Banana and Nutella Pastry Bundles

Growing up I did not enjoy sweets. I only liked Hershey's chocolate bars that my grandmother would buy boxes of at Costco to give me as treats. To this day it is my favorite candy bar. My mom used to having a cake business so I used to sit and watch her create beautiful masterpieces, plus I got to eat frosting. I was about 4 or 5 years old at the time but at that age I knew I wanted to bake cakes/sweets just like my mom. As I got older and was slowly allowed to take the reigns in the kitchen, I not only started making dinner but dessert as well. It was a beautiful, funny irony: I loved to bake sweets but did not like sweets myself...until recently. I don't know what has happened to me, maybe my brain turned on a sweets switch that has been off for 25 years, but I now like a whole lot more sweets. My favorites being donuts, cookies and flaky pastries. This recipe combines two things I enjoy: nutella and a flaky pastry. You could attempt to make your own puff pastry but I have heard horror stories behind the making of this delicious delight; either way even chefs use pre-made puff pastries! The egg brushed on the pastry is what makes it golden, extra crispy which is the lotto for my taste buds. It also seals everything together, however, do not be alarmed or surprised if yummy gooey-ness does leak out of the pastry. The beauty of this recipe is that it does not have to be perfect. You can enclose the banana nutella ingredients in the puff pastry as you choose because the more rustic it looks the better. Have fun with the shapes you can form; I personally made little purses. Enjoy!

Recipe:
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 banana, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces, 9 pieces total
9 teaspoons of Nutella
1 egg, beaten

Weekly Recipe Round-Up November 25th - 29th

I don't know about you but this week has just flown by for me.  And I was really not quite ready for Thanksgiving, I didn't even get the disposable bakeware that I usually use to take the side dishes to my brother's, (fondly named Mr. Ed) house. Thanksgiving is always at Mr. Ed's house and Christmas Eve dinner is always at my house.  It's what we have been doing since the passing of our parents. This holiday always reminds me of my father in particular, he loved having the family all around the dinner table, everyone talking over each other, the noise level getting almost unbearable (it's a Cuban family after all). It made him very happy, and I miss seeing him, his face glowing with happiness, because his family was there with him, and that meant everything to him.
I do hope you have fond memories as I do and that you had a beautiful Thanksgiving!

This week's Recipe of the Week was featured on Wednesdays with Eryka,

Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Easy Yummy Roasted Carrots

Ridiculously easy to make and delightfully delicious is what describes my Easy, Yummy Roasted Carrots! Uses 5 everyday pantry staples, easy on the budget and about 2 minutes in prep time. Nothing could be easier! Great Thanksgiving side dish too!

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles

Take a sheet of puff pastry, bananas and nutella and you have perfect little bundles of deliciousness Don't be surprised at how quickly these Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles disappear!

Featured on Friday: 

Truffle-Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Truffle-Garlic Roasted Asparagus is a nice bistro style treat to serve alongside your favor chicken or fish dish or in a salad. Infused with garlic, truffles and truffle oil that compliment the flavor of the delicate asparagus.

The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon wishes you a ...

Weekly Recipe Round-Up November 18th-23rd

In less than a week most of us will be sitting down to a great Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends, and this year I am really behind on everything. I have a lot of catching up to do this coming week, just not sure how I am going to get it all done, but I will.
This week's Recipe of the Week was Slow Cooker Mustard & Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs, and it was our Friday featured recipe.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey!

Since we are less than a week away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post my brine chart and my Turkey Brine Solution with a Hispanic Twist so you can start planning ahead, and brine, brine, brine that turkey!

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

Why order take-out, when in the time it takes to deliver, you can be eating this delicious, easy, Weeknight Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein. Its the perfect weeknight meal!

Featured on Friday:

Slow Cooker Mustard &
Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

In  this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor. Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. Adapts to slow cooker or stove top cooking, easy to make and budget friendly.

