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This Tomato and Caper Spread Is a Taste of Summer,...

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This Tomato and Caper Spread Is a Taste of Summer,...

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[Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

Finding a way to be alone when working in a busy restaurant environment isn’t an easy task, but I believe it’s always important to carve out some me time. This is usually accomplished by scurrying into the pantry during a lull for a sneaky dry-storage snack, or dipping into the dish pit to scavenge through half-eaten bloomin’ onions.

My favorite midday excursions happened while I was working at a sprawling, multilevel, weightily staffed fine-dining Italian restaurant. Here I was blessed with countless nooks to crawl into and plenty of cooks to cover me on their over-staffed lines. This restaurant had multiple walk-in refrigerators, lined up side by side, each dedicated to a particular category of ingredient. Any chance I could find, I’d get myself into the dairy/cheese/condiment walk-in. Armed with a pocketful of spoons, I maintained focus on my target: La Nicchia Paté di Pomodori Secchi e Capperi, a sun-dried-tomato and caper spread.

In a room filled with burrata, it seems crazy to go for a tomato spread, but believe me, this stuff is epic. The chef regaled me with tales of Italian grandmothers hand-picking tomatoes grown in volcanic soil, then slowly drying them on screens set on sunny rooftops, and finally blending them with capers packed in salt from the Mediterranean Sea.

Okay, so none of that turned out to be true, but this stuff is still undeniably delicious. At the restaurant, this tomato and caper spread was combined with a 20-plus-ingredient mole before just a teaspoon of the mixture was smeared along the rim of a dish of lobster fra diavolo. Don’t be confused—you read that right. This glorious spread that’s perfect just the way it is was combined with a Mexican mole, its complex flavors overwhelmed by dried chilies, spices, and nuts.

Well, now is its chance to enjoy some time in the spotlight, not overshadowed by lobster or eaten in the dark; this spread deserves your full attention. Fleshy plum tomatoes are slowly roasted with thyme and garlic until they’re jammy and concentrated. The sticky tomatoes are then pulsed with briny capers and flooded with extra-virgin olive oil. Although the resulting blend is perfect on crusty bread alone, it can also be tossed with pasta, spread onto pizza, or served alongside grilled or roasted meats.

How to Make Tomato and Caper Spread

Because this is such a simple dish, I like to start with the best ingredients I can find. Make this in the summer, when juicy, flavorful tomatoes are in season. Since tomatoes tend to attack in packs, this recipe is a great way to preserve them for winter. This is also the time to splurge on fancy-pants extra-virgin olive oil; try to buy the best you can.

Step 1: Blanching the Tomatoes

I start by peeling my tomatoes, which not only gives the spread a smoother final texture but also provides more surface area for evaporation, allowing the tomatoes to dry faster. If I’m dealing with just a few tomatoes, I’ll opt for a peeler, or even an open flame to help me quickly peel them, but for any more than a few, blanching is the way to go.

Using a small paring knife or tourné knife, I remove the core from the stem end of each tomato and score the opposite end with an x. Taking the time to do this now will make the tomatoes easier to peel after blanching.

Meanwhile, I bring a large stockpot of water to a boil and set up an ice bath for shocking the tomatoes. Working with four to five tomatoes at a time, using a kitchen spider, I drop them into the boiling water for just a few moments, until the skin begins to separate from the flesh where it’s been scored. If the tomatoes are very ripe, this will happen in just seconds; underripe tomatoes may take up to a minute or more.

Once the skin begins to peel away, I remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. I next peel the skin and split the tomatoes in half lengthwise.

Step 2: Roasting the Tomatoes

I arrange the tomato halves, cut sides up, on wire racks set into rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. The wire rack allows air to circulate all around each tomato, so they dry evenly. Brushing the wire rack with a touch of olive oil prevents the tomatoes from sticking as they cook. I brush each tomato half with a bit more olive oil before topping it with a slice of garlic and a fresh thyme sprig.

I roast the tomatoes until they’ve shrunk to about a quarter of their original size. I’m not looking to reproduce the leathery and brittle texture of store-bought sun-dried tomatoes, but rather to concentrate the tomatoes’ juices until they’re dense and sticky.

How long the tomatoes take to get there can vary greatly depending on the air circulation of your oven, as well as on the tomatoes themselves. In testing this recipe, I found that underripe grocery store tomatoes cooked down in half the time of ripe, juicy farmers market ones. Keep an eye on your oven, and allow for enough time to properly cook down whatever tomatoes you have.

Step 3: Mixing the Spread

After the tomatoes have roasted, I remove the garlic slices and thyme sprigs, then pulse the roasted tomatoes in a food processor with drained capers and dried basil until all the ingredients are just combined. I prefer to have some texture in the spread, so I only barely pulse them together. This can also be done with a chef’s knife, or even with a mortar and pestle.

To finish off the spread, I stir in a healthy pour of olive oil and season it to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. At first, the spread may taste bitter from all the olive oil, but that harshness will mellow out after a day in the fridge, where the flavors can meld.

It may seem like a lot of work to score, blanch, peel, and then slowly roast tomatoes for hours, just to be left with a couple cups of this stuff. But just think of the grandmothers who are now perilously perched on rooftops, with baskets of Italian tomatoes balanced on their heads. Well, actually, that probably doesn’t happen, so instead, just think of me, risking a public shaming by my chef just to sneak in a couple spoonfuls. Trust me—it’s worth it.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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10 Instant Pot Beef Recipes

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10 Instant Pot Beef Recipes

10 Instant Pot Beef Recipes–Beef! It’s what’s for dinner. At least sometimes it is. And here are 10 ideas on ways you can use beef in your electric pressure cooker.

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10 Instant Pot Beef Recipes

Instant Pot Salisbury Steak, Gravy and Mashed Potatoes–good old fashioned salisbury steak is prepared in your pressure cooker with a savory mushroom and onion gravy and creamy mashed potatoes. An amazing homemade one pot meal that will have you throwing away any TV dinners that you have in your freezer.

Instant Pot Mississippi Roast (no packets)–with just a handful of ingredients and an hour in the Instant Pot you can make the best roast of your life. This particular recipe has no packets of ranch or au jus like the original recipe calls for. The meat is slightly spicy and infused with flavor. This roast is perfect served with mashed potatoes or on a crusty roll as a sandwich.

Instant Pot Korean Beef Tacos—tender shredded seasoned beef is rolled up in a warm tortilla with crunchy cabbage, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, sriracha sour cream and a splash of roasted garlic seasoned rice vinegar. When you bite into this taco it’s like a party in your mouth. All the flavors and textures come together in a perfect union.

Instant Pot Steak Gyros–tender, seasoned pieces of steak rolled up in a soft pita with tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and feta cheese. An easy meal that tastes amazing any night of the week!

Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo–an easy one pot meal that has a lot of Mexican flare. Orzo pasta is cooked quickly in your pressure cooker along with ground beef, taco sauce and black beans. Fresh ingredients like diced tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and shredded cheddar are stirred in later to create a family friendly and flavorful meal.

Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta–all the amazing flavors from cheeseburgers in a one pot pasta dish. Your whole family will love this dinner!

Instant Pot Grandma’s Sunday Roast–get fall apart roast paired with potatoes, carrots, green beans and gravy made quickly in your pressure cooker. A perfect Sunday dinner just like Grandma used to make.

Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli–tender pieces of beef are served alongside broccoli and a savory and slightly sweet Asian sauce for a homemade version of your favorite Chinese takeout dish.

Instant Pot Steak Fajita Pasta–all the delicious flavors of fajitas in a pasta dish! Steak is cooked with fajita seasonings, pasta and tender, but not overcooked, bell peppers. Sour cream is stirred in to add a creamy element to the pasta dish and ties everything together. Make this recipe is just minutes with your electric pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Cream Cheese Spaghetti–spaghetti but a whole lot better. A ground beef sauce is served with spaghetti noodles and then cream cheese is stirred in for an ultimate creamy dinner. Kids and adults love this spaghetti!

You’ll also love…

15 Ways to Use Ground Beef in the Instant Pot and Slow Cooker

What Should Be in Your Instant Pot While the Meat is on the Grill

What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?

I use a 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Chinese Takeout At Home | jovina cooks

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Chinese Takeout At Home | jovina cooks

Pepper Steak

Servings 6

Ingredients

Prepare the marinade 1 day ahead.

Marinade 1-1/2 pounds flank steak, skirt steak or sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

Sauce 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry 1/2 cup low-sodium homemade or store-bought chicken stock 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons freshly ground coarse black pepper

Vegetables 3 green bell peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch squares 2 large onions, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 2 teaspoons) 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger 3 scallions finely minced 4 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil Kosher salt to taste

Directions

For the marinade: Combine beef, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine in a plastic ziplock bag and toss to coat. Marinate for overnight in the refrigerator.

For the sauce: Combine the soy sauce with cornstarch and stir with a fork to form a slurry. Add remaining Shaoxing wine, chicken stock, sesame oil, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.

Combine peppers and onions in a bowl and set aside.

Combine garlic, ginger, and scallions in a bowl and set aside.

When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large deep skillet over high heat until smoking. Add half of the beef and cook without moving until well seared, about 1 minute. Continue cooking while stirring and tossing until lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with 1 more tablespoon of oil and remaining beef, adding the second batch of beef to the same bowl.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Heat 1 more tablespoon oil and cook half of the peppers and onions. Transfer to bowl with the beef. Repeat with remaining oil and remaining peppers and onions. Place the pan over high heat and return the peppers/onions/beef to the pan and add the garlic/ginger/scallion mixture. Cook, tossing and stirring for 30 seconds. Add sauce and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 45 seconds longer. Carefully transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Sesame Rice

You can cook the rice in a saucepan instead of the oven if you prefer.

4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame seeds 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1 cup uncooked long grain rice 2 low sodium chicken bouillon cubes 1/2 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 cups hot water Sesame oil

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute sesame seeds, garlic, celery and scallions in the sesame oil; add rice and saute until the rice is lightly browned.

Spoon into an ungreased baking dish. Dissolve bouillon and salt in hot water; pour over the rice mixture.

Cover and bake at 325°F for 50-60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and serve.

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Posted by Jovina Coughlin in Beef, celery, onion, peppers, Rice, stir fry, Vegetables Tags: Asian recipes

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How to Make Paratha, the Flaky, Buttery South Asia...

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How to Make Paratha, the Flaky, Buttery South Asia...

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video]

Four-year-old me acted like a little tyrant, stomping around and demanding to be entertained. Mr. Rogers and Elmo were never enough for me; I wanted magic markers that changed colors and I wanted to run through the house with all my digits dipped in finger paint. The only thing that kept me mesmerized and still for more than just a moment was making parathas with my mother.

All Saturday my mother would have a pot of butter gently simmering into ghee, perfuming the house with toasty notes of toffee like some kind of paratha foreplay. The next morning, while the neighbors were whipping up pancake batter, I spent Sunday watching my mom effortlessly roll out smooth dough, smear it with her heady all-day ghee, and transform it into a flaky flatbread with countless crisp and chewy layers. She’d always give me a lump of dough, a tiny rolling pin, even a mini cup of chai, and set me up next to her where I would mimic each motion. My parathas will never be as good as my mother’s, but with every batch they get a little closer to her magic.

What Is a Paratha?

Flatbreads are common throughout India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, and appear in countless incarnations, from chewy, whole wheat roti to puffy, deep-fried bhatura. Parathas are a flaky, buttery, and layered style of flatbread, that can be served alongside curries, rolled up and dipped into hot chai, or made into a meal by themselves with a side of raitha for dunking. They can be made plain, as I have here, or stuffed with anything from a spiced potato mixture to the elaborate Mughlai parathas, which are filled with egg and minced meat and then deep fried.

Making parathas is definitely a labor of love. They contain no more than flour, salt, water, oil, and ghee—yet those simple ingredients are fully transformed through a process called lamination. Lamination may sound like an office task, but it’s also the name of an important pastry technique. It is the process of building alternating layers of fat and dough into a pastry, creating distinct, thin, and buttery stratum once cooked. Although lamination is generally associated with more advanced pastry techniques, such as croissants and puff pastry, it can be as simple as folding pie dough or biscuits a few times before the final roll.

Even though it’s a time consuming process, parathas offer an excellent introduction to lamination that anyone can master. Unlike puff pastry or croissants, parathas are not subject to the whims of temperature or yeast. They start with a simple dough, which is rolled out as thin as possible. Softened ghee is spread on top, and the dough is then rolled up to quickly create layers. The dough is rolled out one more time and then it’s cooked on a griddle to make the final, flaky flatbread. The result is a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts, a perfect accompaniment to an Indian meal or the best way to start your Sunday.

How to Make Parathas

Although it might seem like there are some long and laborious steps to making parathas, luckily the dough needs to rest at a couple points, so you can, too. This recipe can also be broken down into manageable chunks and spread out over the week, allowing you to work at your own pace.

In South Asia, wheat flour is categorized into maida and atta, both of which are milled from hard durum wheat. Maida is similar to American all-purpose flour, having had the germ and bran removed, while atta is a whole wheat flour that includes the entire grain.

