Gyro Meat

I finally was able to find some gluten-free pita bread.  So now, its time to make Gyros.
Gyro meat is a Greek/Lebanese style meatloaf served with Pita Bread.  I have never made them before.  I was surprised how easy it really was to make.  So easy that I made a loaf two days in a row.  The only complicated part was the wait time.  The process between the steps take time, but you can do other things to make up for it.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 chopped onion
1/2 tsp dry marjoram
1/2 tsp dry cilantro
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 tsp dry rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
 
Topping Ideas:
red onion
lettuce
feta cheese
tomatoes
tzatziki sauce
cucumbers

Directions:
1.  Add meat to a medium-size mixing bowl.
2.  Puree onions in a food processor.  Place onions on a sheet of paper towel.  Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the onions.  Add onions to meat in the bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add all other ingredients.  Fold well.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.
3.  Add meat to the food processor and pulse for 1 min.  Pack down meat into an 8 or 9-inch loaf pan,
removing air pockets.
4.  Bake for 1 hr in a preheated 325 degree oven.  Remove and drain grease from pan.  Slice thin and serve with your favorite toppings

Serves 8

Italian Eggplant Stew (Caponata)

Caponata is an Italian eggplant stew.  It is typically served on toasted bread.  It can also be served with pasta or rice.


Ingredients:
1 large Eggplant, cubed and roasted with skin
2 TBS olive oil
1 small can anchovy, drained
1 cup diced celery, diced thin
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup red cooking wine
1 cup assorted olives, sliced (black, kalamata, green)
1/4 cup capers
2 (28 ozs) cans crushed tomatoes
3 large basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cube eggplant into 1-inch pieces.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for approx. 25 mins.
2.  Add 2 TBS olive oil to a large stockpot.  Heat on med/high.  Add the anchovies and saute until melts down.  Add celery, peppers, onions.  Saute until soft, approx. 8 mins.
Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 mins.  Deglaze pan with cooking wine, stir.  Add roasted eggplant, olives, capers, tomatoes, basil, parsley, pepper flakes, and raisins.  Stir, reduce heat and simmer for 60 mins.
3.  Toast pinenuts on 350 degrees until lightly browned, approx. 2-3 mins.  Serve on top of the stew with parmesan cheese.



Serve on Bruschetta, as side dish or with pasta

Mojo Chili Shrimp

Mojo Chili Shrimp w/Cilantro Lime Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup La Lechonera Mojo Sauce
1-2 TBS Harissa Paste (see recipe below)
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Cilantro, for garnish
Lime wedges

Directions:
1.  Add Mojo to a large skillet.  Heat on med/high.  Reduce until liquid is almost cooked down.  Approx. 20.
2.  Add harissa paste (homemade or store-bought) and butter.  Stir until combined.
3.  Add shrimp, stir.  Saute until shrimp is done.
Serve with your favorite sauce



Harissa Paste Recipe:

Ingredients:
10 tsp chiles de Arbol powder
2 tsp guajillo chili powder
2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 TBS ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS tomato paste
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
2/3 tsp salt
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS white wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil (Good quality)

Directions:
1.  Add all ingredients, except oil to a small non-stick skillet, mix well.
2.  Turn on burner to low.  Slowly add oil to the mixture in skillet about 2 TBS at a time, stirring and folding into a paste.  I use a rubber spatula.  Heat until all oil is used up.  This process should only take between 1-2 mins.  Do not walk away or your paste will burn.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Mojo Pulled Pork Shoulder

Two forks are all you need.  Easy, no smoker needed.
Mojo Pulled Pork just got better.  This recipe is so easy.  Okay, so it might take a while to cook, but low and slow is best.  I went to Costco and purchased a ton of pork shoulder.  I added this delicious marinade sauce to this beautiful chunk of meat.  Now, I have pork for the entire week.  Make your favorite Cuban sandwiches or top on mashed potatoes with homemade gravy.  Isn't Taco Tuesday coming up?  Well, get your juices flowing.

Ingredients:
8 lbs pork shoulder
2 cups la lechonera marinade sauce

Directions:
1.  Add pork to a large roasting pan.  Trim off large pieces of excess fat.  Divide chunks of pork into individual pieces (approx. the size of two softballs, or half of a basketball).  Season meat throughout with salt and pepper.  Pour marinade over top of chunks of pork.  Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Roast in the oven at 250 degrees for 8-10 hours.  Baste the meat every few hours.
2.  Remove pan from the oven.  Place the meat on a large cutting board.  Grab two forks and shred the meat.

Note:  Use leftover juices to make the perfect Salsa de Carne or gravy.
Meat may also be cooked in a smoker or pressure cooker, according to manufacturing directions.

