Roast chicken, a dish so simple yet so difficult to master. When I was in the restaurant business roasting a simple chicken was often used as a test when hiring a new chef. At a glance roasting a chicken is one of simplest things in the world, but really think about it. How often have you had a truly great roasted chicken? So often the breast is dry or the thighs are undercooked, the skin never takes on that great crispness, or the whole thing just tastes rather bland. Yes, it’s simple to roast a chicken and yet so difficult to make it great. Roasting a chicken takes a lot of skilled technique and it is difficult to cover up if you have made an error at any point. That’s why so many people use it as a standard to measure chefs by.

Believe me, I have roasted countless chickens in my time. In the beginning it was a hit or miss proposition, but slowly I learned a few techniques that helped me conquer this foe. Search the internet and you will find a number of “fool proof” ways to roast a chicken. Let me tell you, first off there is no fool proof way. It takes diligence and missing that mark will definitely mean undercooked thighs or overcooked breasts. Some methods will have you rub butter over the flesh, under the skin. This is a great method but time consuming and a pain the ass if you aren’t careful as you can easily tear the skin. Also what about the wings and legs and thighs, it’s pretty hard to get under the skin on those.

All good methods will have you truss the chicken, pulling all the meat in tight to the body. Many people kind of tune out when they hear the word truss, thinking it is some difficult task better left to butchers and chefs. Not so! It is relatively easy and I will show you, step by step, how it’s done.

If at all possible start with a good quality chicken. At least try to find an organic bird from a small producer, or better yet source chicken from a local farmer if at all possible. Your last resort should be any of the large named producers. These birds are filled with antibiotics and hormones and in general are quite tasteless compared to locally raised birds.

Finally, we come to seasoning. A good roasted chicken requires copious amounts of salt and pepper to make a flavorful bird, both on the outside and on the inside. Beyond that the choice of herbs and aromatics is yours. Personally, I like to keep it simple, oftentimes, flavoring the bird with garlic only, though adding lemon or orange wedges to the cavity imparts some wonderful flavor as well as herbs such as thyme, rosemary, tarragon or others, whatever suits your tastes.

Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. butter*, softened
2 heads garlic
salt
pepper

Remove the giblets from the chicken and save for another use. Rinse the chicken under cold running water, then pat dry. Allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature to take the chill off (don’t worry about letting it sit out, it’s not sitting out long enough for it to be dangerous). Meanwhile break apart the heads of garlic and peel the cloves. To make the job easier, lightly crush the cloves with the flat side of a knife. The skins should then pretty much slip off. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Once the chicken has rested, pat dry again and season the cavity with plenty of salt and pepper, getting your hand in there to run the seasoning into the flesh. Add the garlic cloves to the cavity. Next fold the wing tips underneath the bird.

Take an 18″ piece of butcher’s twine, find the center of it and wrap it around the neck of the bird, making one complete loop to secure it. Bring the two ends of the string up alongside the bird and over the thighs.

Loop the string around the end of the legs and have the ends cross in the center.

Next loop the strings all the way around the bird, underneath the tail, again meeting in the center, pulling them tight and tying them off.

Season the outside of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Use more than you think you need. Finally, take the softened butter and rub it all over the outside of the chicken. Place the chicken in a pan on a roasting rack. If you don’t have a roasting rack, peel 1 or 2 onions and cut into 1/2″ slices. Place the slices in the pan and place the chicken on top of that. Place the chicken into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 425°F. Roast for approximately 45-55 minutes or until an instant read thermometer, stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 162 degrees (I prefer to use a digital probe thermometer that I leave in for the entire cooking process. I set it so that an alarm goes off when it reaches the proper temperature). Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Many recipes will tell you to cover the bird during this rest, but I find this to cause the skin to get soggy and one of my favorite parts or roast chicken is the crispy skin. Giving the chicken this resting time will allow the meat to relax, which in turn will allow more of the juices to stay in the meat. Carving before allowing this rest period will cause the chicken to expell much of its juices and moisture. This resting period goes for just about any large cut of meat. Carve and enjoy!

*I often use butter, but many fats can be used in place of the butter. Olive oil is probably the other most popular choice although I have used both duck fat and goose fat on numerous occasions. Bacon fat allow would be too strong and overpowering, but if you want the additional flavor cut 1 part bacon fat with 2 parts butter or oil.

