Beijing Hot Noodles

I saw this recipe while looking through a cookbook on Food Trucks. It is a new e-cookbook offered through epicurious. I found it online at serious eats.

• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 green onions, minced (more if they are small)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/4 cup ground bean sauce (you can find this at Talin Market)
• 1 (12-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 1 tablespoon chile oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
• 1/2 pound or less rice vermicelli noodles, soaked
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced

 Heat the oil in a wok or heavy, deep sauté pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the green onions and ground pork and cook until the pork is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the ground bean sauce, tofu, chile oil, salt, and sugar and toss to coat, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the sesame oil and pepper, stir, and turn off the heat.

Divide the lo mein noodles among individual plates, place the cucumber alongside, and top the noodles with the pork and tofu mixture. Serve immediately.

** We all thought this needed to be much spicier. It was nice. I look forward to making Vietnamese rolls with the leftovers. It was a super quick dish to make. 

Kielbasa simmered in beer with onions and cabbage

I used to make this dish without the cabbage when I first got a Martha Stewart cookbook. I couldn't find her recipe online attributed to her, but I found this one from cooks.com that is identical. I have amended the recipe below to how I cooked it.

2 T butter

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cabbage, sliced
2 Kielbasas
2 (12 oz.) bottles beer (I used Rio Grande with green chile)

1. In a large heavy skillet melt the butter and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent.

2. Add the Kielbasa to the pan and brown it 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

3. Add the cabbage on top. 

4. Pour the beer over the top. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the cabbage is how you like it.

**Cooking it this way in beer makes the dish a bit sweet. Nice for a change although my daughter said the dish tasted 'beer-y'. hmm.

Chile Verde- Slow Cooker

After grinding some pork for the meatloaf, I had extra pork shoulder. This looked like a great recipe to try, especially with the green chiles we received in the harvest box this week and the tomatoes I still have in my garden. This recipe comes from the cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining. I couldn't find the recipe online, but you can get the cookbook at Page One.

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 T oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 large ripe or 5-6 canned tomatoes, chopped (I used my romas from the garden)
12-15 roasted green chiles, cut into 1/2 to 1" wide strips
pinch ground cumin
1/2 t salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pat the meat dry with paper towels. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 T oil until hot. Add the meat in batches and cook until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes, adding the remaining oil as necessary. Transfer to the slow cooker along with all but 1 T of the pan juices.
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until limp; add to the slow cooker along with the tomatoes, chiles, and cumin. Add water just to cover (or a bit less) Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily when pressed with a spoon, 6-8 hours. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

**Very tender, but needed to be spicier for me. The green chiles just weren't hot enough. The next day I tore up a corn tortilla and mixed it up with the chile verde. That was tasty. If I make this again, I will use stock instead of water.

Sausage and Kale Tart

I put this recipe on the menu this week thinking we would get kale from LPO. Since we got chard, I made this dish with chard. I had some sausage that I bought from LPO a while back. Be aware that the filling in this dish is loose- so you'll need a strong tart shell to handle it. I cut back on the butter in the shell. Next time I would consider putting some parmesan in the crust. The recipe was a winner in the 'best dirt cheap dinner' contest on food52.com.

the Tart Shell

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 pinch salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Cut the butter into small cubes. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor.   Pulse until butter is pea-sized. Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.  Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.   Place disc on a lightly floured board.  Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Dock dough with a fork.  Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.
Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

the Sausage and Kale Filling

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 bunch kale (a large bunch)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 egg
1/4 cup ricotta
salt and pepper

Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.

Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrap any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.

Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

 **I think this was a nice dish. It was definitely hearty. The basil mixed nicely with the Italian sausage spices.

Mini Skillet Meatloaves

Since I didn't end up making the eggplant stir fry, I had some LPO ground pork thawed and needing to be used. I found some ground beef in the freezer from Whole Foods, so I decided to do a quick meatloaf. These are very quick since they are made individually. You can find the recipe on the Food Network site.
Below is my version (I used less sugar than in the original recipe).

• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (GF)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (chipotle is nice)
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
• 1 1/2 pounds meat (ground beef and pork)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

Mix the breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, egg, Worcestershire sauce, onion, chili powder and garlic in a large bowl. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until combined. Shape into six 3-to-4-inch oval loaves.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the loaves and brown about 3 minutes per side.
Whisk the ketchup, sugar and vinegar in a bowl and brush a few tablespoonfuls over the meat. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet, cover and simmer over low heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes. (This time depends on how thick your loaf is- so watch it)
Transfer the loaves to a plate.


Per serving: Calories 380; Fat 24 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 111 mg; Sodium 800 mg; Carbohydrate 16 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 23 g

 **This were great. Very similar to the hamburgers that I make. Very quick and easy.

Rosemary Dijon Pork Loin

This recipe came the Food Network. I am leaving the rosemary in the ingredients, but I didn't use it.

