Bacon and Shallot Crusted Pork Loin Chop

This was a simple preparation and results were delicious.  Buy 1 Boneless Loin Pork Chop per Person - at least 1 1/4" thick.  I bought 3 chops and had extra bread crumbs, so these quantities will work for 4 chops.

Making the coating: This part can be done in advance.  Finely mince, 2 Strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon, you can buy just 2 strips in bulk at a good grocer and even though the butcher will raise an eyebrow, don't pay any attention to him or her.  Saute the minced bacon in a small skillet over medium heat.  While it begins to cook, finely mince 1 Small Shallot and add it to the bacon.  Continue cooking until it is a light golden brown. Note: this mixture will continue to cook as a coating, so it should be under done.  Turn off the heat and add to it 1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs, 1/4 Freshly Ground Pepper, 1 /2 Tsp Parsley, Salt if you feel you need more. 

Getting ready to cook:  Preheat the oven to 350.  Take Pork out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking.  Preheat an oven proof skillet over medium heat.  Add Olive Oil enough to lightly coat the bottom. 

Ready to Cook:  This part takes about 30 minutes depending on how thick your chop is.  Note: if your chop is closer to 1" thick, preheat the oven to 375 and cook for less during that step.  Spread a 1/2 tsp Stone Ground Mustard to the top side (ONLY, not the sides themselves) of the chop.  Press into the crumbs.  Lay crumb side down on a plate and repeat with other side placing the chop directly into the skillet as you go.  Press the crumbs into the upward facing side so they really stick to the chop.  Immediately wash your hands when done.  I use mustard in a squeeze bottle.  If you are spooning it out of a jar, put desired mustard into a small bowl as to not contaminate the jar of mustard. 

Finishing off in the Oven:  When the first side done, the chop will release easily from the pan.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Once it's turned, place skillet in the oven for finishing.  My chops were about 1 1/2 " thick so I let them cook for about 20 minutes.  When they are done (and don't over cook them) they will feel firm but not hard.  Remove them from the pan and onto the plates or a serving platter.  Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.  I simply add a small piece of foil to each plate and loosely wrap 2 of the corners.

LAST NOTE: When handling the chop once coated, handle it with tongs by the side or the coating you pain stakingly created will fall off.

I served these with Fresh Corn on the Cob, Sliced Garden Tomatoes (from my in-laws), and a Warm Crusty 5-Grain Boule.  What a satisfying summer dinner!!

Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with a Honey Mustard Glaze

I brought this to a New Years Eve party a few nights ago.  It was cooked here and carved there.  Here's my recipe for Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Port Loin. 



I bought an entire Pork Loin.  It was about 10 lbs and cost about $20.  You can clearly see it can serve a lot of people.  I cut it into 3 pieces, a 2 lb roast for later use and I cut the remaining piece in two so they would fit into one of my roasting pans, side by side, without touching. 

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together, 1/4 Cup Honey, 3 Tbl Stone Ground Mustard, a Splash of Red Wine Vinegar and White and Black Pepper to taste.  I purposely didn't add salt to the mixture.

I scored the fat side of the loin to give it "some teeth" because I wanted the glaze to permeate the meat and for the bacon to stay put when I carved it.  I think the idea was successful. 

Lightly coat the meat with some of the glaze. 







Next, count out the number of strips of bacon needed, about 4 per loin as pictured, and cut it in half.  I used good quality Thick Sliced Applewood Smoked Bacon.  Drape the bacon over the honey glazed side.  Using kitchen string, tie the meat to hold the bacon in place.  If you look at the picture you can see how to do it.  First, you loop once around and tie it off.  Next as you go along, twist the string away from you, before looping around so it self loops.  Continue on until you get to the end and tie it off.  Butchers used to tie in this manner, but now they use stretchy elastic string that destroys your handy work when you remove it, so I always opt to tie my own.  If all else fails, loop it around and feed the string through to self loop.  The result should be that you use one continuous string.

