PERNIL

This past Thanksgiving, I was treated to three types of cuisine that just warmed my heart.  Had I not been suffering a hangover, I would have stuffed my face more.  First, I ate a lovely Colombian meal, courtesy of my sister-in-law's mother.  Then, it was the typical Thanksgiving meal at my aunt's.  Finally, we made a trip to the Bronx to celebrate Thanksgiving/the birthday of my brother-in-law's fiance, who is Dominican.  Anytime I hear that I'm about to have Dominican food, there's always one dish that look forward to the most - pernil.  That roasted pork is so delicious.

One thing that stopped me from trying to make my own was the quantity.  Pork shoulders sold at my local supermarket were pretty big, and unless I felt like having a dinner party, which I don't ever feel like doing, I was going to be left with a lot of pork afterwards.  However, on a Friday evening after work, I stopped by the store to try to get ideas for dinner, and eyed a shoulder that was approximately 4lbs.  I'm not sure what came over me, but I grabbed it and said, I'm just going to try to make this pork.

I googled recipes, as I am wont to do, and found the seasoning/marinade to be simple enough.  There's always a chance that I didn't choose an adequate recipe, but the reviews seem to indicate otherwise.  The author of the recipe stated that she has let the pork marinate for up to two days.  I don't normally let meat marinate for that long, but considering its size and similar remarks in other recipes, I decided to go for it.  I started marinating Friday night to cook for Sunday.  It was pretty good timing since we were expecting a day of cold snowy weather.  I added a bit of lime juice to the marinade for no discernible reason - I just thought it would be a good idea.  

Pernil Recipe
8 lbs picnic pork shoulder
12 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
8 teaspoons salt (or 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat if you are using a smaller cut of meat)

Directions:
1.  Wash the pork shoulder.
2.  With a sharp knife, make 1 inch deep cuts into the pork.
3.  With mortar and pestle crush garlic, oregano and black pepper together. Add olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well.
4.  Spoon some of the garlic mixture inside the small cuts around the pork, and spread remaining mixture all over the pork.
5.  Place pork in an aluminum turkey pan (skin side up); cover with aluminum foil tightly. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. (I have marinated this for as long as two days.).
6.  Bake in pre-heated 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 5 to 6 hours.
7.  Remove aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for another hour or until skin is crisp. Closely watch this so you don't burn the skin (chicharrone).
8.  Pork should be well-done and tender.

garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. i don't have a mortar and pestle, so i used a food processor

marinating the shoulder

after a day and a half of marinating

not gonna lie.  this looks pretty gross

done.  and missing almost all of the skin.

Since my shoulder was smaller, I reduced the cooking time to 4 hours at 325.  Unfortunately, when I went to remove the foil, I took almost all of the skin with it.  I wasn't planning on eating the skin anyways (I know it's the favorite part for a lot of people), so I just shrugged off the loss.  Once it was done, I set about pulling it apart.  Holy shit, it looked good.  It looked so moist and tender.  Of course, I stole a few bites as I was shredding.  So good.

ate this after i took the picture

I offered some to my roommate because there was so much meat left.  When she asked me how it turned out, I answered, "Fucking good."  She quickly got off her bed and headed to the kitchen.  After her first bite, she said, "Oh yeah, that's good stuff."  Pretty much what any wannabe cook wants to hear.

enough for the week!

NORMANDY-SR1

While it's not a food recipe, I wanted to document the process of my trying to put something else together - a PC.  I had been toying with the idea of putting together a mid-range PC that would not only run more efficiently than the laptop I was using but that would also be capable of handling some PC gaming for some time.  I finally bit the bullet and just went for it.

I am, by no means, a hardcore gamer.  I have an Xbox 360 that I got as a Christmas gift (yes, I asked for it), but I don't run out to buy games whenever they are released.  I refuse to pay $50-$60 on a game.  Most of my time is spent playing the Mass Effect series.  I am soooo in love with those games, except for the first one, which I absolutely despise playing.  I've played the 2nd and 3rd games probably 5 times each and was brought to play the first game over again only so I could create a male Shepard character.  I tend to enjoy platform games and first-person/third-person shooter games.  Because of the latter, I learned that my gaming habits might be more suited to a PC because of the control a mouse yields.  It is sometimes hard to pull off headshots with that damn controller.

