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Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Roast Pesto Pork with mushrooms

This is what we had for tea last night. I was out at a needlefelting class all day, so left DH to cook this dish - I love Pesto!

Serves 4

Prep 5 minutes

Cook: 40 - 45 minutes

1 (700g) pack baby new potatoes

4tbsp oil

225g/8oz open-cap mushrooms

225g/8oz cherry tomatoes

4 (150g/5oz) pork loin chops

4tbsp pesto sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan170C/Gas Mark 5. Place the potatoes in a large oven proof idsh; add half the oil. Toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes; gently toss together. Lay the chops on top; season well with salt and black pepper.

3. Mix together the remaining oil and the pesto sauce. Drizzle over the chops and vegetables.

4. Roast for 20-25 m inutes until the chops are cooked through adn the potatoes are tender.

If baby new potatoes are not available, use larger potatoes peeled and cut into chunks.

This recipe comes from Bella Cookbook March/April 2004, Issue 2

Monday, April 14, 2014

Guo Tie and Jiaozi pot stickers and pork dumplings

Pot Stickers Guo Tie and Jiaozi

This minutely detailed first recipe for pot stickers and jiaozi is only for those who, like myself, consider eating dumplings as something like a religious experience.

A few years ago in the United states, when asked to name a Chinese dish, most people would say, chow mein or lo mein. The less savvy might have said chop suey, egg fu yung or egg rolls. But today, the best known item on Chinese menus is probably pot stickers, or as they are known in Mandarin Chinese, guo tie. These fried pork dumplings are so common that even grocery store delis have sad, damp heaps of them in warming pans, alongside roast chicken and kielbasa. (In a more global sense one might think of dumplings as a gastronomical archetype, since stuffed doughs can be seen in just about every culture: raviolis, perogies, knishes, empanadas, samosas, knodels, vushka, pelmeni, Korean mandu...the list is endless) Less famous in the west is the steamed or boiled—and most likely original—version of this dumpling, jiaozi, which is a mainstay of Chinese cuisine. In fact, jiaozi are at the heart and soul of Chinese culture. No other food, with the exception of rice and noodles, has a more prominent place in the everyday lives of Chinese: they are a snack, a staple, a holiday treat, and an almost sacred ritual around the Lunar New Year. During this time, making jiaozi is a social ritual as well, with family and friends gathering round the bowls of fillings and dough, rolling skins, stuffing the jiaozi and talking, until hundreds of the little morsels are ready for boiling.

There is no such thing as an “authentic” Chinese recipe, since within China there is no agreement on how any particular dish should be made. In China, jiaozi and guo tie are made with beef or pork; they sometimes have fresh shrimp, dried shrimp or no shrimp at all; you’ll find dried mushrooms in some, but not in others; sometimes cabbage, sometimes not. But in general, the tradition of these dumplings include the ingredients and methods outlined here.

As far as wrappers are concerned, acceptable factory made skins for making jiaozi and guo tie are available at all Asian groceries. Also, home cooks can take the recipe below and process the skins with a pasta machine, cutting the sheets of dough with an appropriate sized circle cutter; however, the homemade, hand-rolled hot-water version is closest to the traditional Chinese method, and worth the effort in its superior texture: it will be substantial, flavorful and chewy.

About the meat: fatty cuts of meat are not demonized in China as they are in the west; traditional cooks will most often use ground pork belly, here commonly called fresh bacon. On Chinese streets, you will find vendors selling ground pork for dumplings which is nearly white with fat. In the present recipe, the cut of pork is optional, and a even lean meat will make an acceptable dumpling.

Filling:

1 lb. Pork with fat (pork rib, pork shoulder, or pork belly)
1 lb. Napa Cabbage
2 green onions, white and green portion minced
1 heap TAB minced ginger
1 TAB Shao Xing rice wine or dry sherry
2 TAB sesame oil
1 TAB soy sauce
1 round tsp salt, to taste.
1 Heap TAB cornstarch
1/4 to 3/4 cup Chicken or pork stock

