TAKING A BREAK FROM THE NANO-KITCHEN

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Pork by sallybr

We flew back home this week to spend a few days in our own town. I’m in a state of shock, all of a sudden realizing how much space we have. Here we could cook together while dancing, whereas in L.A. we are in a territorial-mode: I even growled at my beloved the other day because he insisted on opening the fridge while I did the dishes. The nerve!

I looked forward to cooking in our home, on a stove with four burners and real flames above an oven that can roast a couple of chubby turkeys side by side. Of course, deciding what to cook for our first dinner was excruciating. After an extensive consultation with 9 cookbooks, I chose a recipe from Barbara Tropp: Chinese cooking at its best…

CAPITAL SAUCE PORK RIBBONS OVER POT-BROWNED NOODLES
(adapted from Barbara Tropp Modern Art of Chinese Cooking)

1 pound boneless pork loin

to marinate the meat:
2 T soy sauce
2 T Chinese rice wine
1 T water
4 t cornstarch
½ tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
6 scallions

Sauce ingredients
3 T hoisin sauce
2 T Chinese rice wine
1.5 T soy sauce
5 t sugar
½ t sesame oil

2 T peanut oil

For the noodles:
½ pound long Chinese thin egg noodles
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
6 T peanut oil

Cut the pork into thin slices 1/8 inch thick (against the grain). Cut each slice into ribbons, flattening them slightly with a meat mallet.

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice wine, water, cornstarch, sugar and sesame oil until thoroughly blended, then add the pork slices and allow to marinade for 1-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. Drain well before stir-frying.

Cut the scallions into 2-inch pieces, trimming off the root ends. In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, rice wine, soy, sugar, and sesame oil , stir well to dissolve everything.

Add 2 T of peanut oil to a very hot wok, swirl to coat the pan, add the pork slices and stir fry until opaque. Add the sauce ingredients and continue cooking until the pork is cooked through, then add the scallions and reserve until the noodles are ready.

Preparing the noodles:
Boil the noodles until cooked, but not mushy. Drain, then run through cold water until fully cooled. Shake off excess water and lay the cooked noodles over a dish cloth, blotting it out of excessive moisture. Transfer to a bowl, adding the sesame oil to coat the strands (the noodles can be kept cold at this stage for up to 2 days).

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat, add 5 T oil, and heat until a strand of noodle sizzles if gently dropped on the pan. Coil the noodles evenly on the hot pan, starting at the edges, and working your way through the center. Press them with a spatula, cover the pan, then cook until the bottom is browned (5-7 minutes).

Loosen the browned noodles, slip them out of the pan, transfer to a serving platter. Mound the pork on top of the noodles, and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Barbara’s original recipe calls for deep frying the pork before the final stir-fry. I have done this “oil velveting” in the past, but this time I simplified it and cooked the pork all the way through in the wok. The main reason: we are home for just a few days, I didn’t want to deal with the leftover oil. Is there a loss of quality in the final dish? In all honesty, yes. Velveting does wonders to improve the texture of stir-fries (as I mentioned before here), so if you can do it, follow her advice and deep fry the pork for a minute, remove it from the oil, drain it well, and add it to the wok AFTER you add the sauce and heat it up.

This is not a light recipe – obviously, any time you brown noodles on a frying pan, their calories will be multiplied by a factor of 2. However, sometimes it is good to indulge, so enjoy it without guilt, and cut back on excesses for a couple of days. 😉

Note to self: try the “water-velveting method” in this recipe.

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

18Sep2010

PROTOCOL FOR A FIFTEEN-MINUTE DINNER

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Pork by sallybr

Materials
1 pork tenderloin
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp ground chili pepper
fettucini (I used whole wheat)
big bunch of baby spinach
lemon zest
red pepper flakes
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
1. Put a large pot of salted water to boil and turn your grill on.

2. In a small bowl, make a little paste with maple syrup, soy sauce, and chili pepper.

3. In a large bowl where you’ll serve the pasta, mix the olive oil with red pepper flakes and lemon zest.

4. Cut the pork tenderloin in 1/4 inch slices, pound each very lightly with a mallet, and brush each side with the maple/chili glaze. Season with a little salt.

