Life’s been busy, but I wanted to get this recipe up in time for the Super Bowl, in case someone is looking to step up their party game to something other than cocktail weenies with ketchup.  Though, if that’s your Super Bowl tradition, go for it.

I wouldn’t mind munching on these pulled pork sandwiches instead, however. I came up with this recipe after eating the most delicious pulled pork sliders at The Tipsy Pig. I think I captured (copied?!) the fantastic combination of sweet, tangy and crunchy.

When it comes to pulled pork, I’m not a fan of barbeque sauce and I don’t like it too sweet.  This recipe uses no ketchup (!) – instead, beer, brown sugar, vinegar, and chopped tomatoes form the base of the sauce (which, I suppose, is my version of homemade ketchup). I cooked the pork shoulder in a slow cooker so I didn’t have to tend to it, but you could also cook it on low heat in a dutch oven on top of the stove. Or, for that matter, in a low oven. (If anyone tries these other cooking methods, please let me know how it comes out.)

The crowning touches on this dish are the soft Hawaiian sweet rolls and the tangy, crunchy cole slaw. Yum.  I like using the mini dinner rolls – they look cute and are easy finger/party food. One serving is about two sliders.

Beer Braised Pulled Pork & Crunchy Slaw Sliders

Makes about 24 sliders (12 servings)

Pulled Pork
2 T canola oil
3.5-4 lb boneless (or with minimal bones) pork shoulder
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/3 c cider vinegar
1 c Chimay beer
½ c dark brown sugar, packed
2 c chopped canned tomatoes, with juice
1 t red pepper flakes
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t dry English mustard
Salt and pepper

24 Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls (like King’s Hawaiian)

Cole Slaw
3 ½-4 c shredded cabbage
1 c shredded carrot
2 green onions, sliced
2T mayonnaise
2 t sugar (to taste)
8-9 t cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

To make the pulled pork: In a dutch oven on the stove top (medium high heat), brown the pork shoulder in the canola oil until browned on all sides. Then place in the slow cooker.

In a bowl, combine onions through salt and pepper and then pour over the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Put on the lid and set to cook (I did 6 hours).

When the meat is falling off the bone/shreddable, remove the pork shoulder from the slow cooker. Cool sauce slightly and then pour into a blender (make sure there are no rogue bones) and blend til smooth.  Pour into a sauce pan on the stove top and simmer until reduced and slightly thick. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

With two forks, shred the pork shoulder meat. In a bowl, combine shredded meat and sauce.

To make cole slaw: Mix all ingredients in a bowl! Done.

To assemble: Toast the rolls slightly. Layer on pulled pork, cole slaw and the top of the roll.

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Chicken and Lentil Curry with Barley

For this recipe, I started with the America’s Test Kitchen recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala. Even though there’s nothing particularly unhealthy about boneless, skinless chicken breast that necessitates removing it, I wanted to see if I could cut back. So I replaced half the chicken with two kinds of lentils. The red lentils break down entirely during the cooking, thickening the sauce. The green lentils retain their structure, which provides a nice textural contrast in the dish.

Chicken & Lentil Curry
- serves 6-8 -

For the Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 C plain Greek yogurt (nonfat works just fine)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

For the Lentils and Sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 serrano chile
1 1/2 C water
3/4 C dried red lentils, rinsed
3/4 C dried green lentils, rinsed
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 C half-and-half
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

1 For the chicken, combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Cover the chicken and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. While the chicken marinates, prepare the sauce. In a large Dutch over, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring, until it just starts to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, serrano chile, tomato paste, and garam masala. Cook for about another 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the tomato paste begins to brown.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, lentils, 1 C water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is a good time to turn on the broiler for the chicken.

4. After the lentils have been cooking for about 20 minutes, dip the chicken in the yogurt mixture and coat it completely. Broil until the thickest part is 160° F, about 15 -20 minutes, depending on your broiler.