Separate cabbage leaves and blanch in boiling water for about two and a half minutes. Allow to cool; meanwhile, chop the pork with a cleaver, rolling the mass and varying the direction of the chop: this is a matter of personal preference, since finer mincing produces a more tender, “grainy” homogenous filling, while a larger mince, say, 3/16” to 1/4” will be somewhat more firm and varied in texture. I prefer the larger mince. You can also put the pork through a meat grinder, using a quarter inch plate. Place chopped meat in a bowl. Wring out the water from the blanched cabbage using a kitchen towel, and chop to 1/4" to 1/2" pieces. Mix this together with meat and all remaining filling ingredients, adding cornstarch last. Add chicken or pork stock slowly as you mix the filling in one direction. Continue adding stock until mixture is visibly wet and "sloppy." If youve overdone the addition of liquid, and the fillng is impossible to handle when making the dumpling, add more cornstarch to firm it up. Keep in mind that the filling will firm up when it is refrigerated. Covered, the filling can be refrigerated for up to five days. When you are ready to fill the dumplings, make one and boil it to test the flavor and texture, and making any adjustments at that time.

Wrappers:

Cold water can be used, but hot water dough produces a softer, more elastic dough, which is preferable in making most dumplings.

1-1/4 lb bread flour, sifted.
12 fl oz boiling water

When water just comes to a boil, slowly add it to the sifted flour and mix with chopsticks until a crumbled paste forms. Knead the dough on a floured board as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Add flour as necessary to form a soft, elastic dough which is not too sticky to handle. Wrap with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about an hour. Divide the dough in quarters, and roll each quarter into a rope approximately 1” in diameter. Cut these into segments of about 5/8”, flatten with the palm, then roll out into a disk approximately 3” to 3-1/2” diameter, and 1/16” to 1/8” thick.

Keep all dough and rolled skins covered to prevent drying. As I said, the skins can be purchased or the dough kneaded and rolled with a pasta machine, but texture and tradition will be sacrificed.

Making the dumplings:

The manipulation required for making jiaozi may appear daunting, but it is really very simple: essentially, the round disk of dough is folded with the filling inside, and the fold furthest from you is pleated as it is pressed to the fold closest to you, resulting in the traditional scalloped crescent-shaped packet. Place a circle of dough flat in your left hand. Moisten the edge all the way around with water, then using a spoon or chopsticks, place approximately a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. (If the dough is fresh and moist, the water may not be necessary.) Fold the skin, and before the edges touch, grasp them with your right thumb and index finger, and beginning at the fold, pleat the outside edge, guiding the dough with your left fingers and press it to the inside (see photos). As you do this from right to left, you will create a dumpling, which, when set aside on a piece of parchment paper or floured board, will form a flat side perfect for browning when making potstickers. With a little practice, this process will become second nature. Note that if you are making boiled jiaozi the dumpling must be sealed very securely to prevent the water from seeping into the jiaozi while cooking.

The dumplings can be frozen if desired—arrange them without touching each other on a piece of parchment paper or floured tray and place in freezer until the surface of the dumpling is very firm and dry to the touch. You can then put them together in a plastic bag and remove as many as needed in the future.

Dipping Sauce:

Dipping sauce for dumplings is traditional in China, and will usually appear served with potstickers and jiaozi in Western Chinese restaurants. Often, only vinegar is used, especially the famous, dark Qing Kiang vinegar. But all sorts of variations exists; the sauce below is a sweet version:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sweet soy
2 Tab Shao Xing wine or dry sherry
2 Tab rice vinegar, or Qing Kiang vinegar
1-1/2 Tab finely minced ginger, steeped in 1/4 cup hot water for 30 min.

Cooking Guo Tie (potstickers):

Pre-heat a flat bottomed, well-seasoned pan or skillet on medium heat; add peanut oil to a depth of approximately 1/16 inch. Arrange guo tie close together with the flat side of the dumpling in the oil. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes; after a couple of minutes, lift one or two of the dumplings to see how the browning is progressing. Add water to a depth of about 1/8”—be careful, this will spatter. Cover again and turn heat down to low or medium low, for about 4 minutes. After the potstickers are well steamed, uncover and cook for another two minutes, to evaporate any remaining water and to re-crisp the dumplings. Remove dumplings to a platter, and serve with browned sides facing up.

Cooking Jiaozi (boiled dumplings):

One traditional method for cooking jiaozi calls for adding the dumplings to boiling water, then re-boiling after three more additions of cold water. However, this causes the cooking time to vary according to the quantity of water, number of dumplings, and size of pot. I prefer the simpler method of straightforward boiling, depending on the size of the jiaozi.