I did a lot of reading in trying to decide whether I'd go through with building a PC or not.  A lot of articles made the case that in the long-run, PC gaming is cheaper.  Of course, that all depends on your gaming habits.  Since I buy used games or games when they go on sale, it might not apply so much to me.  I figured that I spend almost all my time on the computer when I'm at home anyways, so a new computer would just be an upgrade for me.  I spent months reading up on parts and watching videos on how to put together a PC.  I used a Lifehacker article as a template off which to build.  Then, I waited for sales.  I decided on a budget of around $700.  Probably a bit more than I would have liked to spend, but I justified it as a good investment.  Here are the parts I settled on:

1) Case: NZXT Tempest 210
2) Mobo: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX Motherboard
3) CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 Haswell 3.2GHz
4) GPU: Asus GeForce GTX 660
5) CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO
6) RAM: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDr3-1333
7) Storage: WD Caviar Blue 1TB
8) PSU: Corsair Builder Series 500W
9) Optical Drive: Lite-On iHas125-04 DVD/CD Writer

I enlisted my friend, Nelson, to help out because 1) he's my tech guru and knows about computers and stuff, 2) he was able to provide a copy of Windows 7, and 3) he's a lot more anal than I am so I figured he could help with the cable management.  He estimated it would take us about 20 minutes to put everything together.  Boy, was he wrong.

Nelson wasn't too familiar with some of the parts (he was shocked at how big the video card was) and we even had to use youtube to figure out how to insert the processor - tad embarrassing, but that's what the internet is for.  After 2 hours of being hunched over and squatting, a hand smeared with thermal paste, fears of plugging in the wrong connectors, and fussing with those massive cables on the PSU (seriously, go modular), we finally built that bitch. We couldn't do much with the wires because we were afraid they wouldn't reach or they'd get in the way of reattaching the side panel so we did the best we could. When the moment of truth came, everything turned on just fine.

Unfortunately, we screwed up the OS installation.  Nelson assumed I had a 32-bit processor when, in fact, I had a 64-bit.  I didn't even think to mention that to him.  Because he didn't bring that disc with him, I had to wait until he could get it to me.  But the beast was built and I was just happy that I didn't need to return anything.  Eventually, I want to get an SSD and possibly some red LED case fans to go in the front.  Those will be ideas for Christmas gifts.

I named my computer after the ship in Mass Effect.

HOMEMADE GOLDEN CURRY

While I was growing up, my mother used to make curry on a somewhat regular basis. She made a full pot and my brother and I would be eating leftover curry for like a week.  Curry was one of the few things that I did not mind for leftovers.  When I got older and tried other people's curry, I wondered why it never tasted like my mother's.  Hers was thick and somewhat sweet and had a distinctive, strong curry taste - I loved it.  I later discovered that my mother used Golden Curry roux blocks from S&B.  That stuff is the SHIT!

I was fully aware of the amount of MSG and whatever other chemicals these curry blocks contained, but I did not care.  They were so frikkin' good.  Out of curiosity, I googled to see if there was a way I could make them myself.  Lo and behold, there was!

http://justonecookbook.com/blog/how-to/how-to-make-curry-roux/

Along with the recipe for the curry roux, there was a link on a simple curry recipe using the blocks.

http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/simple-chicken-curry/

I was actually anxious for the weekend to come so I could try them out.

Curry Roux (for 4 cups of curry)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper for heat

Directions
1) Melt butter over medium low heat.
2) Add flour and stir to combine.  Keep stirring to prevent roux from burning.
3) After 20-30 minutes, the roux will turn into a light brown color.  Add curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne pepper.
4) Cook and stir for 30 seconds and remove from heat.

looks like burnt brown sugar

I will confess that I did not cook this thing for 20-30 minutes.  That honestly just seemed ridiculous to me.  When I looked in the comments section, someone asked if that time was correct.  The recipe author said that it was, but mentioned that it should take some time to brown.  My shit browned pretty quickly, so I wasn't sure if I was burning it or if it was supposed to be browner than that.  Oh well.

