Easy Veal Chop

I couldn't resist buying this beautiful, big, meaty veal chop when I went into Faicco's on Sunday. I have a fool proof way to cook it, too. The veal was tender and juicy and the sauce nice and earthy with a drizzle of truffle oil. (Sounds fancy, really isn't.)

Serves two
Ingredients:
1 big t-bone veal chop, bone in (mine was about 1 1/2 inches thick)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
truffle oil for drizzling

Almost Thanksgiving

Hi! Sorry for the lack of posts! I have one or two little ones to add today, then I promise at least one amazing one after Thanksgiving. (We're attempting our first ever deep fried Turkey!) I bought this guy from Home Depot and have been googling and researching all the best recipes. I think I'm going to try the New York Times recipe - it just sounds amazing. From all the reviews I've come across, Fried Turkey seems to beat regular roasted turkey hands down. My mom does make a wonderful roasted turkey - and is still making one this year - so we'll have to see!

I just hope I don't burn the house down. Have you googled fried turkey disasters? Eeeek.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Home Made Chile Powder

This sounds a little daunting, but is extremely simple. If you play around with what chiles you like, you can also customize it. I just kind of made it up, but I took 2 dried guajillo chiles, 2 dried chipotle mora chiles, and two chiles de arbol. (When I see dried chiles I just buy a bunch and keep them in the cabinet for impromptu recipes like this or chile-infused olive oil for black bean dip etc.) Head up a cast iron skillet to medium high. Split the chiles and take out all the seeds and veins. Two at a time, toast the chiles in the hot skillet, pressing down on them with tongs, until they start to blister a little (1-2 minutes). Put all of the toasted peppers in a food processor and blend until you have a powder. A couple bigger pieces are okay. Then use for chile, marinades, salsas... whatever you want!

Braised Short Ribs in Adobo for two

Yum! These short ribs are easy and great, and perfect for some extra special tacos. The recipe is from Truly Mexican (the wonderful Mexican cookbook that Jamie got me for Christmas last year). You don't have to brown the short ribs, so it's basically tossing all of the ingredients in a pot and sticking it in the oven for 2.5 hours. The resulting sauce is rich and has a deep heat, but isn't too spicy, and the meat is tender and falling apart. I shredded it up with the adobo and put it on a soft taco with minced red onion and jalapeno with a little crema on top. We had no leftovers.

And I got to use my adorable heart pot! Thanks, Kara!! It's so perfect for making dinner for two, and makes whatever you're making seem a little special and romantic.

Serves 2 (I reduced it)
Ingredients:
1 dried guajillo chile, wiped clean, stemmed, slit open, seeded, and deveined
1-2 lb bone-in beef short ribs

Apple Sauce

Right before Sandy struck, I pulled out the trusty food mill and decided to make some apple sauce. It just seemed good for stormy weather. I went to Gristedes, which was hopping and didn't have any carts or baskets, and piled lots of apples in my arms hoping they wouldn't tumble before I could check out. The apple sauce was so tasty, and the food mill makes it velvety and smooth. It's also really simple. It took about half an hour and it was way better than store bought. I went off the Cook's Illustrated basic apple sauce recipe; fool proof, really. Leaving the skin on while you cook gives it a lot more flavor.