In a large pot or kettle full of boiling water on high heat, add dumplings and immediately stir very gently to prevent them sticking to the bottom. Once the water is boiling fully, turn heat to med/med high, and boil for 4 to 6 minutes. As always, it is recommended that you test the dumpling to make certain it is done.

If you are boiling or frying frozen dumplings, add approximately 1 minute to the cooking time.

Drain and serve in a shallow bowl or platter. Garnish with sesame oil and minced onion green if desired, although in China jiaozi is generally served without adornment.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Lemon Pork

This is what I had for my supper tonight and it was delicious. Its a Rosemary Conley recipe from the Low Fat Cookbook. It also says it works well with chicken.

1lb (450g) lean pork tenderloin cut in to 1/2in (1cm) slices

12 sring onions

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons choppped fresh parsley

for the sauce

zest and juice of 2 small lemons

1 x 2in (5cm) piece root ginger, peeled and grated

4 tablespoons sherry

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cornflour

Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan. Season the port, place in the wok or pan and brown on both sides.

Combine all the sauce ingredients. Reduce the heat under the pan and pour the sauce over the portk, stirring continuously. Add the spring onions and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with the parsley and seve with rice or noodles and salad.

Serves 4
Per serving: 198KCal/4.2g fat

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Pork Roast Round III Pork Fried Rice

I have certainly gotten my moneys worth from a 2 pound ribeye pork roast that I purchased and first dined on Monday night. The first meal was Raspberry Jalapeno Glazed Pork Roast, Twice Baked Potatoes and Napa Cabbage Slaw, which was fantastic (just scroll back to Monday night for the recipes). Then, Tuesday night, I enjoyed the pork roast with Cuban black beans and rice, which is one of my favorites (recipes are just one day down). The finale for the pork roast was last night when I used the last of it to make a delicious and very simple pork fried rice.

I have made and posted recipes for shrimp and chicken fried rice within the last few months, so I think this will be the final installment in the fried rice trilogy. It is best to chop and prepare all of the ingredients before turning on the stove because, once you start, it goes really fast and there is no time to be chopping onions in the middle of the stir fry. Prepare the sauce by combining 1/4 cup of soy sauce, with 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and 1-2 teaspoons of Asian chili garlic sauce, depending on how hot you like it.

Next, move onto vegetable preparation starting with 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger and 1 large clove of garlic, grated. Set that aside while you chop the vegetables. Start with a bit of green pepper and red onion, then slice some cabbage (you could certainly use slaw mix from the bag) and one green onion. I did have some preshredded carrots that I threw in as well as some broccoli slaw from a bag. Crack one egg into a bowl and wisk to combine. If you are using meat as I am using the left over pork (you could also use left over chicken or steak too) chop into a small dice Finally, have the rice ready to go (it is best to use left over white rice from the night before, so make extra and be sure to save it).

Now, fire up a very large skillet or wok and heat about 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Once hot, add the wisked egg and cook very quickly, like you would a scrambled egg. Remove the egg to a plate and set aside. Add more oil and ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, just 30 seconds or so. Then add the green pepper and onions and cook for a minute or two. Add the cabbage, carrots and broccoli slaw to the pan and stir well to combine. Add the pork (or other meat) to the pan and cook to heat through. Next, return the chopped egg to the pan as well as about 1 cup of left over rice. Again, stir to combine and heat through. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the pan while stirring continuously until all ingredients are evenly coated. Turn off the heat and cover. Allow to sit and let the flavors combine for about 10 minutes. Plate and serve with a sprinkle of chopped green onion.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Pork Goulash with Dumplings

On these cold winters days, you need something warming and substantial for your dinner, so when I saw this Pork Goulash with Dumplings in BBC Good Food Magazine, I thought it would be just the thing. It also allowed me to use up some vegetarian suet I had in the cupboard and a chance to use the smoked paprika my son bought me for Christmas.

It was very good and very easy to make. Having the dumplings meant there was no need for potatoes or rice and I served it with braised red cabbage loosely based on Nigellas recipe in Feast.