5. While the chicken is broiling, keep stirring the lentils occasionally. If they get to dry, add the remaining water. Cook until the red lentils blend into the sauce and the green lentils are cooked. Ideally, the lentils will be done right when the chicken is, but whichever is done first can rest for a bit.

6. After taking the chicken out of the broiler, let it rest for about 5 minutes. Add the half-and-half to the lentils and sauce, and bring the pot to a simmer.

7. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and cilantro to the dish.

Serve with rice and chutney

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Well, short of the cat talking to me I’d to have to make her some food, one with conventional ingredients and one with organic ones. Would it make a difference? I didn’t think so, but for the sake of our pet-owning readers I decided to shine some light on the topic.

The first issue to address when preparing pet food is nutritional value. This is a complex topic which basically scared me from making Paquita food on a regular basis. Terms which came up were phosphate to calcium ratios, taurine, psyllium & size of grind. I personally don’t think pet food has to be quite so complicated, but in any case our experiment here is merely to determine taste predilection.

What did I make?

Plate 1 was made with canola oil, chopped onions, celery, garlic, beef stew meat, salmon, salt & pepper. All of the ingredients were conventionally grown or harvested and bought at Safeway.

Plate 2 was made with canola oil, chopped onions, celery, garlic, organic beef stew meat, salmon, salt & pepper. All of the ingredients were either “natural” or organically grown and bought at Whole Foods.

The preparation was the same for both dishes. I lightly browned the meat in the oil, added the vegetables & seasoned the whole thing. After cooling the mixture, I ground it in the food processor until it resembled the consistency of the canned food Paquita likes.

So what were the results?

Disappointing to say the least. I offered Paquita each of the food plates one at a time, she sniffed at them both and even took a bite but then left them untouched for the rest of the afternoon. I tried this approach twice with the same results.

So can I categorically say Paquita prefers conventional food over organic food? The answer is no. What I can say after trying both foods myself is that they taste the same, although the conventional food did seem more watery than the organic food. Go figure.

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I’m always looking for good, healthy alternatives to rice and couscous. Bulgar has more fiber, vitamins and minerals – plus it’s low in fat. More importantly it requires very little cooking and is served at room temperature! Commonly used in Mediterranean, Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes, bulgar has a nutty flavor and is produced in different grinds – #1 fine, #2 medium, #3 coarse and #4 extra coarse. The finer grinds take less cooking time than the coarse grinds. Usually the ratio is one (bulgar) to two (water, stock or broth) but sometimes the coarser grinds will require a little more liquid. Bulgar is so versatile! It can be a great side dish or used to make kibbeh (mini football-shaped minced meatballs coated with bulgar), pilaf, salads, tabbouleh, etc.

We were having several people over for dinner and I didn’t want to worry about the dishes getting cold or taking the time to make sure the rice was cooked properly. My sister-in-law gave me a recipe for figs stuffed with bulgar and cranberries, but I wanted more of a side dish instead of an appetizer so I decided to make the recipe heartier. Recipes with bulgar vary with some saying to boil the water or stock and others saying to let it soak for a few hours. I chose the latter option. It’s much easier and it tastes just as good!

Cranberry Bulgur with Figs
Adapted from The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey by Janna Gur
- serves 10 as a side dish –

1/2 cup or approx 4 ounces Bulgar wheat (I used #2 medium)
1 cup water (can substitute broth or stock)
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 chopped fresh chopped mint
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3-4 tbsps toasted, chopped peacans
2-3 tbsps pomegranate concentrate (plus extra for serving)
As many figs as guests

1.  Soak bulgar in 1 cup water or stock for 4-5 hours until it swells and softens. If in a time crunch, you can add the water to the bulgar and cook in the microwave for a few minutes, then allow it to cool. I didn’t do this option so you’ll have to experiment.
2.  Mix the bulgar with all other ingredients except for the figs. You may do this in advance and keep it in the refrigerator.
3.  Sprinkle bulgar with a little pomegranate concentrate and serve with figs.

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