Maida is often used for making parathas because it makes a more tender and flaky flatbread. All-purpose flour tends to be made from a mixture of hard and soft wheats, which means it has a lower protein percentage than maida, and therefore creates parathas that aren’t as crisp or flaky.

You can order maida online or purchase it from a local Indian grocery store, but all-purpose flour works fine in a pinch. If you’ve got some Italian double-zero (“00”) flour leftover from making fried chicken, its extra-fine grind size yields the lightest parathas. I recommend using what you’ve got—in side-by-side testing the difference in texture between flours was subtle. You can use maida, double zero, or all-purpose flour in this recipe without needing to make adjustments to the measurements or procedure.

Step One: Rubbing Oil Into Flour

The dough comes together so quickly I usually mix it by hand, but if you prefer, it can be brought together in a snap in a food processor or stand mixer. I start by whisking kosher salt into the flour, before adding a couple of tablespoons of oil into the mix. Using my thumb and forefinger, I gently rub the oil into the flour until I feel no more lumps. Rubbing oil into flour was the first culinary task my mom ever trusted me with, and I would rub my tiny fingers together until they ached, determined to help her make paratha alchemy. Taking the time to thoroughly distribute the fat at this stage ensures a tender, chewy texture later.

Step Two: Mixing the Dough

Next, I make a well in the center of the flour mixture before pouring in some warm tap water. The warm water helps the flour come together fast into an easy-to-handle, smooth dough. I first roughly mix the water into the flour using my fingers, before diving in with my palm to knead it into a sticky ball. We don’t need any window panes, smooth balls, or other indicators of gluten formation—I’m just bringing the dough into a homogenous mass. Although gluten development is vital to lamination, there’s no need to work the dough to death at this point. Gluten will continue to develop as the dough rests and hydrates, as well as during the double rolling process. Building too much gluten at this stage will only result in a dough that’s impossible to roll out.

Step Three: Resting the Dough

After mixing, I cover the dough with either a moist kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set it aside to rest for at least one hour. As the dough rests it grows smooth and relaxed, ready for rolling out. I eyeball the dough into eight portions, but this recipe can be multiplied to suit your flatbread needs.

Step Four: Lamination

In order to develop all its flaky layers, parathas get a double roll, so you can sneak in an upper-body workout while you cook. I work with one portion of dough at a time, keeping the rest covered to prevent them from drying out.

The goal of the first roll is to get it as thin as possible—by any means necessary. If you’re weak and short like me, that might mean standing on a milk crate for some extra height and pressing down on the rolling pin with your forearms. (In the past, large batches of parathas have left me bruised from elbow to wrist.) I find that it helps to have some tension between the board and the dough, so I keep the flour dusting to a minimum at this point, focusing my flouring on the top of the dough to keep the rolling pin from sticking.

Ideally, the dough should be rolled out paper thin, like fillo or a tight gauzy dress. In reality, it’s usually got some lumps and bumps, like myself in a tight gauzy dress. Don’t worry, it’ll still taste damn good; it’s just that it takes practice and experience to get just right.

Once rolled out, I spread on a spoonful of softened ghee. Ghee is an Indian style of clarified butter, where some choose to brown the solids, which infuse the fat with flavor before being separated out. The process of transforming butter into ghee not only increases its smoke point and shelf life, but also changes the butter’s flavor. My mother’s ghee was always gently browned all day, becoming deeply infused with toasty notes from the milk solids.

Spreadable ghee is key; while melted ghee might seem easier to evenly distribute, once coiled up and rolled out again, thick, softened ghee will stay put, while the melted stuff will ooze right out. I don’t worry too much about my flour choice in a paratha, but the quality of the ghee will determine the final flavor of the bread, so I always use the best I can. Good ghee starts with good butter, so this is the time to splurge. If you already have clarified butter or browned butter on hand, you can substitute them for ghee. In a pinch, regular whole butter or even Crisco can step up to the plate and deliver the same final texture, but keep in mind that they can’t deliver the same flavor as a long-cooked ghee.

I next sprinkle on a pinch of flour across the dough, which helps give the layers definition. I then coil the sheet of dough into a long snake by rolling tightly starting from the top. Finally, to finish adding countess layers to the dough, I roll each end of the log of dough inward until they meet in the center and fold them onto each other. I repeat this process with all the dough and set them aside to rest at least one hour.

Step Five: Rolling Out the Dough

For the second roll, each coil of dough is rolled out until it is about eight inches in diameter and one-eighth of an inch thick. I use flour as needed to prevent sticking, and frequently rotate and flip the paratha while rolling, ensuring an even thickness and round shape. The paratha pros know how to manage the pressure of their rolling pin so efficiently that the paratha rotates beneath the pin all on its own. (I’m not there yet, but I expect to be in another fifty years or so.)

After rolling out the parathas, you can cook them up right away or store them wrapped in the refrigerator stacked between sheets of parchment or wax paper for up to three days.

Step Six: Par Cooking the Parathas

Most flatbreads are cooked over high, direct heat—just imagine naan charring against the wall of a tandoor or tortillas blistering over a comal. Parathas, on the other hand, require a relatively longer cooking time using lower heat, since they are thicker than most flatbreads. If parathas were rolled out as thin as a chewy chapati, the distinction within the layers would be lost.

Because of this longer cook time, cooking parathas can be tough to tackle for a crowd. The last thing I want to do during dinner is play the role of the short-order cook, hanging out in front of the stove making parathas to order. That’s why I follow the double roll with a double cook step: I first cook the parathas over low heat in a dry pan to cook the starches through, then I just need to quickly crisp them in ghee before serving. This allows me to get much of my prep squared away long before mealtime. When it does come time to serve up the parathas, they fry up fast so the stack can hit the table faster.

To par-cook the parathas, I start by preheating a dry sauté pan over medium-low heat. I stick to a heavy gauge pan, which better retains the heat and evenly distributes it. I next use a pastry brush to brush any excess flour off the rolled out paratha before adding it to the pan. The goal of the first cook is to cook the starches through, without developing any color. As they cook, the surface of the paratha will grow dry, dusty, and begin to firm up. After this first cook, the parathas can be stacked between sheets of parchment, wrapped up, and frozen. Anytime I have a hankering for the buttery flatbread they can be cooked up in ghee from frozen, for a homemade paratha in an instant.

Step Seven: Frying in Ghee

For the final cook, the parathas are fried in ghee to finish cooking and develop a golden brown color. I preheat the same skillet, this time over medium-high heat, before adding a spoonful of ghee and frying up one paratha at a time. In the hot fat the bread will begin to puff, emphasizing the distinct layers within it. I swirl the bread around in the pan to achieve an even color, flipping it to brown both sides.

After the paratha is brown and crisp it’s important to give it a quick scrunch to crack it open, releasing all the steam built up inside, which will prevent the bread from growing soggy as it sits. Parathas are best served right away, but if I need to hold them a few minutes while frying up the rest, I always wrap them in a kitchen towel and hold them in a low oven until they hit the table.

Sure, I often go the obvious route, serving parathas alongside a creamy chicken korma or perky channa masala, but with a stash in the freezer it’s easy throw them into uncharted territory at a moment’s notice. I’ve used the bread to wrap up succulent Peking duck, scallions, and hoisin for a change of pace from the usual steamed pancake. Spread with more softened ghee and a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar, parathas make a decadent cinnamon toast. And to my surprise, nothing beats a warm paratha with thinly sliced smokey Benton’s country ham. I think my mother would approve—because there’s nothing wrong with finding more opportunities to add flaky, buttery, crispy layers to life.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Instant Pot Grandma's Sunday Roast

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Instant Pot Grandma's Sunday Roast

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Instant Pot Grandma’s Sunday Roast

Pot roast is just one of those old fashioned comfort foods. Mom and Grandma would be proud of this recipe. They’d also be surprised at how fast you can make a tender roast. The Instant Pot makes the process of getting roast tender very fast and really quite easy.

You may wonder why you can’t add the vegetables in with the meat at the beginning. It’s just because the meat takes much longer to get tender and the vegetables would be a mushy mess. If you don’t want the vegetables you can just leave them out. Just make sure to use a natural pressure release for the meat. This will ensure you get tender roast.

Make sure to use a beef chuck roast or beef chuck steak for this recipe. It works so well with the moist environment.

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More recipes you’ll love…

Instant Pot Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches

Instant Pot Salisbury Steak with Mashed Potatoes

Instant Pot Mississippi Roast

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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?

To make Instant Pot Grandma’s Sunday Roast I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.

