Would you believe it if I told you that I’m the only member of my family that likes football? It’s true; if I watch a game I watch it alone while everyone else goes about their business. Except for one time a year, Super Bowl time.
Mine: Brie and Apple
Suddenly on Super Bowl day I have a crowd in my living room with all eyes peeled on the TV. I suspect that the crowd has nothing to do with the Super Bowl, it has more to do with the Super Bowl food. Next to Thanksgiving, I believe that the Super Bowl is the second largest food consumption day in the United States.
His: Cheddar and Jalapeno
The food served for Super Bowl day is quite different than Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving consists mostly of traditional comfort food where as the Super Bowl is filled with a veritable feast of snack/junk foods. Like Thanksgiving, there are many things that I only make on Super Bowl day. Ever notice how some foods just go better with beer and football. By that I mean: fat laden, fried, cheesy, salty, spicy and pretty much anything that’s not good for you is served during the Super Bowl.
One of the easiest foods in the world to make has to be quesadillas, plus the variety of possibilities is endless. This year for the Super Bowl I am making His, Mine and Ours Quesadillas. His: cheddar and jalapeno (cheesy and spicy), Mine: Apple and Brie (sweet and creamy) and Ours: Bacon and Colby Jack (mixed cheese and everyone’s favorite-bacon).
His, Mine and Ours
Recipe
His, Mine and Ours Quesadillas
3 Large (Burrito size) flour tortillas
2 oz. shredded sharp cheddar
Pickled jalapeno slices
2 oz. Colby jack cheese, shredded
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 oz. brie cheese, sliced
1/4 granny smith apple very thinly sliced
garlic salt
No stick spray
Heat a griddle (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Spray griddle with some no stick spray. Lay the tortilla on top. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on one half and lay jalapeno slices on top of the cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the top of the cheese and jalapenos. Griddle until cheese starts to melt and the tortilla turns golden brown in spots. Flip quesadilla over and brown other side.
My secret tip: spray top of quesadilla with some no stick spray, lightly sprinkle with garlic salt then flip over and griddle 10-15 seconds more. Lightly spray the other side and sprinkle with garlic salt, flip and griddle for another 10-15 seconds more. The addition of the garlic salt on the outside gives it almost a roasted garlic flavor and the salt on the outside immediately tantalizes your taste buds.
Repeat the same method for the Cheese and Bacon Quesadilla and the Brie and Apple Quesadilla, except omit the garlic salt on the Brie and Green Apple Quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole if desired.
I have a problem. It’s been building for months, an insidious problem that won’t go away. It’s fat, it’s been building up and now it is about to bust it seams and get out of control. Something had to be done! The best treatment for getting rid of fat? Cookies!
I know what your thinking, if you have a fat problem, how are cookies going to help? My fat problem isn’t just on my hips and thighs and tummy and, well, every where…it’s also in my bacon fat collector. My container was so full that I’d either have to stop cooking bacon (never going to happen), throw it out (wasteful), or do something with it. Obviously I choose to do something with it.
We're talking 4 cups of bacon fat!
During my dilemma, I stumbled across a recipe for Biscochitos from Serious Eats. A Mexican cookie recipe that required 1 cup of, you guessed it, fat. Not just any fat but lard, rendered from bacon. I’ve never had a cookie made from rendered bacon fat but if it has something to do with bacon, it can’t be too bad. Fat problem solved, temporarily, as least the fat problem in my collection container. I didn’t realize how much lard I had, the recipe only made a small dent in my lard container, next time I’m doubling the recipe and freezing the dough (which will not help my other fat problem).
To save myself (and other family members) from a fat problem, I took most of the cookies to work. Let me tell you, I thought it wwould be very difficult to part with them until I watched McGyver put 4 of them into a bowl, pour milk over them and consume them in minutes seconds. After that spectacle, it miraculously got easier.
At first bite the Bischochitos are similar in texture to a shortbread cookie and initially you get a sense of a snicker doodle. As you continue through the cookie you start to taste the underlying bacon flavor, some rum flavor and then you finish off with a delicate licorice flavor from the anise. I’m a big lover of shortbread cookies, unlike most of the world I prefer my cookies without *gasp* chocolate, so biscochitos may be my ideal cookie?
What did my co-workers think? Let’s just say, next time I cook them and bring them into work, I have a feeling that I’ll be mobbed and fights may break out over who gets the last cookie!