Puff pastry should be a staple in everyone’s freezer nowadays. It can be found in virtually every grocery store, in the freezer section so there’s no excuse to not keep some around. Of course, if you are feeling ambitious you can make your own, but it is a time consuming endeavor. Making your own is well worth the time as anything you would make at home will always trump the stuff that you can buy, but in today’s age it can be hard to find the time, and it is certainly something you can’t do “at the last minute.” I encourage everyone to try their hand at making puff pastry once in their lives, but until then buy a box or 2 and keep them in the freezer.

Puff pastry is a very versatile product. It is used in many desserts, from traditional Napoleons to various tarts and galettes. It can be used to create edible “bowls” to place various foods or small shells that can be filled with an endless array of foods to make little hors’doeuvres, or it can be used to wrap various ingredients in flaky, buttery crust.

One of the best things about puff pastry is the way it can elevate a rather simple dish into something elegant and special. The recipe I offer up today is the perfect example of this. Without the puff pastry I’ve offered up a simple chicken breast topped with mushrooms, ham and swiss cheese. Wrap the whole thing in puff pastry and you have an elegant dish that you can impress friends and loved with.

A couple of things to keep in mind when working with puff pastry, either store bought or homemade. When working with it don’t allow it to get too warm or the butter will begin to melt prematurely. This is no good as you want the butter in there when it bakes. As the butter melts it produces steam and this is what gives puff pastry its puff. It shouldn’t be cold or it will crack, but should remain cool to the touch. When cutting puff pastry use a sharp knife and make sure you make clean cuts and don’t mash the edges as you cut. This will inhibit rising. Also when using an egg wash to help get a nice shiny golden color, try not to let the egg drip onto exposed cuts, this will also inhibit its rise.

Poulet En Croute

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 5-6 oz. each)
4 oz. white mushrooms, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 slices prosciutto
2-4 slices Swiss cheese, Emmentaler, or Gruyere, thinly sliced
1 sheet puff pastry, store bought
4 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 egg, beaten

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan, add half the oil and sear the chicken breasts until cooked 3/4’s through.

Remove the chicken, add the remaining oil and the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms have given off most of their liquid and it has evaporated. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and cook until the cream thickens and most of the liquid has reduced. Allow both the chicken and the mushrooms to cool to room temperature. Cut the puff pastry sheet in half. On each half layer, in order, the cheese, the ham, the mushroom mixture and finally the chicken breast, laying everything lengthwise along the pastry sheet, and leaving as much of a clean border around the pastry as possible.

Brush the exposed puff pastry with the beaten egg, just to moisten the pastry. Gently pull the pastry up over the chicken so that the pastry completely encloses the chicken. Don’t worry about making it look pretty, just make sure that it is well sealed and that you didn’t tear any holes in the pastry. If you did tear a hole just rip off a bit of the excess and use that to repair it. Flip the package over so that all your seams are on the bottom and gently smooth out the pastry.

Don’t worry about them looking perfect, once they puff up in the oven many of those small imperfections will disappear. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the pastry to set up again. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375F. When the pastry has chilled brush the top and sides and the beaten egg and place package on a slightly greased baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat and bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until a thermometer, stuck into the middle of the chicken breast reaches 165F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 7-8 minutes before serving.

It’s just a few days away from the Super Bowl and with the Saints headed to the big game my thoughts have once again turned towards my time in New Orleans and the foods of that town and region. I spent my first culinary internship at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, in the French Quarter. There I experienced a wide range of the foods New Orleans has to offer. At Begue’s, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant I was taught many of the more refined creole dishes from Oysters Bienville and Shrimp Etouffe to modern twists on things such as Shrimp and Grits, Tomato Tasso Bisque, and Souffles. Desire oyster bar, with frontage on Bourbon St., gave me a crash course in all things cajun, from oysters on the half shell to corn meal crusted fried oysters, to jambalaya, gumbo and po boys. It was here, in New Orleans, that my life long love of all foods Southern (from the BBQ and tamales of Texas to Red Eye Gravy to Frogmore Stew of the Low Country) got its start. While Southwestern cuisine may play a more important role in my style of cooking, it is the food of New Orleans though that captivates my heart.

There are so many great foods that come out of the cajun and creole tradition, but my two favorite are gumbo and jambalaya. Of course there are also Muffulettas, one of The Best sandwiches in the world. A true New Orleans tradition, but not cajun or creole, instead coming from the Italian part of New Orleans history.

