Chicken Stir Fry with Ramen

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Ramen noodles are a staple on college campuses and kitchens of the less well-to-do because they cost about $1.64 for a three month supply. Although they are cheap, I still think they're tasty. I am willing to buy cheap noodles, but lunch meat, well, that's another story. I'll just say I'll never buy bologna at the Dollar Tree - which is exactly where I purchased the ramen noodles I used in this delicious recipe. I wanted to use the noodles as a substitute for rice in a simple stir fry I was putting together as a dish for around twenty people.

I kept it very simple – four ingredients. I could have added more but this was really one of those situations where I thought I could come up with something that even the most inexperienced cook could make and be proud of their creation.

I'm pleased to say that this recipe was not just a simple dish for a simple cook, but a simple dish with rock star flavor! I inhaled a bowl of this after it was finished. This is a great item to have on the counter for a weekend meal.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Chicken Stir Fry with Ramen

I loved eating ramen noodles when I was in college and I still enjoy them today – who cares if they are a poor man’s food – they’re delicious and seem to absorb just about any type of flavor they're surrounded by. I made a spicy ramen soup a while ago and it, along with this, are two of my favorite noodle recipe from the past year.

I decided to make a ramen dish after my last pantry purge. A few weeks back I was putting away groceries and was having trouble finding room for a can of soup. I knew I had to get rid of some things. One of the items taking up space was a near-full 12-pack box of ramen noodles. When I volunteered to make a dish for a gathering at the local church, I knew I could wipe out most of the noodles. I used 6 packages, but still have another four left from a $1 box – they have to be the most economical food of all time!

Eat well, cook often ...


THE RECIPE

Chicken Stir Fry with Ramen

Serves 16 to 20; 1 hour
4 lbs Chicken thighs, cut in chunks
5 medium Green peppers, cut in strips
1 bottle Stir fry sauce (12 oz)
6 pkgs Ramen noodles (3 oz each)
3 Qrts Water
Sriracha sauce (optional)

Ramen noodles
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add ramen noodles. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes then remove from heat. Let rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes, allowing ramen to absorb some or most of the water. Drain if necessary.

Make stir fry
In a large pan over medium-high heat sear chicken in a little olive oil in batches, cook until almost cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove to a bowl. Add more oil if necessary, then sauté green pepper until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to pan and cook until chicken is fully cooked.

Finish
Add ramen noodles and stir fry sauce to pot and mix until well combined. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat, place in bowls and serve with sriracha sauce.

Pineapple Shredded Pork Shoulder

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Lately, I've been making everything grilled and spicy, I guess it’s that time of year. I find it ironic that the warmer it is outdoors the spicier the food on the plate. It seems like the closer you are to the Earth’s equator, the hotter the food.

Anyway ...

This dish is a complete change of pace. I needed to feed a crowd and the recipe had to be easy – two requisites easily accomplished with a slow cooker. I found pork shoulder on sale at Meijer and thought it was the perfect cut to get between 16 and 20 sandwiches out of.

I seasoned it with my basic mole rub that features coca, brown sugar, chili powder and cumin, cook it on a bed of onions and pineapple, then finish it with barbecue sauce and liquid smoke. The end result was tender and juicy pork plentiful enough to satisfy a group of 14 or 15 people. One good thing about this shredded pork is that it can be served in a sandwich or taco, or alone on a plate. Either way - it's Delish!

BEHIND THIS BITE
This is the third time I have used this technique to cook a large cut of pork. It’s one of those “if it isn't broke, don’t fix it” kind of things. The rub was the same as before, but each time, I have changed up the vegetables in the crock pot for the meat to roast on.

This time I used fruit.

Pineapple works so well with pork that you’d think the two were made for each other. In this dish, the pineapple really disappears. It provided an x factor to this recipe - had I not put it in the dish, it would have tasted totally different. It's the secret weapon of this shredded pork and takes a keen palate to detect.

If I had to do it again, I would drain out about half the liquid before shredding the cooked pork, it turned out just fine but I did think there was a little to much moisture. That said, it was still good enough to eat three sandwiches of it myself.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 16 to 20 servings; 6 to 7 hours
1/4 C Brown sugar
2 Tbs Cocoa powder
2 Tbs Chili powder
1 Tbs Cumin
3 Tbs Salt
1 Tbs Black pepper
4 lb Pork shoulder boneless 2 cans
Pineapple chunks with juice (8 oz each)
1 C Onion sliced
1 bottle Barbecue sauce (18 oz)
2 Tbs Liquid smoke

Make rub, season loin
In a bowl mix together brown sugar, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over and rub into pork shoulder with hands until loin is completely covered, set aside for 30 minutes and let marinate.

Sear loin, prepare slow cooker
In a large pan over medium-high heat sear pork shoulder in olive oil on all sides. (Make sure pan is hot and oil is simmering before adding loin.) Mix together pineapple and onion in bottom of slow cooker.

Cook pork, shred
Place seared pork on top of onion and pineapple. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours. Shred with a fork and stir together juices, barbecue sauce and liquid smoke. Serve in a sandwich, soft taco or alone on a plate.

Italian Sausage and Shells

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A few months back I made a huge pot of chili using Italian flavors and seasonings rather than the usual Mexican flavors. The chili was good, but it tasted as though something was missing. This recipe is an improvement upon the original idea of Italian chili. The addition of pasta shells really helped complete the dish. It may have been the starch or just the need for a vehicle to bind everything together, but whatever it was, its addition sent this out of the park.

I took this to a gathering for a hardy snack and it disappeared in less than 15 minutes. I thought the dish was delicious from the beginning but it disappeared right away. The faster it goes the better the food - unless the people eating haven't eaten for days - and that was not the case here.

Many people will give food a small sample first, then go back for more. When a bunch of people go for that second try the dish will vanish in no time. When that happens you known you did something right.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This is another recipe created for a crowd, I used a large dutch oven for this rather than a slow cooker. It was easier to do on the stove. I was really happy with how this turned out, the sausage had great flavor and, like a said in the beginning, the pasta brought everything together. It’s really a hardy bite, there is a lot of fuel in a few mouthfuls.

It’s important to use a good quality sausage here because it will make or break the entire dish. It’s the seasoning, there are other flavors to compliment, but the spice and flavor of the sausage are front and center. I personally like to buy sausage in links, rather than bulk and remove the sausage from the case. In my experience the bulk sausage is a bit more greasy than what’s in the casing. It could just be me, but I always seem to get a better end result when I use it instead of bulk.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 12 to 15 servings; 1 hour
3 lbs Italian sausage
1 C Green pepper, diced
1 C Red onion, diced
1 Tbs Garlic, minced
1 jar Traditional pasta sauce (24 oz)
1 box Shells (16oz)
1/2 C Fresh grated parmesan

Brown sausage
Start pasta, see below. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat cook sausage until just cooked through and browned, 6 to 8 minutes, break up large chunks, stir occasionally. Remove to paper-towel lined plate and drain all but 1 tablespoon of drippings.

Cook vegetables
Add onion and green pepper to pot and sauté in reserved drippings until soft 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in garlic cook one minute more.

Finish serve
Return sausage to pot, add sauce and stir together with vegetables. Add pasta once finished and drained. Let mixture cook on low until heated through and simmering. Spoon into a bowl, garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese, then serve.

THE PASTA
Bring a gallon of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta shells, return to a boil and cook 7 to 8 minutes or until al dente, then drain.