Those kind people at the BBC have also put this recipe on their website, which save me from typing it all out again, you can find it HERE

You will note that their dumplings are much smaller and a neater than mine, but I expect they tasted much the same!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Pork with Fennel Peppers

Im not sure what the pepper situation is out there if you have to buy them. I am STILL trying to clear all of ours off the counter, although they are finally dwindling fast. (Admittedly a number of them are going to the compost.) Good thing this turned out to be quite tasty, as I made a big batch to freeze.

If you cant find stewing pork (it doesnt seem to be around much) a piece of shoulder or pork loin rib chops trimmed and cut up will do just fine. If you dont have or use wine, I would put in some lemon and/or orange juice instead. Also, you may wish to hold out a bit of the chicken stock until the end, then stir it in with 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch dissolved in it, for a thicker sauce.

4 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 1 hour prep time

2 large bulbs of fennel (4 cups sliced)
3 to 6 mixed sweet pepeprs (4 cups sliced)
1 large onion
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
500 grams (1 pound) lean stewing pork
2 to 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dry rubbed thyme
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon flaked red chile
1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste

Wash the fennel, and trim away the stem end. Cut off any narrow, tough stems and greenery. (Save a little of the leaves for garnish if you like.) Cut the fennel in half, removing any tough core, then slice into small bite-sized pieces. Wash, core and deseed the peppers, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Peel the onion, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Peel and mince the garlic. Check that the pork is trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, and cook the peppers over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are softened, slightly browned and much reduced in volume. Add them to a large stewing pot. Add a little more oil to the skillet if needed, and cook the fennel until similarly softened, browned and reduced in volume. Add it to the peppers. Repeat with the onion, adding the garlic just a minute or two before you add it to the stew pot. Finally, brown the pork well in the skillet then add it to the vegetables.

Add the wine, chicken stock and seasonings to the stew. You will likely need to adjust the amount of salt depending on how salty the chicken stock is. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes.

Last year around this time I made Vegan Stuffed Peppers and Miso-Tomato Soup. Hmm, tomatoes have been done for a good 2 weeks this year, but its a good year-round soup when made with tinned ones.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Cocoa Cherry Pork Tenderloin – Based on a True Story

My favorite candy growing up was the chocolate covered cherry. I didnt have them often, but when I did, it was always a special treat. The way that thin, crisp chocolate would break away to reveal the florescent red maraschino cherry suspended in the clear syrup was intoxicating.

I almost never eat them anymore; only on the rare occasion my mother, Pauline, or mother-in-law, Peggy, happen to have some out, usually around the holidays. One such occasion came on my recent trip back to Clifton Springs, NY, and as I enjoyed the sweet treat a strange thought popped into my brain. What about a savory dish that celebrated the same basic flavors?

I remembered seeing Alton Brown use cocoa in a rub for chicken, and since I had a pork tenderloin sitting in the fridge, just a shelf away from a jar of black cherry preserves, I figured, why not?

I really loved how this came out, and while its obviously an unsweetened version of chocolate being used, the plate definitely had some of the same culinary DNA as my beloved candied cherries. Anyway, thats the odd-but-true story of how this recipe ended up here, and as usual, I hope you give it a try and tell me what you think. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-2 pork tenderloins

salt as needed

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the rub:

2 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle

For the sauce:

1/3 cup cherry preserves

1/3 cup white vinegar

big pinch of oregano

View the complete recipe

Friday, March 14, 2014

Pork Roast with Mushrooms and Brown Sugar Apricot Pomegranate Sauce

Slow cooker pork roast with apricot jam.

My first pork roast recipe- ever. And it's a home run. I apologize for the sports metaphor but I've been sitting at my desk for an hour. And not a single sentence has been birthed. Even after one hot mother of a mug of coffee (and a decaf peppermint green tea that really doesn't count because, well, it's tea), I'm still in a post Sunday fog today, basking in the afterglow of a Sunday afternoon spent with friends. We ate and drank our way through six hours of non-stop conversation. I get all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. And I'm more than a little tempted to wax poetic about friendship and how we choose our true family and what a head banging blue-in-the-face relief it is to sit at a table with soulful people who wrestle with big questions and hunger for authenticity and integrity while also making you laugh out loud without covering your teeth and feel proud of your mayo-free potato salad.

But I won't. I'll tell you about my first pork roast instead.

