bacon-wrapped pork

Posted on January 11, 2012 by hilary924

i’m not really one for new years resolutions. i’ve come to terms with my complete lack of willpower. if anything, if i had a resolution this year, it would be to go easier on myself.

and maybe to post fewer pork recipes.

luckily, since i’m going easy on myself, we can start that resolution next week.

pork wrapped in pork. it’s healthy cause it’s on a plate with green stuff.

i made some questionable shopping decisions, and came home with brussels sprouts and red cabbage. cabbage two ways! sounds much more intentional that way.

i think i like cooking sides better than mains. is that weird? i know mark bittman would approve. i would resolve to post more side recipes, but they’d all essentially be the same: saute in oil, add a squeeze of lemon, insert in mouth.

back to the pork! it was a manchego’s kitchen christmas this year, and i ended up giving family members some recipes to take their gifts out for a test drive.

if i were a professional, i probably would have actually written those recipes . . . or, you know, at least tried all of them out. let’s just say i got a head start on my resolution.

i DID try this recipe. and it was a simple and yummy as i thought it would be. pork + thyme, wrapped in bacon? how can you go wrong?

the bacon-wrapping experience only turned out to be tricky because i didn’t read (slash ignored) the directions and went a little crazy with the thyme springs. over the pork! under the pork! thyme every where!

don’t be like me. remember that this isn’t a beauty contest. just put a couple of sprigs on top and wrap ‘er up.

or do be like me! go crazy! make a mess! who doesn’t love excess thyme?

alternatively, be smarter than me, and follow the somm’s suggestion of ditching the inedible sprigs and just use the fresh thyme leaves. sprinkle them on with the salt and pepper like a dry rub before applying the bacon.

this is a great recipe to use a cast iron skillet because you’re starting stove top, but finishing in the oven. there is something so satisfying about a cast iron skillet. they’re so heavy and old-timey. they do a great job of getting a nice brown crust on your meat or veggies.

i think i’ve said it before, but the magic of really nicely cooked meat is temperature. science! a nice, lean tenderloin needs a gentle touch. cook it until the center hits between 150 and 155.

so, go ahead. buy a meat thermometer. do it. buy a fancy one. buy a cheap one. use it. impress friends and loved ones.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Adapted from Real Simple

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
A few sprigs of thyme
4 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add a glug of olive oil. Season pork with salt and pepper. Top with thyme to taste. Wrap with bacon. Brown wrapped tenderloin on all sides in the pan, a few minutes on each side. Transfer pan to oven and cook for about 15 minutes, until the thickest part of the tenderloin has reached 150 to 155 degrees.

Let pork rest. Slice and serve!

chicken larb gai

Posted on January 3, 2012 by hilary924

sometimes being a grown up is awesome. you can eat a bowl of ice cream for dinner. you can spend all day saturday watching bad television in your pjs. no biggie.

sometimes being a grown up is way overrated. like paying bills, and missing out on christmas and summer vacations.

this year, i took back the christmas vacation. eleven glorious days of no email, no bosses, no bed times and certainly no alarm clocks.

also, i ate a LOT of ice cream.

but i'm back. it's freezing, but at least it is sunny. time to get back in the swing of things.

here's a recipe we can all feel good about for the new year. it's easy. it's tasty. it's good for you, but doesn't make you feel like you're missing out.

chicken, lime, crunchy rice . . a way more adult dinner choice. save the ice cream for dessert, as you watch the bachelor, which is really like the dessert of tv. so good, so bad for you.

if you haven't had larb gai, it is thai meat salad. that's right. meat salad. spicy stir fried ground chicken that is excellent in a lettuce or cabbage cup or just on a spoon. from the wok or fridge.

isn't this a nice little mise en place?

you do really want to have your ingredients measured and at hand for asian stir fry because the point is to get your wok or skillet really hot, so the ingredients cook very quickly and you have no time to be mucking about in the back of your cupboard for that bottle of fish sauce.

here, you just heat your pan, dump all the ingredients and you're off to the races. for reals.

