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 cloves of chopped and diced garlic
-1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
-2 Tablespoons Sea or Kosher Salt

Mix the ingredients well and then rub into the roast and put in the refrigerator to marinate overnight

Cooking the Pernil

-Pre-heat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit
-Place the roast fat side up in the middle rack uncovered with the remaining marinate in the bottom of your roasting pan
-Turn the oven down to 350 Fahrenheit
-Cook for approximately 2 hours or until your roast is reading 150 degrees with an instant read thermometer
-After the 1st hour of cooking, you should put approx 1 cup of water (or chicken/veg stock) into the pan.

The stock will help to create a rich sauce and also contribute to finishing the cooking of the roast while keeping it moist
-Remove roast, place on your butcher block or platter, cover with aluminum foil or a kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.  The roast will continue to cook while covered and should be incredibly moist and just cooked through when finished resting.

Slice/Carve and serve!  Spoon the sauce over your portions and enjoy!

Great sides are sweet potatoes or black beans and white rice.

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 than that to sum up the sort of fanaticism that Fergus and his St. John restaurant engenders.

Apart from the theme of The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating eating at St. John there are a lot of very simple dishes that stand out because of the care and almost resurrected cooking technique that goes into them.  One of my favourites at the moment is his Cheese on Toast or Welsh rarebit which is brilliant because you can cut the rarebit into portions, layer it between grease proof paper and stick it in the freezer for whenever you need something steadying between mealtimes.  Here’s what you do;

Welsh Rarebit

Melt a knob of butter in a saucepan and gently fry 1 tablespoon of plain flour for a few minutes until it smells ‘biscuity’, don’t brown.  A balloon whisk is good for stirring this around.

Stir in 200ml of Guinness or some other dark beer in two goes.  The first go is to give the flour a bit of a stretch as it thickens (preventing your ‘roux’ from having a powdery texture) and the second will give you the right consistency for adding the cheese.

A teaspoon of English mustard (Coleman’s) is good added here but definitely not a mustard with vinegar in it.  Add a healthy dash of Worcester Sauce.

Now melt in 450g of mature grated cheddar cheese by the handful until it becomes a nice consistency.  Pour the mixture onto a non stick baking sheet and spread it around to form roughly a square shape about one centimetre thick. As it cools it will set and then you can cut it into squares to fit your toast or layer for the freezer as described above.

All that remains is to toast some nice bread, pop your square of rarebit on top and flash under a hot grill until it bubbles and browns a bit.

In days gone by it used to be very fashionable to end your dinner with a ‘savoury’ like this, particularly good with a glass of Port I find (whatever the time is).

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.

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.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence. In a shallow dish, combine the panko crumbs and remaining 4 teaspoons of Essence. In a third dish, combine the flour and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.

*Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning) — NOTE:  you can use any Cajun Seasoning in place of this if you are short of time or spices.   I used Paula Dean’s cajun spice seasoning and it worked just as well.
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

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 at it!

Bittman is also a frequent guest on the “Today” show and recently toured Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali and a hot Spanish actress whose name escapes me right now for a PBS miniseries on food and cooking in Spain. 

He is known for his simple and straight forward recipes and has recently began to preach the virtues of “conscious eating” and promotes a healthy diet by bulking up on vegetables, legumes and fruit while avoiding processed carbohydrates, refined sugar and fast or convenient food.

Mark Bittman’s Basic Bean Soup Recipe

Makes about 8 servings, time 1-2 hours

3 cups of dried beans, washed and soaked

12 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 medium onions, chopped fine

2 carrots, shaved or chopped fine

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil when serving

Medium Ham Hock or smoked Port Knuckles for flavor ( I also threw in some cubed chunks of ham near the end of the cooking cycle)

1.  First, pre-soak your dry beans of choice.  I used about 16 ounces of beans, half great northern and half navy bean.  You can soak overnight covered in water or take the hot soak quick method which is simple and pretty quick.  Pour your beans into a tall stock pot and cover with cool water, about 2-3 inches over the beans.  Put on high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 2 minutes, turn off heat and place tight fitting lid on the stock pot.  Let sit on the stove for 2 hours.

2. After your beans have soaked, pour and drain through a colander and pick out any discolored or bad beans you may find.

3. Put the beans back into the rinsed out stock pot over medium-high heat and add the stock, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and thyme.  Finally, add your left over or purchased Ham Hock or smoked Pork Knuckle and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so the mixture simmers steadily.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very soft, at least 1 hour; add more liquid as necessary so the mixture remains soupy.

4. When the beans are tender, season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.  At this point you can puree the soup in a blender or with a hand immersion blender.  Serve, garnished with fresh parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

The finished product

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 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

nocoupons

• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

nocoupons

• 1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry
• 3 half-pints fresh raspberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: Measure your springform pan. The bottom of mine measures 9 inches, but it says 9 1/2. I put the springform pan on a sheet pan before putting it in the oven to catch any leaks.

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)

To prevent the top from cracking, be careful not to over mix the batter, and do not open the oven door while the cake is baking or cooling inside the oven.

Note: To make the crumbs for the crust, pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Or, if you prefer, substitute the same amount of packaged graham-cracker crumbs.

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 so of cumin over the contents.   Season generously with coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Put the lid on, place in the oven on 145 Centigrade /  266 Fahrenheit and leave it for 3 hours.

