Recipe: Turkey Pastrami and Root Vegetable Hash

I had a bunch of root vegetables in my fridge that just needed a good recipe to go with them.  I'm fond of "hashes" like corned beef hash & bubble and squeak and thought I'd give this a go.  I used turkey pastrami instead of corned beef or beef pastrami as I wanted a dish full of flavor, but not so full on the waistline.  The process is easy, it just takes some time to cook...

Ingredients:

3 large new or white potatoes, diced

5 large rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 large beets, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 red jalapenos, finely chopped

1 1/3 lbs turkey pastrami, diced

2 tbsp Herbs de Provence

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place all of the peeled root vegetables into a large casserole dish. Add the Herbs de Provence, minced garlic, cumin, brown sugar, sea salt, and all but 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Place into the oven, covered, for 35 mins then remove the cover for 10 additional minutes to allow the vegetables to start browning.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos, onion, and turkey pastrami. Cover, and cook until the onions start to become translucent. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the remaining liquid has cooked out. Add the whole mixture to the large casserole with the root vegetables in the oven and mix thoroughly. Re-cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately (preferably with a poached or soft-fried egg on top :)).

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe: Easy Sukiyaki

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. boneless beef rib eye steak, sliced very thin

1 large sweet onion

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 cups of crimini mushrooms, chopped

2 large carrots, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds

2 cups of Napa cabbage OR baby bok choy, pulled apart and washed

1 1/2 cups of soy sauce

2 cups of beef broth

1 cup of sake

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of rice vinegar

3 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Directions:

Whisk the soy sauce, beef broth, sake, sugar, and rice vinegar together into a large bowl and set aside.

In a large cast iron pan or cast iron dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and saute until fragrant. Add the sliced beef and cook until the beef browns, stirring/mixing frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften. Pour all of the reserved sauce mixture in over the meat and vegetables. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally . Add the Napa cabbage (or bok choy), recover, and continue cooking for 10 - 15 minutes until beef is very tender and the cabbage is wilted. Remove all meat and vegetables to a separate serving bowl with a slotted spoon draining off the sauce. Then, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sauce from the pan over the meat and vegetables in the serving bowl and serve. Best served over short-grain white rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Grilled Pork with Maple Habanero Glaze and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

For the Pork

2 1/2 lbs. of bone-in pork chops (4 large chops)

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 cup of soy sauce

1 cup of bourbon

3 habanero peppers, finely minced

1 cup of maple syrup

For the Chard

2 large bunches of green or rainbow chard, de-stemmed with leaves roughly torn into pieces

4 slices of uncured, thick sliced applewood smoked bacon, diced

1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced (approx. 1 1/2 cups)

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. of unsalted butter

Directions:

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, and bourbon together with a wisk to make the brine. Reserve 2/3 cup of the brine. Place the chops into a large plastic bag or bowl, pour the brine over, and cover. Place in the refrigerator to brine at least 24 hours.

In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, habanero peppers, and 2/3 cup of the brining liquid over medium heat until it bubbles vigorously. Remove from heat and place into a heatproof glass container, seal, and place in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours to chill until it thickens.

Brush your grill grate with olive oil and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Before placing the pork on the grill, coat all over with the maple/habanero glaze. Cook for 4 minutes, turn over, then cover with more of the glaze. Continue cooking for 4 minutes on each side, glazing after each turn, for a total of about 18 - 20 minutes for medium-well. The glaze will produce a nice blackening on the pork as the sugar caramelizes. Place in 180 degree oven covered in foil to keep warm.

In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the bacon and saute the bacon until it starts to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes partially translucent. Add the swiss chard and black pepper, in bunches if necessary, covering the pan to wilt the chard. Cook, covered, checking and stirring every minute or two until all the chard is fully wilted.

Serve the chard on top of or alongside the pork.

Serves 4 very hungry people.

