Pernil (Puerto Rican Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pork shoulder, 4 to 7 pounds (or use fresh ham)
• 4 or more cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho or other mild chili powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
•  Olive oil as needed
• 1 tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
•  Lime wedges for serving

• PREPARATION

  1. Score meat’s skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Make 1 inch cuts into the meat. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.
  2. Rub this mixture well into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny and into the cuts. Marinate for 1-3 days.
  3. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
  4. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Cover with foil. Roast pork for 8-12 hours, adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Increase temperature to 400 degrees to finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, for 30-60 minutes.
  5. Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.

Vinegar Chicken With Crushed Olive Dressing

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 ½ cups green Castelvetrano olives, crushed and pitted
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 cup parsley, tender leaves and stems, chopped

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with turmeric and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Make sure chicken is skin-side up, then pour vinegar over and around chicken and place in the oven.
  2. Bake chicken, without flipping, until cooked through and deeply browned all over, 25 to 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, combine olives, garlic, parsley, the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
  4. Once chicken is cooked, remove baking sheet from the oven and transfer chicken to a large serving platter, leaving behind any of the juices and bits stuck to the pan.
  5. Make sure the baking sheet is on a sturdy surface (the stovetop, a counter), then pour the olive mixture onto the sheet. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently scrape up all the bits the chicken left behind, letting the olive mixture mingle with the rendered fat and get increasingly saucy. Pour olive mixture over the chicken, then serve.

Marcelle Bienvenu's Jambalya

 Jambalya, My Way

Makes 4 to 6 servings

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and julienne
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 pound cubed boiled ham
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (optional)
• 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with the can juices
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt and cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
• Hot sauce

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat
2. Add onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic
3. Cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. If you're including them: Add shrimp and ham, and sausage
5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink
6. Stir in tomatoes and chicken broth
7. Season to taste with salt and cayenne
8. Add bay leaves and rice
9. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low
10. Cook until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
11. Remove the bay leaves and serve

Don't forget to pass the hot sauce!

Homemade Corned Beef

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups coarse kosher salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 5 tablespoons pickling spices
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pink curing salt (sodium nitrite)
• 1 4- to 5-pound beef brisket
• 2 bottles of good beer
• 2 bottles of good ginger beer

• PREPARATION

  1. Brine the brisket: In a medium pot set over high heat, combine about a gallon of water, the salt, the sugar, the garlic, 3 tablespoons pickling spices and the pink curing salt. Stir mixture as it heats until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer liquid to a container large enough for the brine and the brisket, then refrigerate until liquid is cool.
  2. Place brisket in the cooled liquid and weigh the meat down with a plate so it is submerged. Cover container and place in the refrigerator for 5 days, or up to 7 days, turning every day or so.
  3. To cook brisket, remove it from the brine and rinse under cool water. Place in a pot just large enough to hold it and cover with one of the beers and one of the ginger beers. If you need more liquid to cover the meat, add enough of the other beer, and the other ginger beer, to do so. Add remaining 2 tablespoons pickling spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to low so liquid is barely simmering. Cover and let cook until you can easily insert a fork into the meat, about 3 hours, adding water along the way if needed to cover the brisket.
  4. Keep warm until serving, or let cool in the liquid and reheat when ready to eat, up to three or four days. Slice thinly and serve on sandwiches, in Irish tacos (see recipe) or with carrots and cabbage simmered until tender in the cooking liquid.

Sheet-Pan Lemony Chicken With Brussels Sprouts

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee, at room temperature
• 2 lemons, both zested (about 2 tablespoons), 1 cut into very thin rounds and 1 halved, seeds removed
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• 1 ½ pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, tough outer leaves removed
• 1 small red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 1-inch wedges
• ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees, set one rack 6 inches from the broiler and place another rack in the lower third of the oven. In a large bowl, combine the butter, zest of both lemons, half the parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub 1 teaspoon oil on a sheet pan. Pat the chicken dry, then transfer to the sheet pan and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the compound butter in the bowl, then rub the rest all over the chicken and under the skin by lifting it up, pushing a tiny amount of compound butter underneath, then pressing on top. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up.
  2. Add the brussels sprouts, onion wedges, lemon rounds, red-pepper flakes and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to the bowl with the compound butter; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the brussels sprouts mixture around the chicken, placing some lemon rounds on top of the vegetables.
  3. Roast on the lower rack, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring the vegetables halfway through, until the chicken is crispy, the chicken juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a fork, and the brussels sprouts are browned and crunchy. If the chicken skin is not as crispy as you’d like, transfer the vegetables to a serving platter, then place the chicken under the broiler for 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the serving platter.
  4. Squeeze one of the lemon halves over the chicken and vegetables and cut the remaining lemon half into quarters. Garnish the chicken and vegetables with the cheese and the remaining parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.
  
  

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
•  Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
•  Kosher salt
• 12 ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
• 6 ounces whole-milk ricotta (about 3/4 cup)
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup basil leaves
•  Black pepper, for serving

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
  3. Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
  4. Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

Caramelized Shallot Pasta

 

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 6 large shallots, very thinly sliced

• 5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped

•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

• 1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets (about 12), drained

• 1 (4.5-ounce) tube or (6-ounce) can of tomato paste (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

• 10 ounces pasta

• 1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped

•  Flaky sea salt

PREPARATION

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

1. Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies. (No need to chop the anchovies; they will dissolve on their own.) Stir to melt the anchovies into the shallots, about 2 minutes.

1. Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. (These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.)

