Sweet-Sour Spareribs

 

This is one of my favorite dishes, using the recipe my mother used whenever she prepared this dish for me when I came home from college or for a visit with my young family.

I make it often, mostly substituting chicken for the pork spareribs. But whenever I find soft-bone spareribs on sale, I buy a few pounds and indulge in this most tasty and addicting dish. This recipe tastes extra good the next day, when the vinegar-pineapple tastes permeate into the vegetables.

 

Ingredients

 

• PORK SPARERIBS, 3 pounds, lean soft bone
• FLOUR, ¼ cup
• CANOLA OIL, ¼ cup
• DARK BROWN SUGAR, ¾ cup
• CIDER VINEGAR, ½ cup
• PINEAPPLE JUICE, 1 cup (+ optional ½ cup)
• SHOYU (SOY SAUCE), 2 tablespoons
• GARLIC, 2 cloves, crushed
• GINGER, 3 two-inch pieces, smashed
• SALT AND BLACK PEPPER, to taste
• ONION, 1 large, chopped in large pieces
• SWEET GREEN PEPPER, 1, chopped in large pieces
• CARROTS, 5 small (3 medium, or 2 large), in ¼-inch slices
• CELERY, 1 stalk, in ¼-inch pieces
• DAIKON (long white Japanese radish), 1 medium, sliced into thin "coins"
• PINEAPPLE CUBES, 1 can

 

Directions

 

1. Cut the individual ribs apart. Dredge the ribs in flour. Heat olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven, and brown the ribs thoroughly.
2. Remove the ribs and drain on paper towel. Remove the fat and oil from the liquid in the pot.
3. Add brown sugar, vinegar and pineapple juice to pot, and bring to a boil. Add browned spareribs, salt and pepper, shoyu, garlic and ginger.
4. Bring to a boil again, reduce heat and simmer covered for one and a half hours, stirring often until meat is very tender.
5. (Optional: If possible, let cool, remove from pot, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove all visible fat from the pot. Add the optional ½ cup of pineapple juice to the pot before reheating the meat and gravy, to prevent the meat from sticking to the pot.)
6. Bring the pot back to a near-boil, then add the vegetables just before serving. Cook an additional 15 minutes.
7. Garnish with the pineapple chunks, and serve with steamed rice.

 

Trisha’s Skillet Apple Pie

This recipe is from the Food Network’s cooking show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, hosted by country singing star Trisha Yearwood (wife of Garth Brooks). It looked so easy that I just had to try it. If you like sweet Southern desserts, then this is the apple pie for you.

Her recipe calls for one can of apple pie filling, but I increased it to two, drained.

Unfortunately, my cast iron skilled is a 12-incher, which proved too big for this recipe. So I ended up finishing it off in my regular deep-dish pie casserole.

I have to say it’s too sweet for my liking, and although using canned apple-pie filling makes everything a whole lot easier, the finished product is much too sweet. I miss the crunch you get when you use fresh apples.

Still, I like the butter and brown sugar concept at the bottom – it produces a crunchy bottom crust.

Ingredients

• UNSALTED BUTTER, ½ cup (1 stick)
• LIGHT BROWN SUGAR, 1 cup
• PIE CRUSTS (e.g.  Pillsbury ) 2
• APPLE PIE FILLING, Two 21-ounce cans
• CINNAMON SUGAR, 2 tablespoons

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; set aside 1 tablespoon of the melted butter for the top crust.
3. To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and melt them together on medium heat, about 2 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and line the skillet with one of the pie crusts.
5. Pour the apple pie filling over the crust and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar. 
6. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling. Brush the top with the reserved melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar on top. Cut vents in the middle of the pie.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of cinnamon whipped cream.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

• WHIPPING CREAM, 2 cups, chilled (I used Cool Whip, myself)
• GROUND CINNAMON, 1 teaspoon
• SUGAR, 4 tablespoons

1. Chill a large metal mixing bowl and a wire beater attachment in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
2. Pour the cream, cinnamon and sugar into the cold mixing bowl and beat 2-3 minutes until soft peaks form.

