Barbara's Stir Fry (Pork Fried Rice)

Pork fried rice is one of our favorite things to order in a Chinese restaurant. With just a little prep work, this wonderful stir fry can be made in less than 15 minutes. 

Loaded with veggies, this delicious and easy recipe was inspired by my friend, Barbara, at Moveable Feasts.  Although Barbara doesn't actively blog any longer, you can still find her on Instagram where she shares the wonderful archive of recipes from her website.  Recently, she shared this stir-fry recipe, which she learned from a Chinese women during her family's Air Force years in the 50's.

I adapted the recipe slightly and used frozen peas and fresh pea shoots.  I also added diced, slow-roasted pork shoulder (a great recipe which lends itself perfectly to stir fry recipes). Recipe below.

Chinese New Year is coming soon (The Year of the Dog) and begins on February 16!

Barbara's Stir Fry

Printable Recipe 

3 cups cooked brown rice (or any rice you have left over) 

2 or 3 eggs 

2 tablespoon canola or peanut oil, divided

1 large shallot, chopped, or regular onion - about 1/4 cup

2 cloves garlic, diced or minced

6 scallions, sliced very thinly  

1/2 cup shredded carrots (I use a box grater)

1/2 cup diced water chestnuts (optional)

1 cup peas, (defrosted if frozen) or ready-to-eat edamame 

1 cup diced, previously roasted pork shoulder (you may also use diced shrimp or chicken) 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Garnish with Fresh Pea shoots, if available, or, with thinly sliced green onion tops

Note:  Diced bok choy or small broccoli florets would also be great vegetable choices in the stir fry.  Add when adding the shredded carrot.  

Heat a saute pan or wok large enough to hold all the above ingredients over medium-high heat and add a little neutral flavored oil. When the oil is heated, add the eggs and scramble them briefly, breaking into small pieces. Remove the cooked eggs from the pan and set aside. 

Reheat the pan until hot. Add a little more oil, then add the shallots, scallion whites, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the cooked meat and rice and continue to stir for another few minutes until the rice and meat are hot and begin to brown slightly. 

Add the soy sauce, water chestnuts, scallion greens and peas or edamame, salt and pepper to taste and fry together for another minute or two. 

Garnish with some fresh pea shoots, scallion greens or other micro greens, if available. 

Pass additional soy sauce at the table when serving.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Brown Sugar

Printable Recipe 

SERVES: 10-12

1 3-1/2 to 5 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast

2 whole garlic cloves, sliced or minced (optional)

1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano

1 cup unsweetened apple juice (I didn't have juice so I used 2 fresh apples, peeled and diced) 

1/2 teaspoon salt, and 

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Make small slits all over the roast then insert a slice of garlic into each slit. Alternately, you can mince the garlic and rub it over the meat). Place the roast in a Dutch oven with lid.  I used my enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Sprinkle the roast on all sides with Worcestershire sauce. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

At the end of the hour, spoon any Worcestershire sauce that has accumulated on the bottom of the pot back over the meat. Mix together the brown sugar, black pepper and thyme or oregano and press the brown sugar mixture firmly onto the top and sides of the meat. Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the pot and cover tightly.

Place the roast in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 225 F.

Roast for about 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the roast).

Remove the meat to a platter, tent with foil and set aside.  Stir the salt into the pan juices and taste test. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Strain juices and reserve. 

Slice meat as desired and pour strained juices over the top of the meat.  

Note:  This can easily be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated.  Juices can be easily defatted after chilling by scraping congealed fat off the top.  When ready to serve, warm meat in a 350F oven in a covered pot for about 30 minutes, adding the reserved juices.  

Adapted from Genius Kitchen 

Mu Shu Pork with Chive Mu Shu Pancakes

Happy first day of Spring everyone!!!

I told you I liked cabbage in my last post so here I am with another delicious recipe loaded with vegetables and another variety of cabbage - this time, Napa cabbage.  Also known as celery cabbage, Napa is a type of Chinese cabbage which originated near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in Asian cooking.

Mu Shu Pork is made with slow-roasted and shredded pork, an abundance of cabbage, carrot, green onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts and cooked egg, A wrapper is spread with hoisin sauce and the cooked medley is placed over the pancake with more green onion or chives added as a garnish. Roll up and enjoy. It is delicious!

