- In February, Shawn & I gave my dad a birthday present: a meal of his choice, cooked by the two of us. Three nights ago, he told us that he wanted us to make him this birthday meal… and he wanted Paella. The two of us are leaving on a 'cross country-into Canada-40-day tour on Friday, so this freaked us out a little bit, but there was no way we were going to say no. :)
- We found a recipe online that had raving reviews, and seemed pretty simple, so we adapted it to include some really yummy seafood, and put our spin on some of the spices & techniques. It turned out to be the perfect paella… not too saucy, yet not dry; tons of flavor, and perfect balance between the chicken/Andouille sausage and the seafood. My dad LOVED it.
- No need to be afraid of making paella any longer. This recipe is not very involved at all. Enjoy!
- 4 chicken thighs, skinned
- 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 (4-ounce) links fully-cooked Andouille sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
- 3/4 cup canned diced organic tomato
- 1 1/3 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1/3 teaspoon saffron threads
- 2 garlic clove, minced
- 4 cups free range, low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 pound large shrimp, shell & tail intact
- 1/2 pound Mahi Mahi (or other fish that will hold it's own), skinned & de-boned, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ~20 high quality fully-cooked frozen Blue Tip mussels, cleaned & de-bearded
- 1 1/4 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
- 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced diagonally in 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
- Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Rub chicken down with Herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in an 8-quart nonstick pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pot; cover and keep warm.
- Add sausage, onion and bell pepper to pot; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove & set aside. Add shrimp & fish to pot; cook 2 minutes on each side; remove & set aside (seafood will not be fully cooked). Return sausage, onion, and bell pepper mixture to pot. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pot. Add broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover pot. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, fish, mussels, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5--8 minutes or until chicken & seafood is completely done. Serve in a large bowl with mussels featured on the top. Finish with sliced green onions & lemon wedges.
My mom rarely cleans her plate at the dinner table, but last night when I cooked for the family, she had a second sandwich - and ate all of it. That's how I knew this was a recipe I will have to make again & again, so I'd better write it down.
Most of the time when I'm cooking I don't measure out the ingredients - I just fly around the kitchen, tossing ingredients together by intuition. I'm not sure of the measurements for this dish, but since I had a lot of requests for the recipe, I figured I will share the basics & let you all try it per your own intuition!
I initially was making this slaw to accompany BBQ pulled pork tenderloin sandwiches and was going to make my homemade BBQ sauce, but lost track of time. Last minute, I decided to top the pulled pork tenderloin sandwiches with this slaw, some vegenaise, Sriracha pepper sauce, and a little hoisin sauce. YUM. Directions are below for the pulled pork as well. :) -JJ
Ingredients:
- Half a head of green cabbage, shredded
- 2 large radishes, peeled & julienned
- Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar (add gradually to taste)
- Mirin (add gradually to taste)
- Fresh lime juice (maybe 1/4 lime?)
- Black sesame seeds (shake generously!)
- Tupelo honey (maybe a heaping teaspoon?)
- Toasted sesame oil (add gradually - it's a strong ingredient!)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Chopped roasted peanuts (to top)
Directions:
Toss cabbage, radish, vinegar, Mirin, lime juice, sesame seeds, honey, sesame oil, salt and cilantro in a large bowl. Taste it. Love it. Top with peanuts. Done.
✳✳✳
Asian Pulled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches...
- Pulled pork tenderloin
- JJ's Asian-Inspired Slaw
- Toasted buns
- Vegenaise
- Sriracha pepper sauce
- Hoisin sauce
Pulled Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 pork tenderloins (~2.5 lbs.), halved lengthwise & cut into 2.5 inch pieces
- 1.5 beers
- 3/4 cup Bragg's apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 garlic cloves, bruised
- Black pepper
- Dried chili pepper
- Kosher salt (~2 tsp)
Directions:
Bring all of the ingredients to a boil, add the pork, cover, reduce heat to low, simmer for at least 1 hour or until pork is tender when stabbed with a fork. Remove pork from liquid, and pull apart using 2 forks.
This. This is really, really good. The photo of it… Not so much. ;)
My dad & I conceptualized the idea of a Thai-inspired chili recipe at least 4 years ago. The idea has been scribbled on a tattered piece of paper, hidden in a family recipe box, and we decided last night that it was finally time to make it come to life. The addition of red curry paste, fresh basil & cilantro, and a coconut drizzle to a pot of chili seemed like the perfect match - and it sure was!
I made enough for an army, so this recipe serves, like, 12 people. You will probably want to half it if you want to make it for a family of four - but I suggest you go ahead and just make a big pot of it so you have lots of leftovers.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. peanut oil
- 3 sweet onions, chopped
- 3 small bell peppers, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- 3 lbs ground pork
- 28 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes
- 2 cups sliced button mushrooms
- 22 oz. can of Sapporo beer
- 1 can tomato paste
- 4 oz. jar red curry paste
- 1 quart beef broth
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 cans red kidney beans, drained
- 1 red chili pepper, deseeded & chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric
- Salt, to taste
- Coconut milk, to drizzle (optional, but suggested)
Directions:
Heat peanut oil over medium heat in a large pot. When the oil is hot, add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and pork until browned.
Add tomatoes, beer, tomato paste, red curry paste, beef broth, basil, cilantro, brown sugar, salt and turmeric. Mix well.
Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans, mushrooms & chili pepper. Reduce heat & simmer for 1.5 hours.
Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans & simmer for another 30 mins. Serve hot with a swirl of coconut milk.
