In-House Cook

What I Have Been Up To In My Kitchen

Welcome to another episode of What I Have Been Up To In My Kitchen! I have made several meals which I did not intend to blog, but thought I would share them with you in very brief form, some with recipes and some without. I do hope you enjoy my mostly visual essay! If you would like to know more about anything, please leave me a message, or, see my blog Twitter site @grnmn1 (Martin Phillips) or my blog Facebook site at In-House Cook and leave me messages there. Thank You for your time and viewer/readership! I truly appreciate you all!

First up, my seared pork belly and caramelized onions burger on jalapeno focaccia bread. I seared the pork belly in a combination of balsamic vinegar and garlic Mirin. Amazing flavors! I caramelized the red onions in butter, salt and balsamic vinegar. It takes about thirty-to-forty minutes to caramelize onions, if not a wee bit longer. My burger was simply seasoned on the outside with a mix of salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. I served it over mixed baby greens with a garlic mayo sriracha aioli for a nice bite. I just used regular shredded Jack and Cheddar cheese which I'd had on hand.

Next up....

My Spicy Bean Hummus

Ever have one of those days when you find yourself with company coming and perhaps not enough time to get to the store? Have chips on hand? How about hominy or beans and just a few other little things? I have you covered. For this easy and simple recipe, I used a 29 ounce can (yes it was huge) of pinto beans, a tablespoon of paprika, a tablespoon of pasilla powder, two garlic cloves freshly grated, 3 tablespoons Mexican quesadilla cheese I'd had on hand, salt and pepper and half of a roasted red pepper steak. I pureed it in my Ninja (what a wonderful gift, thanks to my friend, Spinner!) and served it with chips. I call it hummus because it has the texture of hummus, even though it is made of beans. Sure, you could simply call it a bean dip. I think it is a little bit more sophisticated than that, though, right. Right???? :)

This recipe takes less than ten minutes to prep and serve. Could be a dinner saver!!!

And next, we have.......

Marinated Lamb Tacos

I have fallen for lamb over the last three or four years. My dad liked lamb but my mom, aunt and maternal grandmother (my Nana), absolutely did not. My grandpapa loved lamb, and my Nana would make it for him, I am told, but she and her daughters Hated the smell. So I never had lamb Anything growing up. I decided, after seeing several recipes for lamb chops, shanks and more, to make some lamb chops. Fell in love with it, especially when the lamb has been marinated and grilled. I saute the lamb in this recipe, and it is savory and flavorful. Hope you like it!

I slice the lamb into bite-sized chunk and marinate the lamb in my Mexican Spice Blend (you can find it here several times or on my Facebook blog site, posted by request quite recently), fresh cilantro, fresh thyme, fresh oregano and lime juice and zest, garlic and onion and fresh chopped Fresno chile with a little grape seed oil and sriracha. I marinate the lamb for three hours. After three hours, I remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. I add two tablespoons of grape seed oil (because it allows the marinade flavors to take over) to a hot skillet and saute the lamb with half a chopped red onion and more Fresno chiles sliced into discs for about eight to ten minutes over medium heat. I serve in flour or corn tortillas, whatever I have on hand, cheese, sauce and more fresh cilantro, my favorite fresh condiment.

And, once again, the final product...

I promise, even if you are unsure about lamb, I believe you will LOVE this!

What's that.....? Did someone ask me about pizza? Oh yes, I have made yet another pizza! My Rustic Italian Pizza with three meats Here's a visual.

Fresh dough, herbal evoo dressing for the dough, halved grape tomatoes, Dry Italian Salami, Coppa salami and sopressata, topped with dried crushed oregano and fresh basil.

And this one is a really good shot.....

One More!

My Onion Bun Bistro Burger with Parmesan Crisp, Crisped Coppa Salami, Egg and Dijon, garlic and basil aioli. This one is simple and intensely flavorful. Add a quarter cup of shredded Parmesan cheese to parchment paper and melt, cool, peel off the cheese crisp. Crisp up two slices of Coppa Salami in a skillet with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Remove and fry up the burgers which I'd added only salt and pepper to on the top and bottom of the burger to form a crust. I added three tablespoons of Dijon mustard to a small bowl, a splash of champagne vinegar, finely minced garlic and finely chopped basil and whisked together to form an aioli spread.