Even though I grew up in the south, I wasn’t exposed to a lot of southern food.  It wasn’t until I was in my teens and early adulthood until I had peach cobbler and collard greens! 

I love the seasoned greens that come from a can, but I always worry about the amount of sodium.  I don’t like the lower sodium versions because its bland.  Making your own collard greens lets you control the amount of sodium and you get a lot out of a little dinero.

I like serving greens with baked chicken, friend chicken, ribs, or smoked fish.  Really, almost anything!  My friend Arianna likes to mix her greens in rice.  Which ever way you want to eat it, greens are definiately good eats!

The Basics

• A bag of fresh collard greens – I think it’s eaiser than buying the fresh greens because you have to wash them VERY well.
• Chicken both – 2 cans or 1 large box
• Smoked pork necks – Alternatively you can use smoked turkey wings
• Water – about 4 cups
• 1 small diced onion
• Garlic powder – A few shakes
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Vinegar – About 1/2 cup
• Red pepper flakes or hot pepper (optional)
• Ground mustard – A few shakes

The  Rundown

1. In a large pot, add all ingredients except water.  The greens may not be all submerged but it will cook down.
2. Cook until boiling.
3. Adjust heat to low and cover.
4. Cook for about 1.5 hours.  Enjoy!*

*I like sopping up the “dish water” (the collard green juice) with a piece of cornbread. YUM!

Eggs Benedict is possibly my favorite breakfast dishes.  It’s basically a poached egg and ham served on top of toasted piece of bread or English muffin, smothered in creamy Hollandaise sauce. (Drool)

I’ve always been intimidated to attempt it at home, because I had no idea how to poach and egg.  After 4 complete failed eggs and 2 horribly disfigured yet edible eggs, I ended up with 2 beautiful poached eggs for my dish.  In my book, that’s a great success!

The Basics

• Eggs – I’ve read it’s best to use eggs that are a few days old.
• Water
• Ice
• Vinegar – I used regular white vinegar.
• Toasted bread or English muffin
• Cooked slices of ham
• Hollandaise sauce

The Rundown

Add water and about 2 tbsp of vinegar in a sauce pan.  Heat until boiling.  Note: PLEASE make sure the water has reached a full boil.  I lost a lot of eggs by being over zealous.

Meanwhile, crack open eggs and put them in individual small bowls.  It makes it makes live easier – trust me.  Also add water in a large bowl with ice.  This will be used to cool the eggs when they are cooked.

When water is boiling, take a whisk and stir water vigorously to create a deep whirlpool.

Carefully drop the egg in the middle of the vortex and watch it cook.  The white part of the egg should wrap around the yolk due to the swirling water.

You’ll know when the egg is finished when it floats to the top.  It should take about 3-5 minutes.  I also gently bounced the egg against the side of the pan, to see how much give it had.   NOTE: Do not remove it too soon.  Give the egg enough time so that the white part cooks completely.

Carefully remove egg from boiling water and place it in the ice water bath.  Continue to cook more eggs in the same fashion.

Assemble dish by pieces of ham and a poached egg on top of a piece of toast.  Then top with Hollandaise sauce.  Enjoy!

Kimchi jjigae (kim-chee gee-gay) is a spicy Korean stew made with kimchi and pork belly.  This recipe was given to me to by a friend who introduced me to Korean food.

Kimchi is a Korean side dish (or ban chan) that is pretty much spicy pickled vegetables.  I’ve tasted the cucumber, turnip and cabbage types of kimchi.  However, this dish requires cabbage kimchi.  Although I don’t typically like spicy food, I really enjoy kimchi because it’s more tangy than hot.

If you already are a fan of kimchi, this is a great way to use old kimchi.

The Basics

• Pork belly – Cut diced.   I’ve been told you can substitute this with Spam, but I haven’t tried it yet.
• Sesame seed oil – 1 tbsp
• Onions – Diced
• Cabbage kimchi with juice
• Water
• Firm tofu; optional – diced
• Doenjang; optional – Korean miso paste

The Rundown

This is what unsliced pork belly looks like.  Yummy! It’s pretty much slabs of bacon that’s uncured.  I dice it without cutting it in half horizontally, so that the skin stays connected with the meat.

Put a small casserole pot on the stove top.  Heat on medium-high heat.  Add sesame see oil and brown pork belly and onions for a few minutes.

Add 1-2 tbsp of doenjang (pictured above), kimchi, tofu and about a 1/2 cup of water to the pot.  Add some kimchi juice if you want to make it extra spicy.  Gently boil for about 30-45 minutes or until the kimchi is softened.

Carefully remove from the stove top with oven mitts.  Serve along side a bowl of hot rice soaking in water or tea.  Enjoy!