Slow Cooker Mustard and Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

I know what you're thinking ... another turkey recipe during Thanksgiving. But this turkey recipe is as far from being your standard Thanksgiving Day turkey.  In this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised
in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor.  Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. And, if that isn't enough, the cost to make this entire meal for 4 is under $5. I get turkey thighs at BJ's Wholesale, and they are roughly under $4 for about 2 pounds, which is 2 thighs. When I originally made this recipe I started with plain old yellow mustard and a bottle of Heineken, because it's what I had on hand. Each time I've made it since, I use a different mustard and change-up the beer. I've used all types of mustards, from champagne mustard to cardamon mustard, and I've had fun changing up the beers, from pale lagers to rich, deep dark stouts, each one adding its own unique flavor profile to the overall recipe.  I hope you get around to trying this recipe because I know you'll have fun changing it up each time you make it.

2 Turkey thighs, (1 lbs., ea.) skins removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light butter
2 large onions, sliced in half moons
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard or yellow mustard +  2 extra to cover turkey sides
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle beer
Salt & pepper

Zippy Ketchup and Mustard Chicken

If you're like me and you read the ingredient list when you look up a recipe before you read the recipe then you will notice two interesting ingredients in this weeks recipe: ketchup and mustard! No this is not a burger recipe, nor are they used as the staple condiments that they are. These two popular condiments are used as main condiments, as well as, add the complete flavor of this recipe. I was shocked as well at the use of these two ingredients. A good friend of mine, Miriam, is the inspiration behind this dish. I was visiting with her one afternoon and I happen to bring up the fact that I had defrosted some chicken but had no idea what to do with it. She turned to me and said "Well use ketchup and mustard to cook your chicken in." I can only imagine how my face must have looked because I was taken aback at this suggestion. I kept asking her "Are you sure you mean ketchup and mustard? Like the kind used on burgers???"She laughed and said yes. Boy was she right about this making a great dish. So I present to you, a recipe inspired by my good friend Miriam, with my own twist. I thank her for saving me that night, for it is turned out to be a delicious dish. As they always say, "Don't knock it until you try it!"

Serves 4-6

4-6 bone-in chicken pieces (breast, thigh, drumstick)
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper
1 large onion, chopped in chunks
5 carrots, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Easy Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

A Wednesdays with Eryka Recipe

Who doesn't enjoy Chinese takeout? It is a dinner saving meal when I don't cook and keeps me from resorting to the usual fast food burger. Chinese takeout gives the illusion of a homemade meal, and it doesn't feel as fattening or filling as a cheeseburger. However, as much as I enjoy picking up the phone or should I say logging onto the Chinese takeout website and making my selections to hungrily await the arrival of my food, I have a recipe that is just as good... better than the food you order AND you can make it in the same amount of time you wait for that happy knock on your door! Lo Mein is one of my favorite, classic Chinese-American  dishes because basically I like pasta and this is in fact a "pasta" dish! The last time I ordered Lo Mein from my local takeout place it was good but it was too salty and lacking that nice crunch from the veggies. This recipe is not overly salty, has great crunch and tastes very fresh. You will notice that I used fresh egg noodles. Luckily, my mom was able to find fresh, organic egg noodles at our grocery store in the refrigerated section. You can certainly use dried egg noodle and cook it like pasta or you can replace the egg noodle with your choice of pasta; however I highly recommend using the egg noodle if possible. The best part of this dish is the use of a coleslaw mix ...  because it saves so much time on having to chop cabbage! You can add or take out as many veggies as you'd like and you can make it all vegetarian by removing the chicken. The possibilities and ease make this a wonderful weeknight meal!

Serves 4-6

6 oz egg noodle or pasta of your choice
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 chicken breasts sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (optional or add more or less depending on taste)
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cups (or more) coleslaw mix
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup baby corn sliced

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey!

Since we are roughly 10 days away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post my brine chart and my turkey brine solution with a Hispanic twist so you can start planning ahead, and brine, brine, brine that turkey!

Think it's too much of a hassle? It's not!

Or are you scratching your head wondering what the heck is brining? Read on!

Brining is the process of soaking a protein, such as chicken, in a salt & sugar water solution.  Ratios of salt to sugar vary but I prefer the 3:2 (salt:sugar). It's the secret many chefs probably don't want to share.  It's cheap and at it's very basic form requires nothing more than a container, water, kosher salt and sugar. Sometimes I will use brown sugar, honey, molasses in place of sugar. You can also use any type of juice, beer, wine, stock in place of the water or a combination of these liquids with the water. You can also add in onions, herbs, chilies or any other aromatics you have lying around.  Click here for a larger version of the chart below.

