Stir Fried Leeks and Mushrooms

 2 leeks, peeled, cleaned and sliced

1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

about 2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 pound lean pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

oil for stir frying

 Marinade for the pork:  3 tbsp soy or tamari sauce, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger, 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of cornstarch.   Mix this all together well, then add the pork cubes, making sure all the pork is covered with the marinade.   Set aside for at least 10 minutes. 

 An additional 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 3 tbsp chopped ginger, set aside

Heat a wok or large deep skillet then add about 3 tbsp oil and swirl it around the pan.  Add the mushrooms and onion, stir fry it until the mushrooms begin to brown a bit.  Remove to a large bowl, then add the leeks.   Stir fry the leeks until they too start to  brown, then remove them to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Add an additional 3 tbsp of oil to the walk, swirl it around and then add the pork.  Stir fry the pork until it is all white and starting to look done.  It won't take very long,  add the remaining garlic and ginger, along with 1 tsp of sesame oil, and fry until fragrant.  Return the vegetables to the pan, mix all together and then allow it to sit a minute or two before eating.   

Frijole Rancheros or Rancher's Beans

1 pound of dried beans, pinto or black
1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp and set aside
about 1/4 cup rendered bacon fat, with the crunchies in the bottom of the pan if possible
1 medium sized onion, peeled and partially quartered so the onion holds together
1 whole green chile pepper, whole
3-4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1-3 green chiles, seeded and chopped
3-4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
3-4 ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped or a small can of diced tomatoes

Cover beans in cold water and then bring to a boil, boil about 15 minutes, then remove from heat, cover and allow to sit an. hour.    After the hour, add the whole onion, whole chile and who garlic cloves and bring the beans to a boil again, then reduce heat so the beans just barely simmer.   Simmer until very tender, another 45 minutes to an hour, until they are very tender.   When tender remove from the heat and set aside.   Take the whole vegetables from the pot and mash or chop finely, then add back to the beans.  

Next, take the reserved bacon fat and heat in another pan.   Add the chopped onions and green chiles, saute until they are are starting to brown, then add the garlic.   Fry just a few minutes and then add tomatoes.   Simmer this until the mixture is almost dry, stirring often.    When mixture is cooked, add it and the bacon into the beans, bring them back to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes or so. 

Is good with any kind of Mexican food or by itself.     If you have leftover roast pork, you can add that to the beans as well.   Makes a good meal by itself.  

Pork Chop and Potato Bake

6 boneless pork chops
1 pkg frozen O'Brien potatoes(or use about 4 cups of finely cubed potatoes mixed with a finely chopped onion and diced red and green sweet peppers)
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup  milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1  can of french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Grease a 9x13 inch pan.    Brown the chops on both sides in a little oil and set aside.   Reserve half of the cheese and half of the onions, set aside.   Mix the remaining ingredients together, including the half cup cheese and half can of onion rings.   Spread it in the bottom of the pan and then top with the chops.   Bake for one hour.   At that time, sprinkle the reserved cheese and onions on top, then bake an additional 5 minutes or so, until the cheese is browned.  

Very hearty and very good.   If you wish to avoid the canned soup, make a cream sauce with lots of chopped celery that you brown in the butter used to make the cream sauce.   

Green Chile Chicken Stew With Green Chile Dumplings

Green Chile Chicken Stew with Green Chile and Cheese Dumplings

Heat about ½ cup oil in a large, deep Dutch oven. Add one large onion, peeled and chopped. When the onions are lightly browned, add about 3 large cloves and garlic that have been peeled and chopped, use more if you wish. Immediately after adding the garlic, add ½ cup flour and stirring constantly, cook until the flour is lightly browned. Pour in 2 quarts of chicken broth and about 1 1/2-2 cups roasted peeled and chopped green chile. Stir constantly until the gravy is thickened. Add 3-4 cups cooked chopped chicken. Reduce heat to a low simmer and stir on occasion to keep from sticking.