The main attraction:
Like most cookies, start off by creaming the fat and the sugar.
Add the egg, vanilla, rum and anise seeds and mix until completely blended.
Mix in the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Wrap dough into cylinders using wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
The next day, slice, bake, roll in cinnamon sugar and enjoy adding some fat to your life.
Recipe
Biscochitos (from Serious Eats)
1 cup lard
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brandy or rum (I used dark rum)
1 teaspoon anise seeds
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
In stand mixer, cream together lard and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. With mixer running on low, add egg, vanilla extract, brandy, and anise seeds and mix until homogeneous. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix just until dough forms into cohesive ball.
Form dough into two cylinders about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Chill for 2 hours or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze logs tightly wrapped for several months. Defrost in refrigerator for 1 day before using.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and set aside. Cut cylinders into 1/4 inch disks and on ungreased cookie sheets leaving 1/2-inch gap between cookies. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Dip rim of each cookie into cinnamon sugar mixture. Let cool on racks and store at room temperature in air-tight container for up to 5 days.
My final post in a 3 part series. Soupa Avegolemono is traditionally made with eggs, chicken broth, rice or a small pasta like orzo with out the addition of chicken. Although not traditional in the purist sense, many Greek restaurants serve Soupa Avgolemono with chicken in it. In my version, I’ve omitted the eggs because I felt with the addition of chopped chicken that it wouldn’t be necessary. Soupa Avgolemono is a snap to make, especially if you have leftovers from Crispy Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables from my previous posts. If you haven’t made them already, you need to, just so you can make this soup with the leftovers.
Soupa Avgolemono is a light soup with a pleasant tartness from the lemons. It’s a great starter because it doesn’t fill you up, it would also make a great lunch. Adding chopped chicken gave the soup more substance, it ended up being a great light dinner accompanied with some fresh baked thyme rolls. The soup can be ready to serve in less than 15 minutes if you have stock on hand. I made homemade stock, using the carcass of the Crispy Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken, which also layered in more lemon flavor.
Bon όρεξη!
Recipe
Soupa Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
2 quarts chicken stock (homemade or purchased)
2 cups chopped chicken
2 cups cooked rice or orzo
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons
Minced fresh parsley for garnish (if desired)
In a large pot, bring stock to a boil over medium high heat. Add chicken, rice, salt and pepper. continue to heat until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Just prior to serving squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup. Taste for tartness, if it is not tart, add the juice of the second lemon.
Note: Because I used the leftover Crispy Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables, both of which already had lemon flavor, I only needed to add the juice from the one lemon. Using the leftover rice pilaf also added some color from the carrots and spinach.
Part 2 of my 3 part post: I tweeted and facebooked asking for suggestions to go with my Crispy Roasted Lemon Chicken, I got some great suggestions. My mom suggested rice pilaf, the suggestion reminded me that I have not made rice pilaf an eons, so I was excited to make it again. I also knew that I would be working the late shift the rest of the week and that my boys would be feeding themselves. I try to cook a couple of big meals so that they will have leftovers.
When boys in my house feed themselves (although both know how and like to cook), when I’m gone it seems like all their skills disappear and they convert to caveman ways. Meat, meat, meat and maybe a potato or two (in the form of chips no doubt). I leave bags of salad and pre-cooked vegetables for them, but somehow they don’t get eaten. “We forgot” is shouted out with their best innocent voice and the batting of the eyelashes. I don’t believe that for one minute *sigh*, what’s a poor mother/wife to do?
Just like any mom does, sneak it in to something else. Adding some celery, carrots and spinach boosted the nutritional value of the rice, added flavor and texture and really made it look so appetizing that even a caveman wouldn’t resist.
Ingredients
Start by heating the oil, chop the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the crumbled bouillon cubes.
Next add the rice and water. alternatively you could have added chicken broth in place of the bouillon/water. I bought an econo size of bouillon cubes about 20 years ago and I’m still trying to use them up. Ok, not 20 years ago, more like 5? Seriously, I’ll never do that again! Bring the rice to a boil then turn to down the heat to low and cover.
Cook for 15 minutes. Throw the spinach right on top and pop that lid back on. Cook for 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes, stir the spinach into the rice.