<![CDATA[ .tasty-recipes-image float: right; .tasty-recipes-print-button background-color: #666677; display: inline-block; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.5em; text-decoration: none; a.tasty-recipes-print-button color: #FFF; a.tasty-recipes-print-button:hover color: #FFF; .tasty-recipes-rating.tasty-recipes-clip-10 -webkit-clip-path: polygon(0 0, 10% 0%, 10% 100%, 0% 100%); clip-path: polygon(0 0, 10% 0%, 10% 100%, 0% 100%); .tasty-recipes-rating.tasty-recipes-clip-20 -webkit-clip-path: polygon(0 0, 20% 0%, 20% 100%, 0% 100%); clip-path: polygon(0 0, 20% 0%, 20% 100%, 0% 100%); .tasty-recipes-rating.tasty-recipes-clip-30 -webkit-clip-path: polygon(0 0, 30% 0%, 30% 100%, 0% 100%); clip-path: polygon(0 0, 30% 0%, 30% 100%, 0% 100%); .tasty-recipes-rating.tasty-recipes-clip-40 -webkit-clip-path: polygon(0 0, 40% 0%, 40% 100%, 0% 100%); clip-path: polygon(0 0, 40% 0%, 40% 100%, 0% 100%); .tasty-recipes-rating.tasty-recipes-clip-50 -webkit-clip-path: polygon(0 0, 50% 0%, 50% 100%, 0% 100%); 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margin-top: 6em; margin-bottom: 4em; .tasty-recipes-print-button display: none; .tasty-recipes-image-shim height: 69.5px; clear: both; .tasty-recipes-entry-header background-color: #666677; color: #FFF; text-align: center; padding-top: 35px; padding-bottom: 1.5em; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header.tasty-recipes-has-image padding-top: 0px; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-image float: none; text-align: center; transform: translateY(-115px); margin-bottom: 1em; /* Decide if we need this */ .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-image img -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; border: 5px solid #666677; height: 150px; width: 150px; display: inline-block; .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 font-size: 2em; font-weight: 400; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 0; text-align: center; color: #FFF; margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; .tasty-recipes-has-image .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 margin-top: -115px; .tasty-recipes-entry-header hr border: 1px solid #B7BBC6; background-color: #B7BBC6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header div.tasty-recipes-rating text-decoration: none; border: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating:hover text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-header div.tasty-recipes-rating font-size: 1.375em; display: block; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating p margin-bottom: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-header span.tasty-recipes-rating margin-left: .25em; margin-right: .25em; color: #FFF; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .rating-label font-style: italic; color: #B7BBC6; font-size: .6875em; display: block; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details margin-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul list-style-type: none; margin: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li display: inline-block; margin-left: .5em; margin-right: .5em; font-size: 1em; line-height: 2.5em; color: #fff; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li.author, .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li.total-time display: none; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon height: .8em; margin-top: .4em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li font-size: .875em; line-height: 1.75em; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon height: 1em; margin-top: .6em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li font-size: 1em; line-height: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .tasty-recipes-label font-style: italic; color: #B7BBC6; margin-right: .125em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon vertical-align: top; margin-right: .2em; display: inline-block; .tasty-recipes-entry-content padding-top: 1.25em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-right: 1.25em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons:after content: " "; display: block; clear: both; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap width: 50%; display: inline-block; float: left; box-sizing: border-box; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons a text-transform: uppercase; text-align: center; display: block; color: #FFF; background-color: #666677; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.375em; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0; border: none; border-radius: 0; text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content a img box-shadow: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons a:hover background-color: #979599; text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img vertical-align: top; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img.svg-print, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img.svg-pinterest height: 1.25em; margin-right: .375em; margin-bottom: 0; background: none; display: inline-block; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap:first-child padding-right: .625em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap:last-child padding-left: .625em; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap width: 100%; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap:nth-child(2) padding-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content h3 text-transform: uppercase; font-size: .75em; color: #979599; margin-bottom: 1.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content h4 font-size: 1em; padding-top: 0; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content hr background-color: #EAE9EB; border: 1px solid #EAE9EB; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-description, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-keywords padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-description p margin-bottom: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ul list-style-type: none; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ul li margin-bottom: .625em; list-style-type: none; position: relative; margin-left: 2.5em; line-height: 1.46; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li:before, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ul li:before background-color: #666677; -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; height: .5em; width: .5em; display: block; content: " "; left: -1.25em; top: .375em; position: absolute; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol counter-reset:li; margin-left: 0; padding: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol li, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol li list-style-type: none; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2.5em; line-height: 1.46; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol li:before, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol li:before content:counter(li); counter-increment: li; position: absolute; background-color: #666677; -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; height: 1.45em; width: 1.45em; color: #FFF; left: -1.25em; transform: translateX(-50%); line-height: 1.5em; font-size: .6875em; text-align: center; top: .1875em; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol margin-left: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes padding: 1.25em; background-color: #EDF0F2; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ol counter-reset:li; margin-left: 0; padding: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul margin-left: 0; padding: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul li, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ol li background-color: #FFF; padding-left: 1.5625em; padding-right: 1.5625em; padding-top: 1.25em; padding-bottom: 1.25em; position: relative; -webkit-clip-path: polygon(20px 0, 100% 0, 100% 100%, 0 100%, 0 20px); clip-path: polygon(20px 0, 100% 0, 100% 100%, 0 100%, 0 20px); margin-bottom: 1.5em; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul li, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ol li padding-left: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p:before, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul li:before content: "i"; display: block; background-color: #666677; -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; height: 1.3em; width: 1.3em; font-size: .75em; line-height: 1.3em; text-align: center; color: #FFF; position: absolute; left: 1.167em; top: 1.9em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ol li:before content:counter(li); counter-increment: li; position: absolute; background-color: #666677; -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; height: 1.45em; width: 1.45em; color: #FFF; left: 2em; transform: translateX(-50%); line-height: 1.5em; font-size: .6875em; text-align: center; top: 2em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p:last-child margin-bottom: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-keywords background-color: #EDF0F2; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-keywords p font-size: 0.7em; font-style: italic; color: #979599; margin-bottom: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-keywords p span font-weight: bold; .tasty-recipes-nutrifox text-align: center; margin: 0; .nutrifox-label background-color: #EDF0F2; .tasty-recipes-nutrifox iframe width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-nutrition padding: 1.25em; color: #666677; .tasty-recipes-nutrition .tasty-recipes-label font-style: italic; color: #B7BBC6; margin-right: .125em; font-weight: 400; .tasty-recipes-nutrition ul text-align: center; .tasty-recipes-nutrition li float: none; display: inline-block; line-height: 2em; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer background-color: #666677; padding-top: 1.5625em; padding-bottom: 1.25em; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; text-align: center; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer .tasty-recipes-footer-content display: inline-block; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer img width: 65px; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer h3 color: #B7BBC6; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 2.25em; margin-top: .5em; margin-bottom: .125em; padding: 0; line-height: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer p margin-bottom: 0; color: #FFF; font-size: .75em; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer p a color: #FFF; text-decoration: underline; box-shadow: none; border-bottom: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer:after content: " "; display: block; clear:both; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-footer h3 margin-top: .5em; margin-bottom: .5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer text-align: center; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-footer img float: left; .tasty-recipes-entry-footer h3, .tasty-recipes-entry-footer p margin-left: 90px; clear: none; text-align: left; /* Print view styles */ .tasty-recipes-print-view font-size: 11px; background-color: #fff; .tasty-recipes-print-view .tasty-recipes-print-button display: inline-block; .tasty-recipes-print padding:0; font-size: 11px; .tasty-recipes-print-view .tasty-recipes margin-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header background-color: inherit; color: inherit; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; padding-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-image float: right; transform: none; .tasty-recipes-print.tasty-recipes-has-image .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 margin-top: 0; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 color: inherit; margin-bottom: .5em; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header hr display: none; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header span.tasty-recipes-rating color: #000; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul padding: 0; clear: none; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li line-height: 1.5em; color: #000; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon display: none; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content img max-width: 50%; height: auto; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol li margin-bottom: 0.25em; line-height: 1.1; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ul li, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol li margin-bottom: 0.5em; line-height: 1.1; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li:before, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ul li:before top: 0.3em; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ol li:before, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-instructions ol li:before top: 0; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul li, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ol li padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; background-color: #EDF0F2; clip-path: none; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes p:before, .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-notes ul li:before top: 0; clip-path: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; @media print .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-entry-footer img display: none; .tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-source-link text-align: center; .tasty-recipes border: 5px solid #666677; margin-top: 6em; margin-bottom: 4em; .tasty-recipes-print-button display: none; .tasty-recipes-image-shim height: 69.5px; clear: both; .tasty-recipes-entry-header background-color: #666677; color: #FFF; text-align: center; padding-top: 35px; padding-bottom: 1.5em; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header.tasty-recipes-has-image padding-top: 0px; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-image float: none; text-align: center; transform: translateY(-115px); margin-bottom: 1em; /* Decide if we need this */ .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-image img -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%; border: 5px solid #666677; height: 150px; width: 150px; .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 font-size: 2em; font-weight: 400; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 0; text-align: center; color: #FFF; margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; .tasty-recipes-has-image .tasty-recipes-entry-header h2 margin-top: -115px; .tasty-recipes-entry-header hr border: 1px solid #B7BBC6; background-color: #B7BBC6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating a text-decoration: none; text-decoration: none; border: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating a:hover text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating-stars font-size: 1.375em; display: block; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating-stars span margin-left: .25em; margin-right: .25em; color: #FFF; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-rating-label font-style: italic; color: #B7BBC6; font-size: .6875em; display: block; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details margin-top: 1em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul list-style-type: none; margin: 0; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li display: inline-block; margin-left: .5em; margin-right: .5em; font-size: 1em; line-height: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li.author, .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li.total-time display: none; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon height: .8em; margin-top: .4em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li font-size: .875em; line-height: 1.75em; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon height: 1em; margin-top: .6em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details ul li font-size: 1em; line-height: 2.5em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .tasty-recipes-label font-style: italic; color: #B7BBC6; margin-right: .125em; .tasty-recipes-entry-header .tasty-recipes-details .detail-icon vertical-align: top; margin-right: .2em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content padding-top: 1.25em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-right: 1.25em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons:after content: " "; display: block; clear: both; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap width: 50%; display: inline-block; float: left; box-sizing: border-box; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons a text-transform: uppercase; text-align: center; display: block; color: #FFF; background-color: #666677; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.375em; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0; border: none; border-radius: 0; text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content a img box-shadow: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons a:hover background-color: #979599; text-decoration: none; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img vertical-align: top; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img.svg-print, .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-buttons img.svg-pinterest height: 1.25em; margin-right: .375em; margin-bottom: 0; background: none; display: inline-block; @media only screen and (min-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap:first-child padding-right: .625em; .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap:last-child padding-left: .625em; @media only screen and (max-width: 520px) .tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-button-wrap width: 100%; 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Instant Pot Grandma’s Sunday Roast

Description

Get fall apart roast paired with potatoes, carrots, green beans and gravy made quickly in your pressure cooker. A perfect Sunday dinner just like Grandma used to make.

Ingredients

2-3 pounds chuck steak or chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp crushed rosemary

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp canola or olive oil

3 cups beef broth or 3 cups water and 3 tsp Better than Bouillon beef base

2 pounds yellow or red potatoes

1 pound baby carrots

1 pound green beans

2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water

Instructions

Press all the seasonings (kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary and paprika) onto the beef. Rub the seasonings into all sides of the beef.

Turn your Instant Pot to the saute function. When it says HOT on the display add in the oil. Swirl the pot around to coat the bottom of the pot with the oil. Place the beef into the pot and let it sit for 3 minutes. Then use tongs to flip it to the other side and let it sit and brown for 3 more minutes.

Move the meat to one side of the pot and deglaze the pot with the beef broth.

Cover the pot and secure the lid. Set the valve to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button 30 minutes for beef chuck steak or 60 minutes for beef chuck roast.

Prepare your vegetables. Wash and cut your potatoes into large chunks. Wash the green beans and trim off the ends.

When the timer beeps move the valve to venting. Once you can, open the pot and add in the vegetables on top of the beef. Drizzle the worcestershire sauce over the top. Cover the pot and set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes (for softer vegetables) or 4 minutes (for firmer vegetables). When the timer beeps let the pot sit there until the pressure naturally releases completely or if you’re in a time bind you can release the pressure after 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and scoop the vegetables and meat onto a platter. Loosely tent with foil.

Make gravy with the liquid in the pot. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function. In a small bowl stir together the water and the cornstarch until smooth. Stir the mixture into the liquid in the Instant Pot. Whisk the mixture until it thickens. Depending on how thick you like your gravy you could add in more cornstarch/water slurry. Salt and pepper the gravy to taste.

Serve meat and vegetables that are on the platter with the gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Keywords: roast, one pot meal, instant pot, beef

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

Text

Grilled Lamb Meatballs With Yogurt Sauce – Italian...

New Post has been published on http://cucinacarmela.com/grilled-lamb-meatballs-with-yogurt-sauce-italian/

Grilled Lamb Meatballs With Yogurt Sauce – Italian...

August 12, 2018

I have had a neat little meatball grill basket for the past two years and never used it. Our outdoor grill here in the new house is so easy to use that I have been doing a lot more grilling this summer than in recent years and my grill basket has finally been getting lots of use. I first tested out this recipe on my family one Sunday lunch. I was grilling steak and thought I’d also try out a lamb meatball recipe that I had in mind for a while. I actually made a lot more meatballs than necessary thinking that I’d eat the leftovers over the next few days, but these meatballs were so good that my family gobbled them down and I had not a single meatball leftover at the end of the meal.

This meatball recipe may sound like something you would enjoy in Greece or Morocco, but I gave it an Italian flair using typical Italian seasonings and flavored the yogurt sauce with chopped basil and parsley. If you wanted to change up the sauce and serve one more characteristic of Greece, use chopped dill in place of the basil and parsley. Since these meatballs were such a hit with my family, I ended up making them three more times this summer and each and every time I didn’t have a single one left. If you are not a big fan of lamb, you could use veal or even beef instead. The only trick to preparing these meatballs is not to overcook them. You want them juicy, not dry! If you need to, you can always cut into one to see if it is cooked to your desired doneness. If you do not have this nifty meatball grill basket, you can use bamboo or metal skewers to cook the meatballs. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water a couple of hours before using so that they do not catch fire. Place three to four meatballs on each skewer before grilling. Any leftovers (if you have any) can be gently rewarmed in a low oven or the microwave.

Buon Appetito! Deborah Mele 2018

Grilled Lamb Meatballs With Yogurt Sauce

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 1/4 Pound Ground Lamb

1 Large Egg

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1/3 Cup Soft Breadcrumbs

Salt & Pepper

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley

Olive Oil For Grilling

Yogurt Sauce:

1 Cup Full Fat Greek Yogurt

2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper

3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Cucumber

2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Basil

2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 Medium Tomato, Seeded, Cored & Finely Chopped (Optional)

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients with your hands until well blended.

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt sauce ingredients and then refrigerate until needed.

Using your hands, shape the meat into 10 to 12 meatballs.

If using a meatball grill basket, oil the basket and place the meatballs inside.

If using skewers, lightly oil the meatballs, and then place three on each skewer.

Grill the meatballs 3 to 4 minutes per side until nicely browned on the exterior but still moist inside.

Transfer meatballs to a platter and serve hot with the sauce on the side.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Special Sauce: Sam Kass on How What You See Shapes...

New Post has been published on http://cucinacarmela.com/special-sauce-sam-kass-on-how-what-you-see-shapes/

Special Sauce: Sam Kass on How What You See Shapes...

[Photograph: Aubrie Prick. Lamb shoulder tacos photograph: Vicky Wasik]

In part two of my interview with former Obama personal chef and Obama White House food activist Sam Kass, I got schooled big-time about the role visuals play in how you eat at home: “The first lesson that I learned, that I think is maybe most helpful for people, is you eat what you see. How you set your home up can have a transformational impact on what you actually consume. Basically, the things you’re trying to eat more of, you should put out in plain sight, and the things you’re trying to eat less of, you should put on the top shelf or the back of the freezer, in the bottom of the drawer, because you see the bag of cookies on the counter, and then you say to yourself, ‘Oh, I’d like a cookie.'” That’s what Kass taught the Obama family, and if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me and probably for most serious eaters as well.

Though he served as one of the leading figures in the good-food movement, via his position as executive director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, Kass doesn’t have time for the purists: “It pisses me off, to be quite honest with you, that we make people feel a certain way about how they’re wrong when it comes to how they’re eating. This book”—Kass’s recently published Eat a Little Better—”is really an attempt to celebrate progress over the ideals, and also to give people strategies about how to actually do it, ’cause we spend so much of our time talking about what you should or shouldn’t do, but no time on how to actually get it done.”

And ditto for the kind of elitism that tends to be reflected in conversations around nutrition: “If we want to change the food system, you have to change most people. We’re too satisfied in the food world with doing it really great for a really small number of people. Scale matters. That’s one of the things the White House showed me, is that the world functions on a huge scale, way bigger than we can comprehend and way bigger than most people even have any sense of…. If you want to have an impact, you’ve got to deal with millions of people and millions of acres and huge supply chains. That means you’re going to have to make some compromises. It means you’re going to have to make compromises in what you’re asking of people. If you can get a lot of people to eat just one or two more servings of vegetables a week, that’s a big impact.”

Sam Kass has a lot to say in his provocative new book, Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World, and he also has plenty to say in part two of my conversation with him on Special Sauce. You won’t want to miss it.

Special Sauce is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, Player FM, and Stitcher. You can also find the archive of all our episodes here on Serious Eats and on this RSS feed.

