Simple Artichokes

So work has been kicking my butt lately, which leaves little time for blogging among other things. Hopefully it'll lighten up soon, but for now, here's something quick and simple.


Ingredients:
- Artichokes
- Water
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Mayo

Directions:
- Use a vegetable peeler to get rid of the tough skin on the stem, cut in half, scoop out the furry insides.
- Sprinkle on a bit of salt and a squeeze of lemon and toss them in a steam tray in your pressure cooker and for a about 15 minutes or until they're soft. If you don't have a pressure cooker, boiling, steaming, grilling and even microwaving are all acceptable cooking methods. They just might take a bit longer.
- In a separate bowl, mix mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt to taste.
- Peel each leaf of the artichoke off one by one and dip the ends in the sauce.
- Fight over the stems and heart of the artichoke :)

Told ya it was quick and simple!

Pork flautas

Since I had overcome my fear of deep frying when I made french fries, I knew that I wanted to deep fry something for our Super Bowl party and decided on flautas.

I love flautas. It's basically the same thing as a taquito except you use flour tortillas instead of corn. I prefer flour tortillas better because it's fluffier and lighter and a bit airy. You could easily make taquitos instead by substituting the flour tortillas with corn.

You can also easily replace the meat with chicken, beef or whatever other meat you prefer. The important thing is to keep the meat moist and flavorful.

Ingredients:
- pork butt
- onion
- garlic
- cumin
- chili powder
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- pepper
- salsa (optional)
- tortillas
- oil for frying

Directions:
- Cut the pork butt into chunks if you want to. It'll make it easier to work with and fit in the pot. I like 1.5x1.5" chunks.
- Generously sprinkle the salt and herbs and seasonings on the meat and put it into a pressure cooker if you have one, or a heavy pot if you don't.
- Fill the pot with water until the meat is barely covered. Toss in an onion (quartered) and a few cloves of garlic. These are just used for flavoring and will be discarded, so they don't need to be chopped nicely.
- Either cook it at high pressure for about 30 minutes or simmer/braise in the oven until the meat is fall apart tender and moist and flavorful.
- Take the meat out and shred it with two forks or your hands.
- If the meat is a little dry, or if you want a little more flavor, toss it with a few spoonfuls of salsa. Don't use too much though, you want the meat to be juicy, but not "wet".
- If you want, cut your tortillas in half (I did this as I found it wasn't necessary to use a whole tortillas). Put a line of meat in tortilla and roll it up. Help keep them rolled up with 3 toothpicks. I only used one in the middle the first time and this is what happened.
- Heat up a pot of vegetable oil until it reaches 325 degrees.
- Slowly slide the flautas into the oil and fry until the tortillas get brown and crispy.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock

Homemade chicken stock is so much better than store bought. I save all of my chicken bones in a bag in the freezer and then pull them out when I've collected enough to make chicken stock, which I then freeze and stick back in the freezer in smaller batches so that I can take a bit out whenever I need. I've also started freezing the tops and leaves of celery that I cut off when making celery sticks, etc to use in the stock.

The problem with making stock is that you have to let it simmer for hours and I'm just not that patient. Plus, when you only notice that you're out of frozen chicken stock the morning of Thanksgiving and already have a million other things to do, you don't have time to wait hours for the chicken bones to release their goodness into the stock. That's when I'm especially glad that I have a pressure cooker.

This is my entry for Joelen's Tasty Tools event which features stock/soup pots. I love soups, so check out her blog to see what other tasty dishes others have made!

Ingredients:

• Chicken bones
• Water
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Salt (optional)
• other herbs (optional)

Method:

• Put the chicken bones in your pressure cooker and cover it with cold water until the bones are just covered. Be sure not to fill it over the recommended limit for your pressure cooker (pressure cookers should NOT ever be filled to the brim).
• Rough chop some carrots, celery and onions and dump them in. There's no need to peel the carrots or chop them finely, etc since it's only there for the flavor, not to be eaten. Just be sure to wash them.
• Add salt, herbs, or other flavorings that you might want. I tend not to add any of things since I don't always know what I'm going to be using the stock for in the future and can add those things later.
• Close the pressure cooker according to the manufacturers instructions and put it over high heat until the maximum pressure is reached. Then turn down the heat just enough to maintain the pressure for about half an hour.
• Turn off the heat and let the pressure dissipate naturally.
• Carefully open the pressure cooker. Make sure you've gotten all the goodness out of the bones by breaking them. They should be so weak that they just fall apart with minimal effort. If they haven't reached this stage yet, go ahead and put the lid back on and turn up the heat again for another 10 minutes and let the pressure come down on its own again.
• Strain out all the bones and veggies.
• Now, you can either use a fat separator to get rid of the excess fat or chill in the fridge and remove the fat that solidifies on top.
• You can use the stock immediately or store it in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it practically for ever. Use it in your favorite soups, sauces, etc.

Crispy, Juicy Carnitas

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican independence day. Sept 16th is! So in honor of it, I'm posting this today. Happy Mexican Independence Day!

I had no idea carnitas were so easy to make. I'm definitely making this a lot more in the future, especially since it was so yummy!

Having a pressure cooker really makes life a lot easier too. Pressure cookers are really amazing. Instead of braising for hours on end...I popped the meat in for half an hour and *poof* it's done! It's like magic!
On top of being so delicious and easy to make, they're healthy too. I always thought that carnitas were deep fried to get their crispy goodness, but they don't have to be. All they need a bit of time in the oven for nice crispy edges and a juicy interior.

Put it on a tortilla with some chopped onions, cilantro and hot sauce and you've got yourself a great meal!

I'm also submitting this for Joelen's TGIF Happy Hour that is featuring margaritas and other Mexican goodies.

Ingredients:
- 4 pounds of pork butt (shoulder)
- 1.5 tbs of salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 tsp cumin (plus more to taste)
- 1 tsp chili powder (plus more to taste)
- 5 grinds of ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 3 cloves of garlic

Method:
Cut the pork into ~2x2 inch cubes. I think this is a good size because it cooks quicker than not cutting it into chunks but still keeps it really juicy.

Sprinkle the seasonings on the meat and put it into a pressure cooker or large pot if you don't have a pressure cooker. Rough chop the onion and jalapeno and toss them in. Crush the garlic and throw that in the pot too. Next add water until the meat is barely submerged if using a pressure cooker, or until fully submerged if you're using a pot.

If you're using a pressure cooker, heat until fully pressurized and keep it there for 30 minutes or until tender. If you're using a regular pot, put a lid on it and put it into a 300 degree oven, or simmer on the stove top for a few hours until tender. A slow cooker would work too.

When the meat is cooked and falls apart easily, remove the onions, garlic, bay leaf and jalapeno if you can find them. Drain all but 1/2 an inch of the liquid.

Lightly smash each cube of pork so that it falls apart just a little bit, but not totally shredded. The reason I do this is to maximize the surface area that will get extra seasoning and will get crispy in the oven, but not so much so that it dries out and is no longer juicy.

Sprinkle on additional amounts (to taste) of the same seasonings you used before. Don't be scared to be generous with the seasonings.

Pop it into a 350 degree oven for about 10-20 minutes or until the tops and edges are dry and crispy and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Shred the meat with a fork or your fingers. Serve it in a tortilla with some chopped onions, cilantro, hot sauce and any other toppings of your choice.