If you think making Mu Shu takes too much shredding, slicing and preparation, do as I did and get most of the prep done the day before.  I slow-roasted the pork, sliced and shredded all of the vegetables and made the Mu Shu pancakes on Sunday afternoon so I could put this meal together quickly on Monday night when my daughters came for dinner.

Mu Shu can also be made with chicken but Mu Shu Pork is a much more authentic Chinese preparation.  You could use a rotisserie chicken if you need a time-saver.  The dark meat would be tastiest in this recipe.

Some people even use flour tortillas as Mu Shu wrappers which is another shortcut and one I used when our girls were in high school and we were all very busy.  I though making them from scratch was fun and much tastier - especially with the addition of chives. I had some chives left from my Colcannon Soup in my last post and though this was a great way to use them.

Click here to watch a great video on making Mu Shu Pancakes.  The method in the video is very similar to the directions I've posted below.

It won't be too long before the chives in my garden start poking out of the ground as well as the first spring-flowering bulbs. Big smile.

Early spring is also a time of several back-to-back birthdays in our family, including our youngest grandson, me, my husband and our oldest daughter - in that order and all within 4 weeks of each other. Mr. Dane just turned two. We celebrate spring in a big way here :)

  
Mu Shu Pork with Chive Mu Shu Pancakes

Adapted from Food Network

Printable Recipe
 

Serves: 4 to 6

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce 
1/2 pound boneless lean pork, slow-roasted and shredded  (see note)
4 dried black mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes and thinly sliced (I used dried Shiitake mushrooms but use wood ear if you can find them)
2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage, hard stem removed
1 carrot, julienned
3 scallions, white and light green parts, slivered
1 cup bean sprouts, drained if using canned sprouts

3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar (I omitted)
 
Hoisin sauce for serving

Notes:  The day before, I slow-roasted a small pork shoulder which I had brushed with a Hoisin/Soy mixture (about 1/8 cup each) in my slow cooker for about 5 hours until tender and easy to pull apart.  I shredded the meat and refrigerated in a covered bowl until ready to make the Mu Shu.  I also sliced and shredded all of the vegetables (including the mushrooms and drained bean sprouts) the day before.  I placed them all together in a tea towel and put that inside a plastic bag and refrigerated overnight. I prepared the Mu Shu Pancakes the day before also and when cooled, placed them in a plastic zipper bag in the refrigerator.  Before dinner, I wrapped them in foil and into a warm oven for about 10 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.   Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain and thinly slice.

Heat a wok or very large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film. Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into strips about 1/4 inch by 1 inch.

Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stirfry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute. Add egg strips and mix well. 

To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake. Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.

MANDARIN PANCAKES:
Makes 16 pancakes

2 cups sifted flour
Pinch of Salt
1/8 cup finely snipped chives, if desired
3/4 cup boiling water
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Place flour in a medium bowl and stir in the salt and chives, if using.  Make a well in the center. Pour in the boiling water.  Use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to mix until a soft dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a log, 16 inches long. Cut the log crosswise into 1 inch pieces, shape each piece into a ball, then use your hands to flatten each ball into a pancake. Brush the tops of the pancakes lightly with the sesame oil. Then, place one pancake on top of a second pancake, oiled sides together, so that there are 8 pairs. (Keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to roll). With a rolling pin, flatten each pair into a 6 inch circle. (A tortilla press also works well for this.) Cover the pancakes with a damp towel or plastic wrap to rest.

Heat an ungreased, nonstick skillet over medium heat (I sprayed the pan lightly with nonstick spray). Cook the pancakes, one at a time, turning them over as they puff and little bubbles appear on the surface, until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes on each side. As each pancake is finished, remove from the pan and gently separate the halves into 2 pancakes while still hot. Stack cooked pancakes on a plate, covered with a towel, while cooking the remaining pancakes.

Serve pancakes warm with Mu Shu Pork. Pancakes may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated. Pancakes may also be frozen. Reheat them by steaming for 5 minutes, or warming them in a 350 degree F oven, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes.

Won Ton Soup with Noodles and Bok Choy

As you may know, this Friday, January 31st, kicks off Chinese Lunar New Year or 'Spring Festival' which lasts until February 14.  This new Chinese Lunar New Year will be the Year of the Horse. You can find some interesting and fun facts about Lunar New Year here. To find out if you were born in a Year of the Horse or what your Chinese astrological sign is, look here.

If you have a favorite team in the Super Bowl this Sunday, whose mascot is a horse,  this may be your lucky year :) 

In honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year, I decided to try making Wonton Soup.  I had never made wonton soup before but was inspired by a lovely post from my friend, Monique, at La Table de Nana.

