Grilled Pork Chops - Pura Vida Style

OK, I don't know for sure if Costa Ricans eat pork chops this way, much less at all, but let's just say that these are at least inspired by Central American cuisine. I spent a summer in Costa Rica during college and we ate very simply (beans and rice, 2x a day) and never saw a bit of pork except for the piggies that ate the whey behind the Monteverde lecheria ("cheese makers").

Hints here that it could be from CR - cilantro!, lime juice, and lots of black beans and rice on the side. Could that be from almost any Central American country... well, yeah. But I really like CR, "pura vida" is the national slogan. C'mon!

Caveats:

1. I only got to marinate this for 1 hour in the fridge, 2 hours would be best.
2. Grilling the chops really makes them shine, but broiling works too.
3. Side dishes of "black beans and rice" and a nice salad round it out.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops (ours were our own pastured, 1 inch thick lovelies)
• 1/3 cup of good olive oil
• 1/3 cup of lime juice
• 1/4 cup of minced cilantro
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (not traditional, but our cayenne is too hot for the girls)
  
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt

Steps

1. Combine the oil, juice, cilantro, garlic, pepper, and salt in a tupperware container.
2. Whisk the marinade together well.
3. Add in the chops and place in the fridge. Set the timer for 2 hrs.
4. Fire up the grill and grill the chops for 3-5 minutes per side. Sadly throw away the delicious smelling marinade - can't eat it nor grill with it.
5. Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Fresh Asparagus Bake

This is my favorite way to serve asparagus in an entree. So, every May this gets "front and center" treatment for lunch and sometimes dinner!

This recipe is very flexible, I added ham below (we did that today for the first time) - but it is great without it (fresh asparagus really brings enough flavor on its own). We have added feta cheese instead cheddar and that went very well with the asparagus. Doesn't need a whole lot of extras in terms of herbs either, let the fresh ingredients do all the talking.

Ingredients

• 10 awesomely farm-fresh eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• one bunch of asparagus, chopped
• 8 oz ham steak, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-4 oz of cheddar cheese, grated

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Beat the eggs and milk together.
3. Add salt and pepper
4. Add asparagus bits and stir to mix 'em up.
5. Spray oil on a 9 x 9 pan.
6. Pour in egg/asparagus mixture.
7. Top with cubed ham and cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes.

Peanut Grilled Shrimp

This is one of our favorite new recipes - it makes a slimmed down version of our Pad Thai recipe. Pad Thai is more a principle than a recipe, but ours relied on the peanut sauce (lots of lime juice, ketchup, peanut butter and spice).

This recipe allows you to make a simple grilled (or broiled) shrimp then top dress it with some peanut sauce. We like to have it with steamed broccoli and then over some rice noodles. Toss the peanut sauce over the shrimp, brocc and noodles... very nice, simple, and fast (15 minutes from start to finish).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 Tbs of lime juice
• 2 Tbs of sesame oil
• 1/4 cup of peanut butter (natural if you can get it)
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of hot sauce
• 3 Tbs of ketchup (or to taste)

Steps:

1. Mix the lime juice and sesame oil together.
2. Marinate the shrimp with the juice/oil for 2-8 hrs in the fridge.
3. Mount the shrimp on skewers.
4. Grill the shrimp, 2 minutes per side. Or... turn on the broiler for 5 minutes. Place the skewers over a 9x13 pan on the top shelf of the oven. Broil 2-3 minutes per side.
5. In a small pan, heat up the peanut butter, orange juice, garlic, ketchup and hot sauce. Mix well until it has the consistency of a sauce.
6. Take the shrimp off the skewers and drizzle the peanut sauce over it.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

This is an adapted version of 101 Cookbooks adapted version of a Peter Reinhart crust recipe :D I love the ancestry of these things.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 2 cups white flour
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
  

Steps:

1. Mix together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer.
2. Add in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed.
3. With the dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough that clears the bowl of the little fragments.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured countertop. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and slip into sandwich bags. Refrigerate overnight.
5. When you are ready to make pizza (anytime in the next few days), remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before making the pizza. Keep them covered so they don't dry out.
6. Place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (you can go hotter, but I like the results I get at 450).
7. Uncover or unwrap the dough balls and dust them with flour. Working one at a time, gently press a dough round into a disk wide enough that you can bring it up onto your knuckles to thin out - you should be able to pull each round out to 12-inches or so. If the dough is being fussy and keeps springing back, let it rest for another 15-20 minutes.
8. Place the pulled-out dough on the prepared sheet pan.
   
9. Add your toppings and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone.
10. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored (about 14 minutes with a solid topping load).

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

Lentils Ole!

This is one of our mainstays from the "Burlington days" - lentils are great: quick cooking and take up flavors very easily. This is our version of a Sloppy Joe - no beef, but you could just as easily drop in ground beef or pork for the lentils. And that would be much better than the crap Sloppy Joe mix or canned stuff.

Serve with bread (English muffins are great) and big salad. Or go light on the BBQ sauce and try it with some salsa. Then make some cornbread while the lentils simmer.

Always, finish with some fruit!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup of brown lentils
• 1 Tbs water
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup green peppers
• 1 cup BBQ sauce to taste (we use our KC style sauce)

Steps

1. Bring lentils to boil in a pot - then simmer 20 minutes until soft.
2. Add water, garlic and onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add green peppers and cook for 5 more minutes until all are soft.
4. Add BBQ sauce and simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Add lentils and simmer 10 more minutes.

Hilltown Barbecue Dry Rub

Another finecooking.com adaptation, this is the dry rub I cover every barbecued chicken with.  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  
• 2 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 Tbs. seasoned salt
  
• 2 Tbs. garlic powder
  
• 1 Tbs. onion powder
  
• 1-1/2 tsp. celery salt
  
• 2 Tbs. paprika
  
• 1 Tbs. chili powder or seasoning
  
• 1 Tbs. black pepper
  
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried sage
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne

Steps:

1. Add the sugar and spices together in a bowl and stir to combine. 
2. Alternatively, put the ingredients in the food processor and pulse to combine.
3. Rub all over chicken. store the remainder (if any) in a jar in a dark place.

Kansas-City Style Barbecue Sauce

This is a KC style barbecue sauce from Finecooking.com - this style is much better than the commercial versions of KC Masterpiece etc.  Like Wikipedia notes, the KC style is noted for its "sweet and tangy sauces which are generally intended for liberal use."

I like to apply this to grilled chicken in the last 5 minutes or added to Lentils Ole.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar; more to taste
  
• 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 Tbs. dijon-style mustard
  
• 1 Tbs. chili powder or taco seasoning
  
• 1-1/2 tsp.  black pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne or hot sauce
• 2 cups tomato ketchup
  

Steps:

1. In a large saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. 
2. Heat over medium, stirring well to mix and dissolve the spices. 
3. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30 min., stirring occasionally.
   
4. In final 2 minutes, add in 2 T of butter, stir to melt.
5. This can be canned, just skip the butter step - 10 minutes per pint in a boiling water canner.