Meetballs & Tomato Sauce:

I am totally of the belief that sun dried tomatoes make everything taste better.

You will need the following ingredients:

 1/2 cup of tomato paste

4 large plumb tomatoes

8 halves of sundried tomatoes

Fresh basil

16 large fresh peeled garlic bulbs

on small red onion

1 pound of 85% lean ground beef.

 One thing you can be sure of is that if there is something that I can not do, or that you wish to learn that I am unfamiliar with - just ask.  "Where there is a will, there is a way!" as my Mom used to say.  If a way can be made I am happy to make it or to enlist others to assist you in your kitchen...When we can rely on each other life is made easier.  Whom among us regularly makes beer at home in their own kitchen?  I don't!  But somebody asked.  Now we can all get that beer guzzeling pal of ours their own brewery...What a surprise gift that would make!  Odds are, nobody's asked for a brewery.  Right? 

 Thanksgiving Dinner 

Pork Roast & Pasteles

I will not dare to pretend I can instruct you with what to do about your Thanksgiving Turkey or Ham.  That's what the Wisconsin Chessman is for.  Click on that turkey breast on top of the page.  They can deliver your Thanksgiving dinner complete - all you have to do is order it in time.  Everything you can think of is in the catalog.  The turkey or ginger bread cookies will lead the way.  I made use of the Wisconsin Chessman when I went out there on assignment for Astrazeneca a few years ago so I can recommend them highly, from experience. 

 I do happen to make a marvelous Puerto Rican fresh roast pork shoulder.  The first time I smelled it, I was visiting my sister in Rhode Island for the holidays.  We stopped in at Millie's house, one of her friends from Puerto Rico, to deliver their Christmas gifts and the aroma in her home was something I was not interested in leaving without a sample.  I was informed that we would indeed be returning for dinner which is the only reason I left at that moment.  I'd been deeply into my old testament bible studies at the time and all that I could think of was that this must have been the fragrance referred to when they sacrificed animals and cooked them making a aroma pleasing to the Gods.  For this reason, I was not a vegetarian. 

(Although for several years in between then and now I was a faithful vegan! Go figure.)  More on pork roast and pasteles now.  You are going to want to visit Puerto Rico for more that just the view after you smell and taste this!

Now gather your ingredients... 

1.  1 and 1/2 Cups of apple cider vinegar

2. Chopped black pepper

3. Adobo Seasoning

4. 1/2 cup Fresh finely chopped garlic

5.  1/4 cup olive oil

6.  Goya Sazon Y Achiote 4 packets

7.  1/2 Fresh finely chopped cilantro

8.  A nice fat fresh pork shoulder - several pounds - they can be 5 to 7 lbs. Bigger if need be.  You will need to cook it well.

9.  A large pan to hold the pork roast and

10. Space in your refrigerator to hold the large pan with pork shoulder as it marinates over night. 

11. A Turkey baster...

First wash your big fat pork shoulder.  Make sure that there are no hairs on the skin.  Take the meat and pour 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar all over it, allow the vinegar to drain into the pan.  Now, cover your fingers with olive oil and vigorously rub Adobo and sazon (2 packets) into every inch of the pork shoulder - being sure to message the pork as you do this - it is a part of the tenderizing process. 

Combine the remaining apple cider vinegar with all of your other ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Poke about 3 or 4 deep holes into the Pork Shoulder.  Rub in two packages of Sazon.  Adding two additional packs of Sazon to the mixture.  Suction the mixture of cilantro, Olive oil, vinegar, adobo, garlic, cracked pepper and sazon into the turkey baster and deposit it deep into the three holes you make in the pork shoulder.  Then take the remainder of these ingredients and rub a it onto the pork shoulder.  Place the pork in the refrigerator overnight to baste in these delightful seasonings.

The next day, take the pork roast out of the fridge early.  Let is sit until it reaches room temperature while you light the over allowing it to warm up to an even 350 degrees. 

Once the oven is hot and the port is at room temperature, place it in the over and cook for several hours until the skin is nice a crispy and the pork has dark brown color.  It should be thoroughly cooked.

Serve with Pasteles, and arroz gandules.  Pasteles are the traditional vegetable dish wrapped in leaves and is often eaten on the run like Americans eat hamburgers, hot dogs or pizza.  However pasteles are a healthy meal wrapped in a banana leaf.  They are most delicious and I will ask someone about a recipe for Pasteles because they are very difficult to make.  Stay tuned for Pasteles - they are time intensive..  I know that much. 

I'm back, and since I never made pasteles, I went to visit El Boricua where Chef Carmen Santos also know as the Rican Chef has been busy making pasteles so I came back with her recipe.  You can find it by clicking on the link below.  http://www.elboricua.com/pasteles.html

You can always let me know how things turn out by leaving a message - just click on actor/writer/producer on the left of this page.  Have a marvelous Thanksgiving.  Stay tuned for dessert suggestions.

Cinti

 My Kitchen

I don't consider myself to be much of a cook but cooking for friends and family is what I enjoy and sometimes I just get lucky.  With the budget I've got one would have to get lucky.  Like a few weeks ago when I was in China Town.  The fish market had a sale on Pacific Crab.  I recalled my visit to China Town in Los Angeles and the Pacific Crab I'd eaten in one of their marvelous restaurants.  So I decided that I'd try to recreate it without the expensive butter.  Plus this Pacific Crab had found it's way to New York's Atlantic shores so how fresh could it be?  Not the catch of the day for sure I said to myself.  That's why they are selling them off 3 large crabs for $5 bucks.  I purchased some bok choy and headed for home.

Fresh ginger from the basket on my counter and fresh cloves of garlic.  I washed my bok choy, rinsed off the still nealy living crabs then peeled and chopped garlic and ginger.  I sauted the garlic and ginger with olive oil in a deep pot then placed two crap on top, chopped of the bok choy with a cup of water and left it all on a very low flame.  The aroma was amazing, the result was exquisite!  A little brown rice on the side with a glass of Chablis and a most delicious dinner was on!  It would have been just as yummy with a crusted bread, but brown rice was what was in the cabinet.

You see, I just got lucky...