JBug's Kitchen Antics

Pork Ribs with Ginger BBQ Sauce

Oh 'dem ribs, 'dem beautiful ribs. Big Guy has me spoiled with his long and slow BBQ ribs and unfortunately everything pales in comparison, including these but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do so I figured I'd branch out on my own yesterday and cook up a mess for dinner last night. 

After I removed the membrane from the back and gave the rack a good rub with lots of pepper, garlic and adobo seasoning, I wrapped 'em up all cozy in foil, poured in a can of beer and shoved the package in a 350 oven for an hour so the ribs could steam and get all juicy and tender like. It left me just enough time to whip up a batch of potato salad and soak some fresh corn for grillin' later.

Oh and then there's the barbecue sauce. We have a slew of Big Guy's homemade sauce in the refrigerator left over from the meatloaf, but since he's not about to part with his secret recipe, I knew I'd have to have something to tell you. Page 149 of this month's Food Network Magazine holds a recipe for a ginger flavored sauce that's just a little different from the usual. (Hit the link and it'll take you directly to the recipe). 

Starting with sauteed onion, ginger and garlic, it brews up in about 20 minutes after the addition of apple juice, oyster sauce and apple cider vinegar. Spiced with red pepper flakes and smoothed out with the immersion blender it came together pretty quickly. The only trouble is that I thought it was a tad too subtle in flavor, even after adding more pepper flakes and a good shot of apple jack to the mix. 

You see, ribs just aren't the same without that smoky flavor, at least in my book, so even though Big Guy fired up the gas grill and finished the ribs, glazing them up all pretty like with Ginger BBQ Sauce, in my opinion they just didn't taste as good as they should have. 

By the way, the white "snow" on the corn is a mixture of crumbled feta cheese and lime zest that we sprinkled on the grilled corn as soon as it came off the heat. Talk about wonderful and as for the potato salad - well, I didn't measure a thing so can't tell you much except that I'm not sure you can make a bad one, so just wing it like I did, OK?  

Oh one more thing - Big Guy's feeling a little less stiff and sore this morning, although his finger tips are cut up and his right hand's swollen for some reason. His comment as he groaned his way out of bed was "getting old isn't bad, but getting old in 3 days really sucks". 

A year ago - Rhubarb Apple Diddle Dumplings

Two year's ago - Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

Onion Pie and Barbecued Meatloaf

Big Guy's going to be asking "what holiday" as this long weekend comes to a close. He had quite the day yesterday! Between laying backsplash tile and several trips to Home Depot, he managed to cook breakfast as well as whip up 5 lovely individual meat loaves for our dinner last night. Talk about an overachiever!

We've shared his meat loaf recipe with you in the past but it's just too darn tasty not to make over and over, particularly now that barbecue/grilling season is upon us. Loaded with ground beef, pork and spicy hot Italian sausage along with tons of garlic, jalapeno's, sun dried tomatoes and chopped mushrooms, there's not much filler in these babies - just pure unadulterated meat.  The mushrooms really help to keep the loaves moist while they cook for an hour over charcoal flavored by alder chips and the resulting smoky flavor is absolutely incomparable. Hit this link and it'll take you to the recipe! 

I'm always on the lookout for a new side dish, so when I saw the recipe for Onion Pie in the Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook Big Guy brought back from his Grand Canyon hike for me last weekend, I just had to give it a try.

This simple pie has got most all the same ingredients as a quiche but is much lighter thanks to an untraditional crust made from crushed saltine crackers. Baked in a 9 x 13 pan, it comes out thinner than a normal pie, but absolutely packed with onion flavor and a perfect creamy textured, mild flavored foil for the spicy meatloaf. It's definitely going on our "keeper" list. 

Onion Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook)

48 saltine crackers

1/2 cup butter, melted and divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 extra large onions, thinly sliced

1/2 pound grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups whole milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and course ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Place saltine crackers into a large zip bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add all but 2 tablespoons butter to the crumbs, close bag and mix together well. Pour 2/3 of the crumbs into a 9 x 13 pan and press evenly onto the bottom.

Heat oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter together in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until onions are softened but not browned. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Arrange onions on top of cracker crumbs in pan and top with grated cheese. Heat milk in microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour slowly over beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Season with salt and coarse ground black pepper, and pour egg/milk mixture over cheese and onions in pan. Sprinkle with reserved cracker crumbs and top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before plating. Makes 8 servings.

A year ago - Buffalo Shrimp on Lemon Caesar Salad 

Two year's ago - Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

Keep It Simple

Sometimes you just have to have a simple, uncomplicated meal and last night was our turn for one regardless of the fact I haven't exactly been cooking high on the hog lately. 

Last night the hog in our case included simple pan fried bone in chops, that hit a very hot, large cast iron pan for 4 minutes on one side. After that, I flipped those beauties and took the pan off the heat to allow the residual heat to finish the cooking job while I stuffed the baked acorn squash with a quick sorta' home made bread stuffing and newked a couple of little Yukon golds.

Five minutes later we had dinner ready in a jiffy with its down home comfort kinda' taste. By the way in case you're wondering what's in the little ramekin, I simply mixed a couple of tablespoons of applesauce with a teaspoon of horseradish and called it a sauce. I figured it would go very well with the pork, but I had no idea how wonderful it would be. It was really the hit of the evening!

Well people, I hope you have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. Isn't it wonderful we're almost at the end of May and  soon I'll be able to brag about the fact we'll be leaving "this month" for our annual vacation in Oregon. Can't wait to turn the calendar to June! 

A year ago - Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole 

Two year's ago - Manhattan Clam Chowder

 

Lasagna - it's different...honest!

It may not be news to you, but it certainly was to me when I realized that one could use something other than noodles to make a pan of lasagna. After all, it's not greek to people in Greece because they've been doing it for centuries when making moussaka (eggplant and potato slices) so when I saw this in myrecipes.com I knew I just had to give it a try.

A marinara sauce chock full of veggies including onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms and zucchini fortified with Italian sausage and slathered between layers of polenta - why it's darn near sinful. I think it would be dynamite with some diced carrots, and/or sauteed spinach too and even a layer of roasted red peppers would be wonderful if you're trying to get more veggies into your family.

Of course I had to spice up the sauce a bit, added a little red wine and definitely used more cheese than they recommended, but I did cheat and use a tube of Trader Joe's prepared polenta and nobody would have been the wiser if I hadn't fessed up just now. Oh well!

This Polenta Lasagna is absolutely delicious, soul satisfying, heart warming and perfect for a fast weeknight dinner or a knifeless nosh while you're watching the hockey playoffs in front of the telly, or a taped version of the Voice like we were. Served with a tossed salad on the side, it certainly met with fist pumping approval in our house. 

Hit the link here for the recipe direct from the source (Cooking Light), and here's my version for your viewing pleasure. By the way, you'll see that I made it in one large casserole, but it would be a great candidate for individual ramekins or even muffin cups, although it might be a little messy when you're removing them. Just sayin'.

Polenta Lasagna (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 red pepper pepper, finely diced

1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 medium zucchini, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup red wine

1 – 26 ounce jar marinara sauce, divided (I used Trader Joe’s)

1 – 15 ounce tube of polenta, cut into 18 slices (I used Trader Joe’s)

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan and when oil is shimmering add onion and red pepper. Sauté until onion is softened – about 3 minutes, stirring often. Crumble in Italian sausage and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and coarse ground black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then stir in red wine. Simmer until wine has almost completely evaporated – another minute or 2.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and place a half cup of marinara sauce on the bottom.

Stir remaining marinara sauce into the sauté pan, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce is quite thick.

Place 9 slices of polenta in the casserole dish on top of the half cup of marinara sauce. Cover with half of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Add another layer of polenta slices, the remaining meat sauce and top with the rest of the grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover from casserole and continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until casserole is bubbling. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings. 

A year ago - Bolognese with Panko Crusted Eggplant and Zucchini 

Two year's ago - Carne Asada in Fajitas

Maui Chile Verde - well kinda' verde

Much like the Maui taco's we told you about some time ago, this isn't what you think. We had a ton of the pork carne adovada filling and grilled pineapple leftover from a recent family event and put the leftovers in the freezer for another time. 

While we could have gone ahead and repeated what we had the last time ...you're lookin' at it, I decided to use some imagination and make a batch of green chile verde instead. The only problem is it turned out a little more red than green because of all the spice mixture already mixed into the pork. It may look a little strange but it sure doesn't taste that way.