i love thai food because it's such a great mix of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy. it's balanced. it's usually not too heavy. and it's really easy to make at home.

fish sauce is really the most out there ingredient you'll need. it's salty, and a little bit smelly, but adds an important extra umph to lots of asian dishes.

but, the real secret ingredient that makes this a super standout dish is the toasted rice powder.

it's easy. take some rice, maybe that funky short grain stuff you bought out of desperation at your tiny local organic food mart that is incredibly hit or miss when it comes to normal groceries. toast it up in a pan until it is golden. let it cool and then pound the heck out of it in a mortar or a spice grinder.

you know how sometimes you're getting dressed for work and it's just really an eh sweater and skirt combo? but you add a belt and suddenly it's an outfit you're rockin' kate middleton style (if only in your head)? that's just me?

anyway these toasty, crunchy little nubs are the belt to this meal. promise me you won't a) judge my lame metaphor or b) make larb gai without them.

i went super crazy when i made larb gai and busted out a whole thai meal including (not so) green papaya salad.

and a super funky pumpkin dish that i just can't recommend. i don't even really want to remember it. fresh pumpkin isn't that awesome anyway. it's so stringy and so inferior to the butternut. although baby sugar pumpkins sure look cool, right?

maybe my next post will be on my hands-down, favorite all-time use of pumpkin . . . from a can . . . in a baked good, like god intended.

Chicken Larb Gai & Green Papaya Salad

I'm punking out and just sending you over to Spilled Milk's recipes. No need to mess with something that works great just as is. Just don't forget the toasted rice powder!

white bean and sausage soup

Posted on December 17, 2011 by hilary924

this photo really, really made me want to call this pacman soup.

even though i was never a big pacman – or pacwoman - fan. i do best with video games where frantically press buttons at random. totes gave my little bro, future doctor of america, a run for his money at mortal combat. totes barely got past the third level of super mario bros.

such is life. he can still beat me at pretty much anything that doesn't involve spelling.

anyway. winter is arriving. it's still early – my cut off for an outdoor run is still 40, not 30.

but between the chilly gray weather and the abundance of holiday parties, i've been craving vegetables. hearty, virtuous vegetables.

so, one night after yoga i made my annual pot-o-soup. you know how i feel about soup. but about once a year, after winter has hit, i like a nice hearty bowl of soup.

i made this soup with what i had on hand. started with some sausage.

yes, i know i said i was craving veggies. but, let's be honest. the best veggie recipes usually start with some sort of bacon/pancetta/sausage product.

cause . . . all those little brown bits in the pan? flavor, baby. saute some onions in that . . . so much better than olive oil.

then loaded it up. can of beans, can of tomatoes, abandoned baby carrots.

let it simmer. throw in a parmesan rind if you've got one. some bay leaves. peppercorns.

and at the end . . . greens. i had a sad little handful of kale, but some frozen spinach rounded it out. the kale had a much better bite in the finished product.

this was a really hearty soup. spicy sausage played up the richness of the beans, the sweet carrots and acidic tomatoes added a nice balance. a little red wine in the beef broth rounded out the flavor.

in short, YUM. lunch and dinner for a week and a half. happy winter!

Winter White Bean & Sausage Soup

4 sausages, I recommend Aidells – one of the spicy flavors
1/2 onion, sliced
1 can white beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 cups baby carrots, roughly chopped
2-3 cups kale or spinach, roughly chopped (use less if you're using frozen)

1 carton beef or chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 parmesan rind

1 bay leaf

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp thyme

Salt to taste

Saute sausage in large pot until brown. Add onions and soften. Add everything else, EXCEPT THE GREENS, and simmer at least 20 minutes and until the veggies are tender. Add the kale and/or spinach and cook for another few minutes. Very good with more parmesan grated on top and with a crusty baguette.

momma’s kitchen

Posted on October 20, 2011 by hilary924

i’ve been traveling. traveling places where other people do the dishes for you.

aren’t parents glorious?

we drank a lot of wine. a lot. (evidence above)

we went to a baby shower. i tried to ignore my thumping womb and focus on the champagne and nibbles.