Place the loins in a roasting pan and Glaze again.  Season with Pepper and a small amount of Kosher Salt to taste.   If you want to make a pan sauce, add a quartered onion for flavor.  I served mine with the au jus as to not compete or over power the honey glaze.  Place in the oven for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.  After 45 minutes, I glazed for a final time.  NOTE: For the last 15 minutes of cooking time, turn the oven up to 400 to crisp up the bacon.  Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.  Remove the string once it is ready to carve keeping the bacon in tact.  Using a very sharp knife, carve as thinly as possible, still getting full slices of meat.  This ways it's tender and easy to eat.

You can serve as an entree or with small rolls for sandwiches.  It's very versatile and goes with many side dishes.  What's best is that you can serve this dish at all times of the year.   And like your favorite jeans, you can dress it up with holiday fare or dress it down with barbeque style sides.  Happy New Year and may 2013 bring you joy!

Potstickers

If you haven't attempted making your own potstickers, I highly recommend it!  I just served them with Jasmine Rice as well as Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar for dipping.  This recipe comes from my Martha Stewart Hors D'oeuvres Handbook though I didn't follow it exactly.  I increased the filling recipe (but not to an exact measurement) because her recipe only fills half of the 48 wrappers that come in a pack. For Christmas I received a gadget that is used for folding and crimping the wrapper all in 1 motion.  If you live locally, the gadget came from Simplee Gourmet on Highway 21.  In the past,  I have hand crimped the potstickers and it is very time consuming so this made filling them go much faster.  You cook these in batches so while the first batch cooks, you can continue filling.  Here is the filling recipe doubled already.
First get the prep ready.  To a small bowl, add 1 Tbl Grated Ginger.  To a bowl add, 1 Diced Medium Leek (white and light green parts), 6 Finely Sliced Scallions (white and light green parts) and 2 Medium Carrots cut to a 1/4" dice.  To a bowl, add 5 Finely Chopped Bella Mushrooms.  Place 1 Lb Ground Pork into a bowl that you will use for mixing.  Have Sesame Oil, Five Spice, Soy Sauce, Dry Sherry, and Canola Oil at the ready.

Now you are ready to cook the filling.  Preheat and empty skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbl Sesame Oil.  Add Grated Ginger.  Cook for 15 seconds.  Add the 1/2 tsp Five Spice and the Sliced Mushrooms.  Cook stirring for 1 minute.  Add the Carrots, Leeks, and Scallions.   Add 1 Tbl Sherry.  Stir to combine.  Add 1 Tbl Soy Sauce and S&P to taste (go easy on the salt because soy sauce is salty).  Once the vegetables appear to be softening.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.  Add to the bowl with the uncooked pork and stir to combine.

Line a sheet pan with a clean damp dish cloth.  Open the Wonton Wrappers and working 1 at a time brush the outside edge with water. Place 2 tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper and fold in half pleating as you go, pinch the wrapper closed.  Set these on the damp cloth pressing down slightly so the pleat side faces upward.  Once you have enough to cook the first batch, preheat an empty large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 1/2 Tbl Canola Oil.  Add the 12-15 potstickers, without stacking but they can be crowded but not touching, and cook until the bottom is crispy, dark golden brown, and releases easily.  Add 1/4 Cup Water and cover to allow steam to finish cooking the potstickers.  This will finish in 4-5 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve at once with Rice Vinegar and Soy Sauce for dipping.  While the 1st batch is cooking, continue filling the 2nd batch.  This should make 48 Potstickers and should be cooked in 3 batches.  For a meal, serve with Jasmine Rice.

Baby Back Ribs

I really like to roast ribs in the oven because they come out extremely tender.  The other night I racked my brain to create something new as either a dry rub or a glaze. I came up with this wonderful glaze.  Truly my creation.

Often when I tell my husband "I made it up", it's code for, 'you won't see this again, because I didn't write it down'.  When he tasted these ribs, he told me he hoped I had recorded what I did... which I did.   I admitted to him that they smelled good in the oven and that I had photographed them just in case they tasted good.  Normally if I think a made up recipe will be a success, I write down what I did and snap a few photos.  If I don't, not only will I forget I made something but I surely won't remember what I did. So with that, here goes.