A base of sauteed onions, anaheim and green peppers, and garlic along with cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano make up the spicy basis of this bowl of yum. Add chicken stock, salsa verde and a single bottle of Mexican beer as well as some simmering time and this was the result. 

We loved the spicy pork flavor and the sweetness of the pineapple which really cut the heat down, in fact just enough that a garnish of pickled jalapenos and some sour cream was the perfect thing. 

So next time you're having a bunch of people over, serve some Maui taco's and make sure you make extra. Then you can revamp the dregs into a delicious pot of chile becauuse believe me, there's no way this lives up to what we normally thing of as the leftovers. It's so delicious you'll want leftover leftovers. 

Maui Chile (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large Anaheim pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 bay leaf

1 cup salsa verde (I used Herdez)

1 – 14 ounce can low sodium chicken stock

1 – 12 ounce bottle Mexican beer (I used Modelo)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 pounds prepared maui taco filling – see recipe below

Garnish with sour cream, pickled jalapenos

Heat oil in a large dutch oven until shimmering. Add onion, bell and Anaheim peppers and cook until onion softens. Add garlic and cook another minute, then stir in flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, then add oregano, cumin and coriander. Stir in salsa verde, chicken stock and beer. Drop in bay leaf. Cook stirring until mixture comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and add maui taco filling. Simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Cover pot if you find the mixture is getting too thick and/or add more chicken stock.  Serve garnished with sour cream and pickled jalapenos. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Maui Tacos

Meat – Carne Adovada

30 dried chile de arbol, stems removed

2 dried New Mexico chile’s stems removed

1 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

10 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/4 cup red chile powder (mild)

2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 pounds pork loin, cut into half inch cubes

In a spot pot, boil water. Add chiles, cover and let soften for 20 minutes. After they’ve softened, drain chiles reserving liquid. Place chiles into a blender along with canola oil and 2 tablespoons of reserved liquid and blend until completely pureed. Pour over cubed pork; add garlic powder, garlic, cumin, red chile powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for a minimum 4 hours or overnight.

Maui Tacos:

Add to above meat mixture:

1/2 cup chopped Maui sweet onion

1 – 14 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained

On a large flat top grill or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat.  Add meat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  If using large skillet – cook meat in batches so pan is not crowded. Cook until meat is browned and onion and pineapple have caramelized.

Serve with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with Pineapple Salsa, fresh chopped cilantro, queso fresco cheese, guacamole and sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime.  

 

Salisbury Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Talk about a perfect marriage - moist tender meat patties in a flavorful gravy studded with sauteed onions and garlic, served beside a bed of creamy tangy horseradish mashed potatoes. It couldn't get any better than that!

A perfect week night meal, if you're on the ball at all this one takes exactly a half hour to put together, including the tossed salad we had on the side. I simply formed a mixture of ground pork and beef mixed with some dry Italian breadcrumbs, a couple of egg whites I had hiding in the fridge and lots of ground pepper and salt and browned them for a few minutes a side. Removed from the pan to hold for a minute, I added a sliced onion and a huge clove of minced garlic to the pan along with a smidge of butter and sauteed the onion till it was soft and started to turn golden. I quickly stirred in a couple of tablespoons of flour, and after letting it rip for a minute added the rest of the gravy ingredients per the instructions on myrecipe.com. 

Hit the link to see their official version as it's even quicker than the one I put together. I just couldn't pass up making more gravy and adding the onion and garlic, never mind some additional sherry. Oh you'll see I also used ground pork and beef rather than the ground turkey and ground round they called for. Hey it was cheaper and pork is just as lean as turkey these days.

The meat patties hit the gravy and simmered for another 10 minutes while I mixed some sour cream, half and half and horseradish into the boiled potatoes and gave it all a good mash. What's more to say, except we can hardly wait for lunch for the leftovers.

You'd be very smart to put this one on your menu this week - maybe even add some mushrooms to the gravy if any of you are mushroom lovers. Regardless, you'll be tempted to lick your plate. It's that good! 

Salisbury Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (adapted from myrecipes.com)

3/4 pound lean ground beef

3/4 pound ground pork

1/2 cup dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Combine ingredients together, mixing with your hands. Pat lightly into 6 portions and place on a sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 – 10.5 ounce can French onion soup (Campbell’s)

1 cup water

1/2 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons steak sauce (I used HP)

1 -1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium high. Add prepared meat patties and brown on both sides – total about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add butter to pan and when melted, add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened and starts to brown. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly mix in onion soup, water, sherry, steak sauce, worcestershire and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Stir together to combine well and cook until mixture is thickened. Return browned meat patties to the pan, cover and simmer for 10. Remove cover from pan and simmer additional 5 minutes. Serve with horseradish mashed potatoes. Serves 4 to 6.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

5 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1/3 cup sour cream (or more as needed)

2 tablespoons half and half

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Cook potatoes in salted water until done – about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pot. Place over low heat and toss until potatoes are dried. Mash well, then add sour cream, half and half and horseradish. Whisk together until potatoes are light and creamy, adding more sour cream as needed for a creamy consistency. 

A year ago - Making Homemade Bacon 

Two year's ago - Chicken Paillards with Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Back Ribs with Fresh Corn Saute'

Grilling season is upon us once again, although here in the sunny Southwest it's darn near a year round enjoyment. The challenge is often coming up with something new and different to try.

Every once in awhile I hit the Fine Cooking web site and rarely come away from it unhappy. This time I couldn't resist their recipe for baby back ribs. Only thing is, it was "stankin'" hot here yesterday (over 100) and since Big Guy spent the entire weekend marking papers, we decided to roast the ribs inside and merely glaze them on the outside grill. 

After Big Guy took the membrane off the back, we seasoned the ribs well with salt and pepper, minced garlic and an onion, then placed them into a foil packet along with a cup of apple cider. Wrapped up well, they roasted at 350 for 80 minutes. After they cooled slightly, we coated them in the glaze made of hoisin, root beer, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha glaze and grilled them till they were brown, crispy and shiny.

If you head to Fine Cooking's site, you'll notice their version was done completely on the grill and the glaze included kecap manis - we happened to be out of that sweet Indonesian style soy sauce so I substituted hoisin instead.  

Lorraine over at Figs and Artichokes recently posted her version of Hoisin Ribs and I really wish I'd followed her footsteps because the Chinese 5 Spice Powder she used in hers, never mind the sherry would have been a great addition to this version. I found them a little lacking in flavor, but since Big Guy normally does the rib cookin' around here, it could be I was missing the smoky flavor. Saying all of that, these were moist, tender and OK. I'm just spoiled and that's all there is too it.

Our side dish last night also from Fine Cooking included fresh corn, sauteed with bacon, red onion, green pepper, and garlic and finished with chives, parsley and a dash of hot sauce. Served warm with a squeeze of lemon, it was absolutely fabulously delicious and a great accompanyment to the ribs. Incidentally, the lemon could be replaced with lime juice but for heaven's sake, don't leave it out. It makes a huge difference and really freshens up the flavors. 

Hit the link and head directly to Fine Cooking for the recipe. We made it as listed with one exception - we cut the recipe in half and we used our home smoked side bacon instead of the back bacon they recommend. 

I know I'm being a lazy lout for not listing the recipes below, but our little Maxer had a long string of seizures last night and he's a might fragile at the moment. He needs his Momma so I've gotta run. Hope you all have a super day! 

A year ago - Lamb Sausage Rolls

Two year's ago - Chicken Chili Caliente

Grilled Cuban Style Pork Chops

I have to admit to a certain affinity for the sight, sounds and flavors of the Caribbean and Latin America likely due to some long, cold and dark winter nights spent dreaming of the sun, sand and sea. When I worked for the hockey club, many's the midnight I'd spend clearing the snow and frost off my car before driving home on slick roads after a game and believe me when I say I cherish the memories but I don't miss it one bit. Living in Tucson now kinda' takes the bite out of winter as it's grill season year round here which is a good thing.

Last night's dinner took mere minutes to cook after the gargantuan porterhouse style pork chops marinated for two hours. The marinade's the key to the Island flavors and it is composed of fresh orange and lime juice along with lots of garlic, oregano, cumin and oil of course and infuses the meat with all those lovely flavors. Just be careful not to over soak the pork or it will have a spongy texture as it almost "cooks" in the acidic juices so longer is not better in this case.