I did a Google search to find out how to wrap wontons and chose the' flower bud' fold simply because I have major spring fever with the brutally cold winter we are having. Thinking of flower buds while making them just made me smile.  The fold is demonstrated in this video along with two other folds.  Making wontons is a little labor intensive but it's relaxing if you do it on the weekend, which I did. 

I also did a few internet searches on wonton soup recipes and, since I wanted a slightly 'heartier' soup for my husband, picked parts of the recipe Monique shared and the one for wonton noodle soup that I found at Steamy Kitchen. I enjoyed the addition of the baby bok choy and the suggestion to serve it with chili garlic sauce on the side.  Delicious!  I had a hard time finding ground pork that I felt was lean enough.  Next time, I may grind my own or have the butcher grind a leaner piece of pork for me.

I am so glad I was inspired to try making wonton soup.  There are many variations you can find and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. You could even make it totally vegetarian and use a hearty vegetable stock and fill the wontons with a variety of vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, mushrooms, bean sprouts and tofu. Also, if you decide you like it, you can freeze wontons after cooking them and freeze them for a quick meal in the future.  Steamy Kitchen has excellent tips for freezing. 

Happy Lunar New Year to all of my friends and followers and may it be a lucky one for all of you. 

Wonton Noodle Soup with Baby Bok Choy

Adapted from La Table de Nana and Steamy Kitchen

Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6

¼ pound lean ground pork
¼ pound large shrimp, deveined and chopped
5-6 strands of fresh chives, or 4 green onions, sliced thin (2 for the wontons and 2 for garnish)
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or 1 beaten egg white) as a binder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
Cornstarch slurry made with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ¼ cup water
1 lb of won ton wrappers thawed
6 ounces dried wonton noodles or thin egg noodles
½ pound baby bok choy, rinsed well
2 quarts chicken broth or stock (I always have Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock on hand)
salt and pepper

Optional garnishes:
Sesame oil for drizzling over soup
Chili Garlic sauce
Sliced green onions or chives

In a large bowl, combine the pork, shrimp, green onion or chives, cornstarch or egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and grated ginger. Mix well. Put a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper, brush cornstarch slurry on all edges. Fold corners together to make a triangle, pressing outward gently to remove any air bubbles. Finish using whatever wonton fold that you wish using extra slurry to secured. Place on clean, dry plate in one layer and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining filling and wontons. My recipe made 32 wrapped wontons.

In a large stockpot, add all the stock and bring to a gentle boil. Add filled wontons and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Remove with a spider or sieve and place on a large dish with sides and cover with a damp paper towel.

Return the stock to a boil and add the noodles. Cook according to package directions. During the last 3 minutes, add the bok choy. Add any loose leaves during the last minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Return as many wontons that you wish to serve back into the pot to reheat for a minute. Ladle the wontons, noodles, stock and boy choy into serving bowls. Garnish with more chives or chopped green onions, drizzle with a little sesame oil and serve with chili garlic sauce, if desired.

My Top 12 of 2012

Since it's customary at the end of the year to look back and reflect on the highlights of the year, I thought it would be fun to look back to see which posts that I shared in 2012 were the post popular with viewers. You're looking at my four most-viewed recipes of 2012 above!

Starting with the my most viewed post of 2012, with an amazing 4465 page views, was my Grilled Rainbow Trout Tutorial.  I hope that means there was a lot of delicious fish on the grill last year ;...

The second most-viewed post was this Cauliflower Steak with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce with 2637 page views.  It is so pretty and so delicious:

Number three was a post on a very healthy and delicious Green Soup with 2504 page views.  I plan on making this again in January after the gluttony of the holidays are over.  Green is good!...

Coming in fourth, was this unusual combination of  Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust  (so delicious!) with 2357 page views:

Fifth was this sweet and savory Salad for All Seasons with 1285 page views:

Sixth was a fairly recent post featuring a cookbook that I had won - Mamma Agata's Eggplant Parmigiana with 1108 page views.  I see many more eggplants in my future after enjoying this:

 

Seventh and the last post to garner over 1000 page views was General Tsao's Chicken with 1085 views:

Eighth was Pork Schnitzel with Lemon-Caper Sauce with 992 views:

Ninth - Torta Caprese with Lemon Mascarpone with 957 views:

Tenth - Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction and Basil Oil with 926 views:

Eleventh was this very recent post which received a lot of interest in a very short time - Brown Sugar, Fig and Rosemary Walnuts with 925 views (addictive and delicious!):

Last, my twelfth most viewed post of 2012, was Clam, Halibut and Sweet Corn Chowder with 850 page views.  This is a delicious treat during fresh corn season:

After reviewing these 12 most-viewed posts of 2012, I was interested to see that there were only two dessert posts that made the top twelve, six were vegetable/salad/meatless, two were seafood, one chicken and one pork. If that means we are all eating healthier wouldn't that be a wonderful thing! 

