Smoked Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps with Asian Dipping Sauce

Another great way to use up leftover pulled pork.  At the time I made this recipe my summer spinach was producing HUGE leaves.  I used those instead of butter lettuce for my wraps and it looked (and tasted) amazing.

Smoked Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps with Asian Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup green onion
1 sprig rosemary (about 4-6 inches, the whole sprig, no need to break apart or chop)
1 garlic clove
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger (grated or just a whole chunk)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon slurry (a mix of 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch), this will help the mix thicken

For the Lettuce Wraps:
2 cups pulled pork (approximately 1 lb)
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups purple cabbage, shredded or julienned
1 head Boston (or "Butter") lettuce, leaves separated
½ cup green onions, chopped (for topping)
¼ cup cilantro, chopped (for topping)

Directions

For the Sauce:

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Then strain after 12 minutes of reducing. Add back into the saucepan over heat.

In a separate small sealed container add 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour.  Add the "slurry" to the saucepan with the strained sauce. Whisk to combine. Let continue simmering for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.

For the Wraps:

In a large skillet heat up the pork on medium heat until warmed. Add 2-4 tablespoons of the sauce to the meat, as desired. Save the remaining sauce for topping your wraps. Remove from heat.

Assemble lettuce wraps: Scoop pork mixture into lettuce leaves, and top with your vegetables, onions, and cilantro. Drizzle with more reserved sauce as desired.


Original link:
http://www.vindulge.com/2016/10/smoked-pulled-pork-lettuce-wraps-asian-dipping-sauce/

Baked Pulled Pork Taquitos

Whenever I make pork shoulder, I often have a lot of leftover pulled pork.  This is a fantastic way to use up that pork.  I serve my taquitos with homemade guacamole, sour cream, and extra cheese.

Baked Pulled Pork Taquitos

Ingredients

4 cups leftover pulled pork or rotisserie chicken

1 can salsa verde
Canola oil

36 corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425-degrees.

Pan fry leftover pulled pork with a little bit of oil and salsa verde to taste, until warm (and slightly crispy if preferred).

Heat oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Pan fry tortillas, one or two at a time, until soft. Place in a tortilla warmer until ready to use.

Spoon 2-3 tbsps of pork in the center of the tortilla- lengthwise across the tortilla. Add a sprinkle of cheese and more salsa verde (if desired).

Roll tortilla tightly & place on baking sheet. Repeat with all tortillas.

Brush lightly with oil.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving.


Original link:
https://www.kleinworthco.com/baked-pulled-pork-taquitos

Napa Cabbage Salad

This is a fantastic summer dish.

Napa Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound napa cabbage, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pie plate, bake the almonds for 5 minutes. Let cool.

In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add the cabbage, scallions and cilantro and toss. Add the almonds and season with pepper. Toss again and serve.


Original link:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/napa-cabbage-salad

Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

This is a great weekday meal - simple, quick, and easy.

Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

Ingredients

16 oz. potato gnocchi
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
1.25 cups milk
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, set aside, and return the empty pot to the stove.

Melt butter over medium heat.

Add garlic to butter and sauté for about a minute until garlic is fragrant.

Add flour to butter and whisk to form a roux. Cook for 30 seconds or so to cook out any raw flour taste.

Slowly add milk to roux, whisking constantly to break up any lumps. Cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce has just begun to thicken.

Stir chopped spinach into sauce and cook 3-5 minutes more until spinach has wilted and sauce has thickened.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pot from heat.

Add parmesan cheese to sauce and stir to combine.

Return cooked gnocchi to sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Original link:
http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/parmesan-spinach-gnocchi/

Turkey Gravy

If you're making turkey you absolutely must make gravy.  Here's a simple recipe for an excellent gravy.  

Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

Pan drippings from a 12- to 14-pound roast turkey
1 to 2 cups broth or water
Vegetable oil or butter, as needed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Optional extras: splash of sherry, splash of wine, teaspoon of minced herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage

Directions

Gravy prep. After you've removed the turkey from the oven and set it aside to rest, set the roasting pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop. You may need to span two burners. When the pan drippings are hot and sputtering, pour in a cup of broth and begin scraping all the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Separate the fat and drippings. Pour the deglazed pan drippings into a measuring cup and place this in the refrigerator or freezer, wherever there is space. In the 30 minutes it takes to rest the turkey, the fat and drippings will separate and the fat will begin to harden. This makes it easier to skim off just the fat for making the gravy.

Measure the fat. Skim the fat off the top of the drippings. You should ideally end up with about 1 cup of pan drippings and 1/4 cup of fat. If you have less, you can make up the difference with broth or oil, respectively. If you have more, discard a little of the fat and use less broth in the next step. If you have a lot more, you can also double the recipe.

Make a roux. Place the fat in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot, whisk in the flour to form a thin paste. Let this cook for a few minutes until bubbly.

Add the pan drippings. Next up, pour in the pan drippings and whisk to combine with the roux. This will form a thick, gloppy paste.

Add the broth. Finish the gravy by whisking in a 1/2 cup of broth. You can add more broth for a thinner gravy or let the gravy cook a few minutes for a thicker gravy. Taste the gravy and add salt, pepper, and any extras to taste.


Original link:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-quick-turkey-gravy-thanksgiving-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-161016

Simple Roast Turkey

This year was the first year that I hosted Thanksgiving at my house.  It was also the first year - if you can believe it - that I roasted a turkey.  This recipe was AMAZING.  The turkey was so juicy and delicious.  It was a big hit.

Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to de-frost the turkey, brine the turkey, dry the skin, bring it up to temp, cook, and rest.  It will always take much longer than you anticipate.

My turkey was actually 16 lbs, so I adjusted the cooking time accordingly.  I roasted for 30 minutes as noted below then cooked at 350 for 3 hours.

Simple Roast Turkey

Ingredients

1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
Coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 lemon, zested and quartered
1 bunch fresh thyme or rosemary
1 bunch fresh sage
12 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bottle hard apple cider (12 ounces)
Dry white wine, as needed
2 onions, peeled and quartered
3 bay leaves
Olive oil or melted butter, as needed

Directions

Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy. Pat turkey and turkey neck dry with paper towel; rub turkey all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of turkey, the pepper and the lemon zest, including the neck. Transfer to a 2-gallon (or larger) resealable plastic bag. Tuck herbs and 6 garlic cloves inside bag. Seal and refrigerate on a small rimmed baking sheet (or wrapped in another bag) for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, turning the bird over every day (or after 12 hours if brining for only 1 day).

Remove turkey from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, uncovered, back on the baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours to dry out the skin (this helps crisp it).

When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for one hour.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, add the cider and enough wine to fill the pan to a 1/4-inch depth. Add half the onions, the remaining 6 garlic cloves and the bay leaves.  Stuff the remaining onion quarters and the lemon quarters into the turkey cavity. Brush the turkey skin generously with oil or melted butter.

Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. Transfer pan to the oven and roast 30 minutes. Cover breast with aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving.


Original link:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015474-simple-roast-turkey

Rockfish with Lemon Butter and Sage

This recipe would work well for any white fish. It's quick, easy, and delicious!

Rockfish with Lemon Butter and Sage

Ingredients

2 filets of rockfish
4 tablespoons butter
Old Bay Seasoning
1 lemon, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Sage, optional

Directions

Melt the butter in a casserole dish under the broiler.

Sprinkle the rockfish filets lightly with Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper; add them to the casserole dish.

Return the dish to the oven and broil the filets for 6-8 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Remove from the oven and baste with the melted butter; place the lemon slices on top and sprinkle with sliced sage, if desired.

Return to the oven long enough to char the lemon. Garnish with sage and serve hot.


Original link:
https://www.jolynneshane.com/rockfish-with-lemon-butter-sage.html