it was like the real martha stewart had catered.

out of control pretty. want more?

oh, california. who lives like this? this home is a funky, arty wonderland of found objects.

my momma’s garden is pretty rock star too, though. they have fountains and roses and herbs. the other week, she made ice cream using passion fruit and macadamia nuts from her front yard.

how do you have passion fruit growing in your FRONT YARD for, like, a decade and not know?

oh, yeah, because you’ve been too focused on the glorious bounty from your tangerine, lemon and avocado trees.

california. some day, my friend, some day.

in the meantime, i visit. and make messes.

i also make crostini. toasty bread + ricotta + squash + lemon & herbs = winning.

just don’t over toast your bread (ahem, i mean burn it to a sad black crisp) unless you have the worlds best momma to run to the store to buy you more.

what? me? spoiled? whatever do you mean.

back to the crostini and how i earn my keep. i took some shortcuts. it worked out. you should make this. it is pretty foolproof.

the irish pasta-maker? he took no short cuts.

100 percent homemade, hand-cranked spaghetti. who lives like this? amazing.

he even has his own kitchen mascot.

don’t be fooled by how sweet she looks at rest. this happy beast considers herself a lapdog.

mom kept up her own with some tasty french 75s. neat trick i learned – with a spill-proof container, equal parts sugar and water and elbow grease, you can make simple syrup without adding yet another dirty saucepan to the growing pile in the sink.

see? totes considerate of others.

anyway, that woman makes a mean cocktail. luckily, i think it’s genetic.

we finished up with another winner of a simple, foolproof recipe. banana tartes tatin. (julia child rolls over in her grave.)

find a pan. smear the bottom with butter. sprinkle with brown sugar. layer banana slices. top with thawed puff pastry. bake.

it’s great with vanilla ice cream. better when eaten with your loving family.

Squash & Ricotta Crostini

Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 baguette
2 cups butternut or acorn squash, in cubes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup ricotta
1 lemon – zest & juice
Salt & pepper
Herbs, chopped (recommended: basil, sage, thyme, tarragon or a mix)

Ghetto Hilary Version: Slice your squash in half. Remove seeds. Cover flesh end in plastic wrap. Microwave until soft. Start with 5 minutes in the microwave, then add time until done. Let cool unless you are like me and just burn your finders all over the place. Scoop flesh out into a saute pan – warmed with warm olive oil. Mash it together. Saute a couple of minutes with brown sugar and a dash of salt.

Normal Version: Peel and chop squash into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with oil, salt, and brown sugar and roast at 400 degrees until brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta with lemon zest, just a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Slice the baguette. Toast under broiler, both sides. Takes just a few minutes per side. Don’t ignore it, don’t be like me.

Ghetto Hilary Version: If you have the mashed squash, spread some of that on the baguette, top with a dollop of ricotta, then chopped herbs.

Normal Version: If you have adorable cubed, roasted squash, start with a smear of cheese, then squash then herbs.

Why does the order matter? I don’t know. I’m OCD. Do what you like. 🙂

Banana Tartes Tatin

From Epicurious.com

4 bananas
4 tbsp butter, softened
8 tbsp brown sugar
1 sheet puff pastry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice bananas on the diagonal. Smear butter on the bottom of a 8×8 pan (or use 4 ramekins!). Sprinkle with brown sugar. Add banana slices, slightly overlapping. Top with puff pastry. Bake about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly at the edges.

Note: The traditional tartes tatin is made with apples. You caramelize them on the stove with butter and sugar, then top with pastry and finish in the oven. I think the oven-only version works because bananas are already so soft and sweet. But I bet some fruit would also work with this oven-only approach – raspberries, strawberries, mango – so explore! It is SO SO SO easy. If you’re ready for the skillet version, I’ve made one with tomatoes (admittedly in the middle of amazing tomato season) that was so good and different as a dessert – sweet but acidy and completely surprising and elegant.

end of summer dinner

Posted on September 21, 2011 by hilary924

when i’m trying to decide what to cook or bake, i don’t usually start with a recipe, i start with an ingredient.

