Ponzu Pork

Prep Time
30 minutes

Total Time
40 minutes

Yield
Makes 4-5 servings

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Nothing makes me happier than Asian food at home. I love to recreate everything from Crab Rangoon to fried rice in my kitchen.

Ingredients

Ponzu Sauce

1 pound Pork Loin, cut into short thin strips
1 pound Broccoli cut into bit size pieces, and par steamed
1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 can Baby Corn, drain and rinsed
1 can Water Chestnuts, drained
1 package Rice Stick Noodles, cooked
Vegetable Oil

Flour mixture for pork:
1/4 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Salt

2 tablespoons minced Garlic
2 tablespoons minced Ginger
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Mirin
1 tablespoon Red Chili Flakes

Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and put in a ziplock bag. Add pork and shake to coat evenly. Remove pork from bag and shake off excess flour.
2. In a hot wok, add vegetable oil. Sauté pork until browned.
3. Add 1/4 cup of Ponzu sauce. Cook until wok is dry, remove pork and reserve. Add onions to wok and cook until fragrant (add more oil if needed). Add the remaining vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes, continually stirring. 
4. Add the remainder of the Ponzu sauce, then add your pork. Once everything is combined, add your rice noodles and toss again. Some tasty garnishes would be sliced green onion, fried wontons, and/or toasted sesame seeds.

Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Prep Time
30 minutes

Total Time
90 minutes

Yield
Makes 10-12 servings

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Meatball Ingredients

1 pound Ground Pork
2 pounds Ground Beef
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Basil
2 tablespoons fresh Oregano
6 big cloves minced Garlic
1 large White Onion

Meatball Directions

1. Sweat the garlic and onion with butter, salt and pepper. Deglaze this mixture with red wine, and reduce. Let cool completely in the refrigerator before adding to the raw meat.
2. Combine all ingredients. You want everything well-combined, but NOT over-mixed. Roll into the size of golf balls and put on a cookie sheet with space between them for even cooking. Bake at 425° until cooked thoroughly. 

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Marinara Sauce Ingredients

1 large White Onion, minced
1/3 cup Carrot, minced
1 head Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Red Wine
36 ounce can Crushed or Stewed Tomatoes
6 ounce can Tomato Paste

2 cups Water
2 tablespoons dried Basil
2 tablespoons dried Oregano
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper

Marinara Sauce Directions

1. Sauté onion, carrot, and garlic. When the vegetables are translucent, deglaze with red wine and cook until au sec (almost dry). Add the rest of the ingredients with salt and pepper. Simmer for 45 minutes.
2. If you like your marinara chunky, leave as is. If you like a smooth marinara, blend. Check seasoning and serve. 

Lemon Rice Soup

Prep Time
5 minutes

Total Time
30 minutes

Yield
Makes about 2 servings

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This is such an easy recipe, but one of my favorites. My mom and I would go for lunch at this small Greek restaurant in Aurora, Illinois, and that’s where I fell in love. I finally figured out the recipe and it fed me throughout my college days. You can serve it with a salad, or even add shredded chicken to it. But always, with bread.

Ingredients

3 cups Chicken Broth
2 oz. uncooked White Rice
     (3 oz. if you like your soup thicker)

2 Eggs
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt and White Pepper 

Directions

1. In a pot, bring chicken both to a boil. If your chicken broth is salt-less, add some now. 
2. Add rice, stir, and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. 
3. In a small bowl, beat eggs and lemon juice together. Beating eggs constantly, add one cup of hot soup a little at a time. Then take your soup and egg mixture and slowly stir into soup. Heat but DO NOT boil. Add a pinch of white pepper, then taste. Season if needed and serve.

Lime Cilantro Flank Steak Fajita

Prep Time
30 minutes

Total Time
45 minutes

Yield
Makes 4-5 servings

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Lime Cilantro Dressing

Fajita Ingredients

1/2 cup Lime Juice
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Chipotle Puree 
2 tbsp minced Garlic
3/4 bunch Cilantro (save other 1/4 of bunch for garnish on fajitas)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until well pureed. This will make a lot of dressing. You want at least 2 cups for your steak marinade, and 1 cup for your cabbage slaw.  

2 pieces Flank Steak
1 1/2 cups of Lime Cilantro Dressing (see below)
Flour/Corn Tortilla Blend (use them as-is or fry them in a little bit of vegetable oil to make crispy)
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, 1/4” matchstick cut
1 Orange Bell Pepper, 1/4” matchstick cut
Crumbled Queso Fresco
1 small head Red Cabbage thinly cut
1 can Black Beans, drained, rinsed and steamed
2 medium Avocados, 1/4” square cut

Directions

1. First make the lime cilantro dressing. Marinate the steak for 24 hours for best results.
2. Next, put together the slaw. In a large bowl, combine the red cabbage and bell peppers. Using some of the left over marinade, lightly coat the slaw well and refrigerate. Do this the day of, although still delicious the next day, the cabbage color will start to leak. 
3. When cooking the flank steak, the ideal way is to use the grill. With this particular cut of meat you want the inside to be at least pink, to ensure tenderness. You can also do this on your stove as well, with a hot pan and little EVOO. Let the steak rest after cooking for at least 5 minutes. Thinly slice the flank steak remember to cut against the grain. 
4. To assemble your fajita, take your tortilla and add a couple pieces of flank steak, slaw, beans, avocado, cheese and cilantro. These go great with margaritas!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream Fettuccin

Prep Time
30 minutes

Total Time
45 minutes

Yield
Makes about 4 servings

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Ingredients

4 Chicken Breasts, butterflied and pounded until 1/2" thick
2-3 Eggs; beaten
1 cup Flour
Freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 cups Breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 Shallots, minced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Basil, chiffonade

1 teaspoon dried Thyme
3 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Capers
3 cups sliced Mushrooms
1 can halved Artichokes
1 Lemon, juiced
1 pound Fettuccine, cooked
2 tablespoons Butter and 2 tablespoons Flour (for roux)

Directions

1. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.
2. Turn the oven to 300°. Start by breading the chicken. Place the eggs, flour, and breadcrumb mixture into three individual bowls. Season all with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken into the flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture. Set aside.
3. Sauté the chicken in extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat a couple of minutes on each side to brown. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer to a baking sheet and finish the cooking in the oven.
4. For the sauce, start by sautéing the shallot and garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil. Once browned, add mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Add dried thyme, then deglaze with white wine. Once au sec, add the 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour for the roux. Continually stirring, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock slowly, still stirring. Let this cook down for about 10 minutes, or until desired consistency. Add the artichokes and capers, then the whipping cream. Cook this down again, until desired consistency. To finish the sauce, add the juice of one lemon. Garnish with the chiffonade of basil.