The recipe that follows always works for me because I always keep the ingredients on hand, but whatever vegetables you happen to have laying around will work just as well. If you do not have a bottle of black or white truffle oil then go BUY ONE! It’s hard to substitute for it’s use and it has many other practical uses like as a dipping oil or to add flavor to any bland soup.

A short list of things I would suggest you add pending their availability and the season are potatoes, parsnips, zucchini, squash, any type of mushroom, cayenne peppers, bell peppers and any fresh herb you have. I have had great luck with all of them. Also, any high-quality flavored oil will add depth.

I read in a cookbook from the 1700s that people prized the broth that potatoes made when boiled for another use. The broth adds more texture than it does taste, but it’s a great alternative to corn starch. I suggest adding potatoes to the broth if a recipe calls for a thickening powder, such as cornstarch.

I have made this broth with whatever quantity of vegetables I have in the fridge before a long weekend away or when any veggie is too ripe to eat raw. In other words, it’s a great use of vegetables that would have otherwise gone straight into the garbage.

Vegetable Broth
10 cups water
3 carrots, peeled & halved
3 celery stalks, each cut into 3 pieces
2 tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 large onion sliced horizontally into 3 large sets of rings
1 shallot, slice like the onion
5 garlic cloves, smashed
10 stalks whole fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. white or black truffle oil

Combine all ingredients in a large, deep pot and simmer for 1 hour. Remove all large chunks of vegetables with tongs or a slotted spoon and strain, if desired. Taste for salt content, as sometimes I’ve doubled the salt to 1 tbsp. depending on how much liquid the vegetables give off.

This is easiest to make with an apple corer. If you do not have one then cut the jalapeños into large rings and use your fingers to pop out the seeds and ribs.

Beer Battered Jalapeño Rings
serves 5 as an appetizer
10 jalapeños
3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus extra
1 tbsp. fine salt
1/2 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 cup beer
Oil for frying

Cilantro Sour Cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
1 small handful cilantro leaves, washed
Salt to taste

Make the batter first. Wisk the flour, salt, cumin and chili powder together in a deep bowl, and then add the beer. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

**Use gloves if you have them** Slice off the tops of the jalapeños and core the seeds and ribs out with an apple corer. Slice the jalapeños into four rings, about 2-3” wide.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Coat the Jalapeño chunks in flour first, and then in the batter. Fry them until they are golden brown. Serve with Cilantro sour cream (see below).

Cilantro Sour Cream
Place all ingredients except salt in a food processor. Blend until incorporated. Add salt, tasting in between each time you add some, until well seasoned.

The simple syrup is also great with some dry champagne. If you don’t always buy $35 dollar bottles of champagne, like me, then try adding this syrup to some cheaper champagne for a truly floral cocktail. It’s also a great addition to fruit salad.

Rose Lemonade
For the syrup
1/2 cup rose water
1/2 cup distilled water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

For the lemonade
4 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced
More distilled water

To make the syrup bring the rose water and distilled water to a boil and add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar. When sugar appears to be dissolved take the syrup off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Mix the lemon and lime juice and measure 4 cups of liquid total, including the distilled water, into a pitcher. Add the syrup to taste. I add about 1/2 of the liquid. Chill the lemonade before serving.

I can think of hundreds of uses for these, including Bloody Marias, chicken salad, nachos, enchiladas, Micheladas, gazpacho, salsas, pizzas, eggs, and even vinaigrettes. You can even drain them, then bread them in beer batter and deep fry them.

This doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to make and you’ve got enough for about 2 months. Also, the addition of oil is traditionally Mexican as it adds depth but they will also be great without it.

Quick Jalapeño Pickles
15-20 jalapeños
2 cup cider vinegar
5 cups water
3 tsp.s salt
2 tbsp.s olive oil or vegetable oil (not extra virgin)
1 cup thin sliced carrots

Cut the stems off the jalapeños and then cut the peppers into 3-4” chunks. Bring the water and cider vinegar to a boil and add the salt and oil. Distribute the jalapeños and carrots evenly and tightly into 4 or 5 mason jars and cover with vinegar liquid. Discard extra liquid.

Use a small spatula or a butter knife to remove all air bubbles in the jar. When doing this be sure not to touch the bottom of the jar as they can shatter.

Cap with mason jar tops and screw-top lids. Let jalapeños come to room temperature (about 12 hours) and then store in the refrigerator. Lasts up to 2 months.

Serve the coctel in pretty glasses, like a martini glass or a goblet and garnish with a lime slice.

Coctel de Camaron
Serves 2 as dinner, or 4 as an appetizer
1 bag frozen uncooked shrimp, approx. 16-25 shrimp per bag
1 large cucumber, peeled & diced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. Chili powder
2-3 jalapeños roughly chopped
3 limes; one sliced, and the other two juiced
Salt to taste
Valentina or your favorite hot sauce, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add one lime, sliced thin and a large pinch of salt. Defrost shrimp by running room-temp water over them until they become pliable. Slide the shells and tail off and set aside. Use shells for shrimp stock for Caldo de Camaron, or discard.