Simple Curry Using Curry Roux (Serves 4-6)
- 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or beef, pork, tofu)
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1-2 Idaho potatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbsp ginger
- 4 cups of chicken stock (if using homemade curry roux), water if using storebought
- 1 apple
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp salt
- homemade curry roux or 1 box of storebought curry roux
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup

Directions
1) Cut up meat/tofu.  Salt and pepper.
2) Peel and cut carrots into rolling wedges and onions into wedges.
3) Cut potatoes into 1.5 inch pieces and soak in water for 15 minutes to remove starch.
4) Crush garlic and grate ginger.
5) Heat oil in pot over medium heat and saute onions until translucent.
6) Add ginger and garlic.
7) Add meat and cook until browned.
8) Add carrots and mix.  Then add stock/water.
9) Bring stock to boil and skim scrum off surface.
10) Peel apple and coarsely grate and add.
11) Add honey and salt.  Simmer uncovered for 20 min, stirring occasionally.
12) Add potatoes and cook for 15 min, or until tender.  Turn off heat.
13) Add curry roux.  If using storebought, just add directly in, piece by piece.  If using homemade, add some stock to curry roux and stir to combine until smooth and then add.
14) Add soy sauce and ketchup.  Simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, until curry thickens.

ingredients laid out. nevermind the booze in the background

I halved this recipe, because if it turned out to be gross, I did not want to be eating it for a whole week.  I used beef instead of chicken.  I also omitted the potatoes because eating the curry with rice felt like too much starch.  I wasn't too sure about adding an apple, honey, soy sauce, or ketchup to my curry.  I understand that Japanese curry is sweeter than other curries, but I figured I'd taste and see if I should add.

As I was cooking, I saw that a lot of the stock was evaporating.  Since I like my curry saucy, I actually simmered it for 15 of the 20 minutes with the lid on.  After I added the curry roux, I did a taste check and it tasted a bit bland.  I added more curry powder and salt, and gave in and added the honey, soy sauce, and ketchup.  I also added worcestershire sauce.  I saw someone else suggest it on another website and thought, why the hell not?  I'm not sure if I should have omitted it because it immediately makes me think that I'm eating beef stew.

When the curry was thickened to my satisfaction, I poured some over rice and braced myself.  Not.  bad.  Not bad at all.  It did have a slight bitterness to it, which made me believe that I probably did burn the roux a bit, but it wasn't overwhelming.  Eating it with rice definitely added to my enjoyment.  It didn't taste like S&B's Golden Curry, but it is a worthy substitute.

looks just like S&B Golden Curry!

OVEN-COOKED BABY BACK RIBS

This post is a bit different because unlike the other posts, I didn't exactly follow a recipe that I found off the internet.  Instead, I relied on what a friend's mother told me, some tips from another recipe, and improvisation.

The last time I visited my closest friend in Georgia, his mother cooked ribs for us one night.  Luckily, my friend asked her not to put any BBQ sauce on some of the ribs she was cooking because he knew I didn't like it.  I would have been fine if she had just salt and peppered it and then I'd have the option of dousing it in hot sauce if it needed more flavor (almost everything is made better with hot sauce... and bacon).  Instead, I bit into what was probably the best tasting ribs I've ever had.  Granted, I don't eat ribs very often, if at all, but I know something good when I bite into it.   All with none of that nasty BBQ sauce.

I asked how my friend's mother seasoned it, and she gave me a pretty simple answer: she marinated it in Goya Mojo and then seasoned it with a particular Goya seasoning - her favorite seasoning, she told me.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the other seasonings that she mentioned, if any, aside from extra garlic powder.  Goya Mojo is like a godsend. I'm not an expert in Latin cooking, so I can't say how authentic this marinade is or if there are ways to improve upon it.  I just know that I love it.  The first time I tasted it was when my brother served some grilled steak that had been marinated in that citrus garlicky deliciousness.  Heaven.