While all of these deserve a blog post, and believe me, I will get to each one in due time, it is Jambalaya that I had a craving for this week. Jambalaya is New Orleans answer to Spanish Paella. It’s a wonderful rice dish studded with sausage, seafood, vegetables and, oftentimes, chicken. Unlike paella, it doesn’t rely on saffron for it’s flavor, instead relying on the Trinity of cajun and creole cuisine (onions, celery and peppers). A good jambalaya also has a nice amount of heat provided by cayenne, hot sauce or both, though the heat is usually more on the mild side. Jambalaya can either be cooked on the stove top or in the oven like a rice pilaf. I’ve seen many recipes for both, though people will fiercely defend (and oppose) one or the other.

Like so many of the recipes I offer, as is the case with many family style, peasant type foods, there are a million recipes out there, each family having their own, and each family claiming that theirs is the proper way to make the dish. The recipe I offer below is a great all round jambalya recipe. It contains sausage, chicken and shrimp and has a fair amount of heat to it. You can easily tone the heat down by omitting the cayenne and decreasing the amount of hot sauce used, but leave it with a little kick to it or the dish just seems to lack that something.

Jambalaya

2 medium onions, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
12oz. Andouille sausage, large dice
1 pound chicken breast, large dice
1 28oz can diced tomato, with juice
2 1/2 cups rice, long grain
3 cups water
2 Tbsp. hot sauce (New Orleans style such as Tabasco, Crystal, Louisiana, etc.)
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves

In large pot over medium heat, heat 2 Tbsp. of oil. Add the vegetables and saute until starting to wilt. Add the sausage and garlic, cooking until the vegetables are tender, but not allow them to brown.

Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is done and all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the rice and serve.

I am amazed by many of my blogger friends out there. Where do you find the time to post so often? I try to post regularly but I often find life interfering with those plans. I try to get out 2-3 posts a week, usually, but, like this past week, I didn’t have time to get anything done. Between work, family and other writing assignments I just couldn’t fit it in. I know, I need to make it more of a priority, but sometimes other things just have to take precedence, especially family time. And, well, I felt that I needed a little break. I am constantly surprised by how much time is taken up trying to keep a blog fresh. Yes, I know, I’ve said that before, but its true. From recipe development, to cooking, to photographing, to photo touch up and writing, a post can easily take up a few hours.

But enough of my excuses for not writing. That’s not what you came here for; to listen to me whine. I’m back to cooking after a short break and surprise, surprise, this post is again inspired by Latin cuisines. I love the cuisines of Latin America, especially that of Mexico. Like so many foods from rural and less prosperous areas, much of the cuisine is simple and straight forward. That in no means implies that it is bland or boring. Quite the contrary, in fact. Foods from such areas are usually robust and full of flavor. They also have that comforting quality, that speaks of home, that often haute cuisine lacks. Not that all dishes are simplistic. Mexican mole is a great example. Ask any chef and they will tell you that moles can be some of the most time consuming and complex sauces out there. There are some mole recipes that contain upwards of 30 ingredients and require numerous steps in its completion.

The dish I offer up today is of the simplier variety though. Carnitas are one of my favorite dishes. Simple yet flavorful, it simply diced pork that has been braised then allowed to fry in the fat that has rendered out of the meat. Plenty of fat is what makes this dish so tasty so look for pork shoulder (butt) that hasn’t been trimmed of too much of its fat. Served simply with corn tortillas, a little pico de gallo and lime. It doesn’t get much better!

Carnitas

5 pounds pork shoulder (butt) bonless
water
salt
1 lime

Dice the pork into 1″ cubes, leaving most of the fat intact but removing any really thick silver skin that remains. Place into a pot and just barely cover with water. Season with salt and the juice from 1 lime.

Turn the heat on to medium and allow to cook for about 1 1/2 hours. At this point most of the water should have evaporated. Turn the heat to medium high. Allow the rest of the water to evaporate. At this point the only liquid left in the pot should be the fat that rendered out during the braising. Allow the pork to fry, in its fat, until it has browned and crisped up slightly.

Plate immediately and serve with pico de gallo, lime wedges and tortillas. That is plenty of a meal for me, but if you like accompany it with refried beans and rice, or maybe a few fried plantains.

