Author Archives: Don't Burn the Garlic!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Pinwheels

Posted on May 13, 2010 | 6 Comments

Why eat pork tenderloin when you can eat stuffed pork tenderloin? Take a boring pork tenderloin…filet it open, stuff it with some flavor poppin’ sautéed peppers and onions, 2 cheeses, bread crumbs, and a hit of spice and that boring pork tenderloin becomes a vague and distant memory. This pork jumps off the plate and screams delicious. Make now, or forever hold your peace….

Time: ~45mins

Get Yourself:

  • 1 2-4lb Pork tenderloin (Have butcher filet open so it’s flat)
  • 4 Bell peppers (multi-colors, sliced into strips)
  • 1 Sweet onion (sliced into strips)
  • 8oz Mozzarella Cheese (Small dice)
  • .25C Dry Sherry wine
  • .25C Seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1T Fresh Parsley
  • 2 Cloves roasted garlic
  • 4 Cloves fresh garlic (grated)
  • .25C Pecorino-Romano
  • 1.5T Oregano
  • 5T Extra virgin olive oil
  • .5t crushed red pepper (optional)
  • Salt & Cracked black pepper
  • Butchers twine

Prep work:

  1. Fillet open tenderloin
  2. Slice peppers and onions into strips
  3. Cube up Mozzarella
  4. Pre-heat oven to 350F

Printable Recipe

Bring it all together now…

Toss peppers and onions in a big bowl with…

2T oil, oregano, 1t kosher salt, 1t cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper (optional)

Set aside

Heat 2T oil over medium-high in a heavy bottomed skillet or frying pan

Before oil gets hot, grate all of the fresh garlic directly into oil

Grated garlic is fantastic because it literally melts into the food so no big chunks!

Let the garlic saute for a ~1min

Toss in the peppers and onions and saute

After 15mins or so the peppers and onions will be nice and soft and starting to char

Add in the sherry wine, bring flame to high and cook off the alcohol for ~1min

Remove from flame

Taste, adjust for salt, pepper, spiciness, garlicky-ness

Set aside to cool for ~10mins

Lay your tenderloin flat and rub with 2 cloves roasted garlic

Time to layer on the goodness…

Sprinkle on the Pecorino-Romano, bread crumbs, and the diced mozzarella

Crack some black pepper on top

Add a nice thick layer of the peppers and onions right on top of the cheese

Sprinkle with some fresh parsley

Roll it up and tie it

Click here for a quick pictorial on rolling and tying

Quickly sear the roulade in 1T hot oil all around

Finish off in the oven for a ~20-25mins or until meat thermo reads 155

Note: make sure thermo probe is inserted in the meat and not in the center of the peppers and onions

Once cooked, remove from oven and let site for ~5mins

Keep string on and slice the stuffed tenderloin into pinwheels

Serve (2) per person with a side and some good bread

Feel like impressing someone?…

Enjoy hearing praise and accolades from friends and family?…

…Make this…

De nada

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Posted in Kitchen HD, Pork

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How to Plant A Vegetable (Bucket) Garden

Posted on May 5, 2010 | 6 Comments

Not everybody has a yard big enough for a veggie garden, but I’m pretty sure everyone has a hardware store and garden center nearby, and that means you can pick up what you need for a veggie bucket garden! That’s right, screw the ground…where straight up planting veggies in a bucket and it’s easy, cheap, and beyond rewarding. Personally, nothing comes close to the feeling you get when you walk outside and pluck a juicy plump ruby-red cherry tomato off the vine of a tomato plant you grew…yourself…from seed…in a bucket.

Bravo!

Difficulty: EASY
Time: 35 mins (4 buckets)
Cost: ~$20

Get yourself:

  • 5 Gallon bucket(s)
  • Garden soil for vegetable gardens
  • Manure & Humus
  • River pebbles
  • Phillips screwdriver or drill
  • Seeds (I planted Tomato, Cucumber, Zucchini)
  • Tomato cage(s)
  • Gardening shovel
  • Garden gloves
  • Plastic knives
  • Sharpie marker

Let’s get to plantin’…

Grab some 5 Gallon buckets

They’re (dirt) cheap…like $3 ea.