Finish with butter if desired and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe
Rice Pilaf with Vegetables
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup long grain rice
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 3/4 cups water
3 oz. baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
If desired: butter and lemon wedges
Over medium heat ,in a medium sized saucepan heat olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook until the onion becomes translucent. Crumble the bouillon cubes and add to the pan, add rice and water. Bring to a boil. Once the pilaf begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and cover.
Cook rice for 15 minutes. Add spinach to the rice mixture, just on top, no need to stir. Cover spinach and rice and cook for 5 more minutes. The spinach will steam cook while the rice finishes cooking. After the 5 minutes, stir the rice and spinach until the spinach has finished wilting and is incorporated into the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful with the salt if you used bouillon cubes.
Finish by stirring in 1 or 2 tbsp. of butter, serve with a lemon wedge.
The Baby boy loves chicken skin, really crispy chicken skin. He also loves lemon. I wanted a special meal for him once he came from the hospital. Not that the hospital food was all that bad, as a matter of fact the only bad food he had was the crispy chicken. Which wasn’t crispy and it was dry (surprise). He wanted crispy skin chicken, so I set out to make it happen. While I was at it, I was going to make sure it was moist too.
This recipe is a portion of a three part post. So don’t go rushing out to make it just yet, you can if you want, but it’s worth the wait. Here’s the plan: Post 1) Crispy Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken Post 2) Rice Pilaf with vegetables, and Post 3) Soupa Avgolemono, made with leftovers. Depending on the size of your family (or appetite) you’ll get several meals.
To give you a head start here’s the grocery list for the entire series:
1 (3 1/2 to 4 lb.) roasting chicken
Lemon Pepper
2 Lemons
3 cloves garlic
Fresh thyme
Olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 onion
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
2 qts. plus 1 3/4 cups chicken stock or broth
3 oz. baby spinach leaves
Butter
As you can see most items are pantry/stocked kitchen items, so this should be relatively inexpensive to make. This would make Feast on the Cheap proud! Their most recent post for Whole Wheat Parmesan Biscuits would be a perfect accompaniment.
Lemon pepper chicken is not a new discovery, not by any stretch of the imagination, the recipe is more about the method of roasting the chicken. I used the method from America’s Test Kitchen which ensured a moist and crispy chicken. Normally I don’t like to use spice mixes, I prefer to mix my own; lemon pepper is one of the few that I keep handy in my spice cabinet.
Start by mixing lemon pepper and baking powder.
Rub it over the chicken. Place the chicken in the refrigerator uncovered and wait 12 to 24 hours.
Stuff the chicken with half a lemon, garlic and thyme. Place on the roaster breast side down (it’s not flipped in this photo)
Roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. You can see that it already has started to brown. by flipping it over for the first part, the breasts will be moist from the rendered fat.
Flip the chicken over and place it back in the oven and roast another 15 to 25 minutes or until temperature reaches 135 degrees.
Finally turn oven up to 500 degrees and roast until chicken is golden brown and the breast register 160 degrees. About 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest uncovered for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
RECIPE
Crispy Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken
1 roasting chicken 3 1/2 to 4 lbs.
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 lemon
3 cloves garlic
A few sprigs thyme
Place chicken breast-side down on work surface. Use tip of sharp knife to make four 1-inch incisions along back of chicken. Using fingers or handle of wooden spoon, carefully separate skin from thighs and breast. Using metal skewer, poke 15 to 20 holes in fat deposits on top of breast halves and thighs. Tuck wing tips underneath chicken.
Combine lemon pepper, baking powder in small bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with lemon pepper mixture. Rub in mixture with hands, coating entire surface evenly. Set chicken, breast-side up, in V-rack set on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Using paring knife, poke 20 holes about 1 1/2 inches apart in 16- by 12-inch piece of foil. Place foil loosely in large roasting pan. Flip chicken so breast side faces down, and set V-rack in roasting pan on top of foil. Roast chicken 25 minutes.
Remove roasting pan from oven. Using 2 large wads of paper towels, rotate chicken breast-side up. Continue to roast until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 135 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Continue to roast until skin is golden brown, crisp, and instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 10 to 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Carve and serve immediately.