These will cook for about 2 hours depending on the thickness of the ribs.  Mine were on the meaty side.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line a sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Rinse and pat dry a rack of ribs.  Grind Pepper over the ribs and add a very small sprinkle of Kosher Salt.  Place ribs in the oven on the center shelf.

For the glaze, using a 1/2 package of dry Good Seasons Garlic Cheese (as in the Salad Dressing dry mix), add 2 Tbl Honey, 1 tsp Soy Sauce (for gluten free, use gluten free soy), 1 tsp Water, 1 Tbl Stone Ground Mustard such as Zatarain's.  Mix together.  This should make a runny paste.

After 1 hour and 20 minutes brush some of the glaze on the ribs and return to the oven.  Reduce oven temperature to 325.  After another 20 minutes, glaze again and return to the oven.  They should be done at the end of 20 minutes.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

The above will work just fine and I encourage it.  Honestly, the exact way I cooked these is that,  I had to leave in the middle of cooking dinner.  I know, crazy, happens all the time!  If you are like me, maybe this method fits into your busy schedule when you have to leave briefly.  I turned the oven off after the second glazing and headed off to my son's guitar lesson.  We got home about 45 minutes later.  The ribs were hot and fall off the bone tender!!  If you understand cooking, you can leave things at the right moment and come back home and they are perfect.  Try it and see!  Happy 4th of July and happy summer!!

Panko Crusted Pork Chop

I like using the crispy Panko Bread Crumbs that are readily available at stores now.  This is a very simple dish and it's prepared quickly.  I always use thick chops because they are more moist and give me the time to get the rest of the meal ready.
Purchase Thick Cut Pork Chops, 1 per person.  In one bowl, beat 1 Egg with a Splash of Water, a Tbl Mustard (I use local Zatarains since it's stone ground) and Freshly Ground Pepper.  In a 2nd bowl, add Panko Bread Crumbs.  By the way,  I don't salt pork and the mustard provides saltiness.
Let the chops sit out for 15-30 minutes to get up to temperature.  Preheat oven to 350.  Preheat an oven proof skillet over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Add 1 Tbl Oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Dip the chops in the egg mixture, turning once.  Coat with bread crumbs, turning once.  Add immediately to the hot pan.  After about 6-8 minutes the chop will be nicely browned on the first side.  Turn (once) and place in oven for 15 minutes.  When it's done, let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Sausage Pattties

I have been dying to make my own sausage.  This week I came across this guy grilling really good tasting "burgers".  They all caught my eye but the one I got inspiration from was his grilled sausage patty with peppers and onion.  I didn't see the recipe, so I seasoned the ground pork to taste.  I will give you an idea of what I added but you may want to change it for your own palette.

To 2 Lbs Ground Pork (this made 7 patties) add seasoning such as these to taste.  1 1/2 Tbl Fennel Seeds, 1/2 tsp Paprika, 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp Dried Oregano, Coursely Ground Pepper to taste and 1/2 tsp Onion Powder.  I would start with something like these quantities and make adjustments for the next time.  Remember the onions and peppers will give lots of flavor, too.  Mix together by hand and form into flat patties.  

Thinly slice 2 Banana Peppers, 1 Poblano Pepper and 1 Full Sized Onion.  Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbl Olive Oil.  Add Onions and Peppers and cook til slightly carmelized.  Place in a bowl.  Grill Sausage Patties so they are cooked thoroughly.  I turned them 3 times to get cross hatch grill marks.  Toast Buns or some sort of Crusty Roll.  Serve with Slices of Fresh Tomato  and Grated Mozerella Cheese.  If you have it, add Marinara.  Wonderful quick and flavorful dinner!

For Gluten free serve on toasted gluten free bun or without a bun.

