This versatile Citrus-Herb Dry Brine is about to be your new best friend. Fresh citrus peels and an herb blend combine with salt to create this powerhouse. There’s no shortage of flavor in it, but the beauty of this spice blend is how versatile it is. A dry brine can infuse your poultry, red meats,…
pork
Ham with Spiced Brown Sugar Pineapple Glaze
This Ham with Spiced Brown Sugar Pineapple Glaze will steer you away from cloyingly sweet and overly clove-y ham this year. The easy-to-make, slightly spicy glaze is a tasty alternative to the syrupy coating you might be used to. By using a fully cooked ham, your entree is on the table in less time too….
Tripletas (Steak, Pernil, and Ham Sandwiches)
Tripletas (three-pleh-tahs) are a bakery staple in many Hispanic Caribbean ‘hoods. The “working person’s sandwich,” as I like to call it, is a meal-on-a-roll. In fact, since it has three different cuts of meat, a boatload of toppings, and a generous amount of condiments, it’s more like two meals-in-one. Though I know that many of you fine…
Gumbo with Andouille Sausage, Chicken, and Seafood
This flavorful stovetop meal is packed with juicy proteins- sausage, chicken, and two types of seafood- swimming in a thick broth that I can drink on its own. A portion of rice or potato salad, yes, potato salad, is the only accompaniment you need here. Do crackers and tabasco also work? Yes. But that’s a personal preference….
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce
Let’s whip up a quick side dish to serve at breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or dessert. With minimal effort and the kitchen workhorse known as the slow cooker, this warmly-spiced Cinnamon Applesauce can be the side dish of your dreams. When it comes to figuring out how to round out a meal, you can’t beat…
Pasteles Puertorriqueños (Puerto Rican Pasteles)
Pasteles are a Puerto Rican institution. Without fail, every Christmas, Puerto Rican kitchens the world over are packed with Abuelas and their acolytes, all with one mission: prepare, assemble, and package enough pasteles to divvy up amongst the family. Bundles of meat-filled, ground green banana patties are packed away into plastic bags. The family members disperse to their…
Chuletas Fritas (Puerto Rican Pan-Fried Pork Chops)
Let me introduce you to my go-to protein: chuletas fritas (CHOO-leh-tahs free-tahs). I marinate center cut, bone-in pork chops in a flavorful spice blend popular in Puerto Rican cuisine. After a nice rest in the marinade, I pan-fry the chops in a small amount of oil or lard until juicy and crisp. If you are…
Pernil (Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder)
Let me tell you about the time my husband almost stabbed a guest in our home over the skin you see in the photo above. It was traumatic. It was scary. Totally justifiable, but still scary. That right there sitting atop that mound of deliciousness is chicharrón. Pork rind. Crackling. Heaven. It is one of…
Pinchos (Puerto Rican Grilled Pork Kebabs)
OOOP! Better watch out! Hector’s making his hand modeling-career debut! You don’t even know how excited I am to give you this recipe for Pinchos. If you have a day for marinating and a grill, this is going to be your next favorite recipe. Dozens of Hispanics (and people who live amongst them) can’t be…
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauced Grilled Pork Chops
Grilled Pork Chops with Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce are the answer to monotonous dinners. Like most people, I often find myself stuck in a food-rut. My go-to pork chop recipe involves frying. Not only does my scale hate me for it, my cardiologist is looking to quit me, too. Grilled pork chops are considerably lower…