When I returned to New York from my trip, I decided to buy this "favorite seasoning" of my friend's mother.    I discovered that it contained MSG.  I know some people are really averse to MSG because of whatever health complications it may pose.  I'm not even aware of what those health complications are supposed to be.  Meh... I wasn't going to let that stop me from using it.

I've never cooked ribs before, either in the oven or on the grill.  The majority of the recipes I read recommended cooking the ribs low and slow - at about 225 degrees for roughly 4 hours.  I was going to heed that advice until I came across another recipe that cooked the ribs at 400 for about an hour.  After I read the reviews that praised this recipe, I decided to cook the ribs the latter way this time.  If it didn't turn out that well, then I'd try it the other way the next time around.

Ingredients:
1 rack of baby back ribs
Goya Mojo Marinade
Goya Sazonador Total (or whatever seasonings you like)
Garlic Powder
Cracked Black Pepper
*I wanted to add some cumin, but I ran out of it and forgot to replace it at the time of cooking

Instructions:
1) Marinate ribs in Mojo marinade for anywhere between 6-24 hours.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3) Rub ribs with seasonings, garlic powder, cracked black pepper, etc. to taste.
4) Lay ribs on foil fat-side up and create a tent with foil.
5) Cook ribs for 1 hour in oven.
6) Remove ribs from oven.  Unwrap foil and flip ribs to fat-side down.  Bake with foil open for another 20 minutes.
7) Eat.

after marinating and seasoning

fresh out of the oven

should it have been browner?

I read somewhere that you should let your ribs rest after cooking for 20 minutes.  I'm sure it could probably benefit from that, but I was too hungry and curious to wait.  I think I should have seasoned it more generously.  It had flavor, but not quite as much as I wanted it to.  I think I'll also add a sprinkle of kosher salt the next time.  The ribs were tender, though not fall off the bone tender.  Nonetheless, a pretty good meal for a first-time experiment.

HALAL CART-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE

Anyone who lives in NYC knows about this beautiful thing called the halal carts.  They are simply treasures, serving up delicious foods, but the chicken/lamb over rice with white sauce is what you'd wanna aim for.  $5 for a perfect meal.  When a friend and her boyfriend from Georgia were visiting a few months ago, I immediately asked if they had tried the halal carts yet.  They didn't believe me when I told them that it would be a crime if they left without having done so.  After my friend took my advice, she immediately let me know how delicious it was.  I nodded my head knowingly like Yoda.

Not all halal carts are created equally.  That's not to say they're not all good, but the best, and most famous, one that I've had is the one on 53rd and 6th Ave.  They even have their own website.  How awesome is that?  There are many things that make a halal cart great.  I've yet to come across a really gross one, although I did eat from one halal cart whose rice sucked.  At least the chicken tasted good.

If I had a halal cart near my apartment or on the way home from the subway station, I'd probably eat from there at least once a week.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I don't.  I never thought to try to make own because I imagined the recipe would be complicated and intimidating.  I was partially right.  Judging from this recipe at seriouseats, the marinade for the chicken and the rice don't seem too bad, but that white sauce would be the thing to do this recipe in. 

Based on the comments, there are so many variations to this damn sauce and a few of them provide their own suggestions.  One person said that the closest thing to the actual sauce was basically mayo with a big of vinegar/lemon juice in it and salt and pepper.  Since I didn't have any Greek yogurt, I decided to risk using only mayo.  I figured, while the dish wouldn't be complete without the white sauce, I could simply omit it this time around if it wasn't good.  I used chicken breasts instead of boneless, skinless thighs, as that's what I had on hand.

I made just a small sample of the sauce using about 1/4 cup of mayo, a tbsp of white vinegar, some dried parsley, a tiny bit of white sugar, and black pepper.  I can't say whether it tasted close to the sauces I've gotten from the carts, as I've never actually had the sauces on their own, but it tasted fine.   After marinating the chicken for about 3 hours, I busted out my trusty cast iron skillet and tried to replicate the way I've seen the men at the halal carts cook and chop up their chicken.

