Author: Cindy Randolph

Posted on

Porchetta-Style Roast Pork

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 5 1/2- to 6-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

 

Preparation

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).

Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).

Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.

Posted on

Pork Chops and Apples

Ingredients

  • 1 medium unpeeled cooking apple, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 bone-in pork rib chops, about 3/4 inch thick (about 1/4 pound each)

Directions

  • 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Place apples in 1 1/2-quart rectangular casserole. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with foil; bake 15 minutes.
  • 2 Trim fat from edge of pork. Spray 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Cook pork in hot skillet about 6 minutes, turning once, until light brown.
  • 3 Place pork in single layer on apples. Cover and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until pork is no longer pink when cut near the bone, meat thermometer reads 145°F and apples are tender.
Posted on

Pork Chops and Dirty Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 4 (6 ounce) pork chops
  • 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice

Directions

  • Prep:  10 m
  • Cook:  1 h 15 m
  • Ready In:  1 h 25 m

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; brown the pork chops on both sides. Remove the pork chops from the skillet, reserving the drippings in the skillet; add the onion soup mix and the water to the drippings; cook and stir until hot.

Spread the rice evenly into the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Lay the pork chops atop the rice. Pour the mixture from the skillet over the pork chops and rice; cover.

Place covered dish in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake until the pork is no longer pink in the center, another 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Posted on

Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 2 servings

  • 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut, bone-in pork chops
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
  3. Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
  4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Careful not to overcook!

 

I modified this recipe to be made with pork tenderloin, instead of pork chops, and it was SO good. I butterflied and then pounded the tenderloin until it was a rectangle, then, sprinkled salt, pepper, and a little sage on the inside in addition to the other fillings. Rolled it up and secured with kitchen twine. Rubbed the outside with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted at 400* for about 20 minutes. Delicious!

 

I made this in a saute pan instead of on the grill. I used boneless chops as well. 5 minutes per side would have been great. I found that with the cheese and bacon no additional salt was required. Only 1 ounce of cheese was needed. This is delicious. I made a quick pan sauce by deglazing with a bit of left-over champagne, cream and a touch of butter. Yummy!

Posted on

Pork Loin with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Sage

  • 2 1/2 pound New York (top loin) pork roast, boneless
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs, (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1/3 cup Fontina cheese, shredded (about 1 ounce)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
  • To taste salt and pepper
  • 4 thin slices prosciutto

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine panko, fontina, and sage. Stand roast on end and insert thin-bladed knife down center of loin to make 2-inch opening all the way through. Use your fingers to force the slit into a long 1-inch-diameter hole. Pack panko mixture into hole, working from both ends of roast. Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Place roast, fat side up, on work surface. Arrange prosciutto slices across top of roast. Tie with kitchen twine at 1- to 1 1/2-inch intervals. Place in shallow roasting pan, prosciutto side up, and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Remove roast from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Remove twine. Slice roast and arrange on serving platter. Serve drizzled with any pan juices.

 

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Posted on

Pork Tenderloin in Sour Cream Sauce

Recipe for pork tenderloin in sour cream sauce with sage and noodles.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • dash pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 beef bouillon cube or equivalent beef base
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Cooked noodles

Preparation:

Rub sliced meat with mixture of sage, salt, and pepper. In a deep skillet (with cover) or Dutch oven, brown meat lightly on both sides in hot oil; add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer, until onion is tender. Drain off excess fat. Dissolve bouillon or base in the 1/4 cup boiling water; pour over meat. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until meat is done. Remove meat from pan. Combine sour cream and flour in a small bowl. Gradually add meat drippings to sour cream mixture, stirring constantly. Return mixture to the skillet; cook and stir just until boiling. Add water until sauce is the desired consistency. Place pork on noodles and spoon gravy over all.
Serves 6.

Posted on

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 4 graham crackers)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg yolk

Filling

  • 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 cups (1 pound) brown sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree*
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey

Pan

  • 1 9-inch diameter, 3-inch tall springform pan

* You can make your own pumpkin purée by cutting a sugar pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds, placing the pumpkin halves cut-side down in a roasting pan with a 1/4 inch of water in it, and cooking it in a 350°F oven for an hour, until soft. Scoop out the flesh and purée it in a blender or food processor. Strain out excess water.

Method

1 Pulse pecans, flour, sugar, and crumbs in a food processor. Add butter and egg yolk. Pulse until mixture is homogenous. Press into bottom of 9” springform pan and bake for 10 minutes at 375°F. Remove from oven and let cool.

2 Drain or strain any liquid from pumpkin purée. Take pumpkin purée and place on several layers of paper towels. Cover with several layers of paper towels and use your hands to gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the purée. Not that you will probably go through a lot of paper towels (can use tea towels too). Two 15-ounce cans of puréed pumpkin should yield a little more than 2 cups of purée, with the excess moisture removed. You want exactly 2 cups of the purée.

3 Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl. With a wooden spoon (no need for a mixer for this step), mix in the salt, pumpkin purée, vanilla, and bourbon. Beat in the eggs.

4 In a large bowl, (helps to use a mixer for this step) combine the cream cheese and the brown sugar until fully creamed and smooth (no lumps). Gradually add the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

5 Place crust-baked springform pan in the middle of two layers of large sheets of aluminum foil (to help prevent water-bath moisture from leaking into the pan). Fold the aluminum foil up the sides of the pan and trim. Place the aluminum wrapped pan in a large roasting pan (large enough so that there is room on all sides). Pour the pumpkin cream cheese mixture into the springform pan.

6 Place the roasting pan containing the springform pan in a 325°F oven on the middle rack. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the side of the springform pan. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven heat and prop the oven door open. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven, cooling for another hour. Then remove from oven and let come to room temperature. Once it has cooled down, chill for several hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.

7 When ready to serve, gently remove the cake from the springform pan. To do this well, I recommend a tip by Dorie Greenspan in her book Baking: From My Home to Yours. To help ensure that the cake doesn’t stick to the springform side as you unlock it, first run a blunt knife around the cake and then warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer. Then carefully unlock the springform and lift off the sides.

Serve cheesecake with caramel sauce, candied pecans, and whipped cream.

Makes 16 servings.

Posted on

Dill Pickles

Brine:

  • 1 qt. vinegar
  • 2 qts. water
  • 1 C plain salt

Add to each jar:

  • Sliced, speared or whole cucumbers
  • 1 chopped garlic clove
  • 2 sprigs dill or 1 1/2 tsp dill seed
  • 1 grape leaf or 2 cherry leaves
  • 1 hot pepper – optional

 

Heat brine to boiling.  Sterilize jars.  While still hot, add ingredients to jar, then pour bring over.  Seal jars and let sit for 3 weeks.

Posted on

Sweet Pickles

  • 5 C Sugar
  • 5 C vinegar
  • 2 tsp pickling spice
  • 1 tsp alum
  • 2 tsp mustard seed
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 C salt

Wash, cut, and  pack cucumber in jars.  Mix above ingredients, heat to boil, boil 5 minutes.  Pour over cucumbers and seal.  Let sit 3 weeks.

Posted on

Noodles With Peanut Sauce

Transform your traditional Ramen noodles into a Thai-inspired dish by pairing the noodles with a spicy peanut sauce. Although you can make the peanut sauce according to your own preferences, most recipes call for soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, garlic and chili powder or red pepper flakes. Once your noodles are cooked and the sauce ingredients are blended together, simply smother the noodles in sauce and mix thoroughly. Feel free to add diced chicken or beef, onions, carrots, cucumbers, scallions or any type of vegetables. The dish can be served hot or cold, depending on your preferences.