Grilled for 4 to 5 minutes a side the chops are topped with sliced ham slices that I warmed slightly on the grill, and Swiss cheese slices. With the grill cover down for a few minutes, the cheese melts all nice and gooey and the sour dill pickle slices hit the chops just before they hit the plate. 

The results are different and delicious - perfectly cooked to a lovely moist barely pink inside, the flavor's like the Cuban Sandwich we've enjoyed here before sans the bread of course. We had our chops with a salad of black beans, corn, sweet onion and jalapeno peppers in a citrus vinaigrette but fried plantains or a baked sweet potato would be wonderful too.

We can thank Bobby Flay for this creation. I changed it up by necessity as I didn't like the looks of the pork loin chops that were available at the supermarket so rather than butterfly and stuff the chops with the ham/cheese/pickle mixture, I topped them instead. Hit the link here to Food Network's site for Bobby's original recipe so you can check it out. Otherwise, you'll find my version below. 

Grilled Cuban Style Pork Chops (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Bobby Flay via Foodnetwork.com)

2 large 8 ounce porterhouse style pork chops

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk marinade ingredients together until well blended. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the mixture and set aside. Place the remainder into a large zip bag along with the pork chops and refrigerate for a maximum of 2 hours.

Salt & pepper

4 ounces thin sliced deli ham

4 ounces Swiss cheese cut into quarter inch slices

Sour Dill pickle chips

Vegetable Oil.  

To cook – Brush oil on grill and preheat grill to medium hot. Remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. Pat chops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place chops on grill and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flips chops over and cook for additional 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile heat ham slightly on grill until barely warm. Top chops with ham followed by Swiss cheese slices. Cover grill and cook additional minute or two until cheese is melted and chops are barely pink inside. Remove from grill to serving plate and drizzle chops with reserved marinade mixture.  Garnish with dill pickle chips. Serves 2.

A year ago - Grilled Lamb Chops with Wheatberry Salad

Two year's ago - Pasta in Vodka Sauce with Sausage

Home Made Pork, Peccary and Apple Sausages

As you know, Big Guy's been on a sausage making kick and last night's dinner was a celebration of his first batch of home made sausage of the unsmoked kind. Sausage makin' can be a bit tricky particularly if you want to smoke it because in order to avoid botulism it requires the addition of nitrates; however, nitrates are not needed when you're making fresh unsmoked sausage. Bonus, eh?

While the Big Guy included some of this season's javalina mixed with pork, this version of sausage can be made with pork only, if you're not lucky enough to have some wild pig on hand. Moistened with fresh apples and seasoned with marjoram, sage, Herbs de Provence and nutmeg, the flavor and texture is absolutely out of this world.

It cooks up like a dream, except silly me forgot to pierce the skins to prevent them from exploding. One did but you're looking at the survivor. Next time around we may add an additional apple, more nutmeg and maybe a touch of cinnamon too but quite honestly these are absolutely delicious just as you're looking at 'em. That's really something for this non wild meat lover to admit.

If you're not into using casings, just form the meat into patties and cook them in a little butter or oil, but using the casings is more than worth the extra effort. We found ours at Sportsman's Warehouse, but you can definitely find them on-line too. Just follow the package directions for rinsing and soaking them before you stuff the sausage. 

As you can see from the plate, what goes better with sausage than potatoes. Last night's version is a quick oven baked hashbrown casserole adapted from the Best of Bridge Series' of Cookbooks. Loaded with frozen hashbrowns along with sour cream, mushroom soup and cheese it can be lightened up by using fat free products, if you're so inclined and spiced up with chopped green chiles or jalapenos too, although believe it or not I made it without. A perfect dish for a buffet, it'll go with darn near anything. Just double the recipe to feed 10 to 12. 

Home Made Pork and Apple Sausages (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food.com)

4 pounds pork belly, (we used a combination of pork belly and javalina)

2 large onions cut in large dice

2 to 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

4 teaspoons marjoram

2 – 3 teaspoons dried sage (be careful as it can be overpowering)

4 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Coarse ground black pepper

Sea salt

200 grams fresh white breadcrumbs, finely ground (approximately 1.5 cups)

Put pork through a grinder into a large bowl, followed by the onion and the apple. Add herbs, nutmeg and eyeball the salt and pepper. Mix well using your hands to incorporate the spices then put the meat through the grinder one more time if you wish a finer texture. Mix in breadcrumbs.  Cook a small amount in a skillet and taste to test the seasoning, adding more as required. Be careful with the sage as it tends to be a little overpowering.

Prepare sausage casings according to package directions and fill skins with sausage, going slowly so that the skins do not burst. Twist the finished sausages into required size.  Freeze in zip bags. 

Baked Hash Brown Casserole (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Best of Bridge Series Cookbook, The Best of the Best)

1 pound frozen hash browns, partially thawed

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 – 10 ounce can low fat, low sodium mushroom soup

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

6 ounce can chopped green chiles (optional)

1 large jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)

1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a medium sized casserole with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine hash browns, sour cream, mushroom soup, melted butter, onion flakes, salt, pepper, grated cheddar as well as green chiles and jalapeno pepper if using. Mix well to combine. Transfer to casserole dish and top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6. 

 A year ago - Catfish a la Cajun

Two year's ago - Not So Irish Lamb Stew

Twice Cooked Pork aka Leftovers

We make this sandwich around here called "Southern Illinois Barbecue". It's an old family recipe all the way from Marion, Illinois and basically thinly sliced leftover pork loin roast, browned up till crispy on a flat top grill. Normally served on a plain burger bun that's been slapped on the grill to toast up a tad and topped with a mustard flavored slaw and barbecue sauce, it's drippy, crunchy and awesomely delicious. We've had it here before - see?

Last night's version left the bread out of the equation just because we were trying to cut some carbs - at least I was. The Big Guy apparently had a HUGE sandwich for lunch that I didn't know about until dinner was plated, otherwise I would have just made the darned sandwiches and left it at that. It was still mighty delicious but blast it all anyway, now I'm craving a real sandwich. 

Good thing I packed the rest of the roast pork, leftover compote and the slaw with you know who for his lunch today, otherwise I'd be dipping into it right this very second. I know it's not even 7:00 AM yet, but the Maxer dawg had us up at 3:30 this morning doing the seizure watusi and my stomach thinks it's lunchtime right now. It's got another think comin', don't ya' know. 

A year ago - Pasta with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Two year's ago - Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Torta

Brined Pork Loin with Onion, Raisin and Garlic Compote

I swear there's no better way to cook a pork loin roast than by brining it first. The extra step of soaking overnight in a salt water and spice solution makes for an incredibly moist and tender cut of meat every time. The key is to rinse it well after brining and soak it for a few hours in fresh water, changing the water 2 or 3 times before it hits the oven.

The result is a meat lover's paradise although in our house the meat almost took second fiddle to the accompanying compote. Twenty-four cloves of garlic - yup you read right, cooked till golden brown in butter and joined by port, vinegar and sugar along with plump raisins and tender little pearl onions make for an amazing side dish. I mean really, who needs gravy when you've got a port au jus. This is one case where the Big Guy and yours truly may be fighting over the leftovers.

Brined Pork Loin with Garlic, Onion, Raisin Compote (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

1 – 4 pound center cut pork loin roast

8 cups water

1/2 cup coarse salt (I used kosher)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

Place water, salt, sugar, fennel, coriander, peppercorns and bay leaves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Place roast into a large container and pour cooled brine over it. Place a plate or weight on top of the roast to keep it submerged. Cover well and refrigerate overnight.

Remove loin from brine and rinse under cold running water. Cover with fresh water and soak for 2 hours at room temperature, changing the water 2 or 3 times during that period of time. Remove roast from fresh water. Pat dry.  If you wish, tie roast with string so it keeps its shape while roasting. Preheat oven to 350.

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Handful of fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

Coarse ground black pepper

Season roast with black pepper. Sprinkle with dried marjoram and place fresh herbs on top. Roast until thermometer registers 150 – approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remove to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 servings.

Compote:

1/4 cup butter

24 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 bay leaf

1-1/2 cups tawny port

1/4 cup white vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

1 pound frozen pearl onions, thawed

1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Coarse ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly until garlic is golden brown – about 5 minutes. Add bay leaf, port, vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add raisins and pearl onions. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until onions are tender. Remove from heat and stir in fresh thyme. Season with pepper. Serve warm.