I'd like to say goodbye to 2012 by wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2013!  May your kitchen be a source of fun and creativity where family and friends gather. Thank you again for your support and encouraging comments!   

~Susan

Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Caper Butter

My husband and I have been obsessed with capers lately! I've been using them in sauces for seafood, putting them in Caesar salad dressings and most recently in a sauce for sauteed pork tenderloin medallions.

This is a very tasty recipe that I found in our local newspaper. It had achieved the recognition of being one of the top 25 recipes that the newspaper had tested and reviewed in 2011. It's an adaptation of a recipe from the Gourmet Today cookbook.

Since pork tenderloin is our favorite cut of pork, I'm always looking for new ways to serve it. This was...delicious! The salty flavor of the capers pairs so well with the breaded schnitzel. It was also a fairly easy dinner to put together and the cooking time is quick. I served it with a simple salad on the side.

Enjoy!

Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Caper Butter

Adapted from Gourmet Today
Printable Recipe

Note: I cut the recipe in half and only used 1 egg

Makes 4 servings

1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, slice into 1-inch-thick rounds

6 tablespoons cup unsalted butter (divided in half)
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and patted dry
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 eggs
1 ½ cups fine dry bread crumbs

6 tablespoons vegetable oil (about) (divided)

Garnish:
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges

Line 1 baking sheet with waxed paper and another baking sheet with paper toweling.

Pound pork tenderloin rounds between two sheets of plastic wrap to ¼-inch thickness. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in capers, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and cover loosely to keep warm.

Pat pork rounds dry and season with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, beat eggs with ¼ teaspoon salt. Put bread crumbs in another pie plate or shallow bowl. Dip pork rounds in egg mixture, one at a time, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in bread crumbs and place on wax-paper-lined baking sheet.

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add 2 to 3 pieces of pork, without crowding meat, and cook, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer cooked rounds to paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven.

Cook remaining pork pieces in the same way, adding 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter for each batch.

Serve pork drizzled with caper butter and sprinkled with parsley and lemon wedges on the side.

Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw Sandwiches

What is your favorite sport to watch on television?  Football, basketball, baseball, pro sports, college sports?  

If you love watching sports on television you need sports food!  Last weekend, I made these delicious pulled pork and cole slaw sandwiches while we watched Marquette make it into the Sweet Sixteen with one of our daughters and her boyfriend (both Marquette alumni). Whether you're a student, an alum, or just a fan who loves sports, these are sure to please a roaring crowd!

Not only is this easy to make but can be made well in advance so there's no last-minute cooking.

This Tyler Florence recipe starts out with a large bone-in pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt). Mine weighed over 6 pounds. A dry rub of paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, dry mustard and coarse salt is rubbed on the roast and left to marinate in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. I did this Friday night. On Saturday, I pulled out my old 6 quart Nesco Slow Roaster since this was going to be a 6 hour-plus slow-roast.

When it was done, the tender pork was easy to pull apart and the fat and bone were discarded. I strained the meat juices and defatted them the next day. 
 

On Sunday, all I had to do was arrange the shredded pork on a large baking pan and add the meat juices plus a little (1/2 cup) of Chipotle BBQ sauce and toss every now and again until the juices were reduced, but not totally evaporated, still leaving moist, tender meat.

Did you know that cole slaw is perfect crunchy compliment to pulled pork? You can either pile it on top of the pork on your sandwich or eat it on the side - your preference!

I hope you give these recipes a try, whether you love watching sports or just love a great pulled pork sandwich!

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw Sandwiches

Adapted from Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Tyler Florence
Printable Recipe with My Personal Adaptations

Tyler Florence includes a recipe for Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce which I tried and found far too sour and vinegar-y for my liking so I did not include it here but you can find it on the link above. I advise using your favorite BBQ sauce recipe or store-bought brand.

Serves 8-10

Do Ahead: This recipe can be started 2 days before serving.