Brie is, without a doubt, is my most favorite of all cheeses. It is today anyways. I am often like a Labrador retriever, whatever is good at the moment is my favorite thing. Walk time, it’s my favorite thing, dinner time, it’s my favorite thing, fetch, it’s my favorite thing, brie it’s my favorite thing. When it comes to cheese, sometimes I think I’m kin to a mouse, because it is my favorite thing. Add some bacon to it and I begin to swoon.
This appetizer has so many great elements to it, it’s crunchy, creamy, salty and sweet. A veritable party for your mouth. In addition, it has a short ingredient list and it is ever so easy to make. Unexpected guest? This appetizer is ready in less than 15 minutes. Although quick and easy, I guarantee that serving Brie, Bacon and Fig in a Fillo Cup will please anyone. Bonus, it is tasty at room temperature so you can make it ahead.
Start out with some purchased fillo cups and add cubed brie (without the rind)
Sprinkle some crumbled bacon on top of the brie and bake at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes.
Top with a small dollop of fig preserve.
Have a party with your friends and your taste buds.
Recipe
Brie, Bacon and Fig Fillo Cups
1 pkg. prebaked mini fillo shells (15)
4 oz. of brie, rind removed and cut into 1” cubes
2 to 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Fig preserve
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place shells on a cookie sheet and fill with each one with one piece of brie. Sprinkle bacon on top. Place in middle rack of the oven and cook for 5 – 8 minutes or until the brie melts. Remove from oven and add a small dollop of fig preserve (about 1/4 tsp.). Serve immediately or at room temperature.
In my last post McGyver made Pierno De Peurco Rellena, a fabulous rolled and stuffed pork loin. He used to make Pierno De Peurco Rellana for all of the H.O.G. members in Panama. The dish is labor intensive, and rich with flavor. I figured the least I could do was to make all the sides. I remember McGyver and my ‘not kids’ telling me stories about all the mango they ate while they were in Panama, so I knew that I wanted to make something with mangoes. Not sure of what I had in mind, I got my inspiration, like I often do, just by perusing the grocery store isles.
I found myself at our local Albertson’s. I headed straight for the mangoes, and it was there, right next to the mangoes that I got my inspiration. In a small basket, piled high, were some very good looking Jicamas. Large brown and earthy looking, they were such a contrast to the mangoes smooth, pink and green skins that I an idea began to materialize.
Mangoes have a sweet succulent orange flesh. Jicama has an off white almost nutty and crunchy interior. I thought that the opposites, in the case, would make a wonderful salad. As I was selecting by perfect jicama, an employee stopped by and asked, what exactly are those things and how do you eat them? I told her they were similar to a radish in texture and crunch, but slightly sweet with some nutty undertones, suitable for snacking or for salads. As I thought about what is a Jicama and was my sweet and nutty radish a good description, I also realized that they reminded me quite a bit of a water chestnut, a very large water chestnut!
Jicama originates from Mexico and Central America and it is often called the Mexican turnip because it’s appearance resembles a turnip. Jicama is actually a vine and the “Jicama” are the tuberous roots of the vine. They have a thin skin and range in color from tan to brown. Oddly enough, I found tout hat they can be substituted for water chestnuts. Some people also describe their flavor as apple or pear like.
This is such a simple salad, a perfect accompaniment to any dish or on it’s own. The lime and chili vinaigrette enhances the sweetness and nuttiness of the salad while the onions provide a nice sharp contrast and the parsley gives it that fresh green flavor. There will be more that enough dressing for other salads. The Jicama and Mango salad could easily be converted to a salsa using a smaller dice, the addition of a jalapeno and substituting the parsley for cilantro.
The recipe is so simple, peel and dice the jicama, mangoes and red onion. Chop the parsley.
Mix the dressing and toss all the ingredients in a bowl.
The secret ingredient, is this hot sauce that I picked up from, believe it or not, Wal-Mart. Liquid Chili by Trechas is a mildly spicy and slightly sweet sauce. Just enough spice to bring your taste buds alive.
The final results are a beautiful refreshingly sweet, nutty, slightly tart and mildly spicy salad.
Recipe
Jicama and Mango Salad
Salad
1 small jicama or half of 1 large, peeled and diced
2 mangoes, seeded peeled and diced
1/2 red onion diced
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Dressing
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
2 tsp. Trechas liquid chile or suitable substitute
1 tsp. sugar
In a large bowl mix the jicama, mangoes, onion and parsley. For the dressing, mix the lime juice, chile sauce and sugar, whisk in the oil. Toss the jicama and mangoes with dressing.