Beef with Snow Peas

I got the basic recipe for this from the cooking show, “The Pioneer Woman” hosted by Ree Drummond on Food Network. It looked scrumptious when she made it, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Actually, I’ve made something like this before – Teriyaki beef slices with Chinese peas – so this dish was familiar and easy. Plus, I had a bottle of homemade teriyaki sauce on hand (my wife’s family’s delicatessen recipe, which you can find elsewhere on this blog).

Consequently, I used our teriyaki sauce, augmenting it with sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch and minced ginger … all of which gave the sauce an extra zing. Ree added in some chili pepper flakes at the end to give it some pop, but my family isn’t into spicy, so I left it out. Instead, I sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds over the completed dish.

Anyway, here’s her recipe, which I basically followed, changing the flank steak into an 8-ounce filet mignon instead.

Ingredients

• FLANK STEAK, 1 to 1½ pounds, sliced very thin against the grain
• SOY SAUCE, ½ cup, low sodium
• SHERRY, 3 tablespoons
• BROWN SUGAR, 2 tablespoons
• CORNSTARCH, 2 tablespoons
• GINGER, minced or grated, 1 tablespoon
• FRESH SNOW PEAS, 8 ounces
• GREEN ONIONS (SCALLIONS), 5, cut into half-inch pieces on the diagonal
• OLIVE OIL, 3 tablespoons
• SALT (as needed)

Directions

1. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger in a bowl.
2. Pour half the marinade over all of the steak slices and toss. Reserve the other half.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, add the snow peas and stir-fry for about a minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Reheat the pan, then, using tongs, add in half the meat mixture, along with half the scallions.
5. Stir-fry the meat, spreading it out. Transfer to a plate.
6. Repeat with the other half of the meat, then add the previously cooked meat, along with the snow peas.
7. Stir-fry over high heat for about 30 seconds to a minute, then turn off the heat. The mixture will thicken as it sits, because of the cornstarch.
8. Serve over steamed rice.

Brined Pork Chops

My pork chops used to be a disaster — over cooked, dry and chewy. And then, several years ago, I discovered brining. Elementary, my dear Watson. And voila! Vastly improved pork shops.

Ingredients (Brine)

• WATER, about 3 cups or so
• KOSHER SALT, 3 tablespoons
• BLACK PEPPERCORNS, 1/2 teaspoons or so
• BAY LEAF, 1 or 2

Directions (Brine)

1. Pour the water into a container large enough to hold your pork chops.
2. Dissolve the salt in the water.
3. Add the peppercorns and bay leaves, and mix well.
4. Dunk the pork chops in the brine (make sure they're fully immersed).
5. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Ingredients (Chops)

• PORK CHOPS, 4, bone-in if possible.
• OLIVE OIL
• SALT and PEPPER

Directions (Chops)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F, along with a cast iron or oven-safe skillet.
2. Pat the chops dry, coat them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Carefully take the skillet out of the oven and put on a medium-hot burner on the stove.
4. Brown one side of the pork chops (about 3 minutes), then flip and transfer the skillet to the oven.
5. Roast for 6 to 10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 140°F.
6. Remove from skillet, cover with foil, and let the chops rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 

English Muffin Pizza

 

I’ve always wanted to do this, but for some reason it seemed too easy to do and I kept putting it off because in my head, I always thought “I can do this any time I want to,” which as you know, never happens.

Finally got my act together. And I was right … it’s so easy.