It’s hard to believe that something so simple can taste so fantastic, but then again, pork fat can work wonders on just about anything!!!!

I was born and raised in the North, but I spent a good portion of my cooking career down South, in New Orleans and Atlanta. While I prefer the North, especially for the 4 distinct seasons it offers, I came away from my time south of the Mason-Dixon Line with a great appreciation of southern culture and of southern foods. Just like in all regions of the US, southern food is a wonderful mix of native foodstuffs, foods brought to this country by colonists, Native American dishes, and a whole lot of ingenuity. What makes a lot of southern cooking so different, and wonderful is the heavy influence of African accented foods, both directly, in the form of foods eaten by slaves in the early years of our country and indirectly through the filter of the Caribbean. While these influences permeate a considerable bit of southern food it can really be seen the cuisines of New Orleans and in the coastal cuisines of the Carolinas and Georgia.

One of my favorite dishes, found throughout the south, but especially along the coastal areas, is Hoppin’ John, a variation on rice and beans, a dish found throughout the South and Caribbean. In this version, rice is paired with black eyed peas (also known as cowpeas) and bacon or ham. While eaten year round, it is often served on New Year’s Day and is considered a lucky food. As the peas are symbolic of coins, eating the dish is supposed to ensure a posperous year ahead.

Hoppin’ John, like so many great regional dishes, can be a very controversial dish with each family claiming that theirs is the proper way to make it. Some recipes cook the rice and the beans separately and then only combine them at service time, some recipes don’t include tomato, some say that ham is traditional, while others might claim that only bacon or fatback is traditional. I won’t make such claims. I openly admit that my version takes from a number of recipes, incorporating what I like and discarding what I didn’t. Is it “traditional?” Maybe yes and maybe no. It all depends on who you ask. Either way, it is quite tasty.

My wife had never had the dish before so I decided that New Year’s Day would be the perfect time to introduce her to this simple, yet satisfying meal. Served with greens, which are also thought to bring money, if eaten on New Year’s Day, and cornbread, you have a hearty soul satisfying meal

Hoppin’ John
serves 4-6

2 slices bacon, thick cut, diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 each bell pepper, diced
4 cups water
1 pound black eyed peas, frozen (if you can’t get frozen the buy dried-soak 1/2 pound overnight then cook until tender but not mushy, about 2 2 1/2 hours, then proceed with the recipe)
2 1/2 – 3 cups Ham, diced
1 each bay leaf
1 can (15oz) diced tomato
1 cup rice
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. cayenne (depending on your tastes)
1/4 tsp. oregano

I a pot combine the bacon and onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the ham, bay leaf, black eyed peas and 3 cups of the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rice, tomatoes, remaining cup of water and spices. Season lightly with salt, remember the ham and bacon will bring a considerable amount of salt to the dish. Cook, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes longer. Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

It’s been cold up here in Wisconsin the last week or so. I thought I was ready for winter, but this cold snap has taken me by surprise and I’ve found myself taking more time than usual to acclimate to the weather. I hate to think that it is because I am getting older-I turn 40 in just under a month! Whatever the reason, I find myself lying in bed, in the morning, not wanting to get up. Not because I don’t want to go to work, I don’t mind that, but because I am not looking forward to getting into my icy cold car and waiting for it to warm up as I drive to work. I’ve tried to convince the wife to go out and warm up my car for me, but she is being awfully selfish, in my opinion, and not complying with my requests.

When the weather gets like this I search hearty, soul-warming dishes to dine on. There’s just something warming about a big pot of stew, soup or ragu sitting on the stove top, simmering away. I love the way the whole house fills with the aromas of a slow cooked dish, and the way all the windows, in the kitchen, steam up as the heavy, moisture laden air meets the coolness of the glass panes. The weather can rage outside, but while I’m cooking I feel safe and warm.

The other day, I picked up some Italian sausage thinking that I would sear them off and simmer in red sauce to put over pasta. Today, as I looked at them, the whole concept seemed bland, uninspired, and not what I was craving. I was craving something a little more homey and comforting and pasta just didn’t seem to fit the bill tonight, but I had this Italian sausage so my mind kept reeling around that theme, when it dawned on me that I hadn’t made polenta in quite some time.