Add raw shrimp to simmering water and cook until pink & opaque; about 3-5 minutes. Slice shrimp in half, either vertically or horizontally. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and add shrimp, and hot sauce to taste. Serve with saltines or tortilla chips.

If you are making this to add to the Caribbean Rice, simply buy a larger quantity of cilantro, cumin, and green onions.

Sofrito
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 tsp. chopped garlic
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup low sodium chicken broth or water
S & P to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet and sweat the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, cumin, and green onions. Sauté until the onions become transparent; about 2 minutes more. Add the cilantro and chicken broth or water, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until almost all the broth has evaporated. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

I adapted this recipe to make it more time and energy efficient. If you want to spend 2 1/2 hours boiling the black beans in the hot summer months, then be my guest. Omit the canned beans and go for 1lb. dry black beans. Boil them for 2 hours, making sure they always have atleast 4 inches of water to float in. When they are tender drain the water and use it to cook the rice (if you have 5 cups of bean liquid, you would halve it and make 2 1/2 cups of rice).

Also, you can roast fresh corn (1 cob) and substitute it for the canned corn, depending on how authentic you want this to be. Rub the cob with vegetable oil and broil on the second from the top rack, turning periodically, for about 10 minutes or until browned.

You can find the recipe for Sofrito on my blog as well, or just buy it in the store;)

Caribbean Rice (Arroz Moro)
1 cup Sofrito
1 1 lb. can/ 30 0z. can black beans
about 2 cups long-grain rice
1 tbsp. vegetable oil (don’t waste your olive oil here)
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup diced green onions
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste
2 ripe plantains, cut 1/4 in. thick, cut at angles
2- 2 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 small can of corn (smallest you can find)

Make the Sofrito first (See following blog post).

Empty the beans into a collander or a mesh strainer and collect the juice in a large measuring cup. Add enough water to equal 4 cups. Put bean liquid and rice in a large stock pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Cover the pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes, depending on how tight your lid fits. Let the rice rest for 5 minutes after you think it’s done to let the starch settle.

While the rice is cooking, make the plantains. Bring 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a small pot. Slice the uneven ends off the plantains and slit them from top to bottom. Carefully peel the tough outer part off. Slice the plantains in 1 inch diagonal slices and fry until golden brown. Let the plantain slices cool and reheat the same oil. Use your body weight to press down on the plantains to flatten them. Fry flattened plantains again until darker brown. Let cool on a paper towel and set aside.

Heat a large skillet and add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Add the garlic, both onions, and the red bell pepper. Cook until everything is softened, about 2 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, pepper, and salt to taste. When the spices become fragrant add Sofrito and chopped cilantro and mix to combine. Add the plantains and corn, mix and set aside.

Now add the rice and beans and skillet contents to a large bowl and mix. This can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Making it the day before also allows the rice to absorb the flavors from the Sofrito and lets the plantains soften. Bring mixture to room temperature before serving.

3 Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream (or yogurt, both work well)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed or coarse chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 chopped walnuts (if desired)

Grease and flour two 9X5” bread pans. Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix sour cream or yogurt and the baking soda in a separate bowl and let it stand until it begins to foam. Add the rest of the ingredients to the creamed mixture, and then the sour cream or yogurt; mix well. Bake bread in bread pans for 50-55 minutes at 350.

Coconut Rum Pound Cake
1 stick butter, at room temp.
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temp.
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. coconut rum (Malibu Rum)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt or sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9X5 inch loaf pan. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and rum and mix to combine. Add all dry ingredients, mix, and check for moistness; cake batter should resemble pancake mix. If not, add 2 additional tbsp. of rum and mix to combine.

Bake the cake for 55 minutes, then remove and cover with foil, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

You know you have some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and thyme lying around from last Thanksgiving that you don’t want to throw away; there is no better way to use them then this!

The marinated Jerk chicken can be slopped right onto the grill, while the pork chops should be given a good shake, or even a wipe before being cooked. This is a great recipe for a cook out, or if you just want to cook one chicken or a few pork chops. The marinade will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. I also pan fry the pork chops when I’m in a spot.

Jamaican Jerk Marinade
Enough for 3 chickens, or 4 lbs. pork chops

1 medium white onion, cut into fourths
3 green onions, cut into thirds
3 scotch bonnet peppers (or habanero) halved
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Orange Juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons all spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all wet ingredients, including onions, garlic and 2 scotch bonnet peppers in a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine. Add spices and taste for heat. If more heat is desired, add 1/2 a scotch bonnet or habanero at a time to avoid going over your heat threshold.