• 1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim any excess fat from the pork loin, leaving a thin-layer of fat over the top.
Evenly rub the entire pork loin with the Dijon mustard followed by the onion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Make sure to really rub in the spices, and then sprinkle the
rosemary evenly all over the top.
Place the pork in roasting pan lined with a rack and roast for 20 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F, and continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145 degrees F, about 1 hour more. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and pork and arrange on a platter garnished with rosemary sprigs.

**I cooked it till the internal temperature reached 160. It was moist and fork tender. I also cooked it on a cookie sheet. It did not brown up- you'll need to sear it first if you want it to be brown. Delicious- keeper.

Swedish Meatballs/Kottbullar

Once I had decided on the potato salad with herring that seems pretty Scandinavian to me, I thought some Swedish meatballs might be a good accompaniment. I found this recipe on a Swedish site. I am not a big meatball fan, so we'll so how they go over! I have some lingonberry jam that I'll serve with them.

4–6 servings

500 g (18 oz) ground (minced) beef/pork mixture
250 ml (1¼ cup) milk
75 g (¾ cup) white breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 onion
salt, white pepper
ground allspice
Preparation

Finely dice the onion and sauté gently in a little butter without browning. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Blend the ground meat, preferably in a food processor, with the onion, egg, milk/breadcrumb mixture and the spices to the proper consistency and taste. Add a little water if the mixture feels too firm. Check the taste by test-frying one meatball. Then shape small meatballs with the aid of two spoons and place on water-rinsed plates. Brown a generous pat of butter in a frying pan, and when it “goes quiet” place the meatballs in the pan and let them brown on all sides. Shake the frying pan often. Serve with potato purée or boiled potatoes and raw stirred lingonberries.

Chipotle Pork Tamale Casserole

This is the second half of the adobo pork recipe from the Ultimate Slow Cooker cook book.

Prep: 15 minutes (if using pre-made polenta)
Bake: 35 minutes
Serves 4

1 16 oz tube refrigerated cooked polenta, sliced 1/2" thick (or make your own)
Reserved pork and sauce from Adobo Pork (3C of pork and 2C sauce)
1 C shredded cheese
1/2 C chopped tomato (1 medium)
1/4 C sliced green onion (2)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a 2 qt square baking dish, arrange polenta slices, overlapping as necessary. Top with the reserved pork. Remove layer of fat from sauce. Spoon most of the sauce* over the pork. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or more till cheese is melted. Sprinkle tomato and green onion over casserole.

*The recipe says use 1/2 C of the sauce, then serve the rest of the sauce with the meal. I found it was too dry that way, so I add all of the sauce and don't pass it.

Per serve: 488 cal, 21g fat, 143 mg chol, 1215 sodium, 27 g carbo, 4 g fiber, 44 g protein.

**I made the polenta instead of buying it. It was not as delicious as I remember. My husband liked it, though. I've included a picture before I added shredded lettuce.

Adobo Pork Tostadas

I picked up this slow cooker cookbook, Better Homes and Garden Ultimate Slow Cooker,  when I was waiting for my husband at Lowes. Almost everything I have tried has been good. This recipe is designed for two different dishes. The first being the tostadas and the second being a Tamale Casserole. My comment on it was "Good, not spicy".

Prep 30 minutes
Cook 10-12 hours (low) or 5-6 hours (high)

1 3-31/2 lb boneless pork shoulder roast
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 C chicken broth
2 T finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced (1T)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/4 t black pepper
OPT:
1 C refried beans
1 C chopped tomato
1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced
1 C queso fresco
1/2 C sour cream

Trim fat from pork; cut pork into chunks. Place pork in a 4-5 qt slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together the rest of the ingredients. Pour over pork in cooker. Cover and cook as above.
Remove pork from cooker when finished and shred the pork. Reserve half of the pork and 2 C of the sauce for the Tamale casserole (store in separate containers). Mix the remaining pork with 1/2 C of the sauce.
Make tostadas or tacos as you like.

**Very nice. Tender. I used an internet photo from chowhound- I ate my tacos too fast. : )

Baked Porkchops with Apples

I got some pork chops from the warehouse (before the new exciting delivery change!) I wanted to try baking them to keep them moist. This recipe came courtesy of a user named ladypit on food.com There were quite a few comments about baking them less- I'll be doing that and using a thermometer to make sure they are done.

Serves 6

6 pork chops
2 T butter
4 apples
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet.
4. Brown the pork chops on both sides in the butter.
5. Grease (or spray) a large baking dish.
6. Put the apple slices in the bottom of the dish.
7. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.
8. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the apples.
9. Place the pork chops on top of the apples.
10. Cover with foil and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.

 

 

** I cooked 4 pork chops with 2 1/2 apples for 30 minutes and it was done. This is a nice dish and very easy to make. Next time I will trim the fat before I cook it.