For Top Chef watchers, this recipe came from Season 1, Episode 5 where the contestants in teams (in this case Dave and Tiffani, a friendly pair) had to combine two culinary cultures of San Francisco into a street food.

The recipe itself is a slow-roasted shredded pork, flavored with ras al-hanout, then topped with pickled vegetables and served in a pita.

Morrocan Cubanos Recipe

For the pork, you’ll need a 4-5 pound pork butt, bone in (and trimmed), two tablespoons ras al-hanout, one cup chicken stock, and one cup veal stock.  For the vegetables, you need 3 cups red wine vinegar (I think I cut this down to two cups – three was practically more than a whole bottle, it was fine), a cup of sugar, one tablespoon fennel seeds, four carrots, a red onion, and a few fresh jalapeno chiles.  You’ll also need some pitas.

To begin, turn on your oven to 275º F and get your pork butt (be careful – it is not actually the butt, but the shoulder) out of the refrigerator.  If you need to, go ahead and mix your ras al-hanout.

Rub the pork all over with the ras al-hanout and some salt.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or other heavy pan over a high-ish heat – whatever works well for browning.  High heat would be way to high on my stove, so I used medium-high.  Brown the pork on each side (a few minutes each probably).  I’d also like to point out that the browning of the spices made me cough like crazy.  Be careful.

Move the pork to a roasting pan and add the stocks and a half cup of water.  Roast the whole thing for 4-5 hours at the 275º F.

You want it soft enough to pull apart with forks.  Note: I occassionally basted the pork and turned it.  Also, the liquid in my pan got a little too dry, so watch it and add more water if necessary.

At any point between when you put the pork in the oven and when it will be done, you can work on the pickled vegetables.  First, julienne the carrots and onion, and slice the jalapenos thinly.  Place them in a heat-proof bowl.

Combine your vinegar, sugar, fennel and 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

When boiling, pour your vinegar mixture over the vegetables and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  You need to let the vegetables steam for about 20 minutes before pouring out all but a cup of the liquid.  Then you can go ahead and stick the bowl in the refrigerator until the pork is ready.  The recipe says the vegetables should be about room temperature when serving.

When your pork is done, remove it to a cutting board or platter.  Also, pour the juices in the pan into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.  You want to reduce it to a little under a cup.

While the sauce is boiling, shred your pork with a couple forks, then mix it with your reduced sauce in a bowl.

To serve, warm a pita in a skillet over medium heat, remove it, then add some pork and pickled vegetables.  Next? Feast.

How Was It?

It was fantastic.  The ras al-hanout really gives the pork a different flavor than you’re used it.  The pickled vegetables on top add a fresh crunch, along with it their vinegar-y flavor.  It all goes really well together.

No-Look Cooking

Recipe

• Season a pork butt with ras al-hanout, brown it, then roast it at 275º F with some meat and poultry stock until it can be pulled apart.
• Top with pickled carrot, red onion, and jalapenos.  Serve on a pita.

Techniques

• Slow roasting pork / Shredded pork – Brown then roast at 275º F.
• Pork butts make good shredded pork.
• Pickling vegetables: combine equal parts red wine vinegar and water, add some sugar, boil then pour over vegetables.  Allow the vegetables to steam, covered, then pour away some liquid.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Pork:

• 4-5 lb. pork butt, bone-in, trimmed
• Salt
• 2 Tablespoons ras al-hanout
• 1 cup veal stock
• 1 cup chicken stock

Pickled Vegetables:

• Two to three cups red wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
• 2-4 carrots, julienned
• 1 red onion, julienned
• 3 fresh jalapeno chiles, cut into slices

• Pitas, warmed in a skillet

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 275º F.  Season the pork butt with ras al-hanout and salt.
2. Brown the pork in a cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat on each side.  A few minutes per side.
3. Roast the pork in a roasting pan with the veal and chicken stock, plus about a half cup of water, for 4-5 hours, or until the pork can be pulled apart with a fork.  You may need to add more water throughout the cooking so the stocks don’t solidify.
4. Boil the vinegar and 3 cups water with the sugar and fennel seeds.  Stir to ensure the sugar is dissolved.
5. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables, then cover with plastic wrap and let them steam for 20 minutes.  Pour off all but a cup of the liquid, then store in the refrigerator.
6. When the pork is done roasting, remove it from the pan and shred it with two forks.
7. Boil the cooking juices in a sauce pan until reduced to a little under a cup.  Combine the reduced juices with the pork.
8. Warm a pita and top it with the pork and pickled vegetables.

Ras al-hanout is a Moroccan/North African/Middle Eastern spice blend.  Per wikipedia, the name means “head of the shop” in Arabic, which refers to it being a mixture of a shop’s best spices.

There is no single recipe, and the various spices that can be included are nigh infinite, though there is frequently cumin, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, paprika…you get the idea.