Now mix up the dumpling dough. Take two cups flour in a large bowl, add 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp. baking soda. Stir until all are mixed well. Melt about 2/3 cup butter and stir into the flour mixture and mix together, then stir in 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese and ½ cup grated Parmesan. Beat together 1 egg, ½ cup roasted peeled and chopped green chiles and about a cup of buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture until well blended. If too dry, add more buttermilk, if to wet, more flour. Then spoon the mixture on top of the simmering stew, cover and cook about 20 minutes. At that time stick a toothpick in the center of one of the dumpling, if done it will come out clean. Top each serving with some more grated cheese if you wish.

If you wish, you could do this with a beef stew or even a pork stew.   Would also be a good way to use up leftover turkey at Thanksgiving.   

Be sure to use a high quality roasted green chile, preferably Hatch.   I use the jarred 505 green chile that you can order from 505 or sometimes can be found in local grocery stores, the Topeka WalMart carries it.      

Huevos motuleños

I first had this breakfast dish at a lovely restaurant in Santa Fe, NM called Cafe Pascuals.  It is lovely little place and at breakfast time packed from wall to wall, but well worth the trouble to get into.   The friends I went with recommended that I try this and I was so very happy that I did.  It is an incredible dish and so very easy to make.  It is also very flexible and quick to make as well.

It is originally from the southern part of Mexico, as you can see from the ingredients and is named from the town where it originated, Motul.  Here is my take on it.  Enjoy!

For each serving:

1 ripe, but firm banana, peeled halved lengthways, then each half halved again crossways.
1/2 cup cooked, drained and reheated beans, black are traditional but pintos work well too
1 cup green sauce, heated or a heated cooked smooth red sauce
2-3 eggs cooked as desired, fried is traditional
1/2 cup diced ham or cooked pork (optional)
3 heated corn tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese or crumbled cotija cheese or some grated monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup cooked green peas (optional, I usually leave out but it is traditional)
1/2 cup pico de gallo
1 tbsp. butter

Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet until warm, but still flexible.  Place on serving plate and set aside in a warm place.   Heat the butter in the skillet and gently fry the banana slices until lightly browned on each side, a nonstick skillet is best for this as the sugar in the bananas can make them stick very easily in a regular skillet.   When the bananas are browned assemble your plate:  tortillas, then the heated salsa, scatter the cooked drained beans over the top, then the ham or pork if using, then the eggs, the peas, the pico de gallo, and finally the crumbled cheese, place the fried banana slices around the edges.   I usually don't use the peas, and in place of the pico de gallo, often just smother the whole thing with more green sauce, mainly because I love green sauce!   This is a delicious breakfast dish and easily made as you can have everything except the eggs and bananas prepared ahead of time, just heat, cook the eggs and bananas, assemble and eat.   I like it for lunch and a light supper too.  Pretty healthy as well!

Kimchi Stew

I have found myself madly in love with Korean food.   It started with a love for kimchi especially and has just grown.   But kimchi is still my all time favorite.   I recently ate at a Korean restaurant and had kimchi stew.  It was incredible!   The recipe searches I've made online are look to be very simple, so decided to try it.  I also spoke with a Korean woman I work with and asked her about it.   She basically said you put in it what you like, as long as there is lots of kimchi, garlic and red peppers.   So came home, through caution to the winds and just made it.    It is very tasty too!

1 lb. diced pork, with a little fat in it if possible.   many recipes call for pork belly
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pints/4 cups kimchi
1 heaping tbsp.  garlic and red chile paste (optional but tasty)
dash of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper, unless using the red chile paste
2 tbsp. sesame oil
8 oz. cubed tofu
1 tsp. brown sugar
4 cups water

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven then brown the diced pork, when the pork is starting to brown, add the onion and brown both together.   Next add the garlic and stir around until fragrant.   Add the kimchi and any liquid in the jar, the garlic and red chile paste or crushed red pepper, the soy, vinegar and sesame oil, then the water.   Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer about 30 minutes.   Ten minutes before the time is up, add the tofu, continue to simmer another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit about 10-15 minutes.    Serve with cooked rice.

