Category Archives: Dude Food Dishes

BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Smoked Gruyere and Sharp Cheddar

2 Replies

grilled cheese

Here it is, folks.  The sandwich that SHOULD have won the Great Grilled Cheese competition at Paris on Ponce this weekend.  I put in my best effort.  I slow cooked 3 massive pork butts all night.  I was slinging sandwiches like the Pied Piper of Pork…for an hour.  And then, I ran out.  OF EVERYTHING.  Like, 17 pounds of pulled pork was ‘hasta la vista, baby.’  How did it happen?  The crowds gobbled it up and kept coming back for more.  More, which I simply didn’t have.  I also ran out of of the Mac and Cheese that I piled onto people’s sandwiches for added tasty effect.  (I doctored Bobby Flay’s recipe here with a little more cheese and pancetta.)  I was totally wiped out of all delish.  Doneski.  I had to turn people away and watched as they went to my competition.  *Sob.

So there it is.  I sulked.  I stewed.  I sucked down a few cocktails.  And then I realized, it wasn’t for lack of a delicious sandwich.  I just couldn’t compete against restaurants with unlimited supplies, resources and industrial sized griddles on site.  Whatev.

So, I packed up my crockpot and pulled up my big girl panties and went home.  But this sammy is still a winner, y’all!  Enjoy– just be prepared to run out of delish– in a quickness!  Oh yeah, and the lil’ grilled cheese “duet” I had going on to start out the competition– with Nutella, cream cheese and Graham cracker crumbs?  That recipe is on tap for tomorrow.

A HUGE thank you to Alon’s Bakery for providing the incredible country white bread and to The Fresh Market for supplying the cheese and pork butts!

Print
Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Gruyere and Sharp Cheddar

" title="Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Gruyere and Sharp Cheddar" alt="Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Gruyere and Sharp Cheddar" />

Ingredients

    For the Mustard Moisturizer
  • • 6 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • • 6 tablespoons water
  • • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • For the Seasoning Rub
  • • 1/4 cup chili powder,
  • • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • • 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • • 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • • 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
  • • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • • 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • • About 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • • 1 cup Apple Juice
    • For the Wrapping Mixture
  • • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
  • • 1/4 cup honey
  • • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • • 1/4 cup water
    • For the BBQ Sauce
  • • 2 Tb butter
  • • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • • 1 medium sweet white onion coarsely chopped
  • • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional as needed
  • • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
  • • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, plus additional for seasoning
  • • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, plus additional for seasoning
  • • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • • 2 cups water
  • • 2 cups ketchup
  • • 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce or your fave bottled sauce
  • • 1/2 cup molasses
  • • 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
  • • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus additional as needed
  • • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • • 1 jalapeno chile, grated on a Microplane grater, stopping before the seeds
  • • 1/2 Granny Smith apple, grated on a Microplane grater
    • For the Caramelized Onions
  • • 2 red onions sliced into rings
  • • 3 Tb butter
  • • pinch of kosher salt
  • • 1/4 cup red wine
    • For the sandwich
  • • Country white bread
  • • equal parts butter and mayo mixed together with a sprinkle of garlic powder
  • • smoked gruyere cheese
  • • sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

    For the pork
  1. Lightly pat the pork butt dry with paper towels.
  2. Combine all of the mustard moisturizer ingredients.
  3. Combine all of the seasoning rub ingredients.
  4. Spread the moisturizer on the pork and then sprinkle liberally with the seasoning blend, and using your hands or a brush, blot all sides to evenly, but lightly coat with canola oil.
  5. Preheat oven to 250. Pour 1 cup apple juice at bottom of a large pan and place the butt in the pan, covered with foil. Baste with apple juice every hour for 3 hours.
  6. Pour Wrapping mixture over pork and continue to cook (foil covered) for another 3-4 hours.)
  7. While pork is cooking make BBQ sauce. Saute onions and garlic in butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low until combined.
  8. Shred meat with a fork and put the BBQ sauce on the side for people to mix. (Some people are purists and don’t like their pork drenched in sauce!)
    9. For the caramelized onions
  9. Slice onions into thin rings
  10. Heat up 3 TB butter in a large sauce pan and add onions.
  11. Cook for 30 minutes on low/medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  12. Add 1/4 cup red wine (any kind will work!) and crank up the heat until onions are simmering, about 5 minutes.
  13. Turn heat back down and cook wine off for another 20 minutes.
    14. To assemble the sandwich
  14. Spread the butter/mayo/garlic powder mixture on the bread
  15. Heat up a frying pan,
  16. Layer smoked gruyere and sharp chedddar on the sandwich with a layer of caramelized onions and a big honkin' scoop of the pulled pork smothered in BBQ sauce.
  17. Cook until bread is nicely browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until cheese is melted.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/bbq-pulled-pork-grilled-cheese-sandwich-with-caramelized-onions-smoked-gruyere-and-sharp-cheddar/