You should now be able to enjoy a very flavorful and fork-tender Pork Roast; a one pot meal.

Take the roast out of the oven, spoon over some of the juices over the Pork and enjoy with a chilled rose or a nice burgundy.

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 combine 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil with about 1/8 cup of red wine vinegar.   Next mix in some coarse sea salt and the juice from 1/2 a lemon.  Quickly stir and whisk these ingredients to emulsify the oil and vinegar together.   For those that like an extra kick, dice a small red chili into the mix as well.

4. Place the Cuttlefish in a shallow oven pan and then pour over the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

5. Spark up your grill (or light your charcoal) and bring up to a good medium, high heat.  Take the Cuttlefish and drop on to your grill surface.   This grills up quite quickly and only requires about 3-4 minutes per side; ideally you’ll get a nice caramelization on the outside of the Cuttlefish pieces.

6.  Take off the grill, drizzle with your leftover marinade, sprinkle some good quality sea salt and ground black pepper and serve with more fresh lemon and a chilled Sauvignon Blanc!

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 BBC Food show,  I remembered that Bourdain had also included a recipe for Cassoulet in his Les Halles cookbook.   This recipe was easy to follow and I decided to include both duck confit and pork sausage as well as pancetta (basically pork belly) in the stew along with the haricot beans.   The only thing I would have done differently was to leave the stew in a bit longer to ensure a nice ‘crust’ over the top of the stew before finishing.

It’s important to note that this dish is easily a weekend project; it needs to be done over a couple of days and involves several steps.

Here is Anthony Bourdain’s Cassoulet Recipe:

duck confit
4 duck legs
sea salt
2 cups/450 g duck fat
black pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove
equipment: shallow dish, plastic wrap, saucepan, ovenproof casserole, foil; serves 4

Day one: Rub the duck legs fairly generously with sea salt, place in the shallow dish, cover w/ plastic, and refrigerate overnight. At all times, keep your work area clean and your ingredients free of contamination- meaning don’t allow any other foodstuffs like bread crumbs or scraps to get into your duck or duck fat or confit, as they will make an otherwise nearly nonperishable preparation suddenly perishable.

Day two: Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C. Render (melt) the duck fat in the saucepan until clear. After seasoning with the black pepper (not too much), place the duck legs in the clean, ovenproof casserole, nestle the thyme, rosemary, and garlic in with it, and pour the duck fat over the legs to just cover. Cover the dish with foils and put in the oven. Cook for about an hour, or until the skin at the “ankle” of each leg pulls away from the “knuckle.” The meat should be tender.

Allow to cool and then store as is in the refrigerator, sealed under the fat. When you need the confit, you can either warm the whole dish, in which case removing the legs will be easy, or dig them out of the cold fat and scrape off the excess. I highly recommend the former. A nice touch at this point is to twist out the thighbone from the cold confit. Just place one hand on the drumstick, pinioning the leg to the table, and with the other hand, twist out the thighbone, plucking it from the flesh without mangling the thighmeat. Think of someone you hate when you do it.

Ingredients for the Cassoulet
5 cups/1100 g Tarbais beans or white beans
2 lb/900 g fresh pork belly
1 onion, cut into 4 pieces
1 lb/ 450 g pork rind (Note, slab bacon is also a good option)
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper
1/4 cup/ 56 g duck fat
6 pork sausages
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4 confit duck legs (which you already have, non?
equipment: large bowl, large pot, strainer or colander, saute pan, paper towels, blender, large, ovenproof earthenware dish (he used metal though), measuring cup, kitchen spoon

Day one: Place the beans in the large bowl and cover w/ cold water so that there are at least two or three inches of water above the top of the beans. Soak overnight. That was hard, right?

Day two: Drain and rinse the beans and place in the large pot. Add the pork belly, the quartered onion, 1/4 lb/112 g of the pork rind, and the bouquet garni. Cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about an hour. Let cool for 20 minutes, then discard the onion and bouquet garni. Remove the pork belly, cut it into 2-in/ 5-cm squares, and set aside. (If you plan to wait another day before finishing the dish, wait to cut the pork belly until then.) Strain the beans and the rind and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid separately.

In the saute pan, heat all but 1 tbsp/14 g of the duck fat over medium-high heat until it shimmers and becomes transparent. Carefully add the sausages and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside, draining on paper towels. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, brown the sliced onions, the garlic, and the reserved squares of pork rind from the beans (not the unused pork rind; you’ll need that later). Once browned, remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Add 1 tbsp/14 g of the remaining duck fat and puree until smooth. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C. Place the uncooked pork rind in the bottom of a deep ovenproof earthenware dish. You’re looking to line the inside, almost like a piecrust. Arrange all your ingredients in alternating layers, beginning with a layer of beans, then sausages, then more beans, then pork belly, beans, duck confit, and finally more beans, adding a dab of the onion and pork rind puree between each layer. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans, reserving 1 cup/225ml in the refrigerator for later use. Cook the cassoulet in the oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 250*F/130*C and cook for another hour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Day three: Preheat the oven to 350*/180*C again. Cook the cassoulet for an hour. Break the crust on the top with the spoon and add 1/4 cup/56 ml of the reserved cooking liquid. (Don’t get fancy. Just pile, dab, stack, and pile. It doesn’t have to be pretty.) Reduce the heat to 250*F/130*C and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, or until screamingly hot through and through. Then serve