Options:  this can very easily be made vegan, just by omitting the meat.    You can add other vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, radishes, turnips, you name it.   I have also been told you can top each serving with a fried egg.  

Chinese Honey Glazed Pork

I never have been very good at recreating Chinese recipes at home.   They taste "ok", but nothing really all that special.   However I recently came across a very simple recipe that sounded incredible, so decided to try it.   I took a basic recipe and made some changes.   It turned out fantastic.   Aaron loved it too.   Here is what I came up with.

1 1/2 pounds of boneless pork loin chops
(leave whole or slice or cut into cubes)

1/3 cup rice wine
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped or 1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 green onions, washed and trimmed, then finely chopped

Spray cooking spray on a large skillet, then heat over medium heat.   When heated add the pork and fry until well browned (if using whole pork chops, cook about 2-3 minutes on each side).   When well browned, remove from the skillet and set aside.  While the pork is cooking, mix together everything except the green onions.   When you remove the pork from the skillet, add this mixture and simmer about 3 minutes.   Return the pork to the skillet and continue cooking until the liquid thickens and turns into a nice glaze.    Add the green onions and remove from heat.   Serve with steamed or fried rice.

If you don't care for pork, use diced raw chicken in place of the pork.   Everything else would be the same.

Oven Pork and Apple Stew

Last weekend I made the most delicious pork stew. I did it in the oven and used pork shoulder cut in cubes, then added apples, onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. I flavored it with some apple juice, a small bit of thyme and some crushed red pepper. I was wonderful. Even Aaron liked it and took all the leftovers home with him. Here's how I did it.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then I took a deep roaster and layered the ingredients in it:

1-1/12 cups each, chopped carrots and celery
8 oz. pkg of sliced mushrooms, I used baby bellas as I think they have a better flavor, but use what you have
1 large onion peeled and chopped or chunked
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cubed

Over that I sprinkled: 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca, about 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Then I cubed about 3 pounds of pork shoulder, trimmed of fat (you could also use cubed boneless country style ribs). Finally I poured over this a can of chicken broth and about 1 1/2 cups apple juice and quater cup of apple cider vinegar. If you happen to have some hard cider around, you could use a bottle of that in place of the apple juice and it would probably be even better.

Then I baked it about three hours, stirring it about 3 times. When the meat it tender and the gravy thickened, it is ready to eat. I served it with some crusty bread and it was a delicious meal.   Feel free to change the vegetables, any root vegetable would be good in this.   Also feel free to use whatever herb or seasoning you  like best. 

Marmalade Glazed Pork Chops

6-8 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste or other seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash)
5 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. brown mustard
1 tbsp. honey or brown sugar

Lightly oil a frying pan and brown the seasoned pork chops on both sides. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix together the marmalade, vinegar, mustard and honey. Spread over the pork chops and bake at 350 degrees about an hour, or until the pork chops are tender and nicely browned.

I have not tried it, but I'm sure this could easily be done in a crockpot, only in that case I'd use country style ribs instead of loin chops.

You could also substitute another kind of jam for the marmalade.   A good combination would be plum or apricot or pineapple jam, with about 1 tsp. of ground ginger and 1 tsp. of soy sauce.

