Chicken with Port Wine

Nibbling on a great blue cheese and sipping a really nice Porto is one of the greatest gastronomical experiences! Let the blue cheese sit on your tong for a few moments, take a sip of the wine, and then press the cheese to the roof of your mouth, letting the wine mix in with the cheese. It is a brilliant experience!!

Chicken with Port Wine

Chicken with Port Wine

1 pound chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 peeled and diced apple

1/4 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup port wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

fresh chopped parsley

 

Season chicken breasts and sear until cooked through completely. Hold warm until ready to serve. In the same pan, add the diced apples and walnuts and saute for 1 minute. Add in the port wine and reduce liquid by half. Swirl in the butter and add in the blue cheese just before serving. Plate the chicken and spoon sauce over top. Serve with roasted potatoes.

 

Feel free to incorporate seasonal fruits (cherries or peaches are excellent choices when in season) into this dish and this also makes an incredible sauce for duck, pork, or venison.

 

 

Cuban roasted mojo pork with black beans and rice

Cuban Mojo Pork Roast

Mojo Pork

pork loin roast, approximately 4 pounds.
4 cups orange juice
zest and juice of 2 limes
zest and juice of 2 oranges
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper

Season the loin well with salt and pepper. Put into a container cover with orange juice plus the zest of the citrus, oregano, and garlic. Let marinate overnight. After marinating, remove from the juice and roast in a low oven, about 275 degrees until the internal temperate reaches 135 degrees. Remove from the oven and finish on a hot grill until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Black Beans and Rice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Saute the rice in the olive oil until well coated in the oil but do not brown. Transfer to a casserole dish. Pour in hot chicken broth and add the salt and pepper, cover the dish and bake in a 350 degree until the rice is tender; this should take about an hour. When rice is tender, fluff with a fork and stir in the black beans and garlic. Replace the cover over the dish and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, just until the beans are warmed through. Stir in the chopped cilantro, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Notes:
Feel free to serve with fresh salsa.
Fried plantain chips also makes a nice addition to this dish.

Hang Town Fry

Hang Town Fry
One of my favorite cooking stories!

Hang Town Fry

Divide all ingredients to serve 4 people.

butter as needed for cooking the omelet
12 large eggs, whipped or scrambled
4 ounces gouda cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Spinach Filling
8 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Mix together all ingredients and put into a casserole dish. Heat in a hot oven until warm and hold until ready to assemble the omelet.

Oyster Sauce
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 pint fresh oysters
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Add the bacon and oysters to a hot pan and cook slightly. Add the cream and continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken.

Assembly:

In a medium hot sauté pan, add butter and 3 eggs. Swirl around and move the eggs with a rubber spatula to add layers and make fluffy. Turn the omelet over and add the shredded gouda cheese and warm spinach filling. Fold over and slide onto a plate. Repeat to make 4 omelets.

Spoon over oyster sauce and enjoy.

Notes:
This is a version of a recipe called ”Hang Town Fry.” Legend has it that when a man was requesting his last meal before heading to the gallows, he would request this dish because many of the fresh items were not readily available and if could take days or weeks to assemble all of the ingredients. This would give extra time for the prisoner to plan his escape. There really are no set ingredients for the dish; you can vary them as you like. A “Hang Town Fry” would often contain oysters and bacon because of their rarity at the time.

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