I'll say it up front. It took decades to get me here- to ease into a place in my life where I might actually, finally, consider buying a hunk of pork and roasting it. I started off slowly, slyly, trying turkey bacon ten years ago. Then I graduated to the real deal roughly six years ago. Organic Sunday smoked bacon. Nitrate-free, of course. And when my body did not protest and the world as I knew it did not go up in a hellish ball of blistering flames, I decided to move on to the hard stuff. I was ready.

It was finally time to roast a pork loin. And Dear Reader- was I intimidated. You know it. In fact yours truly was almost quaking in her Rocket Dogs. Well, maybe not quaking. More like, shivery-nervous. So I decided two things.

First- that I would use my trusty slow cooker. Simple. Familiar. Not too much to screw up. Second- that I would make a sauce with pomegranate juice and a jar of apricot jam. It just seemed like a good fit.

And guess what? Tender, juicy, tangy-sweet deliciousness ensued.

Read more + get the recipe >>

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Pork Fried Quinoa – Oh Say Can You Seed

Finally, after only five or six hundred requests, we’re posting a quinoa recipe! People love eating this “super food” for all the obvious nutritional reasons, but based on the emails I’ve received, they’re constantly searching for new and delicious ways to use it.

Well, this was so tasty, so fast, and so easy, I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t make it into the regular rotation. And don’t think for a minute that we’ve simply overwhelmed the quinoa with a bunch of high-calorie, unhealthy ingredients, because that’s not the case. Not that I’m above such culinary shenanigans; but it just wasn’t necessary.

I was really surprised how decadent and satisfying this seemed, and with only a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a handful of very lean smoked ham. These tiny quinoa seeds (that’s right, now you can sound like a d-bag correcting your foodie friends at cocktail parties who call this a “grain”) really are sponges for flavor. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t wait to experiment with other quinoa creations.

By the way, if you’re an experienced quinoa cooker, and have any great tips, please pass them along. I’m not sure how this would work with the other varieties/colors of quinoa. I assume it would, but have never used them. I also used less water than the directions call for, but wanted the seeds to be a little “al dente,” which seemed to work well here.

Anyway, whether you’re an experienced quinoaista or a newbie like me, I hope you give this delicious pork-fried quinoa a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small servings:

1 cup quinoa

salt to taste

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup diced smoked ham

1/2 cup diced peppers

1/2 cup sliced green onions

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 or 2 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste

Sriracha, or any hot sauce to taste

toasted sesame seeds to taste

View the complete recipe

Bonus Quinoa Esoterica:

When my friend Tamar, from the always entertaining blog Starving Off the Land, heard I was doing a quinoa post, she sent me this photo. At first glace, this looks like some new variety of grey quinoa, but theyre actually tiny oysters! Tamar farms oysters on Cape Cod, and youre looking at roughly 50,000 baby bivalves. Simply amazing. Thanks, Tamar!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

ULTRA TENDER PORK RIBS

This is more of a cooking technique than a recipe. Ive made country style boneless pork ribs using this technique for as long as I can remember and they are fork tender every time. I am guessing that most of the experienced cooks out there already know this method, but there might be a few younger ones who would like to try this.

Look for boneless country style pork ribs (the leaner the better) in the meat market. An hour before you want to grill, cut them in to sections about 4" long and put in a large sauce pan and enough water to cover them. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper.

Bring this to a boil on high. After a few minutes, you will see some "crud" float to the surface. Dont get grossed out, but it will look like this:

Skim it off and throw it away (you may have to do this a couple of times). Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and boil for 45 minutes. Pull one of the pieces of pork out of the pan and see if it is fork tender. If not, boil for another 15 minutes (but no longer). Some pork tends to be tougher than others.

Drain pork and put it into a bowl. Drizzle with enough melted butter to coat each piece. Put the pork onto the barbecue grill and coat with your favorite barbecue sauce. Keep turning and basting until the barbecue sauce starts to crisp up on the edges (usually only takes about 10-15 minutes tops.

These ribs are So flavorful and you dont even need a knife to cut them. I hope you will try this technique.

NOTE: Country style pork ribs are usually cut about 2" wide and 10" or so long. Ask your butcher if you cant find them. Make sure you get the boneless ones (better value).