You Could Be on Special Sauce

Want to chat with me and our unbelievably talented recipe developers? We’re accepting questions for Special Sauce call-in episodes now. Do you have a recurring argument with your spouse over the best way to maintain a cast iron skillet? Have you been working on your mac and cheese recipe for the past five years, but can’t quite get it right? Does your brother-in-law make the worst lasagna, and you want to figure out how to give him tips? We want to get to know you and solve all your food-related problems. Send us the whole story at [email protected].

Transcript

Ed Levine: Welcome to Special Sauce, Serious Eats’ podcast about food and life. Every week on Special Sauce we talk to some of the leading lights of American culture, food folks and non-food folks alike.

Sam Kass: The first lesson that I learned that I think is maybe most helpful for people is you eat what you see. How you set your home up can have a transformational impact on what you actually consume. Basically, the things you’re trying to eat more of, you should put out in plain sight, and the things you’re trying to less of, you should put it on the top shelf or the back of the freezer, in the bottom of the drawer because you see the bag of cookies on the counter, and then you say to yourself, “Oh, I’d like a cookie.”

EL: We are back with cookbook author and food policy activist Sam Kass. He came to the Obama White House when he became the executive director of the Let’s Move campaign initiated by Michelle Obama. You left the White House before they left the White House. Why?

SK: I was there for six years. The main reason was that I was getting married.

EL: Congratulations.

SK: Thank you.

EL: You have a little girl?

SK: A little boy.

EL: A little boy.

SK: A little boy named Cy.

EL: Double congratulations.

SK: Thank you, he just turned one.

EL: Your wife is Alex Wagner, yeah, who’s terrific on MSNBC.

SK: No, she used to be.

EL: Now she’s doing Heilemann’s show, right?

SK: She’s doing The Circus, yeah. She writes for The Atlantic. She’s on CBS, and she’s a cohost of The Circus. She also just had a great book out called Futureface …

EL: Great.

SK: … which everybody should buy.

EL: Alright.

SK: Brilliant. Basically, we had been long distance our whole- she was in New York, and I was in D.C. Honestly, between my parents and President and First Lady, who especially the President and First Lady who had strongly encouraged me to grow up, get my shit together, settle down, get married, have a family, stop messing around, it was sort of like, all right, I did what you told me to do, but I can’t be married and long distance dating, engagement, and marriage combined.

EL: Right.

SK: You taught me better than that. I ended up having to leave a little early.

EL: Did you know what you were going to do when you left?

SK: Nope, no idea.

EL: You moved to New York.

SK: Moved to New York.

EL: Then what happened?

SK: That was pretty intense. Moved to New York, left the White House, left the family I’ve been working for for eight years, moved in with my fiance, soon to be, very soon to be, well, basically, no, my wife.

EL: Right.

SK: That all happened at the same time. Had to figure out a new career, moved to New York. That was a lot of change.

EL: You needed a J-O-B, dude.

SK: Yeah, I did, big time.

EL: What’d you get?

SK: Well, I got a book contract, which helped.

EL: Yeah, we’re going to talk about this. This is a very cool book because it wasn’t what I thought. You know why?

SK: Tell me.

EL: ‘Cause you weren’t lecturing me with your forefinger in my chest. I hate that.

SK: Me too. I hate that.

EL: You talk about incremental changes, and people can still enjoy french fries. It’s like you have a very sensible… and maybe that was a result of your time in Washington.

SK: It was, absolutely. Part of what I witnessed in Washington, and this is indicative of, I think, a broader problem, particularly on the progressive side is we state these ideals about how we’re supposed to be living, especially when it comes to food. There’s this right way to eat and a wrong way to eat. A lot of the strongest voices in food paint these utopic visions. They just don’t match the reality of anybody’s life. What ends up happening is people try to do that, fail, and then get super demoralized and give up.

EL: Right. I remember Alice Waters once complained that a place I told her to get tacos at didn’t serve organic tortillas.

SK: Yeah, perfect.

EL: I was like, “Alice, it’s of the community. If they spent the money to make organic tortillas, they would quickly go out of business.”

SK: Right. I love Alice Waters to death.

EL: Yeah, me too.

SK: She’s like my fairy godmother, but it’s just we don’t live in the reality that almost all, most people in this country are living in. By the way, most of those people, Alice may be the exception, they don’t live by those utopic visions themselves. It pisses me off, to be quite honest with you, that we make people feel a certain way about how that they’re wrong when it comes to how they’re eating. This book is really an attempt to celebrate progress over the ideals and also to give people strategies about how to actually do it ’cause we spend so much of our time talking about what you should or shouldn’t do, but no time on how to actually get it done.

EL: Yeah, I thought that was really smart. The book, first of all we should say, is called Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World, which sounds less interesting than it really is.

SK: Then maybe we should redo the title.

EL: No, you do need to redo the title, but it’s okay. The book is awesome. That was one of the great things about it is that the things seem really doable. The things that you recommend doing to change your eating habits, and they don’t require you to become an ascetic.

SK: That’s right. It’s important. It’s got to fit. You really want to make progress. If we want to change the food system, you have to change most people. We’re too satisfied in the food world with doing it really great for a really small number of people. Scale matters. That’s one of the things the White House showed me is that the world functions on a huge scale, way bigger than we can comprehend and way bigger than most people even have any sense of.

SK: If you want to have an impact, you got to deal with millions of people and millions of acres and huge supply chains. That means you’re going to have to make some compromises. It means you’re going to have to make compromises in what you’re asking of people. If you can get a lot of people to eat just one or two more servings of vegetables a week, that’s a big impact.

EL: Yeah, especially there are all kinds of socioeconomic and cultural barriers to that.

SK: Of course.

EL: People always talk about they don’t really understand. They always talk about, “Oh, there should be more farmer’s markets. There should be a farmer’s market in every neighborhood.” Well, the bottom line is yes, there should be, but the problem is in most disadvantaged neighborhoods, there’s no place to get fresh produce. Let’s start there.

SK: Let’s just start with a carrot. I don’t care how it’s grown.

EL: Right.

SK: We just need somebody to have a fresh carrot that isn’t like fuzzy, right. I agree. I think if you’d say one of the big lessons from the White House, and there were infinite lessons, but one is if we want to be effective, we have to start with reality and then work towards our ideals as opposed to starting with our ideals and then being really upset with how the world is and stopping our food.

EL: Right. ‘Cause you’ll always be disappointed.

SK: Yeah. Well, it’s just not an effective way to look at how you make change.

EL: Right.

SK: If you want to be effective, you have to grapple with reality, and you have to say, “Okay, I’m actually here. I know where I want to go, but I can’t just leap there. There’s no way to get there without taking steps in that direction.” When you’re actually in charge of figuring that out, that’s what you’re forced to do. While some people might find that frustrating, it’s your only option. This idea that we need a food revolution, and when I hear people talking like that, they just don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. There’s trillions of dollars of invested infrastructure. There’s farmers who are farming a certain sort of way that have huge investments in that system. They’re not just going to get rid of it.

EL: Right.

SK: It’s not just going to disappear because you have to come to the conclusion that you don’t think it’s this or that. Now I have a pretty similar general critique of the problems, but this isn’t just going to go away. If you just got rid of big ag, everybody would die.

EL: Right.

SK: Right now, it’s producing a huge percentage …

EL: Sure.

SK: … of our calories, so you have to figure out, okay, over time how do you change the culture, how do you make investments in new kinds of infrastructure, new kinds of innovations that can overall lead to a transformation over time of this system that’s feeding us. It literally doesn’t make any sense to say this can just happen.

EL: Sure. What are three concrete things that you hope people come away with from the book?

SK: Well, I think first lesson that I learned that I think is maybe most helpful for people is you eat what you see. How you set your home up can have a transformational impact on what you actually consume. Basically, the things you’re trying to eat more of, you should put out in plain sight, and the things you’re trying to eat less of, you should it on the top shelf or in the back of the freezer, on the bottom of the drawer because a lot of times what happens is you walk into the kitchen. You see the bag of cookies on the counter, and then you say to yourself, “Oh, I’d like a cookie.” You didn’t actually want that cookie. You just saw that cookie.

EL: Right.

SK: Then your eyes saw it. It triggered a thought in your head that said, “I want,” but you didn’t walk in there wanting the cookie.

EL: You talk about even in the White House or even in the Obama’s house in the South Side of Chicago of where you put the cookies and where you put the fruit and where you put the nuts.

SK: It has a huge impact. You put the bowl of fruit on the counter. The kids are going to walk through, for example, and eat whatever’s there. They could’ve grabbed a handful of chips, but there’s a bowl of grapes, they’re going to take the grapes. Setting up your environment for success so once you’re in there, you’re not stressing or grappling about it ’cause we also err on the side of being too obsessed with food. Being healthy with food is just enjoying it, being relaxed, and not worrying about it too much.

EL: Right.

SK: The way you do that is you have to set up your world so that you’re not trying to willpower your way every day in your own kitchen ’cause you’re at war with yourself.

EL: Sure.

SK: The fight should be at the grocery store where you’re being conscious about the choices you’re making. When you get home, you can just relax and eat whatever you’ve got.

EL: Got it.

SK: It doesn’t mean you don’t have the cookies. They’re just on the top shelf, so you only have them when you really want them.

EL: Right. That’s one.

SK: I would try to eat meat, red meat, once a week. If everybody did that, we’d be in a much better place. I love steak. I’m not going to give it up, but I’m definitely eating less of it.

EL: All right.

SK: That’s true for health but even more so for climate change …

EL: Sure.

SK: … and sustainability.

EL: All right, and the third?

SK: The third is probably trying to cook one more time a week. If everybody did that, we’d be well on our way to a much healthier, more sustainable place.

EL: Got it.

SK: ‘Cause when we cook, everything gets better.

EL: Now the book’s done and you’re promoting the book. What are you doing now?

SK: Lots of other stuff. Main thing I’m doing, I’m partnering in a fund called Acre, which is a fund investing in the future of food and technologies that we think are going to transform how we eat from a human health and environmental health vantage point, so a mission-driven fund. I think there’s a whole wave of young entrepreneurs and new technologies that are coming …

EL: For sure.

SK: … to the food system that I think will have just a transformational impact on how we eat.

EL: Cool. Now it’s time for the Special Sauce All You Can Answer Buffet. I know you don’t have much time, but we’re going run through these. Who’s at your last supper? No family allowed, and I’m going to say in your case, the Obamas are not allowed.

SK: My last supper?

EL: Yeah, like if you’re on your way to heaven.

SK: Sure.

EL: Who would you love? It could be living or dead, it could be musicians, artists, authors, philosophers …

SK: Damn, man.

EL: … painters. Just give me three names.

SK: Da Vinci, Lincoln.

EL: All right.

SK: Who’s the last one? I feel like it needs to be …

EL: A woman.

SK: … a woman.

EL: It has to be a woman.

SK: It has to be a woman, yeah, I agree.

EL: You would be in serious trouble both at home and with the Obamas.

SK: I actually might need to redo, I mean only women. I’m going to think about this. I take this question too seriously. There’s just so much.

EL: We can come back to it.

SK: All right, I’m going to come back to it.

EL: What are you eating?

SK: What am I eating?

EL: Mm-hmm.

SK: You can’t ask a chef that question.

EL: I’m sorry, I do it all the time.

SK: Well, fuck, who answers that?

EL: They come up with answers. They do.

SK: That’s a terrible …

EL: They come up with cool answers.

SK: … thing to do. That’s basically a different way of saying, “What’s your favorite food,” and that’s bullshit.

EL: I know. I would never do that ’cause people …

SK: I know.

EL: … ask me that all the time.

SK: It’s the worst question.

EL: The worst question. It could be three or four things. It doesn’t have to be one thing.

SK: I think I’m an Asian food obsessive, so I would have to have sushi. I would have to have some Chinese food of some kind, but this doesn’t constitute a meal. The problem with this question is that I wouldn’t want to eat all those things at one time.

EL: Right.

SK: Do I have a day of eating? Is the last supper like a day long?

EL: Yeah, it can be daylong.

SK: Okay, spread out over.

EL: Yeah, for sure.

SK: Definitely, I basically have to take a trip to Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam with a little Thai.

EL: Okay. That’s good.

SK: Then I’d have to have some kind of perfect pasta and a taco.

EL: A taco. I like that. What’s in the taco?

SK: Probably tongue.

EL: Tongue, lengua.

SK: Lengua.

EL: All right.

SK: God, I hate that question.

EL: What do you cook when there’s nothing in the house to eat?

SK: Like what I’m going to do when I race home right now?

EL: Yeah, right when you race home right now ’cause they said you’re going to a dinner, but I know you’re going home to cook for your family.

SK: I’m going home to put my son to sleep. That’s why I got to go.

EL: I know.

SK: Then I’m going to cook my wife, I will do pasta with chilies, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

EL: Got it.

SK: The best.

EL: The best.

SK: I love it.

EL: You always have those things on hand, right?

SK: Always have that.

EL: You always have a hunk of Parmesan, you always have garlic, and you always have some kind of chilies or even chili flakes.

SK: Yeah, chili flakes. I use chili flakes, yeah.

