Friday, January 29, 2021

Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chops with Reverse Sear




This dinner combined several interesting concepts. Black Hogg is a restaurant in Silverlake that during Covid has stopped serving prepared food. Each week they feature several different meats or fish that are easy to prepare. They also include an appropriate sauce to use with the cooking. This week one of the items was Snake River Pork Chops. We like all of the Snake River products, so this was a no-brainer for us. We really enjoyed the meat and the sauce. In addition, they introduce us to a different way to cook the meat a Reverse Sear. Traditionally you sear meat then cook at a lower temperature in the oven or atop the range. With Reverse Sear, you cook the meat in the oven to the desired temperature and then quickly sear it to create the caramelized crust. This method works. We will play with it.


Vietnamese Bbq Heritage Pork Chop - SNAKE RIVER FARMS 

each pack serves 4-6 ppl

gluten-free

 

these pork chops are amazing.  they are actually from SNAKE RIVER FARMS, some of THE BEST pork you will find.

1.  Remove pork chops from bag, DO NOT THROW AWAY THE SAUCE IN THE BAG, you will use it to baste the chops after reverse searing.

2.  THE REVERSE SEAR:  Preheat oven (convection 250 degrees / standard 275 degrees).  Place chops on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, flip and cook for 15 minutes more (little longer if chops are on the thicker side).

 

grill method (get grill hot while chops are reverse searing):

3.  Keep chops on baking sheet and spoon on remaining sauce.  Coat the chops well. 

4.  Place chops on hot grill and quickly brown and sear the chops.  Feel free to repeat baste while grilling.

5.  Let chops rest for 5 minutes, then slice and enjoy.

 

 

skillet method (cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet works well):

3.  Get skillet hot.  Add a thin layer of cooking oil to skillet.

4.  Place chops onto skillet and brown and sear quickly.

5.  Toward middle of sear, add desired amount of remaining sauce to skillet and baste chops while they finish browning.

6.  Let chops rest for 5 minutes, then slice and enjoy.

 


 

 

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Beef Stroganoff



What is better use of leftover Prime Rib then making Beef Stroganoff? We love it! You can find the recipe on our blog of: December 1, 2020. Click the date to get the recipe.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Brazilian Picanha Steaks With Vinagreta Verde








Our neighborhood restaurant Black Hogg is closed but they are selling unusual choices of Beef, Chicken, and Pork. This time we picked up Prime Grade Brazilian Picanha Steaks With Vinagreta Verde. The steaks were great and I liked the Picanha Sauce.

Prime Grade Brazilian Picanha Steaks With Vinagreta Verde - King Natural Farms Prime Beef 

 

each pack serves 4-6 ppl

gluten-free

 

please note, steaks are already seasoned with argentinian rock salt and olive oil.

 

1.    THE REVERSE SEAR:  Preheat oven (convection 250 degrees / standard 275 degrees).  Place steaks (fat-cap up) on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes (30 min for rare to med-rare, 45 min for medium to well).

2.    Get a heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) and place over med-high heat.  Get the skillet hot and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.  Place steaks fat-cap down onto hot skillet.  You want to brown the fat-cap and render some of the fat.  Lower the flame if the pan begins to smoke.

3.            Turn the steaks and continue searing each side.  You want to quickly brown each side of the steak.

4.    Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes.  Slice and enjoy with the Vinagreta Verde!

 

After the reverse sear, steaks can also be finished on grill or under broiler.  You want to quickly brown and sear the outside of the steak.

 

Friday, January 22, 2021

Pork-o-buco






Once again Pork is served during Covid. What is better on a winter day then Pork-o-Buco over Polenta? The answer of course is: Pork-o-Buco over Polenta topped with Gremolata. Cathy combined 2 recipes, especially making the Gremolata to top the Pork-o-Buco. It was delicious. One of our favorite dishes. It needs meaty Pork Shanks.

Pork Osso Buco


Eight 8-10 oz pieces Berkshire or Red Wattle

Heritage pork has more marbling resulting in more tender and juicy meat 

Osso buco is classic Italian comfort food. Traditionally cut from veal shanks, our Heritage pork osso buco is just as tender and meaty, and boasts a wonderful pork flavor. Many of our customers say that once they’ve tried them, they never go back! Best braised with wine or stock, vegetables and herbs, these gorgeous pieces are guaranteed to become a new tradition.   

The secret to great pork is to start off with great ingredients, and nothing beats our storied Heritage breeds —  Berkshire, Red Wattle, Duroc, Gloucestershire Old Spot, Large Black, and Tamworth. Each breed comes from a different culinary tradition, and boasts a distinctive, nuanced flavor.

