat from bone into bite sizes before serving.

Coquito PR Style

Coquito! Eggs, no eggs. So many versions, so many interpretations.
My view, taste as you go. Coquito has a base recipe.
This is the last batch Maria made.
2-3 cans evaporated milk
1-2 cans condensed milk
1 can Coco Lopez, cream of coconut
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
Zest and juice of 1 orange 
cinnamon to taste
1 1/2 cups white rum
9 whole cloves
In a large bowl, mix 2 cans evaporated milk, 1 can condensed milk,  cream of coconut, ginger, zest, juice, cinnamon. Taste for consistency and flavor and adjust.
You may add the extra cans of evaporate and condensed milks, but start with the lower number.