EL: It’s Sam Kass Day. It’s been declared Sam Kass Day all over the world. What happens?

SK: Oh my God, dude. Are you kidding me with these questions?

EL: I ask good questions. I don’t ask you the normal questions that everybody else asks.

SK: Well, how the fuck am I supposed to answer that? What do you mean what happens?

EL: Like what happens? Are people, they could be eating a family meal.

SK: There’s peace on earth …

EL: Yeah, it could be.

SK: … and harmony and …

EL: They could be …

SK: … goodwill among men.

EL: … listening to music. Yeah, it could be anything.

SK: There’s listening to a ton of music.

EL: All right, so what are they listening to?

SK: Oh my God. God, I don’t know. They’re listening to their favorite song. I’m not going to tell them what to listen to. What kind of tyrant would do that? I wouldn’t tell them what to eat either although I would …

EL: What would you be listening to?

SK: … suggest they eat a big bowl of ramen.

EL: What would you be listening to?

SK: Oh, man. Probably a bunch of old school hip hop is my guess. Very cliché.

EL: Specific hip hop.

SK: Some soul. Like Eric B. and Rakim or Common from back in the day, old school Common, the Roots, De La Soul.

EL: That sounds good.

SK: Also, a bunch of soul music is probably what I would put on.

EL: All right, so they’d be listening to music, and they’d probably be eating together.

SK: They’d be eating a lot of food together. They’d cook together.

EL: Right.

SK: They’d cook together, and they’d eat a lot of food together. Probably go to a baseball game.

EL: They’d go to a baseball game. Of course, they’d go to a baseball game.

SK: They’d have to go to a baseball game. Really what they would probably do if it was really up to me is they’d all take a trip. That’s what they would do.

EL: Got it.

SK: Everybody would go to a different country if it was my day. Everybody would get a first class plane ticket to go …

EL: I love this!

SK: … to go somewhere else.

EL: Just experience it.

SK: Wherever they wanted to go. That’s actually what would happen on my day. They could eat whatever they wanted wherever they were. They could listen to whatever music where they were. I think travel. I’ve been to over 60 countries or something. I don’t know, I haven’t counted in a long time. I think it’s just so important and so few people have the privilege of doing it, but everybody benefits from the perspective they gain when they go see mostly how similar everybody is but also get to experience the differences. If there was a Sam Kass Day, everybody would get to go somewhere.

EL: All right. Now I’m going to try to prevent you from your wife and Michelle Obama getting mad at you. I’m back to two women that are at the table.

SK: Jane Addams.

EL: Jane Addams. Let’s talk about Jane Addams for a second.

SK: Jane Addams. Wow, man …

EL: I’m really an ignorant person.

SK: … as a great progressive, I’m amazed. This is the thing about Jane Addams, she helped start the FDA and USDA.

EL: Got it.

SK: She did Upton Sinclair with The Jungle at the Hull House. She had the Hull House, like this whole community of immigrants who came to Chicago and worked on labor. A lot of the labor laws that shaped America.

EL: My father was a commie and a labor organizer, and I never heard of Jane Addams’ name.

SK: Wow, man. This is exactly why I would like to meet with her because you should read a biography on her or just even Wikipedia her. She was a force, and so many of the movements that came to give basic rights to workers.

EL: Really?

SK: Yeah, federal government, she was brought into forming a bunch of different agencies in the federal government to have basic oversight for our food, things like that. She was just a force.

EL: That’s awesome. Alright, so Jane Addams. One more.

SK: Oh, Eleanor Roosevelt.

EL: Eleanor.

SK: I would want to have dinner with Eleanor Roosevelt because having been in the White House and knowing how hard it is to be First Lady and to be a powerful First Lady, which Michelle absolutely was but in a modern way. Knowing what she did was really impressive, especially at that time. The pressure and pushback that she got is something that I was close enough to get a sense of what it must’ve felt like. She was really a remarkable woman.

EL: Yeah, for sure.

SK: I’d love to.

EL: That’s a cool table.

SK: Yeah, a pretty good table.

EL: That’s an awesome four top. Well, it’s five with you.

SK: We should do it.

EL: Last question, do you have guilty pleasures?

SK: Yeah, of course.

EL: Give me a couple. Like I’m a Mounds freak.

SK: Really?

EL: Yeah.

SK: Yeah, I’m not.

EL: Really?

SK: Let me think.

EL: Alright.

SK: I have two basic ones. I do love pie, so let’s just put that off to the side. That’s not a guilty pleasure. It’s fruit. It’s healthy.

EL: I know, but …

SK: It’s basically healthy for you.

EL: … it’s awesome.

SK: It’s so good, man.

EL: I’m going to let you have that.

SK: That’s off to the side. That doesn’t count. My two pleasures are Buffalo wings. I just love a Buffalo wing. I don’t eat them that often, but man, when I do.

EL: Do they have to be traditional, blue cheese?

SK: Traditional, absolutely, only blue cheese.

EL: Frank’s hot sauce?

SK: Of course. Anybody who puts ranch on their wings.

EL: Should be excommunicated.

SK: Absolutely, definitely thrown in jail. Buffalo wings for sure. I think ice cream might be the greatest invention of humankind. Seriously. I’ll go toe-to-toe with anybody on their Internet, phone, car, wheel, energy. Ice cream, man. Ice cream, what is better? Nothing.

EL: I am with you.

SK: Nothing’s better.

EL: Within the ice cream universe, is frozen custard at the top of your food chain?

SK: It’s really up there, yeah.

EL: Like real frozen custard made with a little bit of egg yolk?

SK: Yeah, real frozen custard. The question is does real frozen custard beat the perfect gelato?

EL: Right. No, I agree. You and I, we could have a good time eating in spite of the fact that I didn’t know who Jane Addams was.

SK: Yes. I’ll forgive you.

EL: All right.

SK: I think that’s my other one that I partake in more than I should.

EL: Got it. Well, thank you so much, Sam Kass, for sharing your special sauce with us.

SK: Such a pleasure.

EL: This was awesome, and everyone should go out and get Sam’s book, Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World.

SK: Yes.

EL: Go out and get his wife’s book, which is called …

SK: Futureface.

EL: …Futureface, and then you’ll be contributing just a little to the Sam Kass household.

SK: Which would be greatly appreciated ’cause New York City is f-ing expensive.

EL: Cool, man.

SK: Thanks, man. Thank you, guys.

EL: We’ll see you next time Serious Eaters.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

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The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

How to make The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork! Everyone is sure to love this amazing slow cooker pulled pork. The perfect blend of spices make it tender and so flavorful.

How to make The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is a big claim but I can tell you I’ve tried a lot of pulled pork recipes and this one is at the top of my list! So simple yet plenty of flavor! This has been enjoyed as sandwiches, as tacos, as nachos and even just on it’s own. Short of going through a major process of slow smoking the meat, this slow cooker version will be your new favorite and the best go-to option for slow cooker pulled pork without all the work! And it’s perfect for busy days when you need to have a meal for entertaining. I’ve made this many times for many crowds, and it’s always gone by the end of the night.

What makes this the best slow cooker pulled pork?

Just the right blend of spices (most you should have on hand) rubbed into a pork shoulder roast make for a flavorful meat that has a tiny bit of kick but is generally mild enough for even picky eaters. Want some bold flavor? Up the spices to your liking… if you like spicy you can up the cayenne!! And I love setting out several different types of BBQ sauce so that everyone can make their own flavor combos.

MY LATEST VIDEOS

Check out my video showing you just how easy it is to make this slow cooker pulled pork recipe:

What is the best cut of meat for pulled pork?

pulled pork is generally made using pork shoulder

there are two pieces to the shoulder usually available at the store – the butt and the picnic shoulder

the first generally works the best, but I’ve had great results with the picnic shoulder too

What is also love is that…..

There is no need to brown anything up ahead of time which makes this a quick start meal.

How long do you cook pulled pork in a slow cooker?

Throw it in early in the day and let it slow cook for at least 8 hours (or even longer) for best results.

For meat like this to properly shred, it needs to reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees F. It will seriously fall apart. If your meat is hard to shred, it’s not done yet.

A little bit of apple cider vinegar goes in here too and it really does the trick to break down the meat to make it more tender plus gives it just the right zip of extra flavor. I haven’t tested it another way, but I’m guessing apple juice would work well also.

A few of my favorite sides to serve up alongside this pulled pork are:

The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

How to make the best slow cooker pulled pork! The perfect homemade spice blend makes it great for sandwiches, tacos and more!!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Servings: 12

Calories: 150 kcal

Author: Slow Cooker Gourmet

Ingredients

4 pound pork shoulder

2 tablespoons paprika (try smoked paprika for more of that smoked flavor)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup water

Instructions

Mix together all of the dried spices and rub into all sides of the pork

Place vinegar and water in bottom of slow cooker

Carefully add pork (so you don’t wash off spices)

Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours

Remove pork and shred (remove any large fatty pieces and discard)

Add juices from slow cooker as desired

Recipe Notes

Tip 1: Save a bit of seasoning and toss it with cooked pulled pork to add extra kick (but just a tad, you don’t want to ruin the delicious flavors of the meat!) Tip 2: If you want brown crispy ends you can put shredded meat on foil lined baking sheet and broil for a couple of minutes in the oven (watch carefully!)

Nutrition Facts

The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Amount Per Serving

Calories 150 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Cholesterol 61mg 20%

Sodium 266mg 11%

Potassium 351mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 3g 1%

Sugars 2g

Protein 18g 36%

Vitamin A 13%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 1.7%

Iron 7.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Useful tools for making this pulled pork include:

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Greek Souvlaki Dinner | jovina cooks

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Greek Souvlaki Dinner | jovina cooks

Serve with tzatziki (recipe below) and pita bread. A Greek salad rounds out the meal.

Pork Souvlaki

I used pork for this dinner. Prepare the meat 1 day ahead.

Servings 6

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs boneless pork loin or boneless chicken or lamb loin, cut into 1″ cubes 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 cloves garlic minced 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning (or use 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.) 1 tablespoon water

Directions

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Greek seasoning and water in a plastic ziplock bag. Place the pieces of pork in the bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat the meat really well, Place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.’

Place wooden skewers to soak in cold water for about 30 minutes before placing the meat on the skewers or use metal skewers. Preheat an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill pan to medium-high heat. You may also use a broiler. Thread the pieces of pork onto the skewers; discard unused marinade. Grill the kebabs, turning them every 2-3 minutes until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately with tzatziki sauce and a small pita bread.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 3/4 cups plain Greek yogurt (not low-fat) 2 scallions (green onions), minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Peel and seed the cucumber. Grate the cucumber on a box grater or finely chop. Place in a colander and add the salt. Let drain for 10-15 minutes. Turn out onto a paper towel, roll up and squeeze the towel to remove some of the liquid.

Place the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Add the grated cucumber to the yogurt along with the remaining ingredients and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator several hours before serving.

Greek Salad

Dressing 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoon lemon juice.

Directions

Pour all the ingredients into a large jar and shake well.. Place the jar in the refrigerator for a few hours to blend the flavors. Use the Greek dressing with your favorite Greek salad ingredients: romaine lettuce, green peppers, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, pepperoncini and crumbled feta.

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Posted by Jovina Coughlin in Cheese, cucumbers, Dinner, Healthy Italian Cooking, pita, Pork, Salad, Salad Dressing, tzatziki Tags: Greek dinner

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Mystery Box Cooking Challenge: Sohla Versus Stella

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Mystery Box Cooking Challenge: Sohla Versus Stella

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Team]

Today, we bring you our very first intra-office cooking challenge. The contestants: assistant culinary editor Sohla El-Waylly and pastry wizard Stella Parks. The premise: Each makes delicious food from a mystery box of ingredients chosen by the other. The stakes: The loser gets to eat a glorious meal (and, let’s be real, the winner probably does, too).

To keep things interesting, we decided to lay down a few ground rules:

They had to buy their ingredients for each other at the farmers market—and make use of them all. An Iron Chef–/most-cooking-shows-on-television-inspired challenge to see where the creative process would take them.

They could spend no more than $80 each, lest Serious Eats go bankrupt.

No supplemental shopping at the supermarket: They vowed to make do with whatever they were given, though they were permitted to make use of pantry staples from our (admittedly well-stocked) kitchen.

Everything had to be done in a day. They’d shop, cook, and eat, all within an eight-hour window; more than any normal person would budget for a weeknight meal, but a fair day’s work for two full-time recipe developers. That meant no overnight doughs or marinades, no dry-aged meat or ripened custard bases; just simple recipes that could be taken from start to finish all in one go.

Here’s what they came up with:

Sohla’s Menu

Aperitif: I started us off with rounds of brown-buttered Old Fashioneds—the only acceptable way to end a long day in the kitchen. Fat-washing the bourbon with browned butter infuses it with nutty notes, while giving the butter a spicy kick from the alcohol.

Appetizer: I put together polenta pierogies filled with braised guinea fowl, caramelized onion, and a bloomy soft cheese. Then I sautéed them in the bourbon-infused brown butter and finished them off with crisp raw purslane.

