Pork Ragu

This is a recipe that I got from Carolyn Rawie when Jud retired from pastoring Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio. He had been there 13 years so people gave us 13 of something. I forgot to buy canned tomatoes, so I used 2 fresh tomatoes that I had. Turned out great. Loved the papparadelle noodles.  I had to really look, but I finally found them in the special pastas. You are right, Chet, I will never use egg noodles again.


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/pork-ragu

Ingredients:
3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, quartered - H.E.B. didn't have pork shoulder that day so the meat guy talked me in to pork butt. I think it is more expensive, but it was really good.
1 cup all-purpose flour for dusting
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup diced pancetta
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4 " dice
1 fennel bulb, cut into slices
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 can 28 oz. diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons tomato past
3 tablespoons kitchen bouquet
1 cup red win and 1 cup chicken broth
3/4 pound papparadelle, cooked al-dente-I just cooked enough for one sitting for Jud and me. I will cook more when we have it for left-overs.

Jud is buying hogie rolls today and plan to have the pork ragu over hogie rolls for lunch or dinner one day this week.
Directions:
Season pork with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off excess. Actually, I didn't dredge my pork in flour. Though I would save a few calories.  Heat olive oil in a large pot and brown the meat on each side.  Transfer to crock pot. Brown the pancetta 3-5 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and fennel; cook 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Transfer to crock pot.

Cook mushrooms 15 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes, kitchen bouquet, tomato paste, wine and broth to skittle. Bring to a simmer. Put everything except pasta into the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.  I put it on in the morning before we took the grandchildren to the stock show so I cooked it on low for 9 hours.

Carolyn says to cook the pasta to al-dente and then fold it in to the pasta.
I cooked the pasta to al-dente and then put some on my plate and topped it with the pork ragu. Didn't want to risk the pasta being over cooked when I warned it the second time.

Chocolate Griddle Cakes

I went to a lot of trouble to make these chocolate griddle cakes, and neither grandson wanted them.  Too bad I had to eat mine and theirs.  There is a chocolate sauce that I didn't make that I will give you the recipe for, but personally, I am glad I didn't go to the extra trouble since it wasn't appreciated. Hope your valentine loves them more than mine.





Ingredients:
1/2 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 whole large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Directions:
1. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, then whisk in eggs, yolk, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until combined well.
2. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over moderately low heat and lightly coat with butter.
3. Working in batches of 2-3, pour 1/4 cup batter per cake onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles appear and surface, 1-2 minutes. Flip cakes with a large spatula; cook until tops spring back when pressed gently, about 1 minute more.
4. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to griddle between batches.
Chocolate Sauce:
Bring 1 cup heavy cream to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Pour over 7 oz. bittersweet chocolate in a bowl. Whisk uintil smooth. Keep warm or at room temperature. 
5. Decorate with fruit such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and drizzle with chocolate sauce.  Yum!

Mustard-Roasted Fish & Pear, Goat Cheese Salad

 

Instead of using red snapper, I used orange-ruffy. It was really good.  The sauce was good enough to put on cardboard and eat. I will probably use it with pork tenderloin as well. The fish recipe came from Barefoot Contessa, and the Pear Salad came from Carolyn Rawie and South Beach Cookbook.
Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/mustard-roasted-fish
Mustard-Roasted Fish
Ingredients:
4 (8oz) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. creme fraiche
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  If you use orange-ruffy as I did, there will not be a skin-side.

Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it' done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.
Note:  I halved the recipe.
Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/pear-goat-cheese-salad

Pear, Goat Cheese Salad
1/3 cup walnuts
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cups green leaf lettuce
1/2 Bosc pear, cored and sliced thinly
3 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper
Heat oven to 275 degrees. Spread walnuts on a baking tray and bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Roughly chop nuts.

Place oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jar with a lid. Close tightly and shake vigorously to combine.

Place lettuce and pear slices in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add dressing and toss. Divide among plates, sprinkle cheese and nuts on top and serve.

Shepherd's Bread

When we were in Oregon for a month we found some shepherd's bread at Trader Joe's.  Being from Texas, we had never heard of Trader Joe's, but in the Pacific N.W. it is well known.  They had this amazing bread called shepherd's bread. When I came back to Texas, I couldn't find it at H.E.B. so I did what any Texas girl would do; I looked up a recipe and tried it.  It was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.  I still think I like Trader Joe's bread was better, but this is a great substitute.  Can't wait for this Summer when I will be back in Oregon and can go back to Trader Joe's.  Recipe comes from cooks.com
Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/shepherd-s-bread

Sponge:
1 cake or package of yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
4 cups flour (use a blend of flours, if preferred)
2 tablespoons malk or honey (I used honey)
Dissolve yeast in water slowly, throughly blend in the flour and malt or honey. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for approximately 4 hours.
Dough:
1 cake or package of yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons malk or honey
3-4 cups flour
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Blend in the salt, malt or honey and flour. Blend well. Throughly incorporate with the sponge until pliable and smooth. Dough will pull away from bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured board and kneed for 3-5 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape into one long or one round loaf, cut a cross in center, and place on a corn meal sprinkled baking tin. Cover and let rise until almost doubled. Then place a pan of boiling water on the floor of the oven, place bread in oven, set temperature for 400 degrees, and bake the bread for 45 minutes or until golden brown and done.

Brush with egg white glaze before and after baking. Do not preheat the oven.

Egg, Ham, and Spinach Pizza

Jud and I had a pizza similar to this recipe at Ciao Lavanderia in San Antonio. It is owned by the daughter and son-in-law of my good friend Debby Bussey.  I found this recipe while looking through Ellie Krieger's cookbook "So Easy"  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for pizza dough.  The pizza recipe calls for a store-bought pizza crust, but this is easy and really good, so I make it myself.  Pizza Dough recipe will follow.  


