Tired of boring, overcooked pork roast and pedestrian pork chops?  I urge you to give this recipe a shot ASAP! After an earlier failed attempt over 1 year ago, I set off again this weekend to tackle this seemingly easy crowd pleaser.  Pernil is very popular in Latin America and is typically the centerpiece of a holiday or celebratory gathering.  The prep is relatively straight forward and easy to follow. The most important ingredient is a nice pork shoulder (Paleta) or if you'd like to downsize the recipe, find a nice half pork shoulder -- a Boston butt or a fresh picnic roast are usually easy to find here in the USA.  My particular cut was approx 4.5 lbs including bone.  Make sure you find a cut with a good amount of fat/skin on one side of the roast. After scanning several recipes and cookbooks I improvised and came up with the following marinate which you need to rub into the roast and then refrigerate over night. Easy Pernil The Marinade -2 Tablespoons peanut oil or other oil -2 Tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar -2 Tablespoons honey -Juice of half an orange or lemon -Small handful of crushed chili flakes (Chili Quebrado) -Fresh rosemary or flat leaf parsley roughly chopped -4 ...

A warm Subrosacafe.com welcome to our newest contributor, Shaun K. from Marbella by way of London.  We look forward to frequent guest reviews, recipes & random ruminations from one of southern Spain's quintessential gourmands. On the northern outskirts of the City of London lies the historic Smithfield meat market.  Given it’s propensity for supplying everything and anything carnivorous from all over the world, the area is home to a number of notable eateries taking advantage of the proximity of such excellent produce.  One of the most inspiring restaurants has been there for about 15 years now and has become a modern day pilgrimage site for chefs seeking to pay homage at the feet of Fergus Henderson, the undisputed king of offal and a hearty style of long lost traditional British cooking. One of the most notable pilgrims from the US is Anthony Bourdain who says of Fergus’s signature dish of Roast Marrow Bones and Parsley salad "If I was on death row and I had to choose what would be the last thing I put in my mouth, this would be it". I can think of no endorsement that comes better ...

After your first bite all the worries and concerns about factory farms and cage free chickens melt away.  They're that good.  My portion of 8 drummettes apparently had a direct correlation to the demise of 4 hens but those are just fleeting thoughts best left cataloged in the back of the brain to worry about later during a tedious movie or just before drifting asleep on a rainy night. Cilantro & Sea Salt Grilled Drummettes Empty a packet of  chicken wing-lets or drummettes into a medium mixing bowl. Rough chop a handful of fresh cilantro and toss into the bowl. Drizzle a good glug of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl (About 2 Tablespoons). Sprinkle a copious amount of high quality sea salt into the bowl & toss until all the wings are covered with the olive oil, cilantro and sea salt. Let the drummettes sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Light your gas or charcoal grill and bring to medium heat.  Place the drummettes on the grill and cook until golden brown and sizzling.   Turn the wings at least once during this 10 minute process. Take up the wings, sprinkle with a touch more sea salt and enjoy.

Happy New Year.  These are a cinch to make and are real crowd pleasers.  They're also easy to prep ahead of time and then pop in the oven when you're ready to entertain or enjoy on your own with a cold Tecate (preferably) or a Dos Equis.  On a frosty day after New Year's on Crystal Lake, just south of  Michigan's Leelenau penninsula, some foodie friends of mine introduced me to this fantastic recipe and I was shocked how nice they turned out.    These popppers deliver a very pleasing roast jalapeno flavor without all of the grease from deep frying.  The panko crumbs crisp up nicely and add a nice crunch to the bite sized torpedoes.  The key to these poppers is a good egg wash with a dusting of flower just beforehand so that the egg wash binds and adheres to the panko bread crumb dusting.  You want a good even layer of the panko to ensure a nice crisp and crunchy coating when the poppers are ready. Baked Jalapeno Poppers 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed 6 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons milk 8 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows 1 ...

You may have read my earlier post about Plath's and the beautiful ham that was destined for this recipe.  Truth be told, nothing beats a warming home made batch of soup on a cold December day. I consulted my go to recipe book of late for a good take on bean soup and found a simple and straight forward solution.  This recipe features an important 'hot soak' method for pre-soaking dry beans.  It's recommended that if you're going to feature beans in a soup you should always start with dry beans and avoid the jarred beans in the supermarket, the flavor and heartiness of reconstituted dry beans always wins out in the end. Mark Bittman, the New York Times' food columnist known as the Minimalist, has produced some excellent cook books, I really recommend his encyclopedia like How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition), Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food ; in fact, I'll drop a link for it in the Subrosa Online Shop, pick up a copy for a loved one this holiday season.  Better yet, get on the phone and order up some of Plath's incredible bacon or a house cured ham while you're ...