Poke some holes in the bottom of the bucket, not too many or the water will drain right out…

Do like 10

(I know there are more than 10 holes, I effed up and my plant lost too much water…I had to replant in another bucket with fewer hole…live and learn)

Excess water drains out and roots don’t rot

Bag of this rock is cheap like $5

Used to aid in water drainage

Fill up the bottom 2″ of bucket with river pebbles

Garden soil

That’s a 2 cu. ft. bag – ~$6

I made 4 buckets and only used half the bag

Fill bucket ~3/4 full of garden soil

Pure nutrients – ~$4

A little goes a long way

I only used half the bag

Add manure and humus to almost fill the remaining .25 of the bucket

Break up any chunks of soil and manure

Mix to combine everything

Dig a small well in center of soil

Drop a few seeds in well

Cover well with soil

Put on glove, make a fist, and lightly flatten soil all the way around the bucket

Drop the seed packet on top so you don’t forget what you planted

Move on and assemble your other buckets

Genius idea…

Grab a plastic knife and sharpie

Label

Stick in the soil like you just usurped some foreign territory


Basic Care

  1. Water thoroughly
  2. Place in full sun
  3. Buckets dry out quickly so water often
  4. Check for bugs and bug damage. Use a natural insecticide if you have to

My buckets…

Beefsteak tomato, cherry tomato, and 8 Ball zucchini

Don’t forget to pop that tomato cage in the tomato bucket(s)

→ 6 Comments

Posted in DIY Pictorials, Veg Garden

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French Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Posted on April 30, 2010 | 5 Comments

So, there’s store-bought vanilla ice cream and there’s this rich, decadent, creamy, custard-y, fresh vanilla bean studded stuff that’s like creamed crack. You definitely won’t find this in a little cardboard container with a quirky name and a cartoon drawing. Sorry to have to do this to you, but this homemade French vanilla bean ice cream will set your ice cream “bar” wayyyyy high. Oh, and it’s French because it’s made with a custard base…which means it’s made with egg yolk…which means it’s better than just milk…which means you need to make this now.

3 Key components before starting:

  1. Ice Cream Maker (I use a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker attachment for the Stand Mixer)
  2. Vanilla Beans
  3. Time and patience
Makes 1QT
Time: Mostly passive time while cream infuses, chills, then freezes. All in all about 20 mins is actually spent getting your hands dirty.

Get yourself:

  • 2 Vanilla beans
  • 1C Whole milk
  • 2C Heavy cream
  • 3/4C sugar
  • 6 Egg yolks (Large)

Printable Recipe

Grab a couple of vanilla beans and split down the length of the pod using a pairing knife

Scrape out the vanilla bean “caviar” using the dull side of the knife

Set caviar aside

Combine milk, sugar, vanilla caviar, and vanilla pods in a heavy bottomed pot

Heat over medium-low flame until wisps of steam begin to rise off of milk

DO NOT BOIL, gracias

Once milk warms, kill flame, cover, and set aside to steep for an hour

After one hour is up, build an ice water bath

Big bowl with ice and water – 2qt glass bowl inside big bowl – sieve on top

Grab your heavy cream

Pour heavy cream into glass bowl so it stays super cold

Go reheat your infused milk mixture in the pot

Same deal, just warm it over medium-low flame

While milk warms, combine egg yolks in bowl

Don’t forget about your milk…

…Temper Time…

Grab a ladle-full of the warmed milk…

Carefully add the warmed milk little by little to the egg yolks while constantly stirring

This is tempering, the goal is the incorporate the milk into the egg yolks without cooking the yolks

…Custard Time…

Add the tempered mixture back to pot and heat over medium flame while…

…CONSTANTLY STIRRING with a rubber spatula

The spatula is good at preventing the custard from sticking to the bottom of the pot

Stir for 10 mins

Stop whining, man up…it’s worth the effort

Once custard is thick enough to coat the spatula without running…

Pour the custard through the sieve

Press the custard through the sieve using spatula

Stir the mixture to combine

This is your ice cream in liquid form

Taste…

Pop the bean pods into the cream, cover, and chill overnight

Once your cream is thoroughly chilled, set up your ice cream maker

Pluck pods out of cream and pour into base of ice cream maker

Begin to process

After about 10-12 minutes it begins to freeze and grow

After ~25mins you’ll have soft serve ice cream…

Taste (eyes roll into back of head)

…one more step before you indulge…

Pour ice cream into a glass bowl and lay Saran wrap on top of the ice cream

Press down lightly to adhere the Saran wrap to the ice cream

Freeze for a few hours

Look at that scoop action!

Make yourself a big bowl and indulge, you deserve it

In mine and wifey’s honest opinion…

…it tastes a bit like creme brulee…

…just throwin’ that out there

Don’t toss those vanilla bean pods!