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/egg-ham-and-spinach-pizza
Ingredients:
1 store-bought pizza crust
4 crups baby spinach leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto,  I used prosciutto that was pre-chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Scatter the spinach all over the crust and drizzle with the oil. Evenly distribute the prosciutto, parmesan, and garlic on top of the spinach.  Since I used the pre-sliced prosciutto, I decided to pre-cook it a little to render the fat and add the garlic and about 1/2 cup of onions to the pot. Make 4-5 wells in the spinach topping, spacing them so there is 1 well on each quarter of the pizza. Crack 1 egg into each well. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the egg whites are fully cooked. Cut into large slices.  I made my pizza on a cookie sheet so I used 5 eggs in my recipe.

Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 quarter-ounce package active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl and parchment paper.
Pour 1 cup warm water into a small bowl. Add sugar, and sprinkle in the yeast. Using a fork, stir the mixture until the yeast is dissolved and the water has turned tan. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine 2 3/4 cups flour and the salt. Pulse 3-4 times. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Pulse until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until the dough is smooth, not tacky, when squeezed. Transfer to a clean work surface, knead flour 4-5 turns and shape into a ball.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, smooth sides up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Remove the plastic wrap and place your fist in the center of the dough to punch down. Fold the dough back onto itself 4-5 times.

Roll out the dough and place on a large cookie sheet. You will pull and punch down in order to make it fit into the sheet.  Make indentions with your fingers into the dough and sprinkle with olive oil and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt all over the dough. Let sit about 30 min. to 1 hour and then fill how you desire.

Sweet and Spicy Short Rib Tacos

 I made these tacos and Paula Deen's corney slaw and it was worth making again. You won't be disappointed. Jud said this is his favorite taco so I will definitely be making them again. The slaw recipe will follow. The tacos are from Marcela Valladolid of Foodnetwork.

Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/sweet-and-spicy-short-rib-tacos

Ingredients:

4 dried ancho chilies, steemed, seeded, and ribs discarded

1 medium onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

6 pounds beef short ribs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Warm corn tortillas

Mexican crema or sour cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

slices of avocado for garnish- optional

I used the crema recipe that I use for my fish tacos. I think if you type in fish tacos at the top of this page you will find the recipe.

Directions:

Soak the ancho chilies in boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the liquid. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender or food processor. Add the onion, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Puree until smooth.  I only used about 2 pounds of beef short ribs so I divided the recipe by 3. Next time I will divide it in 1/2 because I think it could have used a little more liquid. 

Pat ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned ribs to a slow cooker.

Pour the sauce over the ribs (liquid should reach about 1/2 way up the sides of the meat.

Cover and cook 7 hours on high until very tender. Allow the ribs to cool slightly in the sauce.

Remove the ribs from the sauce. Discard the bones and shred the meat into a large bowl. Skim the fat from the surface and discard. Mix the sauce into the meat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Spoon the meat and sauce into warm corn tortillas and serve with Mexican crema and chopped fresh cilantro. My crema recipe has cilantro in it so I did not add extra. We did add some avocado on top even though the recipe doesn't call for it.

These ribs can also be cooked in a 350 degree F oven for 3 1/2 hours.

Corny Coleslaw

1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

I used a pre-package of cabbage and carrots

1 onion, chopped -I used green onions

1 (15.25 oz can niblet corn, drained

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin\1 teaspoon house seasoning, recipe follows

1 lime, juiced

3/4 cup mayonnaise

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, onions, and corn.

In a small bowl combine sugar, cumin, house seasoning, lime juice and mayonnaise. Pour over slaw mix and gently combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

*Cooks note: You may not need to use all of the dressing.  I used a large package of the slaw mix and needed all of the dressing and thought it could have used more. Next time, I will use the small package of slaw mix.

Cheescake Factory Crab Cakes

I found a copy-cat recipe book that has loads of recipes from chain restaurants.  The crab cake recipe is one that I thought would be nice and easy.  The cheese grits recipe will follow  I poured the left-over grits in a small square baking dish. Tomorrow it will be hard and I can cut it in squares and fry it up in butter.  I think that recipe came from Ellie Kreiger of Food Network.  You don't have to bake it like my other recipe.


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/cheesecake-factory-crab-cakes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
1/2 beaten egg
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
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1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
vegetable oil
Measure all the ingredients for the crab cakes except the panko and vegetable oil into a large bowlo. Use a spatula to carefully fold the ingredients together. Avoid over-stirring. 
Use your hands to make 4 crab cakes. Flatten but don't press too hard. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry them. If they chill in the refrigerator, it will help them to stay together when you fry them.
After the crab cakes have chilled through, heat up about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Fill a shallow bowl (I used a cake pan) with the panko breadcrumbs. Carefully turn the crab cakes out onto the panko crumbs covering both sides.
Test the oil by droppina a pinch of the panko into the hot oil. It should sizzle.
Saute' the crab cakes in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the cakes are golden brown. Drain on a paper towl and serve while hot.  I served mine with pinto beans and cheese grits.

Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/cheese-grits

Cheese Grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup quick-cooking grits (not instant
1 1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups aged cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup scallions
Extra cheese and scallions for garnish
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add salt. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat stirring occasionally 5-7 minutes. Add 1/2 and 1/2 and butter to grits and stir.  Mixture will seem thin, but it will thicken as it cooks. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally. Cover pot, reduce heat, and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent from scorching. Take off the heat and add cheese, scallions, and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of extra cheese and scallions.