i mean, those peaches were macerating in bourbon in my head (while lurking despondently in my fridge) for WEEKS before i found the recipe (recipes!) to make it happen for reals.

case in point – if there are lima beans at the farmers market, there will be succotash. you know how i feel about food with fun-sounding names!

however.

i have a three-foot stack of old bon apetits and gourmets (RIP gourmet, RIP) and cooking lights. which i’m slowly going through, ripping out the dog-eared pages to fill what is likely to be a series of three ring binders.

this binder lives on a shelf. next to my growing collection of cookbooks.

and i LOVE my cookbooks, and most were gifts. my godmother sent me off into my first apartment with a set of classics. (barefoot contessa. silver palate. joy of cooking.)

my current cookbook-fairy is also my mother-in-law (ad hoc at home . . . i didn’t post-it every page, but mostly just beacuse i skipped the fish section).

my cookbooks are like my wedding gifts. they aren’t just objects, they’re the presence of the love of my friends and family. in my kitchen, where that kind of love always feels strongest.

and even though i’m far from having as many cookbooks one of my favorite food bloggers, i’m trying to follow her advice: stop buying, and start cooking!

so, let’s get on with business.

two recipes today: on-the-fly succotash, and david tanis’ pork scallopine.

poor lima beans are one of the somms favorites even though i think their reputation is on par with anchovies.

to be honest, i’m still working on the anchovies. (ok, well, i’ve purchased a can of anchovies and i’m just getting used to it’s presence in the kitchen. maybe someday i’ll actually open it and consider cooking with the little fishies.)

but limas, limas are great.

you don’t really need a recipe for this – melt some butter. add your corn and limas. season and saute. add your tomatoes, if you’re using them.

cook till tender! squeeze in a little lemon juice to tart it up. top with goat cheese and basil. delish. and you really don’t need any more of a recipe than that.

succotash is so simple, i paired it with pork from an actual recipe. from an actual cookbook. this one:

this was a christmas gift from my mom that had a good run over the winter (braises! blood orange granita!) and i’ve now made at least three recipes from the summer menus. his recipes range from a whole suckling pig (seriously people?!?) to simple, good food. green beans with red onions. this pork with lemon and capers.

the recipe was supposed to be for scaloppine – which is a fancy italian way of saying thinly sliced meat often lightly dredged in flour, and if you were wondering, wondra flour is the best for that cause it’s super fine so you can actually lightly bread stuff before sauteeing it. this is how the pros get that nice brown crust on meats.

i had pork chops. so i just wondra-ed them up and got to work.

while the pork rests, you saute parsley, lemon zest, capers and garlic in olive oil and those wondra-fied porky leavings until it sizzles.

spoon over the pork. serve with lemon wedges, and a scoop of late summer succotash.

let’s go in for a close up.

The irony of course, is that you don’t really need the recipe for the pork any more than you do for the succotash. but it was a great idea, and for that i’d like to thank both david tanis and my mom.

My Version of David Tanis’ Pork Scaloppine

Adapted from Heart of the Artichoke and here

Wondra flour
4 pork chops
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped parsley
2 tsp. thinly sliced lemon zest
1 Tbsp. capers , rinsed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
Lemon slices

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Sprinkly both sides of your chops with salt, pepper and a light dusting of Wondra. Brown chops on both sides for a few minutes until 135 or 140 degrees in the center. Or until desired level of done-ness.

Remove pork from skillet, add another splash of olive oil. Add parsley, lemon zest, capers and garlic. Saute until it sizzles. Spoon over pork chops and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.

spicy corn saute

Posted on August 21, 2011 by hilary924

there’s a lot of corn in the world right now. it keeps following me home. there are going to be a LOT of corn recipes coming up, folks. bear with me.

today’s corn recipe comes courtesy of the spilled milk podcast. do you know spilled milk? you should. and if you don’t you’re in for a treat. i just discovered it about a month ago which means i have several years of past episodes to catch up on.

