honey-pulled pork

yields: 4-6 servings

the ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless pork butt

1 cup dry white wine

3 garlic cloves (minced)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup honey (taste the pork after its cooked; you might want to add some more.)

a pinch of cayenne (however big or small you like it hot; keep in mind the spice will be muddled as it cooks.)

the method:

season the pork liberally with salt and pepper.

in a skillet, brown the pork on high heat on all sides. transfer it to the slow-cooker.

reduce the heat to medium, and add the garlic. after minute or so, add the wine, paprika, honey, cayenne, and a little more salt and pepper (to taste). bring the liquid to a boil, and pour it over the pork in the slow cooker.

cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

recommended: serve with a crusty baguette. create impromptu sandwiches, or just use it for dipping. either way, you can’t go wrong.

adapted from a brooklyn supper recipe.

chicken with white wine and tarragon

the ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 1/2-lbs. chicken (i used thighs and drumsticks.)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 oz. pearl onions (trimmed and peeled; i bought these frozen to simplify things.)

4 garlic cloves (halved)

1 cup white wine

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus 2 tablespoons

the method:

generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. in a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. brown the chicken on both sides, and transfer it to the slow cooker. leave the frying pan as is.

over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about five minutes. increase the heat to high. add the wine, and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. add three cups of chicken broth and a half cup of tarragon, and bring the mixture to a boil.

pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker. cook on high for four to six hours or on low for eight to ten. once cooked, transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter. pour the sauce over them, and serve.

adapted from a giada de laurentiis recipe.

pear and apple butter

the ingredients:

2.5 lbs. gala apples

2.5 lbs. bartlett pears

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 jar of cinnamon sticks

the method:

quarter and core the pears and apples. in a food processor with the grating attachment, shred the fruit (in batches if necessary). then, transfer everything to six-quart slow cooker. stir in the dark brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon stick. cover, and cook on high for four hours.

remove the cinnamon stick, and reserve. transfer the mixture back to the food processor (in batches if necessary) with the blade attachment, and pulse until smooth. return to the slow cooker, along with cinnamon stick, and cook on high until the mixture is thick and browned, about four hours (or you could turn the slow cooker to low and leave it overnight, which is what i did). let the mixture cool, and carefully transfer it to airtight containers (i used a dozen ball jars and had some leftover that i just put in a ziploc container). put a cinnamon stick in the center of each, and seal the jars.

this can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks of frozen for up to 3 months.

adapted from a martha stewart recipe.

dodo’s vinegar chicken

my mom recently mentioned a recipe that my grandma used to make. if i ever tasted it, i was far too young to remember it, but i still wanted to attempt to recreate it. i thought my dad’s birthday would be the perfect occasion since he now makes the sunday gravy every christmas eve that grammy used to. while she was sick, she taught him how to make it so that he could carry on her tradition and we could honor her memory. the thing is…she never cooked with recipes. i think joe b. made some notes along the way, but there was never anything written in stone. i only wish that she had written her recipes down as i’d love nothing more than to put my own spin on them, but that’s not how she cooked. alas, for this particular recipe, deb gave me some sense of what she used to use to make this dish. apparently, dodo was all about dried herbs. i typically prefer fresh, especially when i can walk out the back door and have my pick of them (literally). but you could use dry as well (if you do, use less than the recipe calls for; the essential oils in dry herbs are more concentrated and therefore stronger). furthermore, dodo used to do this in the oven, but due to my obsession with my slow-cooker and determination to prove that it can be a “summer appliance,” i opted for that route. and boy, am i glad that i did because the meat practically fell off the bone when it was finished cooking in that magical machine. i’ve since added a little more vinegar to the recipe because i wanted the final flavor to pack more punch (and be slightly more acidic). you could also drizzle some onto the chicken before plating it. now that i think about it, that might be even tastier. i’ll leave you with that as i’m now fantasizing about food (chicken in particular) and need to go and feed my belly.