A year ago - Liver and Onions with Bacon     

Meatballs - One Recipe, Two Delicious Meals

Whether cooking for a casual party or dinner for family and friends, there's hardly a better crowd pleaser than Italian meatballs and these polpette adapted from Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors cookbook are in a class of their own. 

Loaded with tons of romano cheese, they have an element of surprise not just with a little sugar but with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg too, along with the usual garlic and Italian parsley. While Nick makes his version with a combination of veal, pork and beef, veal is darn near impossible to come by in these parts so I included only beef and pork. No matter - I can't imagine they could possibly be any better than they are. Instead of browning them on top of the stove and having to hover over them, I popped the little balls onto a sheet pan and put them in the oven for 25 minutes. Cooled and packaged into two lots, the first bag went into little meatball sliders that were included in our Super Bowl Sunday feast.

Simply nestled into soft rolls that I whipped up and baked in the new silicone muffin pans my honey gave me for my birthday this year, they came out a perfect size mini-bun to nestle a meatball into. Rather than cut the rolls in half and having to deal with a meatball on the lamb, I simply hollowed out some of the bread from the top and filled the hole with marinara sauce, grated parmesan, and a warmed meatball before topping the mini sandwich with grated mozzarella cheese. A few minutes under the broiler and we were dining fine.

Last night's dinner made use of the second bag of meatballs and the rest of the marinara, Trader Joe's I might add. Hey I'm not above using a good brand of ready made and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Nestled into a bowl of al dente' pasta, it made for a perfectly quick and absolutely delicious weeknight dinner.  I'm just wishing I'd doubled the meatball recipe so I could have more hiding in the freezer for nights I don't feel like doing much in the kitchen because a I can think of another couple of ways to use them to satisfy the hungry masses - like a rich and creamy meatball and bechamel lasagne or a hot bowl of meatball soup. Bliss, pure bliss.

Nick Stellino's Meatballs (adapted from Nick Stellino’s Mediterranean Flavors)

1/2 cup milk

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup dried Italian flavored bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 cups grated Romano cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add

1 pound ground pork

1 pound lean ground beef

Mix gently with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Using a quarter cup scoop, shape into balls. Place on sheet pan lined with parchment and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. (Makes approximately 18 meatballs.)

A year ago - Country Spice Pudding Cake  Two year's ago - Figgy O'Fiber Muffins

 

Meaty Italian Ragu - aka Sunday Gravy

There's a Sunday tradition in many Italian households involving a huge pot of a meat filled tomato sauce on the stove and a house filled with the scents and sounds of a happy family gathering. They call the pot Sunday Gravy.

In honor of a cool Tucson Sunday afternoon coupled with the fact that I needed to redeem myself after Saturday night's dinner, I put a pot of gravy on the stove to simmer for the better part of the afternoon. Actually, I started the pot on the stove and finished it in the oven. That way I could enjoy the end result without having to stir the pot every 15 minutes - lazy cook, eh?

Now you can make Sunday Gravy out of a variety of meats. The Soprano version from their cookbook of the same name uses pork neck bones or spareribs, veal stew meat as well as Italian sausage and huge tennis ball sized meatballs. I'm pretty sure there's no right or wrong way to make it so my version starts with wonderful spicy hot Italian sausage followed by deeply browned beef shanks and some cubed up pork stewing meat to round out the flavors. Loaded with onions, garlic of course, fresh and dried herbs, canned tomatoes and wine - a lot of wine, my favorite Dutch oven full of glorious sauce was met with ooo's, ahhh's, holy cows and good gravy's when it came out of the oven.

As for serving this pot of rich red meat filled gloriousity (is that a word?) traditionally, the meats are removed from the sauce and dinner's first course includes just the sauce with pasta with the meats showcased as the second course. Naturally we're not strong on tradition around here, particularly since there's not an Italian gene to be found in any of us, so we left the meat in the sauce and served it all up on a bowl of al dente' rigatoni.

Word of warning - the recipe makes enough for a small army which is a good thing because it's incredibly delicious. Not only that - I see a huge casserole of lasagne coming our way along with maybe some baked pasta, a couple of stellar pizza's and lunches for the week. Oh yum!

Meaty Italian Ragu aka Sunday Gravy an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Soprano’s Family Cookbook

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1.5 to 2 pounds beef shanks with bone

1.5 pounds cubed pork stewing meat (butt or shoulder)

2 large yellow onions, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 cups dry Marsala wine

1-1/2 cups low sodium beef stock

2 – 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice

3 ounces tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 pound rigatoni cooked to al dente per package directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add Italian sausage and cook, crumbling with the back of a spoon or a potato masher until sausage is browned and fully cooked – about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to a bowl. Season beef shanks on both sides with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven. Brown meat very well on both sides then remove to the bowl with the sausage. Season pork stewing meat with salt and pepper and add it to the Dutch oven, browning it well. Remove to same bowl to join other meats.

Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and add onions. Cook until onions are softened and golden brown, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in garlic, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and bay leaves. Cook, stirring well for additional minute. Add Marsala wine and allow to reduce slightly, scraping up fond (browned bits) from bottom of pot then stir in beef stock, tomatoes and tomato paste. Return meat to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring pot to a high simmer, cover and place in preheated 325 oven. Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours or until meat is fall of the bone tender. Check pot and stir once during cooking period.

Just before serving, stir in half cup of wine. Remove bones and bay leaf from pot. Serve with pasta and garnish with grated parmesan and additional pepper flakes. This will easily serve 6, with some sauce leftover. Sauce freezes very well.

A year ago - Common Ground  Two years ago - Steamed Marmalade Pudding

 

Pork Chops with Golden Apple Sauce

Following directions isn't just a challenge for some of the male species. This stubborn Capricorn sometimes has problems in that respect as well. Such was the case with last night's dinner.

A Rachael Ray recipe, this one has all the hallmarks of a quick and tasty dinner. That lady can cook! Unfortunately I figured I'd be a smarty and go one up and buy sirloin pork chops instead of the loin she indicated in her recipe just so I could braise the little beauties over time rather than do the quick instant dinner thing I tend to do during the week. 

You know what they say about the "best made plans"... they sometimes go awry. Such was the case yesterday because the day absolutely flew by full of fun, frolic and frivolity and I got a late start on dinner. In the interest in sitting down to it before breakfast time, like an idiot I cooked those darn chops too fast and consequently the muscle fibers shrunk and the chops were exceedingly tough. I mean I do know better but I obviously got bit by the "stupid" bug and once that happened dinner was downhill from there.

Braising anything typically requires one to brown the meat first - which I did, then cook it in liquid at a slow simmer over a longer period of time. Well I did the former but not the latter and therein lies the problem. It's really a shame too because my braising liquid was a rather delicious combination of pearl onions, garlic, applejack brandy and chicken stock. Blast it all anyway!

Thank goodness my wonderful Big Guy had better luck because he's the one that put together the apple sauce. Made from Golden Delicious apples, cider, raisins, minced ginger, brown sugar and the usual apple lovin' spices, the sauce is really stupendous. Thank goodness there's some left too because I can't wait to have it guilding a hunk of french toast this morning. I mean along with some maple syrup it will be fabulous!

Check out the link for Rachael's recipe and for heavens sake do what I say and not what I did. Buy the darn loin chops and follow her instructions. I guarantee you'll have a meal that's more than worthy of a cool winter's evening!

A year ago - Chicken Cutlets with Romesco  Two years ago - JBug's Baked Eggs

Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers

Pork tenderloin is a bit like chicken and no I'm not crazy. Other than the fact that pork is the "other white meat", it's really hard to get tired of it because there's so many ways you can cook the stuff. The other given is that pork tenderloin's always lean and it's incredibly fast to cook.

The people that wrote this recipe in the January 2011 Cooking Light magazine should have remembered that because the 12 minutes they recommend is far too long, at least in my humble estimation. Anyway, imagine the tenderloin cut into one inch medallions, seasoned with salt and pepper then browned quickly in very little oil in a hot pan. Add some yellow and red pepper slices along with anchovy, garlic and fresh rosemary and you've quite a different combination of flavors happening. The drizzle of balsamic vinegar at the very end is really the key.

I can picture a number of you shutting down as soon as you read the word "anchovies" and I have to admit I had my second thoughts too even though I happen to love the furry little fishes. Darned if they weren't right because In this case I should have listened to my second thoughts. The Big Guy liked it though, especially served on a bed of cheesy creamy grits but if you're not into anchovies, the recipe indicates you can substitute minced olives.

