Chicken and Chorizo

The calendar is saying one more day to Fall.  The thermometer is saying it's definitely still Summer.

So out to the grill we go.

A couple of chorizo sausages, a chicken breast, onion, and red pepper put onto a skewer.  How easy is that?

And last night's rice mixed with a can of black beans and a can of chopped green chiles.

Seriously simple.


Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I've been having a bit of fun in the office...  I decided to reformat my computer and bring it back to pristine factory condition.  It's 2 years old and hasn't been cleaned up in a while.

It's a necessary evil, but with a bit of patience (not necessarily my strong point) and a bit of planning and orgazization (I do better, here) it's completely doable.

So while I was backing up, deauthorizing programs, moving and deleting, Victor decided that if he wanted to eat, it would behoove him to cook.

I had a pork tenderloin in the 'fridge.  A blank canvas.  Victor and his artistry went to work.

He combined chopped celery, chopped onion, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, chicken stock, and fresh dates, and a pinch of salt and pepper to make the stuffing.  He sliced open the tenderloin and pounded it with a neat mallet to flatten.  In went the stuffing, along with some gorgonzola cheese.  Into a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.

He made a simple chicken gravy (we had lots of fresh stock) and rice.

Artistry in motion.

As for the computer update...

It's running great, half of the programs are reinstalled, and I didn't curse once!


Ribs

It's a perfect day.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous.  We did a few chores around the house - I fixed some fence rails and Victor is painting the back deck - but it's been a slow and easy day.

Even dinner.

BBQ ribs, fries, peas and corn.  It really doesn't get any easier.

I baked the ribs with Gate's BBQ sauce for about 2 hours at 225° and then finished them off on the grill.

Fries and peas & corn.

Simplicity.

I'm saving myself for tomorrow's Pasta Feast.


Ancho Pork Medallions

Another Cooking Light recipe!

I'm actually trying to be a good boy and maybe even drop a couple of pounds before the wedding.  What I really want to do is lose all of the weight I gained after I quit smoking, but I'm thinking short-term goals are probably more realistic.  A couple of pounds between now and October 14th.

I can do it.

Enter Cooking Light.  Now...  if you've picked up a copy of the magazine recently, you'll notice that some of their recipes really are anything but light.  Lots of sugar, lots of butter...   Granted, they are favorite ingredients of mine, but sometimes sugar and butter are actually unnecessary in a recipe.  (Yes, you read that correctly!)

Just like the one I made tonight.  It calls for a minuscule amount of sugar in the spice rub, but... since the recipe later calls for  pepper jelly, I saw no reason to add it to the spice rub.

That being said, the dish came out stupendous!  It is a definite keeper.  It just rocked.  Vaguely sweet and vaguely spicy, but lots and lots of flavor.  The spices and the jelly really worked well together.

I followed the recipe pretty much as stated - except for the sugar in the spice mixture.

Ancho Pork Medallions

Pepper jelly and aromatic spices give your average pork tenderloin a bold new flavor. Serve with a spinach salad for a complete meal.

Other Time: 20 minutes minutes
Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 2 medallions)

  • 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • 3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 tablespoons jalapeño pepper jelly
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Cut pork crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Combine chile powder and next 4 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl; rub evenly over both sides of pork. Combine jelly and lime juice; set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Brush pork with half of jelly mixture; turn and brush with remaining jelly mixture. Cook 1 minute on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CALORIES 168 ; FAT 6.1g (sat 1.6g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.6g); CHOLESTEROL 63mg; CALCIUM 7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g; SODIUM 363mg; PROTEIN 22.5g; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.2mg

The side dish was a fun one, too.

It was a bit of a clean out the refrigerator dish that went well with the pork.

Potatoes and Tomatoes with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

  • 8 oz teeny potatoes
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tbsp cilantro, minced
  • 1 small jar Bronco Bob's Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Boil or steam potatoes until tender.

Saute green onions and mushrooms until lightly browned.  Add tomatoes and cook.  Add the chipotle sauce and cilantro.  Add the potatoes and mix well.

Let simmer a few minutes and serve.

We pick up little sample jars of the sauces whenever we hit Cost Plus out west.  It's a fun store with lots of fun products from all over the world.  We've bought a lot of goodies there over the years, from furniture to dishware to Christmas ornaments and more.  I first shopped with them a bazillion years ago when their only store was on Bay Street in San Francisco.  A cavernous place where one could get lost for hours.  Alas, they've become a slick almost-cookie-cutter store and have re-branded themselves as "Cost Plus World Market" but I can still drop a few bucks there, easily.

But back to the veggies...

The sauce is smokey but not spicy-hot so it went well with the vegetables and the pork spices.

I can see more of this in our future...


Pork Tenderloin

Tonight's dinner went through three different incarnations before finally getting onto a dinner plate!

My first idea was to make pork sandwiches on focaccia and a cold green bean salad.  I had focaccia left from last night, so I didn't buy any bread today.  And I've been remiss - no dough in the 'fridge.