1 (5 to 7 pound) bone-in pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Your favorite BBQ sauce (optional)
Crusty Rolls

Dry Rub:

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse salt

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, overnight being preferred but not absolutely necessary.

Preheat the oven or slow roaster to 300 degrees F.

Place the pork roast in a covered roasting pan and bake for about 6-7 hours, until it's falling off the bone. Allow to cool slightly and remove the meat, discarding excess fat and the bone. Shred the meat using two large forks or your fingers.

Strain the meat juices and separate the fat either using a fat strainer or simply place the juices in the refrigerator overnight and remove the fat layer the next day.

Place the defatted meat juice and shredded meat on a large baking pan. Toss in 1/2 cup cup of BBQ sauce (optional) and roast in a 350 degree oven for another 30-45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the juices are almost dissolved but the meat is still moist.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of a bun, and top with the cole slaw.

Cole Slaw adapted from Jim' N Nick's Coleslaw

This slaw is perfect as a side dish or added to a pulled-pork sandwich.

(I adjusted the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise to my preference)

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 2-pound head of green cabbage, quartered, cored, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 14 cups)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup grated peeled carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place cabbage in large bowl. Add vinegar and sugar; toss to coat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Toss cabbage mixture well; cover and let stand 30 minutes longer (You can also use a baster to siphon the vinegar solution from the bottom and baste and cabbage). Drain cabbage well squeezing out the excess juice with your hands. Can be made 8 hours ahead up to this point. Cover and chill.

Transfer drained cabbage to another large bowl. Add carrots, onions, and mayonnaise; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mortadella Spread Bruschetta

I found this recipe in the Jan/Feb, 2011 issue of Saveur magazine in an article called the The Saveur 100, Chefs' Edition (recommendations). It was a tasty discovery at The Purple Pig restaurant in Chicago by a Canadian chef who happened to be visiting the Windy City with his wife. The Purple Pig was kind enough to share the recipe with Saveur.

The recipe sounded so unusual yet appealing so I was anxious to give this simple recipe a try. I admit this may not be the best choice for those with sodium-restricted diets since cured meats do contain fairly high amounts.

Mortadella is a large Italian sausage made from finely hashed/ground heat-cured pork sausage. It is delicately flavored with spices, including whole or ground black pepper, myrtle berries, nutmeg, coriander and pistachios, jalapeños and/or olives.

The mortadella is first puréed in a food processor and a velouté sauce made with chicken stock is added along with a bit of whipped cream. However, here is where the recipe and I parted ways~

After I added the velouté to the puréed mortadella, I then tried adding a little whipped cream to a tiny portion, just to see how it tasted. I found the flavor very bland so, instead, added some Hellman's Light Mayonnaise and a big pinch of freshly ground pepper and some thyme. Perfect! Next time, I might even add a tiny bit of roasted garlic. If you do try this recipe, I'd love to hear your opinion on the recipe as published.

My husband and I truly enjoyed my adapted version with several exclamation points from him ;-).

I halved the recipe for the two of us and it was more than enough for a light dinner along with a salad of mixed greens including some of the fresh arugula.

Mortadella Spread Bruschetta

Adapted by me from Mortadella Smear recipe in Saveur Magazine and served at The Purple Pig in Chicago
Printable Version

Makes enough for about 25-30 pieces.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 lb. mortadella without pistachios*, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (the original recipe calls for the same amount of heavy cream, whipped)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (my addition)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (my addition)
1-2 baguettes, sliced, depending on how many you are serving
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. crushed toasted pistachio nuts
1/2 cup baby arugula

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour vinegar into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (Tip, if it becomes too stiff to drizzle when it is cool, simply rewarm a bit). In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove velouté sauce from heat and set aside to cool.

Put mortadella into a food processor and process until puréed. Transfer mortadella to a medium bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the reserved velouté sauce, mayonnaise and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut the baguette into serving-size slices and rub each slice with olive oil. (I add some oil to my palms and rub the oil on both sides of each slice with my hands.) Sprinkle the slices with a little freshly ground black pepper and arrange them on a large baking pan. Toast in the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until just barely golden. You don't want them to get too hard. If desired, you could also rub the top of each bread slice with a clove of garlic.

To serve, spread the grilled bread with the mortadella spread and garnish with a drizzle of the reduced balsamic and a scattering of pistachios and arugula. Serve warm or at room temperature along with some cocktail pickles and olives.

