Hubby Makes Dinner

I'm not sure why, but this has been a difficult week for me.  Emotionally.  I've been a basket case.  So tonight we decided to venture to a antique store in a town about 30 minutes away we get there and they are having a down town, Christmas celebration and there is no parking to be found.  So Alex says to me I'll make you dinner.  I'll do it all by myself.  This is the result. 

Pineapple Pork Chops

What do you do when meat is buy one get one free? Stock up, right? That is exactly what hubby and I did this past week. Now, what to do with all the meat? Alex said lets cook the pork and I said with something fruity. Then he suggested pineapple and here is the result of all that. And I must say it was fabulous. I tend to either overcook or way under-cook pork and these turned out beautifully.

Pineapple Glazed Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized pork chops 1 inch thick


• 1 can pineapple rings


• 1 - 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar


• 1/4 cup yellow mustard


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice


• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


• 2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

• Salt and pepper pork chops to taste


• Drain Pineapple juice into a small sauce pan.


• Add brown sugar and mustard.


• Bring to a boil


• Reduce heat


• Stir in lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and cornstarch mixture.


• Simmer until thick, stirring constantly


• Brush sauce on both sides of pork chops


• Grill for 2 minutes on each side


• Add pineapple slice


• Brush with more sauce


• Grill on both sides for 2 more minutes


• When pork is done remove from grill and let set for 5 minutes


• Top with more sauce and serve

Cherries and Pork

Does it really get an better than cherries and pork. I mean pork just cries out for a sweet combination of cherries and honey with a kick of spice from the jalapeno. This didn't quite finish off the cherries I had, but they were at the end of there rope so sadly the rest went to the compost pile. I wish I had started this Cherry Jalapeno Mexican Pork adapted from allrecipes.com sooner than 9:30 p.m. for now Alex and I have to wait until almost 11:00 p.m. to eat dinner. I blame the cookies. They were just too good to resist. I will be serving this over rice.

Cherry Jalapeno Mexican Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced


• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced


• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced


• 1- 1/2 pounds of boneless country-style pork ribs cut into 3/4 inch pieces


• 1-1/2 cups of cherries pitted and roughly diced


• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 lime, juiced


• 1 teaspoon chili powder


• 1/2 teaspoon cumin


• 3 tablespoons honey


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat


• Stir in onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic


• Cook until softened about 10 minutes


• Stir in pork, cherries, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin.


• Mix well


• Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.


• Remove lid


• Stir in honey


• Sprinkle with salt and pepper


• Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes

Bon Appétit

D

Sliced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

Pork...

I seem to have a complicated relationship with pork. Every time I cook it I seem to overcook it and it's dry and hard to eat. Today I was bound and determined to not over cook it. I succeeded, but one was a little under done. No problem I just cooked it for a little bit longer. This is one of three recipes that my husband, Alex, picked out for me to cook for meals. He wanted to have new things made that he would be more likely to enjoy.

If I make this again I think that I'll thinly slice the shallots (like the original recipe calls) instead of dicing them. Probably cook the apple slices longer so that they are softer. This dish sated our hunger, but I'm not sure if it worth a repeat.

Sliced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples adapted from The Best of Cooking Light 12.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 pork tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups thinly sliced apple
• 1/3 cup diced shallots
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Directions:

• Heat skillet over medium-high heat
• Combine first 5 ingredients
• Sprinkle over pork
• Coat pan with cooking spray
• Add pork
• Cook pork 3 minutes on each side
• Remove pork from pan; keep warm
• Melt butter in pan
• Add apple slices, shallots, and salt
• Saute for 4 minutes until apple slices start to brown
• Add apple cider
• Cook for 2 more minutes
• Stir in thyme
• Serve apple mixture over pork

Bon Appétit

D

Pasta a la...

This is the book, or at least one of the books, I'm reading right now. I am only on chapter four, but I just cannot put it down.

I find that I'm distracted by all the yummy recipes at the end of each chapter. My head swimming with thoughts of gooey chocolate centers and home made mayonnaise. From this point forward I think I'm going to just read the book parts and then come back later and look at the recipes.

However, tonight I decided to try my hand at Pasta a la Gwendal (pg 11). Though, I change it up a little to suit Alex and I's personal tastes.

So, I preset to you pasta a la Dianna or Alex.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil


• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes


• 1/2 yellow onion


• 2 cloves of garlic, diced


• 4 carrots, thinly sliced


• 1 bulb fennel, coarsely chopped


• 1 zucchini, coarsely chopped


• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, diced


• A few left over mushrooms


• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti


• Dried Parsley


• Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

• Heat Oil in a large frying pan


• Add Pancetta, onions, and garlic


• Saute 2 to 3 minutes, until onions are translucent


• Add remaining vegetables, stirring to coat


• Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and sweet


• Cook pasta in large pot of salted water


• Drain, reserving a small cup of cooking liquid


• Add pasta to the sauce, with a bit of liquid


• Stir in parsley and ground black pepper

This dish goes well with my recent liking of fennel and sun-dried tomatoes. I wanted to eat it all by myself.