Rinse, dry, and stick into your sugar for amazing vanilla infused sugar

Bravo

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Posted in Dessert, Homemade, Ice Cream, Kitchen HD, This is Why I'm Fat

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Tilapia Oreganata

Posted on April 21, 2010 | 8 Comments

Gotta switch things up a bit…can’t always be eating meat and pasta…at least that’s what Mom says. Tilapia is a great white fleshed fish that takes well to any preparation and when cooked properly is flaky and velvety. I like to make most of my fish Oreganata style, which is simply fish encrusted with seasoned breadcrumbs and baked. I’ve been on a Panko kick lately so when I came across the Tilapia I immediately thought about using Panko instead of only regular seasoned breadcrumbs…I’m glad I did…you will be too…

Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 20mins
Serves: 4

Get yourself:

  • 4 Fresh Tilapia fillets
  • .5C Panko
  • .25C Seasoned bread crumbs
  • .5C Pecorino-Romano grated
  • 1.5T Fresh Parsley chopped
  • 8 Cloves roasted garlic
  • 1t Dried oregano
  • .5t Garlic powder
  • 2T Extra virgin olive oil
  • .5C White wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
  • .5 Fresh lemon, juiced
  • 4T Butter, melted
  • 1/8t Kosher salt
  • .5t Black pepper
  • Preheat oven to 350F

Printable Recipe

Grab some thick fresh fillets and dry thoroughly

Rub 2 cloves of roasted garlic into each fillet

The garlic will melt right into the flesh

Don’t be too rough though you’ll smoosh the flesh…

…nice-n-easy…

Pop open a bottle of white

Pour a  glass, make sure it tastes good…

…get back to cooking…

Drizzle some olive oil in a Pyrex large enough to hold all of the fish

Pour the wine into Pyrex

Crumb mix:

Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley (save a little parsley for garnish)

Mix it all up

Now add the lemon juice and olive oil

Stir

Mixture should be crumbly NOT pasty

Lightly pack the crumb mix on top of fillets

Note: you are not dredging the fish

Drizzle the melted butter directly over the fillets

Bake uncovered in a 350F oven for ~20mins

Check after 15mins by pulling at the flesh with the tines of a fork

Flesh will flake off in layers when cooked

Crumbs should take on a nice golden hue

Serve Tilapia over a bed of sautéed spinach

Light, buttery, velvety, zesty, garlic-y

If you’ve been meaning to eat more fish, well, here’s an excuse…

Enjoy!

→ 8 Comments

Posted in Kitchen HD, Quick & Easy, Seafood

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Mozzarella in Carrozza

Posted on April 8, 2010 | 9 Comments

Leave it to those crazy Italians to take a grilled cheese sandwich and batter it up then deep fry it. Mozzarella in Carrozza (Mozzarella in a carriage) is like a gangsta’ grilled cheese mozzarella stick hybrid sorta thing. You’ve probably seen it on an Italian restaurant menu and you may have even ordered it or its cousin Spiedini di Mozzarella. So…since I’m all about bringing the restaurant experience home…I decided to throw this recipe up so you can do the same…

You feel me?!

Prep time: ~10mins
Cook time: ~10mins

Get yourself:

  • 8 Slices sandwich bread or Italian bread sliced at least 1/4″ thick with crusts trimmed off
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1T Parsley
  • 4T Pecorino-Romano
  • Cracked black pepper
  • 4 Slices block mozzarella sliced thick and about the size of the bread
  • 2 Fresh mozzarella balls
  • 1.5C Plain Panko breadcrumbs
  • .5C Seasoned bread crumb (I use 4C)
  • 1C AP Flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • Enough vegetable oil for frying
  • Deep fryer or heavy bottomed pot for frying
  • Tongs
  • Plate lined with paper towels
  • Candy thermometer if you’re not using a deep fryer

Printable Recipe

Ready for this?!

Get the fryer going @ 350F

If you don’t have one…definitely worth the investment..

I’m just throwin’ it out there…

Combine eggs, parsley, grated cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl

Beat it up

Should be fluffy with no visible unbroken egg whites

Combine your crumbs

My assembly line

Ford would be proud

Slice up the block and fresh mozz

You can use either or, but I like the combo

Make a cheese sandwich

Block mozzarella goes down first followed by the fresh mozz

Ready to get dunked

Dredge all sides in flour

Tap lightly to get rid of excess flour

Then hit it with the egg and pack on the crumbs

Set aside and repeat with the rest of sandwiches

Drop it in the oil…

That’s a beautiful site…

Dry on a plate lined with paper towels

It’s like the most awesome mozzarella stick ever…

Look at that…

Break into that crust like a molten lava cake…

Let the cheese ooze out…

Dip in a little fresh marinara sauce…

Stare at the other 3 sandwiches fresh out the fryer and debate eating them…

…all

Mangia!!