Main course: I roasted the guinea fowl crown after giving it a quick dry brine of salt and baking powder for a better-browned crust. In the last moments of cooking, I pulled out the bourbon brown butter again to baste the guinea fowl.

Side dishes: On the side, I served seared and braised radishes finished with lemon from the pantry, and a country-loaf dressing tossed in concentrated guinea fowl stock that I’d whipped up in the pressure cooker.

Stella’s Menu

Dessert: I put the fresh goat’s milk to work in a riff on fior di latte gelato, which I swirled with a raspberry ripple.

More dessert: Next, I used my whole wheat gingerbread sheet cake as a blueprint for a cake made with goat’s milk, buckwheat honey, and Red Fife flour, along with butter that had been steeped with ashwagandha root as it browned.

And even more dessert: I crushed up slightly bruised strawberries from the market haul, then simmered them with anise hyssop, creating a base for a creamless white chocolate ganache. I sprinkled the plate with hollyhocks and blueberries for a bit of pink ‘n blue mid-’90s plating cheesiness.

In the end, they were both exhausted but well fed, and armed with some new recipes to share. (Don’t worry—they’ve made them a few times since, to iron out the kinks.)

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce - The Best Sauce with ...

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Homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce - The Best Sauce with ...

Homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce – The Best Sauce with Few Ingredients

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Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals | Serious Eats

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Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals | Serious Eats

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Breakfast

Everything you need to make the most important meal of the day delicious.

There’s nothing inherently child-specific about a bowl of cold toasted grains soaked in milk, yet breakfast cereal seems to be inextricably associated with kids in the American imagination. Sure, it helps that most boxed cereals you’ll finding lining your supermarket aisles today come liberally infused with sugar (quite a turnabout for a food category that started with Seventh-Day Adventist health nuts, who would probably be pretty horrified if they could get a glimpse of the industry today), but there are other reasons.

You could begin, for instance, with the unchallenging flavors of corn and wheat combined with milk, making cereal an easy sell for the harried parents, usually moms, raising fussy eaters, who saw themselves reflected in generations of harried parents raising fussy eaters on TV. There’s the minimal preparation required, obviously, which made cereal the first meal many of us learned to fix for ourselves.

Add to that relentless marketing featuring every kind of kid bait you can think of—bright colors; unshakable jingles; talking animals (and cartoon chefs, and a leprechaun, and a captain of some never-seen navy); the promise of strength and coolness and superpowers; the insider-y nod to your membership in a special club that adults can’t infiltrate; and the lure of sugar sugar sugar—and it’s not hard to see how the cereals that accompanied us throughout our youth became a days-long conversation topic among the Serious Eats staff.

We’ve learned that few childhood cereals are cherished only on their own merits: The rituals that we created for eating them, the manic mascots that charmed us, and the cartoons that we ate them by on Saturdays were just as important. And we’ve learned that you can make nearly 50% of the SE staff happy by sitting them down in front of a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Here are the cereals that we still dream of forming our own secret kids’ club around, even as grown-ups.

Alpha-Bits Cereal

After an unfortunate incident wherein three-year-old Stella was left alone with Rainbow Brite cereal long enough to eat an entire box, my parents tried to steer me away from cereals with artificial coloring. That still left me with a number of excellent options—Pops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, et cetera—the best of which was Alpha-Bits Cereal. They taste about like Lucky Charms sans the Styrofoam marshmallow bits, which was fine by me, and I’d like to think my love for a frosted alphabet helped steer me toward the baker/writer life I lead now. A-B-C-Delicious! (This bonus commercial is before my time, but everyone deserves to hear MJ singing about Alpha-Bits, especially in a video that includes The Jackson 5 sitting down for cereal around a $14,000 Eero Saarinen dining room set. Yes, I did the math.) —Stella Parks, pastry wizard

Fruit & Fibre

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I knew and loved many a cereal when I was a kid—the candy-sweet nonsense, like Cookie Crisp and Lucky Charms, that my grandmother plied us with when we came for visits, as well as the more quotidian and practical choices of my parents, like Kix and Life. (Thinking back on it, I’m not even sure they bought Life that often, which speaks to its outsize importance in my mind. Life gets soggy faster than almost anything else, and it’s still the best damn cereal on the planet.) I was even #blessed enough to be able to enjoy a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch fairly regularly in front of Muppet Babies.

But my most steadfast breakfast companion, probably starting when I was about eight and continuing into my teenage years, was Fruit & Fibre (now apparently styled “Fruit ‘n Fibre”). Yep, I latched on to a sensible mixture of wheat flakes, nuts, and dried fruit, named after a dietary necessity and marketed at retirees, and I suppose Mom and Dad were only too happy to oblige this particular whimsy.

Fruit & Fibre was known in the ’80s and ’90s for the tagline “Tastes so good, you forget the fiber!”—which, again, doesn’t scream “youthful image”—and a series of commercials that poked self-deprecating fun at the inexplicably British spelling, in which one character would insist that the correct pronunciation was “fruit and fee-bray.” I don’t specifically remember this one, starring Tim Conway, but it’s representative and charmingly laid-back. I have been a very old person on the inside for a very long time. —Miranda Kaplan, senior editor

Frosted Flakes

I grew up in a pretty healthy household, and that meant hell no to the sugary cereals. We had a lot of puffed-millet, cardboard-like stuff that tasted like nothing, though I do suppose it was a bit healthier (except when I put a lot of Splenda on it, which, now that I think about it, is totally gross). The only time we ever got sugary cereal was when my dad went grocery shopping, and his all-time favorite is Frosted Flakes. When that bright-blue Kellogg’s box made it onto our cereal shelf, I went totally crazy with it—it was a classic kid-who-never-has-sugar scenario.

Recently I had brunch at MiMi’s Diner in Prospect Heights, where, as a little amuse-bouche, they give you a blissful mixture of colorful sugary cereals in a little bowl—all those classics, like Cap’n Crunch and Fruit Loops. It is such a treat. I guess I can thank all that cardboard of my youth for helping me appreciate it. —Ariel Kanter, marketing director

Cookie Crisp

I still have cereal for breakfast (and sometimes dinner) every day. These days I’m more of a Cheerios or Grape-Nuts eater, but as a kid, I definitely got hooked on the more sugar-oriented cereals, and Cookie Crisp was among the many options I rotated through. A bowl full of tiny chocolate chip cookies. Did I need more of a reason to like it as an eight-year old? Though perhaps the pair of cartoon crooks (including a dog) that served as the brand’s mascot had something to do with it…that “CooooOOOOOkie Crisp” jingle is pretty solid. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Grape-Nuts

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The thing I remember most about my childhood trips to the grocery store is setting up camp in front of the wall of multicolored cereal boxes, wheedling and pleading with my parents as they shook their heads and jabbed their fingers at the panel of nutrition facts.

I mostly blame the ensuing tears on the astonishing effectiveness of cereal commercials—especially the kind that featured greedy adults with Peter Pan syndrome, trying to steal cereal from children who, in this gritty, high-stakes universe, went to great lengths to save their most treasured possession: brightly hued, sugar-saturated breakfast candy. Sweetened cereals, they proclaimed, were a child’s birthright, and if you weren’t getting your fill, it was almost certainly because some grown-up—like, say, your mom or dad—was an evil asshole.

Which is why my favorite breakfast cereal was virtually any breakfast cereal I wasn’t eating. For the most part, our pantry was limited to Cheerios or generic “health” flakes, with rare appearances from Raisin Bran and, on a good day, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Within the confines of those prison walls, I found myself with a particular affinity for Grape-Nuts, which would sink into a dense heap beneath my milk and form a gritty cement onto which I could project visions of overflowing bowls of Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, and Cocoa Pebbles. Now that I’m a marginally health-conscious adult, I genuinely enjoy a bowl of Grape-Nuts. But back in ’93, they drew me in with their masochistic appeal: a meal that captured the true extent of my hardship, deprivation, and suffering. —Niki Achitoff-Gray, executive managing editor

Honey Nut Cheerios

I’ll happily eat Honey Nut Cheerios at any time of day or night, for any meal. They make an excellent appetizer, salad, entrée, or dessert; each little O possesses the perfect balance of sweet and savory (but mostly sweet). And, of course, as a kid growing up in a mostly sugar-free household in Berkeley, California, I could never eat them at home, which meant I searched frantically through cupboards and drawers whenever I was at a friend’s house, looking for that big red-and-yellow cardboard box. When I found it, I was in heaven. I still don’t buy them for my own pantry, but if I ever see that signature box tucked behind the grown-up food in a friend’s kitchen, I finish it off. —Elazar Sontag, intern

Corn Pops

Growing up in New Delhi, India, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we couldn’t buy cereal, and there weren’t any cereal ads on TV. There was no joy in our house, and no pleasure in our home. I did pine after Corn Pops quite a bit, since I got a taste of some at my American friends’ houses, even though the Pops cut up the inside of my mouth. And, apropos of nothing at all, the guy who played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad was in a Corn Pops commercial. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

Kashi Heart to Heart

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I have a confession to make: I did not eat cereal until I was 15 years old. Not because I was above consuming cleverly marketed sugar bombs for breakfast (because I ate plenty of Eggos), but because I’m lactose-intolerant. This was a time before I could eat my cereal with almond milk, as I do now, so it just wasn’t an option for me. Then, during my sophomore year of high school, I had a very bright idea: dry cereal with raspberries and blackberries. The juiciness of 10 or 12 berries bursting in every two to three bites would surely mimic the milk-and-cookies effect of cereal with milk, right? So I picked out a box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal in Honey and Oat flavor, and a container each of raspberries and blackberries, and crunched my way through that for the rest of high school. I remember the pieces sometimes being so rough and scratchy that I’d scrape the roof of my mouth on them, but the flavor was good enough, and it allowed me to finally eat my cereal. Now that I’m talking about it, I think I may actually be sparking a craving. But this time, I just might add a splash of almond milk—because I can. —Kristina Bornholtz, social media editor

Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Junk foods were rarely an option in my home, and that meant no sugary cereals either. I tasted Lucky Charms only a few times, and that was at a friend’s house after a sleepover. Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were as sweet as my mom was willing to allow, and those two, to this day, are among my favorites, especially when combined in the same bowl. They go together so well, the nut-and-honey notes of Golden Grahams and the sugar-and-spice in Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and they both create, whether together or alone, some of the most delicious cereal milk in existence. I don’t think I can pick between them, nor should I have to—I was cereal-deprived enough as a kid as it was. (Also, shout-out to Quaker Cracklin’ Oat Bran, which was a decently sweet cereal on regular rotation at my home until health-conscious parents got worried about all the coconut oil in it. My, how times have changed.) —Daniel Gritzer, managing culinary director

…and More Cinnamon Toast Crunch

As a kid I’d spend all week daydreaming about Saturday, when I would wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to get my fill of cartoons and sugar. I was allowed to eat foods repped by colorful characters only on these early weekend mornings—likely because Pop-Tarts and Eggo waffles were the only things that gave my parents a day to sleep in. I wanted to maximize my sugar intake during these precious unsupervised moments, so my breakfast of choice was always Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I mean, it’s so overloaded with cinnamon sugar that the slogan was “The taste you can see.” I still don’t understand how this stuff passes as children’s breakfast food, but I’ll never forget those mornings spent doing lines of cinnamon sugar with Hey, Arnold! in the background. —Sohla El-Waylly, assistant culinary editor

Trix

“Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” will forever be ingrained in my brain. I loved that this cereal was so colorful. I’m pretty sure none of the flavors actually differed from one another, but I do remember that at one point the original balls were replaced by actual fruit-shaped pieces, to try to convince you that there was real lemon, grape, lime, raspberry, and blueberry flavor in there. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Rice Krispies Treats Cereal

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A cereal I remember being better in theory than in actuality. I’m assuming this commercial’s UFO references were crafted to piggyback on the paranormal-activity obsession that ran rampant throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, if kids’ television of the era is anything to go by. (See: Goosebumps, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Ghostwriter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…okay, that one might be a stretch.) The combo of sugary cereal plus thrills definitely hit the right note for me, and seeing a box of Rice Krispies Treats Cereal in the supermarket incited equal parts excitement and chills-creeping, sensation-laden terror, conjuring up late Saturday mornings glued to the tube over a bowl of (essentially) starchy candy that was “part of a complete breakfast.” Whoever said the ’50s and ’60s represented the golden age of advertising was clearly never a wide-eyed, impressionable child cruising the cereal aisle, visions of RKTC commercials dancing in their head. —Marissa Chen, office manager

Frosted Mini-Wheats

There were many long pit stops on my cereal journey growing up. Earlier on, there were the sweeter, more sugary stops, like Cap’n Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. At summer camp I would add extra sugar to my Frosted Flakes, purposefully stir the cereal so the extra sugar sank all the way down, and eat the sugary milk goop at the bottom of the bowl with the spoon. Later on I became ever-so-slightly healthier with Honey Nut Cheerios, a very long stint on Honey Bunches of Oats (still a favorite), and a brief and shameful period on Raisin Bran. My final destination—and probably my all-time favorite to this day—was Frosted Mini-Wheats. Every bite has exactly the same ratio of ingredients, which I appreciate: just the right amount of fibrous (healthy!) and sugary. The texture is perfect, assuming you have the know-how to let the cereal soak up just the right amount of milk so it’s not dry and crunchy, then eat it quickly before it gets soggy. A seasoned veteran such as I am may even split the bowl into two or three rounds of cereal addition, thus ensuring that no piece gets too saturated before your spoon reaches it. —Tim Aikens, front-end developer

Wheat Chex

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I ate more than my fair share of cereal when I was a kid, usually while sprawled out on the living room floor watching reruns of Saved by the Bell or DuckTales. I reserved the more sugary cereals (Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’n Crunch, and probably some that start with other letters of the alphabet) to be eaten as a dry snack and primarily ate “healthier” cereals, like Wheat Chex, with milk. I was never a big fan of cereal milk, so as I emptied the bowl, I would repeatedly add more and more cereal, until most of the milk had been absorbed. —Paul Cline, developer

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18 Gluten-Free Baking Recipes | Serious Eats

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18 Gluten-Free Baking Recipes | Serious Eats

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik, Elizabeth Barbone]

While some of us might not be able to imagine life without wheat, others find a gluten-free diet to be a necessity. (And even if you fall into the former category, chances are ever greater these days that someone you know and love belongs to the latter, which means you may well end up planning a menu with gluten sensitivities in mind.) There’s abundant variety to be had in such a diet—we’ve got a whole slew of gluten-free recipes for all occasions, and even gluten-free desserts are easy to come by if you stick with ice cream, custards, and the like. But baked goods—like cookies, breads, and cakes, which are often formulated specifically to be made with wheat flour—can be a different story.