In the recipe I made, it is a spice rub for meat, though it can also be used with rice or couscous.

Here is a simple recipe from the cookbook:

Combine -

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

It tasted great – I encourage you to make your own, whether following this recipe or mixing your own concoction.

The recipe I followed was fairly simple (All-American Beef Chili from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook).  I’ve also looked at a few other recipes to see what’s common in each and how they differ.  My goal for the post is to get an understanding of chili so the next time I want to make it, without a recipe I can say, “I need ingredients A,B, and C (with various options for each) and need to do X, Y, and Z.”  Let me know if the post is interesting or helpful, since it’s a slightly different way of looking at foods/recipes.

Ingredients

I’ve categorized the chili ingredients into five basic…categories: vegetables, meat & beans, spices, tomatoes, and liquid.  Admittedly those are pretty general, and could apply to a number of different foods, so let’s take a closer look.

• Vegetables – The standard veggie in most chili is the onion, so I’d remember that one.  The second most common is the bell pepper, but outside of those two, there aren’t normally other veggies included (unless you’re talking fresh chilies, which I’m including in the spice section).  Still, I’d use what you have and/or what you like – tossing in a diced carrot won’t kill anyone (except perhaps a chili purist).
• Meat & Beans – You can use one or both – it’s up to you.  Really, the only requirement on the meat side is that it should probably be ground.  You can use beef, pork, turkey or chicken.  It’s kind of the same with beans – red kidney beans may be the most common, but nearly any will work, including pinto, black, and cannellini.
• Spices – Of course the most common is your chili powder, which can vary quite a bit by itself.  Next, you’ll frequently see cumin and oregano (according to Mark Bittman your chili can just use ground chilies, cumin and oregano – excluding regular chili powder).  Garlic is a big one too.  Those are probably the big four to remember.  Your always welcome, of course, to add fresh chilies if you have them.  Other various spices I saw included allspice, cloves, paprika, bay leaf, cayenne, and chipotle powder.
• Tomatoes – Tomatoes are often used to achieve the texture you want.  There is usually some sort of tomato sauce or purée, but once you have that feel free to improvise.  You can dice some whole tomatoes, or use canned crushed, stewed, or diced.  Just remember that tomatoes are for texture.
• Liquid – Not all chili will require a separate liquid – it is largely dependent on the tomatoes you use.  For example if you are using diced tomatoes packed in juice, the juice will provide much of the liquid you need.  If your chili is looking dry, however, feel free to toss in some water or various stock.

Cooking

Now that we have a basic idea of chili ingredients (vegetables, meat & beans, spices, tomatoes, and liquid), I’d like to discuss basic methods of preparation.

• First, make sure your beans are cooked.
• Next, you’ll probably want to brown the meat and sauté the vegetables.  You can also spice the meat or veggies now if you want.

• Finally, you’ll combine all your ingredients in a pot and simmer for a couple hours.

That’s about it – you have “five” ingredients, and “three” steps.  As a disclaimer, I haven’t tried this without a recipe yet, but I would imagine if you’re tasting along the way you could come up with a pretty good chili.

One of my favorite books to cook from is Pam Andersen’s How to Cook Without a Book (oh the irony!).  Her formulas and recipes are simplified as much as possible but are still really delicious.

When I found a frozen whole chicken in my freezer a few days ago, I remembered a variation of Andersen’s simple roast chicken recipe that I’d been eying for a while – tandoori-style roast chicken.

Tandoori-Style Roast Chicken Recipe

The recipe is basically the same as my previous roast chicken recipe, save one step and a few ingredients.  You’ll need a whole chicken, salt and pepper, olive oil, six tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.  Also, an onion and a head of cauliflower, chopped into florets, are perfect roast vegetables to accompany the chicken.

Begin by cutting out the backbone of the chicken.  This is my least favorite part – it a little gross.  With the backbone removed, flip the chicken over and press it flat with your palm.  This will help you get a more evenly cooked chicken.

To season, rub salt, pepper, and a little bit of olive oil beneath the skin.  To get underneath, cut the skin near the edge of the bird and slide your fingers underneath.  Place the flattened chicken in a shallow roasting pan.

The key to the recipe is the Tandoori-style sauce.  It’s just a mix of the yogurt, red wine vinegar, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, the ground cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, salt and cayenne.

All you have to do is pour it over your butterflied chicken.

Simply roast the chicken at 450° F for approximately 40 minutes with the cauliflower and onion next to the chicken.

How Was It?

It was excellent.  The tandoori-style sauce stuff is really good.  I didn’t expect it to be that good since it seemed like a collection of pretty standard spices.  The only downside to the recipe is that the tandoori flavor didn’t get into the chicken well; it was mostly confined to the skin.

Next time I may rub some of the yogurt mixture underneath the skin to see if that helps.

