Sunday, January 25, 2015

Braised Adobo Pork with Polenta

I just made this recipe for Mom and Dad who were visiting this past weekend and they couldn't stop raving about it.  So yum and it's awesome because you basically brown the meat, then let it simmer for a couple hours (in that SWEET dutch oven we all bought from Hannah Ruth).  And the leftovers are fantastic!  Use throughout the next week for nachos, taco pizza, sliders, etc.

I doubled the recipe (and would highly recommend if you want leftovers) and didn't have polenta so we just had brown rice instead, but I'll bet the polenta would be super delish with the pork.

2 T. olive oil
2 1/2 lbs. pork loin
salt and pepper
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup polenta mix
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 T. butter
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season pork with salt and pepper; brown on all sides, 4-5 mins per side.  Remove pork from pot and set aside.  In the same pot, add the tomatoes, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, chipotle (just a single pepper--not the sauce, freeze that for another recipe), cider vinegar, garlic, onion, and 1/4 cup water, whisking to combine.  Return the pork to the pot; bring to a boil, cover and place in the oven for 2.5-3 hours.  (The pork should be practically falling apart when finished.)

To make the polenta, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat.  Pour the polenta mix into the pot slowly, whisking as you go.  The mixture will thicken after 2-3 mins.  Reduce the heat and let the mixture bubble on the stove top for another 30-40 mins, stirring occasionally (add a little water if it gets too thick).

When pork is finished, remove it from the pot, put on a cutting board, and shred with two forks; toss back in braising liquid.  Remove the bay leaf.  Sprinkle the cilantro over the pork.  Stir butter and cheddar into the polenta, then top with pork and serve.  

**The leftovers work well for a pulled pork sandwich or as pulled pork nachos or tacos.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

No-knead crusty white bread - EASY

Why is this the best?
1. Mix it all in one bowl... at the same time.
2. You don't knead it.
3. You can store it in the fridge for a week and bake bread throughout, each day getting progressively more "sour" so on the seventh day it's much like sour dough bread.
4. You can add some things to it to get different breads, i.e. Dave made an Asiago and red pepper bread. Delish.

Please try it. May I point out hands on time is 5-10 minutes. The rest of the time is just letting it rise or it sitting in the fridge. Easy peasy.

no-knead crusty white bread

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DAIRY FREE, QUICK-N-EASY
Hands-on time:
Baking time:
Total time:
Yield:3 or 4 loaves, depending on size


ingredients


  • 3 cups lukewarm water
  • 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

directions


*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.
1) Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.
2) Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.
3) Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.
4) Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.
5) When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.
6) Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.
7) Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.
8) Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.
9) When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.
10) Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.
11) Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.
12) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
13) Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size.