Thick and packed with flavor, split pea soup with chunks of ham is one of my favorite comfort foods.  This is especially if you have left-over ham.  This recipe makes enough for a large family.

The Basics

• Cooked ham cut into chunks – You’ll need at least 2 handfuls.
• 2 carrots – Peeled and sliced
• 2 potatoes; optional – peeled and diced
• 1 onion – diced
• 2 packages of dried split peas
• Chicken broth – about 3 or 4 cups.
• Water
• 1-2 bay leaves

The Rundown

Rinse one package of split peas with water.  In a dutch oven or a heavy pot with a lid, add onions, hams, chicken broth, the rinsed split peas, and bay leaves.

Bring to a gentle boil and cover with a lid.  Continue to cook for 30-45 minutes — just until the peas are soften.

Rinse other bag of peas.  Add carrots, celery, potatoes and peas.  Bring to a boil again.  Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes — or until the new peas are softened.  The first batch of peas will pretty much turn into mush, while the second batch will keep its shape.  Enjoy!

I was determined to salvage some of the meat from my ham fail into something delicious.  Since the meat was dried out, the only way I could add flavor and moisture is using it in a casserole.

Although this dish was my salvation, you could also use the same recipe just to create a tasty meal!

The Basics

• Onion – diced
• 2 carrots – peeled and diced
• Red bell pepper – diced
• Cooked macaroni – about half a box
• Cooked ham – about 1 1/2 – 2 cups diced ham
• Frozen spinach – about 1 cup
• Frozen peas – about 1/2 cup
• 1 can of cream of celery
• 1 can of cream of chicken
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Cooking oil – about 1 tbsp
• Parmesan cheese
• Breadcrumbs

The Rundown

Saute onions, red bell pepper and carrots with cooking oil in a pot for about 5 minutes in medium heat.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add ham, spinach and peas until heated through.  Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Then add the creams of celery and chicken and macaroni.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish.  Liberally sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.  Enjoy!

Every year my dad cooks a ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Year after year, it’s always the same: baked ham.  When I was able to score a bone-in ham for less than $6, I was amped to try cooking the ham a different way.

I tried cooking the ham with it’s juices in a crock pot with pineapple juice, maple syrup and brown sugar.  I cooked it for about 5-6 on a slow heat.  It smelled delicious so I thought I was on a the road to something great. Duh-dun-dunnnnnn….

The ham turned out to be ropey and not tasty at all.  I was to salvage some of it, but I had to chuck the rest.  I don’t think I will be trying to slow boil a ham again!

Colombian empanadas have a delicious pork filling and corn-meal shell.  I was recently introduced to these crispy delights by my brother’s girlfriend sister-in-law.  They are a bit different than Filipino empanadas, which are baked in a flour based shell.

These need to be eaten immediately, which shouldn’t be a problem, because reheating will ruin the shell — unless you want to re-fry them

The Basics

The Shell

• 1 1/2 cups of corn masarepa – This can be found in the Latino food aisle.
• 2 cups of water or chicken broth
• 1 tbs of vegetable oil
• 1 package of sazon Goya with azafran
• Deep frying cooking oil

The Filling

• Potatoes – washed, peeled and cubed
• Chicken bouillon cube
• Ground pork – about 1 lb.
• Fresh cilantro – about a handful, stems removed and chopped
• Chopped onion – about 1/2 cup
• Minced garlic – about 2 tbsp
• Tomato paste
• Cooking oil – about 2 tbsp

The Rundown

Using your hand mix together all the ingredients listed under shell (except the deep frying oil, of course). The dough should be pliable but not too mushy.  If its too dry, add more chicken broth or water.  If too mushy, add more masarepa.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until filling is cooked.

Boil a couple cups of water with the chicken bouillon.  Once boiling, carefully add potatoes.  Boil without a cover for about 8 minutes, then drain and set aside.

While potatoes are boiling, prepare the rest of the filling.  Add a few tbsp of oil in a saute pan, saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and cilantro and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add tomato paste and cook for about 3 minutes.  Set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Cook pork in pan until done (nothing pink or raw).  Add veggie mix together and cook for about 5 minutes.

Mash potatoes a bit and add pork mixture.

Using your hand, pinch about a tbsp or two of dough and roll into a ball in about a inch or so in diameter.  Continue until all dough is used up.

Get two pieces of plastic wrap.  A ball of dough between the plastic wrap on a table with plenty of room.  Squish ball down with the palm of your hand.  Then you can use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about a 1/4 of an inch thick.  If it’s too think, just roll the dough back into a ball and try again!

Remove the top plastic wrap and add a tbsp of filling on one side of the dough.  Fold other side of the dough over to make a half circle. Pinch the end to close.  You can fold over the plastic wrap if you want to make it seamless.

