Allrecipes Recipe Test: Andy's Spicy Green Chile Pork

Everyone loves tacos.  What everyone doesn't love is working a full day, working out, then trying to cook a perfect dinner at 9:00 p.m.  Enter tacos from your Crockpot.  When my Allrecipes daily email included Andy's Spicy Green Chile Pork, touted as a quick and easy way to make tasty pork tacos, I knew I had to try this one out.

Here's the original recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/andys-spicy-green-chile-pork/

While at Walmart, I picked up the simple ingredient list: pork shoulder roast, tortillas, green salsa, two serrano peppers, cilantro, and an onion.  The recipe called for a white onion, but I used a red onion.  I like red onions better.  I also picked up some cumin since I was out, even though it wasn't on the ingredient list, and some pico de gallo to top the tacos before serving.  Some of the comments to the recipe suggested adding some cumin.  The total cost was just under $12.00.  Thankfully it was inexpensive because (spoiler alert) it wasn't good.

How easy is this?  You probably have garlic salt and pepper, so you'll just need five ingredients, then your choice of how to serve--tortillas, rice, or something else--and toppings if you choose to serve as tacos.

The recipe was insanely easy:

1) Line Crockpot (I added this step).  Makes for easier clean up.

2) Chop the onion.  I also chopped the serrano pepper into thin rounds but removed the seeds.  Per the recipe, it may have called for the peppers to be dropped in whole to infuse.  I couldn't tell.  I like it hot though, so I thinly sliced both peppers.

3) Remove cilantro leaves from the stems.  I find the stems really unappealing.  See this blog entry.

4) At this point, I put the onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro in a tupperware and stored in the refrigerator overnight so I could literally dump everything in the Crockpot in the morning.

Ingredients all chopped and ready to go in the refrigerator.

5) In the morning, I poured the onion-pepper-cilantro mix into my lined Crockpot.  Then I added the pork shoulder roast (I left the strings holding it together on to hold in moisture as it cooks), seasoned with garlic salt and cracked black pepper on both sides.

Line the bottom of the Crockpot with the veggies.

Place the shoulder roast on top.  Season with garlic salt and black pepper.  Flip and season the other side.

6) Last, I added the can of green salsa and dusted the whole thing with cumin.

I purchased the smallest jar of green salsa.  If you're going to use the sauce, or want lots of salsa verde flavor, consider using a larger container.

7) I set the timer on the Crockpot for 8.5 hours and let it cook on the low heat setting.

When I came home from work, I could smell subtle flavors of pork cooking but nothing too spicy.  I opened the Crockpot and cut away the butcher twine.  I also regretted leaving it on since some of the salsa and spices stuck to it.  The pork instantly melted.  When I went to separate it with forks, it pretty much disintegrated.  At first, I thought it was the most tender pork I'd ever seen.  Then I reconsidered...it was too soft!  Even with the two serranos chopped up in the mix, it was not spicy.  Just minimum hints of the salsa verde.

Cutting the butcher's twine off the roast.

Finished product in the Crockpot.  A lot of soft, mush pork.

I warmed the tortillas, chopped a third serrano pepper into thin rings, plucked more cilantro from its stems, and assembled the tacos.  Mine were tortilla, pork, cilantro, and pico de gallo.  Greg's included tortilla, pork, cilantro, cheese, pico, and sour cream.

It almost looks pretty dressed up with the pico, serrano peppers, and cilantro.

I tried to be open minded, but it just wasn't good.  The pork might as well have been ground pork because it was so mushy.  Or old person food.  Or cat food.  The flavor was fine--subtle pork with a little zip from the pico and serrano peppers.  Without the pico or peppers, I wouldn't have been able to eat it.

It's gross--absolute mush!  Kind of the texture of canned tuna.

It was slightly more tolerable without the tortilla--just a few bites of meat on a plate with pico, cilantro, and serrano peppers.

A little better without the tortilla.  But still mushy.

Admittedly, I'm confused.  The Allrecipes reviews are almost completely good.  Either everyone likes mushy food or something went wrong with this.  I'd consider making it again, but roasting it to try to get some firm edges and soft pork in the middle.  The flavor was pleasant enough--subtle--but nothing to warrant all the four and five star reviews.  That or I've developed a really discerning palate!

Insider tip: don't make this.  Or make it in the oven so you can keep an eye on it after browning the outside and getting some really roasted edges.  Or make it if you lost your dentures.