1. To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.

1. In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

Buttermilk-brined roast turkey

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 (4.5kg-6.3kg) turkey
• 2.8 litres buttermilk
• 128g fine sea salt (about 7 tbsp)

METHOD

1. Two to three days before you plan to cook, spatchcock the turkey: Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast-side down, and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the backbone to release it. You can start from the tail or neck end, whichever you prefer; just keep the blades of the scissors as close to the spine as possible. It helps to work incrementally, snipping a little on one side, then a little on the other, rather than completing one side entirely and then doing the second side without the advantage of the opposing pressure.
2. After removing the backbone, remove wingtips, neck and giblets, setting them all aside for stock and gravy.
3. Turn turkey over so breast faces up. Splay out its legs and press hard on the breastbone until you hear the cartilage pop and the bird lies completely flat.
4. Place a 7.5-litre extra-large resealable bag in a large bowl, stock pot or sink. Pour buttermilk and salt into bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling air. Double-bag the turkey as needed to prevent leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute buttermilk all around the bird. Place it on a rimmed baking tray and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part of the turkey gets marinated.
5. Three hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive, discarding buttermilk. Set the turkey on a rimmed baking tray and bring it to room temperature.
6. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to another rimmed baking tray lined with a wire rack or baking paper. Tuck thighs inward.
7. Place baking tray on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey, occasionally rotating the pan 180 degrees, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 65C and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 75C, about 80 to 100 minutes, depending on size. (You may want to tent the breast or other hot spots with aluminium foil, if darkening too quickly.)
8. Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Chicken Cafreal

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed, or 3 pounds boneless, skinless thighs
• 2 medium white or yellow onions, peeled
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 whole head of garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 green chile, such as serrano, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1/2-inch cinnamon stick)
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
•  Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Prick the chicken all over with a fork and place in a resealable plastic bag or large bowl.
2. Cut 1 onion into quarters and transfer to a blender. Reserve 2 tablespoons of cilantro leaves for garnish, then add the remaining cilantro leaves and stems to the blender along with the garlic, ginger, chile, cloves, lime juice, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse on high until the mixture is smooth. (You might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and give it a stir to get the ingredients to move.) Pour the blended mixture over the chicken in the bag, seal or cover, and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours.
3. About 45 minutes before you are ready to cook the chicken, prepare the potatoes: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes and quarter them lengthwise. Add them to a large saucepan, cover them with cold tap water by about 1 inch, and add 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes. A knife should pass through the center of the potato with only slight resistance. The potatoes should not be too soft or they will fall apart during seasoning.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet and discard the water. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes, then season them generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the potatoes and toss gently to coat. Spread the potatoes out and roast them until golden-brown and crispy, about 30 minutes. If the potatoes are cooked before the chicken, remove them from the oven and cover them with foil to keep warm.
6. While the potatoes roast, cook the chicken: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Chop the remaining onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, until the thighs are golden brown, completely cooked through, and most of the liquid has dissipated, leaving behind a thick coating (or dry sauce), about 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve the potatoes on top or alongside.

Braised Lamb With Squash and Brandied Fruit

 

• • 1 (3- to 4-pound) butternut squash
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  •  Kosher salt
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 6 sage sprigs
  • 6 shallots (5 peeled and quartered, 1 minced)
  • 4 bone-in lamb shanks (about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds total)
  •  Black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 cups beef or chicken stock or water
  • ½ cup brandied dried fruit
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
  •  Steamed rice, couscous or thick slices of sourdough, for serving
  • 
    

1. Place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Halve the squash lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Rub the flesh of the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place 3 sprigs each of thyme and sage on a small baking sheet. Place the cut side of the squash directly on top of the herbs. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the quartered shallots cut-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
4. Pat the lamb dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the pot over medium-high. Cook the lamb on both sides until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Work in batches if necessary.
5. Add the minced shallots and garlic to the pan, season with salt and stir to coat with the pan drippings. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices, then add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and add the remaining thyme and sage.
6. Cover the pot with a lid or a piece of foil and move the pot to the bottom rack of the oven. Place the squash on the top rack. Bake the squash until the flesh is tender and a thin knife can be easily inserted, about 75 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Continue to cook the lamb until the meat is tender enough to pull with a fork, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours total.
7. Scoop out the squash with a spoon and place on a serving plate, then transfer the lamb to the plate and cover to keep warm. Remove the braised tomatoes from the lamb cooking liquid and discard along with any excess fat.
8. Set the pot over medium heat and reduce the liquid to about 3/4 of its volume, about 5 minutes. Add the browned shallots and brandied fruit. Cook until shallots are tender and sauce is warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and squash and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with steamed rice, couscous or thick slices of a crusty sourdough loaf.

Tip

• To make a heartier version of this dish, leave the tomatoes in the pot in Step 7 and break up the pieces using a spatula. Reduce the liquid as directed, then add the shallots and fruit and cook until warmed through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Brandied Dried Fruit

 

• 8 ounces/225 grams currants or raisins
• 8 ounces/225 grams dried cranberries
• 4 ounces/110 grams dried cherries
• 2 ounces/55 grams dried pears, finely chopped
• 2 ounces/55 grams dried apricots, thinly sliced
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon, sliced thin and seeds removed, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger (from about a 2-inch piece)
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
•  About 1 cup/250 milliliters brandy

1. In a large bowl, combine the currants, cranberries, cherries, pears and apricots. Zest the orange and add the zest to the bowl. Add the lemon, ginger, anise seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
2. Juice the orange and add the liquid to the bowl. Add the brandy and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a jar, cover and refrigerate. (If you don’t have a jar that’s large enough, keep the mixture in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.) Allow the fruit to sit in the liquid for 2 to 14 days before using. The flavor of the fruit, spices and brandy will improve with time. At least once a day, turn the jar upside-down (or thoroughly stir the mixture if it’s in a bowl) to make sure all the dried fruit gets coated in the brandied liquid. The mixture keeps in the refrigerator for months, stored in an airtight container.