Spread 1/2 cup of marinade over a whole cut-up chicken, wearing gloves and cramming marinade under the skin and in the crevices of the chicken pieces. Marinate chicken over night and up to two days for best flavor. Pork chops should be marinated for at least 6 hours, and 2 days maximum. Baste meat while grilling, and serve hot with extra sauce for dipping.

The Bhuddist community, that my mom is on and off involved in, needed raw food for an open house that they put together one night, and naturally my mom responded with this and tabbouleh (also posted). It is traditionally served with Arabic pita bread, but that fake pita bread with the Greek designs on the bag found in any old super market will work. Just toast the bread in a hot dry skillet, on both sides, for about 1 minute total before eating. I serve this the La Shish way, with slivers of tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, tender lettuce, and carrots.

Garnish for hummus can be almost anything. It is mandatory to spread it out on a plate and create sloping sides, so to have a lower area in the middle for a large dallop of olive oil, if nothing else. Arabic olives, Arabic tart pickles, slivered almonds, turnip pickles, parsley, and paprika are common eye candy for the dish.

Traditional Hummus
Serves 4 as an appetizer

1 15. oz can chick peas, drained
1/4 cup tahina (mixed well in the jar, since it often settles)
1/4 cup water
3+ tbsp. olive oil, seperated (no need for ex virgin)
1 clove garlic, smashed
Kosher salt
Juice of 1 & 1/2 lemons
Garnish to your taste (see above)
Pita bread or vegetables for serving

Using a blender or a food processor, blend the chick peas with tahina, 2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, water, lemon juice and garlic clove until mixed well and smooth. Add salt 1/4 tsp. at at a time, blending in between tastings, to your taste. I use approximately 3/4 tsp. Pulse the mixture a few times even after you think it’s done, to be sure the salt is perfectly distributed.

Spread the hummus on a plate and create a small well in the middle. Pour the last 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil in the middle, and garnish to your tastes. I recommend cutting the last 1/2 of lemon not used in the recipe and placing around the hummus in case anyone else likes it really sour.

**For something different, add an extra clove of garlic and lime juice, or McCormick’s Caribbean Jerk seasoning.

Buying a food mill opens doors. There are unlimited uses for a food mill and the results are always flawless. You live by the food mill, you die by the food mill.

In case you do not read cook books (or watch food TV) I will explain why sweet (unsalted) butter is better than salted for cooking and baking, even though it seems like an extra step. When butter is made companies put various amounts of salt in butter to try and save the average cook a step, and that amount varies from company to company. You cannot control the salt content if you don’t know how much salt is in the butter. You also run the risk of needing more butter and inadvertantly adding more salt. When you use sweet butter you can add salt to your taste and assure it tastes perfect for you and your guests. Sweet butter means better results.

Peabody’s Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, cut into quarters
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into tbsp.s
Kosher salt

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until easily fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a collander and use a food mill to seperate the skins from the potatoes and to “mash” the potatoes. While the potatoes are still warm add the butter two pieces at a time and salt to taste (don’t skimp on the butter…add it all you wild child). Serve immediately.

Chocolate Silk Frosting
Frosts 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
Pinch salt
9 pieces dark or milk Dove chocolate (from candy pack, unwrapped)

Melt chocolate pieces with a pinch of salt in a small non-stick pot. Whip sour cream and powdered sugar together. When the chocolate cools slightly add it to sour cream & sugar mixture. Chill and frost cupcakes.

Roast Veg Outa Control
Serves 2-3 (can be easily doubled)

1 large zucchini halved, and sliced 3 in. thick
1 onion quartered
4 shallots peeled and halved
4 small potatoes, cut into 3 in. chunks
1 small egg plant, cut into 3 in. chunks
4 cloves of garlic, in their skins
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. fresh dill (fresh is best here!)

Cover a baking sheet in foil and toss all ingredients on sheet. Bake at 400 degrees, for about an hour, or 45 minutes depending how acurate your oven is and how crispy you want the veg.

This recipe is simple and has few ingredients, but the end result will dazzle you. I know 4 pounds of pork butt seems like alot, (and it is) but the pork gives off almost all of it’s retained water so it shrinks. My brother eats 3 out of the 4 pounds of these in one day if I let him. He’s who this is named after.

Porky’s Carnitas
Feeds 3-4 starving people or 4-6 normal people

1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp. butter)
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 lbs. Pork butt, chunked
2 tbsp. ground cumin (freshly ground is best)
1 tbsp. salt

Melt butter in a deep, non-stick pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until it begins to spatter. Add salt and ground cumin, and toast until fragrant. Add pork and mix, letting it brown slowly for about 10 minutes, or until most pieces have some toasty color to them. Some liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and let cook until about 1 cup has accumulated at the bottom, or until the meat is 1/2 covered. Lower heat.

Cook over low heat (simmer), uncovered, until the meat is tender; about 1 1/2 hours, stirring often to be sure all pieces are submerged at some point. Serve with tortillas and chopped cilantro and onions.

Enjoy!