Havana Nights!

I am ashamed to say that it took me almost a complete year to really delve into Bobby Flay’s Throw Down cookbook, which Dawn gave me as a Valentine's Day present last year. It had nothing to do with my interest in the recipes inside. Simply, that just about every time I would go on a recipe hunt I used the internet since I wasn’t at my house. But after the smashing success of Bobby’s Mac & Cheese, I decided to see what other recipes intrigued me. It didn’t take me long. Actually, I now have a Throw Down recipe waiting list. In particular, there are several chicken recipes that I want to take a shot at. The ironic thing here is that not more than a year ago, I hated chicken. The only form of chicken I would eat was nugget form. I don’t really have a reason. Maybe I just had some really bad experiences, but I never seemed to find any chicken that I liked. But then like many things, Dawn perked my interest. I can’t remember if it was due to a chicken dish she made me, or if it was her suggestion that I BBQ some chicken, which led to my first original Aric Merrill recipe, Raspberry Chicken (which I will post about after Christmas), but it worked. Chicken is my new favorite food to cook. Let’s get back on track here.

As I was saying, I identified several dishes that I wanted to prepare, but was most interested by Bobby Flay’s Cuban Pork with Sour Orange Sauce. Now some of you may be confused since I spent the whole first paragraph rattling on about chicken, and those of you who know me may be confused because you know I don’t eat pork. Well the marinade and the mojo dipping sauce for this Cuban pork sounded so amazing so decided I had to try it and thought it would go great with Chicken; I was not disappointed. The Cuban pork got me all riled up and I decided that we needed to do a cultural theme so I found a great recipe for a Cuban salad to pair with the chicken. Let’s delve into the salad straight away.

Avocado & Pineapple Salad

The salad itself its incredibly simple. Just combine the following items:

Shredded iceberg lettuce
2 Cups Pineapple Chunks
1 Large Avocado, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Small onion, sliced thin

This recipe did come with its own simple vinaigrette dressing, but I found the following recipe for a Cuban Mango Mojo that sounded to die for, and I figured it would make a wicked good salad dressing.

Cuban Mango Mojo

2 Cups fresh mango
½ Cup fresh lime juice
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 red onion, diced
¼ Cup garlic, chopped
¼ Cup ginger, chopped
1Tbsp. sugar
1 Bunch Cilantro, minced
2 Cups Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

A few points of interest. This is the original recipe. It makes a lot of Mojo. I cut up 2 fresh mangos, used the juice from 2-3 fresh limes, used store bought OJ, used about ½ an onion, used about 4 cloves of garlic, and much closer to 1/8 cup of ginger, and no more than 2/3 cup of olive oil. But play it by ear to see what seems to be working for you.

Directions:

Mix the all the ingredients into a blender and puree. Use the olive oil to get to the consistency you desire. Use the salt & Pepper to season to your preferred taste. Once completed, simply pour over the salad and enjoy.


Bobby Flay’s Cuban Pork (or Chicken) with Sour Orange Sauce

Interestingly enough, Bobby’s recipe differs ever so slightly from the recipe I have posted here, which was found on the internet, to the one he has in his cook book.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups fresh orange juice, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice, divided
1 orange, zested
1 lime, zested
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano, divided
12 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bone-in pork shoulder (about 4 to 6-pounds), trimmed of excess fat (I used a couple of chicken breasts)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mojo Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:

Combine 4 cups of the orange juice and 1 cup of the lime juice and zest in a large saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 cups. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining orange juice and lime juice add a few cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of the oregano. Let cool to room temperature.

Using a paring knife, make small slits over the entire surface of the pork and rub the garlic into the slashes. Whisk together the oil and remaining 1/4 cup of the oregano in a large roasting pan, add the pork and turn to coat, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. I also grilled my chicken on the BBQ. The BBQ season is rapidly coming to an end, so I’m using every excuse in the book to get outside and grill.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the marinade during the last 30 minutes of roasting until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven, baste with any remaining glaze, tent loosely and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Mojo Dipping Sauce:

8 cloves garlic
1 serrano chile, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, serrano, cilantro and a few pinches of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, lime juice and oil and stir to combine.

Dawn will be following up with a post explaining the beans you've seen in the photos throughout this post.

Bobby Flay's Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara

Lactose Intolerants beware. High cholesterol junkies, avert your gaze. Dieters, direct your attention elsewhere. This next post is only for those of us whose blood flows freely through their arteries.

Dawn and I have been on a cheese rampage as of late. It all started with Dawn’s Salt adventure. We gorged ourselves on cheese till we were blue in the face. You would think after stuffing ourselves full of 3 different cheeses to the point where it hurt to breathe we would avoid the cause. But, it’s actually had exactly the opposite effect. We’ve found ourselves desiring more and more cheese over the past few weeks. This past Sunday I wanted to make dinner, and I wanted to use a recipe from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook. His Thowdown with Delilah Winder over Macaroni & Cheese hit the spot.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-inch thick piece pancetta, cut into small dice (I used stripples)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups whole milk, heated
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Irish white Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Mountain Valley Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese, plus more for the top
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for the top
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all of the cheese until completely melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add some of the remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time.

Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta and parsley and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Combine together additional Asiago, Cheddars, Fontina, and Parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni. Bake in the oven until heated through and the top is lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Follow-Up
Let me assure you of this, this is without a doubt the best macaroni & cheese I’ve ever had (sorry mom, but Bobby’s got you beat on this one). It’s rich and heavy. Your taste buds will scream for seconds, but your stomach will holler for you to put your fork down! Don’t plan to do any athletic activities after dinner, just find a good movie or football game and curl up on the couch while your stomach goes to work. The majority of us will end up in a food coma, but make no mistake, it will be the best food coma you have all year.

This blog posted whilst lying on the floor in a food coma ;)