Personally, I won't bother making this one again, but I'll post the link so you can decide on your own. Apparently there were 31 people that thought it was worthy of a special occasion, so what do I know. Right?

A year ago - Ham Tetrazzini   Two years ago - Clams Casino in a Casserole

Red Beans and Rice

I know I've been MIA the last couple of days as I've been under the weather, but for those of you that are under the blizzard and never ending cold kind of weather, have I got a great solution for you.

Red Beans and Rice is a common Monday meal in the south, although a different part of the south than we're currently living in and given the beautiful ham bone that came with all that gorgeous meat from Sunday night, I knew I had to do something special with it. Since the Big Guy's not into split pea soup, I figured I'd make something I knew he'd love and Monday night's dinner suited him to an absolute "T".

Loaded with tiny little red beans that soaked for 8 hours and then cooked for another 4 along with garlic, onion, celery and green pepper this perfect pot of low maintenance energy food is a great use not only of that meaty ham bone, but also of those fiber rich pellets of musical fruit. Spiced up with worcestershire sauce and creole seasoning along with a bay leaf and a touch more cayenne cause we love that extra spice, the finishing touch on this glorious pot of stick to your ribs grub is surely the Andouille sausage, fried up all crisp and lovely. 

It's absolutely the perfect way to use up that holiday ham bone and guaranteed to warm your family from sole to soul!

Red Beans and Rice (adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

1 pound small red beans, washed well and soaked overnight

1 large meaty ham bone

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

2 cups water

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 sticks celery, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Zatarains Creole seasoning

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 bay leaf

Fresh ground black pepper

Salt if required

1 – 12 ounce package Andouille sausage

White rice, cooked per package directions

Drain and rinse soaked red beans and place in a large Dutch oven. Add chicken stock, water, garlic and onion and ham bone. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low simmer and cook for 2 hours or until beans are tender.  Remove bone from pot, cool until easy to handle, then pick meat away from the bones and return meat to pot. Discard bone. Add celery, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, cayenne pepper and bay leaf. Return pot to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until mixture is very thick and beans are extremely tender. Taste for seasoning and add black pepper and salt if required. Just before serving slice Andouille sausage and fry until brown on all sides. Serve beans garnished with Andouille and rice on top.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 A year ago - White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Blackberry Mustard Glazed Ham

Every time we cook a ham I end up wondering why we don't do it more often. It's certainly easy enough because it rather cooks itself and there's nothing that smells better than a ham in the oven. Leftovers are more than welcome spending a bit of time in the refrigerator too, although they never seem to last long in this household. It's just so darn versatile!

Last night's effort may be around for a while because we cooked a 9 pound butt portion Cook's brand that ended up being a wonderful moist and tender blend of spicy, salty and sweet with an incredible color and absolutely divine glaze. Not much could be easier than mixing a jar of seedless blackberry preserves with some prepared Dijon mustard and a touch of apple cider - pretty simple right? Basted on the ham every 20 minutes as it cooked, it came out of the oven looking like a shiny ruby coated gem and boy is it good.

Sliced up and served with our favorite gratin potatoes and a sweet mustard sauce we decided it's about the best meat buy for the buck you can find on the market right now. It'll provide lots and lots of holiday pleasure over the next week or so in some form or another - just you wait and see!

By the way, I found the recipe online at Cooking Light via myrecipes.com, so hit the link and it'll take you right on over to the original; however, although the ingredients remained the same I've changed the method a tad to suit our monster sized ham. Oh, and don't forget to line your pan with aluminum foil before you put the ham into it to make clean up easier. Needless to say I missed that step and that's why I'm reminding you. Talk about dishpan hands and that's just the Big Guy's!

Blackberry Mustard Glazed Ham (adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 – 9 pound butt portion ham, bone in (I used Cook’s brand)

Cooking spray

1-1/4 cups seedless blackberry preserves

3/4 cup prepared Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup apple juice or cider

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray well with cooking spray (makes clean up a lot easier). Score outside of ham in diamond shapes and place ham cut side down into pan. In a small saucepan, combine together blackberry preserves, mustard and apple juice. Cook stirring constantly until jam preserves have melted and mixture is smooth. Brush ham with approximately 1/4 cup of mixture and place into preheated oven. Cook ham for 15 minutes per pound, basting with 1/4 cup of glaze mixture every 20 minutes, or until ham reaches internal temperature of 140. Remove from oven and coat with remaining glaze. Allow ham to rest a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.

A year ago - Lamb Burger with Minty Garlic Cucumber Sauce

Cheater Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork

OK, so let's get this perfectly clear. I've been a plum lazy cook during the past couple of weeks that my alter ego's been away. Thank goodness it is about to change since he'll be home about midnight tonight but as my second last hurrah I whipped up a cheater bowl of mac and cheese for dinner last night. Hey a girl's gotta' eat somethin'.

There's no reason to purchase one of those ready made containers with heaven knows what's in it when in exactly 15 minutes flat, you can whip up your own stove top version especially when you've a brick of processed cheese in the refrigerator. I mean it's not rocket science but simply elbow macaroni cooked until al dente' then drained and loaded up with said cheese, dijon mustard, and a touch of half and half.

Now there was a time I would have been content with just that, along with a quart of ketchup but the  problem is I guess I've been with the Big Guy just long enough to crave some meat with my pasta, so I shredded the rest of a country style pork rib from the other day and threw it into a little gratin dish along with the cheesy mac, topped it with a bit of grated cheese and finished it under the broiler.

I know for a fact this isn't going to win me any gourmet food prizes but let me tell you it wasn't bad. In fact I may just be surprising the Big Guy with the same casserole next time we have a load of leftover pulled pork. Of course with him in mind I'll add a little barbecue sauce to the mix, along with some pickled jalapeno peppers because we all know he loves the things - oh and I'll likely ramp up the cheese a bit more to make for a creamier pasta. What I'm really trying to say in a round about way is that with a little work, it could be a lot better so I'll post a recipe when I'm happier with the results.

As for today, well obviously the party's over. I won't be lying in bed with the pooches, a purring wannabe feral feline, coffee and a good book till 7 bells or so every morning. It'll be back to the salt mines - up at 5, packing you know who's lunch, cooking him a hot breakfast and shoving him out the door by 6:20. I  absolutely cannot wait. Life's the pits without my Big Guy!

A year ago - Mexican Hot Chocolate

 

Sweet Spicy Ribs and Beans

The fact that I'm in the habit of showing you all what we've had a year ago on the bottom of each day's post is as much a reminder for me as it may be news for you, and thanks be to both because last night's dinner was a long overdue repeat of a dish that's perfect for this time of year. Truth be known, it's perfect almost anytime.

Fabulously meaty country style pork ribs browned to a rich mahogany cooked on a bed of pinto beans, onions and green pepper bathed in a sweet and spicy sauce - why, it might sound like a dish that takes hours to prepare but believe me, in the wink of an eye it's in the oven making its presence known with an incredibly tantalizing aroma. By the way, it's just the thing to make for a crowd because it'll double or triple perfectly and you'll really want to add more beans to the mix because they're just so darn wonderful.

I know I won't get tired of eating it over the next couple of days because woe is me the Big Guy left at 4:30 this morning on his way to Fargo, North Dakota for 5 days on a business trip. Now just imagine the trouble I had yesterday packing for a guy with a wardrobe filled with summer weight suits made for our sunny normally warm Tucson climate. I mean our current lows are equivalent to their current highs and toe rubbers and parkas are so not required here. He's gonna' freeze his derriere .... can I say that on-line?

Sweet Spicy Ribs and Beans

4 pounds pork country style ribs, trimmed of fat

Salt, pepper & flour

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 – 16 ounce cans pinto beans, drained (can be increased to 4 cans without adjusting recipe)

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 10.5 ounce jar red jalapeno jelly

1 18 ounce bottle hickory flavored barbecue sauce (I used Kraft)

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 300. In a small saucepan, heat together jalapeno jelly and barbecue sauce until jelly has dissolved.  Remove from heat, add garlic and hot sauce. Set aside.Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Dust ribs with salt, pepper & flour and in batches, brown well on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Continue browning meat in batches.  When meat is all browned, remove pot from heat. Add half of the chopped onion, and green pepper to the bottom of the pot. Cover vegetables with drained pinto beans, then spread one half of the jalapeno jelly/barbecue sauce mixture on top. Place browned ribs on top, add the rest of the chopped onion and green pepper. Top with the remainder of the jalapeno jelly/barbecue sauce mixture.  Cover pot and place in 300 oven for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

A year ago - Ina's Roasted Chicken on Croutons

Makin' Bacon - Revisited

Way back in April I bragged about the fact the Big Guy and I were making our own side and back bacon because the price of the ready made stuff has skyrocketed and we're too darn cheap to pay it. Before we started, we did a lot of research to find the best methods and since then we've had a lot of practice. I think we can say in all probability we've perfected the stuff so it's time to do a re-write on our methods.

