Recipe of the Week

Cinco de Mayo is almost here.

Pork Carnitas
24 servings

What you need:

6 pound pork butt roast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced

What to do:

Trim excess fat from pork butt; cut pork into 2-inch cubes and transfer to a bowl. Combine salt, oregano, cumin, black pepper, chile powder, and paprika together in a bowl. Rub pork cubes with spice mixture. Coat seasoned pork cubes lightly in olive oil; place in pressure cooker. Cover pork cubes with orange juice, onion, and garlic. Place lid on pressure cooker and lock; bring to full pressure over medium heat until pork is no longer pink in the center, about 60 minutes. Let pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Remove pork from pressure cooker and shred meat. Serve the carnitas with warm, fresh tortillas and salsa.

April 24 is National Pigs in a Blanket Day.

Pigs in a Blanket
4 servings

What you need:

8 all beef hot dogs
8 slices of American cheese
1 10oz. package refrigerated biscuit dough

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap cheese around each frankfurter then the biscuit around that. Put on cookie sheet with the overlap of biscuit faced down, so you don’t have to use tooth picks. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Easter is just right around the corner!

Butter Honey Ham
20 servings

What you need:

12 pound bone-in ham
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup whole cloves

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1 inch deep criss-crosses into the flat side of the ham. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and honey. Slather onto the ham, making sure to get in the crevices too. Insert cloves into the ham. Place in a roasting pan. Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven, or 20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F. Baste every 20 minutes with the drippings. Remove, slice, serve, savor.

March 20th is National Ravioli Day

Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli
4 servings

What you need:

Ravioli Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon olive oil 2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons water

Ravioli Filling:
8 ounce ricotta cheese 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded 1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

Pesto-Alfredo Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
24 ounce jar marinara sauce

Egg Wash: 1 egg
1 tablespoon water

What to do:

Mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. Beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. Pour half the egg mixture into the well. Begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.

Knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, egg, and parsley and mix well. Set the filling aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and pesto sauce and cook for one minute. Pour in the heavy cream, raise the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, warm the marinara sauce over medium-low heat.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.

Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. To assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash over a sheet of pasta. Drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. Cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. Press firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Grease a baking sheet. Place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven until brown, about 4 minutes.

To serve the ravioli, divide them among four warmed serving bowls. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the ravioli and then top with the cream sauce.