July 4th (2011)!!!

Posted on by

Shef and I hosted our third annual July 4th grill fest and I must say it was a success. And by “success” I mean there was a lot of delicious food and nobody left hungry. As has become tradition, I made my famous C’s Pulled Pork ™. And by “famous” I mean it’s known among friends to be pretty damn good. To add to the porkiness, I also made some ribs, because really, pork spare ribs are basically like pulled pork but on the bone – at least the way I make them.  Also, we grilled up some jerk chicken using this marinade that Michelle L. brought back for us on her recent trip to Jamaica.  This marinade is called Eaton’s and it is the bomb.  Our lovely guests brought all sorts of goodies like sausage, steak, corn, watermelon, banana cream pie, homemade coconut ice cream…  mmm…  Please enjoy some photos.

Share

C’s Carnitas!

Posted on by

A carnitas taco with homemade tomatillo salsa. Bien rico!

Roast pork of any sort is the bee’s knees. And by bee’s knees, I mean one of the greatest developments in the history of food – if you dig on the pig. So the Mexican style roast pork known as carnitas – literally “little meats” in Spanish – with it’s tender and crunchy bits is like the bee’s knees on steroids. Because good burritos and tacos were always readily available back in California, I never really had any need to make carnitas myself. But then I moved to NYC where the Mexican food was sorely lacking. Things have changed in the last few years.  There are better Mexican options and of course the Puerto Rican style pernil so prevalent in many of the Spanish American joints in NYCwill do in a pinch.  But I’ve found that when I have the craving for the moist, yet crispy morsels of savory pork, the best solution is to do it myself.  It’s so easy.  All it takes is a bit of time.  So without further ado, I present to you my version of carnitas. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs of pork shoulder meat (cut into 1-2 inch cubes)
1-2 tbsp of white vinegar
1-2 tsp of salt
1-2 tsp of cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1-2 tbsp of dried oregano

This is how I do it:

Share

C’s Habañero Salsa: This spice goes to eleven…

Posted on by
Such bright, beautiful little peppers...

Such bright, beautiful little peppers…

... and it grows up to become this salsa which will hurt you, but you'll love it anyway - kind of like a dysfunctional relationship.

… and it grows up to become this salsa which will hurt you, but you’ll love it anyway – kind of like a dysfunctional relationship.

Alright, are you ready to have your mind blown? or your mouth? or your stomach? ok, your butt? Well, I guarantee you that this salsa will do at least one of these and hopefully just the first two. Like the tomatillo salsa, this one has become a staple in our household but unlike the tomatillo which you can slather liberally on just about anything, with this salsa, a little dab will do ya (bonus points to anyone who remembers that slogan).  This stuff packs some serious heat so please exercise caution.  But, you have my personal guarantee that with its sunny, bright, citrusy and peppery spice, you’ll have a hard time limiting yourself to just a little dab. It enlivens whatever you put it on. I dare say the word “picquant” is the perfect adjective to describe this salsa.

Ingredients:
1/4 lbs of habañeros (roasted and seeded – you might want to wear rubber gloves when handling these peppers because the chili’s oils will actually start to burn your skin with prolonged exposure. Perhaps I should heed my own advice).
1-2 tbsp of white vinegar
juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
1/8 tsp of cumin powder (optional)
1/8 tsp of sugar
1-2 tbsp water (to thin out the sauce and mellow the spice – a little)

Here’s how I do it:

Share

C’s Tomatillo Salsa!

Posted on by
How do these

How do these

 

turn into this?

turn into this?

Why, through the complex process of salsafication of course!  Actually,  this tomatillo salsa is super simple and has become a staple in our kitchen. I drizzle it over tacos of all varieties.  I use it as a dip for, you know, chips.  It’s a vital component in that porky spicy stew known as chile verde – one of my favorites to cook.  This salsa is la bomba. But don’t take my word for it.  Take my video’s.

But first, here’s the complex recipe:
1 lb tomatillos
1 jalapeño pepper
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup of cilantro (optional) – not on the video, but if you like cilantro, add cilantro.

Here’s how I do it:

Share

Island Time with Michelle L.

Posted on by

Being a recent full time working stiff, I  did not have the benefit of spring break.  But fortunately for my friend Michelle (whom you might remember from her food discoveries in a Bangkok mall or her shabu shabu soliloquy), a member of that noble but oft disrespected breed known as an NYC public school teacher, she did have a spring break. And she took good advantage of it by going to Jamaica.  Judging from her latest dispatch, it looks like she had a high time, indeed.  You see, I’m alluding to the fact that people have been known to smoke the ganja in Jamaica.  I think I might be the very first person to have ever done that in the history of words.  Anyway, I am in no way implying that Michelle partook of such herbal remedies, but looking at the photos of the food she ate on her trip kind of gave me the munchies (not that I know what that feels like).

Click on the photo below for the full story and you too will be feeling irie.

7 Mile beach

 

Share