1. Source out and buy pork bellies. Now since we've started this little project our local source has increased his prices by $1.00 a pound but what the heck, it's still the steal of the century. Just make sure it's the best quality you can find and more important, while you're doing it you might as well buy more than 1. The pork bellies we buy come in pieces between 2.5 and 3 pounds each so we're doing about 10 to 12 pounds at a time.
2. Wash and dry the bellies well, leaving the skin on. Coat three sides (2 ends and the side without the skin) in a mixture of 1 tablespoon Morton's Tender Quick mixed with 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar PER POUND of meat. Rub it in really well then wrap each piece in its own gallon size zip bag, squeezing out all the air that you can.
3. Stack the wrapped bellies into a plastic container with a tight lid and refrigerate for 10 to 14 days, moving them around and flipping them over every day to redistribute the juices that are collecting. Don't pour off any accumulated liquid, just make sure the seal of each bag is completely closed.  
4. After the curing period, remove the bellies from the zip bags and discard the bags and accumulated juices. The bellies will be firm to the touch, more compact and a deeper color than when you started. Wash them off well under cold running water and dry with paper towels. Place on wire racks on a sheet pan and leave uncovered in your refrigerated for 24 hours so they have a chance to dry out.
5. Prepare the smoker with your choice of wood chips. Our favorite is maple, but apple works well too as well as hickory, alder or mesquite but for us maple is the best. Place drapery hooks or S hooks onto one short end of the bellies, attaching the hooks through the skin so the bellies can hang off a rack in the smoker or alternatively lay the bellies flat on the smoking rack, leaving as much room as possible between each slab.
6. Smoke them for a minimum of 2 hours or anywhere up to 8, depending on how much smoke flavor you prefer. Our last batch went for 4 hours and quite honestly, it is perfect.
7. Remove the bellies (now bacon) from the smoker and cool to room temperature, then wrap well and refrigerate for 24 hours. They'll become even more solid which makes slicing a lot easier. Then remove the skin and save it (freeze) for making crackle or for the next time you make a big pot of beans. The flavor's incredible.
8. Slice and package the bacon, wrap air tight and freeze. The Big Guy even saves the iddy biddy pieces for me and cuts them into a small dice, perfect for crisping up for salads or in omlets or carbonara or just about anything, actually.

You'll notice a huge difference not only in the flavor of your bacon but the lack of fat as well. I've found that when you're cooking it up, be sure to spray the skillet with a little cooking spray first and start cooking the bacon in a cold pan on low heat, gradually increasing the heat as the bacon releases fat. You'll find that not only is it leaner than the stuff you buy, but it also browns a lot faster.

I had some last night on this Bacon and Blue burger and now that the fur kiddies and I are finally up and at 'em today, it's likely I'll have more with some eggs this morning. Are you jealous yet?

 

 

Roquefort Stuffed Pork Chops with Braised Apples

One good look at this picture and you'll realize the importance of thinking about color as well as texture and flavor when you're planning a menu. Obviously I didn't, as you can see, because more green on the plate in the form of a veggie would have gone a long way in making this look as good as it tasted. Speaking of making things look good, taking pictures in the "light" of a winter evening can be a real challenge too!

A little envelope cut into the side of lean pork loin chops and stuffed with a mixture of tiny toasted bread cubes, sauteed mushrooms, onions and spiced with rosemary is all it took to make this chop special. Joined inside by a crumble of good blue cheese the chops are browned on both sides then finished in the oven. Served with gorgeous braised apples on a bed of sweet potatoes, it's a quick and easy road to weeknight dinner deliciousness.

By the way, we purchased a small hunk of pork loin roast because the chops had been cut way too thin and were too puny to stuff so the Big Guy cleaned up the loin by removing some silverskin and then cut it into the perfect size chops. In hindsight I think it may have been better to just have made a hole down the center of the loin, shoved the stuffing in and cooked it all in one piece. It's good and tasty as it is but it may have been better cooked whole with the addition of some white wine or a little cider to provide added moisture. 

Roquefort Stuffed Pork Chops with Braised Apples (inspired by Bon Appetit)

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1-1/2 cups small cubes of French bread

1-1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

4 one inch thick boneless pork loin chops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

Heat half the butter in a medium sauté pan. When butter has melted and starts to sizzle add French bread cubes and cook, tossing often until they are golden brown. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl. Return sauté pan to heat with remaining butter. Add mushrooms, onion and rosemary and cook until vegetables are soft. Remove to bowl with bread cubes. Toss ingredients together and refrigerate covered until cold. When cold, add crumbled blue cheese and toss to mix.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut a slit into the side of each chop to make an envelope and fill with stuffing mixture. Seal chops using a toothpick. Season both sides well with salt and pepper and coat lightly in flour, shaking off excess. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and when melted and pan is hot, add pork chops. Cook on both sides until golden brown – 2 minutes a side, then move skillet to oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chops are cooked. Remove toothpicks and serve topped with apples.

Braised Apples:

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup applejack brandy or cider

Heat a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Add butter and brown sugar and cook stirring occasionally until sugar has melted. Add apples and sauté until apples are caramelized and starting to turn golden brown in color. Remove pan from heat and add applejack brandy or cider. Return to heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender – about 5 minutes. Download Roquefort Stuffed Pork Chops with Braised Apples

A year ago - Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Cajun Poached Shrimp Linguine

Picture some spicy Cajun flavors rolled into a pasta dish in a creamy sauce and you'll have what our dinner was last night. Unfortunately we were rather unimpressed but as the Big Guy said "they can't all be golden". It doesn't look bad though, does it?

I should have known better because we've tried a pasta dish like this one once before and I was unimpressed then but thought I'd just try another version so I grabbed one from Canada's Dairy Counsel site. Unfortunately it wasn't any better this time around either but that's just personal opinion. It's certainly not that it lacked any of the necessary ingredients - browned coins of andouille sausage, gorgeous 16-20 shrimp as well as tons of garlic and even cayenne pepper. It even had dried thyme in the equation and therein could lie the problem or maybe not.

We thought the dish had a "musty" kind of flavor which could have been due to the new batch of dried thyme I picked up yesterday in the bulk aisle. It smells great though. It could also be that because I love gumbo so much, whenever I see the combination of good andouille sausage and beautiful shrimp, I think they should be combined in a pot of perfect Cajun bliss or topping a bowl of creamy grits.

Regardless, here's the link for the recipe just for posterity and maybe you'll like the results but personally I'll not be making any kind of Cajun linguine in the future - unless I forget and try again, that is. Afterall, I'm kind of stubborn that way.

Oh, one more thing - sorry I'm late with this morning's post but we took the boys to the dog park to run off some energy. Now they're sleeping, the Big Guy's doing all the honey do jobs outside that he's missed during the frantic pace of the the past couple of weeks and I think I might even be able to talk him into harvesting the pomegranates later today, provided it doesn't interfere with our Sunday afternoon nap that is.

A year ago - Baked 4 Cheese Spaghetti

Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil Soup

Dear Rachael:

Just a note to thank you for yet another wonderful meal. Your imagination is without boundaries and this particular soup or "stoup" as you call it may be your best one yet. Loaded with hot Italian sausage and veggies like onions, mushrooms, carrots and potato, the lentils are the perfect addition to this healthy bowl of bliss. Of course our new favorite, kale, added at the very end provides just the right amount of crunch and its bright green color and slightly bitter flavor really stand out. We loved the addition of smoked paprika too - in fact, we enjoyed the soup very much and know it's going to taste every bit as good, if not better, for lunch today.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - with your talent, warmth and charm you deserve every single bit of the success that's come your way.

I'm sending my readers directly to your web site for the recipe for your Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil Soup because, I changed nothing. It was perfect just as written. Also, I've got your "Big Orange Book" on my wish list, and if the Big Guy wants to add your newest "Book of 10" to the list, he's guaranteed to make a bunch of points. After all, it never hurts to accumulate points for the next time he screws up.

