2011, Recipes 84 & 85: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork & Pulled Pork Panini

Pulled Pork recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce.  Serve over hamburger buns.  

Results: I topped mine with slaw and Rashan had slaw and pickles.  So yummy!  I was skeptical at first because it just smells like pig meat and root beer after it cooks.  So unappetizing.  Then I drained it, sliced some for the next recipe, chopped the rest & added the bbq sauce and let it go for another hour on high.  YUMMY!!



Pulled Pork Panini recipe courtesy of The Neelys
(I sliced off some pork before adding the bbq sauce in the previous recipe so I started at that point)

• sliced pork
• 4 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 French style sandwich rolls, sliced horizontally
• Dill pickle slices
• 1/4 pound sliced colby Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Preheat your panini press.
In a small bowl mix the butter and the garlic. Butter the sandwich bread.
Divide the pork, pickles, cheese and barbecue sauce evenly between the bread.
Place the sandwiches in the panini press and close the lid. Grill the sandwich until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted. Slice on a diagonal and serve warm.

Results: Soooo good!  I used English toasting bread and smoked gouda in place of
French bread and cheddar.  Loved it!  Next time I'll use 2 slices of gouda so I can REALLY taste it!

Feed My Face!

So as you may or may not know, Z a g a t has a list of the 30 must-have foods in NYC this summer. Of that list, I chose 20 I'd like to try. Here are the ones I eliminated:

I crossed off 'a bucket of Corona's at the Frying Pan' b/c

1. I don't drink beer and

2. really? i'ma come to NY to drink something I can get ANYWHERE else?

I don't need to try the DitchPlains's mussels b/c I realize i'm not the biggest fan of them. I always get them rubbery. Send me oysters instead.

I don't want Gray's papaya drink b/c papaya may be the fruit I hate more than cantaloupe (but not more than guava).

I've decided to pass on a tiki drink from a place called Hurricane... if tiki drinks weren't invented in So.Fla, they were definitely perfected there.

I don't want ribs from anywhere above the Mason-Dixon, sorry Hill Country.

I'm not going to pay upwards of $12 for a yerbabuena ensalata which is nothing more than a dressed up caprese but instead of basil, they use mint (yech in food).

Starbux iced anything didn't make my list and neither did rosa mexicano's overpriced pom margarita (Which I happened to already have tasted whilst in DC).

I didn't add gownusyacht's 'beer and a burger' cause i already have a burger joint on my list and i'm kind of burgered out.

So what does that leave?

Black Forty's Crab Boil

The Bedford's Sangria

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck's Salty Pimp

Brookyln Farmacy's Egg Cream

Cafe Habana's Grilled Corn

CoolHaus' Ice Cream Sandwich

El Faro's Gazpacho

Grand Central Station's Oyster Bar's Oysters

Grimaldi's Pizza

Grom's Gelato

Luke's Lobster Roll

Mermaid Oyster Bar's Oyster Po Boy

Mr. Softee Ice Cream

Nathan's Hotdog

Nuela's Ceviche

People's Pops

Red Hook Ball Field's Huarache

Rouge et Blan's Soft Shell Crab Banh Mi

Shake Shack's Burger

Tacombi's Fish Taco

Zengo's Tequila Snow Cone

Also on my list is the requisite NY stuff. A hotdog from a vendor on the street and maybe a pretzel. I can live my life w/o eating pretzels so I'm not too pressed abt that one...

Stay tuned for the next episode of Feed My Face!

2011, Recipe 28: Herbed Turkey Meatball Subs

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray magazine

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (gives it a sausage-y taste)
• Five 6-inch hoagie rolls (I used wheat)
• 3 onions, halved and sliced (I used 2)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 6 ounces sliced pancetta, chopped (I used bacon)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (I had dried so I used it)
• Salt and pepper
• One 15-ounce can tomato puree
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

1. In a large nonstick skillet, toast the fennel seeds over medium heat. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve the skillet. Using a food processor, pulse 1 hoagie roll into crumbs; add 3/4 cup crumbs to the bowl.
2. Using the food processor, finely chop 1 cup onion slices and the garlic. In the reserved skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic-onion mixture and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes; add to the bowl, wiping out the skillet. Using the food processor, finely chop 1/4 cup basil; add the pancetta and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the bowl along with the turkey, egg, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix together.
3. Shape the meat mixture into 16 meatballs. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining onions and cook until browned, about 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the meatballs and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover with foil and cook until the meatballs are firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Preheat the broiler. Partially split the remaining 4 hoagie rolls; arrange cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil until toasted. Top each roll with 4 meatballs. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup basil and stir into the tomato sauce; spoon over the meatballs. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and broil until the cheese is melted.
   
   Results: Yum! And I love that my picture looks more delicious than theirs! :) (Which you already know if you follow me on Tumblr!)  Two things, 1) Pancetta is way too expensive to be putting it in some meatballs so I used bacon-- completely unnecessary so maybe there's a reason she picked pancetta, however I'm quite sure this would be perfectly delicious without the unnecessary 300 calories or more bacon adds to this.  2) The recipe doesn't say what to do with the onions you sliced and browned! So I put them on the bottom of the hoagie rolls.  SOOOO GOOD!!!  I love caramelized onions!  And the little bits of basil you snag?  Killer!

Artichokes

I'd never had one until about 6 months ago. Now it seems everytime I go out I have to have one somewhere in my dish!! I love these things!! GIMME MORE!! WOW! Too deelish. Mmmmm mmmmm!! Thank God for being a foodie. How else would I know about these culinary delights?

Today's artichoke wonder? Turkey artichoke panini on basil pesto foccacia from Panera Bread. It took all the self control of my LIFE not to eat the whole thing instead of saving half for lunch tomorrow AND buy another. Wow.

YIKES! I just read the "nutrition" info. 107% of my daily sodium, 38 grams of fat, 840 calories!! DAMN!! Good thing I hate half of it and went to the gym! Good gracious! That is oooookay. I still love me some sandwiches.