So...  getting home, I found Victor had made pizzas for lunch with the focaccia.  My bad.  I didn't say I was going to use it.

Next idea was to grill the pork with some BBQ sauce.  Turned on the grill, went inside, came back out...  Out of gas.

Third time's the charm.

I sliced the tenderloin into inch-thick slices, pan fried them, added the bbq sauce, and then popped them under the broiler to finish cooking.

The cold bean salad became sauteed green beans with red onion and mushrooms.  Roasted teeny potatoes finished off the plate.


Pork Chops and Apples

After a couple of weeks of slight over-shopping, I'm in clean-out-the-refrigerator-mode.   I have to do it, now and again.  No shopping.  Use what's in the house.

And in our house, that's definitely not a problem!   It's Iron Chef without the TV cameras.

I had a couple of apples, a couple of potatoes, a couple of pork chops - and there's always frozen brussels sprouts.   A dinner was born.

My original thought was to grill the chops and make an apple sauce to serve over it.  But then I decided to pan-fry the chops with a cinnamon-flour coating.

Very simply, I added cinnamon, allspice, garlic, salt and pepper to some flour, dredged the chops, and browned them in a bit of olive oil.

I then cut the apples (I left the skins on) and added them to the skillet, along with a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar, a bit of water, and some brown sugar.  I cooked it all down a bit, added some arrowroot to thicken, and voila!

I boiled the cut red potatoes, and when they were done, threw them into a skillet with a bit of olive oil and some minced fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.  Brussels sprouts with a bit of butter rounded out the plate.

Iron Chef.  I like that.


Eggplant

 

I love this time of year.  Okay...  clarification.  I absolutely loathe and despise the weather.  The heat and humidity is murder.  But I love the produce!

Our tomato plants are doing well - the squirrels are having a feast - and our neighbor is keeping us supplied with zucchini and eggplant.  I am the neighbor who welcomes produce with open arms.  I do not run and hide when I see you walking down the street with a bag of zucchini.  I run out to greet you.  You have stuff you grew in your yard?  I'm here for ya!

So...  we we've been looking at a perfect eggplant for a couple of days.  Wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.  This afternoon I was looking at the basket with our summer bounty and eggplant wrapped around tomato sticks popped into my mind.  I took it a step further and added some pecorino romano and fresh basil, but that was about it.  Eggplant Roulade was born.

A mandoline really helps here with the cutting of the eggplant, but a sharp knife will work, too.

Eggplant Roulade

  • eggplant
  • olive oil
  • garlic powder
  • plum tomatoes
  • basil
  • pecorino romano cheese
  • salt and pepper

Slice eggplant lengthwise no more than 1/4"  thick.  Lightly brush each side with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and broil about 2 minutes.  Flip the slices over and broil another 2 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Slice roma tomatoes lengthwise into matchstick-sized pieces.  Shred fresh basil - about 1 leaf per roulade. Shred enough cheese for about 1 tbsp per roulade.

Sprinkle cooled eggplant with cheese and then basil.

Take a pinch of tomatoes and place along the top of the widest end of the eggplant slice.

Carefully roll and place seam-side down in a broiler-proof pan.

Broil until cheese melts and they are heated through.

These were fun.  Great flavor and a great way to experience the flavors of summer!

I grilled a pork tenderloin to serve along with these.  Marinated in red wine, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Now... If only the temperature would drop and the humidity would go away.....


Ribs

Ribs.  Love 'em.

This afternoon, I put a rack of ribs topped with Gates Extra Hot Bar B Q Sauce into a 250° oven for about 3 hours.  They then spent aboiut 15 minutes on the grill with even more sauce.

Finally! A BBQ sauce with some heat!  I think I'm in love!

These were some smokin' good ribs!

I made up a batch of baked beans with a chopped onion, a tsp of chipotle powder, a half-cup of Memphis BBQ sauce (I have to use it up - can't throw it away!) and a can of Bush's baked beans.  They went into the oven with the ribs for about 3 hours, also.

Corn off the cob on the side.

It was mmm, mmm, good!

I think I've changed my mind on the veal scallopini tomorrow, but the pineapple cream pie is still on.


Pork Chops and Peaches

I just love peaches.  And peaches on the grill just take them to another level altogether.  Love 'em.

Many moons ago, my grandmother's next door neighbor, Mrs. MacNamee, had a peach tree in her yard.  Grandma would get fresh peaches and make the best peach pies - and then give me peach pie with vanilla ice cream at breakfast.  When my mother balked, grandma would simply say "Peach danish and a glass of milk".  Grandma always won.

Years later, my sister, Arlene, lived on a peach orchard in Marysville, CA.  We would get lugs of peaches and make peach jam, peach shortcake, peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, peach salsa...  Peach anything.  And we never tired of them.  I just totally took them for granted.  And boy do I miss them.

Fast-forward to the east coast and the peaches just aren't the same.  They're good, but just not as good as getting them honestly and truly tree-ripened from the tree.