Mojo Marinated Seared Scallops

Ingredients:
1 lb dry Sea Scallops (not packed in liquid)
1 cup La Lechonera Mojo Marinating Sauce
1-2 TBS butter

Directions:
1.  Pat scallops dry, with a paper towel.  Season with sea salt.  Add scallops to a medium-size deep bowl.  Add one cup of marinade to bowl.  Toss with a spoon to coat scallops completely.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.  (Marinating overnight works also).
2.  Drain scallops (reserve marinade)
3.  Heat a medium/large skillet (preferably a cast-iron skillet) on high.  Make sure skillet gets good and hot.  Reduce temperature to medium/high.  Add butter and spread to coat along the bottom of the pan.  Add scallops to the hot skillet, leaving space around each scallop.  Sear on each side for 2 mins.
Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and keep warm
4.  To deglaze pan:  Add 1/4 cup of the marinade to skillet.  Simmer and scrape the bottom to loosen any bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the skillet  (3 mins).  (You may use fresh marinade).
Add scallops to skillet and toss in sauce, cooking for 1-2 additional mins.

Panettone French Toast with Candied Citrus Syrup

Panettone French Toast with Candied Citrus Syrup

Panettone Bread is a sweet bread, usually made and eaten around December.  This bread was known to be first made in Milan, Italy.  It is domed-shaped and filled with candied fruit, like orange peel and raisins.  

Many different ingredients are added to this traditional bread, such as cherries, nuts, and other fruits.    

There is also a chocolate version on the market.  I researched this bread to see if I can find it gluten-free.  Much to my surprise, I did find it online at International Markets.  The problem was.....well,  I didn't want to pay the price they were asking for this bread.  So, I decided to just come up with a special recipe.

What are you planning on putting on your table soon?  Are you looking for a perfect breakfast or dessert to feed your family or guests?  Look no further; I did all the work for you.  I took some Gluten Free White Bread and made a traditional French Toast. Then I took candied orange peel ( please, if you buy this ingredient, stock up because it is hard to find other times of the year) and raisins and cooked them in a simple syrup.  I have to say that I usually do not have a sweet tooth, but OMGoodness, this syrup is amazing!  All the flavors are there.  It tastes just like the Panettone Bread, I remember. A dollop of mascarpone cheese balances the sweetness of the syrup.  So, go ahead and indulge.  It doesn't happen often.

Candied Syrup Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup candied orange peel

1/4 cup raisins

1 cinnamon stick

2 TBS heavy cream

Syrup Directions:

1.  In a medium-size saucepan, add water and sugar.  Heat on med/high until sugar is dissolved, stirring.

2.  Add orange peel and raisins.  Turn down the heat and simmer until the liquid is almost reduced to half.  Stir every 10 -15 mins.

3.  Add the cinnamon stick and simmer for additional 10 mins.

4.  Add cream and stir.  Serve over top of French Toast.

Garnish with a dollop of mascarpone cheese and candied fruit.

French Toast Ingredients:

1 loaf of White Bread (gluten-free)

6 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup cream

1/8 tsp salt

4 TBS butter for griddle

8 ozs mascarpone cheese

Garnish: Candied Raspberries, blueberries, and orange slices

French Toast Directions:

1.  In a medium-size bowl, beat together eggs, cream, and salt.

2.  Heat griddle pan med/high heat.  Melt butter on the griddle.  (If you are making french toast in separate batches, divide butter accordingly).

3.  Add each slice of bread into the egg mixture.  Flip and coat the other side with egg mixture.  Add coated bread to the griddle.  Cook for approx. 4 mins on each side or until it is golden brown in color.  

Apple and Brie Stuffed Pumpkin

It's that time of year again.....Stuffing!
What are you going to make with all that leftover stuffing?  Well, if you are making a box of Three Bakers Stuffing Mix, you might want to make extra because it will not last long, in your house.
I decided to try something different.  I combined all of my favorite ingredients together and stuffed
them into a roasted pumpkin.  This was a big hit with my family.  It looked so pretty sitting in the center of my table too.  You may add extra ingredients, such as sugar and cinnamon, but trust me...
Three Bakers makes it so easy, with their stuffing.  It is already jam packed with flavor, it is not necessary to add a thing.

Try some today and let us know how you enjoyed it.



Apple & Brie Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Ingredients:
1 sweet pie pumpkin (sugar pumpkin),
   (Roasted: See link "How to Roast a Pumpkin")
1 box Three Bakers Stuffing (cooked according to directions)
2 TBS butter
3 small sweet baking apples, peeled and cubed
1/8 salt
1/8 cinnamon
2 TBS sugar (optional). I did not add this
8 ozs brie cheese, cubed


Directions:
1.  Place pumpkin in microwave on safe plate.  Cook for approx. 8 mins to soften.
2.  Slice pumpkin in half.  Remove seeds.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.
     Place face down (skin facing up) onto sheet pan.  Roast in 350 degree oven for 45 mins.
3.  Make stuffing according to directions on box.  Put aside
4.  Saute apples with butter in skillet, for 3 mins.  (medium heat) Season with 1/8 tsp salt.
5.  Toss apples and brie cheese with 1/2 of the stuffing.  Fold to incorporate.  Stuff into roasted pumpkin.
6.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 mins
Note:  I only used 1/2 box of stuffing for this recipe