Balsamic-Honey Marinated Carrots

Here’s an easy, tasty and healthy dish that serves well as either a side or as a rustic-style appetizer. If you have ever dined at Pesto in South Philadelphia (one of my favorite restaurants), you may have had their similar, rustic family style dish served at your table. I like to keep things simple by using either frozen baby carrots or frozen crinkle-cut carrots. If you prefer to use fresh cut or fresh baby carrots, have at it! Also, I prepare this dish to be served chilled. If will also serve well warm if you prefer.

BALSAMIC-HONEY MARINATED CARROTS

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 bag of frozen baby or crinkle-cut carrots (or 1 medium carrot, sliced into rounds)

Steam cook the carrots until soft. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Toss the steamed carrots well in the marinade. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Grilled Italian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

As mentioned in the most recent Men’s Health magazine, Philadelphia is a great sandwich town. While cheesesteaks and hoagies are among the most popular sandwiches with many of our tourists, there is no doubt that a tender, juicy roast pork sandwich is a fan favorite with most locals.

Earlier this summer, as we do every year, we hosted a grill-out party with our family to celebrate both of our daughters birthdays. This year I decided to change up the usual menu a bit and serve up grilled pork sandwiches as the main course. While I had the flavor of a traditional porchetta sandwich in mind (savory roasted pork seasoned with garlic, rosemary, fennel and other Italian herbs), I wanted to prepare and serve it pulled pork style (shredded, but without the messy barbecue sauce). With a little internet research and some helpful advice from my friend Jay (who is a guru of slow cooked and smoked meats), I was able to put together a recipe for a delicious grilled Italian pulled pork sandwich.

INGREDIENTS
5-7lb boneless pork shoulder (excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact, bone removed and set aside)
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 cup dry white wine
1 beef bouillon cube

The first step of arranging this meal is selecting and preparing the meat. You want to use a 5-7lb pork shoulder (I used 7lbs for 12 guests). You can buy it with either the bone still in or removed. The bone is going to add flavor, but you have to deal with the task of removing the bone yourself. What I decided to do was have my butcher remove the bone, but set the removed bone aside for me instead of discarding it (more on that in a bit). A 5-7lb pork shoulder is a large, solid chunk of meat, so you’ll want to season the pork a day ahead of time so the seasoning is absorbed throughout.

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder). Place pork in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Make 1-2″ deep slits around various parts of the pork shoulder. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Be sure to get the spices and garlic into the slits as well. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.

Note: I don’t have a smoker at home, so I cooked the pork on my gas grill using indirect heat. If you are interested in smoking a pork shoulder, there are plenty of great recipes available online. Also, you are looking at a good 7-8 hours of slow cooking on the grill, so be sure that you are working with a full tank of gas.

To prepare your grill for indirect heating, you’ll want to use at least a two burner grill so the pork does not sit directly over the flame. My grill is a three burner, so I had the two side burners on low and sat the pork in the middle of the grill, with the middle burner turned to OFF. Before placing the the pork on the grill, you’ll want to remove the grate where the pork will rest (I removed the middle grate of my three burner grill) and place an aluminum drip pan filled half way with water just below the area where the pork is going to sit. An aluminum pan purchased at a Dollar Store will work fine for this. The pork shoulder is going to produce a lot of tasty juice that makes for an incredible gravy. By placing the pan below the pork, the drippings will mix with the water to make the gravy. For additional flavor, throw a beef bouillon cube into the water. Remember the bone that the butcher set aside for you? That bone holds more flavor than you could imagine. Throw the bone into the water filled drip tray as well! Place the grate back onto your grill. Turn your two side burners on and get the grill up to about 300º. Set the burners to LOW and keep the grill lid closed to maintain a 280º-300º window.

Remove the pork shoulder from the refrigerator and drizzle some olive oil all around so the pork is lightly coated. Place the pork on the grate that is sitting above the drip tray. Close the lid, leave it alone and let the magic happen. Check on the pork QUICKLY once every hour, turning just a bit so the pork evenly cooks. Then close the lid and keep it closed until the next hourly check. No matter how much the smell tempts you to sneak a peek, keep the lid closed to maintain that heat.

At around the 7-7/12 hour mark, the internal pork temperature should reach 160º. When it’s at this temperature, and you are easily (and carefully) able to shred the pork, it’s time to remove the pork from the grill. Place the pork on a dish, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes before you shred it. Remove the drip tray from the grill. Be VERY CAREFUL when doing this. The pan and the juices will be very hot. Wear oven mits and use tongs to help lift the tray from the grill. Discard the bone and pour pan juices into a sauce pan. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Pour in the white wine, bring to boil over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into a large bowl. Cover and set aside. Shred roast with a fork. Add the shredded pork to the sauce, and you are ready to go!

The final and most crucial stage of this glorious sandwich is the assembly. Like a street corner doo wop group singing a five-part acapella harmony – which is another Philly pop culture staple, by the way – the classic porchetta sandwich also relies on five major parts to create the perfect taste: quality pork, a good roll, sharp provolone cheese, broccoli rabe and peppers. I’ll allow you to have your choice of roasted red, sweet or hot peppers…I like to go with the roasted red myself. Slice open a roll, load it up with some shredded pork, baste it with some of the juice, then pile up the cheese, rabe and pepper…and you, my friends, will be in sandwich heaven.

Mangia and enjoy!