Try our simple and delicious heritage pork osso buco with Anson Mills polenta:

 

Ingredients:


8       pcs pork osso buco
2       cups Anson Mills yellow polenta
2       tbsp butter
1       medium onion, rough chopped
2       celery ribs, rough chopped
1       large carrot, rough chopped
2       garlic cloves, cut into thirds
¼      cup tomato paste
1       cup white wine
15     cups chicken stock
2       each bay leaves fresh thyme and rosemary
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparation:

 

1.    Preheat oven to 300°F. Make sure your osso buco is at room temp and seasoned with salt and pepper on all sides. In a large dutch oven heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium high heat and sear the pieces on all sides. Set them aside to rest and add onion, celery, garlic, and carrots to your dutch oven with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables soften and start to brown.

2.    Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the vegetables are coated. Pour wine over the vegetables and stir to deglaze. Simmer until the wine begins to thicken and add 8 cups of stock, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. 

3.    Discard the carrots and herbs from your cooled down pot. Move the osso buco to a large bowl while you make the sauce. Puree the onion and celery with your braising liquid. Reheat the mixture in the dutch oven on the stove top at medium high heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Return the osso buco to the pot and simmer while spooning sauce over the meat for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

4.     In a separate pot bring 7 cups of stock to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk in the Anson Mills polenta over the moving whisk to minimize lumps. Once fully incorporated, season the pot with a few generous pinches of salt. Reduce the heat to low and mostly cover with a lid, leaving a crack to allow moisture to escape. Bubbles should occasionally break the surface, no more or the polenta may stick to the bottom and scorch. Whisk the polenta every 10 minutes for around 40 minutes until the largest granules are soft. Taste and season the polenta and mix in the butter. 

5.    To serve, stir Parmigiano Reggiano into the polenta. Ladle or spoon into a wide bowl, top with grated parmigiano, place osso buco on top adding more sauce over the meat. For a classic condiment, drizzle a gremolata made from a small garlic clove (grated or minced), olive oil, chopped parsley, and lemon zest! Enjoy!

Pork Shank Osso Buco with Polenta and Gremolata

Food Network

 

Ingredients

 

4       8-ounce pork shanks, tied with twine

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

3       tablespoons vegetable oil 

2       carrots, diced 

2       stalks celery, diced 

2       yellow onions, diced 

1       tablespoon tomato paste 

4       cloves garlic, minced 

2       cups dry white wine 

2       cups warm chicken stock 

1       14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

2       bay leaves

 

Gremolata

 

1       cup fresh parsley, minced

2       teaspoons lemon zest 

1       teaspoon orange zest 

2       cloves garlic, grated on a rasp grater

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 

Directions

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2.    Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Liberally season all sides of the shanks with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and sear the shanks until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.

3.     Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven, then add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are slightly soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 second. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping all the bits off the bottom. Add the shanks, any accumulated juices, the warm stock, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the shanks are extremely fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove the shanks and tent with foil on a plate.

4.    If the braising liquid is a bit thin, right before serving, simmer the remaining liquid until thickened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

5.    For each serving, put a ladle of Creamy Polenta in a shallow bowl, followed by a warm shank with a ladle of rich braising liquid, then top with the fresh Gremolata.

Gremolata:

Mix the parsley, lemon zest, orange zest and garlic together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cook’s Note

 

The shanks can be stored for up to 2 days in the braising liquid.

 

 

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Inauguration Night

 









Finally it was Inauguration Day. No more Trump! But we had Crab Dynamite! We love Crab Dynamite, as do all of our guests. You can find the recipe for this winner on our blog of: September 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Steak




It seems we are eating a lot of Steak during Covid. We get Steak delivered from several sources. Our current favorite is: Flannery Beef. They have exceptional beef. We used to go to their father's butchery when we lived in San Francisco. The kids have done the old man well. I used to grill steaks outdoors but this recipe for cooking the steak indoors is really good! You can get the recipe on our blog of: February 17, 2018!