I always thought the chicken in the marinade was red.  Paprika, maybe?

I almost burned the shit out of my arms trying to cook this mess!  Fucking oil splatter everywhere!  I probably should have followed the directions and patted the chicken dry, but a commenter mentioned that he just threw the chicken and marinade directly into the skillet.  I lowered the heat a bit because that crap was unmanageable.  I couldn't even get near the stove.

Once I was able to get everything under control, I cut up the chicken pieces in the skillet and sauteed some chopped onions and carrots in a separate pan.  I don't keep iceberg lettuce around because it's just wasteful to me.  It serves absolutely no function nor does it have any nutritional value.  Plus, the onions and carrots would be easier to mix into the rice and chicken.

After risking my physical well-being, I finally had my finished meal.  I topped it off with the white sauce I made earlier and chili garlic sauce.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is it.  Mine had lost a bit of the bright red color but it still tasted delicious.  

The moment of truth came... and damn, this shit is good!  I probably should have stuck with using the skinless, boneless thighs, since they wouldn't have been as dry, but I wasn't choking on the white meat or anything.  All in all, a success.  Now to clean up my damn stove...

SLOW-COOKER CARIBBEAN BEEF STEW

I'm still attempting to get as much use as I can out of my slow cooker. Did you know you can cook bread in a slow cooker?  That's crazy.  It's also something I'm not quite sure that I want to try yet.  It kind of looks like a big ass muffin.

When I worked in Flatbush, Brooklyn, one of the things I loved was that I could readily get Caribbean food any time for lunch.  Curry goat, jerked chicken, stewed chicken, oxtails... so good.  I made a curry goat dish a while back that turned out fantastic, though a bit too fatty.   I also tried to make my own jerk marinade once and that was a huge fail.  Never again. 

I came across this recipe on foodnetwork.com a while back and thought it had a nice spin off the traditional beef stew.  Just add some ginger, ground allspice, and some spicy chili peppers with tomatoes, and bam!  It is now Caribbean beef stew.  Beef and potatoes... how can anyone say no?  

Ingredients:3 sprigs thyme
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 medium carrots, cut crosswise into thirds
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 10-ounce can Mexican-style diced tomatoes with green chiles
4 scallions, sliced (optional)
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Strip the leaves from 1 sprig thyme and chop; combine with the flour, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper in a large bowl. Add the beef and toss to coat. Put the potatoes, carrots, the remaining 2 thyme sprigs, the ginger and garlic in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the beef, reserving any excess seasoned flour in the bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup water and the Worcestershire sauce into the reserved seasoned flour, then add to the slow cooker. Pour the tomatoes on top. Cover and cook on low 7 hours or on high 4 hours.
Add the scallions to the stew and season with salt. Divide among bowls and serve with hot sauce.

I added half an onion because a beef stew just doesn't seem complete without one.  Since I like my stew, well, stewy, I also added half a can of beef broth.  I was a bit afraid that the potatoes would come out mushy, much like the rice in my attempt at slow cooker arroz con pollo, but hoped that I didn't cut them too small.

This was delicious, although the meat could have been more tender.  You can really taste the difference the allspice and ginger make.  I made some homemade ginger tea with the leftover ginger root earlier in the day, which was also tasty.  I slightly regretted not making rice to eat with the stew, but after two bowlfuls, I was surprisingly full.  I decided that if I got hungry later in the evening, I could always just have another bowl.  I should have added more potatoes.

BAKED SEASON FRIES

I've tried french fries experiments in the past, and they've always gone horribly wrong.  I don't own a deep fryer so I've tried baking them in the oven and skillet-frying them.  That latter one was just a mess, and the fries weren't that great.  I didn't think that I would ever try to make french fries again until I stumbled across this little gem: baked season fries.  For some reason, it looked promising to me.