One of my goals this year was to “let go”, in other words, get out of the kitchen and let McGyver cook (he knows how too, quite well in fact). McGyver has been chomping at the bit to make me one his specialty dishes he used to make all the time.
Once upon a time BR (before Rhonda), McGyver was stationed in Panama. McGyver was President of the H.O.G. club and frequently entertained the club with parties (lamp shades included). He stumbled across this recipe when browsing through a co-workers cookbook. The recipe caught his eye and he thought it would be a great way to feed a bunch of hungry bikers. It was a hit and so began the annual tradition of McGyver preparing and serving Pierno De Puerco Rellena to hungry hungry H.O.G.s (not to be confused with Hungry Hungry Hippos…that’s a different club altogether =).
Be prepared, this recipe takes time to prepare, marinate and cook but it is worth it, like many things that take time.
This recipe was adapted (only slightly) from a “Taste of Old Cuba” by Maria Josepha O’Higgins. McGyver Xeroxed a copy, yes Xeroxed, back in those days that what we called it, and has been using the battered, tattered and stained poor Xeroxed copy for years.
Because I was out of the kitchen (sort of), I was able to take a lot of photos, unfortunately it’s the dark ages in Montana so we struggled with a lot of lighting issues. Please forgive the many hues, we thought the step by step was worth it.
Letting go isn’t the easiest thing for me to do, so instead of relinquishing 100% I provided some assistance and a little coaching because McGyver had gotten a little crusty rusty in these last few years. One of the things I did, was on the morning he was going to do the prep work, I served hard boiled eggs and bacon for breakfast. I cooked extra to save time later in the day. Not only that, but the recipe called for sour orange juice which we didn’t have, so McGyver planned to go with 50% OJ and 50% lime juice. He squeezed fresh OJ for breakfast and reserved enough for later. Gotta love it, breakfast and some prep work at once!
The ingredients are fairly easy to obtain at your local grocery store. If you can not find Malta, which is a sweet black malt beer with a low alcohol content, I recommend replacing it with 1/2 dark beer and 1/2 regular cola.
McGyver started by pulverizing the garlic, oregano, salt and bay leaf using a mortar and pestle.
Then he realized he forgot the paprika, no worries since it comes ground.
He made up the sour orange juice by using the previously squeezed fresh orange juice and adding some fresh squeezed lime juice.
Add the garlic paste mixture to the sour juice and mix well. Set aside.
Preparing the pork loin was interesting. considering that we live in cattle country, meat and potatoes land, you would expect that a butcher would know how to fillet meat so that it could be rolled up. Had we known that is was going to be the butcher’s first time and he didn’t really know what he was doing, we would have done it. Sometimes you miss a big city, but only for a moment.
McGyver trimmed off the fat, cut the ends to even and pounded and pounded, then I pounded and pounded, we didn’t get the pork loin as thin as we wanted, we gave up, “That’ll do pig, that’ll do”. Can anyone guess where that quote comes from?
Stuffing preparation was next. McGyver grated the carrots and got the ham, bacon and prunes together.
McGyver was all ready to chop, chop, chop, and since I have a hard time letting go, I put in my 2 cents worth and suggested he use the food processor. After trying to figure out how the lid went together/on, which I didn’t coach him on because he was providing me enormous amount of entertainment at the time, the mincing was done in no time at all. Oh yeah, definitely a bit crusty rusty.
Time to put the sour juice mixture onto the prepared pork.
I watched as McGyver fought with the ebb and flow of the juice, spreading around and it fighting back, pooling in some areas and not covering other. I couldn’t help myself “why don’t your try brushing it on?”. Thank goodness McGyver understands that I can’t help myself and completely “let go”.
McGyver couldn’t get all the juice onto the meat, he ended up using about half of it. Next he spread the grated carrots and meat/prune mixture evenly over the pork.
Add the hard boiled eggs to the the short end, we used 4 versus the 3 that the recipe called for and roll.
Once the roast is rolled up, go bondage on it and tie it up with some string. Place it in a large pot for marinating.
To mix the marinade, combine the Malta and the brown sugar. McGyver also added the leftover sour juice mixture to the marinade.