Luckily, using carefully selected alternative flours, or a blend thereof, makes delicious wheatless baked goods a possibility. You can try substituting one of these three flour blends in just about any recipe that calls for wheat flour. But if you’d rather roll with a made-to-be-gluten-free recipe, we’ve got plenty to choose from: fluffy, cloudlike angel food cake; pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting; and snickerdoodles that’ll take you back to your after-school days, to name a few. Keep reading for 18 of our favorite baking recipes that anyone, GF or not, can enjoy.

Cakes

The Ultimate Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

This gluten-free angel food cake isn’t just as good as our wheat-flour version—it might actually be even better. That’s because the blend of cornstarch, tapioca starch, white rice flour, and coconut flour is more delicate than all-purpose flour, producing a cake that’s unbelievably light and fluffy. It’s also remarkably easy to make—just whip up a simple meringue, then fold in the dry ingredients—and dairy-free as well.

Get the recipe for The Ultimate Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake »

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

A “dump”-style Bundt cake like this one is great for entertaining: It comes together in one bowl with minimal effort, but still looks impressive. Sweet rice flour, white rice flour, and tapioca starch form a smooth flour blend that won’t leave the cake gritty. Strong brewed coffee added to the batter helps enhance the chocolate flavor, and a simple ganache poured over the top forms a satisfyingly rich glaze. (To make the finished product a little lighter, top with a citrus-scented confectionary glaze instead of ganache.)

Get the recipe for Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake »

One-Bowl Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

Another one-bowl dessert that’s gluten-free (and dairy-free, too), this chocolate cake comes together just as quickly as a boxed mix, but with a delicate crumb and a chocolate flavor deepened by the addition of coffee. It works equally well as a full-sized cake or cupcakes. Here, we’ve topped the cupcakes with a fluffy coconut and marshmallow frosting; feel free to substitute any icing you choose.

Get the recipe for One-Bowl Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake »

Apple-Ginger Tishpishti (Gluten-Free Almond and Walnut Cake)

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Because leavening action is prohibited during Passover, most desserts prepared for the holiday eschew flour entirely, which makes these recipes an ideal resource for anyone avoiding gluten. Tishpishti is a Sephardic Jewish cake made with walnuts and almonds and traditionally eaten over Passover; this Americanized version includes grated apple, which lightens up and tenderizes the dense nut-based cake. Though the original version is often doused with a rosewater syrup, we complement the apple flavor by using one flavored with ginger and Applejack instead.

Get the recipe for Apple-Ginger Tishpishti (Gluten-Free Almond and Walnut Cake) »

Easy, Light, and Tender Honey-Vanilla Almond Cake

[Photograph: Jennifer Latham]

Like our tishpishti, this cake is made with almond flour, either store-bought or homemade—we like to grind our own flour in a food processor because it gives us more control over the texture of the finished dish. Use skin-on almonds for an earthier flavor or blanched ones for a lighter cake. Either way, the key to this cake’s remarkably light texture is to properly beat the egg whites: to soft peaks only, at a relatively slow speed, with a couple drops of lemon juice added to stabilize the foam.

Get the recipe for Easy, Light, and Tender Honey-Vanilla Almond Cake »

Gluten-Free All-Day Lemon Cake (With a Choice of Two Toppings)

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

The restrained sweetness of this lemon cake, whose light texture comes from a combination of rice flour and tapioca starch, makes it just as appropriate for dessert or breakfast (hence the name). There are a couple ways to customize it—top it with a simple-syrup glaze or a lemon icing, and feel free to toss fresh berries into the batter if you have some on hand.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free All-Day Lemon Cake (With a Choice of Two Toppings) »

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Icing

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

Pumpkin season (and pumpkin spice season) is a long way off, but if you can find canned pumpkin purée in stores near you, you can enjoy these warmly spiced cupcakes all year long. The neutral flavors of white rice flour and cornstarch allow the pumpkin itself to take center stage—though make sure you look for real pumpkin purée, not pie filling. A teaspoon of ground ginger gives the cupcakes a little bite without pushing them into gingerbread territory.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Icing »

Pies and Cobblers

Flaky and Crisp Gluten-Free Pie Crust

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

It’s easy to make a gluten-free pie filling—the crust is the tricky part. Our recipe uses the same base as our GF angel food cake (cornstarch, tapioca, white rice flour, and coconut flour), plus xanthan gum to give the dough extra strength and elasticity. Once you’ve rounded up the ingredients, the technique is the same as for our traditional flaky pie crust.

Get the recipe for Flaky and Crisp Gluten-Free Pie Crust »

Gluten-Free Blueberry Cheesecake Pie With Lavender Streusel

[Photograph: Aki Kamozawa]

Looking for a recipe to put that gluten-free pie crust to work? This hybrid dessert combines two perennial favorites—cheesecake and pie—by filling a tender yet crisp crust with both tangy simmered blueberries and a light cheesecake layer. A lavender-scented streusel topping, made with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, adds the buttery crunch of the graham cracker crust more commonly used in cheesecake recipes.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Blueberry Cheesecake Pie With Lavender Streusel »

Easy Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

The key to this plum cobbler, which replaces wheat flour with sorghum and sweet rice flours, is to cut the fruit into thick pieces: Quartered plums may look huge going into the oven, but they’ll cook down to the perfect size, growing soft and juicy while retaining some structure. If you can get good peaches, try swapping them for half of the plums.

Get the recipe for Easy Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler »

Cookies and Bars

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

[Photograph: Aki Kamozawa]

The gluten-free flour blend used here is a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour, making this an otherwise pretty standard snickerdoodle recipe. Just combine sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla; add baking powder, salt, and the flour blend; portion the dough; and roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. The result is a tender, buttery, crisp-edged cookie, and the whole recipe comes together in about an hour.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles »

Buttery Gluten-Free Corn Cookies

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

Our gluten-free take on the corn cookies made famous by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar calls for replacing the wheat flour with white rice flour and slightly increasing the amount of corn flour (which is nothing more than very finely ground cornmeal). Tosi’s recipe calls for “freeze-dried corn powder”—make it by pulverizing freeze-dried corn kernels in a food processor, or buy it online directly from the Milk Bar store.

Get the recipe for Buttery Gluten-Free Corn Cookies »

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies With Peanut Butter Chips

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

A combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate makes these cookies ultra rich, while melted butter instead of creamed butter produces a soft, tender crumb. After the dough comes together, in go the peanut butter chips, though if you prefer a crunchier cookie, try mixing in chopped unsalted peanuts instead. Want to make a variety of treats for entertaining or to send in a care package? The chewy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies pictured here are gluten-free as well.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies With Peanut Butter Chips »

Gluten-Free Fig Bars

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

Whether you’re going gluten-free or not, a proper Fig Newton copycat depends on remembering the spirit of the brand’s old slogan: They’re not so much cookies as they are fruit and cake. Achieving that cake-like consistency means adding eggs and baking soda to the dough and using shortening instead of butter. The filling is a simple mixture of dried Mission figs, water, corn syrup, lemon juice, and salt, all pulsed together in the food processor.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Fig Bars »

Other Recipes

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcakes

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

Inspired by a recipe from James Beard, these strawberry shortcakes include one very unusual addition: hard-boiled egg yolks. As crazy as it sounds, the yolks give the shortcakes a texture that’s light and tender, yet sturdy enough to receive a generous spoonful of sweet macerated strawberries. But do make sure to incorporate the eggs fully so that the biscuits don’t come out studded with little bits of yolk.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcakes »

Gluten-Free Apple Fritters

[Photograph: Elizabeth Barbone]

These gluten-free apple fritters require a specialty ingredient called Chebe cheese-bread mix, which is made with modified manioc starch and does a solid job of imitating a glutinous dough. This recipe isn’t a quick one—you’ll need to reserve a full afternoon to allow the dough to rise twice—but you’ll be rewarded with fritters that are small enough to preserve the right ratio of crisp-fried exterior to chewy, apple-studded crumb.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Apple Fritters »

Gluten-Free Potato Bread

[Photograph: Aki Kamozawa]

If you’ve never made your own potato bread, you should give it a try, even if you’re not avoiding gluten: Besides lending some interesting flavor, fully hydrated potato starch gives the loaf a nicely moist, tender crumb. The gluten-free all-purpose flour blend we use here produces a dough that doesn’t exhibit much oven spring, so be sure to let the dough rise well before baking, which will create a beautifully light, bubble-filled texture in your bread.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Potato Bread »

Cuñapes/Pão de Queijo (South American Cheesy Bread)

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Known by many names across South America, these cheesy mini breads are naturally gluten-free, as they’re made with tapioca starch—though you’ll want to specifically seek out Brazilian fermented, or sour, tapioca starch, rather than the Thai variety that’s more common in the US, for the most authentic texture and lightly tangy flavor. A blend of cheddar and Grana Padano works nicely for the cheese filling. These bake well from frozen, too, so make an extra batch to have on hand when a craving strikes.

Get the recipe for Cuñapes/Pão de Queijo (South American Cheesy Bread) »

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23 Delicious Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Breakfast...

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23 Delicious Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Breakfast...

23 Delicious Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Breakfast Ideas–most of the time we think of the Instant Pot and slow cooker as tools to get dinner on the table but did you know you can also use them to make breakfast? Check out and try some of these recipes for a regular weekday morning or for a fancy brunch.

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7 Delicious Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Breakfast Ideas

Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be made in both the slow cooker and the Instant Pot. I especially like the way that steel cut oats turn out! Here are a few recipes that you might like to try:

Single Serving Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe

Slow Cooker Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Slow Cooker Purple Oatmeal

Instant Pot Cinnamon Banana Oatmeal

Pressure Cooker Cinnamon Roll Steel Cut Oats from Pressure Cooking Today

Breakfast Casseroles

I’ve been making breakfast casseroles in the slow cooker for years. I recently tried my hand at making one in the Instant Pot using the pot-in-pot method. It worked so well!

Instant Pot Bacon Cheddar Egg Casserole

Slow Cooker Bacon Cheddar Egg Casserole

Slow Cooker Crustless Spinach Quiche

Slow Cooker Low Carb Breakfast Casserole

Pressure Cooker Egg Muffins from Pressure Cooking Today

Another recipe you might like is Instant Pot Sausage Gravy. It is so good served over freshly baked biscuits!

Breakfast Grains

You probably could make any grain into a “hot breakfast cereal” of sorts. I’ve made breakfast quinoa and wheat berries many times. Here are some choices that might intrigue you:

Slow Cooker Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa

Instant Pot Wheat Berries

Slow Cooker Wheat Berries

Pressure Cooker Breakfast Quinoa from Pressure Cooking Today

Pressure Cooker Brown Sugar Breakfast Farro from Pressure Cooking Today

Sweets

Slow Cooker Coffee Cake

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls

Instant Pot Chocolate Chip Banana Zucchini Bread

Pressure Cooker Coconut Vanilla Syrup from Pressure Cooking Today

Yogurt

Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

Instant Pot Homemade Noosa Yoghurt Copycat Honey Yogurt from This Old Gal

Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt from Oh So Delicioso

What Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker Do You Use?

I use a 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.* I love this slow cooker (you can see me talking about it in a video here). It cooks low and evenly. I love the medium heat choice because most slow cookers that I’ve seen only have the option of cooking on low or high. If you’re going to buy just one slow cooker, this is the one that I recommend.

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How to Make the Best Stracciatella Gelato

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How to Make the Best Stracciatella Gelato

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

Fior di latte is gelato in its purest form, a celebration of fresh dairy’s subtle complexity, without any eggs (or even vanilla) to distract. Its beauty hinges on starting with top notch ingredients, treated with great care. Like a classic caprese salad, it demands the best of the best, and if you can’t manage that, why bother?