5. Place the pasta in the boiling water and start the timer.

6. Grill each slice of pork tenderloin for a couple of minutes, turn, and grill for 2 minutes more on the second side. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

7. Two minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add the baby spinach, and finish them cooking together.

8.Reserve a little of the cooking water, drain the pasta/spinach, add them to the serving bowl, mix well to combine, add some of the cooking water if necessary. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

9. Serve some pasta with the pork tenderloin.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The basic inspiration from this recipe came from Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times. Adding the spinach to the same pan the pasta is cooking works quite well, but you need to be careful about the timing – overcooking the spinach could ruin the dish.

The pork tenderloin is a recipe I jotted down by hand from some online source years ago, I wish I could give proper credit, but I was unable to find it now. If you’ve never mixed maple syrup with pepper, keep this combo in mind, it’s a winner. Another great example is a recipe by the Surreal Gourmet that marinates salmon steaks with maple syrup and coarsely ground pepper for a few days before grilling. I need to make it soon in the Nano-Bewitching Kitchen because it’s an old favorite of mine.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cauliflower au Gratin

29Jun2010

DOWN HOME DIG-IN CHILI

Posted in Beef, Pork, Weekend Dinners by sallybr

Get ready for a big spicy spoonful of chili! In the winter, give me chili with cornbread and cabernet; in the summer I’ll have chili with tortillas and tequila (or cold beer). What a flavorful, succulent meal it is! You’ll find chili everywhere, north, south, east and west; in cookbooks, food magazines and websites (like this one), with many of those authors claiming to divulge “the authentic” recipe. Particularly in the Southern US, chili recipes provoke discussions almost as heated as the peppers they contain. But, I’m ready to jump into the fire, by sharing with you my husband’s favorite recipe. It’s not the hottest or the spiciest chili you’ll find, but it’s meaty, delicious and the best he’s ever encountered. He made it for me for the first time when we started dating and we’ve cooked it together many, many times since then.

DOWN HOME DIG-IN CHILI
(from Bon Appetit, 1988)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 lbs stewing beef, chopped
2 lbs pork shoulder (Boston butt), chopped
4 cans (14 1/2 ounce) stewed tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle pale ale (12 ounce)
7 Tbs chili powder
4 jalapeno chilies, seeded
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
Hot pepper sauce (Tabasco type), to taste

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables using slotted spoon and set aside.

Increase heat to high. Add beef and pork; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Return vegetables to pot. Add tomatoes, ale, chili powder chilies, cayenne and cumin. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer 2 hours, adding reserved tomato liquid if chili appears dry. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Uncover and simmer until thickened and meat is tender, 2 more hours.

Season chili with hot pepper sauce. Serve with green onions, cheddar cheese, avocado and sour cream.

Makes at least 8 servings.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This favorite version of ours might very well be “middle-of-the-road” in the debate about what should (or should not) be in a pot of chili. It doesn’t include beans, pleasing many, but it uses tomatoes, upsetting other purists.

We usually make it with beef and pork, and we recently tried a mixture of lamb and pork. We prefer this version, exactly as published 22 years ago (!!!) in Bon Appetit, by far. Some markets sell ground beef for chili, but it’s better to buy a large cut of beef chuck, some pork shoulder and cut them by hand into 3/4 inch cubes. The final texture is well worth the extra work.

Chili is ideal for entertaining, as it gets better when it sits in the fridge for a day. Sometimes we make a full batch, enjoy “chili for two,” and save leftovers in the freezer for an encore another time.

This dish deserves recognition as a “Perfect Saturday Night Dinner” !

ONE YEAR AGO… CINNAMON ROLLS

receita em portugues na pagina seguinte…..

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5Jun2010

7-6-5 GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN

Posted in Pork by sallybr

Note added Feb 22nd, 2021: If you own a Weber type grill, it might get a lot hotter than other brands, and this method won’t work for you, unless you are able to control the heat down to 500F-550F. My friend Gary recommends a surface thermometer in case you’d like to monitor the temperature of your grill, and find hot spots.

The Boeing 777 is my favorite airplane, but the number to keep in mind when grilling pork tenderloin is 765, referring to the time it takes to grill it (7 + 6 + 5 minutes). The original recipe was from an issue of Fine Cooking magazine (June 2002) published as a general method to grill pork tenderloin, that’s adaptable to many different flavor profiles. I’ve been making it ever since.

