Nomography: Chipotle Spiced Pork Chops with a Corn and Tomato Salad

Pan-grilled pork chops with a chipotle rub and a tomato corn salad (with cilantro, onion, garlic, green pepper and lime juice). Nom. Nom.

Best Meat Loaf Ever!

This recipe is slightly adapted from the Eating for Pregnancy book.  Its version, appropriately enough, is entitled “Best-Ever American Meat Loaf.” Truly it is THE best meat loaf I’ve ever made.

The original calls for double of everything I’ve listed here, but two pounds of meat was way too much for just the two of us. For a slightly healthier version you could substitute ground turkey for the beef.

Best Meat Loaf Ever

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 finely chopped shallot (the original calls for 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions)
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or maybe just a tiny bit more!)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 ricotta cheese (the original calls for plain low-fat yogurt or whole milk)

Optional Glaze (optional, yes, but this is SOOOOOO good that you will want to make it!)

• 1/8 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all of the meat loaf ingredients in a large bowl and mix well (with a fork or a hand, preferably your own hand, but whatever…)

Form the meat mixture into a small baking dish or loaf pan.

If making the glaze, whip it up and slap it on. I mean… using a basting brush or the back of a spoon, apply the glaze over the top of the meat loaf.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until completely cooked.  An instant meat thermometer should read 160°F, and the juices should run clear when the center of the loaf is pierced.

Remove the loaf from the pan and allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

This was served with a side of roasted sweet potato wedges (minus the apples and pecans in this version) and a veggie orzo salad.

Enjoy!

Lamb Meatballs

My husband LOVES lamb. I’m not the biggest fan. However, I do love meatballs! So this meal seemed like a good compromise. Making the meatballs with lamb lightens things up, and the seasonings of course, make a huge difference.

For these meatballs, I started them in a cast-iron pan to get a nice sear on the meat, then I finished them in the oven. They were really nice and juicy, but still fairly lean. A good trick for these is to use a mini-muffin pan. The meatballs fit perfectly and everything is kept in its proper place. Plus, my roasting pan was otherwise occupied.

I served these with a dollop of tzatziki sauce, warm garlic naan and roasted asparagus.

Lamb Meatballs

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional… I just wanted a bit more garlic flavor!)
• Canola oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Mix it well. Go ahead and get your hand in there. Give it some love.

Scoop out meat mixture and form into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter. Using a large spoon helps shape them, and you only have to get one hand messy. Set the meatballs aside on a plate.

Heat a tablespoon or so of canola oil in a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat.

Arrange the meatballs in a circular pattern in the pan. Be careful not to overcrowd the meatballs. I managed to get in about 8 or 9 at a time.

Pan sear the meatballs, turning until all sides are evenly but lightly browned.

Put the meatballs in the mini-muffin pan, or on a baking sheet and finish in the oven.  About 10 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.  Or something.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy! Enjoy it more with a side of tzatziki and some naan…

Thai Red Curry Chicken

This dish is really simple to make on a busy weeknight.  Full of flavor and fresh vegetables, it also reheats well for lunch the next day.

Full disclosure:  I’ve never made my own curry sauce.  Well, not a thai curry sauce.  For this recipe I became Sandra Lee, but with less makeup and Thai-themed decor…

I’m not ashamed to admit that I used Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce for this dish.  First of all, I’m pregnant and I work full time.  I just don’t always have the time and energy to a) shop for Thai red curry sauce ingredients and b) make the damn sauce from scratch – especially on a weeknight.  Plus, the sauce from Trader Joe’s is pretty tasty, and it’s probably a lot cheaper to just buy it.  And finally, if the sauce is tasty and it works, then maybe it’s a recipe that I can write down for my husband, so that he can make dinner once in a while – which will be especially helpful when the baby arrives.

So let me have my jar of sauce and embrace some practicality!

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Thai Red Curry Chicken

• 1 jar Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce (Sorry I don’t have a photo, but you can google it!)
• 1-2 tablespoons of oil for cooking
• 1 pound chicken breasts, thighs or tenders.  Tenders work well since they’re already about the right size.  Otherwise, cut up the chicken into more bite-size friendly pieces.
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green pepper, cut into small strips
• 1 small red pepper, cut into small strips
• 2 cups cooked rice
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Start the rice in the rice cooker.

Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is white and no pink remains.  About 7 minutes, maybe…

Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the peppers and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add the sauce to the pan, stir all of the ingredients together, and reduce heat to low or simmer.

When the sauce is heated through, top a bowl of rice with the curry chicken and garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Turkey Kebabs on Pita with Mint Chutney Lettuce Salad

My co-worker, Indu, often makes pita pockets with turkey kebabs for our office potlucks.  They’re definitely a favorite and if you’re not quick to grab one, you will miss out.