Clove Infused Brown Sugar Baked Ham Recipe

Here is my own Clove Infused Brown Sugar Baked Ham recipe. I used a 5+ Pound Smithfield Virginia Smoked Picnic which cost under $8.50. We got several meals from it and had enough to make sandwiches and scrambled eggs with ham.
Preheat oven to 350. Place Ham, but not the juices in a roasting pan, fat side up. Using a very sharp knife, score the Ham in 2 directions. The first set of lines should be diagonal in 1 direction and the second set following the opposite diagonal line. You should wind up with a harlequin pattern. If you have 12-18 Cloves, which I like to use, add them now. On a budget though it is not necessary. Using a toothpick, make holes in the center of each diamond. Add a clove to each hole allowing the bulb end of the clove to be visable. Bake in the center of the oven for about an hour. Remove ham from oven and increase oven to 425. Carefully top the hot ham with 1/4 - 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar. It will only burn if it hits the pan, so try to get it between all of the cuts and it will melt in place. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing thinly. Serve with Fresh Pineapple for a tasty compliment. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

This wonderful winter dish is priced incredibly well. I think this makes a terrific Christmas Eve or even Christmas dinner. Dare I say this 4 lb Pork Loin was under $5 and can easily serve 8! Children like it too because it is moist.
Remove Pork Loin from the refrigerator an hour before roasting. Make sure the meat will fit into your roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 350. Melt 2 Tbl Butter. Place Pork Loin in roasting pan, fat side up. This sounds crazy but first brush the meat with butter. Wrap with enough bacon to cover the meat. If this is a special dinner, I would go to a fine grocer and get 5-8 Slices Applewood Smoked Bacon (depends of the length of the loin) from the butcher.
Wrap with bacon by draping and tucking under the loose ends. If you know how to tie the meat with string you can do it as you work. If you don't know how to do this step it will still end up just as good. Brush bacon with butter and season with ground pepper. I don't think you need salt but you be the judge. Cut 1 Small Onion into quarters and add to the roasting pan. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until when stabbed, the juices run clear. Do not over cook! PLEASE NOTE: The meat will roast the same amount of time regardless of its length. Once done, remove from oven and place on a platter with foil loosely over the top. Let rest for 15 minutes before placing on a carving board and slicing to 1/4" slices. Serve on a warm platter with au jus, as pictured.
There are wonderful juices to make a great gravy. Place roasting pan over medium high heat and deglaze pan with 1/3 Cup Apple Juice, 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock and a Splash of Kitchen Bouquet. Mix 2 Tbl Flour to 2 Tbl water in a small bowl. Add 1/4 Cup of the Pan Juices to the flour mixture. While stirring, pour flour mixture into pan juices. Let this return to boiling and gently boil for 3 minutes. If too thick add additional stock, if too thin, let it evaporate a bit or repeat with more flour. Strain into a sauce pan and serve in a gravy boat with sliced meat.

Pork Chops - Thick Cut and Succulent

Thick pork chops can be tricky to cook on top of the stove. If they are done on the inside, they are burnt on the outside. If you cook them forever slowly, they are actually dry and tough. A few years ago I finally found the trick to great chops, done perfectly and juicy on the inside. The trick.... your oven.
Buy thick center cut pork chops, preferably ones that haven't been cyro-vacced. If you have a store where the butcher cuts meat ask they cut them for you.
I like to use different sauces on the chops. Some ideas if you don't want to make one are, China Blue-Red Pepper Flake, Bronco Bob's-Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, House of Tsang's Szechuan Spicy Stir Fry Sauce.
Preheat oven to 350. Heat empty oven proof skillet over medium heat. Add a little salt to the pan. (Don't salt the meat, it is alread salty.) Add chops. Cook first side til golden brown and meat lifts easily. Turn just once and top only the meat with the sauce.
Place in oven making sure not to spill the sauce onto the pan for it'll burn and make clean up a bear. Finish in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven keeping the pan level. Let rest for 5 minutes. When serving the plates, again keep the meat level so sauce doesn't run off. All of these sauces are particularly good when lemon is used in an accompanying dish, broccoli with a squeeze of lemon or lemon rosemary risotto.
You will never have bad chops again!