7-6-5- GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
(very loosely adapted from Pam Anderson)

2 pork tenderloins
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp aleppo pepper
salt

For the glaze:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
a little water
salt and pepper

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and aleppo pepper, rub all over the meat and let it stand in the fridge overnight or several hours.

Prepare the glaze by melting all ingredients in a small sauce pan. You want a reasonably thick consistency, so adjust the amount of water accordingly. Let it cool (you can prepare the glaze the day before).

Prepare a hot grill. Remove the meat from the marinade, brush it all over with the glaze, and season with salt. Place the meat on the grill, close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork tenderloin over, close the lid again, and grill for 6 minutes. Don’t open the lid, just turn off the heat and keep the meat inside for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should be 145F to 150F. If not, close the lid and leave the meat for a few more minutes. Remove the meat to a serving platter and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

You can prepare the same recipe on a charcoal grill, just place the coals to one side, and when it’s time to turn the heat off, simply move the meat to the opposite side of the grill, with no coals underneath.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The published recipe suggested brining the meat first, then brushing it with the glaze of your choice. I opted for a lemony marinade instead. Pam Anderson offered three options on the glaze, all using frozen fruit juice concentrate as the starting point. We usually don’t stock those in the freezer, so I went with melted orange marmalade instead, adding a little vinegar to cut any excessive sweetness. During grilling the sugar will impart a deep copper color to the meat, something that we all associate with great taste… and it had that for sure! I served the meat over plain white rice, without any sauce, but with crisp-tender green beans and almonds, one of our favorite side dishes. Leftovers are great for sandwiches, fajitas, or simply re-heated in the microwave. Give this recipe a try, and it might become one of your favorite weeknight options!

6May2010

HERB AND MUSTARD PORK ROAST

Posted in Pork, Weekend Dinners by sallybr

Suzanne Goin’s cookbook “Sunday Suppers at Lucques” is a collection of seasonal meals from her award-winning restaurant in Los Angeles. It is not uncommon that cookbooks by chefs of her caliber become coffee table books, that are rarely put to use, because either the recipes are too involved or the ingredients are too hard to find. That’s not the case for Sunday Suppers. Many of its recipes are uncomplicated, but their small details make them special. In this recipe for pork roast the double application of a simple mustard and herb marinade develops a delicious flavor. It’s hard to improve a classic, but this method does it.

HERB-ROASTED PORK LOIN with MUSTARD BREADCRUMBS
(adapted from Suzanne Goin)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbs thyme leaves + 6 full sprigs
2 Tbs fresh parsley leaves, chopped
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, smashed
pork loin (center cut, about 3 pounds)
3 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs sage
6 Tbs butter, sliced
salt and pepper

for mustard breadcrumbs
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped parsley

Whisk the mustard, thyme leaves, parsley, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a shallow baking dish. Stir the garlic, and brush the mixture all over the pork loin. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours). Remove the pork from the fridge one hour before cooking, after 30 minutes season it well with salt and pepper. Reserve the marinade.

Heat the oven to 325 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until it is almost smoking. Place the pork loin in the pan, sear it on all sides, until well browned (do not move the pork around too soon, you need to allow the browning to take place). The whole process should take 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a roasting rack, and brush the reserved marinade all around it. Reserve the pan to make a sauce.

Arrange the rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs on the roast and top with 3 tablespoons of butter. Roast the meat until a thermometer reads 120F – about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the pork rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

The pan sauce….
While the pork is roasting make a sauce: heat the pan you used to sear the meat on medium, add 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock if you prefer)and stir until it boils, also scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce by boiling a few minutes, swirl 3 tablespoons of butter and reserve until time to serve.

The mustard breadcrumbs…
Heat the oven to 375F. Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, whisk in the mustard, thyme, and parsley. Remove from the heat, let it cool slightly, and add to the breadcrumbs, tossing to coat. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

To serve, slice the meat, spoon the sauce over, and shower it with mustard breadcrumbs.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’m picky about center cut pork loin, because it may become dry, even if I’m careful not to overcook it. It is indeed difficult to overcome the lean nature of today’s pork. This recipe joins the two or three tried and true methods that I trust, and I imagine anyone who makes it will feel the same way. With green beans, a little orzo on the side and my perfect match on the other side of the table…. life is good! 😉