Ingredients

• ENGLISH MUFFINS, cut in half, as many as you want
• BUTTER
• MARINARA SAUCE, about a cup, heated
• SAUSAGE, 1 large (Italian, breakfast, summer, your choice), sliced thin
• MARINATED ARTICHOKES, chopped, as many as you want
• MOZZARELLA CHEESE, shredded

Directions

1. Toast the English muffins and butter the cut side.
2. Spoon on about 2-3 tablespoons of marinara sauce.
3. Layer some of the artichoke hearts on top.
4. Lay 2-3 sausage slices on top of the artichokes.
5. Cover generously with mozzarella cheese.
6. Toast in a broiler oven until the mozzarella is bubbly.

The Kitchen Is Smaller Now

Oct. 4, 2015 update:

The "Kitchen Craig" blog has slimmed down, with a change in the posting schedule and frequency as well.

All non-recipe articles have been removed, leaving 94 recipes on-site. Posting will be sporadic from now on, and only when I have a new recipe to share.

Mozzarella Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms

Here’s a dish I threw together for dinner one night; we just happened to have the right ingredients. I have to say it was a big hit.

Ingredients

• BACON, 4 slices, cut into lardons
• ONION, ½ sweet, chopped
• OLIVE OIL, 1 tablespoon
• BUTTER, 2 tablespoons
• MARINARA SAUCE, about 1 cup
• BRUSSELS SPROUTS, about 1 cup
• MUSHROOMS, white, 8 ounces, cut in half.
• JAPANESE PANKO BREADING, about ½ cup
• CANOLA OIL, 1 cup
• CHICKEN, 4 thighs boned, skin on
• GARLIC SALT, to taste
• MOZZARELLA CHEESE, 1 cup, shredded

Directions

1. First, make the sauce in a sauce pan. Fry the bacon in the olive oil and butter until almost crisp, then add the onions.
2. Add the marinara sauce (I used jarred sauce available at the supermarket, drop the heat to medium low, and allow to bubble.
3. Boil or steam the Brussels sprouts, and when about ¾ done, add to the sauce, along with the mushrooms, for about an hour.
4. Prep the chicken while the sauce is simmering. Cut the chicken thighs into 3-4 pieces each.
5. Heat the Canola oil in a deep-sided pan. (Now is a good time to transfer the sauce to a wide casserole dish.)
6. Season the chicken pieces with garlic salt, then cover with panko breading. Deep fry them in small batches. Remove when they turn a golden grown, and drain on a paper towel.
7. When all the chicken is cooked, arrange on top of the sauce in the casserole dish.
8. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and broil uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
9. Serve with pasta or rice.

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple Bacon

Here’s a side dish that sounds good in concept (can’t you just smell the balsamic vinegar and maple bacon already?). But it didn’t quite turn out the way I had envisioned. Sure, it tasted good, but when roasted in the oven, the Brussels sprouts turned out a little dry and kind of chewy.

I like my Brussels sprouts tender and juicy, cooked with a lot of butter. Maybe next time I’ll substitute butter for the olive oil.

Ingredients

1. BRUSSELS SPROUTS, 1½ lb.
2. THICK CUT MAPLE BACON, 6 Slices Chopped
3. ONION, 3 oz. diced
4. GARLIC, 2 large cloves minced
5. BALSAMIC VINEGAR, 2 tablespoons
6. OLIVE OIL, 2 tablespoons
7. SALT AND PEPPER, to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove any yellowing leaves.
• Cut Brussels sprouts in half.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine Brussels sprouts, bacon, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss until all sprouts are coated and ingredients are well mixed.
• Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread in a single layer. 
• Bake for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.

Braised Lemon Chicken Thighs with Garlic

This recipe is pretty good. The lemon rind became very soft, almost melting into the sauce. The flavor is quite lemony and because the chicken braises in its own liquid combined with lemon juice, it becomes quite tender.

I substituted half the Greek olives with Spanish olives (you know, the ones with the pimentos in the center) cut in half. In the picture above, I gave the dish an Asian flavor with kari (red ginger) and nori (crispy seaweed) steamed rice, and rakkyo (pickled scallions).

