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Posts Tagged ‘pork’
Here in the States, cherries are in season. They aren’t something I cook with very often, and when I made this dish Friday night, I wondered why – it was really simple and absolutely delicious.
We had scored some really nice, bone-in pork chops at the little retail store of the people who butchered our half a cow (more about the marvelous Perkins family of White Feather Meats in a later post) and I was rather at a loss with what to do with them. Then I spotted the inexpensive cherries I’d picked up earlier in the week and wondered if they could be used to sauce the chops. The answer was a very happy “Yes!”
After an extensive search of my cookbooks and the internet, I found this recipe on the Serious Eats website and immediately thought, “This is it!” Unlike most cherry sauces, this was low in sugar and didn’t use cornstarch to thicken it (a lot of the recipes I found online used canned cherry pie filling, which I have never liked). The original recipe did call for a pinch of sugar on the pork chops themselves, as well as pan-frying in canola oil – both of which have been banned from my kitchen. I simply seasoned the chops with a little salt and pepper and cooked them in a little beef tallow I’d rendered myself a few days earlier, and they came out just fine. The recipe also called for placing the pork chops on a cold skillet and turning the heat on underneath – a sure-fire way to get them to stick. Heat the skillet first, then add your fat and the meat, and you will greatly reduce any problems with it sticking to the pan.
And if you don’t eat pork, this would be just lovely on roasted or grilled chicken.
Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce
Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce
serves 4
1 cup cherries, pitted
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of salt
4 thick, bone-in loin pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fat – oil, clarified butter, lard, etc.
Place the cherries into a small pot and pour in the water, red wine, red wine vinegar, honey, thyme, mustard, and a pinch of salt. Bring to simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, smashing the cherries with a wooden spoon about half way through, or until the sauce becomes slightly syrupy.
In the meantime, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat until quite hot. Place your fat of choice in the pan, making sure to coat the bottom. Season the pork chops lightly with salt and pepper, reduce the temperature slightly and pan fry them until they reach an internal temperature of 140º F, or are no longer pink in the center or close to the bone, 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately with the cherry sauce.
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I think that I mentioned here recently that I’m a wee bit tired of beef. Don’t get me wrong, I love it but we’ve been eating quite a bit of it lately in our quest for some grass-fed, 100% pastured beef (which we found, but that’s a subject for another post). So there’s been a lot of chicken and pork and not enough fish on my table lately.
I think I’ve also mentioned before that Podunk isn’t the best place in the world to get Mexican food (there are “Mexican” restaurants here that give you a hunk of bell pepper wrapped in ground beef and deep fried when you order a chile relleno). Then there’s the fact that Mexican food isn’t exactly the best thing in the world if you’re reducing refined carbohydrates and grains in your diet.
However, there are Mexican dishes that are lovely and delicious and perfectly acceptable if you’re willing to bypass the rice and tortillas (or even if you’re not; if, unlike me, you can eat rice and tortillas without blowing up like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, go for it I say). Carnitas is one of those dishes.
Carnitas literally means “little meats” in Spanish and is traditionally made from the rich, heavily marbled shoulder sections from the animal. It’s usually braised or simmered, then roasted briefly at high heat until the outside is brown and crisped, then shredded or cut into bite-size chunks. It’s usually served with lime wedges, cilantro, chopped onion and tomato, salsa, guacamole, refried beans and eaten with tortillas – and is absolutely delicious.
I made the process a little easier by putting a bone-in shoulder roast in the crock pot, then shredding and chopping it before roasting. Not quite traditional, but still quite good, especially served with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo (recipe to follow this week). The Young One ate his in tortillas, but Beloved wrapped his in lettuce leaves. I simply layered mine on the plate and ate it with a fork.
Whichever way you choose to eat it, it is delicious.
