Cranberry-Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Carrots

Here’s another one from Real Simple (September 2009). I had all of the ingredients on-hand and made this for a weeknight supper.  I’d give it an OK. The roasted carrots & onions were the best part of the dish. I must have over cooked the pork chops a bit because they ended up dry and quite frankly a bit bland. Life’s too short to eat dry pork!!

Cranberry-Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Carrots

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 15m

Total Time: 35m

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds carrots, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

4 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 pounds) (I used boneless chops)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots, onion, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Before going into the oven...

2. Roast, stirring once, until tender, 25 to 28 minutes.

...Coming out of the oven (the onions look a bit overcooked - ok BURNT - but they tasted good)

3. Meanwhile, combine the cranberries, preserves, and coriander in a bowl. Using a paring knife, cut a 3-inch-deep pocket in the side of each chop; stuff with the mixture.

4. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.

5. Season the pork with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

6. Transfer pork to oven (on the rack above the carrots) and roast until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with the carrots.

By Sara Quessenberry,  September 2009

Broccoli even Non-Broccoli Lovers will Dig!

I love broccoli.  Cooked broccoli. For whatever reason, I can’t stand the stuff raw. Normally I’m quite boring and just steam it and sprinkle some S&P on it and voila, easy side dish.  That gets old. So here is a recipe from one of my all time favorite people and writers – Kim O’Donnel. She used to write for the Washington Post for years and I still follow her now that she’s in Seattle. For those of you vegetarian-types and meat eaters like me who try to eat veg once or twice a week, she has a great cookbook: “The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes Carnivores Will Devour”. 

Roasted Broccoli Pick-Up Sticks

From “A Mighty Appetite for the Holidays” by Kim O’Donnel

1 pound broccoli florets, separated

1 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne or paprika (I use cayenne. Smoked paprika would also be terrific)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. With your hands, mix to combine until broccoli is well coated. Place broccoli on a baking sheet and into the oven.

Roast until fork tender (about 12 minutes). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 side-dish servings or 12-15 cocktail party servings.

The Binder from Which I Cook

My Binder

So this is my binder of recipes. I’ve been collecting recipes since the early- to mid-90’s. I pull them out of newspapers, magazines, and now the world wide interwebs. I have quite a few cookbooks at my disposal, too, but I always reach for my binder when looking for dinner inspiration.  The binder also used to have tabs for dessert, breads, and drinks; but those were moved to their very own binder a few years ago.

The tabs in my binder are:

n     Appetizers

n     Grains

n     Legumes

n     Meats

n     Vegetables

n     Pasta

n     Soups

Notice there isn’t a seafood tab. I don’t eat it. Considering I was born and raised in Maryland, it makes no sense, but I just don’t like it. I tell people it’s a birth-defect. And quite frankly, living in Colorado is great for a non-seafood person like me. I’m happy with my meat and veg. I do have a few seafood recipes that I’ll pull out for the boyfriend and keep those in my meat section.

I’m not sure how many recipes I have, but my hope is to attempt to make MOST of them in 2012. I’ve been banned from having the same experiment with my dessert binder. We’re training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and a different dessert every night won’t exactly help. I envision making most of my vegetable & grain recipes this summer once my CSA starts and the vegetables are fresh and plentiful. Counting down the days to summer!!

My big-ass binder

Chocolate Fudge Pie. Mmmm, Pie.

Some days I crave pie. Chocolate Pie.  I’ve had this recipe since ripping it out of the November 2009 Real Simple and finally decided to try it. I even made my own pie crust (which I’ve always been terrified of doing but pie crust is super easy).  This recipe is pretty straightforward and if you want basic chocolate fudge pie, it satisfies your craving. It’s nothing exceptional, it’ll do.  Sadly, I forgot to snap some pics.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Serves 8

Hands-On Time: 20m 

Total Time: 4hr 00m

Ingredients

Basic Flaky Piecrust

or 1 store-bought piecrust, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus more shaved for topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

3 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375º

F. Place

the pie plate on a baking sheet. Prick crust with a fork and line with foil. Fill to top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until just golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 325º F. In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, salt, and ½ cup of the sugar until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold a third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder.

4.Pour the combined mixture into the crust and bake until puffed and beginning to crack, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 1 hour, then chill.

5. Beat the cream with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie and sprinkle with the shaved chocolate. (I used whipped cream from the can)

By Sara Quessenberry,  November 2009

The only Brownie recipe you'll ever need

This brownie recipe has been my go-to since it was published by the Washington Post in 2007. Why use a box mix when more delicious brownies can be made just as easily?  Just try not to figure out the nutritional information, or you’ll gain 10 lbs just thinking about it. I recently made these for a Super Bowl party and cut the brownies into a football shape and then decorated with some white icing. So cute!