For tonight’s dinner, I made a modified (ahem, quick/easy/cheating) version of her recipe. The key to this dish for me is definitely the lettuce salad that tops everything off.  A mix of lettuce, green pepper, mint chutney, mayo and lime juice… OH. MY. HEAVENS.  Indu, you’re my hero.

Turkey Kebabs on Pita with Mint Chutney Lettuce Salad (my quick and easy verison)

• Pita bread – pockets if you can find them
• Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs (you can find these in the frozen section)
• Mint Chutney Salad (see below)

Cook the meatballs according to package directions.  I baked them at 325° F for about 35 minutes, then quartered them.

Top the pita with the turkey meatball pieces.

Top with mint chutney lettuce salad.

Mint Chutney

• Mint and Cilantro (1:2 ratio)
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 small onion or green onion
• 1 small green chili (I left this out because I’m pregnant and I can’t handle the spice right now!  Silly baby and your heartburn inducing ways!)
• 1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor, except for salt and lime/lemon juice.  After ingredients are blended, add salt and lime/lemon juice to taste.

Lettuce Salad

• Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into small pieces
• Mayo to taste… maybe a couple of tablespoons – add a little to start and add more as needed
• Mint chutney (strain any excess liquid as you add it)
• Green pepper, diced
• A small amount of red or white onion, diced
• Lime juice to taste – as with the mayo, add a little at a time.  Make sure the lettuce salad doesn’t get too moist

Mix all ingredients together adding more mayo, lime juice and chutney as needed.

Enjoy!  (Next time, maybe I’ll share the not quick/easy/cheating version!)

Split Pea Soup with Niman Ham and Homemade Croutons

It’s been a while, I know… Thanks to a recently acquired parasitic being (see below!), I’ve been spending more time in the bathroom than in the kitchen.  I’d pretty much lost my appetite and desire to cook, though I was fairly hungry most of the time.  Fortunately, the creature is scheduled to disengage itself sometime on or around June 8, 2012.  And with the help of some lovely, lovely medication called Zofran, I finally feel well enough to get back in the kitchen.

It's kicking my uterus. Awesome kid!

In light of this new development, my sweet, thoughtful husband gave me a great book, Eating for pregnancy: The essential nutrition guide and cookbook for today’s mother-to-be.  The first recipe I decided to try out was the split pea soup with homemade croutons.  I added the Niman’s ham… because that’s how I roll.

Like most recipe books, Eating for Pregnancy requires a little bit of advanced planning in terms of shopping and stocking your pantry, but I appreciate that the authors point out time saving tips as well as how far in advance various components can be made and stored.  I also like how they offer meal plan suggestions, complete meal ideas, and a heading for each recipe “What’s in this for baby and me?”  In the case of the split pea soup: protein, vitamin A, folic acid and fiber. It’s a great book – one that I can see working for us even after the little uterus-kicker arrives.

Split Pea Soup with Niman Ranch Ham

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Diced ham (optional) – I used about 1 1/2 cups, but you can add as little or as much as you like
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed – I also minced!
• 4 carrots peeled, sliced, or 2 cups baby carrots (peeled, sliced)
• 2 celery stalks washed and sliced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon thyme (optional)
• 1 teaspoon marjoram (optional) – and a good thing since I didn’t have any!
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 8 cups fat free low-sodium stock (I used chicken, but use veggie — and don’t add the ham — for a vegan friendly recipe), or water; add more as needed
• 1 1/2 cups green split peas
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes.

If you choose to add the ham, now would be a good time.

Add the garlic, carrots, celery and seasonings (thyme, marjoram, bay leaves) and saute for another 3 minutes.

Stir in the stock and peas and bring to a boil.  Skim off any foam with a spoon, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the peas are tender.

Note: Now if you are like me and preparing this on a weeknight after a long day of work, and you get to this part and say “what the hell!?  TWO HOURS!?”, don’t panic. Fortunately, we had some quick cooking peas from Whole Paycheck Foods, which kinda saved my bacon.  We started cooking them separately in water for about 25 minutes and then added the peas only into the soup base at this point.  They cooked for another 30 minutes, just to try to maximize tenderness and impart more flavor.

As the soup thickens, if it’s too thick, you can add more stock or water about 2 tablespoons at a time.

Adjust seasoning to taste.  Remove bay leaves and serve immediately with homemade croutons or crusty french bread.

Yields about 6 servings or about 7 cups.