Stracciatella takes that philosophy a step further, building on the delicacy of fior di latte to transcend the American concept of chocolate chip. Because of the inherent simplicity of that fior di latte base, there aren’t any yolky-custard or vanilla flavors to smooth over the harsh notes of mediocre chocolate.

What’s more, icy temperatures dull our sense of taste, muting the flavor and aroma of chocolate from the start. That means even a good, middle-of-the-road chocolate may seem lackluster in stracciatella*.

*My go-to supermarket brands may be awesome in baked goods, but they proved less than ideal for stracciatella. That’s no slight against them, only a reflection of the fact that different recipes have different needs.

The solution is brute-force deliciousness, using chocolate so extraordinary that it tastes amazing even when frozen. It’s the perfect excuse to spring for a high-end, single-origin chocolate; the sort you wouldn’t dream of chopping into cookies or brownies even if you could afford to. Fortunately, it only takes 2 ounces of chocolate for a quart of stracciatella, so it’s a splurge that needn’t break the bank.

By focusing on beans from a single country, this type of chocolate coaxes out flavor profiles distinctive enough to deliver a rich, satisfying, and complex chocolate flavor even in chilly conditions.

From recipe testing, my favorites were from Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, in part because their chocolates have no added cocoa butter, so they don’t get as waxy as couverture when frozen. I loved their Kokoa Kamili (Tanzania), Maya Mountain (Belize), Costa Esmerelda (Ecuador), and Tumaco (Columbia) in particular, each one an adventure of its own, changing the character of the stracciatella at every turn.

I also enjoyed the batches I made with chocolates from Harper Macaw, a DC-based company that sources exclusively from Brazil. I had a chance to visit their shop and stock up back in December, but their bars are sold online and through Whole Foods, so they’re reasonably easy to find. My favorites for stracciatella were their 75% Atlantic Forest and 67% Dark Blend, which both had a fresh, bright quality that paired nicely with the creaminess of the gelato.

Of course these are just the specific bars I tested and loved, there are countless amazing chocolates to try. For stracciatella, what’s important to look for is a chocolate that’s perhaps a little bolder and more intense than you’d be inclined to snack on by itself; not necessarily in terms of cocoa percentage, but in terms of flavor profile, because so much of what you taste at room temperature will soften and mellow in the freezer.

Armed with a fantastic chocolate, the real trick to straciattella comes from melting it with a spoonful of refined coconut oil. It’s a flavorless, odorless infusion of saturated fat that lowers the melting point of chocolate. Normally, that’s right about body temperature, giving chocolate its characteristic “melt in your mouth” consistency. But when spoonfuls of gelato chill your tongue, bits of pure chocolate take longer and longer to melt, which makes them seem greasy or waxy.

With coconut oil, the cold chocolate still seems snappy and crisp, but by lowering its freezing point it will melt more quickly even when our mouths are cool. This in turn lets the chocolate better flood our taste buds, so we’re able to perceive as much of its flavor as possible. Liquid oil will lower the freezing point as well, but because it’s unsaturated it tends to give the chocolate a soft, rather than crisp consistency.

Traditionally, the chocolate mixture is poured directly into the gelato right before it comes off the machine. As the stream of warm chocolate hits cold gelato, it solidifies into a ribbon that is pulled through the gelato as it churns; as the ribbon freezes, it begins to pull apart and break into shards both big and small (straciattella comes from the Latin word stracciare, which means to tear or rip).

This method’s classic for a reason—fast and efficient—but not without its downsides, as the chocolate ribbon tends to cluster and clump around anything and everything cold: the dasher, the bowl, and even the machine’s lid if they happen to touch.

The traditional method produces lots of chips, but also large clusters and fine shavings, a haphazard blend that muddies the gelato itself a bit, flavoring every bite with chocolate. To a certain extent, this can be controlled by monitoring the temperature of the chocolate.

The warmer it is, the longer it will take to freeze, and the more the chocolate will be homogenized into the gelato, producing a finer mix of chips. The colder it is, the more quickly it will seize, creating a greater proportion of large and distinct pieces.

But there’s another way, although it isn’t quite traditional: Instead of pouring the chocolate into the gelato, I like to pour it out on a sheet of parchment, so I can precisely control the thickness of each chip.

After a few minutes in the freezer, the chocolate will solidify into a sheet. From there, I can crush the chips as much or as little as I want. Since churning or mixing will crush the chips even further, it’s best to leave them a little larger than ideal.

The results are as different as the techniques. The traditional method gives stracciatella a slightly darker color, with chocolate flavor mixed into the gelato itself, and a higher proportion of small shards and flecks. It takes no special effort to achieve, and produces a gelato where every bite contains its own unique mix of chips, chunks, flecks, shards.

The sheet method keeps the chips distinct from the gelato, with chips that are more uniform overall. It certainly takes a bit more time and effort than the classic technique, but it allows for a more evenly textured gelato. There’s no right or wrong here, so choose the method that suits your personal taste.

However you incorporate the chocolate, transfer the stracciatella to a well-chilled container. Glass or ceramic loaf pans or baking dishes are ideal, as their high proportion of surface area helps the gelato freeze faster, and provides a nice straightaway for scooping. But of course any nonreactive vessel will do.

The result of this attention to detail will be a fresh and milky gelato studded with chocolate chips that shatter and melt on your tongue, releasing a bold chocolate flavor. It’s a beautiful study in contrast—dark and light, crisp and creamy, mellow and intense—perfect for savoring one scoop at a time.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

There are some meals that I love so much I make them nearly every week! This Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash is the perfect healthy and hearty family meal or even the best make-ahead lunch!

I love to add extra veggies into meals whenever possible, and this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash is no exception. Instead of beans, I’ve swapped them out for some simple frozen cubed butternut squash, making it the perfect chili to eat for lunch or serve to guests! It also utilized ancho chili powder for a smoky and rich flavor you just can’t get with regular chili powder. I wanted to spice mine up even more, so I added some chipotle chili powder, but that is totally optional depending on the spice level you prefer.

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And just because butternut squash is typically something you think of in the fall does not mean this chili is only a seasonal recipe! I chose to use frozen cubed butternut squash because not only is it available year round, it also takes out all that work of peeling, seeding and cubing a fresh squash!

One of the most common questions when making slow cooker turkey chili (or any kind for that matter!) is…

Do you need to cook the meat before putting it into a slow cooker?

while the technical answer is no, in this case, I do suggest cooking/browning the meat first

ground meat will cook just like any other meat in the slow cooker, but it will turn out kind of clumpy if you don’t brown it up first

In this recipe specifically, browning up the meat also allows us to brown up the onion and jalapeño a bit as well as toast up the spices, which will give this chili and all around richer flavor

If you want to save a step, plus save time and dish washing, invest in a multi-cooker like this Kitchen Aid that I use that will allow you to sauté and slow cook all in one pot.

Is turkey better for you than beef? Can I use beef instead?

ground turkey is not necessarily healthier than ground beef, it all depends on what kind you use

I prefer turkey in this recipe for it’s milder flavor because it lets the flavor of the butternut squash and roasted tomatoes shine

you can absolutely swap it out for beef, just make sure it’s a lean beef

or even better yet, I love swapping it out for ground bison, which is lower in saturated fat than regular beef and is super flavorful and packed with nutrients

My favorite ways to serve up this slow cooker turkey chili?

keep it simple with a little diced avocado and cilantro

topped with crushed tortilla chips and some sour cream

with a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Do you love this recipe but need your chili, like, now? Try my Instant Pot Chili!!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 192 kcal

Author: Slow Cooker Gourmet

Instructions

Cook turkey in skillet, breaking apart with spatula, until browned

Add jalapeño, onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes

Add dried seasonings and saute for another 1-2 minutes

Transfer to slow cooker and add tomatoes, broth, and squash

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

Amount Per Serving

Calories 192 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2g 3%

Cholesterol 41mg 14%

Sodium 763mg 32%

Potassium 1045mg 30%

Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 11g

Protein 21g 42%

Vitamin A 179.3%

Vitamin C 40.6%

Calcium 8.6%

Iron 20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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cucinacarmela-blog · 6 years

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Pasta With Figs, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts – Italian ...

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Pasta With Figs, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts – Italian ...

August 5, 2018

I recently came across some gorgeous early black figs in the grocery store and although we are still in the heat of summer, I was instantly transported to fall in Umbria. Fall in Umbria is truly a magical time. The frantic summer season packed full of festivals celebrating food, art, and history give way to what is really important to the region. Namely, making amazing wine and olive oil. The region still holds a handful of significant food festivals each fall dedicated to such important local treasures as Umbria’s earthy black truffles, chestnuts, black celery, and, of course, the grape and olive oil harvest, but things settle down each fall as folks prepare for winter. The arrival of fall is also reflected in local outdoor markets, which are now overflowing with pears, apples, quince, plums, and my favorite fall fruit, figs.

Although I never had the opportunity to enjoy the taste of a ripe, luscious fresh fig until I was an adult, figs have become a personal favorite of mine. Since the fresh fig season is so short, I utilize them daily when they’re available by making jams, mixing them with apples or pears in fruit tarts for our farmhouse guests, or as an appetizer wrapped in prosciutto and grilled.

One of my favorite fig preparations is this tasty, unique pasta dish. It’s yet another easy pasta dish that comes together in mere minutes, but since you need fresh figs and their season is so short, it has become a special annual treat for us.

The combination of the sweet figs and salty prosciutto works amazingly well in many recipes. Here, pasta serves as a vessel for chopped figs and prosciutto that have just barely cooked in a little hot olive oil, flavored with onions and garlic. A pinch of red chili pepper and some cracked black pepper add a little heat, while fresh parsley and lightly toasted pine nuts add color, texture, and freshness to the completed dish. I offer grated cheese at the table, preferably Pecorino Romano, although grated Parmesan is also acceptable.

You can use any variety of figs for this recipe, as long as they’re fresh. I’m lucky enough to have a wild green fig tree growing in the field behind my house in Umbria, so they’re my go-to, but I also like to use black figs as shown in the photos and they are delicious also. Pick plump figs that feel soft—not mushy—with no bruising, wrinkling, or splits. Ripe figs may be covered with a whitish bloom, which simply lets you know they’re at their peak. You can wrap figs individually in wax or parchment paper and store them in the refrigerator for two or three days, but they’re best used at room temperature. When you get them home from the market, gently wipe the skins with a damp cloth and trim off the stem and a thin slice off the bottom before you chop them for this recipe, to ensure you don’t have any unpleasant hard bits in your completed dish.

When I am in Italy, I use local prosciutto made in Umbria, called Prosciutto di Norcia, but any good quality prosciutto will do. Do have it sliced thinly, though, so it doesn’t overpower the subtle sweetness of the figs. I’d also discourage you from adding any additional salt to this dish apart from salt in the pasta water, since prosciutto is quite salty to begin with.

Note: I prefer a long stranded, dried pasta such as spaghetti, stringozzi, or ciriole (traditional Umbrian pasta varieties) for this dish. You can also use a short pasta such as fusilli or penne if you prefer.

To toast the pine nuts, you can either use the oven or skillet method. For the oven, spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 5 to 10 minutes. For the skillet, cook the nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Since there is no liquid other than olive oil in this pasta dish, it is helpful to reserve a small cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta. When you mix the ingredients together you can use the pasta water to loosen the “sauce” and ensure it is not dry and instead lightly coats the pasta.

Buon Appetito! Deborah Mele 2018

Pasta With Figs, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

8 Thin Slices of Prosciutto, About 6 Ounces, Divided

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion (About 1/2 Medium Onion)

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced (About 2 Teaspoons)

1 Tablespoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 to 1 !easpoon Red Chili Flakes

8 to 10 Medium Fresh, Ripe Figs, About 2 1/2 Cups Chopped

1 Pound Pasta of Choice (See Note Above)

1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley Leaves

1/3 Cup Lightly Toasted Pine Nuts (See Note Above)

Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place two slices of prosciutto on a baking sheet.

Bake the prosciutto until crispy, about 7 minutes then cool to room temperature.

Once cool, crumble the prosciutto into pieces and set aside to garnish the completed pasta dish.

Roll the other 6 slices of prosciutto up lengthwise, and then thinly slice into strips and set aside until needed for the sauce.

Place a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.

While the pasta water is coming to a boil, heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat until lightly smoking, then cook the onion, stirring, until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, sliced prosciutto, pepper, and chili flakes and cook, stirring often for about 4 minutes.

Add the figs, stir gently to mix and lower the heat to medium-low, then continue to cook until the figs begin to break down, about 4 minutes.

Keep warm.

Cook the pasta until it is “al dente” following the package instructions, then drain, reserving a small cup of the pasta water.

Return the pasta to the pot and empty the fig and prosciutto mixture on top.

Place the pot over medium high heat, and stirring constantly, add as much pasta water as is needed to lightly coat the pasta strands, usually about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup.

Once the pasta is piping hot and well mixed, add the parsley and toss.

Serve the pasta in individual bowls, topped with a sprinkling of the toasted pine nuts, and crispy prosciutto crumbles.

Pass grated cheese at the table.

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