Recipes 9 and 10: Pork and Potatoes

Recipe 9: Baked Apple Pork Chops

Another recipe from the CrockPot cookbook that I modified.  Place your pork chops in the bottom of a pan.  Chop up a couple of apples and put them on top.  Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and a few tablespoons of brown sugar.  Cover, and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.  

They were quick and easy to make, but they were a bit bland.  We've got a smoked applewood spice blend that we'll put on the pork next time, along with the apples.  

Recipe 10: Cauliflower Scalloped Potatoes

This was something I made up, with inspiration from this post.  I put layers of potatoes, ham, broccoli, pureed cauliflower and grated cheese, sprinkled with garlic salt.  Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for at least an hour.  

I like scalloped potatoes, and have yet to perfect them.  This came closer: the flavors were good (Aaron didn't even mind the cauliflower sauce!), but I always have the problem of undercooked potatoes.  The stuff on top and around the edges was done, but the middle was still a little crunchy.  Must remember to use a bigger pan, so the layers aren't as thick, and to give myself enough time to let it bake - very minimum an hour, usually more.  

home-cooked Chinese

One of the missionaries requested meatballs, sweet and sour meatballs. So Aaron took the suggestion and ran with it. He's got a handful of Chinese recipe books and was excited to use them. We made two dishes with lots of rice and some steamed asparagus on the side.

Lychee Pork
Company's Coming Chinese Cooking

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin cut into small cubes
• cooking oil for frying
• 20 oz can of lychee* fruit with syrup
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

-Stir flour and salt in medium bowl.
-Beat eggs with fork in small bowl.
-Dip pork in flour and then egg until coated.
-It said to deep-fry, but we just did a simple pan-fry, just making sure pieces were cooked all the way through. It will be fairly light colored because of the flour. Remove to paper towels to drain.
-Combine next 6 ingredients (lychee - soy sauce) in medium saucepan. Bring to boil.
-Stir water into cornstarch in small cup. Stir into lychee mixture until thickened. Pour over pork. Stir lightly until combined.

*Lychee is an incredibly sweet berry found in China and southeast Asia. We got our can at an Asian supermarket here in Calgary.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Hawaiian Meatballs
Joy of Cooking

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs moistened with milk (we used quick oats)
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

-Combine ingredients and form into 1-inch balls and saute in 2 tbsp vegetable oil until brown.
-We finished cooking in oven (about 15 minutes at 350) after pouring can of pineapple (chunks or tidbits) and sweet and sour sauce on top.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Company's Coming Chinese Cooking

• 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice (from can of tidbits)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 1 tbsp water
• splash of soy sauce (says Aaron)

Stir pineapple juice into cornstarch in small bowl. Add next four ingredients and stir.

Over all impression - excellent. I'm not even a big fan of Chinese food and it was pretty good. I wouldn't suggest making both recipes at the same time though, simply because they are both rather sweet (with the lychee and pineapple). The missionaries went back for seconds (and thirds) and almost left us with no leftovers.

pork and mushroom ragout

Number 27, from my book called Secrets of Slow Cooking.

a boneless pork loin roast - about 1 1/2 pounds

1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes, divided
2 tbl cornstarch
2 tsp. savory
sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
8 oz. package sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced
black pepper

cooked egg noodles or some other pasta.

Brown pork roast on all sides in a skillet with cooking spray or a little bit of oil.

Put half of tomatoes in crockpot with cornstarch, savory, and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix it up.

Put mushrooms, onion, and roast in crockpot. Pour the rest of the tomatoes over the roast and sprinkle with pepper.

Cook on low 4-6 hours until roast reaches internal temp of 165.

Put the roast on a cutting board and cover with foil. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve with noodles. Pour sauce from crockpot over the plated food.

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops

Okay, I have to say these were the BEST pork chops I have ever had in my life. Easy to make and very delicious. Also, I didn't have any dried apple slices so we used 2 fresh braeburn apples cut up instead. Perfect. We paired this with unsweetened gravenstein applesauce, mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower and broccoli (my kids favorite). Really super fantastic. Try it, you will not regret it. YUM.


Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006


Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 6 hr 20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients


2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 pound ice
4 (1 to 1 1/2-inch thick) bone-in pork chops
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 ounces dried apple slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, julienned
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions


Combine the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup kosher salt, brown sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook just until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from the heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a 2-gallon zip-top bag along with the mixture and seal. Place in a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chops from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season on both sides with the kosher salt and set aside

Place the apples in the slow cooker.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the pork chops on both sides until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Once browned, place the pork chops into the slow cooker atop the apples.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan followed by the onions and saute until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Add the black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Transfer this to the slow cooker, set to high, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Decrease the heat to low and continue cooking for another 4 hours and 30 minutes or until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone.

grilled pork chops and chili slaw

This was recipe #26, and I made it exactly as the webpage said (all the way down to grilling the fresh pineapple slices as well), so I won't retype it all. Here's the link where I got it from Better Homes and Gardens:

grilled pork chops and pineapple with chili slaw

I was surprised at how good it was! I was a bit hesitant to try the slaw since I'm not a huge fan of it normally - it has too much mayo. I thought I'd give this a shot because it had no mayo, but even then, the vinegar smell was a little strong. Once I drained off the extra dressing that had pooled in the bottom of the bowl (after mixing everything up), it wasn't as bad.

Adam and I both definitely preferred to eat the slaw in the same bite with the pork. The slaw was okay by itself, and really good with the pork! I plated it with the pork in the center of the plate and the slaw directly on top of it, and the pineapple on the side.

That was our Father's Day dinner. For breakfast, we had these crepes with strawberries, blueberries, banana slices, and fresh whipped cream. Adam didn't get them in bed, because he was taking care of the whipped cream and doing other things while I was making the crepes. But he did get one of his favorites without having to make it himself!

And now I have to find another recipe to use the rest of the cabbage - I think this is the second time I've bought cabbage ever so I have no idea what to do with it. The other time was cabbage rolls with rice and meat in them, but that was a winter meal. I need something light right now.

chile pork

#16 of 50. I originally found this on AllRecipes, but I used some suggestions in the comments rather than the directions in the original recipe, so this is how I did it.

And let me just take a moment to vent that I have discovered one of the possible reasons for the high obesity rate in Mississippi - the cuts of meat SUCK! I went to the nice grocery store (because the only other "decent" option for food in this town is Walmart) to shop and got regular pork chops. SO fatty! The longest part of prepping this meal was extracting the meat from the bone and fat. When I finally had it cleaned and ready to cook, the pile of bone and fat was almost as big as the pile of meat. I lost almost half of what I paid for because it was garbage. That completely ticked me off. I've noticed that I have to trim fat off chicken breast as well ... where oh where is Costco and their nice meat? Oh yeah. 200 miles away in freaking Memphis. I'm planning a temple trip up to Memphis to go to a new temple (for us) ... and because I want to go to Costco!

Anyway ...

1 lb. pork cut into bite-size pieces (or you could do this with chicken)

Sprinkle over the meat and stir around to make sure the meat is coated the following spices:

1 Tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed

Let it sit in the fridge for 45 minutes. Put a thin coating of olive oil in the bottom of a 9X13 pan so the meat doesn't stick, and spread the meat out in the pan so it's one layer deep. Cover it with foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Eat with corn tortillas and guacamole, and whatever veg toppings you like on your tacos. You could also put the pork on rice.

Americanized Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a family staple for when company comes over. The longer you cook them (on the lower temperature) the moister the chicken and thus, the tastier it is. But if you don't have time and have to settle for the higher temp., then oh well. It's still good.

5 chicken breasts, raw (boneless and skinless)
½ lb. cooked ham, deli sliced 1/8” thick
1/2 stick butter
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. milk
2 c. Progresso bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 10.5oz. can cream of chicken soup (regular, not lite), thinned slightly with milk
10-15 toothpicks

Either fillet chicken breasts or pound out flat. For each chicken breast: lay on a strip of ham. Add pat of butter and sprinkle some cheese on top. Roll up chicken breast and secure with 2-3 toothpicks to keep together. Dip in a bowl with the egg and milk. Then roll in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Lay breasts in 9x13” pan, keeping space between each one. Cover with soup + milk (or can use leftover egg/milk mixture instead). Bake at 350* for 1 ½ hours or at 325* for 2 hours (lower temp. will result in more tender meat). Make certain breasts don’t burn (bigger pieces will take longer to cook completely).

potato and sausage bake

Not in the count because I've made it before, but this is a great winter dinner!