Pork Cutlets

One of my favorite cuts of meat is what is commonly called a pork cutlet.   That is a thin slice of pork, usually very lean, that has been mechanically tenderized in some fashion.   They are usually cheap and always tasty.   They are also fairly versatile, in that you can do many things with them.    My all time favorite way to cook them is the simplest:  I dredge them in flour and fry until brown and crisp in hot oil.   Usually, after they are cooked, I make a nice cream gravy with the drippings.    If  you want to get a bit fancier, dredge in flour (seasoned to taste, I like using Mrs. Dash), then dip in beaten egg and milk (about 1/4 cup milk to each egg), then roll in bread crumb.   Fry until crisp in hot oil.   If you like, when well browned you can top with a slice of cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

But if I'm wanting a nice crisp pork cutlet, but without the mess of frying, I bake them.   I dredge in flour, then in the egg wash and bread crumbs, then place on a well greased baking sheet.   Spray the cutlets with cooking spray, then bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes or until browned and crisp.   These make wonderful sandwiches!

To vary the taste, add some Mrs. Dash and hot sauce to the egg wash.   You can also add some grated parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.    And, as always, enjoy!

Chile Verde or Pork with Green Chiles

3 pounds of pork shoulder or boneless country style ribs
(cut meat into cubes, trimming as much fat as possible)
flour to dust the meat cubes with
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups diced mild green chiles, like Anaheim,
seeds, stems and membranes removed
2 cups/1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup water or chicken broth
2 tbsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. oil, enough to lightly grease a large skillet or dutch oven

Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven.   Lightly flour the pork cubes and brown in the heated skillet, about 1 pound at a time.    When all the pork cubes are browned, add the onion and cook until wilted.    Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the pork is fall apart tender, 2-3 hours.   Stir on occasion to prevent sticking.   You may need to add more water or chicken broth to keep from cooking dry or sticking.     Eat as a stew with hot tortillas or add more chicken broth to make it more soup like.   If you like the taste of garlic, you can add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic with the onion.

Smothered Country-style Ribs

Approximately 2 pounds of country style ribs
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
1 tsp. thyme (optional)
a pinch of red pepper
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
4 tsp. brown sugar
3 cups chicken broth

Place the meat in the bottom of a large casserole or roaster, add the rest of the ingredients and bake covered about 2 hours, then uncovered for another hour, at 350 degrees. Watch the liquid and it the gravy is getting too thick, add more chicken broth or some water. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. It is also good with some sliced mushrooms added too.

This is also a perfect dish to do in a slow cooker. Cook on low about 7-8 hour or on high for 4-5 hours and only use about 1/2 the chicken broth.


Note: You can use either bone in or boneless ribs, I use whatever I find on sale. If possible, choose ribs with a bit of fat and connective tissue. Under long slow cooking, this dissolves into a heavenly tender, melt in your mouth, moist piece of meat. You can use pork chops, in that case use a thicker chop, preferably a blade chop...again because it has a bit more fat and connective tissue. Rib or loin end chops can turn out dry and tough with the long cooking.   Enjoy!

A camping recipe from my sister Susan

My sister Susan is one of the readers of my blog.   She and her husband live in the wilds of Idaho and love camping.   Susan sent me this recipe and said I could share with you folks.   I don't camp, but this still sounds like something I would make at home.

"
Food for two (with good appetites from hiking and setting up camp)

4 thin pork chops (1/2 inch is good, bone-in has better flavor, but is
messier to eat)
1 large Burbank potato, skin on (can use red-skinned but they take longer
to cook) cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, bite size pieces
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 small can mushrooms (or fresh if you like, but they don't keep well on a
camping trip)
Some kind for summer squash- yellow or zuccini (sp?)
1 medium tomato or a hand full of grape tomatoes, cut up

Wash all vegetables. Prepare as directed. (I may even do this at home, put
in ziplocks in the cooler).

In a cast iron dutch oven (4 quart is good size or any kind of skillet
with a lid) brown the pork chops in a tiny amount of oil. Don't over cook
or they will be tough.  Add all vegetables (except squash) and a cup of
water. Cook on high until boiling, then reduce to simmer.  Cook until
veggies are getting soft, then split the squash and lay over the top. Be
sure there is enough moisture so it doesn't burn, but not too much or you
will get watery gravy.
As the vegetables cook, the potatoes and carrots should add just enough
starch to the cooking fluid to make a slightly thickened sauce for your
vegetables.

