SLOW-COOKER PINEAPPLE CARNITAS

Posted in Pork by sallybr

Pineapple is a great ingredient to add to pulled pork, as it offers acidity and a bright flavor. For the past couple of years I’ve been using country style ribs to make an approximation of pulled pork that is lower in fat, but feel free to use the real deal (pork shoulder) if you prefer. The whole preparation will be the same, but if using pork shoulder it is better to brown the meat a bit first on all sides, get rid of some of the fat before slow-cooking it.

SLOW-COOKER PINEAPPLE CARNITAS
(inspired by The Well Plated Cookbook)

3 pounds country style pork ribs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in 100% juice, left undrained
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Lightly coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. Season the pork with the salt and black pepper and add to the slow-cooker. stir together the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. In a separate bowl, stir together the pineapple with its juice, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle the dry spice mixture over the pork, rubbing to try and coat evenly. Pour the pineapple mixture over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, until the meat is tender.

Place a rack in the upper third of your oven and heat the oven to broil. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat the foil with nonstick spray. Shred the pork while it is still inside the slow cooker, stir the pieces to coat with the sauce, then place over the prepared baking sheet. Broil until the edges of the meat begin to crisp up and turn brown.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You can enjoy carnitas in many ways, with tortillas and all sorts of tasty toppings, over white rice, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower… Phil loves it with bolillos, one of his favorite bread these days. I served them with quickly pickled cucumbers and white rice. Leftovers seem to get better for the next couple of days, and you know we adore our leftovers.

ONE YEAR AGO: Three Little Cakes

TWO YEARS AGO: From our Garden to You

THREE YEARS AGO: Lady Bug Macarons

FOUR YEARS AGO: Five-Stranded Braided Bread

FIVE YEARS AGO: Green Olive Salad

SIX YEARS AGO: Coffee Macarons Dressed up to Party

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blogging Hiatus

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Tomato Tatin

NINE YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!

TEN YEARS AGO: Farofa Brasileira

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Thai-Inspired Pork Tenderloin

TWELVE YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Summer’s Tomatoes

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Leaving on a jet plane…

8Aug2023

ALMOND-CRANBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

I am deeply enamored with these cookies. Think Linzer wearing a different outfit… You will need a special ingredient, that can be found here.

ALMOND-CRANBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES
(adapted from Selefina website)

FOR THE COOKIE
226g butter, room temperature
50g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon (cassia), ground
1 tablespoon cranberry juice powder (from Selefina)
250g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
50g almond flour
¼ tsp salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING
60g butter, softened
160g powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cranberry juice powder

Make the cookie:
Using an electric mixer, cream the room temperature butter with the sugar. Once combined and smooth, add in the egg and vanilla. Stir again.

In a separate bowl whisk together the remainder of the ingredients. Once mixed, add the dry into the creamed butter mixture. Mix only until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then chill for about 20 minutes. After the dough has had time to chill, remove it from the plastic wrap and roll it over parchment paper in the thickness you prefer for sandwich cookies, I like to go reasonably thin. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out your circles and transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Then go back and cut out a smaller whole in the center of just half your cookies. Freeze the unbaked cookies for 10 minutes before baking at 350F for 8-12 minutes.

Make the buttercream: In an electric mixer, whip the butter and then slowly add the powdered sugar at a low speed. Add in the vanilla, then some milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Whip on high speed to add air into the buttercream for just a minute or so. Then slowly add the cranberry powder until you get your desired pink color.

Assemble the cookies: To assemble, add the buttercream into a pastry bag with a 1M tip and pipe it onto the bottom cookie pieces. Before you add the tops on, make a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cranberry power to dust over the top cookies. Once they’re dusted pink gently press them onto the buttercream/cookie.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I never thought of showcasing a filling for sandwich cookies using a star icing tip to pipe a rose, but now I think it is one great way to do it. Of course, you cannot make it with jam, but it is pretty straightforward to whip up a little buttercream, and I believe totally worth it. Selefina has many interesting powders for sale. I have cranberry, butterfly pea flower, and mango. Stay tuned to see them in baked goodies soon!

The recipe for these cookies is found in their website but I modified it to use a lot less of the cranberry juice powder. It seemed excessive to almost empty my bottle to make a batch of cookies. The cranberry flavor came through bright and clear the way I did it, so I am happy with the way they turned out.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Red Quinoa “Tabbouleh”

THREE YEARS AGO: Cucumber Salad with Yogurt-Harissa Dressing

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sundried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

FIVE YEARS AGO: Hickory-Smoked Beef Tenderloin

SIX YEAR AGO: Spaghetti Squash, Revisited

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Stir-fried Chicken and Cabbage in Spicy Almond Sauce

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Fifteen Years!

NINE YEARS AGO: Light Brioche Burger Buns

TEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Blues

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Headed to Hawaii

TWELVE YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Hidden Treasure

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Avocado Three Ways

4Aug2023

AJI-AMARILLO ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

In my previous post I mentioned my love affair with sesame oil, but I am a woman of many passions. Aji-amarillo has been part of my cooking for a while. I love the flavor of this Peruvian paste, and the color it imparts to all you cook with it, reminiscent of turmeric. Turmeric, another passion of mine…

AJI-AMARILLO ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS
(inspired by a sous-vide recipe from Anova Culinary)

6 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp aji amarillo paste (or more, to taste)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp honey (I don’t measure, drizzle a bit)
1 + 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, lime zest, chile powder, cumin, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir well until fully combined. Place chicken in a plastic zipper-lock bag, add the prepared marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Transfer the chicken and marinade to a baking dish, skin side down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 50 minutes. Remove foil, turn pieces of chicken with skin side up, increase oven temperature to 425F, roast for another 20 minutes or so, until the skin is golden brown. If desired, run under the broiler.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I have made this recipe three times already. It is great to add chickpeas to the baking sheet, they will cook together with the chicken juices and get all soft and tasty. Highly recommend you try this version. Just marinade the chicken and once you add it to the baking sheet place the chickpeas all around the pieces. I used canned chickpeas but it might be even better if you start from dry, soaking them overnight and draining before roasting. Your kitchen, your rules!