1 pound small potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion sliced into thin rings
1/2 pound baby carrots
1 pound sausage - I use large link mild Italian sausage, and it's browned first.
2 tbl melted butter (or a substitute)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
thyme

1. Boil or microwave the potatoes first so they're tender but not too soft and mash-able. If you put them straight into the pan, it takes FOREVER to bake.

2. Toss the potatoes, onion, and carrots with the butter and spices until coated evenly. (I went pretty heavy handed with the thyme, and light on the salt and pepper.)

3. Put vegetables in a 9x13 pan prepped with non-stick spray or oil (or lined with foil - easier cleanup.)

4. Bake vegetables uncovered for 30 minutes at 400. Add sausage, bake for another 15-20 minutes.

pork with arugula and sauteed tomatoes

Okay, this one actually wasn't an ad in Martha Stewart ... aren't I cool! (Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2007, page 96.)

PART 1 - pork
1. Use boneless pork loin chops - the recipe calls for 4, I used just 2.

2. Butterfly them by cutting each piece in half vertically, starting on the side without the fat and opening it like a book. Stop before you cut all the way through. Wrap the meat in Saran wrap, and pound it until it's about 1/4-inch thick.

3. On a plate, combine a small amount of flour, salt, and pepper. Coat each piece of meat with the flour.

4. Cook the chops one at a time in a skillet with olive oil. Because they're thin and flat, they cook in just a couple of minutes. Put on a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm while you're cooking the rest. Use 1 tsp of olive oil with each one.

PART 2 - sauteed tomatoes
Get a pint of grape tomatoes - cut them in half.

Saute the tomatoes in 1 tsp of olive oil until they're soft and just barely starting to get mushy. They're done.

PART 3 - arugula
Dressing: 2 tbl lemon juice, 1 tsp olive oil, slight amount of salt and pepper. Mix together.

Toss the dressing with the arugula greens. Optional - top the greens with shaved Parmesan (the real cheese, not the grated stuff in the green canister).

Extra notes - Of course I'm being "snobby" by having arugula because that's what Snob Barack Obama wanted to eat on the campaign trail (along with Dijon mustard. The shock of it!) Really, any salad greens or tomatoes would do - I just went along with the exact recipe for the heck of it. It was good! We like arugula!

Also, I made plain white rice as the side, with just butter and dried parsley sprinkled through it. With all of the more rich things (they did have a pretty strong taste), the rice was mild and a good addition.

3 for 50.

ham linguine

Another Martha Stewart "Everyday Food" magazine find (Jan/Feb 2007), and this one was also on an ad. I read this fancy-shmancy magazine to get recipes ... and use the ones in the advertising.

2 cups ham, chopped into medium-sized pieces
1 pound linguine
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl capers
1 cup peas, thawed if frozen
2 lemons - zest and juice
sea salt and black pepper
fresh mint
fresh basil

1. Cook pasta as usual.

2. Heat 2 tbl olive oil in skillet. Saute garlic first. Add ham and continue to saute until ham is warm. Add peas and capers, saute for another minute.

3. When the pasta is done and drained, add the pasta a little at a time to the skillet until the balance of pasta to ham/peas is the way you like it. Add lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, 2 tbl of olive oil. Mix all together until heated through.

4. Remove from heat and toss with fresh mint and basil. Serve immediately.

Extra notes:
1. I used leftover ham from Christmas dinner and it worked great. I used only ONE lemon because the ham had originally been cooked with a pineapple glaze. Two lemons would have been way too much citrus.

2. I skipped the mint.

3. I actually used only about half the amount of pasta it called for to get the balance right. If you need to use the full box of pasta because of the size of your family or whatever, I recommend you add more ham and peas.

4. The ham and stuff in the skillet cooks very fast - you really can start the pasta first and then whip everything else together in the amount of time it takes to cook. That doesn't usually happen for me with cooking because I move pretty slowly.

2 for 50! And it's only Jan. 3rd!