INGREDIENTS

• CHICKEN THIGHS, 8 bone-in, skin-on
• SALT and PEPPER to taste
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, 3 tablespoons
• GARLIC CLOVES, 12
• YELLOW ONIONS, 2 large, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• LEMON, 1 thinly sliced, seeds discarded
• FRESH OREGANO, 2 tablespoons
• GREEK OLIVES, 1 cup mixed
• LEMON JUICE, 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. When the oil is hot, lay the chicken thighs in a single layer skin-side down, and sear until golden brown.
5. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and flip the thighs over. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and slightly browned.
6. Remove the chicken and garlic from the pan and set aside.
7. With the pan is still hot, add the onions, lemon slices and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have wilted and the brown bits on the bottom of the pan have loosened.
9. Nestle the thighs skin-side up in the onion mixture and add the garlic and the olives. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and transfer the pan to the oven.
10. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
11. Scatter fresh oregano leaves over the top and serve.
12. 
    
13. In the picture above, I gave the dish an Asian flavor with kari (red ginger) steamed rice, and rakkyo (pickled scallions).

Peppadew-Cucumber Relish

One of our local supermarkets has an olive bar that has Peppadew sweet peppers from South Africa as one of its available condiments. They’re roundish orange-red sweet piquanté peppers that come from Limpopo province.

They’re great as a condiment with any meal, but one day, I saw a picture of a sweet-pepper/cucumber relish on a food website. So when I saw Japanese cucumbers from the Big Island’s Ho Farms in the produce section, I grabbed a couple, along with some red onions.

Immediately, I skipped on over to the olive bar and scooped up about a cup of the Peppadews, along with a nice amount of the juice that had accumulated.

When I got home, I diced up the Peppadews, cucumbers and red onions, slipped them into a jar, and saturated the mixture with the Peppadew syrup.

After a couple of days of occasional shaking and turning, I spooned out some of the relish and munched on it like a salad. It was soooo good!

You should try doing this. It is so easy, so delicious, and so refreshing. I recommend it.

Ingredients

• PEPPADEW SWEET PEPPERS, ¼ cup, with as much juice as you can swipe
• ENGLISH OR JAPANESE CUCUMBER, 2 medium
• RED ONION, ½ medium

Directions

1. Chop the ingredients into ½-inch or ¾-inch pieces.
2. Mix with the juices.
3. Store in refrigerator in a jar, shaking often.

Zuppa Toscana

This recipe came from a Facebook friend, who got it from Budget Bytes (www.budgetbytes.com). It sounded like a winner to me – easy to make, subtle in flavor, and very inexpensive. Budget Bytes estimated that eight servings will cost $1.04 each.

In Hawaii that probably works out to $1.50 to $2.00 a serving, due to the higher cost of ingredients, but who’s counting?

As usual, I had to do a substitution: I couldn’t find any Kale in the market, so I used baby spinach; I added about a teaspoon of garlic salt. Everything else was the same.

Ingredients

• ITALIAN SAUSAGE, ½ pound
• OLIVE OIL, few drops (I used a teaspoon of butter)
• ONION, 1 medium, diced
• GARLIC, 2 cloves, minced
• GREAT NORTHERN BEANS, 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
• SMOKED PAPRIKA, ½ teaspoon
• CHICKEN BROTH, 3 cups
• WATER, 1 cup
• HALF-AND-HALF, 2 cups (1 pint)
• RED POTATOES, 3 medium
• KALE (I used baby spinach), 1 bunch, about a half-pound
• RED PEPPER FLAKES (Optional, I left it out), pinch
• BLACK PEPPER, freshly cracked, to taste
• GARLIC SALT (My option), 1 teaspoon

Directions

1. Remove the sausage from its casing and sauté over medium heat in a large pot, breaking it into small pieces while cooking. Use a few drops of olive oil if needed to prevent sticking.
2. Add in the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are softened.
3. Add in the beans, paprika, chicken broth, water and half-and-half. Cover and bring to simmer over medium heat.
4. Peel (optional) and cut each potato in lengthwise quarters, then slice across to make thin slices.
5. Add the potatoes, kale and garlic salt to the pot, stirring to help the kale wilt.
6. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
7. Season with the red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper.
8. Serve with buttered rolls or bread.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Okay, I’ll admit it, I found this recipe on the Bon Appétit magazine’s website. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if they didn’t mean for anyone to copy it, they wouldn’t have put it on the Internet in the first place. Right?