Bon Appétit

D

Pork Wellington

My goal, for the moment, is to clean out my freezer. Last week I used up all of the frozen chicken. Today I asked myself, what to do with a half used package of puff pastry dough that has been sitting in my freezer for, well I cannot remember how long. Solution. Find a recipe that uses puff pastry dough and have it for dinner. I know it's a little crazy to base a whole meal on puff pastry dough, but this is one time I feel justified in doing so, since I would have had to throw it out soon anyways. So I served it with some seamed rice and called it dinner. Now what to do with an opened bottle of Chardonnay? Humm...

Pork Wellington adapted from a recipe found on raleys.com.

Ingredients:

Pork Wellington:

• 1 lb. unseasoned pork tenderloin


• 3 tbsp. butter, divided


• 1 (3-oz.) package mini-portabella mushrooms, stems removed and ground


• 1 small minced shallot


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 tbsp. dried rosemary


• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


• 1/2 of a (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 sheet)


• 1 egg, beaten

Balsamic Wine Sauce:

• 1/4 cup plum preserves


• 1/4 cup white wine(I used Chardonnay)


• 2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees


• Rinse pork and pat dry.


• Cut into 4 equal pieces and pound with a meat mallet to flatten slightly.


• Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a medium skillet


• add pork and sear well on both sides.


• Remove from skillet and set aside.


• Melt remaining 2 tbsp. butter in the skillet


• add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.


• Continue to cook until all excess liquid has cooked off.


• Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.


• Unfold puff pastry and cut into 4 squares.


• Place equal amounts of the mushroom mixture in the center of each pastry square and top with a piece of pork tenderloin.


• Brush pastry edges with beaten egg and fold in pastry to enclose pork and mushrooms


• pinch edges to seal well.


• Place seam side down on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.


• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.


• To make Balsamic Wine Sauce, simmer preserves, wine and vinegar in a small saucepan for 5 minutes; let cool slightly. Serve with Wellingtons.

Bon Appétit

D

Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers

Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers

Ingredients:

1. 1-lb pork tenderloins, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions


2. 1/2 tsp salt


3. 1/2 tsp ground black pepper


4. 1 tbsp olive oil


5. 1-1/2 tsp rosemary


6. 3 tbsp minced olives


7. 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced


8. 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-1/2-inch strips


9. 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-1/2-inch strips


10. 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.


2. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.


3. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan;


4. Cook for 5 minutes.


5. Reduce heat to medium; turn pork over.


6. Add 1 teaspoon rosemary, olives, garlic, and bell peppers.


7. Cook 7 minutes or until peppers are tender and pork is done.


8. Drizzle with vinegar.


9. Top with remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary.

From Cooking Light January/February 2011 page 32

Roti De Porc Poele aux Marinade Seche

With less than four weeks until my Thirtieth Birthday I've completed my Third Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipe. For this venture I have chosen Roti De Porc Poele or Casserole-roasted pork.

Imarinated it in Marinade Seche or salt marinade with herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

1. 1 teaspoon Salt


2. 1/8 teaspoon Ground Pepper


3. 1/4 teaspoon Ground thyme


4. 1/8 teaspoon Ground Bay leaves


5. Pinch of Allspice


6. 1/2 mashed clove of garlic


7. 3 pounds boneless pork roast

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together


2. Rub into the surface of the pork.


3. Place in covered bowl.


4. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times if the marinade is a short one.


5. Turn several times a day if it is of a long duration.


6. Before cooking, scrape off the marinade.


7. Dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels.

A little note on Marinades. According to Julia and her cohorts:

Fresh Pork, whether it is a large piece for roasting, or a thin piece for sauteing, will be tender and have more interesting flavor if it receives a marination before cooking. This is not an essential step, but you will find it most effective, and cold leftovers will be even better than usual. You mat use a simple dry mixture of salt, herbs, and spices, or a liquid marinade of either lemon juice or wine and vinegar with herbs and aromatic vegetables.

Always marinate the meat in a noncorroding container: porcelain, Pyrex, enamelware, or stainless steel. (Page 375-376 Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 1)

To begin with I marinated the three pound pork roast in a mixture of salt, herbs, and spices for a little over 24 hours.

Then I browned the pork on all sides in olive oil (I know not very French, but I love it and use it for everything).

After the Pork was done and removed from the heat, I added one diced yellow onion and one sliced carrots with two cloves of garlic unpeeled and an herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied in cheesecloth).

Cooking them with a little butter covered for 5 minutes.

Then everything went into the oven for a little over 2 hours and out came a delicious roast-pork.
I made a gravy out of the juices and mashed vegetables. This helped with the fact that every time I make pork I seem to over cook it and dry it out. The flavor was still unbelievable.

My husband, Alex, is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and he is wanted rosemary roasted potatoes to be our side dish. I saw no problem with this, so that is what he got. Oh and in our house we only use red-potatoes with the skins on. Just the way it is.

In conclusion, though I have only managed to make three MtAoFC recipes I am still in awe of how good they taste. Who knew that French food was so good. It seems like I've been missing out on something my entire life. I feel now, after almost six years of marriage, I am finally making adult food. I'm starting to feel a little bit grown up, I think there is definitively something to thing French cooking thing.

~Cheers~

Stay tuned for the next MtAoFC recipe...

Coquilles St. Jacques a la Parisienne