Let's look at the science behind the brine. The salt in the brine cause the protein to relax and unfold.  Some of the meat's cell moisture flows into the brine and the brine flows into the meat's cell.  That's simple osmosis. The salt relaxes the protein so much that the meat actually holds even more water which creates moisture. Which gives you super flavor, over-all textural improvement and a very moist piece of meat.

I generally brine everything, except red meat (red meat I dry brine but that's for another post), before I cook it. And by everything I mean all poultry, shrimp, some fish, lobster and pork. Nowadays, it's just the Hub and I that I cook for, but I still brine. If I have 4 chicken breasts, I put them in a covered container with 2 quarts of cold water, 3 tablespoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and let them sit in the brine for up to 6 hours in the fridge. Same holds true for pork. It truly makes a big difference in moistness and flavor. Don't have 6 hours? Even if you brine for 60 minutes or less, some brining is better than no brining.

And that brings us to the Thanksgiving Day turkey. Short of deep frying your turkey ... if you want a flavorful, super moist bird, putting your bird in a brine is the way to go. I don't care how much butter, seasonings or rubs you put in your turkey, some part of it, mostly the breast meat, will be dry or flavorless or both. Here is my turkey brine solution with a hispanic twist. Brine the defrosted turkey 24 hours before cooking.

Turkey Brine Solution with a Hispanic Twist

2 cups kosher salt

1 cup of sugar (granulated, brown or even stevia - if you need to watch your sugar intake)

2 heads of garlic smashed  and roughly chopped - you can leave peel on

3 tablespoons of toasted and mashed* cumin seeds

3 tablespoons black peppercorns, mashed*

4 tablespoons of dried oregano

4 tablespoons of cumin powder

3 large onions roughly chopped

2 quarts of sour orange juice - if you don't have any locally, here's how you can "make your own sour orange juice". Or you can use the bottled version, just read the ingredients list to make sure it doesn 't have unpronounceable additives.

2 quarts white wine - doesn't have to be expensive, just drinkable

2 quarts of chicken stock

2 quarts of water

1 - 14 to 16 pound young turkey

1 styrofoam cooler or a 5 gallon paint bucket from yr home improvement store

10 pound bag of ice

Weekly Recipe Round-Up - November 10th - 16th

Can you believe that we are already half way through November? Just this past week alone flew by at what felt like an insane pace!
This week's Recipe of the Week was Zippy Ketchup and Mustard Chicken featured on Wednesdays with Eryka. It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Potaje de Garbanzo / Cuban Chickpea and Chorizo Stew

The recent "cool" weather inspired me to make one of my favorite Cuban potajes (stew) ... Potaje de Garbanzo.  I think of a potaje (poe-tah-hey) as not quite a soup, not quite a stew and not quite a porridge. It's a hearty chickpeas (garbanzo), simmered with Spanish chorizo, ham, smoked pork shank, Cuban calabaza and potatoes. To me, the perfect spoonful has a piece of chorizo, calabaza, and chickpea swimming in the smokey, paprika infused tomato-y broth.

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Zippy Ketchup and Mustard Chicken

It may surprise you that the main condiments used to cook the chicken in this recipe are ketchup and mustard. It's an incredibly easy to make, budget friendly and mostly importantly absolutely delicious dish - and that's makes it's a Wednesdays with Eryka recipe.





Featured on Friday:

Grilled Chicken with Corkscrew Pasta in Preserved Lemon and Garlic Sauce

This recipe starts by marinating the chicken in preserved lemon, the lemon brine and lots of garlic. It is then grilled to perfection. While your pasta cooks you create a luscious, lemon and garlic infused creamy sauce that will coat the ridged, corkscrew pasta. Those lovely ridges are what help hold the sauce onto the pasta and deliver the most amazing bite.