Recipe: Spicy Beef Stroganoff

This ended up a total winner... so very tasty... and comforting :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean beef tenderloin, cut into small cubes

2 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/2 tbsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 habanero peppers

3 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 large sweet onion (Vidalia or equivalent)

4 cups crimini mushrooms

1 cup beef broth

1/3 cup bourbon

2 cups of sour cream

1 1/2 lb. egg noodles

Directions:

Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Add the beef and sear lightly on all sides. Remove beef from the oil and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Finely chop the onion, mushrooms, and habanero peppers. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, cover, sweating them for about 5 - 6 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, habaneros, salt, Dijon mustard, beef broth, and bourbon and stir to combine. Turn heat to high and bring to boil, boiling on high for about 2 - 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the beef back to the pan (including any juices), cover, and simmer for about 45 - 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Remove cover from beef mixture and turn heat to high until the pan returns to a boil, boiling vigorously for about 10 minutes to reduce the mixture to a very thick consistency (mix 1 tbsp. of corn starch with warm water and stir in to thicken more quickly if not the right consistency within 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream as a final step. Serve over the egg noodles.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Recipe: Shredded Chicken Burritos

This was dinner tonight... ole!!! :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 large tomatoes (beefsteak or other large type), roughly diced
1 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro (approximately 1/2 bunch)
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. rice vinegar
2 medium jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Manchego cheese, shredded
4 large flour tortillas
Water (for poaching chicken)

Directions:

Place the boneless, skinless breasts into a large pot. Put enough water into the pot to cover the chicken plus 1 1/2 inches. Add 2 tsp. of the salt to the pot. Place the pot on the stove on medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through and able to be shredded easily with a fork. Shred the chicken into a bowl and set aside.

In the food processor, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, paprika, the remaining 1 tsp. of salt, black pepper, and the rice vinegar. Pulse these ingredients in the food processor until chopped finely and fully blended to form a salsa.

Warm the tortillas according to package directions. In each tortilla, place an equal amount of each of the two shredded cheeses, warm shredded chicken, equal amount of each of the two cabbages, and an equal part of the salsa. Fold both ends and wrap over to form a burrito. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Slow Roasted Chicken with Eggplant and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of chicken thighs

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. herbs de provence

4 jalapeno peppers

2 small sweet onions

4 small Italian eggplant

6 large heirloom tomatoes

5 tbsp. olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Directions:

Dice eggplant into small cubes. Place into a colander and sprinkle sea salt generously over the pieces. Let sit and wilt for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Dice the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos into small pieces and place into a large dutch oven. Add the eggplant pieces, minced garlic, and herbs de provence. Add about 2 tsp. each of sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle 2 tbsp. of the olive oil over the vegetable mixture. Place on the stove on medium heat. Once the veggies begin to sizzle, add the red wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over the chicken thighs. Sear the chicken thighs in the oil for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Add the chicken thighs to the dutch oven making sure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover the dutch oven and place into the oven. Bake for 2 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta dressed with either butter or olive oil.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Potato and Kale Hash

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale
4 medium red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
6 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon
2 tbsp. of minced garlic
3 medium jalapeno peppers
1 large Vidalia onion

Directions:

Peel the potatoes. Bring a large pot of water up to boil and place the potatoes in it. Blanch the potatoes for about 8 minutes to soften. Use a grater to shred the potatoes and set aside.

Chop off the stiff stems of the kale. Using your hands, tear the kale leaves and remaining stems into smaller pieces and place into a colander. Dampen three paper towels with cold water and place the damp paper towels over the greens in the colander. Microwave the greens for 3 1/2 minutes to wilt.

Lightly dice the onion and jalapeno peppers. Add to a food processor with the garlic. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and blended.

Dice bacon slices into small pieces. Cook in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat until browned. Add the shredded potatoes and continue cooking for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, turning frequently. Add the kale and the onion/jalapeno/garlic mixture and continue cooking for another 5 - 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.