Food Challenge Results: Pollo con Carciofi e Pomodori and Chicken Artichoke Picatta

So as we all know, artichokes (carciofi) were the winning ingredient for the “Mamma Meets The Cucina” Food Challenge. You voted and we heard ya loud and clear!!! So what you are about to read is the result of long hours of inventing and preparing the (hopefully) WINNING recipes for this challenge:) We both know we’ve got some hefty competition – but it’s all in good fun….for now.

Let’s start with Una Mamma Italiana’s original
Roasted Artichoke and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts

…..or if you want to sound really Italian, Pollo con Carciofi e Pomodori! The roasted taste of the artichokes and the tomatoes is what makes this dish. Don’t skip that step…and the creamy sauce, though somehwat of an indulgence – is so worth it because it’s the perfect, rich finish to the chicken….I’d serve this with a green salad tossed with none other than – artichoke hearts!

Enjoy!!

ROASTED ARTICHOKE & TOMATO STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

INGREDIENTS:
4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 can artichoke hearts
e.v.o.o.
2 TSP Italian Seasoning
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
4 TBSP grated romano cheese
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 LG chicken breasts

Place quartered tomatoes and artichoke hearts on a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and season with 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, kosher salt and black pepper (enough to coat). Roast in the oven (under the broiler) for about 5 minutes, or until the vegis get dark and crispy.

While these are cooking, make pockets a pocket in each of your chicken breasts. (NOTE: this is much different than butterflying the breasts. Simply cut a slit in the middle, leaving the back and sides of the breast intact. This creates a pocket for your stuffing to fill.

Roughly chop the roasted artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stuff the pockets of the breasts generously with HALF of the chopped veggie mixture. Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper.

Saute up some of that garlic in the e.v.o.o. As soon as they start to get golden, add the chicken and brown on each side, flipping them with EXTRA CARE so as to keep the filling inside:) Once browned, remove from the pan and place the breasts in a warm oven (350 degrees for 10 minutes or so) to finish cooking.

In the meantime, add the remaining roasted artichokes & tomatoes mixture to the pan. Saute briefly, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook on med-high until reduced by about half (and the alcohol cooks out) and then add the heavy cream. Stir in some of the grated cheese and the rest of the Italian seasoning. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken back into the sauce to heat everything through and meld all the flavors.

Then, plate and serve!

And now, here’s Cucina Domenico’s
Chicken Artichoke Picatta

This is a traditional Italian dish with the addition of artichoke hearts, which makes for great flavor and texture. Although this recipe calls for chicken cutlets, it would also work well with veal cutlets, flounder or tilapia.

Two quick, but important notes about this dish:

1. Piccata is fairly quick and easy to make. As long as you stay on top of your timing, you’ll end up with a perfect dish.

2. Whenever you are using wine to cook with (you will be using white wine for this dish), never use anything less in quality than you would drink or serve to guests. Better tasting ingredients make for better tasting dishes!

CHICKEN ARTICHOKE PICCATA

INGREDIENTS:
2 large or 4 small thin cut chicken cutlets
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
juice plus zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
4 tblspn olive oil
2 tblspn butter
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoon capers
1 small jar artichoke hearts

Mix together the flour, garlic powder, dash of salt and pepper, and lemon zest, dredge cutlets in flour mix

In a large pan heat 4 tablespoons olive oil, add 2 tablespoons butter.

Add cutlets, cook 3 minutes each side.

Add 1/3 cup white wine, 1/3 cup chicken broth and juice from lemon, lower heat, let simmer for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons capers and 1 small jar artichoke hearts. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Serve over rice.

NOW it’s time to vote again! Use the poll on each blog’s sidebar or the Cucina Domenico Facebook Group Page to cast your vote for which recipe YOU think should be the winner!
Happy voting!

New – Basil Liqueur

‘Bazinagole’ is no doubt a very versatile herb. Aside from being a major player in your marinara and Sunday Gravy recipes (yes, there is a difference), it can, among many other ways, be chopped up and made into a delicious pesto. You can also use the whole leaf – for example, rolled up with a nice slice of prosciutto and a piece of sharp provolone in a chicken cutlet, then grilled. Delish!!! But did you know that basil can also play a pivotal part in an after dinner drink?

A few years back, my good friend John had given me a bottle of his mother’s home made basil liqueur. He told me to use it as a digestivo (a sipping drink made of water, sugar and alcohol, flavored with a fruit, herb or root, and enjoyed after a huge meal to help assist with the digestion) Limoncello is one of the more popular digestivos today. I knew to dare not ask John for his mom’s famous family recipe, but I did come across a recipe online that is similar in taste, scent and color, and honestly is quite enjoyable…but still a distant second to the treasured old world bottle that John gave to me and still sits in my liquor cabinet.

As with all home made liqueurs, you want to use a higher proof alcohol base to extract the flavors from whatever fruit or herb you are using. While grain alcohol is not absolutely necessary (and can be hard to find), I recommend using at least 100 proof vodka. It is strong enough to do the trick without packing too much of a wallop. And be sure to use good vodka. The cheap stuff will taste just that – cheap and harsh.

Aside from being a tasty digestive aid, basil liqueur is easy to make and has a short preparation time compared to most other liqueurs. It also makes for a generous and impressive gift for birthdays and holidays.

Cent’anni!

BASIL LIQUEUR

40 leaves fresh basil
1 750ml bottle 100 proof vodka (be sure to use a good brand vodka)
2.25 cups water
2.5 cups sugar

Boil the water. Put the washed, fresh basil leaves in the water, in a covered jar, and leave for a day in a dark, dry area. The water will now be a greenish yellow color. Filter using a fine filter (cheesecloth or coffee filters work well). Add the alcohol and sugar. mix and bottle. And that’s it!