For those of you not familiar with it, polenta is a cornmeal mush served all over Northern Italy. Don’t worry, it tastes a whole lot better than it sounds. I like it because it is heartier and more earthy than pasta, just the perfect thing for a cold winter’s night. It is a wonderfully versatile product that when served soft can be topped in about as many ways as you can top pasta. It can also be chilled, cut into shapes and baked, grilled or fried and then topped with a variety of sauces and garnishes.

If you come across polenta in American supermarkets (at least in areas without a large American-Italian neighborhood) chances are it will be either the precooked stuff that comes in tubes or the Instant variety. Stay way from both of these products. I have yet to taste either type that I can say anything good about. Instead look for cornmeal, in the baking section. If you can, purchase a coarse ground cornmeal or better yet a stone ground cornmeal, but if all they have is the standard fine ground stuff, still use that instead of the instant polenta. Your taste buds will thank you.

Polenta is a time consuming process, taking usually about 45 minutes to cook, sometimes longer. If you all you have is the fine ground cornmeal it will probably be done in about 30 minutes. Don’t rush the process. If you do, you’ll end up with a gritty texture instead of a smooth and creamy texture.

We’ll start with the ragu recipe as it simmers quite a while, and the polenta can then be made while the ragu is cooking. The key to this ragu is a long slow cooking process. That will develop it’s deep, rich flavor.

Sausage Ragu

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 each Carrots, peeled, small dice
1 rib Celery, small dice
2 medium Onion, small dice
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 pound Italian sausage, bulk, or with casings removed (hot or mild-your choice)
1 can (6oz) Tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Red wine
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Half and Half

Heat pot over medium high heat. Add the oil and allow to heat up. Add the carrots, celery and onion, lower heat to medium and cook, slowly until a golden brown (about 20 minutes). Add the garlic and cook 3 minutes longer. Add the sausage and break up, but still leave in bite sized chunks. You don’t want this looking like ground beef. Cook until well browned then add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so that the tomato paste doesn’t burn. Add the wine and water. Bring to a hard simmer, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep it like a thick sauce. In the last 1/2 hour of cooking add the half and half. When done check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Keep warm

Creamy Sage Polenta

4 cups Water
1 1/3 cups Corn meal, medium or coarse grind if possible
2 Tbsp. Sage, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup Mascarpone
Salt
Pepper

In a sauce pot, bring water, seasoned with salt and pepper, to a boil. Add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, whisking the whole while so that the cornmeal doesn’t clump together. Once the polenta has thickened switch to a wooden spoon for stirring. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 40-45 minutes or until done. You don’t need to stir constantly, but you do need to stir it every few minutes to that it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Polenta is done when it starts to pull away from the sides of the pot when you stir it. With about 5 minutes left, add the sage. When done, stir in the mascarpone and remove from heat.

To serve, place a mound of polenta in the middle of a plate and top with Sausage Ragu. Serves 4

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I am very much a “traditionalist.” I like my roasted or grilled turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. I don’t have nearly that same feeling about Christmas dinner. Sure, I am happy with a repeat of Thanksgiving, which often happens in my family, but I am also very happy to change it up. My wife’s family often follows a more European tradition and serves goose, with all the trimmings. Since her father is from Hungary that usually means an Eastern European flair to the meal with lots of sweet and sour dishes, plenty of starches, the giblets showing up in numerous recipes, and wonderful, earthy rye bread.

In my family, when we move away from turkey, we sometimes do a standing rib roast (aka Prime Rib), one of my favorites, but in recent years we have done a lot of pork, usually in the form of a Crown Roast. It usually gets filled with a stuffing of cornbread, sausage, dried cherries and pecans. This has become a favorite of ours and looks quite festive and elegant gracing our holiday table. Unfortunately, if you want to do a crown roast you either need to be feeding an army or be prepared for plenty of leftovers as these things are quite large. Luckily pork is very versatile and there are numerous, smaller cuts that can be turned into an elegant centerpiece for your Christmas dinner.

Pork loin is an obvious choice for a holiday dinner. Roasted, it makes a beautiful looking focal point to the holiday groaning board. It can be purchased is any size from 1 pound to about 8 or 9 pounds, making it a great choice for just about any size get together. Pork also goes well with many of the dishes people serve at Christmas time, many of which mirror people’s Thanksgiving spreads. To make it even more of a standout, I like to stuff it “pinwheel” style. Sliced and laid out on a platter, surrounded by Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and a few sprigs of fresh herbs, you have a dish that will wow friends and family alike. (continue reading…)

I will never be mistaken for one of the more prolific bloggers around, but this month, so far, has seen less than usual activity from me. I apologize, work and family has kept me pretty busy the last few weeks, and I haven’t had a chance to do much serious cooking, let alone writing. But I’m back now, though I never completely left, and hopefully I’ll have a chance to blog on a more regular basis.