Enjoy!

*I couldn't find mortadella without pistachios, but since pistachios are added later, I didn't see a problem!

Varkeshaas - Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Cream Sauce

I've been making this recipe for a number of years and every time I serve it to guests I am inevitably asked for the recipe.  It's my all-time favorite pork tenderloin preparation!

The pork tenderloin is first seared on top of the stove and then finished in the oven.  A delicious, light cream sauce with shallots, herbs and wine is then prepared in the searing pan to deglaze all the delicious browned bits.

You can see how juicy and tender it turns out made this way!

To mince the shallots for the sauce, I use one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, a Microplane. I have three different sizes and I use them all the time!

I served the pork with steamed spinach and pureed sweet potatoes but it would also taste wonderful with oven-roasted potatoes and root vegetables or mashed potatoes or celery root and Brussels sprouts. 

Varkenshaas (Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Cream Sauce)

Adapted from La Petite Restaurant, Anacortes, Washington
and found on Epicurious
Printable Recipe

Serves 4

Even if you halve this recipe, you may wish to keep the sauce proportions the same, it is that good!

2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 pounds total), trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine (always Chardonnay in our home)
2/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup heavy cream (I have used lighter cream and even fat free versions successfully)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Garnish: 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy saute pan large enough to hold the tenderloins without crowding, heat the oil and 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat until sizzling (be careful not to burn the butter), brown pork on all sides, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes. Transfer pork to a shallow baking dish and roast in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer registers 155° F. for barely pink meat, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and shallot to the same saute pan used to brown the meat, and cook over medium heat until softened. Add wine, broth, and mustard ,scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by almost half. Add the heavy or light cream along with the chopped basil and simmer until thickened. Stir in the chopped parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Pour sauce over pork and garnish with chives.

Lidia's Pork Shoulder with Salsa Genovese~

Do you love it when your kitchen smells like sautéed onions and garlic?  Believe me, you'll get plenty of lovin' when you prepare this recipe! I should probably tell you is that this recipe is a time commitment. If you have a free Sunday at home and want to create an savory, tender, slow-roasted dish, this is it.

The recipe calls for red pepper flakes but I had just bought some Thai chili peppers at the Farmers' Market last weekend and decided to use one these instead.

I pulled out my large Le Creuset roaster because it is wonderful for slow roasting but any dutch oven with a lid will work. It is also big enough to hold the 3-1/2 pounds (yes, pounds) of onions for the recipe. This was merely half the amount of that the original recipe calls for.

The end result was pork that was pull-apart tender with a wonderful onion salsa that was perfect for serving over pasta. One night, we had the pork on crusty rolls, but we enjoyed it the best as a meaty sauce with pasta.

Lidia's Pork Shoulder with Salsa Genovese

Adapted from "Pork Shoulder with Onions - Salsa Genovese"  by Lidia Bastianich.
This recipe was original found on Lidia's Italy but has been removed from the website.
Printable Recipe

Note: I adapted this recipe to one-half of the original. My husband and I enjoyed it for 3 days so I would say it serves 4 to 6 people. Don't be afraid of all of the onions and garlic in this recipe. After braising for 3 hours, it will meld into a mildly delicious sauce.

For the pestata (a paste, in English) you will need:

2 ounces bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup whole peeled garlic cloves
3-1/2 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast, bone-in
1/2 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher crystal salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino ( hot red pepper flakes), or a very small chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded or chopped
1 stalk celery, finely shredded or chopped
3-1/2 pounds onions, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 cups, or more or less, hot turkey broth (I used chicken stock), heated before adding

Making the pestata and starting the braise:

Using a food processor with the metal blade, mince the bacon and garlic cloves together into a paste. Remove the paste and set aside. Use the food processor to chop the carrot, celery and onion. You don't need to wash the bowl since everything will be cooked together. Process each vegetable individual, cutting the carrot and celery stalk into chunks before chopping. You will want a small to medium dice. Cut the onions into 1-inch pieces and pulse into a coarse chop, 1/4-inch or so. Put the onions into a big bowl—you will have about 2 quarts of chopped onion.

Pat the pork dry with paper toweling, then season all over with approximately ½ teaspoon salt and press it in. Set the braising pan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil gets hot, add the pork in and brown it lightly on each side. While the meat is browning, scrape the pestata into the pan bottom; spread it out and let the bacon begin to render. Drop in peperoncino now, if you want some heat in the salsa; toast it in the pan bottom.*

After 3 minutes or so of browning the pork, drop the tomato paste into the fat; stir and caramelize a minute. Dump the shredded carrot and celery into the pan bottom; stir for a minute just to get them cooking. (Keep turning the meat so it browns evenly and slowly.)

