SAUSAGE SKILLET SUPPER This was orignally found on the back of a package of Hillshire farms smoked sausage and I have been using it ever since. I normally don't add muchrooms, but if I do I'll use fresh. I also prefer Pepper Jack Cheese, or Jack cheese. Fresh cracked Pepper coarsely ground always makes everything better. 58k05te 1 lb. Hillshire Farm Sausage 3/4 c. white rice 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of celery soup 3/4 c. water 1 tbsp. butter 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas Optional: 1 (2 1/2 oz.) can sliced mushrooms  1 c. grated Swiss or Pepper Jack cheese Coarsely ground black pepper, especially if you use Swiss Cheese. In large skillet on medium heat, sautee rice for a few minutes till slightly browned.  Cut Hillshire Farm Sausage into chunks.  Combine with rice, butter, celery soup, water, and black pepper. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in frozen peas and (optional) mushrooms. sliced and drained, or preferably fresh.  Simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Sprinkle with grated Swiss or Pepper Jack cheese, cover and melt.  Yield: 4 servings.

Char Siu pork ribs and riblets

I decided to buy spare ribs instead of the normal baby back ribs I usually smoke. One of the reasons is that I planned on trimming them St Louis Style and then using the off cuts to make Char Siu riblets.

 I had experimented with Char Siu on a recent Chinese-food-making foray, but wanted to refine the recipe.

Refine nothing! I found the recipe I'll use from now on, thanks to Jessica Gavin on her Test Kitchen site. While I substituted some of the ingredients I didn't have (Sherry for the Mirin Wine and a bit of sesame oil in the marinade instead of Sesame Paste or Tahini) and a different cut of meat, this recipe turned out sticky, savory and sweet and as good as I have had in any restaurant. I have reproduced the recipe below, but I'd encourage you to follow the link above or below, read her tips and definitions and give her a thumbs up.

CHAR SIU RECIPE

(CHINESE BARBEQUE PORK)

http://www.jessicagavin.com/test-kitchen/seafood-meats/cantonese-char-siu-recipe/

Traditional Cantonese style barbeque pork recipe (Char siu). Roasted to perfection with savory and sweet Chinese spices and flavors.

Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 50 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds pork loin or shoulder (trimmed weight) 
• ¼ cup honey 
• 2 tablespoons mirin wine (Aji-Mirin sweet cooking rice seasoning) 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 

MARINADE

• ¼ cup dry sherry (Shaoxing or sake if sherry not available) 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon sesame paste (Tahini may be substituted) 
• 1 tablespoons black bean paste (or black bean and garlic sauce) 
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 

DIRECTIONS

1. Use off cuts from the spare ribs or trim fat and silver skin from your chosen meat and cut into 2 X 2 X 10 inch strips.

2. Combine all marinade ingredients; mix well. Add pork and toss to cover with the marinade. Cover and set a room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate 3 hours, or overnight. Either use a ziploc bag or turn every 30 minutes or so.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a roasting rack on top of a sheet pan lined with foil. Place the pork on top of the roasting rack. Roast the meat in the center rack of the oven for (40 minutes).

4. Turn oven to 450°F. Mix the honey and mirin. Brush the strips of pork with the honey mixture, then sesame oil. Roast 5 minutes, then turn the strips over, brush the other side of the meat. Roast additional 5 minutes.

5. The meat should be cooked until an internal temperature of at least 135-140°F is reached.

6. Serve the char siu with your favorite vegetables and white rice.

Smoked Chicken and Rajas with Fresh San Marzano Tomatoes

What do you do when a fine neighbor brings an offering from his garden? Perhaps you combine it with an offering from your own for a simple yet satisfying meal.

We have been watching some fine Anaheim Chiles grow in our front yard, evidently a volunteer plant from last year's Chile Ristras that decorated our porch from the holidays. When the tomatoes arrived I decided dinner had to be something that could highlight both.

Hickory and apple wood smoked chicken breasts with New Mexican spices, Rajas and Spanish Rice with refried beans complimented the fresh tomatoes. Rajas are a combination of sauteed onions, garlic, roasted chiles and spices combined with cream that create a rich and delicious dish that can stand alone or compliment Carne or Pollo Asada. I hope you enjoy the recipes below as much as we did.

Smoked Chicken Breast

The chicken breast was prepared with a spicy southwest rub and slow cooked with indirect heat on the grill with apple and hickory wood chips. It is finished by grilling on direct heat till desired appearance and color.

Anaheim Chile Rajas

You can use different peppers or seasonings but this is a good model recipe.

I N G R E D I E N T S
4 medium, fresh Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup crema or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon - thyme, 1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Chiles: Stem and seed the roasted chiles. You can remove the veins if you want a more mild rajas. Slice the chiles crosswise into 1/4" strips.

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they brown, about 7 -8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chile strips, cook 2 minutes.

Add the cream, herbs, and bay leaves and simmer until the liquid reduces enough to just coat the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust salt as needed. 

 Rice: 

1 Cup rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 Cup diced white onion
1/4 Cup diced green onion
1 clove garlic, diced or minced
1 Tbsp spicy southwest rub or to taste


Coat bottom of skillet with Olive or vegetable oil. Add rice and stir fry for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, diced white onions and diced green peppers and continue to stir until the onions are translucent and the rice may begin to brown. Add one can diced tomatoes (with juice) and lightly sprinkle with seasonings such as spicy southwest rub . Add water to cover rice and simmer with lid until rice is done.

To Finish:
Add refried beans, the fresh sliced San Marzano tomatoes, and sprinkle with grated or crumbled Cotija cheese.

Carne Asada Pizza

We had a family feast last night: Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, Hasson's famous Pineapple-Orange-Mango salsa and homemade Pico de Gallo and guacamole. There were lots of leftovers to play with, so I decided to experiment a little.

to make the pizza, you can go with your own homemade dough or make it easy on yourself and go with a store bought ready-to-go pizza crust.For this pizza I decided to go with a jalapeno-cilantro-lime and spice sour cream base. See the recipe below.

To prep your crust:
brush lightly with Olive oil
Rub jalepeno peppers and or crushed garlic into the olive oil.

For the base:
Mix together sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro to taste, a squeeze of about a quarter lime, and a prepared spice mix such as the New Mexico Style Rub. (Sorry, I did this by eye so I don't have exact amounts).

Toppings:
In this case, I topped the base with a simple combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then topped that with Carne Asada , homemade Pico de Gallo, a few extra chopped tomatoes. A little extra pepper jack cheese went on top to help prevent overcooking the already cooked Carne Asada.

To  serve -
Grab some of that guacamole and a few slices of lime on top. Makes a great day after meal that still has a nice spice kick.