Serve with salt/pepper to taste.  An absolutely delicious one pot meal. I
don't take a lot of spices with me camping, they get old in the camp box
and it's too much work to replace them each time, so I try to add plenty
of savory veggies so spices seem less needed. When camping out, tired and
hungry, you won't miss a lot of fancy dressing up!"

Enjoy!

Challenges of cooking for 1-2: Pork Roast

It isn't easy cooking for one or two people.   After a while you get tired of the quickly broiled or sauteed steak, chop or piece of chicken.   You long for a slow cooked, succulent pork roast or something like that. 

Well if you plan ahead, you can have that delicious roast pork and then do all sorts of wonderful things with the leftovers, making it a good way to get several meals from one piece of meat, without tiring of the original dish.

Today I cooked a delicious Boston butt pork roast.  It weighed about 6.5 pounds.    I rubbed it with some herbs, put it in my roaster, added two cups of water and let it slowly roast at 350 for 5-6 hours.   The first three hours I cooked it covered, then removed the lid the last 2-3 hours.   I roasted it until it was so tender that if you tried to pick it up with two forks, the meat tore to shreds.   It had a nice dark brown crust and the water in the bottom of the pan simmered away, leaving a nice brown fond.    I carefully removed the roast from the pan to a serving platter, covered it and allowed it to sit while making gravy.    I poured the rendered fat out of the pan, added a can chicken broth to the pan and stirred it until the fond was dissolved.   Meanwhile in another pan, I heated 2 tbsp. of oil and added 2 tbsp. flour.   I cooked that into a light brown roux, then added the broth from the roasting pan, stirring rapidly with a whisk until a nice gravy resulted.   I allowed that to simmer a couple of minutes the put into a serving boat.    The meat was so tender that you couldn't really slice it, so tore it into serving sized chunks.   We ate the roast pork and gravy with mashed potatoes and some steamed vegetables.  MMMMM

When finished eating, I tore the remaining pork off the bone, trimmed off any fat and divided it between two different containers.   One will be used for making pork burritos one evening this week.    The other container will be cooked with a good bbq sauce and used for pulled pork sandwiches.   I'm already looking forward to this week's dinners!

Baked pork chops and scalloped potatoes

Tonight is cooking lesson night!    Aaron requested that I show him how to make baked pork chops and scalloped potatoes.   So I put the poor boy to peeling and slicing potatoes.    When we have our lessons, I get all the ingredients out, but have him to the measuring and putting things together under my watchful eye.   It seems to work and he always does a great job of things!   Here are the recipes.

Scalloped Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350.

4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
(other seasonings as desired)
3-4 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits
2 cups hot milk

Mix the flour and seasonings together.   In a quart and a half-2 quart casserole dish put a layer of potato slices in the bottom.   Sprinkle a bit of the flour mixture over the top and dot with some of the butter bits.    Repeat until all the potatoes are used.   Pour the hot milk down the side of the dish, you want enough to come nearly to the top of the potatoes, but the top is not covered with milk.   Sprinkle some extra paprika on top for pretty.   Bake about an hour or until the top is browned and the potatoes tender.

Baked Pork Chops

4 boneless loin chops
flour to dredge
seasoning for the flour (I used some Mrs. Dash, garlic powder and paprika)
a couple shakes of hot sauce

I put a couple shakes of hot sauce over the chops and then rubbed it in.   After that I dredged the chops with the seasoned flour and placed in a greased baking dish.   Bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then flip and raise the heat to 375.   Bake another 30 minutes or until done.

To go with the baked pork chops and scalloped potatoes, we also made a pan of roasted vegetables.   We took a bag of steam in the bag cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, adding a peeled and quartered onion.     Put them in a greased baking dish, sprayed them with some olive oil and sprinkled some herbs over the top and baked at the same time as the pork chops.   It made a delicious meal.