Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Chicken) With Aji Amarillo Sauce Recipe

This is a wonderful recipe for Pollo a la Brasa and its mayonnaise-based dipping sauce made with Aji Amarillo paste. I found the sauce so delicious that I did not even include a pic of the whole chicken here but if you want to see it follow this LINK to the actual recipe and pic. I purchased the paste from Amazon. 

Prepare either a whole chicken as you normally would and brine in salted water for a few hours on the counter, not in the refrigerator. Or, you could do the same with chicken pieces and either grill or broil them. If you elect to use a whole chicken make sure you tie the legs together before you roast it.

Ingredients

Chicken

1 whole chicken

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Peruvian Green Dipping Sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed or 2 Tbsp dried

1 to 2 jalapenos seeded

1 tablespoons aji Amarillo paste*

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 clove garlic minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1teaspoon white vinegar

½ cup mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the Chicken

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the chicken on a roasting pan rack.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, pepper, and oregano. Use your fingers to loosen the skin around each end opening. Spoon some of the spice mixture under the skin so the flavors get in direct contact with the meat. Brush the outside of the chicken with some of the mixture as well.

Roast in the 475 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Continue roasting until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve hot with Peruvian Dipping Sauce.

Peruvian Green Dipping Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree. Store in the fridge.

Beef and Sausage Sunday Sauce (Ragu) Recipe

This is a really good recipe for a Sunday Sauce, a/k/a Ragu, compliments of Laura Vitale.

Recipe Ingredients

1 Medium Onion, diced

3 (28oz) Cans of Tomato Puree*

3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ Lbs Cubed Chuck Roast trimmed

1 ½ lbs Sweet Italian Sausage w/fennel, cut in half

1 cup of Beef Broth or Red Wine

Salt and Pepper, to taste

4 TBSP dried Basil, finish with fresh basil

        (1) Preheat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until brown on all sides. Remove to a bowl.

2) Add the chuck and brown. Then, remove to the bowl with the browned sausage.

3) Add the chopped onions to the remaining drippings and add more oil if necessary. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until they develop some color. Add all the meats right back in, along with any accumulated juices. Add in the broth or wine and cook for 1 minute

4) Add the tomato puree along with 2 cups of water.

5) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, partially covered, and let it simmer for 4 hours or until the beef is very tender. Stir every 20 - 30 minutes with a wide wood, rubber, or silicone spatula. Do not use anything spoon-shaped because it clearly is not designed to scrape the bottom of a pan. Add water as necessary. 


Serve over a thick pasta such as rigatoni, penne, or gnocchi. 

Classic Marinara Sauce Recipe

A bit of history: In the 19th century, French chef Marie-Antonin Careme developed what is commonly referred to as the four mother sauces; a fifth one was added in the 20th century. These sauces were created as basic building blocks for secondary sauces that are known as finishing sauces.
 
If you really think about it, the most important element for success in life is a solid foundation and makes little difference if we're talking about social skills, architecture or rocket science. I opine that otherwise, it's akin to reading a 10 chapter book beginning with chapter 5.  

So in that vein, I present a classic Marinara sauce recipe with some recommendations. 

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Large onion diced
4 Cloves garlic sliced
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and grated
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground preferred
2 - 28 oz cans San Marzano whole peeled  tomatoes
2 Tbsp dried thyme 

Procedure:
In a 4 quart pot heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic celery, carrot, salt, and pepper until tender about 10-15 minutes. 

Pour the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and crush by hand removing any tough pieces. 

Add tomatoes and the bay leaves into the pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add more water as needed in the process.

Season again if necessary 

Serve immediately or better yet, once cool, cover the pot and refrigerate overnight. 

Enjoy!

My Recommendations:

Pasta is bland so add a couple tablespoons  of table salt into the boiling water 
Don't put oil in the pasta water
Cook the pasta al dente
Drain the water from the pasta but don't rinse

  

Easy Roast Chicken with Pan Gravy Recipe

One of the easiest meals to prepare is roasted chicken with homemade gravy.

What you'll need:

1 Whole Chicken

1/2 Small onion

2 Small carrots

Seasoning salt or plain salt

Pepper

1 Tbsp and 1 tsp dried Rosemary leaves

Chicken stock

Flour

1 Tbsp butter

Butchers twine

Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Season the cavity generously with seasoning salt, pepper and 1 tsp rosemary and stuff with the onion and carrot.

Season the outside of the entire bird with the seasoning salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the rosemary. Then truss the chicken with butcher's twine.

Put the chicken in a roasting pan and insert a corded digital thermometer into the thickest part of the breast making sure not to let the tip of the probe touch any bone.

Put the chicken into a preheated 375 degree oven and cook until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

Remove from the oven. Place the bird on a cutting board to rest - the internal temp will naturally rise to 165. If there are accumulated juices in the cavity pour into the roasting pan.

On medium-low heat, add a 1/4 cup flour to the fat in the pan and stir until blended. Add some chicken stock (or water), or additional flour and stir until you have reached the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings for taste and then add a 1 Tbsp of cold butter, stir until melted.

Carve the bird and pour the gravy on the chicken (or under it as shown) and your side dish which could be rice, mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles.

Enjoy!

Note: If you want chicken breast to be juicy the two things that you must do, first is to truss the chicken and use a corded digital thermometer as instructed above.

Barr's Texas BBQ Sauce Recipe

A rustic kitchen setting with a large, seasoned wooden table laden with vibrant ingredients for Barr's Texas BBQ Sauce. In the foreground, a large, old-fashioned pot sits on a vintage stovetop, its polished surface reflecting the warm amber glow of the kitchen lights. Surrounding the pot, bowls brimming with apple cider vinegar, sugar, honey, yellow mustard, and various spices like cayenne, chili powder, and cumin add a burst of color. Freshly squeezed lemons and minced garlic cloves are artfully arranged alongside freeze-dried onions, creating a sense of abundance. The background features an inviting kitchen with open shelves filled with jars of spices, wooden utensils, and BBQ paraphernalia. A rustic window lets in soft, golden daylight, casting gentle shadows across the scene. The warm and welcoming atmosphere embodies the essence of homely comfort and culinary creativity. There is a sense of anticipation in the air, as if the delightful aroma of simmering BBQ sauce is about to fill the room, inviting viewers to imagine the mouthwatering flavors of Texas BBQ. The overall mood is lively and festive, perfect for a backyard gathering or a family feast.

Ingredients:
2 Cups apple cider vinegar
3 Cups water
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup honey
1/4 Cup yellow mustard, such as French's
2 Tsp black pepper
2 Lemons (juice of) or 6 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
4 Clove garlic minced
1/4 Cup freeze-dried or 1 1/2 cups diced onion
1/2 Stick butter
1/4 Tsp cayenne
1/4 Cup chili powder
2 Tbsp table salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika

5 Cups (40 ounces) of store-brand ketchup
3 Tbsp Worchester sauce
1/4 Cup liquid smoke

Procedure:
Combine all of the ingredients in the first group in a large pot and stir to combine. Cook at medium heat to dissolve the sugar and until the onions are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add 5 cups (40 ounces) of store-brand ketchup, 3 Tbsp Worchestire sauce, and 1/4 cup of liquid smoke.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Then, back off and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Let stand to cool.

Once at room temperature, put the pot in the fridge overnight for best results.

If my memory serves me right, this recipe makes about a gallon of sauce, which freezes very well, although it doesn't freeze solid.   

Beurre Manié - The Roux in Your Freezer

Click on Image to Enlarge

Often when making a soup or stew you may find that you really need to thicken it up a bit so you make a flour slurry or add in a cornstarch mixture.

Clearly, this will thicken the soup or stew but there is a tasty and simple alternative and that is Beurre Manie which is nothing more than equal parts butter and flour by weight and kneaded together. Think of it as an uncooked roux that you use in the final stages of cooking instead of before as with a traditional roux.

Note: In my original posting, I did not mention that you needed to knead the two together simply because there are only 2 ingredients and the pic would suggest that they were combined. Since then I added the word [kneaded] because my favorite x-wife Rita wasn't sure what she should do with the 2 ingredients. Thanks Rita for pointing this out and I'm sure that it will make a meaningful difference in the finished product. LOL

How I prepare it is by spreading 1/4 stick of semi-softened butter on a cutting board so it look similar to a pancake and then sprinkle 4.5 ounces of flour on the top. 

Then with a heavy-duty dough scraper or the back of a broad-bladed knife combine by scraping the butter from the bottom onto the top of the flour and keeping working it. Then simply knead it by hand as if you were kneading dough. This is so much faster and less messy than trying to do it in a bowl with a spoon or knife.

Or, you certainly could put the butter and flour in a small food processor and pulse until blended. 

After it is combined flatten it to about 1/2" thick then cut 1/2" squares and place them in a plastic freezer bag. And yes Rita, this would be the time to put them in the freezer.    

Tone's Italian Spaghetti Seasoning Blend

Click Image To Enlarge

There is little to say other than if you want a really good tomato sauce in minutes instead of hours Tones Italian Spaghetti Seasoning Blend is for you. 

Just add tomato sauce (or diced/crushed) and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes uncovered so the dehydrated onions, garlic, etc. have a chance to rehydrate and soften and the spices to blend together.  

Great with cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken, pork, veal, and seafood. Serve over pasta or rice depending on your preference or serve in a bowl for a great marinara sauce for dunking a nice crusty hunk of bread.   

Shake the container well before dispensing. 

If the sauce is too salty just add tomato paste tablespoon at a time. 

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely diced pickles

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely diced capers
1 teaspoon coarse grained mustard
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

For best results, mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  

Chef John's Steak Sauce Recipe

Homemade Steak Sauce (also good with pork chops

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

a pinch of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove cut in half. Don't crush it; you just want a hint of garlic.

Give that a mix and put it on the stove on low heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. When I say low simmer, I mean you want the bubbles just breaking the surface.

After 15 minutes, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Squeeze out all the juice and refrigerate.

Note: I have found that I much prefer putting sauces on the plate and then adding the meat so the meat juices mix with the sauce and make it exponentially better. But that's just how I roll, you are clearly welcome to do whatever you like.