Is it Curry?

I've been playing with this recipe for about two months now, trying to refine it, perfect it. Today I finally did it. I don't know if this a Curry, a Mole, or just a really flavorful tomato based sauce. Whatever it is it has quickly become one of Julie and my favorites. It started out as a slow cooker recipe for chicken taco's and evolved into this amazingly earthy, homey sauce that is better served over basmati rice then with a corn tortilla. This may be one of the simpler recipes I have posted proving the point less is sometimes more.

4 frozen chicken breasts
2 cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic minced
6 tablespoons spice hunter no salt spicy curry powder
2 single serving dove dark chocolate bars
3 tablespoons dried diced onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)

Puree the diced tomatoes in your blender and then add them straight to a crock pot. Follow the tomatoes with a half can of water. Heat a small skillet to medium, adding the olive oil. Once the olive oil is to temp ad the minced garlic and onions stirring rapidly for two minutes then add them to the tomato mixture oil and all. In a double boiler melt down both chocolate bars then add them to the tomato mixture as well. Finally add the spice hunter curry powder and stir everything together. Add four chicken breasts and let the slow cooker work it's magic. Once the chicken breasts are cooked through remove them and shred them. Once shredded add them back to the mixture and stir. Serve over basmati rice.

Pork Roast with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Today was Doug Winder's Birthday party and Julie and I awoke to a sick sick little boy. Since we were assigned to bring funeral potatoes to Doug's Birthday Dinner and we were not going to be able to attend I wanted to make an entree that would balance well with Julie's potatoes. Walking through the meat department I stumbled upon a pork roast and this recipe began to form in my mind. I wanted to create a pork roast with punch and then use a roasted red pepper sauce that would play off the sweetness of the pork and the heat of chipolte.


Today's pork roast starts out with a wet rub. Wet rubs are very similar to a dry rub, however, they add an element or two that are moist and lend themselves to clinging to the protein quite well.

Before you prep anything for this meal bring your oven to broil and roast 1 red bell pepper.

Using a 1-1/4 lb lean pork loin.

Wet Rub:
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 gloves of minced
3 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chipolte powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground rosemary
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until you have a mailable paste that is mixed through. Dry off the pork loin and apply the rub liberally to all sides. Set the pork aside and let it come to room temperature. After two hours of resting preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring a large skillet to medium. Once the skillet is to temperature add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the pork loin an all sides. Don't let it burn, just ad a good sear to lock in the juices of the pork. Now add the pork loin to a dutch oven and place it into the oven. Let the pork roast for 20 minutes then drop the temp of the oven down to 190 and allow it to roast for another 40 minutes.

While the pork is roasting prepare the red pepper sauce.

Red Pepper Sauce:

In a blender add

1 orange juiced. Juice only.
8 oz. of sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1 roasted red pepper, skinned and seeds removed.

Blend.

Southwesten Corn Chowder

Today was coooold at work and soup sounded just so good. To be honest I have had corn chowder on my mind for about three days now. This is a play on your standard corn chowder with just a little added kick to it.

This corn chowder turned out amazing! It has a real comfortable, earthy flavor to it. The sweetness of the corn balances the gentle heat of the jalapeno. Texturally the soup is silken in the broth and carries a very rustic boldness with it.
Ingredients:

1 Medium sized boneless pork chop
1/4 teaspoon Moroccan coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the above 5 spices into a rub and apply to both sides of the pork chop. Set it aside and allow it to come to room temperature.

16 oz. Frozen sweet corn (Defrosted)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 cups water
1 Pint of half and half
1 Russett potato cubed with skin on
1 Jalapeno pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

Bring your oven to broil and roast the pepper until blackened. Remove the pepper from the oven and sweat it in a Ziploc baggy. Once the pepper has cooled peel the skin and core the pepper.

In your blender, cream the corn by adding the defrosted corn and 2% milk, add the jalapeno into this mix as well.

In a large dutch oven melt the butter at medium to medium high. Once the pot is to temperature sear the pork until you have a nice crust on both sides. Set the pork aside and allow it to rest. Reduce temperature to a gentle boil. Add water to the pot to deglaze the pork and butter; this will bring more flavor to the soup. Cube the pork.

At this point add the pork, potato, black beans and creamed corn to the water and bring it back to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are tender add the cream and bring it to temperature but do not let it boil stirring constantly. Add a dash of coriander, cumin and then salt and pepper to taste.

Why a food blog.

One of the few things that people know about me is my passion for cooking. For me it is more than just a hobby, it has become a borderline obsession. Growing up I was a very picky eater and for a mother that is amazing in the kitchen I'm certain that I caused her all kinds of headaches trying to cook around my tastes. As I have grown I found that I have my mother's knack for making something delicious out of simple ingredients, not only that, but I never make the same dish twice. They may be close but because I never follow a recipe they always have a slightly different feel each time they are made. After I met Julie I was introduced to the "Food Network" were inspiration has come in small 30 minute segements. I found that while having a strong distaste for onions ( As well as a intestinal intolerance ) that I love the flavor and versatility of garlic and peppers. Most dishes that I make seem to relay on these two ingredients to define the flavor profile and from there I started to expand. I had always grilled meat well, however, I never truly knew the potential and the excitment that grilling and smoking meat meant. I must thank my wife Julie for giving me the go ahead to expand my knowledge in and out of the kitchen and for supporting my desire to try new things. With this food blog I hope to pass along my passion and creativity in the kitchen. My friends and family have repeatadly asked how I have made ceartin things and I think this format will give me the chance to pass this on.

After that long winded introduction I am going to keep this entry short. I am going to explain one of my favorite standby marinades. This is a fusion of Asian Teryaki and Southwestern Heat that I like to use on beef, chicken, or fish. Like I said this is one of my signature go to flavors and can be switched up and tinkered with to one's liking.

Ingredients:

Soy Sauce: I prefer Kikomans but really any label works. This is the main ingredient and the amount of other ingredients has always depended on how much I am planning on making. In this case use a 10 oz bottle.
Brown Sugar: Use this to take the edge off the Soy Sauce, I have always eyeballed this and done it to taste. You want the mixture to have a slightly salty and sweet taste.
Fresh Garlic: Start with two cloves minced. You can add more if you like it strong like I do
Fresh Rosemary: One sprig should get the job done here. I rarely have fresh rosemary so I have learned to use it dry. When I do this I usually grind it to a powder in a spice grinder.
Red Pepper Flakes: These go a long way, about a quarter teaspoon is plenty. Again you can always add more later.
Jalapeno Peppers: This is one of my favorite variations, as the mix stands it is amazing, adding the pepper adds that kick to make it stand out. I fire roast my 1 jalapeno ( This can be done in your oven set to broil until the skin is blackened on all sides ) then place the pepper in the bag to sweat the skin loose. Peel the skin off and slice the pepper length wise. Scrap the core out and remove the seeds. In this mix I dice the jalapeno very fine and add it to the mix.

Stir all ingredients in a mixing bowl. You can use this sauce to marinade over night if you are doing a big roast, pour it over fish if you want to add a quick flavor, or marinade chicken for four hours then grill it. As I said this is a quick go to marinade that produces amazing flavor with a little heat. If anyone out there reads this and tries out the recipe let me know how it turns out.
Fresh Ground Pepper: To taste.