SECRET RECIPE CLUB: ORANGE AND ROSEMARY PORK TENDERLOIN

Posted in Pork, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

The time has come again, for the much awaited Reveal Day of The Secret Recipe Club! I felt a shiver up and down my spine when I got my assignment, and it is easy to see why: my assigned blog, A Taste of Home Cooking, has been around since 2006! She is a veteran food blogger by definition!

I struggled to choose a recipe, because too many appealed to me, and to make my life even harder, she kept publishing new posts with more enticing stuff, like a recent Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms and Cream. At some point, I had to quit going back, and settled on two possibilities, the first you’ll see today, of course, but I will be making the other one soon, independent of the SRC.

ORANGE AND ROSEMARY PORK TENDERLOIN
(slightly modified from A Taste of Home Cooking)

2 pork tenderloins
4 oranges, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
chopped parsley leaves

Cut the tenderloins in 3 or 4 equal portions and place them in a plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour them over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, massaging the meat when you have a chance, or moving the pieces around).

Preheat the oven to 370 degrees. Remove the pork from the fridge and pour the marinade into a small saucepan.

Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork pieces into the skillet and sear on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Put the skillet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until cooked through (the meat should be pale pink in the center; if using a meat thermometer, the recommended safe internal temperature is 160°F), flipping the meat a couple of times during the roasting.

While the meat is roasting, put the saucepan with the remaining marinade over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Keep boiling, uncovered, stirring regularly, until the marinade has reduced halfway. Add in the cream, salt and parsley. Stir, and keep warm over low heat.

When the meat is ready, remove the skillet from the oven, and transfer the meat to a cutting board. If there are any juices in the skillet add them to the sauce and bring back to a boil. Cut the meat pieces into thick slices and serve with the sauce,sprinkling more fresh parsley on top.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This recipe was originally from Clotilde, of Chocolate and Zucchini, another ultra-veteran blog, but I followed all the modifications from “A Taste of Home”, like browning the meat before, and increasing baking time. Departing from both versions, I opted for an amount of cream halfway between them. You can get by with less, maybe a couple of tablespoons, or splurge, but I felt the meat had just the right amount of naughtiness the way I made it… 😉

After making this recipe, I am convinced we should all use oranges more often in sauces, marinades, salad dressings. They bring the citric component, but a lot more natural sweetness.

I loved this month’s adventure at The Secret Recipe Club! If you want to see what my fellow bloggers came up with, simply click on the links brought to you by the cute blue frog below.

Note added after publication: curious to see who got the Bewitching? Jump to “The Double Dipped Life”, and see the recipe she chose (a favorite of ours, by the way).

ONE YEAR AGO: Pistachio-Walnut Sourdough Bread (we loved this one!)

TWO YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

21Mar2012

MY SECOND GUEST BLOG FEAST!

Posted in General, Pork by sallybr

A while ago I was invited to write a guest post over at Feastie, and I chose a sourdough bread for the occasion. To my delight, I recently got a second invitation to do a guest feature. My Mom has always told me that if you are invited twice to go to someone’s house, it must mean they like you, so I hope it works the same for food blogging! 😉 Jessica asked me to blog on any type of meat recipe. We are meat lovers here, so that was not a problem. But I don’t face any challenge without some hyperventilation (and a little drama), so my poor husband had to endure me walking in circles around the kitchen, talking to myself, talking to the dogs, trying to pick the perfect recipe. That odd behavior lasted for about a week. It can be unsettling after a while. My Mom got it right twice: I married a saint.

So, if you are wondering what all my hyperventilation led to, jump right over to Feastie and find out! Two words for you: pork and spinach. Three: feta. Four: delicious!

13Feb2012

DAN DAN NOODLES

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Pork by sallybr

This is comfort food, Asian style. Udon noodles have a slightly denser and more chewy texture than regular pasta, or even buckwheat (soba) noodles, so a small portion should satisfy you. The recipe, published in Bon Appetit a few months ago, is very traditional in Szechuan cuisine. Its Chinese name, dan dan mian (担担面) comes from street vendors carrying baskets of noodles (mian), hanging from those long poles that balance on their shoulders (dan). The authentic version is quite spicy, so reduce the amount of chili oil if you prefer a fire a little tamer… 😉

DAN DAN NOODLES
(from Peter Chang, published in Bon Appetit, October 2011)

8 ounces udon noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons or less chili oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons sliced scallions

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender (follow instructions on the package). Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and place in a large serving bowl (or divide the mixture in two for individual servings).

Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a couple of minutes (no need to fully cook the meat at this point). Add ginger; cook until pork gets lightly browned, about 2 minutes more. Stir in chicken stock, then add the chili oil, red vinegar, soy sauce, tahini, peppercorns, and a pinch of sugar.

Simmer everything together until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Pour pork mixture over noodles; garnish with peanuts and scallions.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you don’t have Chinese peppercorns, simply omit them. I am the lucky owner of a bag of these peppercorns brought from China by a former graduate student in our lab. But, it’s also available online from many sources, including one of my favorite stores, The Spice House.