yields: 4-6 servings

the ingredients:

6 lbs. skin-on chicken pieces (preferably thighs, legs, and drumsticks)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

lots of garlic

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup parsley leaves (plus more for garnish)

a little handful of thyme

a little handful of rosemary

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

the method:

generously season the both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat-high heat. add the cloves of garlic, and cook until aromatic, about a minute. add the chicken, leaving the garlic as is, and brown on both sides. then, transfer the chicken and garlic to a slow cooker with a pair of tongs, reserving the oil and any browned bits. nestle the pieces together. making sure that the heat is off, add the vinegar, herbs, and chicken broth, and stir to combine.

pour the sauce evenly over the chicken, and cook on high for two to three hours or low for four to six hours. transfer to a rimmed serving platter, and pour the juices on top. garnish with the remaining fresh parsley leaves, and serve.

pork chops giambotta rossa

yields: 6 servings

the ingredients:

1 bag of small yukon gold potatoes (thinly sliced on a mandoline)

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4.5 lbs. pork chops (bone-in and center-cut)

1/2 cup red wine

1 medium yellow onion (cut into thin slices)

2 red peppers (cut into strips)

2 yellow peppers (cut into strips)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (preferably san marzano)

2 tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley (plus more for garnish)

the method:

preheat oven to 400.

in a large bowl, toss the potato slices with some olive oil and pepper until well coated. arrange them in a single layer on a couple of rimmed baking sheets. bake for about 12 minutes (rotating the tray halfway through), until chips are crisped and lightly browned. remove from the oven, and season with salt. set aside, and allow to cool.

lower the heat to 275.

season both sides of the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper.

in a dutch oven, heat a quarter cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. add the chops, and brown on both sides. remove them from the pan, and set aside. add the wine (this will deglaze the pan), and scrape all of the little, brown bits off of the bottom. add the onion, throw in a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until it begins to become translucent. add the peppers, and allow them to cook for a few minutes. then, add the tomatoes. season the sauce now with salt and pepper (remembering that the chops are salted and peppered as well). put the pork chops back into the pan, nestling them into the vegetables and sauce, and transfer the dutch oven to the real oven. roast for three hours.

when the pork chops are cooked, remove them from the oven. these can be served right from the dutch oven or transferred to a serving platter. either way, sprinkle the potato chips on top, and garnish with fresh parsley.

you won’t need a knife for these bad boys. the meat should just fall off the chop.

slow-cooked chicken with balsamic bbq sauce

yields: 8 servings

the ingredients:

2 cups balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups ketchup

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 garlic clove (minced)

2 tbsp. worchetsire sauce

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

for the chicken:

4 lbs. assorted bone-in chicken (with its skin)

the method:

for the bbq sauce:

combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. simmer over medium heat until reduced by a third, about 15 to 20 minutes.

for the chicken:

marinate the chicken in a large ziploc in the bbq sauce overnight (or for as long as possible), reserving some of the bbq sauce for serving. when ready to cook, heat the grill to medium-high.* brown the chicken on both sides so that some grill marks are visible. then, transfer the chicken to a slow cooker, and cook on high for two to three hours or low for four to five hours. transfer to a serving platter, and serve with the remaining bbq sauce.

*if you don’t have a grill or are making this in the winter, browning can be done successfully in a dutch oven or lightly- greased frying pan.

bbq sauce recipe courtesy of giada delaurentiis.

slow cooker chicken with leeks and dried cherries

oh how i love my slow-cooker. this recipe is relatively simple, and the best part is that most of the time required to achieve the final product is inactive. the dish itself is very comforting, and the cherries add a nice sweetness to it. did i mention the chicken practically falls off of the bone? i did all of the prep work earlier in the day. therefore, i simply had to add the cherries and plate this after my eaters had arrived. marvelous!

yields: 4-6 servings

the ingredients:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 medium leeks (de-stemmed and chopped)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 skinless chicken drumsticks

4 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in)