Homemade Croutons

I normally cook my croutons in a saute pan with plenty of butter and a little bit of garlic salt… But I  liked the Eating for Pregnancy version just as well.  It was much simpler and A LOT healthier.

• 1 small french baguette

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cut the bread into small cubes and place flat on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes.  Turn the croutons.

Continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until hard and light golden brown.

Cool and store in an airtight container or storage bag.

Enjoy!  With or without a little parasite!

Thanksgiving Dinner

The first real meal I’ve felt like cooking in quite a while…  and it was delicious!

Since it was just the two of us and neither of us is a huge fan of turkey, I opted for a Thanksgiving Chicken.  Maybe someday I will be brave enough to make duck.  Also on the menu, mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, gravy made from the roasting pan drippings, and salad… I guess we had to have something green.

Roast Chicken

• 1 whole chicken, rinsed with organs removed
• Butter or olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 2 small to medium onions sliced
• Thyme, ~ 1 tablespoon
• Parsley, ~ 1 tablespoon
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled

For my roast chicken, I slather it in either butter or olive oil, season with some salt and pepper, stuff it with two or three lemon wedges and some garlic.

Lay it on a base of sliced onions, garlic and lemon wedges tossed in olive oil.  I add some parsley and thyme and a smidge more salt and pepper.

Tie the legs together if you are a person who remembers to buy kitchen string… I had to resort to a bamboo skewer.  It did the trick.  You can also tie the legs with the chicken’s own skin, but whenever I do this a leg always pops out.  Also, tuck the wings under as best as you can.

Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes (or 1 h. 15 m. depending on your ovens ability to cook evenly).

Remove from the oven, place on a carving platter and cover with foil.  Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes.  As for carving the bird… that’s something I’m still learning how to do, but I’m sure YouTube would be most helpful on this subject!

Crispy. Delicious.

In the meantime, start the gravy.

Pan Gravy

• Roasting pan remnants and juices
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 to 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour

If you have a roasting pan that can go directly on a burner, just leave the roasting pan remnants in the pan.  Otherwise, transfer to small sauce pan.

Over medium heat, add chicken broth and wine to the pan drippings.  Whisk the flour into the sauce and continue to stir until the sauce thickens.  You can add any juices from the carving platter, too, if you like.

When the gravy is done, transfer to a serving dish or gravy bowl and serve over the carved chicken.

The chicken and gravy recipes are modified versions of Ina Garten’s “Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken” recipe in How Easy Is That?

Enjoy!  And Happy Thanksgiving!

Nomography: Pork! Now with sauce…

Chicken Piccata

It's been a cold, rain-soaked October day, which would be perfect for a warm bowl of stew and a hot toddy.  But after a day full of library book sales and the Crafty Bastards fair, I came home tired, cold and very hungry.  For dinner I needed something quick and tasty… and something that would also go well with a fresh bunch of arugula and a divine heirloom tomato, both purchased from my trip to the farmers market this morning.  

And thus came Ina Garten from her stately Hamptons stead and delivered unto us: Chicken Piccata!

 

Chicken Piccata, recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

• 5-6 chicken thighs (I like dark meat, but you can use chicken breasts instead)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• Juice squeezed from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Use three shallow baking dishes for breading the chicken.  In one dish, add the flour.  Egg in the next. And in the last, mix together the breadcrumbs and corn meal.

Place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and using a meat mallet, flatten to 1/4 inch thick. 

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in flour and shake off the excess.

Dip into the egg, coating the chicken evenly.

Dip the chicken into the breadcrumb and corn meal mixture fully coating the chicken.

Heat the oil and a half tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium to medium low heat.

When the oil is hot and the butter is bubbly, add the chicken.  

Cook for about 3 minutes per side.  The outer coating should be golden brown and crispy.  Like this!

When the chicken is done, put it on a clean plate and keep warm in the oven.

Next prepare the sauce!

Add two more tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.  

 

When the butter is nice and foamy, add in the lemon juice.  

After a minute or two, add in the chicken broth.  White wine can also be used in place of chicken broth.

Bring the sauce to a boil, lower heat and reduce the liquid by half.  

Getting saucy!

When the sauce is reduced, turn off heat and stir in the additional tablespoon of butter.  When the butter has melted into the sauce, serve immediately over the chicken.

Enjoy!

Cooking with Julia Child

For our first wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with an amazingly thoughtful present: a couples cooking class that paid tribute to Julia Child.  The class, taught at CulinAerie by the delightful Susan Holt, focused on classic French cuisine, and Chef Holt entertained us with her knowledge of and personal experience meeting Julia Child.  

Okay… so I wasn't exactly cooking with Julia Child herself, but she was definitely there in spirit!

