pork and littlenecks... my favorite

Seafood: a New England favorite!  I am a lifelong fan of all seafood dishes, but anyone who knows me knows that my absolute favorite is pork and littlenecks.

Having grown up half an hour south east of Boston, I live in an area that is heavily populated by those of Portuguese decent.  Skilled at both fishing and cooking, it is no surprise some of my favorite seafood dishes are heavily influenced by the Portuguese culture.  Not only are the dishes fresh and delicious, they are also readily available in the area.  Each of my favorite restaurants has a different take on pork and littlenecks, however each one is delicious in it's own way.

Earlier my love and I were debating going out or staying in for dinner tonight.  We both agreed we needed to get pork and little necks somewhere. Instead of going out to dinner, we opted to stay in and cook instead. I can not take credit for this meal, it was all him (thanks babe)! The recipe is one that has been used in his family for a while now and is absolutely fabulous! The bare-bones recipe is phenomenal, however there are also plenty of modifications you can make (adding Goya seasoning, adding whole garlic, adding shallots, garnishing with hot red peppers, etc) based upon your own personal preference!

Pork and Littlenecks:

1 pound pork loin (cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup white wine (more to taste if desired)
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
20 littlenecks (rinse well)
5 or more whole cloves of garlic (optional)
3 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying potatoes and pork
Portuguese red pepper for garnish

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, garlic, shallots, and wine.  Pour over pork cubes and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Drain the pork and save the marinade.

In a large skillet, brown the pork in the vegetable oil.  Add the marinade and additional wine if you decide you want more (to taste). Over medium heat, simmer the pork until 3/4 of the way cooked through.

Deep fry potatoes in oil until browned and add to the pork and littlenecks pan.

Bring sauce to a boil and add in the littlenecks.  Cover and cook until done (when littlenecks are open).

Garnish with a red pepper if you so choose and enjoy!

a gluten free adventure...

This is my first attempt at a food blog.  I am a foodie through and through.  Luckily, being from New England, I find culinary inspiration and delicious food everywhere I go.  It started off as a hobby.  If I was stressed, bored, happy, sad, you name it, I would bake.  It later evolved into somewhat of a cupcake business that I continue to this day.  I branched out and took over the cooking responsibilities from my long-time boyfriend (a graduate of a high school culinary program and a phenomenal chef) and tried my hand at dinner and meal recipes most nights.  Years later I bake, cook, and mix drinks.  I am also a writer and decided that a food blog was just the adventure I needed in my life.  Thus, the creation of wicked chic sweets!

My mother has been living with Celiac Disease for a number of years now.  As an avid baker, she would often miss out on my fantastic dessert creations.  Around the same time that I decided to start a blog of my culinary adventures, I decided that incorporation of more gluten free desserts was paramount.  I thought, what better way to start off my cooking blog than with my first successful gluten free baking recipe.  After tweaking this recipe a number of times, I have found a recipe that is truly as delicious as a regular cookie (taste and texture included).  The recipe is as follows:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
3 tbsp White Sugar
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips
2 tbsp Oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
2 tbsp Milk

Preheat your oven to 375F.

In a food processor, blend the oats, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined.

Transfer the blended dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl.  Stir in your chocolate chips, oil, and milk until your dough comes together.  If your dough seems too crumbly, you may wish to add another tbsp of milk, however I wouldn't suggest adding more than that as the dough can easily become too runny.

Form dough in to balls and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.  If cookies are not quite finished, you may leave in oven for a few additional minutes (I didn't find them to be a cookie that dries out easily).  When cookies are done, take them out and let stand for a minute or two before carefully moving them to a cooling rack.

This recipe yields 16-20 cookies depending on the size.  The batch is not a large one, though I imagined it could be doubled (I have not tried to double it).  The end result is a chewy, oatmeal-y, chocolate chip-y cookie.  I hope you enjoy!