Poblano rice

Poblano lovers rejoice!

This green rice recipe is out of this world! It is perfectly garlicky, cilantro-y and the poblanos give a round, smoky flavor to the rice that just makes it a perfect side dish to pretty much anything! This rice is a staple of mine when I'm feeling tex-mex for dinner, or as a side to grilled chicken, mahi-mahi or swordfish.

Delicious. Just try it and let me know what you think.

Here's how to do it.



INGREDIENTS (4-6 people):
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 1/4 cups of long grain rice
- 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth (for a vegetarian/vegan option, use vegetable stock)
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 5 cloves of garlic, diced finely
- a splash of olive oil (not pictured)


RECIPE:
- grossly dice the poblanos, remove the seeds and membranes and chop the cilantro (reserve a little cilantro for decoration)

Note: if you want more heat, keep the seeds and membranes of the poblano peppers
- bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the chopped cilantro and poblanos and cook over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until the poblanos are soft

- using a stick-blender, puree until smooth: this liquid will be the cooking liquid for the rice

- in a thick bottom pan, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and rice together for 4-5 minutes

Note: I switched pots mid-recipe after realizing my first pot was too small, hence the differences in pictures :)
- add the garlic and cook for another minute
- pour the poblano broth over the sauteed rice and bring back to a boil
- cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes over very-low heat, or until the rice is cooked through and the liquid has been completely absorbed

- serve as a side dish to a mexicali, texmex or mexican inspired meal :) This rice is a delicious addition to a grilled mahimahi steak, chicken or pork chops!
- Enjoy!

salt pork shoulder and french lentils (petit salé aux lentilles)

I've been on a nostalgic culinary kick as of late, so I tried to recreate this French staple family meal as this used to be one of my favorite dish when I was a kid.

And while I was at it, I decided to cure the meat myself, just for kicks ;)

Hope you'll like it!



INGREDIENTS (for 4 people, or 1 with tons of leftovers):
- 1.5 lbs french lentils, rinsed and drained
- 4 lbs bone in salted pork shoulder, desalted (if you can't find salted pork shoulder, you can make it yourself. Click here for the recipe. Note: it takes a few days to cure and an extra overnight step for desalting, so plan in advance)
- 2 large carrots, peeled
- 2 large onions
- 2 bay leaves
- a few sprigs of dried thyme
- a pinch of ground cloves
- water
- pepper to taste, NO extra salt



RECIPE:
- put the desalted pork shoulder, one of the onions (quartered), ground cloves, and a pinch of pepper in a deep pot, cover with a lot of cold water (about two inches above the meat)

- bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours
Note: make sure you skim the surface of the water regularly of the foam that will form
- remove the by-now-overcooked onion bits, and slice the carrots and remaining onion

- add the vegetables, lentils, thyme and bay leaves to the boiled meat

- cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender
- slice the meat and drain the lentils and cooked veggies
Note: keep the boiling liquid to make a soup, or for reheating leftovers. It freezes really well too!

- serve hot with a nice glass of red wine

- Enjoy!

PS: this dish freezes really well, and tastes even better reheated!

Minestrone

There's nothing like a thick and hearty soup to make you feel good on a crisp and sunny fall day.

I was in a cozy mood this weekend, and felt like eating a comforting bowl of soup for lunch, so I took a look inside my pantry and fridge and realized I had all the ingredients to make a Minestrone. Ish.

It may look complicated, with a lot of ingredients, but really, it is one of the simplest things to prepare. Here's how I did it.

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 people, or just the 1 with tons of leftovers. Good news: you can freeze it!):
- a bunch of kale, leaves picked and coarsely chopped (can be substituted for spinach, or any kind of leafy greens you like)
- a small pack of salt pork (about 4oz) diced, skinned and trimmed off most of the fat (I only had this in the fridge, but would normally have used either pancetta or bacon)
- 3 medium sized carrots, diced finely
- 3 long stalks celery, diced finely
- 3 small potatoes (the waxy kind), diced finely
- 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 1 14oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 to 8 cups of liquid, such as vegetable broth or chicken broth (I mixed 4 cups of chicken broth and about 3 cups of water as I went along and realized it needed more liquid)
- 1 cup of small pasta
- a splash of olive oil



RECIPE: 

- in a deep soup pot, heat up the olive oil and brown the salt pork until almost cooked through

- then add the holy trinity of diced onion, celery and carrots. Cook on medium-high heat until the vegetables render some moisture and soften (about 3 minutes). This will deglaze the juices of the pork that may have started to caramelize in the pan. Make sure to scrape the pan as it goes with a spatula.

- add the potatoes and garlic, and cook on medium-high heat for another 5 minutes. Keep stirring to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

- finally, add the beans, tomato paste and broth. Stir everything really well, and bring back to a simmer.

- add the kale and cover the pan until the leaves wilt.


- add the pasta, and stir well. Cook until the pasta and vegetables are done (should take anywhere between 7 and 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pasta and how finely you diced the veggies)



Enjoy!!