In the last few weeks, we’ve been ordering in pizza quite a bit, eating leftovers and reheating homemade soup. I felt it was time I make a special dinner for my wife. She tends to eat a lot of pasta and noodles so I wanted to stay away from those, but I was craving carbs so I figured I do a rich, creamy risotto, and since my wife loves shrimp I would make a shrimp risotto.

This version of risotto is not for the weak of heart. It’s got plenty of butter, cheese and cream to stop a horse, but as long as you aren’t eating like this regularly, then this is worth splurging for. This recipe serves 2-3 people. Don’t be alarmed. The portions aren’t huge, but because this dish is so rich the servings are plenty big!

Shrimp Risotto

1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 large cloves Garlic, minced
1 each Shallot, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
5 cups Stock (shrimp* or chicken) or water
1/2 cup White Wine
3/4 cup Peas
12 each 16/20 Shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into thirds
1/2 cup Cream
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 each Tomato, pulp removed and flesh diced
1/4 cup Green Onions, minced
Salt
Pepper

Bring stock or water to a simmer. Meanwhile in a large pot heat oil over medium high heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until starting to turn translucent. Add the Arborio rice and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add wine and cook until fully absorbed. Start adding broth or water, about 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring until almost fully absorbed before adding more liquid. Continue this process until rice is al dente. This should take about 18 minutes. You might not use all the stock or water or you might need a bit more. The rice should be cooked but still firm, not soft, and it should be creamy but not loose or soupy. When the rice is about 3/4 of the way done add the peas. 2 minutes later add the shrimp. When the rice is done add the butter cheese and cream. Cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in the diced tomato. Divide among plates and garnish with the green onions.

*To make a simple shrimp stock. Reserve the shrimp shells from the shrimp you peeled to make this dish. Place them in a pot with 1/2 onion, diced and 1 rib of celery, diced. Fill with enough water to cover, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Drain off the stock, pressing on the solids to release as much liquid as possible.

In the last few years I’ve become a convert of Crock Pots and slow cookers. In my younger days, as a chef, the mere mention of a slow cooker would elicit derisive chuckles out of me and my cohorts. Slow cookers were tools for those who didn’t know how to cook properly, or for the “happy homemaker” who couldn’t master the art of braising. These were my younger, food snob days. I’ve since then changed my tune quite dramatically. Admittedly, I still prefer to create a braised dish on the stove top or in the oven, but those require that I be home for a considerable amount of time to watch over them. Sorry, but I would never leave my house for hours with the oven or stove on, but a Crock Pot is a different story. Plug it in, turn it on, go to work, and come back hours later to a warm, hearty meal.

Slow cookers aren’t the end all for braising though. There are too many dishes that require a more subtle touch than a slow cooker can achieve, or need a better mix of dry and moist heat that the humid environment of a Crock Pot just can’t achieve, but many dishes, such as stews, soups, pot roasts, etc. are perfectly suited for a slow cooker.

There are a couple of tips that I will offer up though to help you make your Crock Pot meal come closer to restaurant quality. The most important is browning your meat before you add it to the slow cooker. Most slow cooker recipes are created to be “dump and go,” but I beg you to take the time to brown your meat first. This is what really helps develop that deep flavor that is found in slow cooked meats. Take the time to brown all sides of the meat to a deep brown before adding it to your slow cooker. After browning the meat deglaze the hot pan with some kind of liquid, preferably a little wine or other alcohol and add this to the slow cooker also, making sure you scrape up any little cooked bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. The other tip I offer up, is forget that “high” setting on your Crock Pot. If you are putting something in the cooker before work and won’t be home until dinner time “low” will be plenty to cook just about anything. I don’t care what the recipe says, use the low setting or risk coming home to overly cooked, dry meat. Of course that high setting can be used for shorter cooked items or to reduce the braising liquid after the meat is done, but for any cooking of over 4 hours stay away from that setting.

