Chorizo and Pork Paella

Yesterday was shopping day. I usually shop on Wednesdays because it's my day off, the farmer's market is open, and I get my senior discount at Super Fresh. yeah... senior discount...

I was shopping in the store last year sometime - on a Wednesday - and the cashier looked up at me, looked at my card, and added a little gold stamp on the back. I wasn't sure whether to be insulted or pleased. I decided to be pleased.

But I digress...

We had a pretty full freezer from my last shopping trek, so I wasn't looking for a lot of meats, but as I was walking by the meat area, I did spy some chorizo and some andouille sausage. I do like my spicy sausage, and the D'Artagnan sausages are the best. With no clear idea in mind, I added both to my cart. I would work out the details, later...

Later was this afternoon.

Going through some recipes, I found a Chicken and Chorizo Paella that sounded pretty good. I was missing a couple of ingredients, but as that has never stopped me before, I decided Paella was definitely going to be dinner tonight. Besides, it was another 20 minute meal. (And for all you folks out there who eat nothing but prepared, overprocessed food because you think you don't have time to make dinner... well... this was less than 30 minutes, start-to-finish!) My stomach is smiling as I type this!

I substituted a couple of small pork chops for the chicken the recipe called for, and just left out the bell peppers. (I forgot to pick any up, yesterday!) I added a can of beans because, well... I like beans... and added a few generous shots of Tabasco, because i like Tabasco, too.

Here's my recipe. I highly recommend it!

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 small chorizo links, sliced
  • 2 boneless pork chops, sliced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 cups arborio rice
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can sm red beans, drained
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • A few generous splashes of tabasco sauce
  • S & P to taste

Heat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a paella pan (or skillet). Add chorizo and pork and cook until browned. Add onion, and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes.

Add rice, paprika, saffron, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and coat the rice, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add beans and tomatoes; stir to combine.

Transfer pan to oven. Cook uncovered until rice is tender and no liquid remains, about 20 minutes.


'Tis the Season to Eat Eggs...

Tonight is our annual 'Easter Egg Coloring' gala. Okay, 'gala' may be too strong of a word, but the Saturday before Easter, Victor's family comes over and we all color eggs, eat pizza, and generally make a mess and have fun. In theory, it's for the little kids. In reality, the adults enjoy it even more.

There's 40 hard cooked eggs in the 'fridge, and a couple dozen more uncooked. Easter Pies are made, so what to do with all those extra eggs? A breakfast frittata, of course!

20060415-fritttata2

We usually just have our cereal in the mornings, so a hot, cooked, Saturday breakfast is always a treat.

I crumbled up some Italian sausage and cooked it with some asparagus and a small onion. Mixed up the eggs with a bit of S&P and garlic powder. Into the pan, topped with cheese, and into a hot oven. Minutes later we were sitting down to a great breakfast - with toast and jelly on the side.

20060415-fritatta

Now... what to do with 40 hard cooked eggs.....


Baby it's coooold outside!

Okay. Someone tell Mother Nature that the calendar says April, not January! The sight of white stuff falling from the sky this morning made me rethink BBQ. Mere days ago it was salad weather. Today?!? Something more substantial. I'll grill outside in just about any weather, but today made me think I wanted something that would warm up the house, as well as my tummy!

There was beef stew meat in the freezer, so out it came. Stew is a great cold-weather friend!

I've mentioned before that I sometimes have a wee bit of a problem cooking for a mere two people, so today I actually made a concerted effort to keep the volume under control. I staretd out with about a half pound of stew meat and a small pot.

I browned the beef with half an onion, some garlic, and a handful of sliced mushrooms. I then added about a half-cup of red wine, a qt of beef broth, and some tomato powder. I left it to simmer, uncovered..... About an hour later, I had a rich, rich broth, tender meat, and succulent smells wafting through the house! It had cooked down considerably, and the flavors were really concentrated. Yum.

I added one potato, unpeeled and cut, 3 carrots, also unpeeled and cut, and 2 ribs of celery. I needed more broth. There wasn't going to be enough gravy! Another 2 cups of broth into the pot..... My little stew was growing. How, I don't know. I really did try to make "one" meal. I really did!

Shaking my head, I left it to simmer while I made the biscuit topping.....

2 cups of  baking mix, 1 egg, 2 tbsp butter, dill, garlic, and milk. Mixed well.

I thickened the stew with a butter-flour roux and poured it into a casserole. A large casserole. A casserole for a family with teenagers. I scooped the biscuit topping on, and into a 425° oven for about 30 minutes.

The biscuit topping was light as a feather (adding the egg really helps!) and everything else just plain old yummy! We both ate hearty helpings - and resisted going back for seconds!

And... we have a hot lunch for tomorrow!


I'm still cooking!

20060301-stufffed_chix

It's not as if I haven't been cooking lately... Really... It's just that I've been doing a lot of other things, too - and somehow, this has gotten shuffled to the bottom of the deck.

The other night, I pounded a couple of chicken breasts, stuffed them with mushrooms, celery, onions, and parsley, then baked at 350 for about 45 minutes. I made some spelt pilaf, braised some escarole, made a simple dill cream sauce (thin white sauce with cream and dill...) and it was yummy! Prep time was about 10 minutes, and the cooking was all unattended. Well - except for the escarole, which was about 3 minutes - maybe...

Victor had made a pear cake the day before, so dessert was taken care of, too. A day without dessert is like - a day without dessert! I'll have to get Victor to post the recipe! It's actually an apple cake, but... we had pears...

20060301-pearcake

Right now, there's some cubed beef on the stove simmering with some Mexican Red Sauce. It smells great! More about that when it's ready!


New England Clam Chowder

20060223-chowderHeavy fog, rain, ice, and blazing sun. I had originally planned to make a stuffed chicken breast tonight, but the weather screamed soup, so... time to break out the clam base! It's such a pleasure to have a well-stocked larder. I had all the ingredients I needed, so out came the pot and to work I went.

I lived and worked in Boston for about 5 years and have had many versions of "New England Clam Chowder" from the thin but creamy fish chowder at the No-Name Restaurant to the thick chowder served at Legal Seafoods. (Boy, I just checked out their website - they're getting fancy...) But I digress... We made it at The Hyatt, we made it at The Charles... You really can't go anywhere without seeing it on a menu. Some great, others merely okay.

Now, I know I should have boiled down my clam shells, and all, but I just bought my Clam Base and just had to use it. I sauteed 1/4 lb chopped bacon with a cup of diced onion and a cup of diced celery. When it was looking right I added about a half cup of flour and mixed it all in a bit. Next was 3 cups of water and 2tbsp of the aforementioned Clam Base, 2 cans of minced clams, and a couple of turns of pepper. I let it thicken up then added a quart of half and half, and 4 diced potatoes. Let it simmer until the potatoes were done, and voila! Rich, creamy, and full of clam flavor! That base is damn good!

20060223-choccake1

Dessert is going to be a Chocolate Pudding Cake. But I have to wait for a while. I'm stuffed.....