Cooking Light Recipe Test: Nor-Cal Veggie Sandwich with Hazelnut Butter

Here's another food I saw on Instagram and instantly wanted.  It's a vegetarian sandwich.  While I'm not vegetarian, I appreciate a meatless meal.  I usually feel less weighed down and in need of a nap without the meat.

How amazingly fresh does this look?  I was suckered in by the pretty picture.

As it turns out, this should be called the $30.00 PITA sandwich.  Whether it was worth it is certainly debatable for me.  The ingredients sent me on a scavenger hunt around Indianapolis.  The sandwich was a considerable amount of work and it was very expensive to make.  I may be a foodie at heart, but by the time I finished all this, I think I just wanted a meatball sandwich from Subway.

Nevertheless, here's the original recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/nor-cal-veggie-sandwich

And here's the journey it took to get to the finished sandwich.

It all started with finding hazelnut butter.  While I was in the grocery section at Target, I checked just in case.  They had almond and peanut butter, but no hazelnut butter.  I wasn't surprised though, so I called Fresh Market (no, and was hung up on in the process) and Whole Foods (also no).  I could order it on Amazon for about $14.00, but then I'd have to pay that much and wait for it to be shipped.  I decided to follow the instructions in the recipe to make my own.

The next time I was at Marsh, I tried to buy hazelnuts.  They didn't have them.  So off to Fresh Market.  I purchased .7 lbs of pre-packed hazelnuts and artichokes for about $14.00.  But Fresh Market didn't have sprouts.  So off to Whole Foods for the rest of the ingredients--another $15.00.  And a fun adventure through pillaged aisles since there was snow coming that night.

Evidently the first thing they run out of at Whole Foods before a blizzard isn't milk, bread, or eggs...it's bagged salad!

I also ended up swapping sweet pea shoots for the radish sprouts since my husband isn't a big fan of sprouts--he thinks they feel like hair in his food.  The stems are slightly wider than radish sprouts.

Four stores later, I had the ingredients (finally), it was time to begin.  A little online reading turned up a useful nugget of info: if you're not used to natural nut butters, leaving the skins on hazelnuts can make the final butter too bitter for your palate.  And toasting the hazelnuts imparts a nice flavor.  With that info, I started to peel the hazelnuts.  It was impossible.  The skins refused to move.  More online reading turned up this tip: boil the hazelnuts for a few minutes with a few tablespoons of baking soda.  This worked well.  The skins released easily afterwards.

If you use the boiling water with baking soda method to remove your hazelnut skins, don't be concerned when the water, your pot, and your utensils turn black.  It left ashy residue on everything.  Here are some of my hazelnuts taking a bath in boiling baking soda water so I could peel them.

After peeling the hazelnuts, I toasted them for about 15 minutes at 350.  They had a nice golden color.

After they cooled, I added them to my blender and proceeded.  The final product using a blender was not as smooth of a butter as I prefer.  It wasn't a terrible texture, but it wasn't creamy.  It definitely tasted more "natural."  The flavor itself was fine.  If I do this again, I'll use less mayo,  I'll either use a tiny bit, or perhaps just a drizzle of oil.  I noticed the mayo too much for my taste.  Definitely don't forget to salt the butter.  I tasted before and after, and liked it much better after some salt.

The final product using .7 lbs. of hazelnuts was a softball-sized glob of hazelnut butter.

I let the hazelnut butter sit overnight--at that point I'd done enough work!  I also used the artichokes for double duty--made Moroccan chicken with charmoula that night and served the artichoke as the vegetable.  My husband had never eaten artichoke petals before, so it was an adventure for him.  I kept the hearts for the next day.

Double duty artichokes: dinner the night before included the petals.

The next day was sandwich day.  I began by pan frying slices of the artichoke hearts in the olive oil as instructed.  I ate one slice and really liked it--I never realized how yummy artichoke hearts become with some crispy, golden brown edges!  Then I assembled the sandwiches--the hazelnut butter, golden artichoke heart, dressed arugula, avocado, and pea shoots subbed for the sprouts--on Silver Farms Squirrelly sprouted bread.  I served with a side of veggie chips since sandwiches and chips just go together.

My sandwich, served with veggie chips.

Close up of the side of the sandwich.

