January – Marinade

January – Marinade

MARINADE, that’s the only title on a slip of paper that was clipped to my mother’s refrigerator for many years. The words are now smeared by water droplets but the writing is still legible.

Marinade

Marinade

My mother has been gone for some years but I treasure these glimpses of her thoughts and life. And this is a very useful, simple recipe to keep around.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of bourbon
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • dash of dry mustard

Can be used on all meats…chicken, pork, London broil, fish. Marinate for 2 hours but not longer than 24.

This is quite a strong marinade. I wouldn’t marinate fish for longer than 30 minutes, chicken for 2 hours, thick cuts of beef and pork can take the 24 hours. But I recommend 6 hours for a thinner cut. Longer than that and the meat will turn mushy. This marinade has done wonders for steaks of questionable tenderness. Flank steak is infinitely improved by a 6-8 hour bath. The marinade has a definite Asian slant, you could use sake or brandy instead of the bourbon. My mother usually had bourbon around as my father had a large bourbon and water every night before dinner.

 

 

I marinated this flank steak for about 6 hours, then grilled it on high heat for about 4-5 minutes a side. It was delicious, juicy and tender.

February – Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

February – Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

I received an air fryer for Christmas. I had been eyeing them for a couple of years, but never could make up my mind if they were worth the cabinet and counter space. The decision was made for me when I got one as a present. I have found it very useful, especially when I wanted to roast vegetables and didn’t want to turn on the oven. It does a wonderful job of roasting carrots, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or a single chicken breast.

The decision to try it with pork tenderloin was one of expediency. My usual method is sous vide, the pork emerges meltingly tender and delicious. But sous vide takes some time with setting it up, heating the water, and cooking the vacuum packed tenderloin. This time I wanted dinner on the table in less than an hour. A pork tenderloin in the air fryer cooks in 20-25 minutes, start to finish. It was delicious, although not as tender as sous vide. It is, however, a viable alternative.

I simply rubbed it with a Mexican style rub (use your favorite or anything you have on hand, even a package of taco seasoning) and roasted it at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees F and I found my own tenderloin needed an additional 5 minutes. I turned it over at the midpoint of about 10 minutes.

Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin – after

Let is rest at least 5 minutes after cooking before slicing.

Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin

I will definitely use the air fryer again when crunched for time.

 

January – Citrus Spiced Pulled Pork

January – Citrus Spiced Pulled Pork

Happy 2021 everyone. Things are looking up and there is an end to all this craziness in sight. We just have to hang on for a few more months.

Our Christmas was lovely, quiet with only the three of us. I missed our annual holiday dinner with friends, an often raucous crowd of lovely people who are my adopted family. But, they will be back on Christmas eve of 2021. I am grateful that we are all healthy. We will appreciate family and friends that much more, having been without them for the last 10 months (or more).

Kitchen inspiration has been lacking in the last month or longer, but this dish of slow roasted pork shoulder had me headed to the store for a pork shoulder roast…it’s perfect cold weather eating and will provide you with several days of delicious leftovers.

I recommend using any leftovers for holiday tacos. They were delicious cooked in the manner of carnitas with cranberry sauce, a bit of shredded cabbage added for texture. Simply reheat the pulled pork in a skillet until it begins to brown. There were delicious crispy bits formed.

Spiced Pulled Pork

Spiced Pulled Pork

I plan to use the rest to top roasted sweet potatoes…garnishes will include some spiced pecans and a bit of sour cream with a squeeze of lime. Yum!

Here’s the backstory, in the lull between Christmas and New Year’s I came across an idea for chicken thighs cooked with spices usually reserved for ham. I tried it and must say I was not particularly impressed. However, adopting some of those same spices rubbed onto a pork shoulder before roasting was an entirely different experience. The 6 hour low and slow cooking allowed the spice mixture to penetrate the pork and the aroma!!! Well, let’s just say my mouth was watering all afternoon. This is the perfect meal for cold, wet, grey days. It cooks slowly without any attention to you. Put it in the oven and leave, go take a long hike or sled ride. When you come home the house will smell like heaven.

It’s the best kind of cooking in my book, leftovers are already in mind. There was enough for at least two more meals.

Ingredients:

  • Pork shoulder roast, bone in or out
  • 2 whole oranges, zested
  • 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • 1 T of olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • Juice of one of the oranges
  • Second orange sliced thinly

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F
  2. In a small bowl combine the orange zest, sugar, mustard, olive oil, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir until it forms a paste.
  3. Rub the paste over the pork shoulder and place in a large casserole with a lid.
  4. Down the side of the casserole add the cider vinegar, the juice of one of the zested oranges and the star anise.
  5. Slice the second orange and place the slices over the pork roast.
  6. Cover and place in the oven, roast slowly (without peeking) for 6 hours.
  7. Remove from the oven, uncover and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving. I pulled the meat into large chunks.
Holiday Pulled Pork

Holiday Pulled Pork – before

Spiced Pulled Pork

Spiced Pulled Pork – after

I understand this is similar to a Haitian dish called griot. It’s a classic dish of pork shoulder marinated in chile, citrus and vinegar. I didn’t use any hot chiles in this recipe but I will definitely include it next time.