Video: Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad

Leave a reply

bacon bowlBacon bowls?  Wha-what??  Oh yes, lovelies.  This is my idea of low carb perfection!  And you don’t need anything fancy to make them– just some bacon, tinfoil and a muffin tin.  The caeser salad is absolutely fabulous—  extra garlicky by design, but if you don’t want the kick, you can just cut down a bit on the garlic.  This is major delish– and major WOW factor if you’re serving dinner to guests.  Edible bacon bowls stuffed with caeser?  You’re welcome.

Print
Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad

" title="Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad" alt="Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad" />

Ingredients

    For the bacon bowls
  • 3 slices of bacon for each bacon bowl
  • Muffin tins
    • For the Caeser salad
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 anchovy filets
  • 4 garlic cloves (if you don’t want it this garlicky, reduce to 2 garlic cloves)
  • 1 Tb Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tb water
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan (plus a little extra to top on salad)
  • Fresh grated pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Romaine lettuce

Instructions

    For the bacon bowls
  1. Take large muffin tins, turn upside down and coat with tin foil.
  2. Cut one slice of bacon in half and lay over first muffin cup. Put the second half over the first half so it forms an "X".
  3. Repeat with another slice of bacon cut in half so you have covered the outside of the muffin cup with a "bacon star."
  4. Wrap a third piece of bacon around the outside of the muffin cup.
  5. Repeat with more bacon for additional bacon bowls.
  6. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes (watch to see if they are getting crispy.)
  7. Take out of oven, slip bacon bowls off muffin cups and place INSIDE muffin tins. Bake for another 5 minutes to crisp up the inside of the bacon bowls.
    8. For the Caeser salad
  8. In food processor, blend egg yolks, anchovies, mustard, water, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. While food processor is on, add 1/2 cup olive oil to emulsify.
  9. Toss dressing with romaine and add cracked pepper and extra parmesan.
  10. Fill bacon bowls with caeser salad.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/video-low-carb-bacon-bowls-stuffed-with-caeser-salad/

Brats, Apples and Taters in a Creamy Mustard Sauce

Leave a reply

Brats in sauce

I love Brats!  (As long as kids aren’t involved!)  This is a super low maintenance meal that is ultra-budget friendly!  I’m putting together a week of “budget meals” and this is one– more on how much it all costs next week when I add up my grocery tally….

And, I love when I don’t have to cook extra veggies— it’s all thrown in together and tastes fabulous.  I decided to add the creamy mustard sauce because everything looked a little dry without some saucy-sauce.  The hint of sweet with the savory mustard and the sour of the sauerkraut was THE BOMB.  Initially, when I served it to JP, he said, “Um, honey, there’s nothing I hate more than sauerkraut….”  MMMMK.

Well, he ended up licking his plate and going back for seconds.  And thirds.

Winner, winner, Brats for dinner!

Print
Brats, Apples and Taters in a Creamy Mustard Sauce

" title="Brats, Apples and Taters in a Creamy Mustard Sauce" alt="Brats, Apples and Taters in a Creamy Mustard Sauce" />

Ingredients

  • 1 Tb canola oil
  • pinch of kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 Tb butter
  • 4 Bratwurst cut into quarters and split open
  • 1 medium onion cut into rings
  • 1 red bell pepper cut into thin slices
  • 1 cup sauerkraut
  • 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and sliced
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tb dijon mustard
  • 1 Tb honey
  • 1 Idaho baking potato peeled and diced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Drizzle oil on potato pieces and put in oven to roast for 15 minutes. Flip over and roast another 15 minutes.
  3. While potatoes are roasting, saute Bratwurst, red pepper slices, apple slices and onion rings in butter until onion is soft and starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add chicken stock, cream, mustard and honey to combine.
  5. Add sauerkraut.
  6. Stir sauce to thicken and until Brats are cooked through, another 10 minutes or so.
  7. Serve over roasted potatoes.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/brats-apples-and-taters-in-a-creamy-mustard-sauce/

 

 

 

Chicken and White Bean Yum Yum Over Corn Bread

Leave a reply

chx bean gravyTurn Chicken salad into Chicken WHAT???

Yup.  The delish started out as this…Scrumptious chicken salad with fresh cherries and toasted almonds….It’s very similar to my turkey cranberry salad-– just use chicken instead of turkey (I dice up rotisserie chicken to cut down on cooking time) and instead of cranberry, toss in some fresh chopped cherries and almonds.  Divine.

chicken salad croissants

But who wants to eat chicken salad for leftovers….AGAIN?  Not this girl.  And since chicken salad does not freeze well, I wanted to turn it into a hot meal that’s a stick to yer ribs kinda dinner for my man.

So, I whipped up what is, in essence, a chicken pot pie filling that’s spooned over my homemade jalapeño cornbread.   The addition of cannellini beans really adds to the body of the sauce– making it really rich and hearty.  I would also serve this over Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells-— they’re fabulous for a savory chicken pot pie type dish!

Super easy.  Soooo delish.

Print
Chicken and White Bean Yum Yum Over Corn Bread

" title="Chicken and White Bean Yum Yum Over Corn Bread" alt="Chicken and White Bean Yum Yum Over Corn Bread" />

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cups leftover chicken salad
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 4 Tb butter
  • 5 Tb all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 can cannellini beans drained
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in large sauce pan and add diced onion.
  2. Saute on medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add in flour and stir until combined with butter and becomes like a thick paste.
  4. Add chicken stock and stir until sauce thickens on medium heat.
  5. Once consistency is like a thick gravy, add buttermilk. (You can use heavy cream if you don't have buttermilk on hand) If you don't want sauce as thick, add more chicken stock until you get the desired consistency.
  6. Add chicken salad and drained beans. Stir to combine.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Spoon over cornbread.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/chicken-and-white-bean-yum-yum-over-corn-bread/

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Leave a reply

chimiI could eat steak every. single. day.  It’s one of the best parts of living la vida low carb!  That said, I get into the rut of serving steak with mushrooms and onions all the time instead of branching into new flavor territory.  Chimichurri is a classic Argentinian green sauce made with fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil for grilled meat.  All you need is a food processor– toss the ingredients in and blend till smooth.  It’s a great topper for burgers, an awesome marinade for chicken– I even spoon some onto my omelets if there’s some leftover from the night before.

We’ve been striking out on good cuts of steak lately– this skirt steak was cooked to perfection, but still ended up being a little chewy and stringy.  The sauce made it palatable!  Make it ahead and it will keep in the fridge for a day or two– but I think it’s best made and served fresh.

Print
Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

" title="Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce" alt="Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce" />

Ingredients

  • 1 skirt steak
  • 1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2-1 tsp of dried crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Cook steak to desired temperature.
  2. Put the rest of ingredients into the food processor and blend till smooth.
  3. Top onto steak.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/06/skirt-steak-with-chimichurri-sauce/

 

El Calzone

Leave a reply

calzoneThis is the first time I’ve cooked since I went home to DC last weekend– it’s been one of those “just make scrambled eggs for dinner” kinda weeks.  I admit– I’ve been sorta uninspired.  Yup– it’s an official Parker Cooking Slump.  *GASP!

So, when I went to the grocery store last night, I wanted to put together something easy and try to be as creative as I could with what I already had in the fridge (one single pie crust and some leftover creamed corn).

I normally make my own taco seasoning, but I grabbed a packet of McCormick’s taco seasoning, a pound of ground beef, some jalapenos, cilantro and cheese.  Initially I was going to make a Taco Pie, but my pie plate was nowhere to be found!  *Lightbulb moment:  A Taco Calzone….or as my friend Jon Nelson declared, “EL CALZONE!”

another cal

Print
El Calzone

" title="El Calzone" alt="El Calzone" />

Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 Tb butter
  • 1-2 jalapenos chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup roasted or creamed corn
  • 2 Tb cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
  • cilantro for garnish
  • 1 Pillsbury pie shell
  • egg wash

Instructions

  1. Saute the onion and jalapenos in butter on medium heat till soft-- about 5 minutes. Add ground beef or turkey and saute until browned. Drain.
  2. Put meat and onion/jalapeno mixture back in pan and add taco seasoning with 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and turn down heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add corn and cream cheese and let cream cheese melt and absorb into the meat mixture. Top with cilantro and take off heat.
  4. Preheat oven to 375.
  5. Unwrap the pie crust and lay it flat on a rimmed baking sheet.
  6. Pour meat mixture into one side of pie crust and fold crust over in a half moon shape. Seal the edges and press down with the tines of a fork.
  7. Brush crust with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes until pie shell is browned.
  8. Serve with a side of salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/05/el-calzone/

 

Creamy Crab Fettuccine with Lemon Garlic Gremolata

Leave a reply

pastaI post so many low carb recipes now that I literally feel like I have to apologize when I create anything “carby” and “gluteny” LOL!  This is one of the recipes where I admit, I don’t eat the pasta, just the sauce.  You could make this low carb and gluten free by subbing out zucchini noodles and either omitting the bread crumbs for the gremolata, or using gluten free breadcrumbs.

If you are looking to indulge, the crunchy, lemony gremolata is the perfect addition to a decadent pasta dish.

Print
Creamy Crab Fettuccine with Lemon Garlic Gremolata

" title="Creamy Crab Fettuccine with Lemon Garlic Gremolata" alt="Creamy Crab Fettuccine with Lemon Garlic Gremolata" />

Ingredients

    For creamy crab fettuccine
  • 2 Tb butter
  • 4 garlic cloves diced
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups cheese (1 cup monterey jack, 1 cup parmesan)
  • 8 oz fresh lump crab meat
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
  • pack of fettuccine noodles
  • salt and pepper to taste
    • For the lemon garlic gremolata
  • 4 Tb butter
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 2 Tb lemon zest
  • 1 Tb lemon juice
  • 1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs (or your favorite gluten free breadcrumbs)

Instructions

    For the Creamy Crab Fettuccine
  1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions for "al dente" *Make sure you adequately salt pasta water! (Once pasta is cooked, save 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce) Drain pasta and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat, add diced garlic cloves.
  3. Add brandy, sherry, heavy cream, paprika, cayenne, crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup pasta water and crab.
  4. Bring to a simmer and add cheese.
  5. Let sauce thicken, stirring occasionally.
    6. For the lemon garlic gremolata
  6. Saute chopped garlic cloves in butter on medium heat in a saucepan.
  7. Add lemon juice and lemon zest.
  8. Add panko and stir to combine.
  9. Combine fettuccine with sauce and top with gremolata.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/05/creamy-crab-fettuccine-with-lemon-garlic-gremolata/

 

Hoisin Glazed Short Ribs

2 Replies

unnamedShort ribs have emerged as a star of shows like Top Chef and Master Chef, primarily because they are a cheap cut of meat that when slow cooked in decadent sauces– turn into fall-off-the-bone-delish.  Poor man’s steak becomes a rich man’s delicacy.

I have made this recipe for many dinner parties– including one this weekend, where the host declared them the “best short ribs” he’d ever eaten in his entire life.  I’ll take it!  And now, you have a recipe for the best short ribs YOU’LL ever eat.  Your welcome!

ribs and oranges

Print
Hoisin Glazed Short Ribs

" title="Hoisin Glazed Short Ribs" alt="Hoisin Glazed Short Ribs" />

Ingredients

    For the short ribs
  • 2-3 pounds of short ribs (about 10 ribs)
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 5 Tb vegetable oil
  • 6 garlic cloves unpeeled
  • 1 whole jalapeno
  • 2 large sweet onions peeled and quartered
  • 12 ounces beer (not light-- something like Bass or an amber beer)
  • 2-3 cups beef stock
  • 3 Tb rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tb molasses
  • 3 Tb Thai chili sauce
  • 1 Tb soy sauce
  • 1 cup hoisin sauce (plus an entire bottle of hoisin for the glaze)
  • 1 Tb brown sugar
  • 2 Tb fresh ginger (or fresh from the Gourmet Gardens tube)
  • Chopped scallions and sliced orange for garnish
    • For the glaze
  • 1 jar of hoisin sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 Tb butter
  • Juice from ½ an orange
  • Orange zest from ½ an orange.

Instructions

    For the short ribs
  1. Pat the ribs with paper towel to dry them off. Season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot with a lid over high heat. Brown the ribs on both sides, in batches, about 3 minutes per side. (Don't crowd them or they won't brown evenly) . Remove the ribs and pour off all but a couple tablespoons of the rendered fat.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Put unpeeled garlic cloves, quartered onion and jalapeno on a baking pan with olive oil. Drizzle more oil on top of the garlic, onion and jalapeno and sprinkle sea salt on all of them. Roast in oven for 10 minutes-- turn over and roast for another 10-15 minutes. When you take out of oven, garlic cloves should be soft and slip out of the peel with a little squeeze. Smash the garlic cloves and add them with the onion and jalapeno (no need to de-seed) to the pot.
  3. Put ribs back in the pot. Add all of the other ingredients. Stir to combine-- and bring to a boil. (If ribs are not covered in the liquid, add a bit more beef broth.)
  4. Lower heat to "low", cover and simmer for 3 hours covered. Make sure to flip ribs over midway through cooking time so they are equally submerged in the liquid and cook evenly.
    5. For the glaze
  5. Saute chopped garlic cloves in butter on medium heat in a saucepan. Add entire bottle of hoisin sauce, juice from ½ an orange and the zest from ½ an orange. Stir until combined and warmed.
  6. After the ribs have simmered for 3 hours, remove from the pot and put on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush glaze on ribs and broil for one minute to caramelize the sauce.
  7. Garnish with scallions and sliced oranges.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/03/hoisin-glazed-short-ribs/

 

 

Low Carb Venison and Shiitake Mushroom Chili

Leave a reply

chili cookingSpeaking as, ahem, the winner of several chili cook-offs, the most recent one at my TV station a couple weeks back, I’m pretty confident in my Chocolate Chipotle Chili recipe.  It beat out my co-worker’s venison chili, which got me thinking about deer meat.  I’ve actually never cooked with venison before.  It brings me back to memories of eating at my boyfriend’s house in high school.  His Dad was an avid hunter and made absolutely delicious venison steaks– they were never tough or gamey.  When my friend offered up a couple pounds of ground venison, I was stoked. “Thanks, dear!” Or rather, “Thanks, DEER!”

I mixed in some spicy sausage and made the main veggie shiitake mushrooms which lent a really nice earthiness to the overall body of the chili.  I usually add a touch of sweet to my chili to offset the acidic tomato element— instead of brown sugar, I just added 2 Tb of Grade B Maple syrup.  It was subtle and just the right amount.  Try it.  You’ll love it.  And technically, it’s still low carb, since there isn’t a bean in sight!  Can’t wait to enter this recipe into my next chili competition!!

chili bowl 2Try serving it with my equally delicious jalapeño cornbread.

Print
Venison and Shiitake Mushroom Chili

" title="Venison and Shiitake Mushroom Chili" alt="Venison and Shiitake Mushroom Chili" />

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground venison
  • 1 package spicy Jimmy Dean sausage
  • 2 Tb butter
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic diced
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms (stems removed) and sliced
  • 1 box small portabello or white mushrooms diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 poblano pepper diced
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 can rotel tomatoes
  • 1 Tb paprika
  • 1 Tb cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 6oz can of tomato paste
  • 2 Tb cilantro
  • 1 Tb black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (more to taste)
  • 1 Tb garlic powder
  • 1 Tb onion powder
  • 2 Tb Grade B maple syrup
  • 1 Tb Srirachi rooster sauce
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 12oz bottle of amber beer

Instructions

  1. In a large frying pan, brown ground venison on medium heat in 2 Tb butter until cooked through. Put into a large stock pot or dutch oven and set aside. (I brown everything separately and then simmer it all together).
  2. Brown sausage and combine with venison (do not drain fat from sausage-- pour it all into that big saucepan.
  3. In the same frying pan you browned the meat (don't wash it out), saute onion, garlic, red bell pepper and poblano until soft, about10 minutes. Put the veggies with the sausage and venison.
  4. Brown shiitakes and portabellos together (you may need to add a touch more of butter) until the water is cooked out of them-- about 10 minutes. Add to the big chili pot!
  5. Now add all the other ingredients!
  6. Stir together and simmer for 2-3 hours.
  7. Garnish with chives and your favorite shredded cheese
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/03/venison-and-shiitake-mushroom-chili/

 

 

Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Olives and Pancetta

2 Replies

chicken thighs instagramI used to be a white meat girl.  And over the many years that I dieted on and off, I began to dread the “steamed/baked/no skin/boneless chicken breast” that every damn starve yourself skinny low calorie/drop weight quick plan calls for.  Well, woman cannot live on white meat alone.  Especially on a low carb/high fat lifestyle.  Bring on the dark meat, baby!  Haaaaaaay!

There’s so much more flavor and, well, fat, in dark meat.  I know some of y’all can’t bear the thought of chewing around the bone, but the most flavorful cuts are the bone in, skin on variety.  When you saute these bad boys in butter, the skin gets a gorgeous golden color and stays decadently crispy.  I added pancetta to this dish to get a little fancy, but you can just snip some pieces of bacon in for the same effect.

This is one recipe that demands a cast iron skillet or one of those ceramic casserole dishes (pictured below).  Remember, the key to browning chicken beautifully is to DRY IT OFF WITH PAPER TOWELS. AND YES, I’M YELLING THIS!!!  When you take chicken out of the package, it’s gonna be wet and will not brown evenly if you toss it in the pan like that.  Dry those thighs off, GURL.  My go-to combo for browning meat is a 2/1 ratio of butter to oil.  You can use salted or unsalted butter and your favorite oil– I usually do olive or a canola blend.  Once the butter is bubbly on med/high heat, put the thighs in skin side down and then don’t touch them for 10 whole minutes.  I add garlic and bay leaves for extra flavor in the pan.  Then, flip over after 10 minutes, leave them for another 10, then flip over one more time. So, a total of 30 minutes.  Then, add in about 1/4 cup of white wine or dry sherry, crank up the heat, and let the wine cook off for 5 minutes.  Boom.  You’re done.

in pan

Note to self:  Get olives WITHOUT the pits next time!  And as someone who normally hates leftovers, this dish keeps well through the next day.  Just pop it in the oven at 400 to warm it up for about 10 minutes and it’ll ‘re-crisp’ right up.  Nuking it– not so much.  That formerly crispy skin will get soggy and meh.

Mediterranean chicken thighs— OLIVE you.

chicken thighs olives

Print
Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Olives and Pancetta

" title="Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Olives and Pancetta" alt="Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Olives and Pancetta" />

Ingredients

  • 1 package of skin on/bone in chicken thighs
  • kosher salt
  • 2 Tb butter
  • 1 Tb oil (I like olive or a canola blend)
  • 4 whole garlic cloves
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 cup olives (combo of pitted green and kalamata)
  • 1/4 cup white wine or dry sherry
  • 4 slices of pancetta or bacon snipped in little pieces

Instructions

  1. Dry off chicken thighs with paper towels. Season both sides of the thighs with kosher salt.
  2. Heat up butter and oil in a cast iron or ceramic casserole on medium high heat.
  3. When butter is bubbly, put thighs in skin side down.
  4. Add whole garlic cloves and bay leaves.
  5. Chicken will need a total of 30 minutes to cook-- 10 minutes per side. So, set timer for 10 minutes. Flip chicken. Set timer for another 10 minutes. Flip chicken.
  6. After chicken has been cooking for 20 minutes, flip chicken again and add pancetta/bacon and whole (pitted) olives. Set timer for last 10 minutes.
  7. *Note- turn garlic cloves and bay leaves over when you flip chicken so they don't burn.
  8. After thighs have cooked a total of 30 minutes, add 1/4 cup of wine/sherry to pan and crank up heat to high. Cook down the wine for 5 minutes and take chicken and olives out of pan to serve.
  9. The buttery goodness at the bottom of the pan can be served on top of the chicken if you'd like more buttery goodness, otherwise, just serve as is!
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/03/mediterranean-chicken-thighs-with-olives-and-pancetta/