Recipes originally posted on …with Cherries
Tired of takeout? (As if!) But sometimes it’s nice to spend time preparing a delicious home-cooked meal (and eating it!). Lucky for you, food blogger …with Cherries has created some top-notch recipes for you to try this week.
Enjoy!
LEFTOVER PORK RAMEN
This is certainly not a traditional ramen, but it is a great use of leftover aromatic pork shoulder and then makes extra for an even quicker meal at some later date.
Leftover Pork Ramen
Bones and trimmed fat from leftover pork shoulder
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
8 cups water
4 slices ginger
4 smashed cloves garlic
Several dashes Worcestershire sauce
Five spice powder as desired
1 cup cooked pork, shredded
1 cup roasted vegetables OR 1 cup frozen sugar snap peas/peas/corn
1 or 2 packets ramen noodles (or handful of oriental noodles)
scallions
sliced bok choy or lettuce (optional)
– Combine the bones, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, ginger, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and five-spice powder in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. – Lower the heat so that the water is just simmering and allow to cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until the broth is reduced by 1/3 – 1/2. Strain into a clean bowl or container.
– This recipe does make approximately twice the amount of broth that you need. Use the rest to make more ramen or in another pork dish. Set half aside to freeze for later and return the other half to the stockpot to simmer. – Add the pork and vegetables about 10 minutes before you intend to eat.- Add noodles at least 5 minutes before you intend to eat.
– Add scallions and any greens (bok choy, lettuce, etc.) about in the last minute or so.
CHICKEN PICCATA
Chicken Piccata
adapted from Classic Chicken Piccata
two servings
2 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/4 inch thick
1/4 c. flour
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 large shallot, diced
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/3 lemon, thinly sliced*
2 tbsps. butter
juice of 2/3 lemon
1 tbsps. capers
*any other add-ins – herbs, tomato, etc.
– Preheat oven to 300. If making pasta, start boiling water. Pound chicken to desired thickness and season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Prep all other ingredients – dice shallots, slice and squeeze lemon, etc.
– Heat 1 or 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge chicken in flour. Brown on one side for at least 3 minutes till browned. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking pan and transfer to oven to continue cooking. (This is usually when you should start cooking pasta if you have not already)
– Turn heat down to low, add a little more olive oil if needed. Saute shallots until soft and translucent, usually less than 5 minutes.
– Add chicken stock and lemon. Simmer until lemon looks very soft, usually about 5 minutes.
– Add butter, lemon juice, capers, and any other add-ins (I sometimes add a diced tomato in season – which probably makes this something other than chicken piccata, but I am not losing any sleep over the distinction). Return chicken breast to pan and simmer all together at least 3 minutes. Keep on low until pasta is cooked and ready to eat.
*Bonus, sometimes I am clever enough to make preserved lemons in advance, which are SO MUCH BETTER in this dish than regular lemon slices and infinitely more edible. Just watch your salt usage elsewhere in the recipe, the preserved lemons and capers are already so salty.
HASH – SIMPLE VERSION
This is the easiest and quickest hash, and a great use of leftover meats and vegetables.
Simple Hash
adapted from Smitten Kitchens Bacon Corn Hash
2 servings
1/4 lb. bacon or leftover meat (steak, brisket, corned beef, etc.)
3/4 lb. russet or waxy potato, diced (scrubbed but not peeled)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
handful scallions (optional)
handful leftover veggies (corn, peas, avocado, etc. – optional)
poached or fried egg per serving (optional)
– Heat a small amount of canola oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Dice bacon or meat of choice, and heat until browned (only a few minutes for leftover meat, roughly 10 minutes for bacon). Dice potato while browning. Remove meat and set aside.
– Add potatoes to skillet and sprinkle salt over the top. Brown potatoes in one layer, flipping occasionally brown completely, roughly 20 minutes.
– Reduce heat to low/medium-low. Return meat and any add-ins (veggies, avocados, scallions) and bring to heat .If frying eggs, push contents to the edge and fry egg in center of skillet. If poaching egg, do so now.
– Serve and eat immediately.
BACON SCALLION DIP
Invented to go with Psych’s Quatro Quesos Dos Fritos, excellent and easy for pretty much any occasion.
Bacon Scallion Dip
2 slices bacon
8 oz. sour cream
1 heaping spoon mayonnaise
2 scallions
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt to taste
– Bake bacon on a baking rack over foiled baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes at [ ]. Allow to cool.
– Chop scallions thinly.
– Crumble bacon and mix all ingredients together. Taste and add salt as needed (or depending on what you’re planning to dip).
CHICKEN SALAD WITH PECANS AND GRAPES
Chicken Salad with Pecans and Grapes
adapted from Pecan Chicken Salad, The New Basics Cookbook
1 lb. chicken breast
1/2 c. pecans, chopped roughly
1/3 lb. green grapes, quartered
1/3 c. diced celery
1/3 c. mayonnaise (start with this, may scale up)
1/3 c. sour cream (start with this, may scale up)
1 tbsp. dijonnaise mustard
juice of 1/4 lemon
salt to taste
diced chives (optional)
– Poach chicken in water (with optional chicken stock) over a steady simmer until cooked through, roughly 20 minutes.
– Remove chicken and allow to cool.
– While chicken is cooling, chop pecans, grapes, and celery, and combine in a medium-sized bowl.
– Roughly dice chicken and add to bowl.
– Add mayo, sour cream, mustard, and lemon. Mix all together and salt to taste. At this point, you can add more of whatever flavors or textures you would like more of. If it is try, add a little more mayo and/or sour cream. I usually end up adding more mustard, salt, and lemon. Toss in chives if you have them.
– Cover bowl tightly with wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Taste again before serving – I sometimes still like a little more mustard or lemon if it needs more zing.
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