I came home tonight after meeting up with my brother for a staff night out (his job, not mine) and was feeling a bit peckish.  I eyed the two potatoes I bought a few days ago and decided, tonight's the night.

Skinny Baked Seasoned Fries 
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1 potato • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 198 • Fat: 5.3 g • Protein: 3.5 g • Carb: 36.1 g • Fiber: 4.0 g  Sodium: 22.1 mg

• 2 medium potatoes, russet or yukon gold, washed and dried
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp herbs de provence (or use a combo of dried rosemary, thyme, marjoram)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• fresh lime zest 

Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray.

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices; cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.
In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add rosemary, thyme, garlic and seasoning. Toss to coat.

Place in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through. Remove from oven and serve.


I cooked only one potato because it was late.  Despite the fact that this recipe was supposed to be low sodium and "skinny," I added salt anyways and ate the fries with ranch dressing.  Say what you want, but sometimes, you need just a bit of salt.  To be honest, I wish I had added more.  Nonetheless, the fries came out better than I feared.  They were even a little crispy, though not as crispy as they would have been if we could have deep-fried them.  Mmmmm... clogged arteries...

SLOW COOKER ARROZ CON POLLO

I realized that I used my slow cooker only once - something that I needed to remedy quickly.  I had some chicken thighs in the freezer that I wanted to incorporate, but it seemed only enough for two meals.  That defeated the purpose, in my opinion, since I got the slow cooker in order to make big meals easily that could last for days.

A friend made beer-cooked chicken with herbs de provence a few weeks back when I came over for dinner, so I considered making that.  But after much searching, I settled on arroz con pollo.  I thought about defrosting the chicken thighs I had already and getting some more, but then I thought about having to discard the skins and it grossed me out.  I bought skinless thighs instead and saved the frozen ones for another day.

I based my recipe on the one posted at thenakedkitchen.com.  However, I wondered if all of that would fit in my slow cooker.  I followed most of the instructions and ingredients listed and as usual, I made adjustments where I saw fit.

Ingredients: (Makes 6 servings)

• 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced or cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, diced or cut into strips
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• sea salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 – 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs or a combination of both (if the breasts are large I like to butterfly them to make 2 thinner pieces)
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 lime, sliced into 6 thin wedges (optional)

Preparation:

1. Plug your slow cooker in and set to high. Place the rice and oil in the pot and stir until all the rice is coated in oil. Let the rice heat while you prepare and chop the vegetables.
2. In a saucepan heat the broth to a simmer and set aside. This step is optional.
3. Add the wine to the rice in the crockpot and stir.
4. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, and spices and stir.
5. Add the warmed stock, stir and then arrange the chicken pieces evenly around the slow cooker.
6. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 5-6 hours depending on your slow cooker cooking times.
7. Once most of the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken and rice are tender add in the peas and cook another few minutes until the peas are warm.
8. Serve with a slice of lime if desired.

I mixed brown rice with white rice.  I don't really like brown rice.  However, I am afraid of getting diabetes from eating a ton of white rice.  I used 2 tomatoes instead of 4, because the idea of wasting all the innards of a tomato disheartened me, but I didn't want to go overboard by including them.  I substituted paprika for chili.  Finally, I used about 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock made with a chicken bouillon.  I went this route because I thought the chicken bouillon would add more flavor (mmmm msg), so I cut down on any salt added to the dish.  I also thought a quart was just way too much liquid.  Someone commented at thenakedkitchen that her rice came out really mushy.  The poster suggested, among other things, cutting down on the liquids.  I figured I could simply add more liquid if needed.

all these veggies make me feel like I'm eating right

looks like mush

Yeah... the poster's suggestion did not help.  I'm wondering if it's because I used white rice as well or if it just cooked too long.  My arroz con pollo came out like porridge.  And it was A LOT.  I'm not sure what type of 6 people this lady was serving, but my meal came out looking like it was enough for 10.  I can't even really comment on the taste because it's like I'm eating baby food.  Guess I'll be eating porridge for the rest of the week... and then some.  I don't think I'll be trying this recipe again.