→ 9 Comments

Posted in Bread, Kitchen HD, Quick & Easy Appetizers, Side Dish, This is Why I'm Fat

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Panko Roasted Asparagus

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 13 Comments

I know I can hear you…”Joe, you have all these entrees, where the heck are the sides?!”

Panko roasted asparagus are my go to side for almost any dish. In my house we refer to the crispy panko crumbs as “crunchies” as in, “babe, sprinkle mad crunchies on my asparagus!” The crumbs are infused with some Pecorino Romano and seasoning then bound together with good quality evoo. Off the hook! The side dish is lite, healthy, fun, delicious, and EASY! You’re gonna love this one…

Prep time: 5mins
Cook time: 15mins
Serves: 4-6

Get yourself:

  • 1 Bunch asparagus
  • 2T Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2/3C Plain or seasoned Panko
  • 1T Pecorino Romano
  • 1t Dry mustard
  • 1t Garlic Powder
  • .5t Pepper
  • .25t Kosher salt
  • Ziploc bag
  • Preheated oven to 450F

Printable Recipe

Prep the asparagi…

Break off ends

Rinse

Dry

Add olive oil first

You want oil to adhere to stalks, but they shouldn’t be sopping wet

I used ~2T evoo, you may need more

Eyeball it (best kitchen gadget you have)

Next, toss your dry ingredients into a Ziploc bag

Shake it like a salt shaker…

Shake it like a Polaroid pictureeeeeeeeee

Drop ‘em onto a foil lined baking tray

Drizzle a lil evoo over stalks for good luck

Make sure crunchies are evenly dispersed over asparagus…

Bake in 450F oven for 15mins

The asparagus should be bright green and still have a bite

Don’t overcook until they wilt…

…not cool…

Crispy, golden, crunchy, savory, cheesy, asparagusy

You never thought a side dish could be so…

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

→ 13 Comments

Posted in Kitchen HD, Quick & Easy, Side Dish

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Chicken Renee

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 6 Comments

Here’s a slick twist on chicken cutlets that a relative came up with. Instead of an egg batter and deep fry, these beauties are quickly dipped in good quality extra virgin olive oil and coated in a bread crumb mix infused with Pecorino Romano cheese, Panko crumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, and fresh parsley. The flavor is incredible and since they’re dipped in panko and grilled they have a nice crunchy crust. Clean the leaves off the outdoor grill and start ‘er up because spring is here and it’s time to grill my peoples.

Prep time: ~15mins
Cook time: ~15mins
Serves 4

Get yourself:

  • 8-10 Chicken cutlets
  • 1.5C Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1C Bread crumbs (I use Seasoned 4C Brand)
  • 1C Panko crumbs (Seasoned 4C Brand)
  • .5C Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2T Fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2t Garlic powder
  • 1t Dry mustard
  • 1t Dry oregano
  • 1/2t Cayenne pepper powder (not flakes)
  • 1t Black pepper

Printable Recipe

Mix all of your dry ingredients together + fresh parsley in a shallow dish

Set aside

Pour the oil into a separate shallow dish

Set aside

Grab yo chicken and dry the hell out of it with paper towels so oil adheres

Here’s the deal…

Cutlet-Dip in oil-Dip in crumbs-Dip in oil-Dip in crumbs-Shake-Grill-Eat

Quick dip the cutlet and let excess oil drip off

Hit with some of that crumb mix

Quick dip in oil again

Hit with more crumbs

You can pack the crumb on with your hands and just hold up and gently shake…

…so excess falls off

There they is…breaded and ready for the heat…

Word to the wise…

Spray the $#%@ out of the grill with Pam

Preheat grill on high and before you drop chicken on…

reduce to medium-low

More words to the wise…

Watch the cutlets because a little oil might drip and cause flare ups

Grill for ~5 mins per side

Last set of words for the wise…

Be gentle with cutlets…I like to transfer the cutlet to a spatula and…

…gently push the cutlet onto the grill grates using tongs…

Don’t play shuffle board with the cutlets or breading will fall apart…

…nice ‘n easy…

Oh damn, look at those grill marks!