No-Look Cooking

Recipe

• Cover a butterflied chicken with the tandoori-yogurt sauce.  Roast at 450° F for ~40 minutes.
• Tandoori-yogurt sauce
  • Tablespoons
    • 6 – yogurt
    • 2 – olive oil
    • 1 – red wine vinegar
    • 1 – ground cumin
  • Teaspoons
    • 1 – curry powder
    • 1/2 – garlic powder
    • 1/4 – ground ginger, salt, cayenne

Anyone have a better way to remember the tandoori sauce without looking at a recipe?  Maybe yogurt, oil, vinegar, plus a lot of cumin, less curry, then a little bit of garlic, ginger, salt and cayenne?

Cooking Techniques and Tips

• How to butterfly a chicken
• Roast a butterflied for about 40 minutes at 450° F
• Season a roast chicken with salt, pepper, and some fat (olive oil or butter) underneath the skin

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, butterflied
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil for underneath chicken skin
• 6 Tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 onion, peel and cut in half, roasted cut side down
• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Season the butterflied chicken with salt and pepper under the skin. You can also put olive oil underneath, though it may not be necessary.
3. Combine the yogurt, two tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and spices in a bowl.  Mix and then pour it over the chicken.  Rub it around so it covers the whole thing.
4. Roast the chicken, onion, and cauliflower florets in a 450° F oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until the temperature of the chicken in the thickest part is close to 170 F.

He told me how good it was, mentioning it had over 10 ingredients.  I’m sure the sauce was incredible, but the downside (sort of – I’ll explain) is that he made it sound like an event.  Go shopping, prepare the ingredients and spend a long time cooking.  “Event cooking” is not always bad – I love making complicated or long-cooking dishes when I have time, and the food is usually great.  The obvious “but” here is that I don’t always have the time or energy for it.

Quick homemade tomato sauces – especially arrabiata – with pasta are one of my favorite foods.  When you’re short on time or energy, you can create a delicious spicy tomato sauce in the time it takes to boil your pasta using only four ingredients. Is the sauce as good as the one my brother made? Probably not – but it is quick, easy, and still delicious.

Arrabiata (Spicy) Tomato Sauce Recipe

For this recipe you’ll need olive oil or butter, garlic or onion, a can of crushed or whole tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes.  I am deliberately vague on the ingredient amounts, as it is an easy recipe to eyeball.  For the olive oil or butter, you want a thin layer on the bottom of your pan.  If you’re using garlic, I probably use two cloves for a 14.5 oz can of tomatoes, and 3-4 for a 28 oz can.  The tomatoes are obviously the main factor in how much sauce you want.  I probably use around a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (a little more or less depending on the tomato can size), though I don’t measure anymore.

You’ll also need salt and pepper, but I’m not counting those as ingredients because it is not as impressive to say six ingredients.  Also, I like to toss in fresh parsley at the end, but it’s not required.

Begin by placing a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add your fat (olive oil/butter) to the pan.  Then begin mincing your garlic and/or chopping your onion.  When you are closed to finishing your knife work, increase the heat on the stove slightly (I usually find medium or just under a pretty good level).

Add your garlic/onion, a little bit of salt, and the red pepper flakes.  Sauté until the garlic begins to turn golden or the onion softens.

Pour in your crushed tomatoes, or crush your whole tomatoes by hand into the saucepan.  Be careful if you’re crushing whole tomatoes – they tend to splatter.

Stir everything together and add a bit more salt and pepper.  Just simmer your sauce for 10-15 minutes (or until your pasta is finished), add any final seasonings (I like minced parsley), pour in a quarter cup or so of pasta water if you’re into that sort of thing, and you’re finished.

The pasta is bright and slowly builds a spicy flavor.  I highly recommend for nights when you’re tired after work.

No-Look Cooking

Recipe

1. Sauté your aromatic (garlic or onion) in fat (olive oil or butter) with red pepper flakes and salt.  Add tomatoes and simmer until the pasta is finished.  Season the sauce.

Cooking Tips/Techniques

1. Sauté garlic until it starts to turn golden brown, or onions until they are soft.
2. Add a little bit of salt when sautéing (I’m not sure why you do this, but the recipes call for it.  I’ll look into it.)
3. Quick tomato sauces only need 10-15 minutes of cooking (a little longer if it is a huge batch).  Cooking it too long destroys the fresh tomato flavor.
4. Add some pasta water to the sauce for extra flavor.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• Olive oil or butter to cover the bottom of the saucepan
• Garlic (minced, 1-2 cloves per 14.5 oz of tomatoes) or onion (chopped, as much as you want)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, about 1 teaspoon, but really to taste
• Canned crushed tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes
• Other garnishes – fresh Parmesan, fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Recipe

1. Sauté the garlic and/or onion in the fat, with salt and red pepper flakes, until the garlic is golden or the onion is soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, and more salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until your pasta is finished.
3. Add a quarter cup of pasta water to the sauce, add fresh parsley if desired, then serve over pasta with freshly grated cheese.