Best regards!

A year ago  -  Rockin' Moroccan Stew

Porc au Vin

There's a dish called Coq au Vin so why can't you have Porc au Vin? That was my thinking anyway and sometimes the result of a little kitchen witchery has a really positive outcome, if you know what I mean.

I started the flavoring of last night's stew with some of our homemade pancetta although bacon would work fine too, then browned chunks of pork butt and followed up with mushrooms, shallots, carrots and garlic. Some dried herbs and 2 cups each of Syrah and chicken stock and  2 hours in the oven later our entree was taken care of. Boy, did it smell good!

We had our stew with sweet potatoes mashed with a little butter and black pepper and lovely autumny pears that I drizzled with honey (maple syrup works too) and butter and roasted in the oven during the last hour the pork was braising. If you've never had pears with sweet potatoes before, you may want to give it a try. You'll be amazed, I promise!

Porc au Vin  (inspired by Bon Appetit Magazine)

4 ounces pancetta (small dice)

2-1/2 pounds pork butt, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 ounces large mushrooms, cut into quarters

8 large shallots, peeled and cut in half

1 cup carrots peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon herbs de province

2 bay leaves

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 cups dry red wine (I used Syrah)

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/4 cup water

Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. In a large Dutch oven over medium low heat, cook pancetta until fat is rendered and pancetta is crisp. Remove from pan leaving drippings. Season pork cubes with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown pork cubes in batches, being sure to brown on all sides. Remove from pot and repeat until meat is all browned. Add vegetable oil to pot and when shimmering hot, add mushrooms, shallots, carrots and garlic. Sauté, stirring constantly for 3 or 4 minutes or until shallots start to soften. Add garlic, thyme, herbs to province and bay leaves. Cook, stirring for another minute. Add red wine, chicken stock and return pork and pancetta to pot. Bring to boil, cover pot and place in oven for 1-1/2 hours or until pork is very tender. Remove pot from oven, and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Thicken gravy with flour/water slurry and return to oven for 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.    Download Porc au Vin

A year ago - Red & Green Shrimp Enchiladas

A Cuban Feast

Saveur call this a "Cuban Pork Hash" but you might know it as picadillo. Whatever the moniker, it's often made with ground beef but this pork version takes the prize as the tastiest I've ever made. A popular menu item throughout Latin America, I think it's a great solution to the old weeknight dinner dilemma and easy on the budget too.

Loaded with onion, bell pepper and garlic, the dish is flavored with cinnamon, oregano and cloves and sweetened with raisins, olives and toasted almonds. Normally served with rice, we had our bowl of island sunshine along with fried plantains, Cuban style black beans and flour tortillas. What a feast!

Best of all, there's plenty left for today's lunches and even better, I socked a bunch of it aside to use in  empanadas that I'll make and freeze for the holidays. It's always smart to have some appetizers set aside just in case unexpected company rolls in, right?

Transport yourself to a warmer climate and put this one on your weeknight menu. It takes absolutely no time to whip up and it's a real winner of a dinner.

Cuban Pork Hash aka Picadillo  (adapted from Saveur)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 – 4 inch stick cinnamon

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 pounds ground pork

3/4 cup raisins

1 cup green pimiento stuffed olives, halved

1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Fresh limes

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high. Add onion, green pepper and cinnamon stick and cook until vegetables are softened. Add garlic, cinnamon and cloves and season well with salt and pepper. Cook additional minute, stirring constantly. Add ground pork, and break it us using a potato masher or a fork. Cook until pork is no longer pink. Stir in raisins, olives and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until very thick – about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in almonds and vinegar. Serve on rice or with tortillas. Garnish with fresh lime juice. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Download Cuban Pork Hash aka Picadillo

A year ago - Biscuit Topped Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

Just Peachy Ham Steak

My friend Nancy mentioned she cooked a baked ham for Canadian Thanksgiving a few weeks ago and the thought of it upped my crave quotient considerably. It's not something we have very often which is really a shame but likely the reason we enjoy it so much. Not wanting to buy a whole ham so close to the holidays, we picked up a ham steak instead.

It's kind of funny how we tend to classify ham steak as a breakfast item, but thanks to a sweet and sour peach sauce our lowly steak was elevated to dinner worthy and I do mean ELEVATED!

Sweetened with sugar and peaches, spiced with dry mustard and soured with a touch of orange juice and vinegar, the sauce is perfect with ham and best of all it took a mere 5 minutes to make from start to finish.

Just so you know the whole menu took all of 20 minutes to prep including a tossed salad that I forgot to serve. The potatoes are a simple gratin made from 1 lowly Idaho (Russet), a half onion, sliced, 2 ounces of sharp cheddar and some heavy cream and a touch of salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg. I gave it a head start in the microwave to heat it all up, then finished it in a 350 oven for a half hour.

The bacon for the asparagus got a head start in the microwave too, and topped the asparagus before it joined the potatoes during their last 12 minutes in the oven. As for the ham steak, since it's already cooked and just needs to be warmed, it took all of 5 minutes in the grill pan.

So there you have it, the perfect weeknight meal that looks like you fussed. Only you'll know you didn't.

Ham Steak with Peach Sauce (Adapted from Celebrated Seasons, Minneapolis Junior League)

Note – double sauce recipe if you’re serving it with a large ham.

1 ham steak, warmed per package directions

Peach Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup cold water

3 tablespoons orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 cup sliced fresh peaches (or frozen, thawed and drained)

In a small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, mustard, paprika, water, orange juice and vinegar. Heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir a small amount of mixture into egg yolk. Return yolk/sauce mixture to pot and heat on low for 1 minute. Do not boil. Before serving stir peaches into sauce and heat through. Serve with ham. Download Ham Steak with Peach Sauce

A year ago - Fillet of Beef with Stilton Sauce

Pulled Pork Pizza - Deep Dish Style

Remember the oven roasted pulled pork we made a little while ago that I bragged about being the best? Well, it resurfaced from the freezer last night to form the basis for this Chicago style deep dish pizza.

Our usual pizza dough whizzed up in 30 seconds flat in the food processor morphed into the perfect crust to fill a 12 inch spring form pan. Barbecue sauce formed the next layer, followed by pepper jack cheese, golden brown onions, sauteed mushrooms with a touch of garlic and lots of black pepper, followed by that perfect pulled pork. Pickled jalapeno topped it along with fresh mozzarella and a little more pepper jack. Our mouths were weeping with anticipation!

Twenty minutes in a 500 oven while we celebrated Pink Mountain Friday and there you have it ....dinner! We spoil ourselves don't we?

Speaking of spoiled, the Big Guy's off to enjoy his usual Saturday bowl of menudo followed by grocery shopping. I'm off the hook on that today because the Maxer dawg picked midnight to dance the seizure jig and it doesn't look like he's quite finished yet. We're certainly not complaining though because he made it 9-1/2 weeks between jigs, and that's almost a record. As of this moment he and Finnigan are enjoying the morning sun, watching the world go by from the den window.  It's a good life Charlie Brown!

Pulled Pork Pizza – Deep Dish Style

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade, combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Blitz to mix well. Add 1 more cup of flour, olive oil and salt. Blitz until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade – about 20 seconds. If dough is very sticky add more flour and mix again, however the dough should be very soft. Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, remove to a floured board and punch down lightly, cover with bowl and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Filling:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

Coarse ground black pepper and salt

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

1-1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1 cup pulled pork

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until softened and just starting to turn golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to pan, heat and add mushrooms. Sauté until browned. Add garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for a minute more. Remove from pan and cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 500. Spray a 12 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and place all of dough into center. Working with a small roller or your fingers, spread dough evenly onto bottom and up approximately 1-1/2 inches on the sides of the pan. Spread barbecue sauce over dough on bottom of pan and sprinkle 1 cup of pepper jack cheese on top. Add onion and mushrooms followed by pulled pork and jalapenos. Finish with mozzarella cheese and the remaining pepper jack. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbling. Remove from oven to a board. Remove sides of pan and slide pizza from bottom disc onto board. Slice and serve. Download Pulled Pork Pizza

A year ago - Braciole, Italian Stuffed Beef Rolls

Pork, Pumpkin and White Bean Chili

'Tiz the season of the great pumpkin and with cooling temperatures, what better way to celebrate than with a warming bowl of hot chili. This particular version is not only healthy, but it's also rather differently delicious although I have to admit to being a trifle sceptical as I was throwing it together.