Today, I created a great Crock Pot Sauerbraten dinner. It was based on a couple of traditional sauerbraten recipes I have. Traditionally the beef is marinated for 2-3 days before cooking. This helps to create a dish with lots of depth of flavor and it also helps to tenderize tougher cuts of meat. In this version I skip the days of marinating. The end product might not have quite the depth of the original but is so flavorful I don’t think you will notice.

Crock Pot Sauerbraten
3-5 pound Chuck Roast
2 each Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs Celery, chopped
2 each Yellow Onions, peeled and chopped
1 cup Red Wine
2/3 cup Cider or Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
12 each Cloves, whole
12 each Allspice, whole
20 each Peppercorns, whole
2 each Bay Leaves
8 each Juniper Berries, crushed slightly (optional)
1 cup Water
10 each Gingersnap cookies

Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown both sides of the chuck roast in a hot skillet, until a deep brown. Place meat in a slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of water, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Add to the slow cooker. Add vegetables, wine, vinegar and sugar to slow cooker. Place the spices in a coffee filter (for easy removal) and tie shut. Add to the slow cooker, cover, turn to low and allow to cook for at least 5 hours and up to 8. The meat should be fork tender when done. When meat is done crush up the gingersnaps and add to slow cooker along with the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Replace cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Gingersnaps will dissolve into the sauce thickening it. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

**Note** I use the term slow cooker and Crock Pot interchangeably. Crock Pot is a proprietary name for slow cookers though it has become a generic term referring to all slow cookers, in every day usage.

I’ve been on a bit of a Latin kick recently and the other other day I decided to try my hand at making Pupusas. Pupusas are a snack popular in El Salvador and Honduras, that can best be described as a stuffed tortilla, though that description doesn’t quite do the dish justice. Traditionally, the pupusas are stuffed with either cheese or chicharron, or a combination of the 2, though it can be filled with many different things. I chose to fill my pupusas with cheese and shredded pork that I had braised in beer and salsa.

Making pupusas is easy, perfecting them is difficult and takes lots of practice. It’s fun to watch them being made by someone who really knows what they are doing, and it’s mind blowing that they can do it so quickly without allowing any of the filling to poke through. While mine turned out well, they could have been a bit thinner, bigger and rounder, but these issues didn’t affect the taste one bit.

Pupusas are usually served with curtido, a type of cabbage slaw that adds a wonderful, fresh crunch to the dish and a nice hit of acidity to liven it up. I didn’t make any this time and was sorry I didn’t as it really adds to the dish.

Finally, if you are not familiar with Latin foods, you must seek out Masa Harina, a type of corn flour, for this dish. It has become pretty common in most supermarkets nowadays as our Latino population continues to grow. Regular corn flour or corn meal is not an acceptable substitute as it doesn’t have the same flavor and doesn’t seem to hold together the way masa harina.

Pupusas

Filling:
1 pound Pork Stew meat, cubed
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
6 oz. Beer
1/4 cup Salsa (homemade is preferable)
1/4 cup Ketchup

Dough:
2 cups Masa Harina
1 cup Water

Cheese (A good Queso Blanco if you can find it, if not then use Monterey Jack)

Heat a skillet over high heat and add oil. When oil is hot add pork, season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Add beer, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes. Add salsa and ketchup. Cover again and cook until pork is tender, approximately 20 minutes more. Uncover, and mash the pork with a spoon or whip to shred it. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Allow to cool to room temperature. Once pork is cool make the dough by combining the water and the masa harina. Allow to sit for 8-10 minutes to allow the dough to fully hydrate. Divide into 8 portions. Pat each portion into a circle approximately 6 inches in diameter. Take 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the filling and 1 Tbsp. of the cheese and place it in the center of the dough circle. Bring the dough up around the filling, completely encasing the filling and sealing any cracks. Using your hands press the filled ball into a 6 inch circle again. It should be just under 1/4 inch thick. This takes practice to get them perfect, but is pretty easy to make a passable product. Heat a skillet (cast iron works the best) over medium high heat and cook, without adding any oil, for approximately 4-5 minutes minutes on each side. Serve immediately as these are best when hot and still crispy on the outside. Garnish with curtido or with a salsa of your choice.

Curtido

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
4 cups Water, boiling
2 small carrots, grated
1 small onion, sliced
1 each Jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

Pour boiling water over cabbage and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Drain off water and squeeze most of the water out of the cabbage. Combine with all the other ingredients and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours before serving.