2 skinless chicken legs (bone-in)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 large heads of garlic (separated into unpeeled cloves)

1/2 cup dried cherries

the method:

in a medium skillet, melt the butter. add the leeks, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until they’re softened (about five minutes). add the white wine, and stir in the nutmeg. simmer for a minute. add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.

season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and add it to the slow cooker. nestle in the garlic cloves. cover, and cook on high heat for two and a half hours, shifting the chicken and garlic around a few times, until the chicken is cooked through and the garlic is soft. add the cherries, adjust the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes more. season with salt and pepper, and serve in a deep, rimmed dish or big bowls.

adapted from a food and wine recipe.

root beer pulled pork

the ingredients:

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. boneless pork butt

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 bone suckin’ sauce (i bought mine at whole foods.)

1/2 cup root beer

1/4 cup water

the method:

generously season the butt with salt and pepper on all sides. heat the oil in a medium skillet. add the pork, and brown on all sides.

place the pork in the crock pot, along with the remaining ingredients. set to low for six hours. once the timer (finally) goes off, shred the meat with two forks. i barely needed one as it just fell apart on its own. transfer the meat to a serving dish, and pour the juices over it.

pappardelle with lamb bolognese

i ordered lamb bolognese recently at a restaurant that i love. doing so made me love it that much more (both the restaurant and the idea of lamb bolognese). the dish was delicious, as were the other seven that i ordered. that’s not an exaggeration. there’s no recipe out there, so this was my attempt to recreate it. or just make my own recipe that i can use going forward.

further motivation was the fact that i’ve been dying to use the crock pot i was given for christmas. bolognese sauces are typically made on the stove with ground meat. but because i wanted to use this wonderful invention, i needed something especially tender that would cook well over several hours. hence, the lamb shoulder. here’s hoping this one’s a keeper.

the ingredients:

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder (tied with twine to hold together)

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion (diced)

2 medium celery stalks (diced)

2 medium carrots (peeled and diced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 red wine (a full-bodied one)

1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes (here’s where i tell you to use san marzano again)

1 tbsp. lemon zest

a bunch of thyme (plus more for garnish)

1 dried bay leaf

1/4 cup parmigiano regianno (plus more for serving)

cooking twine

the method:

season the lamb shoulder generously on all sides with salt and pepper.

heat the oil over medium-high heat. sear the lamb on all sides until browned nicely. don’t cook it completely here! remove the meat, and set aside (or right into your crock-pot).

if needed, add a little bit more olive oil, and then the onion, carrot, and celery to the same pan, scraping up the little brown bits as the veggies cook. once the veggies start to soften, add the garlic, and cook until aromatic (about a minute or so). add the tomato paste and red wine, and stir until the paste begins to break down.

add the canned tomatoes and their juices. carefully, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes into quarters. you can also do this off the heat if you’re more comfortable with that. stir to combine. add a teaspoon of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the lemon zest. stir again. remember that the lamb has already been seasoned, and the sauce will cook with the lamb for several hours, so don’t over season here. the cheese will add a salty bite as well.

turn the heat off. tie a small bunch of thyme with kitchen twine, and set aside.

add the sauce to the crock-pot. ignore the picture above; you can pout it right over the meat. nestle the thyme and bay leaf into the sauce, and cover. set your slow-cooker to low, and set the timer for six hours.

now, walk away. it was very hard for me not to peek, but i had to control myself. when the timer finally goes off, uncover, and skim any excess fat off the top. remove the thyme spring (or what’s left of it) and the bay leaf. at this point, you should be able to pull the meat apart with two forks. once you’ve finished doing so, stir everything together. leave the sauce in the crock pot on the “keep warm” setting.

in the meantime, generously salt a large pot of water, and bring to a boil. cook the pappardelle until al dente, and add it to the crock pot. sprinkle in the quarter cup of cheese, and toss everything together. transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with as much cheese as you like and a couple of sprigs of the remaining fresh thyme.