The final product was alright.  I would've liked this sandwich a lot more open faced.  The delicate veggies got a little lost with that much bread.  I figured this out halfway in.  Beyond this too much bread issue, the sandwich was nutty and fresh but nothing special.  I think I probably enjoy a sandwich or wrap with cucumbers, sprouts, some bell peppers, olives, and some pesto or chipotle mayo more because there's more crunch and moisture.  I'm glad I tried this...and now I have leftover hazelnut butter for breakfast, sprouted bread for toast, arugula for salad, and pea shoots for something yet to be determined.  But overall, it was a lot of work for a sandwich that was just okay.

If I make it again and do some modifications, I'll update this review.  But for now, I think my next sandwich will be something more straightforward.

Insider tip: buy the hazelnut butter.  And call your grocery to make sure it has all the ingredients, or you'll be on a grocery scavenger hunt for awhile.

Fountain Square Area Donut Throwdown: Rocket 88 Doughnuts versus General American Donuts

If you recall, last July I went to the first day General American Donuts opened.  I wasn't exactly thrilled.  I waited in line over 25 minutes, didn't get a donut (but did get a parking ticket), and felt lukewarm about the place.  Yet I keep going back.  I've found what I like there--the coconut donut is fantastic (crack-level addictive quality!) and the lattes aren't bad; and what I don't--I've gotten two under cooked donuts now.  Even with my mixed feelings, I find myself craving the coconut or the hippie donut (chai tea-flavored with granola on top).  And the people are genuinely nice--they offered me a dozen free donuts as an apology for the donut that was runny inside.  I went back and changed my urbanspoon from "doesn't like" to "likes" because General American Donuts has steadily grown on me, and I like having them in the neighborhood.

Coconut donut from General American Donut Co.  This is my kryptonite.

Recently, when Rocket 88 Doughnuts opened, I was ready to try something new.  For months, I'd been aware of their Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10,000, and there was a steady buzz about them coming to Fountain Square.  I was excited and ready.  I walked up with my husband one Saturday shortly after they opened.  There was a short line--we were served in less than 10 minutes.  The place has much more furniture than General American and magazines, and is somewhere I'd actually want to hang out for awhile.  General American's furniture is more sparse, and in the summer, it's really hot inside.  There's a big fan inside General American to try to cool things down, but it generates gale-force winds.  I usually grab my donuts and go because it's not very comfy.  And my house is close enough that I can walk or drive in a flash.

Donuts in rows at Rocket 88 Doughnuts.

Plenty of places to sit inside the cozy Rocket 88 Doughnuts.

We picked four donuts and an order of lemon ricotta fritters, and walked home to dig in.

The standout was the vanilla chai donut ($1.50).  It was sweet and pleasant in both its scent and taste.  This was the only donut I'd want to eat again.  It's also the only donut we finished.

The lemon ricotta fritters (2 for $1.00) were okay, if you're expecting really moist.  They seemed wet to me.  I have an aversion to soggy food, so it was a miss.  My husband was pretty ambivalent--he didn't really like, but he didn't dislike.

Lemon ricotta fritters from Rocket 88 Doughtnuts.

The Old Fashioned ($1.50) was pretty standard--slightly crumbly vanilla donut.

The Maple Pecan ($2.50) had that bourbon-scent to the icing that's enticing.  But the donut itself was dense and not memorable.

The Orange Sprinkled ($1.50) was the biggest disappointment.  I love orange anything, so I was really excited.  It smelled nice and orangey, but the outside skin was tough.  It was not a tender donut.  And compared to General American, I felt like I had been cheated on sprinkles.  General American coats their donut in sprinkles.  This donut looked sprinkle-anemic by comparison.

 

Left: General American sprinkle donut (from http://bigcity.littleindiana.com/food-trucks-of-indianapolis-general-american-donut-co/); Right: Rocket 88 orange sprinkle donut.

My soy latte was very nice--the espresso was smoother than the espresso at General American.

Bottom line: I'll probably go back since I'm all for second chances and the coffee is good.  It makes me happy to support local business, and most new places need to get the kinks out early on.  General American is a prime example of this--I think they've worked out many of the issues I saw in the beginning.  But I hope Rocket 88 makes the donut skin more tender, the inside lighter, and don't skimp on the fun part of the donuts--the frosting and toppings.  The clear winner of this throwdown is General American Donut Co.  While the donuts are about $1.00 more each at General American, the flavors are more creative and they never skimp on the quality ingredients that make their donuts special.  

Our sad box of butchered donuts from Rocket 88.  The only memorable one was the vanilla chai.