The peaches I picked up today, though, were pretty good California peaches - and they grilled really well.  They held their shape but were perfectly soft and juicy.

I filled them with Sweet Peach Chutney I got from the Virginia Chutney Company. It was pretty good.  And it's made with good, clean ingredients.  They were like having a bit of dessert with dinner.

I also topped the pork chops with a bit of the chutney after rubbing them with Sarah's Savory Sea Salt with Caribbean Spices. Peaches are a natural with Caribbean flavors.  They just work.

I heated the pasta salad I made yesterday for a side dish and dinner was served.

If only there was a piece of grandma's peach pie for dessert....


Grilled Pork Chops and Banana Cake

For not having much of an appetite, we're still eating.  The colds from hell linger on.  And on.  And on.  And on.

Tonight was the pork chops from yesterday, a sweet potato and a red potato, roasted with garlic and rosemary and sage from the garden.  And frozen peas because they were there.

The chop was perfectly charred.  It was about all I could taste - until Victor's dessert.

I could actually smell this baking.

Banana Cake

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Add banana. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. At end of addition batter should be smooth. Divide between 2 pans.

Bake about 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

I made a chocolate ganache for the top and then covered it with unsweetened coconut.

Yum.


Pork Chops with Italian Salsa

I've almost gotten into a rut with pork chops.  If they're not braised with pears and red onions, they're topped with spicy fruit salsa of some sort.  Really good, but been there, done that.  A lot.

So as I'm planning which salsa I'm going to make (apricot or peach) I see two tomatoes that are getting riper as I look.  And there's some endive in the fridge I didn't use last night.  In my mind, dinner starts taking on a bit of an Italian theme...  I had already baked some bread.  Pork chops.  Italy.  Let's do it.

I marinated the pork chops in red wine, garlic, and dried Italian seasoning.

For the salsa, I basically made a chopped tomato salad:

Italian Tomato Salsa

  • 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • splash olive oil
  • basil, oregano, and parsley, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Mix and chill.

I'm a west coast boy.  If you chop stuff up and mix it together, you make salsa.  But this really was just like a bruschetta or tomato salad.  Really simple and no-brainer, but really flavorful.

I braised the endive in a hot skillet with just a splash of olive oil and pat of butter, salt and pepper.  After it browned for a minute, I covered it and lowered the heat and let it cook about 6-7 minutes.  I then topped it with just a tiny bit of shredded Locatelli.

The rice was lazy-man's Risotto.  I cooked a cup of sticky rice (I picked up a 5-pound bag at the Asian grocery store on Sunday) and after it was cooked, stirred in some shredded Locatelli. Lazy.  But good.  And just different enough that we didn't have just plain ol' white rice with dinner.

A  little later on, there's chocolate banana pie.

It's 74° outside, windows are open and a breeze is blowing through the house.

Life really is good!


Thrillin' Grillin'

Let the grillin' begin!

I couldn't resist doing a full-grill dinner tonight.  It's been a while since I had the surface area I needed to do a complete meal.  As much as I've been lovin' that charcoal, I know I'm gonna be lovin' the gas even more.  What can I say?!?  I'm getting old and lazy.

Grilled pork chops with a peach and ginger marinade, grilled potatoes, grilled peaches, grilled apricots, and grilled baby broccoli. Grillin' heaven.

There were two stand-outs in tonight's dinner - the peaches and the marinade!  The marinade is cooked, part is chilled and used for marinating the pork chops.  The rest is boiled down to a syrupy consistency and used to finish everything off.  Yum.

The concept for the marinade came from Bon Appetit.

Peach and Ginger Marinade

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 peach, chopped
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Saute onion in a bit of olive oil until wilted. Add sugar and sauté until onion is golden.

Add peach and cook until softened.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil, and let cook a few minutes.

Strain mixture.  Chill 1/2 cup (to marinate pork) and return remainder to clean saucepan.  Bring back to boil and reduce to half or until thickened and syrupy.

Marinate chops in chilled marinade for about an hour before grilling.

Brush thickened marinade over finished pork chops and grilled peaches and apricots.

I rarely peel anything, so the peach went skin and all into the sauce.  I also grilled the peaches with their skin.  I brushed them and the apricots with a bit of the sauce before grilling and again on the plate.  The peaches were pretty much the star of dinner.  I haven't grilled peaches in probably a year.  I forgot just how fabulous they can be!

The potatoes were quartered, drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper.  I used a grill basket for them with indirect heat.  The grill cover was the perfect oven.  The baby broccoli was drizzled with a bit of balsamic and lightly sprinkled with Italian seasoning.  No sense trying to add a lot of competing flavors with that marinade and sauce.

All-in-all, a great inaugural dinner.

I think we're going to have a lot of fun this summer!

Oh - and for those keeping track.  No gain, no loss this week.  Stayed the same.  I'm bettin' it had to do with ice cream.....