The Barefoot Contessa delivered again this Thanksgiving.  After previous successful culinary endeavors featuring her recipes, I decided to give her Raspberry Cheesecake a whirl this year. Since we were celebrating in Michigan it seemed fitting to forgo raspberries and bring in some beautiful hand picked wild Michigan blueberries which proved to be a worthy substitute indeed.  These blueberries were picked in August up in picturesque Grand Marais, Michigan on the southern shore of Lake Superior.  Wild blueberries pack an insanely vibrant punch of intense blueberry flavor, a perfect compliment to the rich cheesecake. This recipe was simple to follow and execute; what would one do without a food processor and a stand mixer these days?  Well, last year I had neither of those conveniences and still managed to pull off another tasty cheesecake.  I had the graham cracker crust pre-baked and the entire cheesecake assembled and in the oven in under 30 minutes. While this cheesecake was delicious and rich, I actually found it to be slightly heavy and will start looking for a lighter version for the upcoming Christmas holiday.  All in all though, thoroughly enjoyable. Ina Garten's Raspberry Wild Michigan Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients For the crust: nocoupons 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers) 1 ...

Hey it's that time of year again, Turkey day here in Spain.  A buddy's dropping by later with a 15lb. bird and I've just popped one of my favorite autumn deserts in the oven!  Mixed feelings this year about the holiday; it's been a very rough year professionally and financially but in the true spirit of this special holiday everyone needs to shake off the blues and celebrate with family and friends. Want to try an easy and delicious cheesecake that can be prepared and put in the oven in about 30 minutes?  Just follow these directions exactly as outlined below.  Note, I used fresh butternut squash in place of the canned pumpkin; can't find that here in Spain anywhere!   Simply cut up about a half of butternut squash into two inch chunks and put on medium heat for about 30 minutes.   Add some butter and cinnamon and nutmeg to the gurgling squash for best flavor enhancements. Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Recipe (from Martha Stewart) Ingredients Serves 12. FOR THE CRUST 1 1/4 cups graham-cracker crumbs (from 10 whole crackers) 1/4 cup sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted FOR THE FILLING 4 packages (8 ounces each) bar cream cheese, very soft 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 2 tablespoons ...

Ok, another quick and easy Pork roast recipe.  Again, you'll need to find a good sized bone-in fresh ham or pork shoulder.  I recently picked one up over a lunch break and dropped it off at home and had the thing prepped up, seasoned and in the oven within 15 minutes of walking in my door. This recipe incorporates two important elements:  Slow cooking with very low heat and a Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Round French Oven with Cover. Recipe as follows: 1. Pour 2 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of your Le Creuset. 2. Place the Port Roast inside and swirl around in the olive oil to ensure a good base coating. 3. Take 4-6 carrots and slice lengthways in half and then chop into two; so that you have approximately    even sized 4 inch or so carrot pieces.  Drop the carrots along the sides of the Pork in the Le Creuset. 4. Slice a large onion into quarter pieces and place with the carrots and pork. 5. Take four or five cloves of garlic and slice in half and cut again in half.   Sprinkle in among the carrots and onions. 6. Drizzle more extra virgin olive oil over the pork and vegetables. 7. Sprinkle a teaspoon or ...

Sepia, or Cuttlefish in English, is a member of the Squid and Octopus family and widely available at fish counters and seafood stalls throughout Spain and Europe.  The broad and firm body of the Cuttlefish lends itself well to quick grilling and the flavor is reminiscent of Squid and grilled calamari.   Having seen the strange white fleshed Cephalopoda in markets and fish counters over the past few years I finally decided to purchase one and experiment at home with my beloved Weber.  Those that know me well understand my fascination with grilling and discovering new and tasty seafood.  Having tried this several times now I think I've pretty much perfected the Cuttlefish grilling routine for the most satisfying result.   It's really quite simple: 1. Make sure you are purchasing a cleaned Cuttlefish from your grocer or seafood monger.  Cuttlefish do have a head and an internal cartilage-like spine that are all removed during a proper cleaning; best left to the pros.  2. Simply take your whole Cuttlefish and slice into long 2 inch or so wide strips and also cut off the tentacles that come attached to the main body. 3. Prepare a grilling marinade that can also be used later to drizzle over the finished item.  In a medium bowl ...

I read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.) years ago and really admired his no holds barred behind the scenes view on the modern food industry and the daily challenges of maintaining a successful restaurant in New York.   If you haven't read it or heard of it, pick it up; it's a great read and Bourdain is an engaging writer. Bourdain's Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking cookbook includes excellent recipes for all of the classic French Bistro usual suspects.   Among the many recipes I thought about trying some day was a traditional Cassoulet.  This rich and hearty bean stew is almost as famous for being a comfort food 'throwback' as for the many different variations that different chefs and regions of France consider to be the definitive "'best" recipe. It's one of those classic dishes that includes fatty and unctuous meat with the white haricot beans; a marriage made in heaven as the slow cooked beans gradually soak up all of the moisture and flavor emanating from the rich meats. After scanning a few different cookbooks and watching an episode of Rick Stein's French Odyssey: Over 100 New Recipes Inspired by the Flavours of France ...