Ahhh….this crust is bangin’

Cheesy, crunchy, savory…

Fresh and fruitiness of the evoo…

Moist and tender chicken…

That’s what’s up!

Serve with a side of panko roasted asparagus…

This is going on your recipe rotation…

Enjoy!!

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Kitchen HD, Outdoor grilling, Poultry, Quick & Easy

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Mezzi Rigatoni Tossed w/ Sausage, Grape Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella

Posted on April 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Leftover ingredients + forced creativity = awesome unexpected dinner. I had sausage from the Scarpariello frozen and fresh mozzarella + sauce leftover from pizza Friday night. Plus, I wanted to use some of the goodies that I made recently like chicken stock and roasted peppers. A little kitchen alchemy and viola a new dish is born!

Prep time: 5mins
Cook time: 15mins

Get yourself:

  • 1lb Sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1lb Mezzi Rigatoni
  • 2C Tomato sauce
  • 2C Fresh mozzarella, cubed
  • 1C Roasted peppers, drained, rinsed, sliced into strips
  • 2C Grape tomatoes
  • 1C Chicken broth
  • 6 Cloves roasted garlic, mashed or 3 cloves fresh minced
  • 1T Olive oil
  • 1T Capers, non-salted
  • 1T Dry oregano
  • 1T Chopped parsley
  • 1t Garlic powder
  • 1t Asian Chili-Garlic sauce
  • 1t Smoked paprika
  • S&cracked pepper

Printable Recipe

Split open the casing and pull out the goodness

Mix it up so there aren’t any big chunks and give this a rough chop

Heat the oil and garlic over medium-high for ~2mins

Toss in the sausage and brown

Once you have some nice caramelization on the sausage…

Sprinkle on your smoked paprika

Toss in the whole grape tomatoes

These little guys are great; they burst in your mouth while eating

A little special effects for the dinner table

Add in the roasted peppers and capers and saute for ~1min

Your pasta should be in the water by now…

For the sauce…

Add in tomato sauce, chicken broth, oregano, and s&p…

…and if you want some heat add in……some chili garlic sauce

Believe me when I tell you a little goes a LONG way

This stuff is badass; you can pick it up at Shop Rite in the ethnic food aisle

Stir it all up

Bring to a boil for ~2mins

Reduce to simmer for ~10mins

Sauce should have thickened a bit

Taste and adjust for seasoning (add in the garlic powder if you feel it needs it)

Drain pasta and add back to pot

Place over medium-low flame

Quickly toss in your fresh mozzarella, parsley, and stir it all up

Mozz will begin to melt

Keep stirring

Scoop some of that oozy, cheesy deliciousness into a bowl

It’s like a festival of goodness happening on the plate and in your mouth…

…little grape tomatoes burst sweet juice that balances out the brine and tang of the capers, as well as the saltiness of the sausage…

…creamy, silky, melty, oozy fresh mozzarella bonds everything together…

…mezzi rigatoni’s large empty cavity is like a basket that fills up with goodness…

…smoked paprika gives the dish a great smokey earthiness and the chili sauce heats it all up…

…you’re gonna have to taste it for yourself…

Enjoy!

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Posted in Hearty, Kitchen HD, Pasta, Pork, Quick & Easy

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Mad Easy DIY Chicken Stock

Posted on March 29, 2010 | 2 Comments

I cut up some whole chickens and saved the backs and necks. I had about 2 lbs worth sitting in the freezer so I decided why not give this stock thing a shot. I checked out a few recipes around the web to get some ideas and then I delved into my stock adventure. I felt that making chicken stock should be uncomplicated and an easy way to reuse scrap parts. So, with that in mind, I set out to make my own…I grabbed my scraps, some veggies, fresh herbs, and spices and tossed everything in a pot with water and let it simmer for a long ass time. A couple of additional steps were needed to refine the stock, but nothing crazy…strain it, fridge it overnight, then bottle, bag, store, and freeze the next day. Dunzo.

Prep time: ~10mins
Cook time: ~8hrs + overnight chill in fridge

Get yourself:

  • ~2-3lb Chicken parts (backs, necks, leftover carcass, etc.)
  • ~1C White wine
  • ~6 Stalks celery
  • ~2C baby carrots or 4 whole carrots halved
  • ~6-8 Parsley bunches with stems attached
  • ~10 Sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 Cloves fresh garlic smashed and skin removed
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 Onion, top and bottom cut off and peeled
  • 1.5T Peppercorns
  • 1.5T Kosher salt
  • ~2Gallons water
  • Big sauce pot
  • Mason jar
  • Ziploc sandwich bags
  • Patience
  • A day when you can leave a pot on simmer for ~8hrs

Thawed chicken goes in pot

If you don’t have scrap chicken you can buy chicken backs at the supermarket…

…dirt cheap

Toss all of your veggies and herbs into the pot

Don’t kill yourself just rough chop, tear, throw in whole, who cares?