Be that as it may, I did make a few adjustments to the ingredients: I didn’t have fresh herbs, so I used dried. I didn’t have a head of garlic, so I used crushed garlic from a jar. I didn’t have flat-leaf parsley, so I left it out.

Still, the short ribs were nothing short of phenomenal. The presentation is a little cumbersome, however, because all the spent veggies have to be strained out and the gravy has to be skimmed of its floating fat.

They recommended serving the ribs with mashed potatoes. Luckily, I had the stuff for that.

Ingredients

• BONE-IN BEEF SHORT RIBS, 5 pounds, cut into 2-inch pieces
• KOSHER SALT AND GRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• VEGETABLE OIL (I used Canola Oil), 3 tablespoons
• ONIONS, 3 medium, chopped
• CARROTS, 3 medium, peeled and chopped
• CELERY, 2 stalks, chopped
• ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, 1 tablespoon
• TOMATO PASTE, 1 tablespoon
• DRY RED WINE (I used Cabernet Sauvignon), 1 750-milliliter bottle
• FLAT LEAF PARSLEY, 10 sprigs
• THYME, 8 sprigs
• OREGANO, 4 sprigs
• ROSEMARY, 2 sprigs
• BAY LEAVES, 2 fresh or dried
• GARLIC, 1 head, halved crosswise
• BEEF STOCK, 4 cups

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, then, working in batches, brown the short ribs on all sides.
4. Remove the short ribs, discarding all but 2 tablespoons of drippings, retain the fond (those little bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pot).
5. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the onions brown.
6. Add the flour and tomato paste, stirring constantly, and cook until well-combined.
7. Stir in the wine and the short ribs with any accumulated juices.
8. Bring to a boil, lower to medium and simmer, reducing the wine by half. This will take about 20-25 minutes or so.
9. Add the herbs, garlic and stock to the Dutch oven, bring back to a boil and cover.
10. Transfer the pot to the preheated oven and cook about 2 to 2½ hours, until the meat is tender.
11. Take the ribs out, strain the sauce into a bowl and toss the spent veggies.
12. Spoon the floating fat and discard, season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
13. Serve the sauce alongside the ribs, and don’t forget the mashed potatoes.

Zesty Chipotle Cream Cheese Dip

This is one of those dips that you just whip together without much thought.

I had a small can of chipotle peppers in their sauce, as well as a block of Philadelphia cream cheese that had been hiding in the refrigerator for a week or so, trying its hardest to disappear from sight.

So … I made some dip for my leftover bag of tortilla chips. If you look at the picture above, you’ll notice that the once-scoop-shaped chips are now just plain ol’ chips. That’s because I ate up all the scoops, along with most of the cheese dip.

It’s not that easy to distinguish between the chips and dips in the picture, but the chips are on the left, and the dip is on the right. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture when I had all the elements available.

Easy to make? Heck yes. Just take two of the chipotle peppers out of the juice, remove the seeds and ribs if you like your dip on the mild side, or leave them in if you like it really hot. Mince up the peppers really fine and then blend it in with the softened cream cheese. Add in some of the chipotle juice to make the dip smoother.

No need to measure accurately. Just do it to your taste. No other season is required, but if you want, you could add some chopped green onions.

The dip has a little warmth that actually is soothing when you have a cold and a raw throat. It’ll do wonders for your sinuses.