SKILLET-BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Over the weekend, I grabbed some hot chicken from Peaches Hothouse with a friend for brunch.  Now I'm not a fried chicken connoisseur, but damnit, fried chicken is amazing!  And though the amount of hipsters frequenting this place is kinda high for my tastes, it serves some damn good chicken. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese is listed as a side only for the dinner menu and not for the brunch menu, though I wondered if they secretly had it but just not on the menu.  I was a bit hungover too so it would have been perfect.  That's ok, I told myself.  I'll just make mac and cheese sometime during the week.

I came across this by Recipe Boy  (by way of The Picky Palate Cookbook) during one of my many sessions of browsing for recipes due to the late-night munchies.  It seemed easy enough.  I'll say this, though: I fucking hate looking at the picture of the kid with the noodle dangling out of his mouth and the paragraph under it that says, "I'm a goofball.  In case you haven't noticed (which is almost impossible), I like to make funny poses." Shut the fuck up, kid.  The only thing worse than a kid who tries to be funny and cute is one who has to point out that he's trying to be funny and cute.

RECIPE:
Serves 4-6

ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
directions:

1/2 pound elbow pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with nonstick spray.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, then rinse under cool water to stop the cooking.

3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper and whisk to combine. Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.

4. Transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet. Pour in the cheese sauce, stirring to combine.

5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Add the bread crumbs, bacon and Parmesan and stir to combine. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

First of all, that's A LOT of butter.  Fucking diabetes-inducing amount of butter, combined with all that white pasta, cheese, milk, and bacon.  While I am not a healthy eater by any means, I did not want to get taken out by a bowl of mac and cheese with bacon.  I decided it best to half the recipe, especially since I can't do a whole week of mac and cheese.  I used rotelle pasta instead of elbow because I think it holds onto the sauce better (that, and it was what I had on hand).  I used 2% milk in an effort to make myself feel better about eating all of that crap.  Instead of just straight cheddar, I used a mix of shredded cheddar and monterey jack.  Finally, I cheaped out and used regular bread crumbs instead of panko because I just didn't feel like buying it.  

I eyeballed almost everything except for the amount of butter and cheese.  Not because I was an expert or anything in measurements.  Basically, I was just throwing a bunch of shit together and adjusting as I went.  When I topped the pasta off with the butter-bacon-bread crumb-parmesan mix, I thought there were a few things I should have done differently: 1) I would have used a lot more bacon than I did (I cooked three strips); 2) instead of mixing everything together, I should have mixed just the butter, bacon, and parmesan, and then sprinkled the breadcrumbs separately.

Looks like a fancier version of Kraft

I sprinkled some more cheese on top because it looked a little bare

Still looks a bit naked

That turned out to be maybe three spoonfuls too much

Fucking bacon.  So good...

Nonetheless, the dish came out pretty good.  When I took my first bite, I exclaimed, "Shit, that's good!"  I grabbed what I thought would be enough for one serving, and about halfway through, I almost felt as though I needed to go for a jog.  Holy crap, that dish is heavy.  What if I had used regular milk?!  Still... good eatings.

PERUVIAN ROAST CHICKEN

A week ago, I had dinner with a friend at a Peruvian spot called Pio Pio.  They have delicious roasted chicken.  When I lived in Jackson Heights in Queens, the original location was two blocks away from me so it was a frequent choice for dinner.  The great thing about it is that if you go with a few friends and split the chicken, the meal comes out pretty cheap.  They also had this dipping amazing sauce for your chicken, fries, rice, lettuce, finger... whatever you wanted to dip in there/smother the sauce with.  I decided to forgo trying to make the sauce this time around, but one of these days, I will try to make it.  I found a recipe that looks promising.