Man-Catcher Brownies

The Washington Post, February 7, 2007

Course: Dessert

Summary: This recipe is a result of the author's many experiments to create the perfect brownie: thick, moist and chocolaty. These are for purists who like nothing but brownie in their brownie, but chocolate chips or toasted chopped walnuts could be added.

Makes twenty-four 2 1/4 -by-2-inch brownies

Ingredients:

12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups cocoa powder, sifted (natural, not Dutch processed)

6 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking oil spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder, stirring to combine. Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together, then add the sugars and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Add the cooled butter-chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and salt until just combined; do not overmix. Spread the batter evenly in the pan, making sure the corners are filled. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a crust forms on the surface and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack; cool completely before cutting the brownies.

Recipe Source:

From Food section editorial assistant Leigh Lambert.

Love the shiny pipe cleaner goal posts!!

Chicken & Tortellini Soup with Sage Pesto

Here is a good recipe when soup is calling your name. The soup itself is pretty basic – broth, chicken and tortellini – so I added some onions, celery and carrots. The sage pesto really transforms this humble soup and elevates the flavor profile to something fresh and unexpected. Serve with some salad and warm bread.

I found this recipe in Parade magazine of all places!

Chicken & Tortellini Soup With Sage Pesto

by: Bobby Flay

Servings: 6

Active Time: 25 min.

Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/4 cup fresh sage leaves

1 clove garlic, smashed

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

Salt and fresh black pepper

1 Tbsp canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 2 breasts)

8 cups homemade chicken stock (store bought is fine)

1 9-oz. package fresh cheese tortellini

Directions:

1. For pesto: Combine the nuts, parsley, sage, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the motor running, slowly add 1/3 cup of the oil down the feed tube until the mixture is emulsified. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse a few times until it reaches a loose-paste consistency. Scrape into a bowl.

2. For soup: Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove breast to a plate. Drain any fat left in the pan; add chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Put chicken breast in the stock, cover pan tightly, and remove from the heat. Let the chicken sit in the hot broth until cooked through, 8 minutes. Remove chicken breast to a plate and let cool 10 minutes; shred into small pieces.

3. Return stock to high heat and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, and stir in the shredded chicken. Ladle soup into bowls and add a dollop of sage pesto and a sprinkling of cheese. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Welcome to Miami, Bienvenidos a Miami (Cuban Roast Pork)

If you’ve never been lucky enough to have authentic Cuban food, you’re missing out. Cuban food is so simple yet delicious and flavorful. One of my dearest friends is Cuban and grew up in Miami.  We met when we both worked together in New York and she took me to Miami for the first time in 1999/2000. We were there for the Y2K New Year’s Eve and had a blast. We both eventually left NYC. Happily for me she moved back to Miami and I had a friend at the beach to visit during the winter. One of my only requests when I visited her was to go out for Cuban food. Cuban roast pork is TO DIE FOR. It’s full of flavor and tender beyond belief. My friend asked her Aunt for a recipe but she didn’t have anything written down. I searched the internet and found this recipe which comes pretty close to the real deal. Sadly, my friend left Miami earlier this year and moved to Ireland. I’m so happy for her new life adventure, but how am I going to get my Cuban food fix????

I made this for my sweetheart for Valentine’s Day served with fried plantains and traditional Cuban black beans and rice. Leftover pork makes an outstanding Cuban sandwich, too!

I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com. It was submitted by someone named Crabbycakes. The only thing I’ve changed is cooking it in a slow cooker.

Cuban Roast Pork

6 servings

5-6 lbs pork roast, shoulder, sirloin

3 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered

½ cup orange juice

½ cup lime juice

1 tablespoon oregano, ground

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon salt, to taste

1 large onion, sliced

Trim fat from roast, if any.

With a sharp knife, cut tiny holes in roast and insert slivers of garlic.

Mix remaining ingredients.

Place pork roast and onions in bag. Pour marinade over.

Place in refrigerator, at least overnight. (I marinate for 2 days)

Preheat oven to 275°.

Place pork roast in covered baking pan and cook for 5-6 hours. Turn once during baking.

I just dump the roast, onions, marinade and some chicken stock into my slow cooker, turn it on low for 10 hours and let it do its thing. The pork comes out so tender and delicious!

Cuban Food in the Foothills!