Carnitas
Carnitas
serves 6 to 8
3 to 4 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast (it might be labeled “boston butt roast”)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
about 1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup spicy salsa (any jarred variety is fine)
Rub the outside of the roast with the salt and pepper, then place in the crock pot. Pour the water around, but not over, the roast – you want to surround it, not cover it. Spread the onion and garlic over the top of the roast, then pour the salsa on top. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the pork is very tender.
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Carefully remove the roast from the crock pot, and shred the meat with two forks or cut into bite sized cubes (or both). Place the meat on a large, shallow baking pan and pour a little of the cooking liquid over it. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are brown and crispy.
Serve with lime wedges, cilantro, chopped onion and tomato, salsa, guacamole, refried beans and
tortillas, if desired.
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Well, Spring is definitely here now, despite freezing temperatures overnight this weekend (which we missed, because we were in Cincinnati spoiling a certain G Man). It is raining now, and is likely going to rain all week, so we took advantage of the beautiful day yesterday to use the grill – one of Beloved’s great joys in life.
There’s just something about men, meat and fire. *insert Tim Allen “Ar-ar-ar-ar” here*
The Young One (naturally) loves burgers, and frankly so do I – I just don’t put them on a bun. Yesterday we made regular burgers out of ground chuck (lean ground beef makes for a dry burger) and these little gems. Comprised of ground pork (you could use ground turkey if you don’t eat pork), shredded cheddar cheese, chopped Granny Smith apple and freshly grated ginger, these burgers are wonderfully moist and flavorful. On a bun or not, it’s a great warm-weather dinner when paired with a salad or good coleslaw (my next recipe, I think).
While this recipe gives you directions for grilling they can, of course, be cooked on the stove, under the broiler, or on a counter-top grill.
Apple Cheddar Pork Burgers
makes 4 – 6 burgers
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat your grill according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients well, but gently. Form into 4 – 6 thick burgers and grill using indirect heat – never place these directly over the heat source – about 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for a moment or two before serving.
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Well, here we are! Welcome to the first recipe of 2010, and a new format (well, for me anyway) of presenting recipes. ‘Cause the whole food photography thing is beginning to become an obsession. I just hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Anyhoo.
First, just let me apologize to a few people (most notably Jen, Michele and Erin): This recipe has pork in it. A LOT of pork. It is just chock-full of tasty pork goodness.
I was cruisin’ the net last week, wondering what to cook over the New Year’s holiday besides the requisite black-eyed peas (which turned out really well this year) and cornbread, when I came across this recipe for another “good luck” food, commonly eaten in the southwest as well as Mexico. And as I read it, my mouth began to water and I thought to myself, “Oh, I am SO makin’ that!” So I did, on New Year’s Eve.
And it was GOOD. Really, really good. Loaded with spices, flavorful chilies and chewy hominy, the first thing it made me think of was the menudo my former mother-in-law used to make rather frequently, without the nasty tripe and the awful smell the tripe made while cooking. (Let me just say, nasty tripe and awful smell aside, I like menudo. As long as I don’t have to smell it cooking or actually eat the tripe.) In fact, the posole smelled absolutely marvelous while it cooked – almost as good as it tasted.
The original recipe called for lime juice and cilantro, but the store was out of almost every fresh spice they carry (which will teach me to shop for something like this at the last minute on New Year’s Eve) and while I had the lime, I forgot to use it. Trust me, we didn’t miss it at all. In fact, the original recipe specified several things I couldn’t find here in Podunk – New Mexico chilies, ham hocks and Mexican oregano, for example – so I made several substitutions, none of which seemed to hurt the flavor at all. I served it with warm corn tortillas (it would probably go well with some good, hearty tortilla chips, as well) and Beloved loved it so much he called it a “new favorite.”
So, I guess I’ll be making it again. (It makes a lot, but reheats really well.)
Red Posole
serves 8
4 standard-size cans of hominy, drained
1 1/2 pounds lean pork, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
8 slices premium, thick-sliced bacon, chopped and divided
4 cups of water
2 cans low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons chile powder
5 large dried red chilies (I used ancho chilies)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large Dutch oven, cook half the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until brown and almost crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Lower heat slightly and add the chopped onion to the bacon fat in the pot; cook, stirring frequently, until soft – about 7 minutes. Add the cubed pork and cook, stirring frequently, until the pork is mostly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Pour the water and beef broth into the pot, and add all of the bacon (both the cooked and uncooked), the oregano, cumin, ground cloves and chili powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover.
Heat a dry, cast iron skillet over high heat; one at a time, add the dried chilies, turning frequently, until flexible – take care not to burn them. While each chile is still flexible, cut off the stem and slit it lengthwise; remove the seeds. Add the seeded chilies to a bowl of very hot water and soak until soft, about 20 – 30 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the water used to soften the chilies, then drain the chilies and add them and the reserved soaking water to a blender and process to a smooth puree. Stir the puree into the pot with the pork.
Continue cooking for another 1½ to 2 hours, until the pork is almost tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Add the drained hominy; taste and adjust the spices and add salt and pepper. Cook for another hour or so, or until the pork is fork tender.
Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sliced avocado and warm corn tortillas, if desired.
Good gawd, we were so busy last week that I never got around to posting a recipe. And it’s not going to get better any time soon; after more than a week with Jolly and Little Guy, Beloved left yesterday afternoon to drive to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a week to see a client. He comes home Friday night, then on Saturday Oldest Son and Darling Daughter fly in for the Thanksgiving holiday.
YAAAAAAYYYYY!!
Sorry – I don’t see my older kids nearly often enough.
Oldest Son has to leave first thing Friday morning following Turkey Day – he has work commitments – but Darling Daughter is staying until Sunday. There’s gonna be a whole lotta cookin’ goin’ on, since Darling Daughter is also of the culinary persuasion, and she wants some basic cake decorating lessons, which will be fun too. I SO cannot wait for their visit!
Whenever any of the kids come to visit, I always ask them what they’d like for dinner. This dish is always requested by Oldest Son, who likes it accompanied by Hoppin’ John. It may sound odd, pairing this rather sophisticated dish with such a humble side, but they go together amazingly well. The fruit sauce is simplicity itself and lends itself well to just about any pork dish; I’m going to try it with my Honey Rosemary Grilled Pork Loin, which I recently roasted in the oven (it turned out really, really well). I think it would be what my kids call “teh yummeh.”
I have no idea where this recipe came from, but it’s been in my repertoire for years and while it sounds like it should be complicated, it really isn’t, although it’s certainly fancy enough for company. If you don’t eat pork, you could easily stuff a boned turkey breast with the spinach mixture and serve it with the fruit sauce – in fact, I bet it would be fabulous.
Spinach Stuffed Pork Roast with Fruit Sauce
serves 6 – 8
2 ¼ boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of visible fat
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 slice fresh bread, minced (or pulsed in a food processor until reduced to coarse crumbs)
6 oz. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of any excess moisture
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Fruit Sauce
1 cup mixed dried fruit, chopped
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat; saute the onion until tender and golden. Stir in bread and spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper; remove from heat and set aside.
Starting on a long side, cut a deep pocket in the pork loin roast for the entire length; stuff with the spinach mixture and tie closed with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals.
Place the pork roast on a rack in a small roasting pan; sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast pork for 45 minutes; spread with mustard and sprinkle with parsley and return to oven for another 15 minutes or until an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork (not the spinach stuffing) reads 160° F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
While the pork loin roast is resting make the fruit sauce:
In a 2-quart sauce pan, bring the apple juice and dried fruit to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 3 minutes to soften the fruit.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the water and cornstarch; stir into simmering fruit mixture. Add the brown sugar and bouillon; raise the heat slightly and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Cut and remove the kitchen string; slice the pork and serve with the fruit sauce.