Family Dinner with JP

Once I learned how to spatchcock a chicken, its the only way I've ever cooked a chicken again. It creates a more even cook, a faster cook, and more skin that you will know what to do with! The chicken is dry-brined for at least 12 hours, which helps retain moisture, provides even seasoning, and helps to crisp up the skin during the roast. For a side, red-skinned potatoes are parboiled and smashed, resulting in the crispiest oven roasted potatoes you've ever had.  This simple one-pan roast is a perfect way to make the most of your roast chicken AND your potatoes, which will cook underneath the chicken and soak up all the juices and rendered chicken fat (AKA schmaltz!). Meanwhile, while the oven roasts the bird and potots, a simple pan gravy with a splash of marsala will serve as the perfect accent to the finished dish. Ingredients : 1/2 cup kosher salt 2 Tbs baking powder Whole chicken (3-5 lbs preferred), patted dry 3 Tbs cooking fat (duck fat, vegetable oil, or peanut oil pref...

I recently took a streaming cooking class with some friends and learned how to make Paella, a dish that I always assumed was insanely complicated and difficult. Turns out, its really simple. Our teacher was Helina Sanchez, the Spanish Chef, who streamed her cooking class to us at 2:00 am from Barcelona. Helina was an absolute delight, and you should lookin into her recipes and into booking her for a cooking class.  I have adapted Helina's recipe here, but I will not reveal all of her tips and tricks. You should check out her videos to learn some amazing bits from a woman who has been cooking paella in Barcelona for decades. I won't lie: saffron is expensive. However, you will use a very small amount, and one jar should be enough for MANY iterations of this dish. I advise treating yourself. You don't need to buy a paella pan for this. But you want a pan with a large flat surface. A 12-inch skillet should suffice. There are many many proper ways to make a paella, and Helina t...

 JP's Chili Queen Bowl of Red; or, Turkey and Chickpea Chili. Ingredients 1 lb bacon 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey 1/4 cup chili powder 1 TBS ancho chili powder 1 Tbs minced garlic 1 chopped jalapeño  2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained OR 1 lb dry beans, soaked overnight and cooked Instructions Chop bacon into 1-inch pieces Put bacon into heavy dutch oven or pot over low heat. Add 3 Tbs water to pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes until bacon is pink and the fat has rendered out. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes.  Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute.  Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink...

This recipe is one I like to call a Pocket Recipe. Which is not to say, necessarily, that you will end up with a pocket full of mashed peas. Nor is this to say you shant. Honestly, if pockets peas are your jam, do not let me stop you. But that's not really what I'm suggesting here. Mashy Peas, sometimes known as Mushy Peas (traditional, but less appetizing), Mashed Peas (a bit too on-the-nose for my taste), or, in a similar vein to the degree that I absolutely ripped off the idea slash "was inspired to create this by" Nando's own Macho Peas (too branded). And I call this a Pocket Recipe because this is a simple, fast, low commitment, low difficulty recipe you can make on any weeknight. You know what Mashy Peas go great with?! Just about every GD thing you can think of. Including wine. This is a Pocket Recipe because you have it with you at all times. Keep some frozen peas in the freezer. Pick up a lemon and some mint on your way home. BAM! Pea'd! The bas...

Time to shake off the dust and get things going again here, folks! So here's a recipe I concocted that's perfect for summer grilling and meat-loving. Things of note before we get into it: as my friend Cookie put it, "Argentine-style pork chop is called steak." Yes yes, I know, Cookie, I know. Thing is, I recently partook of the annual Pig Share with some friends and, with a freezer burtsing at the seams with pork products, right now I'm playing a little month-long game called "but can you put pork in it?" Spoiler: the answer is always yes. So fine, "Argentine-style" and "pork chop" may not fit with tradition. But you know what? Who cares? This pork chop tastes gooooood. After looking at a bunch of Argentinian steak marinade recipes and sauces, I mapped out this little ditty on my own. First off - citrus. I went with orange over the sour of lemor or the tart of lime, because I figured the sweetness would intensify when ca...

During a brief period of my life, which I like to refer to as my Plump Years, my affection for certain foods was limited only by my willpower. Of which I had none. And while I would certainly doff my cap to the makers of those delightful Haribo gummied bears or the entire pantheon of Cheetos snacks, I would be remiss if credit were not given to a dish which, even now, I have trouble putting down. Chicken Tikka Masala, you test the limits of my will! And I love you for it. The problem was twofold. First, there was an all you can eat Indian buffet near my law school that served CTM. And the answer was "I can eat 5 plates of rice and Chicken Tikka Masala before I need a nap." Second, there was an amazing delivery joint near my house, specializing in Subs, Pizza, and Indian food (and yes, they did all 3 amazingly well), meaning that on a good day, I could polish off 4 pounds of CTM during my lunch break, then head home and order CTM delivery, eating half for dinner, and the o...

Sometimes (all day every day) I think I'm much cooler than I actually am. So when I excitedly told Laura that I got heirloom beans, I genuinely expected a response along the lines of "Oooooh! What are those?!" or "Where on earth did you get those?!" Instead, I received a very mundane, unimpressed "From Rancho Gordo?" Because, as Laura pointed out, who else sells heirloom beans? Still, I was grateful when Laura lent me her Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans cookbook. Beans - incredibly versatile, incredibly varied. For this adventure, I opted for some hearty soup to warm me up in the impending rainy snow of winter. This soup is really easy, though it requires the use of a stand or immersion blender. There are really three components at play that will be combined into the final served dish: the bean soup with chard; the croutons; and the poached egg. I've given a primer on poaching eggs before, but I will refresh your memory here. The...