I wish you all a happy new year. Be well, be safe and wear your mask. We have to hang in there for a few more months and this may be the most dangerous time. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

July – Spicy Grilled Pork Kabobs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

July – Spicy Grilled Pork Kabobs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

If you have been following this blog for any time at all you will have noticed that I adore the combination of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. This recipe for spicy grilled pork kabobs adds coriander leaves, lime juice, garlic and jalapeno to that magic combo.

See Turkish Lamb Chops for another example.

Turkish Lamb Chops

Turkish Lamb Chops

Those spices char in the high heat of the grill or under the broiler, turning them into an aromatic counter point to the cubes of juicy pork.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least an hour before you thread on the pork. I find an empty wine bottle (of which we have an abundance these days) is the perfect size.

If you have time, marinate the pork in the spices for 24 hours before cooking.

Spicy Grilled Pork

Spicy Grilled Pork

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 cubes
  • kosher salt
  • 1 lime, plus extra wedges for serving if desired
  • 1/4 cup cilantro or basil or mint or a combination
  • 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed an peeled
  • 1 jalapeno or other green chili, seeded if you want a milder flavor (I used only 1/2)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

Method:

  1. Season the pork lightly with kosher salt (use less if using sea or regular salt) and put it into a bowl or resealable plastic bag.
  2. In a small dry skillet toast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds until they become aromatic and golden brown.
  3. Juice the lime into a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeno and honey. Blend until the jalapeno and garlic are pureed. Add the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds and pulse four or five times to bruise the spices and mix them in.
  4. Pour the mixture over the pork, tossing to coat all sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  5. When ready to cook, heat the grill or broiler with a rack 4 inches from the heat source.
  6. Thread the pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between each piece.
  7. Grill or broil over the highest heat possible (2-5minutes) then turn the skewers or pieces and continue cooking on all sides until browned and charred in spots. A little pink in the center is fine but there shouldn’t be any red spots.
  8. Serve sprinkled with additional sprigs of herbs if desired.

 

Spicy Grilled Pork

Spicy Grilled Pork

We served this with grilled zucchini from the garden and sliced tomatoes.

Spicy Grilled Pork

Spicy Grilled Pork

Spicy Grilled Pork

Spicy Grilled Pork

It’s grilling season here in the Northern Hemisphere and this is a perfect dish to bring to Fiesta Friday hosted by the lovely Angie. It’s Fiesta Friday #336 and I am the lucky cohost this week. Click on the link to join the party, discover delicious recipes, fun crafts, decorating and gardening ideas. Please consider adding your own link as well, we would love to get to know you.

April – Pork Shoulder in Red Sauce and Slow Roasted Sweet Potatoes

April – Pork Shoulder in Red Sauce and Slow Roasted Sweet Potatoes

A couple of weeks ago I made ‘Forever Roasted Pork Shoulder’, it was a big success in our house and gave us wonderful leftovers. Then I saw Chef Mimi’s post for ‘Pork All’Arrabbiata’ and knew I needed to try it if I could score another pork shoulder at the store. I loved the idea of slow cooking the pork in a spicy red sauce. This was also the perfect opportunity to clean out the pantry and/or fridge.

I found a jar of “just outdated” (really those dates are very conservative and it was only a few months past expiration…it looked fine) red pepper marinara sauce in the pantry, the end of a jar of bourbon and bacon BBQ sauce (about 1/4 cup), and a small can of spicy V8 juice. There wasn’t any leftover red wine (we drank it all) to add, so I also cleaned out the jars with a little water.

I decided to cook it slowly at a low temperature, covered this time. As in ‘Forever Roasted Pork Shoulder’ that meant 5 hours at 275 degrees F. While the oven was on at the low temperature, I could also roast some sweet potatoes. I ran across this method on the blog Smitten Kitchen for slow-roasted sweet potatoes. 2 1/2 hours at a low temperature, then broiled until charred on top results in a creamy skinned potato quite unlike the usual stringy-ness (although I will eat a sweet potato no matter how it’s cooked).

Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I think they will be delicious with the pork and hey, the oven is already on.

Here are a few pictures of the final result, we had lots of leftovers for pulled pork quesadillas (no pictures) and sandwiches.

Pulled Pork with Red Sauce

Pulled Pork with Red Sauce and Slow Roasted Sweet Potatoes