I had a bit of a minor freakout while attempting to prepare this dish.  I love chicken, but I absolutely hate handling it.  When I saw that the recipe called for loosening up the skin of the chicken to stuff a paste underneath, I cringed.  But I set out to do it.  However, in the middle of all that skin loosening, I felt a burn on my finger and realized I somehow cut it.  FREAK. OUT.  I was basically molesting that damn bird with all of its juices just contaminating my hands when I had a fucking cut on my finger!  So, of course, I washed my hands excessively with soap and hot water and then dashed to the bathroom to bathe my finger in peroxide.  It looks fine now, so hopefully I'm not going to lose it.  Unfortunately (or maybe not), this sort of put an end to my skin loosening activities and I just hoped that marinating the chicken for a few hours was enough to get it tasty.

RECIPE courtesy of Leite's Culinaria


INGREDIENTS
5 garlic cloves, peeled

• Fine sea salt
• One 4-pound whole chicken
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS
• 1. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Using the flat side of the knife’s blade, scrape and chop and mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a paste.

• 2. Pull off any excess fat surrounding the cavity of the chicken and discard it. Rinse and pat the chicken dry, inside and out, and place the chicken on a plate. Rub the chicken all over with 2 of the lemon quarters, then discard the lemon quarters.

• 3. Slip a finger under the chicken skin at the edge of the cavity and run it along the breasts and thighs to gently loosen the skin. Gently work a little of the garlic paste between the chicken skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin and rubbing your hand along the surface of the skin to smooth the paste and push it past where you can reach with your hand.

• 4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the wine, the oil, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and oregano. Place the chicken in a 2-gallon resealable bag or a baking dish and pour the marinade on top. Turn the bird several times to coat. Seal the bag or cover the chicken and refrigerate for 5 to 8 hours, turning the chicken once or twice if you think of it.

• 5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220°C). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

• 6. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish or heavy frying pan (see LC Note preceding the recipe), pouring the marinade into a small bowl and scraping any thick bits of spices that cling to the container into the bowl. Squeeze the 2 remaining lemon quarters into the cavity of the bird and toss the lemon quarters into the cavity. If desired, tie the legs together with kitchen string. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon of salt. Set the reserved marinade aside.

• 7. Roast the bird in the oven for 15 minutes, then baste with some of the marinade. Reduce the heat to 375ºF (190°C) and continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes with the marinade and the pan juices, for an hour. Discard the marinade. Then roast for 15 minutes more, for a total of 1 1/2 hours, until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165ºF (74°C). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven.

• 8. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. If you have a fat separator, now’s the time to use it. If you don’t have one, tip the baking dish so you can see the oil separating from the pan juices. Using a soup spoon, skim off and discard most of the oil. Place the baking dish over medium-high heat and bring the juices to a simmer. Add the remaining wine and simmer, scraping any bits from the bottom and sides of the dish, simmer for 3 minutes. (If your baking dish isn’t flameproof, pour the juices into a saucepan and proceed with the simmering.)

There was a note at the beginning about making sure you picked an ideally-sized baking vessel.  The writer recommended a 12-14 inch cast-iron skillet.  My bird was about 3 lbs.  Since the recipe called for a 4-lb chicken, I  figured my 10-inch cast-iron skillet would work out just fine.  I left the chicken marinating for about 5 hours before cooking.  I would have liked to tie up the legs, but I had no kitchen twine.  The only string-like thing I had in the apartment was dental floss.  I doubted that would have been a good idea.  I also tried to tuck the wings in, but the little shits popped out and I just gave up.  I probably wasn't doing it right anyways.

how do you tuck those things in?

I don't own a baster (too many lesbian jokes), so I just spooned the juices over the chicken.  I was starving while waiting for it to finish cooking.  When it was finally done, I threw the chicken on a cutting board and started making the sauce.  The recipe suggested tilting the pan so you could see the oil separating from the pan juices.  That sounded nice, in theory, but my pan was black.  I couldn't see shit!  I just tried to spoon whatever was floating near the surface and hoped it would be fine.

After my sauce finished, I got too hungry and excited and could barely control myself.  Because of this, I was unable to take a picture of my glorious chicken before cutting it up.  So I have only this instead.

I had to use that bok choy up

This recipe is frikkin' awesome.  I'm not too sure if it tasted like the chicken at Pio Pio, but I didn't care.  It was delicious, either way.