Grilled Chicken with Corkscrew Pasta in Preserved Lemon and Garlic Sauce

Since my romantic foray with preserved lemons started I've been using it as an extra ingredient rather than letting it be the star of the show. In my Grilled Chicken with Corkscrew Pasta in Preserved Lemon and Garlic Sauce, it is the star ... front and center, shinning, glistening beautifully and adding so much depth of flavor, it's almost sinful - almost. This recipe starts by marinating the chicken in preserved lemon, the lemon brine and lots of garlic. It is then grilled to perfection. While your pasta cooks you create a luscious, lemon and garlic infused creamy sauce that will coat the ridged, corkscrew pasta. Those lovely ridges are what help hold the sauce onto the pasta and deliver the most amazing bite.  This makes a big batch, enough that The Hub and I had leftovers for our lunch.  As some you already know, The Hub is my constant gauge as to whether a recipe is good, great or amazing. This recipe, he said, was amazing - he kept mentioning how mellow and delicious the flavor of the lemon was. That made me pretty darn happy!

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs OR 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied so that you have 4 individual pieces
1 preserved lemon, chopped, + 1/2 preserved lemon, diced
2 tablespoon of the preserved lemon brine
1/2 a head of garlic, minced or passed through a press
1/8 cup of olive oil
Pepper to taste
Large palm full of roughly chopped parsley, divided in two

Add all the ingredients (except 1/2 preserved lemon and parsley) to a large glass
bowl. With clean hands, massage all the ingredients into the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge minimum of 2 hours or overnight (even better).

What you need at the grill:
Sturdy grill tongs
Cooking oil spray or canola oil in a small bowl and a brush to swipe over grill grates
A large piece of aluminum foil - large enough to fold over  and enclose all the chicken pieces (like a pouch) when done.

Spray grill with cooking oil. Heat your grill using a high flame (about 10 minutes). Place each piece on grill, do not try to move it at this point, and lower grill cover. If you want crisscross grill marks, after 3 minutes, give each piece a quarter turn and lower flame to medium and continue to grill for an additional 3 minutes. Raise flame to high, flip over each piece and repeat process if you want crisscross grill marks. Grill on high flame for 2 minutes, then reduce flame to medium and continue cooking 3-4 minutes. Place all the pieces in a large sheet of foil and close tightly, allowing to rest for 5 minutes. Slice diagonally into 2 inch long pieces.

For the sauce:

1 pound of corkscrew pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large shallots, minced
1/2 a head of garlic, finely minced or pass through the garlic press
1 preserved lemon, diced
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon of preserved lemon brine
2 egg yolks beaten with 3/4 cup heavy cream (yolk should be at room temperature)
1 palm full of parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 preserved lemon, diced

Potaje de Garbanzo / Cuban Chickpea and Chorizo Stew

The last week brought about some cooler temperatures to South Florida and believe me that is quite a relief! This delightfully cool weather inspired me to make one of my favorite Cuban potajes (stew) ... Potaje de Garbanzo.  I think of a potaje (poe-tah-hey) as not quite a soup, not quite a stew and not quite a porridge. It's a hearty chickpeas (garbanzo), simmered with Spanish chorizo, ham, smoked pork shank, Cuban calabaza and potatoes. The taste takes me back to the days of sitting in my mom's kitchen, talking and watching her prepare this divine "potaje". It's funny how so many of the memories of my mom, that mean so much to me and that I hold dear, took place in her kitchen. A little choked up and a big sigh inserted here! Anyway, back to the "potaje". To me, the perfect spoonful has a piece of chorizo, calabaza, and chickpea swimming in the smokey, paprika infused tomato-y broth. Add your favorite bread to dunk in the savory broth or white rice and your meal has just graduated to a traditional Cuban meal. This is nothing short of absolutely, positively delicious! I am pretty certain that my favorite Potaje de Garbanzo may become one your favorites too!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large bell pepper chopped
4 small dried and cured Spanish chorizo* links, sliced on the diagonal
1 tablespoon sweet, smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 laurel bay leaf
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 dry white wine
1 pounds of garbanzo beans
1 1/2 pounds of smoked pork shank
8 oz ham steak cubed
1/2  Cuban calabaza squash (or butternut squash), peeled and diced into large pieces
1 - 2 large red potatoes, peeled, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Soak the beans 24 hours ahead of cooking time, change water whenever possible.
Place the rinse beans and place in a pot with enough water to go about 2 inches above beans. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 5 minutes on high. Cover and turn off heat. Leave in water for 1 hour. Remove and rinse beans set aside. Throw out water.
Heat a deep, heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, pepper and garlic. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, add sliced chorizo, paprika, bay leaf and garlic powder stir well to incorporate. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, making sure the chorizo has expelled it's oils. Add tomato sauce, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, covered. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the salt, and stir to combine. Cook for 1 hour or until beans are almost tender. Add salt and cook for another 1/2 hour.