Vermont Maple Sugar Crusted Baked Ham

The way I bake Ham sort of evolved partly from the ham I remember at Easter and other Sunday dinners when I was a child and partly from working in hotels and seeing it on Sunday Brunch. I was never really fond of ham until the past few years. I used to buy spiral hams but have found the spiral doesn't cover the entire length of the ham and the slices are too thick. I think ham should be cut thin, which is the way my Dad sliced it. If you have a ham slicer it is the best carving knife to use. The Ham size you buy doesn't matter. If it gets up about above 8-10 lbs, bake at 325F for 1 1/2 hours. My ham recipe as follows. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove skin and excess fat, leaving a 1/3" layer of fat. Cut through fat layer by scoring into a harlequin pattern. Place Cloves into each diamond.
Bake in hot oven for about an hour. Take Ham out and turn oven up to 425F.
Sprinkle ham with real Vermont made Maple Sugar. You can get this from Therriens Sugarhouse (802)257-4013, located in Vermont.
Put back into the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes. If you don't have Maple Sugar, use brown sugar and maple sryup mixed together to make a thick glaze. Note the glaze won't work as well because it melts too quickly. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.

Pulled Pork

Pulled pork actually has 2 major variables. The first, how to cook the pork and the second, what sauce to make. Know there is no wrong way to do either of them as long as the meat is cooked enough to pull and the dish is tasty with sweet, sour and spicy all at once.
I read many recipes before coming up with this preparation. I have served this at pool parties and nephews D and E always tell me it's their favorite.
For the best results, use a roasting pan fitted with a rack so meat is not in the liquid. Preheat Oven to 400F and you will reduce to 325F once meat is in the oven. Pour 1/2 C. Liquid Smoke and 1/2 C. Water in pan. Place 4-5 lb Pork Butt (Boston Butt) on rack and season. I use Adams Rib Rubb and kosher salt. Otherwise use your own blend of seasonings. Cover pan tightly with heavy foil and place in oven. Reduce heat to 325 and cook for 4 Hours. Rotate every 30 minutes or so. When done, let rest for 30 minutes before pulling.
With about an hour to go make sauce. For these photos, I used 1 pork butt and 1 sauce recipe. If you like it drier make sauce and serve 1/4 on the side or make
1 1/2 times the recipe and cook 2 pork butts. It will not take any longer in the oven for 2.
For Sauce- Preheat large pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbl Butter. Slice thinly 1 large onion and add to pot. Cook stirring for about 4-5 minutes, do not brown. Add 1 1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar and cook til bubbly and begins to thicken. Add 6 oz. Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 C Light Molasses (I use Steens light syrup), 1/2 C. Light Brown Sugar. Bubble gently til it begins to thicken. Add 16 oz Tomato Sauce (Hunts) and 16 oz Ketchup (Heinz) while stirring often. After a few minutes add 6 Tbl Mustard (Zatarains), 1/2 tsp Tobasco, 3 crushed Garlic Cloves, 1 Lemon cut into quarters, 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, 1 tsp Salt.
Pull pork using 2 forks. Meat should shred easily. Add to sauce.

Serve with soft style buns and a variety of pickles. Some compliments are Mac & Cheese, Broccoli Soup, Cabage Salad, Sweet Potatoes (mashed, baked or chips), Fresh Corn on the Cob, Spinach Salad, Potato Salad.

Busy Mom, Hungry Family

Baby Back Ribs are delicious any time of year and easy to cook. They are popular with children and adults alike. I have discovered that my favorite combination of cooking time to temperature is close to 2 hours at 325 degrees. I like it when the meat is tender but firm and not completely falling off the bone. I began to resort back to the oven for ribs once we bought an inferred grill. I found it was way too hot even on its lowest setting.
The rub I used here is called The Original Adams Rib Rubb (Fresh Market).
I rinse the ribs quickly under cool water if they have been packaged in cryovac. Place them on a foil lined sheet pan. Rub generously with the dry rub beginning with the bone side. Turn bone side down, repeat and place in preheated oven. Rotate pan every 30 miniutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.