I added large pieces of carrots and potatoes- to make it more substantial. I would definitely make the stew for this Sunday. I would serve it with different breads, Spanish rice, guacamole, salsa and shredded cheese. Lots of beer, wine and maybe sangria.

I love the idea of friends and family getting together and eating delicious food. I am not too keen on the game but I am probably in a minority.

• 1 pound chicken thighs
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 to 3 large yellow potatoes and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons roasted cumin
• 2 cups chicken broth

Sauce

• 2 poblano peppers, sliced in half
• 1 anaheim pepper, sliced in half
• 1 small garlic head, wrapped in aluminum
• 1 small yellow onion cut in half
• 2 to 3 green onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup chicken broth

Place the peppers, garlic, onion and green onions onto a lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt. Roast in the oven for half an hour, or until the vegetables are soft. Take out and blend in the blender with the cilantro and ½ cup broth until smooth.

Heat a saucepan and add the oil and roasted cumin. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the green sauce, 2 cups broth and the chicken thighs. Mix well and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour and a half. Serve hot with bread.

Turns out it is a dish made with rice and beans. It is to be eaten at midnight, New Year’s eve to bring good luck. The idea is to eat poor that night and eat rich the rest of the year.

Sounded good to me. As I read a bit more, I noticed it is usually made with some pork product and is served with some Southern style greens. I started thinking and decided to make mine with pancetta. I added some onions, garlic and green peppers to that. I also added dried thyme and made it mine by adding- yes, you guessed it- smoked paprika. I sauteed the mixture and added a can of black eyed peas, the rice and chicken broth. Once the rice was almost cooked, I added a lot of baby spinach.

I decided to make this into a one pot meal and healthy. Since traditionally the dish is served with greens, I decided to add mine right into the rice and beans.

The result was a delicious and quick comforting dish. Definitely make this for New Year’s Eve to ensure good luck for the rest of the Year- and Happy New Year to you and your family!

• ½ cup pancetta, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 15 1/2 ounce can of black eyed peas
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 6 ounces baby spinach

Heat a saucepan with the pancetta and olive oil. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme, onion, garlic and green pepper. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and paprika. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the black eyed peas and mix well. Add the rice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pan half way. Simmer for 10 minutes and cover all the way and lower the heat. Cook for another ten minutes and turn the heat off. Let it sit for ten minutes and add the spinach, stirring constantly. Serve immediately.

Christmas is done and hopefully everyone is a bit more relaxed about entertaining, gift giving and everything else that comes with the holidays. This is the week to relax when everyone is home and together.

I like to make great meals at home and enjoy them with my family. It is nice to go out and give yourself a break, but nothing like cooking a meal at home, from scratch.

This particular one is quite easy to make. I usually don’t end up making pork chops too often. I don’t really care for the pork quality we get in most stores. I tend to stick to local meat from Whole Foods but somehow the pork is not that great. Once cooked, it tends to dry up since it is so lean.

I decided to pick up pork chops and challenge myself. I have seen many time on television how most cooks brine the pork to make it juicier. It is a great idea, but I find it a bit time consuming and laborious. So, I figured out a short cut. I had apple cider in my fridge. I used that as the base and added some salt- a brine has a sweet, tangy and savory element to it. I brined the chops overnight and cooked them the next day with a glaze.

The glaze was again a combination of apple cider, apricot jam and of course- smoked paprika. I am obsessed with smoked paprika right now- I absolutely love the flavor. Well, the chops were amazing with the tangy glaze and amazing roast potatoes. I also served roasted brussels sprouts- recipe to follow.

Brine

• 2 cups apple cider
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 pound center cut pork chops

Transfer the cider and salt to a deep airtight container and add the pork chops. Keep over night or at least for 4 to 5 hours in the fridge. Take the chops out and soak on a paper towel till dry.

Glaze

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt

Bring the cider to a boil in a small saucepan and simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apricot jam, paprika and salt. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn heat off and keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sprinkle with salt

Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil and add the pork chops. Sprinkle with salt. Saute on medium high heat on one side for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chops over and add the glaze. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat. Turn off and serve with the glaze spooned over the pork chops.

In this case I was making the short ribs and wanted to keep it simple and serve it on top of polenta. Both my husband and I love polenta. My daughter on the other hand, is not a big fan. In fact the last time I made it, she asked not to give it to her ever again. I am okay with her not wanting to eat polenta- she is such a good eater and everyone has a few things they don’t like- although I can’t think of a thing I would have on that list.

Anyway, I started with shallots and garlic and added baby spinach. I then added chicken broth and milk. The polenta was made in no time. I topped it with some cheese and that was it. I made it simple for myself by adding baby spinach to the starch- I didn’t have to make a salad or a vegetable on the side.

The polenta was delicious with the short ribs- creamy and earthy with the rich meat.

• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the baby spinach and sauté till it is wilted and cooked down. Keep aside.

• 1 cup fine polenta
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 1½ cups milk
• Salt
• ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Add the liquids to the spinach mixture and bring to a boil. Add salt and the polenta. Cook according to instructions on the polenta package. Add the cheese and serve.

I wanted to make two things I had never tried before. Short ribs and gremolata. I combined both in one dish. A gremolata is used as a condiment for stews, soups, etc and mostly consists of citrus zest and some herbs. In this case I used a lemon and orange zest. I also used a mixture of parsley, rosemary, thyme and garlic. This super aromatic mix wakes up any dish and makes it irresistible.

I started by marinated the short ribs with salt, olive oil, rosemary and thyme overnight. I took it out an hour before cooking the next day and started with browning the ribs. I added onion, garlic, celery and carrots. I also added tomato paste, chicken broth and red wine. It roasted in the oven a couple of hours and resulted in a tender, fall off the bone dish. Once I added the gremolata on top- the smell and flavor was amazing.

I would highly recommend this dish for the holidays. I served it with polenta and it was an amazing dinner. Oh, and don’t forget a copious amount of red wine…

• 4 pounds short ribs, excess fat removed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Place the short ribs in a large glass dish and sprinkle the salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Refrigerate overnight. Take out an hour before cooking.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups red wine
• Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil until smoking. Brown the ribs on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes each in two to three batches. Keep aside. Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for minute. Add the flour and sauté for another minute. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add the chicken broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Add the ribs back into the liquid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or till the meat is falling off the bone.
Take out of oven and take the ribs out onto a platter. Strain the braising liquid and squeeze all the moisture out of the solids. Discard the solids and return the liquid to the saucepan. Reduce to desired consistency- there should be about a cup and a half to two cups of liquid remaining. Check for seasonings and return the ribs back into the liquid. Top with gremolata and serve.

Citrus Gremolata

• 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Zest of one lemon
• Zest of two clementines or half a navel orange

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, cover and keep aside.