Keep repeating until you have an army of empanadas.  Heat deep frying oil to about 325 degrees in a deep pot.

Slowly add empanada in oil.  Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Remove and set on a plate lined with paper towels.  Cook all the empanadas in one batch (I tried to freeze some and they got ruined).

Let cool a little bit, but eat while still hot.  If they cool, reheat by frying again.

The secret of really good pork bbq is the moistness of the meat and the taste of the sauce.  This was my first attempt at making this dish by myself, and I was really happy with the ease and the flavor it yielded.

I’m trying to keep myself on a strict budget, but I was able to get a decent price on a Boston butt pork roast cut of meat for about $6 — which makes a reasonable meal for 4+.

The Basics

• Pork roast or pork butt - Choose whatever cut you want.
• BBQ sauce of your choice
• Apple juice
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Vinegar
• Brown sugar – Optional, but I prefer a sweeter type of BBQ
• Red pepper flake – Optional, if you want something spicy

The Rundown

Place pork roast in a large crock pot.  Mix about 1 cup of BBQ sauce, and 1 cup of apple juice, a few shakes of salt, pepper, garlic powder and other spices in a bowl.  Pour over pork.  Lift up pork it is coated on all sides.  Let slow cook on low heat setting for between 5-8 hours.  Do not mess it with or lift the lid.

When fully cooked, the pork will be super tender and all the sauce will be completely liquefied.  I like to scoop out a good amount of the fat so it’s not so greasy. Carefully taste the liquid and adjust the taste with the vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flake, bbq sauce and garlic powder until it suits your taste.

Simply take two large forks to break up the roast.  The pork will soak up the liquid as it cools.  Serve with potato rolls. Enjoy!

My dad gave me this recipe.  My brother and I grew up eating spareribs prepared this Chinese way.  There are any a few ingredients, but it yields a lot of flavor.  It’s slightly salty, but if you eat it with rice it should balance out.

The Basics

• Pork spareribs  – Washed and separate each rib
• Fresh ginger – about 1 inch; peeled and sliced
• Soy sauce – about 2 tbsp.
• Sugar – 1 tbsp.
• 1/2 cup of water
• Black bean garlic sauce – Can be found at Asian supermarkets

The Rundown

Add all spare ribs in a deep pot.

Add 2 heaping tbsp. of black bean sauce, sugar, ginger, soy sauce and water.  Mix to combine all ingredients.

Head until just boiling.  Cover pot and let cook for about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure the pork is cooked thoroughly.

This is what the finished product will look like.  There will be oil on top that can be skimmed off with a spoon.  Serve with rice.

Pancit palabok (”pahn-sit pah-la-book”) is a Filipino noodle dish  with a creamy sauce layered with textures and flavors.  This is a family favorite over the traditional pancit (pancit sotanghon).  While this recipe has quite a few steps, it’s totally worth it.

The Basics

• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 1 can cream of shrimp
• 1 package of Mama Sita’s pancit palabok sauce base
• 1 tsp patis (Filipino fish sauce) or flakes of tuyo (dried salted fish; you can possibly use anchovies)
• 1 lb of shrimp (with shells and heads, if you can find it.  If you can’t, get a can of shrimp
• Pieces of cooked pork
• 1 package of bihon noodles

Toppings

• Green onions; sliced
• Garlic; sliced
• 2 eggs; boiled and diced
• Pork rinds; about a handful
• Roasted garlic slices – Crisp slices garlic cooked with oil in a frying pan
• Lemon; cut into slices or wedges

The Rundown – The Noodles

1. Soak the noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes. Use a deep bowl so the noodles get completely covered.
2. Place noodles and water in a deep pot and put on medium/high head until boiling.
3. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain

The Rundown – The Sauce

1. Make your own shrimp broth: Remove the heads and the shells from the shrimp.  Add shells and heads and a cup of water in a sauce pot.  Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Boil for about 10 minutes until all shells and heads are pink. Put liquid and shells in a blender and puree. Drain using a fine strainer or a paper towel.
2. Add palabok sauce mix to broth and combine in a medium pot.  Mix thoroughly and remove all clumps.
3. Add cans of cream of mushroom and shrimp. Stir to incorporate and turn heat to medium.  It should be a slow boil.
4. Sauce should be slightly thicker than gravy.  If it’s too salty or thick, add 1/4 cup of water at a time.
5. Add shrimp and pork.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes or until shrimp is completely cooked.

The Rundown – The Assembly

I think it’s better to have the noodles, sauce and toppings separated — so people can make their own servings.  Some people may prefer more sauce or garlic, so it’s a better way for people to customize their own plate.  However, the benefit of pre-assembling is that it is easier to transport.