restaurant pork sauce

This turned out as well as anything we could get in a restaurant.

1 pork tenderloin
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
butter
lemon juice
parsley
thyme
sweet white wine

Preheat oven to 425°F. Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on all sides, turning often, about 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven, and roast pork about 15 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and let pork stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Add 4 tablespoons lemon juice to the hot skillet the pork was cooked in and scrape up browned bits with a spoon while heating over medium high heat. Sprinkle in parsley, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of sweet white wine and reduce until slightly thickened.

Add pork slices back into the pan with the sauce and coat. Serve sliced pork with extra sauce.

ginger world soup

We adapted an earlier recipe into what you see below, and while it can literally include anything you'd like, this version was so good we wanted to capture it so we could make it again.

Ham, Mushroom and Ginger Soup

1 package dried mushrooms (we used maitake, but anything should work)
4 cups nearly boiling water
1 onion, diced
3 links hot italian sausage
3 links sweet italian sausage
A 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and diced finely
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
6 cups homemade ham broth
1 cup diced ham
1/2 package sliced shittake mushrooms
1 bunch of bok choy, cut into bite-sized pieces
sichuan pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
sesame seeds

Bring the 4 cups of water nearly to a boil. Soak the dried mushrooms in the boiled water for 20-30 minutes.

While the mushrooms are soaking, mix the soy, sugar, salt and corn starch in a large bowl. Make sure there are no corn starch lumps. Add the ham, shittakes and ginger to the bowl, toss to coat with the marinade, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a stockpot. Dice the onion and add to the oil. Add sichuan pepper to taste. Cook until the onions have softened but not browned. Remove the sausage meat from the casing and add to the pot. Heat until cooked through.

When the mushrooms have softened, remove from the water (saving the soaking liquid) and slice thin. Add the mushrooms into the bowl with the ham and ginger. Pour the soaking water though a fine-meshed sieve lined with a paper towel back into the cooking pot.

Put the ham and mushroom mixture, and the 6 cups of ham broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Add chopped bok choy. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot. 

new thanksgiving favorite

We spend Thanksgiving as often with friends as we do with family and one of the best parts are the new foods we encounter from other people's family traditions. I could eat nothing but this and stuffing for T-day and be perfectly happy.

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 cup of sugar
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 tbsp cherry juice
3 tbsp maraschino cherries, finely chopped (or substitute 1 pkg frozen strawberries)
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 - 2 cups of cool whip

Heat the pineapple with sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the gelatin to the pineapple mixture and let mixture cool. Mash cream cheese with a fork, then add the cherries and cherry juice. Mix with the pineapple and chill until slightly thickened. Defrost the Cool Whip and blend into the pineapple-cheese mixture. Pour into mold or glass bowl and chill until set.

Try not to eat all of it in one sitting.

go go bulgogi

I've never had bulgogi, but after watching Korean Food Made Simple this was all I wanted to make. I couldn't find the recipe online, so I've guessed at the amounts needed. Can't wait to try this.

1 to 1 1/2 lb thinly sliced sirloin steak. Freeze for 45 minutes to be able to cut across the grain thinly.
2-3 tbsp white sugar
⅓ cup of soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 knob of ginger, minced
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, halved and sliced
crimini mushrooms, halved
2 carrots thinly sliced into strips
2 green onions including the white parts sliced into small pieces

Mix sliced beef with sugar to tenderize. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Marinade: Mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, roasted sesame seeds, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Shake off and squeeze excess sugar water from beef and add beef to the marinade and stir to coat. Let marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.

Add sliced onions to hot pan. Don't brown, just soften. Add crimini mushrooms and carrot strips. Keep pan on low until vegetables are slightly softened. Add beef and cook through. Add a little water to pick up browned bits from the bottom of the pan to make a bit of gravy.

To serve, top with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

spinach cheese pie - hold the crust

We've doubled this recipe, and added even more cheese! You can never have enough cheese!

2 bags frozen spinach, thawed, moisture squeezed out
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup of white cheddar
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place cast iron skillet in oven and heat for 10 minutes. In a bowl, combine spinach with eggs, feta, cottage cheese, cheddar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Remove skillet from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Spread spinach filling evenly over crust, and bake for 20 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

porky belly salady

In an effort to find the right side salad for our sweet potato soup we came up with a delicious pork belly, fried egg and parmesan salad.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
cooked pork belly
hard parmesan cheese
balsamic vinegar
lettuce

Wash salad greens and distribute among two bowls. Shave parmesan into each bowl. Fry pork belly until crisp on all sides. Slice the fried pork belly. Fry each egg in the same pan as you fried the pork belly to use the leftover pork fat. Mix everything together.

favorite steak salad

This is our favorite steak salad - we eat it nearly once a week.