Serve in deep bowls along with crusty Cuban or French bread and/or, as served traditionally, with white rice. Enoy!

Recipe notes:
*Do not substitute Spanish chorizo with Mexican chorizo, the flavor profiles are completely different.
I like to to dice my calabaza (squash) in large pieces so that I actually have pieces of it remaining in the stew once it is done cooking. It tends to break down considerably during the cooking process.
Easily to adaptable to slow cooker cooking. After sauteing and simmering vegetables and chorizo in the tomato sauce, transfer all ingredients, except salt, to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours OR on low for 8-9 hours.  Half hour before cook time is up add in the salt.
I never add salt to beans until they are almost done. It is my experience that salt added to the beginning of the bean's cooking process will keep the beans from softening.  See my post Salt Will Keep Your Beans from Softening for more information on bean cookery!

Weekly Recipe Round-Up

What's Happening this week at The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon. 

A Few Changes, A New Section; Wednesdays with Eryka and more recipes.

This was an exciting week at The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon! New schedules in our lives prompted a few changes and a more consistent posting schedule. We will now be posting Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday, and will feature a new Weekly Recipe Round-Up every Saturday or Sunday.
We said goodbye to our mother/daughter Two for Tuesday recipe posting and hello to Wednesdays with Eryka. To read more about this new and exciting section click here.

Featured on Monday:

Preserved Lemons

I don't know of anything more delicious and versatile as Preserved Lemons. And they are so easy to make too! Once you've made them, you'll never pay ridiculous amounts of money for a tiny jar again. Takes all of 10 minutes to prep and what you get is briny, tart, a little sweet and the most intense lemon flavor you can possibly imagine.

Preserved Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken

A few months ago I started my first (of many) preserved lemon jar.  Yes, I've had the jarred stuff you buy at expensive chefy-gourmet stores but, being the curious bugger I am, I had to figure out how to make it myself. I read a few of my middle-eastern cookbooks and did some research online and everyone had their own version of how to make it. So, armed with several different pieces of information from all over the globe I set out to make preserved lemons. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, I was kind of scared it would get moldy and I'd end up disgusted, never to eat a preserved lemon again. I am so glad I made them, because that opened up the door to being able to make this incredibly delectable Preserved Lemon & Garlic Grilled Chicken and so many other delicious recipes. You don't have to make your own for this recipe, you can of course buy a jar and that would be perfectly fine. In fact, if you wanted to make this recipe tomorrow, that would be your only option because preserved lemons are all about time and patience ... about a month's worth of time and patience. If you want to make your own, scroll down to the bottom for a link to my post on preserved lemons.
When I make this recipe I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs, because frankly I think they pack so much of a flavor punch, it's a sin not to use them. But for those folks who prefer, chicken breast, I've got you covered too. When you bite into the tender, juicy chicken, the flavor of the lemon and garlic will greet you like a long lost lover and you won't be able to get enough of it.

Serves 4 - 6

6 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs OR 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied so that you have 6 individual pieces.
1 preserved lemon, chopped, + 1/2 preserved lemon, diced
2 tablespoon of the preserved lemon brine
1/2 a head of garlic, minced or passed through a press
1/8 cup of olive oil
Pepper to taste
Large palm full of roughly chopped parsley, divided in two

Add all the ingredients (except 1/2 preserved lemon and parsley) to a large glass bowl. With clean hands, massage all the ingredients into the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge minimum of 2 hours or overnight (even better).

What you need at the grill:
Sturdy grill tongs
Cooking oil spray or canola oil in a small bowl and a brush to swipe over grill grates
A large piece of aluminum foil - large enough to fold over and enclose all the chicken pieces (like a pouch) when done.
A tray - I use a lipped baking sheet - to transport stuff.