The class started with some basic instruction on how to prepare and cook our three course meal of Lentil Salad, Roast Pork with Mustard Cream Sauce, and Crêpes Suzette.  Chef Holt provided sufficient instruction on technique, without becoming overly technical.  It was, after all, a couples cooking class, designed primarily to be a fun, engaging, and entertaining experience for the pair. The meal was simple but full of flavor.  And the experience of cooking together was wonderfully intimate and romantic – despite the presence of 13 other couples!  Plus, they kept giving us wine!  

Here's a breakdown of our meal and some great tips I picked up along the way.

Lentil Salad with Chicory and Chevre

This simple salad of cooked French lentils with chicory (or frisée, endive, or any bitter green), goat cheese and a classic French vinaigrette caused my husband to declare that we should be eating more lentils.  It was so full of nutrients and flavor that I could easily eat this for a meal on its own.  

There are many varieties of lentils, and most commonly this legume is used in Indian cooking. French lentils are a distinctive dark green, and when properly cooked, should be al dente (firm, not mushy).  Lentils are high in protein, fiber and iron, folate and B1 (thank you Wikipedia!) and are a great option for vegetarian dishes.  

Cooking tips:

• These only need to cook for about 25 minutes in simmering water, until just tender.
• You don't really need to add salt, unless you want to add that flavor profile.  
• If you do add salt, you may need to increase the cooking time a bit.

Pork Tenderloin with a Mustard, Tarragon Cream Sauce.  And bacon.

Julia Child, in volume one of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, describes the pork loin as the most expensive cut, but also the most attractive looking.  I am not sure I can comment on its attractiveness, but I do know that this cut of meat can be found at Trader Joe's for around $5, which is about half the price of my local neighborhood grocer.  (I still support the local grocer, just not in the form of buying their pork tenderloin!) 

Roast pork tenderloin is one of my favorite dishes to make because it's simple, flavorful and easy. Just season the meat, sear it on all sides, and let it finish cooking in the oven.  Voilà!

Some helpful tips:

• Use canola or peanut oil for searing the tenderloin.  The smoke point of olive oil is too low and can impart its own flavors, which you don't necessarily want.
• When searing the tenderloin, put it in the hot pan and leave it alone until it achieves a nice golden brown/almost caramel color on one side.  Only then should you pick it up and turn… Repeat on all sides until it's evenly seared.  You  may need to lower the heat a bit as you go.
• Don't season the meat until just before you put it in the pan, and you really only need to use a little bit of salt and pepper.  The application of salt draws out moisture, so you want to wait until the last minute to apply this.

In regard to the last point, don't confuse basic salt and pepper seasoning with a dry rub or a marinade.  If you are going to use these, Julia Child advises at least 6 to 24 hours of marinating/seasoning time for a refrigerated loin roast.

Another good tip, let the meat rest in the pan, in the braising liquid (in this case wine and chicken broth) so it retains more moisture. Only remove the meat just before you start the sauce.  Slice the tenderloin just as the sauce is finishing, pour on the sauce and serve immediately.  This is the perfect, perfect, perfect temperature!  And the sauce – prepared with mustard, crème fraiche, and tarragon – was so good I wanted to lick my plate.

Oh, and this particular dish was also made with bacon.  And not just any bacon.  Nueske's bacon. Also commonly referred to as the best bacon in America… or at least is should be.  

Pork + Pork = Heaven  

Crêpes Suzette

"Fire in the hole!"  Not just an oft-repeated expression from the fabulous FX series Justified, but apparently the magic phrase of choice for the flambéed Crêpes Suzette!

Crêpes Suzette is a classic French dessert, and while crêpes can be a time-consuming, pain in the ass to make, they're soooo worth it.  Made with a few crêpes, butter, sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice, and an orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier (if you like more of a cognac finish) or Cointreau…  C'est très magnifique!  

Tips on the art of flambé:

• Never (Jamais!) pour the liqueur into the pan when it's over the flame.  Instead pull the pan off heat and pour in the liqueur.
• Immediately thrust the pan back over heat, tipping the pan toward the flame and thus igniting the alcohol vapors!  All without actually sloshing everything into the fire!
• And don't forget to yell "Fire in the hole!" while doing it!  Because it's fun to get in touch with your inner pyromaniac… and we need atmosphere dammit!  

Got all that?!   

Overall, this was a fun and memorable experience for the both of us.  We both learned new things and had an absolutely, lovely time cooking with and for each other.  And all of the wine didn't hurt either!  Thanks, Chef Holt and CulinAerie for a fantastic meal, and thanks to my amazing husband for a terrific first anniversary!  

Bon Appétit!