1 skirt steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon (packed) dark brown sugar
4 cups (lightly packed) arugula
goat cheese
dried cranberries

Sprinkle steak generously with salt and pepper or steak seasoning. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over high heat. Add steak; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate. Add vinegar, shallots, and sugar to skillet; boil until reduced to glaze, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Divide arugula, goat cheese and cranberries between 2 plates. Slice steak; place atop arugula. Drizzle lightly with glaze.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

dark rum mojito steak salad

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it sounds super tasty, and we have lots of different rums to try in it.

1 (8-ounce) top sirloin, fat trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ounce white rum (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 red bell pepper, minced
½ red onion, minced
1 cup corn cut off the cob
8 to 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing
½ cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons taco sauce or salsa
Juice of ½ lime
Salt and pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mint, sugar, rum and juice of 1 lime. Pour over steak and marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper, and sear until golden- brown or desired doneness, preferably medium-rare or medium. Let steak rest and slightly cool.

In a large bowl, mix together lettuce, peppers, onions, corn and tomatoes. Thinly slice steak and toss with salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients together, and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

cheesy frittata

The first frittata we made came about out of necessity - we were hungry and the only thing we could make out of what we had in the house was a frittata. It was so good we went out to get the ingredients to make it again.

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 tbsp half and half
1 small log of herbed goat cheese
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb of bacon
salt and pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced
slices of brie
2 zucchini, chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop raw bacon into small pieces. Fry in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove to a separate bowl and pour off excess bacon grease from the skillet. Fry the onions in the bacon grease until softened and add the chopped zucchini, frying both until lightly browned. (Cover to help speed the softening process.) Add the crumbled bacon and stir to combine.

Place slices of brie on top of the mixture (use as much or as little as you want).

Whisk the eggs with the half and half and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the eggs over the veggies, meat and cheese in the skillet. Place slices of tomato carefully on top of the eggs and sprinkle chunks from the log of goat cheese over the top.

Cook on the stove top for 8 minutes, then transfer to the oven for another 15 minutes, then broil for 4 minutes until brown and bubbly on top, and cooked through.

Cut into wedges to serve.

My favorite part of the frittata is the tomato, every time. So while we haven't tried this yet, next time we plan a tomato-heavy version. 

Prepare as above, except omit the zucchini. Once the onions have softened, add the bacon and stir to combine. Place slices of tomato over onion mixture. Add a layer of goat cheese, then add another layer of tomato and a layer of brie. Pour eggs over the top. Add another layer of tomato and crumble the goat cheese on top. Cook as directed above. 

creamy, melty spinach

This is a cooling counterpoint to the grill-ades recipe - and easy to throw together after all the work on the other dish.

1 large container of fresh baby spinach
1 cup of half and half
salt
pepper
garlic
olive oil
1 tbsp butter

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add spinach, salt, pepper and garlic and stir until all of the leaves have wilted.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter. Season with more salt, pepper and garlic. Add the half and half, stir and heat through.

Once the spinach is wilted, pour the cream sauce over the spinach. Stir to combine. Leave over low heat stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes. Serve.

grill-ades

For the first time in all our years of cooking we finally have a dutch oven and I couldn't be enjoying it more. It (along with all of our new kitchen implements) are making it so that I can't wait to cook again. The meals I'm making take a whole lot longer, it seems, but I don't care because I'm enjoying the process just as much as the result. I swear this meal took more than 4 hours to make, but that also included a run to the store for forgotten tomatoes and a phone break. Regardless of the time it took, the result was well worth it.

For this we used a fresh ham steak from the farm share - a cut I never have any idea what to do with and have dreaded getting each month. But now I'll know exactly what to do with it the next time I see it.

1 - 2 pounds fresh ham steak (or veal or beef top round) cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces
2-3 tablespoons cajun seasoning
1/2 cup potato starch, for dredging
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 pound crimini mushrooms, brushed cleaned and quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup dry red wine
3 cups veal/beef stock
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Lay the meat pieces a few at a time between sheets of cling wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound the meat to tenderize and break up some of the connective tissue. Season the meat pieces with 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning and dredge in the potato starch.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot add 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and brown the meat, working in batches and adding more oil as necessary. Do not overcrowd the pan with the meat. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. As the meat is browned, transfer to a large plate and set aside until you have cooked all of it.

Add the butter to the pan and, when melted, add the onions, celery, peppers and mushrooms. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Pour the red wine to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spoon to remove any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom.

Add the veal stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt, cayenne and black peppers to the pan and bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Place a lid on the pan and place in the oven. Allow the meat to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Recipe adapted from the Food Network