Spray grill with cooking oil. Heat your grill using a high flame (about 10 minutes). Place each piece on grill, do not try to move it at this point, and lower grill cover. If you want crisscross grill marks, after 3 minutes, give each piece a quarter turn and lower flame to medium and continue to grill for an additional 3 minutes. Raise flame to high, flip over each piece and repeat process if you want crisscross grill marks. Grill on high flame for 2 minutes, then reduce flame to medium and continue cooking 3-4 minutes. Place all the pieces in a large sheet of foil and close tightly, allowing to rest for 5 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle each chicken pieces with reserved  preserved lemon and parsley. Accompany with steamed zucchini, topped with a tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Or slice and serve atop crisp romaine lettuce.

Want to make your own preserved lemons?
See my post Make Your Own Preserved Lemons.

Introducing a New Page: Wednesdays with Eryka

My daughter (Eryka) and I have enjoyed our joint column, Two for Tuesdays. I couldn't have asked for a better person to partner with! But because our schedules have become a bit more challenging and sometimes having our recipes ready at the same time just hasn't been possible and, in order to maintain a more consistent posting schedule, we have decided to introduce a new page, that will replace Two for Tuesdays. It is my pleasure to introduce Wednesdays with Eryka.

Something you need to know about Eryka ... she likes to keep her cooking simple by making quick and easy recipes that don't require a lot of fuss, time and money. She loves her slow cooker, ground beef recipes, soups and stews. BUT, she also loves to bake and those recipes will all be featured here in her own little corner  ... on "Wednesdays with Eryka". 

Make Your Own Preserved Lemons

I don't know of anything more delicious and versatile as Preserved Lemons. And they are so easy to make too! Once you've made them, you'll never pay ridiculous amounts of money for a tiny jar again. Now, there is a catch ... you can't expect to make preserved lemons and be ready to use in the afternoon. Nope, it just isn't happening. This is a process, for beautiful jewel-toned preserved lemons, a long "waiting" period, about 4-6 weeks, is needed. But here's the beauty of this, a little of it goes a long way. And when you are about 2/3 of the way done with your jar, just make a new batch. It will take you all of 10 minutes to cut, salt and lid your lemons. If you know anything about me is that I love the flavors of Moroccan foods, and preserved lemons are a staple in
Moroccan cooking. As to what a preserve lemon tastes like ... briny, tart, a little sweet and the most intense lemon flavor you can possibly imagine. Taste a piece and you'll understand what I mean by intense. I will warn you though, you may find yourself opening the jar and sneaking a piece every so often - yeah it's that good.What can you use it in? Pretty much anything you think would be complimented by the preserved lemon, salads, pastas, grains, meats, curries, stew, baked goods like scones. You are only limited by your own imagination. Of course, I will be posting recipes soon but one way I enjoy it is to mash up a lemon into a paste and add olive oil. Now you have a delicious base for a sauce or dressing!

1 3-pound bag of lemons
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 1-quart glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Make sure you have cleaned and sterilized the jar.

First "dry fit" your lemons to see how many you can squeeze into your jar. In a one quart jar it will probably be about 5-6 depending on the size of the lemon. Remove the lemons.
Cut the stem side off (see picture)
Cut each lemon lengthwise, into quarter, taking care to only slice down 3/4 of the way down. The quarters need to remain attached to each other at the base (see picture).
Carefully, pull the quarters apart and pack with kosher salt, about 1 tablespoon or so per lemon (see picture).
Add one tablespoon of salt to the bottom of the jar. Close the lemons and pack them into the jar. As you add each lemon press down with a spoon to release it's juice. Sprinkle in salt over lemons as you add them. Once the jar is well packed, juice the remaining lemons and add the juice to the jar. Cover with remaining salt. Store in a cool, dry and dark place, like your cupboard or pantry.
Every other day using a clean spoon press down on the lemons to release more juice. Do this for about a week, and in 4-6 weeks your lemons will be ready. During the "pickling stage" you will continue to keep them stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

To use, rinse the lemons well to remove excess salt and discard the pulp (some folks use the pulp - so its up to you if you want to use or not). Use the rind, diced, chopped, sliced , in salads, stews, sauces, pasta dishes, you are only limited by your imagination. I've even pulled a quarter of a lemon out, rinsed and munched on it.