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Cassoulet



Our version of a Cassoulet, using the left overs from previous dinners. It is a great way to repurpose leftovers. If you have lots of left over Ham, Pork, Sausage and Bacon. What could be better than making a Cassoulet? Cathy started with the recipe for: Lazy Chicken-and-Sausage Cassoulet. She then modified with the ingredients on hand. This is the essential rule of home cooking in a Pandemic. You don't always have what you want, but you have what you need, if you are creative. In the past it was easy to run out and get any missing ingredient. Now we scrounge around the pantry and make do. Cassoulet especially lends itself to this kind of cooking, because it really is a melange of ingredients. Cathy's version was delicious! You can get the basic recipe for the Cassoulet on our blog of: November 8, 2020. Click the date to get the recipe.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Fennel Rubbed Pork Chops







We love Pork Chops. We really started liking them when we had our first Tomahawk Fennel Flavored Pork Chop at ChiSpacca. Now several restaurants serve them but ChiSpacca for us, was our first experience. We made this recipe for Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two from the cookbook Dining In by Alison Roman. It was delicious. 

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two

Dining In

Alison Roman

 

Serves 2

 

1      tablespoon fennel seed

1      tablespoon light brown sugar

2      Teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

½     teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1      (1-1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chop (about 1-1/4 pounds)

1      tablespoon canola oil

1      fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

½     cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, dill, and/or tarragon, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

1      tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

 

Do Ahead:

 

The fennel seed mixture can be made 2 weeks ahead and stored at room temperature. It is also great on chicken.

 

These are thick, fancy, Saturday-night chops, not thin, pedestrian Tuesday-night chops (only in spirit—you can definitely make         them on a Tuesday). The type of pork (for example, Berkshire) will vary regionally, but the thickness here, at least 1-1/2 inches, is nonnegotiable. Larger chops, whether pork or steak, are fattier and richer in flavor than thinner chops and are also nearly impossible to overcook. Even while searing them for what feels like forever, watching the outside develop a too-good-to-be-true deeply golden brown crust, the inside miraculously remains that perfect shade of pink and juicy as hell.

You're not likely to find pork chops like this unless you go to the butcher (or butcher counter) and ask for them, but I have been surprised before. I know, it's an extra step—the butcher! What a hassle. But trust me, it's worth it and what makes these chops so dang special. I suggest going and getting a few and then freezing them for next time.

1.   Toast the fennel seed in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the skillet, until the seed starts to smell fragrant and turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder, pound with a mortar and pestle, or finely chop with a knife.

2.   Combine the fennel seed with the brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and rub the mixture all over the pork chop. Cover and let it sit at east 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

3.   Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chop until it’s super browned and caramelized on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the pork chop and add the sliced fennel to the skillet. Cook, stirring the fennel every so often, until it is tender and golden brown, but try not to disturb the pork chop. Cook until the deepest part of the pork chop registers 145°F on an instant- read thermometer, another 8 to 10 minutes (if you don't have a thermometer, you can cut off an end piece and check for proper pinkness). Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest a few minutes,

4.   Meanwhile, combine the herbs and lemon zest in a small bowl, and season with salt,

5.   Serve the sliced pork alongside the fennel and garlic with the herb mixture sprinkled on top.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Lobster Fried Rice


 



Like clock work, if we go to Newport Seafood (or in the case of Covid Lockdown have some one bring us a dinner - for they only have food to go - a friend brought us the food), we will soon be making Lobster Fried Rice using a recipe for Crab Fried Rice. We have made this many, many times and always love it.
You can get the recipe for the Fried Rice on our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.
 

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Insurrection Dinner






January 6 will be a day we will remember like September 11. We purchased Champagne and chilled it down ready to drink after the Electoral College certified Biden's win. We were enjoying our zoom Pilates Class when I received a notification on my Apple Watch that there was a riot and Congress was overrun by Trump Supporters. We continued our class then turned on the TV and we were mesmerized and appalled about what we were seeing. Congress eventually voted and Biden / Harris were declared the winners. We finally got to open our Champagne. For dinner we made Salmon with Miso Rice. This is Asian inspired dish that we really like. You can get the recipe on our. blog of October 15, 2020. Click the date to get the recipe.

Monday, January 04, 2021

Bacon-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Caraway Cabbage and Apples






Bacon-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Caraway Cabbage and Apples is a perfect winter dish. Pork Loin, Bacon, Cabbage - what could be better on a cold winter evening? It transports me back to dinners we had in Berlin (at least in my imagination). The dish requires a lot of Toothpicks to attach the bacon to the loin, be sure to remove them all before serving. It makes a lot and gives great leftovers. As I write this I can actually recreate the aroma of the dish in mind! You can get the recipe for the hearty dish in our blog of: October 29, 2018. Click the date to get the recipe.

Friday, January 01, 2021

Braised Pork in Caramelized Soy




We love Pork in all its forms - it can be prepared in so many different ways. Braised Pork in Caramelized Soy is a great goto recipe. We highly recommend the recipe. You can find it on our blog of: July 10, 2017. Click the date to get the recipe.