Now scrape the chopped onions into the pan, all around the meat. Sprinkle the remaining coarse salt over the onions, raise the heat a bit, stirring the onions up from the bottom and mixing them with the oil, pestata and tomato. Cook on medium high heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes until onions are all hot and starting to sweat. Cover and turn the heat to medium-low.

*Note - I removed the pork to saute the pestata and vegetables, adding the pork back to the pan after all of the vegetables were done sauteeing.

Braising the pork:

The pork will now cook for about 3 hours. Leave it alone for the first 45 minutes, then uncover, turn the meat and stir the onions. They should be softening and releasing liquid. If there is any sign of burning, lower the heat. Cover and cook for another 45 minutes, turn the meat and stir the onions. They should be quite reduced in volume, in a thick simmering sauce. Stir in 1 cup of hot broth, bringing the liquid higher around the pork.

Cook covered for another 45 minutes, then stir. If the sauce level has dropped a lot and is beginning to stick, stir in another cup or so of broth. Taste and add more salt, if necessary.

Cover and cook another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Check the consistency of the onions—they should be melting into the sauce and the meat should be soft when pierced with a fork. If satisfactory, remove from the heat; otherwise cook longer, adding more broth. Or, if the sauce seems thin, uncover and cook to reduce it.

Remove the bone and any excess fat from the meat and either slice or shred it (which I did).

Lidia suggests serving the this three ways:

As a first course: Remove 2 cups of the fresh onion sauce from the pot and put it in a large skillet. Cook one pound of rigatoni or other pasta, and toss it in the skillet with the simmering sauce. Finish with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano.

As a main meat course: Remove the pork from the braising pot and cut out the blade bone (just lift the cooked meat off it and remove the bone). Slice the pork against the grain in 1/3-inch-thick slices, and moisten with hot sauce from the pot.

As a meaty sauce for pasta: Traditionally the leftover meat and sauce from Sunday dinner were combined and served another day as a dressing for pasta, but you can dedicate any amount of Salsa Genovese to this marvelous mixture.

Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers

It's funny how recipes come your way sometimes.  Last week I was working with a friend and he was telling me that his daughter was home for a couple of weeks from school and doing some cooking for he and his wife.  He was raving about the pork and Muenster cheeseburgers that she had made the night before and how the pork was mixed with chipotle, grilled with melted Muenster cheese and served with avocado and tomatillo slices.  Pork cheeseburgers???

But, due to his exuberance about the recipe, I assumed my husband would also like them and immediately got on the computer and did a quick search for the recipe and made them this week.

My friend was absolutely right - they are wonderful!  A great change from the usual beef burgers on the grill with a surprising smokey-spicy flavor.  The mayo and avocado add just enough creaminess to balance the heat of the chipotles and the sliced tomatillo added a wonderful, cool crunch. I didn't add the cilantro garnish - just a personal preference. I added more chipotles than the original recipe called for and even added a little adobo sauce to the mayonnaise.

Chipotle-Cheese Pork Burgers

Adapted from Gourmet

Photo Credit Gourmet.com

Printable Recipe

Serves 2-4 depending on the size you make the burgers and the appetites of those your are serving. I prefer 1/3 pound per person.

1 pound regular ground pork (not extra lean)
3 teaspoons minced chipotle pepper in adobo* plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (this is more than the original recipe calls for)
2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 slices Muenster cheese
2-4 hamburger buns, toasted

Garnish:

1/4 cup mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon adobe sauce added
1 large tomatillo (1/4 pound), husked and rinsed, then sliced thin
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preheat a outdoor grill or grill pan on the stovetop to medium heat. In a medium bowl, add the ground pork, diced chipotles and adobe sauce, minced garlic, and salt and gently mix together just until combined. Form into patties.

Oil grill rack or pan and grill patties, covered, 4-5 minutes. Flip patties over and grill another 4-5 minutes. Top with a slice of cheese and grill just until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes more and remove to a plate.

Spread buns with mayonnaise and assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado, and cilantro (optional).

Chipotles in Adobo sauce can be found in the Hispanic aisle of your grocery store near the other chili peppers. They have a wonderful, smoky-tangy flavor.