Usually, Phil and I agree on our assessment of a recipe. This time we didn’t. I loved it, he felt it was a tad too heavy and oily. Next time I might reduce the amount of oil used to saute the pork, and use peanut butter instead of tahini, dissolving it well in the other components of the sauce before adding to the pan.

The recipe made enough for our dinner, and I had leftovers for a light lunch a couple of days later. It is quite filling, but I still found myself glued to my chopsticks, going back to the serving bowl for one more taste…. and another…. and another…

ONE YEAR AGO: Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake

TWO YEARS AGO: Antibiotics and Food

23Jan2012

PORK RAGU

Posted in Pork by sallybr

September 21st, 2011. That’s when Lynda, from Taste Food, published her ‘Ode to Fall”, a pork ragu served over pappardelle. I bookmarked the recipe right away, but only made it last week. Better late than never, this ragu jumped straight into our list of favorites! The pork falls apart after 2 hours simmering, and turns into a sauce that is intense and mild at the same time (if that’s at all possible! 😉 ) Make it one day in advance for added deliciousness.

PORK RAGU OVER NOODLES
(adapted from Taste Food)

2 pounds pork butt, excess fat trimmed, cut in 2 inch chunks
Salt
Black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, finely diced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
2 (28 ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes with juice
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pound noodles or pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
Grated Parmiggiano cheese

Season the pieces of pork with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large pot until it’s shimmering. Add pork in one layer in batches, without overcrowding, so that it will brown without steaming. After all sides are seared, remove pieces to a plate, and reserve until all the meat is browned. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan.

Add onion, carrots, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Carefully add the wine, and deglaze the pan with it. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Return pork to the pot and submerge in the sauce. If necessary, add water to bring the level of the liquid to the top of the meat. Simmer, covered, over low heat until pork is very tender, about 2 hours. Remove lid and continue to simmer, skimming fat occasionally with a spoon, until sauce is thickened, 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

ENJOY! (I know you will…)

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You will need 2 pounds of cubed meat for this recipe, but there’s a lot of trimming to do on a piece of pork butt, so buy a large piece, and if you have more than you need, freeze the extra amount.

My main modification to this recipe was reducing the amount of onion and omitting the garlic. If you want, add a few cloves. Phil and garlic don’t match very well, so we use it very sparingly.

Maybe if you are used to eating a lot of garlic, you’ll feel that there’s something missing in my version of this ragu, but I suggest you give it a try without, and concentrate on the pure taste of the meat as you savor your plate of pasta. And, by the way, this ragu would be amazing served with any type of root veggie puree. Soft-cooked polenta wouldn’t be that bad either!

ONE YEAR AGO: Friendly Kuri Squash

TWO YEARS AGO: Green Light for this Salad

17Jan2012

EVERYDAY FOOD TO THE RESCUE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Pork, Side dishes by sallybr

Last week, on a very busy day in which I had zero inspiration for cooking dinner, the daily email from Martha Stweart’s Everyday Food was a life saver. It arrived mid-morning as usual, and featured a grilled pork tenderloin with a simple soy-citrus marinade. I had a tenderloin in the fridge, and all ingredients needed for the marinade. Side dish? Orzo sounded great, so I searched for recipes on the same website, and one of the top choices was “Toasted Orzo with Olives and Lemon”. The clouds left the horizon, blue skies announced that my dinner blues were gone. And you’ll get both recipes in a single post! 😉

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SOY, GINGER, AND LIME
(adapted from Everyday Food)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), trimmed of excess fat and silver skin

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, oil, and ginger. Add pork to the marinade, turning to coat well on all sides. Marinate in the fridge for several hours to overnight.

Remove meat from marinade, and pat it dry. Season it very lightly with salt, and grill for 7 minutes on a hot grill. Turn the meat to grill the opposite side, and grill for 6 minutes more. Without opening the grill, turn the heat off and let the meat stay inside for 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the grill, tent it with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

to print the recipe, click here

TOASTED ORZO WITH OLIVES AND LEMON
(adapted from Everyday Food)

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound orzo (1 + 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup slivered black olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add 2 cups of water and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover, and simmer until orzo is al dente and liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in olives, parsley, lemon juice, and remaining tablespoons of olive oil, if desired (I omitted this step).

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: What a great dinner this was! Ready in less than 30 minutes, all I had to do was make the marinade at lunch time (but you can do it in the morning, if you don’t go home for lunch), and by the time we came home from work, dinner was a cinch to make.

I used the 7-6-5 grilling method for the pork tenderloin, because it works well with pretty much any type of marinade or dry rub. It is easy to take care of the rest of the meal when all you have to do is set a timer and move the meat around when it goes off.

Toasting the orzo is what makes this side dish so special. I’ve used a similar method before in one of the simplest and greatest recipes I’ve made last year, the “Carrot Nib Orzo”. If until now you’ve only treated orzo as a normal pasta, boiling in salted water, please try either of these recipes, you will be more than pleasantly surprised by the improvement in taste and texture.

ONE YEAR AGO: Weekend Pita Project

TWO YEARS AGO: Mandioca Frita 101 – Fried Yucca Root (Brazilian Food at its best!)