Pour the marinade over the roast and marinade over night. Note: our pot was so large that we mixed more marinade until we had enough to go half way up the roast so we could rotate it halfway through the marinade. In retrospect, we wished we would have used a large bag to marinate so we could have used less marinade.
The next day heat the oven to 200° F. Remove the roast from the marinade and place in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Roast in the oven for 6 hours, marinating every 30 minutes. At 6 hours we checked the roast and it was not even close to being done. It was 6:00 pm by now, so we bumped the oven to 250° F and checked it in an hour. Still not done, we turned the oven up to 300° F and finally an hour later it was done.
Remove roast to a carving board and let rest about 10 minutes.
Although not suggested in the original recipe, I added a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the remaining marinade and heated it up for a dipping sauce.
The roast was so beautiful. A nice crispy sweet crust, rolled layers, ending in a beautiful egg!
A showpiece, worthy for hungry H.O.G.s or Hungry Hungry Hippos. We served this up with some fried plantains, a mango and jicama salad and beer.
McGyver and I found this beer and I wanted to try it, the label was so intriguing. On the side of the bottle it says “bear food in a bottle”, Huckleberries…bear food…get it? FYI, I enjoyed the beer also. That’ll do Pig, that’ll do.
Original Recipe from a Taste of Old Cuba
Pierno De Puerco Rellena
3 garlic cloves peeled
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. salt
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 cups sour orange juice (or 50/50 mix of orange juice and lime juice)
1 boneless pork loin, about 10 pounds
2 carrots, grated and peeled
1/2 lb. bacon, fried crisp and crushed
1/2 lb. minced, cured ham
10 pitted prunes, minced
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled
2 cups brown sugar
1 7 oz. bottle Malta
Mash the garlic, oregano, salt, bay leaf, and paprika into a paste (A mortar and pestle works best, but you may mince the garlic finely with a knife or put it through a garlic press and mash the seasonings in with a fork.). Mix the garlic paste with the orange juice and set it aside.
Unroll the pork loin, trim off as much fat as possible, and place it open in a large roasting pan. Thoroughly douse the inside he of the pork loin with the marinade.
Spread the grated carrots over the marinade in an layer followed by the bacon, ham, and prunes. Place the eggs end to end on one side of the meat. Starting from that side, roll the meat up tightly and tie it securely with kitchen string.
Combine the brown sugar with half of the bottle of Malta and pour this mixture over the pork loin to cover it. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the meat for at least 8 hours (overnight is best).
Preheat the oven to 200° degrees. Remove the plastic wrap, insert a meat thermometer into the pork loin, roast it for at least 6 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with the remaining Malta.
When the thermometer registers 170° degrees, or the juices run clear, remove the meat from the oven. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
I still don’t know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I’d got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I’ve never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I’m much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don’t want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time…..
This is it, the last of the Prime Rib. No surprise, when I get down to the last little bit of anything my mind wanders towards soup. I love a “garbage” soup where you take all the odds and ends leftover and through them into a pot and turn them into something delicious. Prime rib hardly seemed like an ingredient to throw into some garbage soup, so I pondered what would I make. My mind was set on soup and I had some wild rice so I thought that would pair nicely. The rest of my inspiration came from my favorite place, the grocery store.
I was just moseying on down in the fresh veg section, thinking about picking up some garlic (which I now can not find any where in my kitchen) and a couple of other odd ball things when I passed by baskets full of mushrooms. That got the ol’ hamster wheel running. Mushroom soup! Yes, perfect. I pondered my mushroom choices, button, baby bellas, oyster and shiitake. Then my eyes dropped down and there were some dried morel mushrooms. I’ve never, ever, in my life prepared or cooked a morel mushroom. After looking at the price, I remembered why. It is the season for indulgence, and I’ve been dying my own hair for at least a year now (saved about $120) so why not?
I put the morels in my basket, then opted for oyster versus shiitake and baby bellas (pre-sliced). I quickly picked up the rest of my stuff and hurried home. I couldn’t wait to make dinner. Only I was scared. The soup sounded perfect in my little pea brain but would it execute properly? I was worried that the morels would get lost in the mix of ingredients, I was worried that this was going to be too over the top. Would too many rich and wonderful ingredients combine into a flop?
![witch_with_wine_glass[1]](http://www.thekitchenwitchblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/witch_with_wine_glass1.png "witch_with_wine_glass[1]")