It all starts with pork loin cut into cubes and browned in a hot pan followed by onion, garlic and jalapeno. Topped off with a jar of salsa verde, followed by pumpkin cubes and white beans, it brewed a bit before I gave it a taste test for flavor. Unfortunately I found it rather lacking. Salt, pepper, cumin and chile powder helped in that regard along with a dab of Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce, without which it's rather bland in the spice department.

Then again from what I hear, some of you like it that way which is my cue to remind you of this, as stated by Canadian Chef Michael Smith...

"A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don’t like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!”

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

Pumpkin, Pork and White Bean Chili (inspired by Food Network Magazine) 

1 pound pork loin, cut into half inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

16 ounce jar Salsa Verde (I used Herdez)

1 cup water

4 cups cubed pumpkin (or butternut squash)

1 – 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

Chopped cilantro and lime juice as garnish (optional)

Hot sauce (optional)

Heat oil in a heavy sauté pan and brown pork cubes. Remove to a medium sized bowl and set aside. Add onion to sauté pan and cook until softened. Add garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt, season with coarse ground black pepper and stir in salsa verde and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and add pumpkin. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pan, cover and cook until pumpkin is tender – about 15 to 20 minutes. Add white beans and cook and additional 10 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro and lime juice. Pass additional hot sauce as required. Serves 4 to 6. Download Pumpkin Pork and White Bean Chili

A year ago - Beef and Cabbage Soup

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

Newsflash! You don't need a barbecue to produce the ultimate pulled pork. You see, it was cool here in Tucson yesterday and by cool I mean temperatures in the 60's. I know that might not seem cool to some of you, but it was a gigantic boon to 99% of the people who live here full time. We're all kinda' sick of the heat!

The house was open to the elements, air conditioning off and I had 2 choices - either warm up the kitchen by giving the oven a much needed self-cleaning, or go one better; put a big pot full of meaty goodness into it and let it braise for the afternoon. I chose the latter.

A quick trip to Fry's and an education in the cost of chuck roast changed my menu plan and I came home with an 8 pound pork butt for the unbelievable sum of $13.00. Go figure! Two thirds of it went into this pot and the rest hit the freezer for stew down the road.

 
This pot of glorious shredded bliss is the pork version of the Quick and Easy Pulled Beef from last year. It is without doubt, the best I've ever made. We had it stuffed into some fluffy baked potatoes but as you can imagine, we've a few pulled pork sandwiches in our future along with maybe some quesadillas, stuffed peppers, maybe a pizza or two and so on, and so on, and so on!

Quick and Easy Oven Roasted Pulled Pork (from JBug’s Kitchen via dinnerwithjulie.com)

4 to 5 pounds pork butt roast

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

All-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1-1/2 cups prepared barbecue sauce (I used Kraft original)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse grain mustard

Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and dredge in all-purpose flour. When oil is shimmering add roast to pot and brown well on all sides – takes about 20 minutes. Carefully remove roast from pot and drain off and discard accumulated fat. Add onions to pot and place browned roast on top. Mix together garlic, chicken stock barbecue sauce, brown sugar, balsamic and mustard. Pour over roast. Cover pot and place in a preheated 275 oven for 5 to 6 hours or until roast is fall-apart tender. Remove roast from pot and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile skim excess fat from sauce and set half of sauce aside in a small bowl, leaving the other half in the pot. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred meat using two forks and return to pot. Combine shredded meat with sauce, adding reserved sauce as required to achieve desired consistency.   Download Quick and Easy Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

A year ago - BBQ Beans

Sausage and Pinto Bean Chili

Unless you've been living in la'la land you must know by now there's all kinds of ways to make chili. Once upon a time in my history it meant a packaged dry mix, a pound of ground beef, a can of tomatoes and one of beans. Today you might say I've finally been re-educated.

I've been known to make it green, white or red, with or without beans and with ground or chunked pork, chorizo, chicken, and even lamb but last night's version included spicy and sweet Italian sausage for a thoroughly different twist. Oh and we mustn't forget about the beans. Actually it's a little difficult to forget about them since they caused an incredible amount of thunder under the sheets last night, if you know what I mean.

In this instance I used dried pinto beans, rehydrated the quick method because I forgot to soak 'em overnight (large pot; beans; fill with water; bring to a boil; remove from heat; cover and sit for 1 hour), combined with lots of onions, molasses, maple syrup, and a touch of booze, the pot hit the oven at 250 for the better part of the afternoon.

A perfect laundry ironing day dinner, the sweet/hot/spicy flavor was a fabulous way to start off the week especially with a hunk of moist and delicious pancetta, green chili corn studded cheesy cornbread. 

Sausage and Pinto Bean Chili (adapted from High Plains, by Cinda Chavich)

2 cups dried pinto beans

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage

1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage

2 cups chopped onions (about 2 medium)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dry mustard

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup tomato juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup bourbon or rum

1 cup water (or more as needed)

Pick over pinto beans for stones, and then wash well in a sieve under running water. Add to a large pot of water and soak overnight (or use the quick soak method). Drain and rinse.

Brown sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Add onions and cook until softened – about 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder and dry mustard. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add white wine and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot until wine has almost completely reduced (about 5 minutes). Add molasses, maple syrup, tomato sauce, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon and 1 cup of water, along with drained and rinsed beans. Bring pot to a boil, cover and place in 250 oven for 3 hours. Check pot half way through cooking and add more water as needed if chili is too dry. Serves 6.   Download Sausage and Pinto Bean Chili

Cornbread with Pancetta and Green Chiles (adapted from Bon Appetit)

4 ounces pancetta, diced

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese (or cheddar)

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 cup canned or frozen corn, defrosted

Preheat oven to 400. Brown pancetta in 8 inch cast iron pan. Add butter, and when butter has melted set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Fold in grated cheese. In a smaller bowl beat egg and buttermilk together. Add green chilies and corn. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing with a fork only until just combined. Pour over hot pancetta and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Download Cornbread with Pancetta

A year ago - Braised Beef and Olives

Autumn Pork Stew with Cider

I'm not sure there could be anything that speaks more of autumn than this wonderful flavorful comforting stew. Filled with apple cider, parsnip, onions, beautiful little round potatoes and a couple of Granny Smith's its blissful porky aroma greeted a very tired and stressed out guy last night.

The Big Guy had a major assignment due on Friday which means he's literally spent all weekend marking his students' hard work ...well I'm saying "hard work" although it is likely some worked more effectively than others. Anyway, it takes him about 2 plus hours to mark each assignment and he has 40 students in the class, so he'll be nose to the desk getting through them all before class time tomorrow. At least this year he has help from a TA, Marcus and thank goodness too because it meant the Big Guy was able to grab a whopping 6 hours of shut eye last night. He was out of here this morning at 5:30, off to the salt mines again.

As for this stew, we've had it here before so I'll be shipping you off to the original post if you'd like to download the recipe. Unfortunately this time I forgot to buy pearl onions so I substituted regular chopped yellow onions and I have to say the flavor was substantially different, so don't do that OK? It's worth the effort of getting the real thing.

Now what to do with all the leftovers, you ask? I think I may see another pot pie in our future. Oh darn!

Pork Stew with Cider (adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 pounds boneless country style ribs, trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes

All purpose flour

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)

1 cup finely chopped parsnip (about 2 large)

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup apple brandy (I used Apple Jack)

2 cups low salt chicken broth

1-1/2 cups apple cider

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1- 12 ounce bag fresh pearl onions

5 unpeeled red potatoes cut in half

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges

2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 325. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add bacon and cook until bacon is crisp. Remove to a bowl and set aside, leaving drippings in the pot. Add vegetable oil, increase heat to medium high. Season pork cubes well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown well in batches on all sides, removing browned pork to a bowl. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pot. Lower heat to medium and add chopped shallots and parsnips to pot. Cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes). Add sage and cook for 1 minute. Stir in apple brandy and cook until almost all has evaporated. Add broth, cider, vinegar, reserved bacon and pork with any accumulated juices, bring to a boil, cover and place in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until pork is just tender.

Meanwhile place pearl onions in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cool under running water. Peel onions and set aside.

Add potatoes, pearl onions and apples to stew. Return to oven and cook for additional half hour. Mix together butter and flour to form a paste. Add to pot and stir well to blend. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until thickened (about 2 minutes).  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Apple and Stilton Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette