Pork tenderloins are so easy to cook and they cook very quickly, as well. So I often turn to pork tenderloin when I don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. The key to cooking this cut of meat is to not overcook it. Tenderloins can get dry and tough very quickly, so pay close attention to the temperature of the meat as it cooks. You could serve this pork with salsa or … [Read more...]
No-Cook Restaurant Style Salsa Recipe
I love chips and salsa. However, I’ve yet to find store bought salsa that is anywhere near as good as that which most Mexican restaurants serve. Well, here is a salsa recipe that I really like for making restaurant style salsa without having to cook anything at all! Ingredients: 1 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice 1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with green … [Read more...]
Authentic Genovese-Style Pesto
Pesto originated in the Liguria region of northwest Italy, which is home to what is called the Italian Riviera. To make authentic Genovese pesto (Genoa is Liguria’s capitol), you should try to seek out Pecorino Fiore Sardo - a hard-to-find sheep’s milk cheese that is critical to making real Ligurian pesto. It is available here in Utah at Caputor’s Market. Traditionally, … [Read more...]
Grilled July 4th Fireworks Chicken
Got plans to fire up the grill on the Fourth of July? One of my favorite grilling recipes is butterflied, marinated, grilled chicken. It's a real crowd-pleaser. This recipe calls for a marinade of lemon, garlic, shallots and herbs. It's really versatile, and you could easily substitute other herbs (such as thyme, tarragon, etc.) for the rosemary suggested here. You could also … [Read more...]
Vindaloo-Spiced Grilled Steak
My favorite type of Indian curry is called vindaloo. It’s a spicy curry popular in Goa, Kerala, and elsewhere in India. What makes vindaloo different from most Indian curries is its tanginess which comes from vinegar. In this recipe based on one from Food & Wine, we make a vindaloo-style paste to marinade our meat and then cook it on a hot grill. Ingredients: 8 … [Read more...]
Risotto with Taleggio Cheese
This is one of my favorite risotto recipes. It’s rich and creamy, made with Taleggio cheese - a semi-soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from Italy named after the alpine valley in the Lombardy region called Val Taleggio. It melts well, which makes it perfect for risotto. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter 1 shallot, peeled and minced 12 oz. arborio or carnaroli rice ½ … [Read more...]
Chinese-Style Rice Cakes with Pork
I really love the rice cakes that are so popular in China and Korea, in part because they are neutral in flavor which makes them extremely versatile. Most are also gluten-free. Rice cakes are thick, sticky, chewy pasta-type morsels that usually come in oval medallions (like the ones here) or shaped into thick cylinders. I use pork in this rice cake stir-fry dish, but you could … [Read more...]
Roast Pork Pernil Asado
One of my favorite recipes - especially if I’m cooking for a crowd - is roasted pork shoulder called pernil. It’s a classic Puerto Rican dish and it is also popular in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other Carribean and Latin American countries. Pernil is usually made using pork shoulder. This recipe is based on the one used for pernil asado at Chef Jose Enrique’s namesake … [Read more...]
Baby Back Ribs with Whiskey BBQ Sauce
If you're grilling for Memorial Day, but don't want to spend the entire holiday over a hot fire, here's a great recipe for pork baby back ribs. The ribs are cooked first in the oven and then finished off on the grill (or under a broiler). Don't be deterred by the number of sauce ingredients. It's really quite simple to make once you have all of your ingredients lined up and … [Read more...]
Chinese-style Chicken & Asparagus
Here is a healthy and light springtime stir-fry dish that I really love. It cooks very quickly, so make sure you have everything prepped and ready before you turn on the stove. This recipe is based on one from The Woks of Life. Ingredients: 12 ounces chicken breast (thinly sliced) 1 Tbsp water 1 tsp cornstarch 1 tsp oil (any neutral oil, such as vegetable or … [Read more...]