What’s cooking?

It’s difficult to explore the world these days for armchair travelers and global explorers alike. However, while the pandemic has put a halt to travel plans, it’s also resulted in a marked increase of home cooking. At d.trio, we thought it would be fun to combine our love of travel with our love of food and share some of our favorite recipes from around the world.

For Tim, priority one is making cooking (and cleanup) easy with recipes the whole family will enjoy. He’s a big fan of Tasty and their one-pot meals. Although the first time he made these Swedish meatballs, he had to beg Finn to eat them, they’ve now become one of his son’s favorite meals.

Beth is as creative in her cooking as with everything else in her life. She tends to forego written recipes and experiments in the kitchen. One of her favorites is her version of Cuban pork which can be used in a variety of ways.

Cuban pork:

• Pork shoulder roast – 3-4 lbs
• 1 bottle of Mojo (or make your own, it’s mostly garlic, lime juice, orange juice, chili, and other spices)
• 1 small bottle of orange juice (like the individual, drink-on-the-go size)
• 3 cloves garlic
• Palmful of salt
• A shake or two of black pepper

Directions

1. Put the Mojo, orange juice, garlic, salt and pepper in your crock pot and stir.
2. Cut your pork roast into chunks, not tiny pieces, just enough to really let the sauce get all over them, you’ll be shredding the meat later.
3. Turn your crock pot on high, cover, and let it go until the meat is shreddable. 5-6 hours should do it.
4. When the meat is done, remove from the sauce and shred with two forks.
5. Dry fry it until there’s a few crunchy bits on the outside to use for Cuban sandwiches (put pork, ham, pickle, yellow mustard, and swiss cheese on a hoagie bun and throw it in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes). Or use it as is for tacos with a side of black beans and a salad.

And if you need some great guacamole to go with those pork tacos, look no further than Megan’s tried and true version. She’s had a lot of practice perfecting this for d.trio’s regular taco days and says the key is to identify great avocados and patiently wait for them to ripen. Pair that with fresh ingredients, and you’ve got a perfect recipe your friends (and co-workers) will be clamoring for.

Delicious Guacamole

• 2 perfectly ripe avocados (yield slightly to touch, not squishy/not hard)
• Fresh lime
• Fresh garlic cloves
• Fresh cilantro
• Sea Salt
• Sriracha or favorite hot sauce
• Tortilla chips

Directions

Scoop out avocados, discard pits and roughly mash the avocados in a bowl. Take roughly ¼ of the lime and juice it into to the avocado. Add 2-3 medium garlic cloves minced or pressed, a handful of minced cilantro leaves and a squirt of Sriracha. Mix (but leave mixture slightly chunky) and lightly salt. Add additional hot sauce to taste. Serves 2-4 (depending on appetite). Serve along with your favorite salsa and enjoy! Additional optional ingredients: a spoonful of pico de gallo or salsa, a handful of chopped green onions, chopped cherry tomatoes or chopped jalapenos.

World travelers Danette and Carol are very sad to be cancelling rather than planning their upcoming trips these days. Both turned to India for their comfort food. One of Danette’s favorites is this New York Times Spiced Chickpea Stew. Carol turns to Cooks Illustrated for a big batch of Chicken Tikka Masala served with white rice or a side of naan. Or both.

Since Sam was supposed to be in Japan right about now, it’s not surprising he’s satisfying his food cravings with one of his favorites. Yakisoba may not be one of the healthiest Japanese foods, but we’re not judging.

But the reality is, we’re all stuck at home – in the good old U.S.A. And what’s more comforting when you’re stuck at home then a huge stack of pancakes. Fred makes his mom’s pancake recipe for himself, his wife…and his dogs…as a regular Saturday staple. His pro tip is to mix up three batches of the dry ingredients. Use one and save the other two in Ziploc bags to easily combine with the wet ingredients later. A real time saver.

Super Simple Saturday Buttermilk Pancakes

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Dry Ingredients:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Whisk wet ingredients thoroughly together.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Stir wet and dry together in a bowl until fully mixed, but not too smooth or runny.  Heat a flat griddle to medium-hot and add batter for individual cakes – about 1/3 cup each.  Let cook until bubbles form and begin to pop on top.  Flip with spatula and cook another couple of minutes until done.  Serve with butter and real maple syrup.  (If you want to get fancy, add some vanilla extract to the wet stuff, or ground cinnamon to the dry stuff, or both).

It’s a great time to learn a new recipe or explore a new cuisine. Let us know what’s on the menu in your house. If you know us…you know we’re always hungry.