Toss in your peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves

Add in your wine and water

Water amount will vary depending on the size of your pot…

Don’t sweat it, just make sure it’s enough to cover all of the ingredients by at least 2″

Simmer for ~8hrs

Don’t boil (something about fat emulsification and cloudy stock)

When it’s finally done, strain all of it through a sieve

You can save the chicken and carrots, let cool, remove bones, and feed to dogs

My little guys loved it…

…nothing goes to waste!

(optional) Line sieve with mad layers of cheese cloth and strain again

Depends how fanatical you are…

Throw the stock pot in the fridge to cool overnight

Fat will harden on the top

Using a big spoon, skim all the fat off the top and trash it

You can strain again to get all the little fat pieces that get away from you…

…kinda like the last cheerio in the milk that you swear is intentionally swimming away from your spoon

Big bowl of stock

Time to store it…

Ahhhh…ladle some of that liquid gold into a glass jar

Freeze the rest

Here’s how…

Stuff a Ziploc sandwich bag into a 16oz cup and drape over

Grab your ladle

Fill with ~2 ladle’s worth of stock

Seal and set aside

Do this until all stock is used up

Store the Ziploc bags in a big Ziploc freezer bag

When you’re ready to use just take out to defrost

I ended up getting ~10 sandwich bags of stock…

Come on, how freakin’ easy is that?!

Stop wasting money on that garbage loaded with MSG and make your own!

…you’re welcome…

:)

→ 2 Comments

Posted in DIY Pictorials, Homemade, Kitchen HD, Poultry

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Chicken Scarpariello

Posted on March 26, 2010 | 1 Comment

Chicken scar-par-ri-ello…bet you never heard of this one before. Think sausage and peppers marries chicken cacciatore and they have a menage a trois with hot peppers. This dish is jam-packed with flavor from the get-go, but truth-be-told it tastes even better the next day.

Serves: 6
Prep time: ~10mins
Cook time: ~40mins

Printable Recipe

Get yourself:

  • .25C Extra virgin olive oil
  • .5C Vegetable oil
  • 6 Italian sausage (mixed hot and sweet), keep in casing and cut each link into quarters
  • 4lbs Mixed chicken pieces (I used a fryer pack with legs, thighs, and wings)
  • .5 12oz Jar sliced sweet peppers (reserve juice)
  • 1 12oz Jar sliced hot cherry peppers
  • 1.5lbs Baby Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked and sliced
  • 3 Bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
  • 2 Medium sweet onions, cut in half through root end and sliced into strips
  • 2 Cloves minced fresh garlic
  • 1C Chicken broth
  • 1/2C Dry sherry or white wine
  • 1/2C vinegar from jar of sweet peppers
  • 1T Dried oregano leaves
  • 1t Garlic powder
  • S&Cracked pepper to taste

Heat up the oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet

Grab your sausages

When the oil in the skillet is nice and hot…

Saute the sausage until browned on both sides, ~5-7mins

When done, remove with tongs to a plate lined with paper towels

In the same skillet, add the chicken and brown on both sides

When chicken is done remove with tongs to a paper towel lined plate, set aside

While the chicken browns start on the veggies

Slice up the bells into strips, about 1/4″ thick

Slice onions in half through the root end and cut each half into strips

Cook and slice up your potatoes

Check this out to see how to make potatoes real quick in the mic:

Quick Cook Potatoes

Cook peppers, onions, and garlic over medium-high until soft and beginning to brown

Once peppers and onions are done you can add in the sausage and chicken…

and…

The sweet peppers, hot peppers, potatoes, oregano, chicken stock, wine, garlic powder, reserved vinegar, and s&p

Stir it all up

Bring to a boil for ~5mins

Reduce heat to simmer and cook ~25 minutes

Taste and adjust for seasoning

Serve as is with some crusty artisan bread, over rice, or throw into some Italian bread for a  badass sandwich

Don’t get me wrong it’s good, but just wait until the next day and you’ll see what I’m talking about

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Posted in Cooking the book, Kitchen HD, Pork, Poultry

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