Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 chicken, meat cut off the bone and diced; skin and fat trim reserved
2 yellow onions, peeled & quartered
1 head garlic, peeled; ½ of it sliced
¾ lb crimini mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 full bag vegetable scraps (or about ¾ lb vegetables if you haven't been saving your scraps in the freezer)
4 carrots, peeled & diced about ¼” thick
¾ C rice
1 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper TT

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.Roast the chicken carcass (with leg bones) with the onions and the whole peeled garlic cloves for 30-40 minutes or until well browned.
3.Meanwhile, start a large pot with 2 ½ quarts water simmering over medium-low heat. Add the bag of vegetable scraps and the trim from the carrots. When the chicken, onions and garlic are done roasting, add them, too.
4.Simmer the stock over low heat for 3 ½-4 hours.
5.At some point while the stock is cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin and fat trimmed off the chicken and render the fat off for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and add the mushrooms. Brown well for about 8-10 minutes and reserve.
6.Strain the stock into a new or cleaned pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken, mushrooms and rice and cook for 15 minutes. Add the carrots and sliced garlic, and cook until the rice is cooked through, about 20-30 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, season to taste and serve.

Country Style Pork Ribs w/ Mustard Greens, Bell Pepper & Chorizo Relish

Country-Style Pork Ribs braised w/Mustard Greens, Bell Pepper & Chorizo relish

We made about eight servings for less than $15

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Country-style pork ribs, diced about 3/4" on a side

salt & pepper TT (to taste)

3 T and 1 t oil (high-heat, like vegetable or canola oil)

1 onion, diced about 1/2" on a side

1 head garlic, peeled & sliced

2 bu mustard greens, washed & sliced about 1/2" thick

salt & pepper TT

1 t oil

1/2 lb. chorizo (fresh, not cured)

3 bell peppers (any but green), diced about 1/2" on a side

salt & pepper TT

1 T lime juice (1 large or 2 small limes, juiced, or good pre-packaged lime juice)

rice

salted water in which to cook the rice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Get a large sauté pan very hot over high heat. Add 1 T oil, let it heat up, and add half of the short ribs. It should be loud. Sear and let brown thoroughly, then remove to an oven-proof baking dish and repeat with the rest of the oil and pork.

3. Add the last 1 T oil to the sauté pan, heat over medium high heat and add the garlic and onion. Season with salt & pepper, and sauté until slightly browned and add to the baking dish on top of the pork.

4. Add the 1 t oil to the same pan, and wilt the mustard greens in it over medium high heat, in batches most likely. Season moderately as you go. You want to cook some of the water out of the greens so they don't leak all their water in the baking dish later and make the pork too watery. Add each batch to the baking dish until you're done, then mix everything together. Put in the oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

5. You're not done with that sauté pan yet. Get it hot again, add 1 T oil, then add the chorizo. Break up and brown, then add the bell pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Cut the heat and finish with the lime juice. Set aside.

6. Cook the rice according to the package instructions, or use the one-knuckle method.

7. When everything's done, layer the rice on the bottom of a bowl or plate, add the greens & pork, then top with the bell pepper/chorizo relish.