this is one of my favorite things – playing catch-up on books or tv shows. i’m impatient, so it works out not having to wait for new content, but also means i’m usually about two years behind the world, culture wise. highlights of the year: working my way through five seasons of friday night lights and discovering the bazillion pages of the first four game of thrones books. the two weeks i had to wait until the next book was released this summer? let’s just say, good thing i was mostly in spain. lots of lovely temperanillo and worrying about the somm avoiding the bulls in pamplona to distract me.

anyway, this is a food blog, and spilled milk is a food podcast. a hilarious food podcast. and about a year ago, they did a great episode on cord off the cob . . . or corn on the spoon as we prefer to call it around here.

you should always start with super fresh corn. this kind of fresh:

tell you what: they weren’t lying. farmer’s market produce, not for the faint of heart.

this corn is spicy. no kidding spicy. it calls for a whole jalepeno to four ears of corn, but man. i used about two thirds of a pepper (and no seeds) and it still killed me.

saute it up. this recipe is based around not just the jalepeno, but the yummy layer of brown gunky stuff that gums up the bottom of the pan when you saute corn. all the sugar and flavor of the corn. gunk. molly & matthew on spilled milk have assured me, it’s a technical term!

admission: i have been known to scrape that gunk up and eat it off the spatula. salty, sweet, like corn msg. this recipe is better, and less likely to disgust your friends and loved ones. deglaze the pan with a little water (or maybe even wine? live large!) and the corn kernals soak all that flavor back up.

i couldn’t tell if manchego approved or not.

he doesn’t particularly enjoy corn and can’t quite understand why if i’m going to cook rather than play laser tag with him i don’t cook something with protein. now, roasted chicken. there’s something he can get behind.

sorry dude. this corn was good. better in a quesadilla, where the cheese helped cut the burning fire in my mouth. hello jalepeno!

For this recipe: Corn off the Cob by Spilled Milk

My changes: less jalepeno, a mix of scallions and red onion cause that was what i had, and sprinkle of pepitas on top.

easy summer pork tenderloin with peaches

Posted on August 1, 2011 by hilary924

reader, brace yourself. this recipe is super easy, but it is going to require you to get up close and personal with a big hunk of raw meat.

if you are like most of my friends, you look at raw meat and start slowly backing away. do not be afraid. it will be worth it.

the challenge is the rub. here it is, in my adorable morter & pestle (one of the lovely wedding gifts i kept – thank you cousins!):

this is about 4 cloves of garlic, and powdered curry, cinnamon, & ginger. and maybe some salt and pepper. all mashed up. with a little olive oil, but i had a super hard time getting the oil to come together with the spices in the mortar. try a bowl and a fork.

now, apply to your pork! you have to work it in there. use some elbow grease. get to know your tenderloin. think about how tasty it's going to be.

you're going to want to sear this bad boy in a pan that you can then just pop into your oven to finish it off until the center of the thickest part of the meat is 145 degrees.

do you have a meat thermometer? you should get one. mine is digital and fancy-pants and ridiculously expenseive (and purple!) but super worth it. you don't have to spend that much. but a thermometer is really the only way to know your meat is cooked properly. don't blame me, blame harold mcgee.

see how nice and browned it got from the searing? yum.

you want to let your pork rest while you make the peach compote. if you slice into the meat too soon, it'll look raw in the middle, cooked on the outside, and dry, dry, dry because all the juices'll just be a puddle on your plate. not yummy. resting lets all the juices redistribute throughout the meat. evens out the cookedness (yes i know that's not a word) of the meat.

and you have other things to deal with: tomatoes, corn and peaches!

well, first you want to soften some onions in your pan – leave all the good porky bits in the bottom to help flavor them up. but careful not to grab the handle while you're sauteing. it's hot, people – it was in the oven. and if you grab it, it'll leave you trying to finish dinner while holding an ice pack and that's just no fun. not that i would know from experience or anything.

next, add the good stuff shown above and a healthy amount of fresh herbs – i went with thyme. i heart thyme.

this isn't a 30 minute meal. but it's pretty close. and it's pretty good.

Easy Summer Pork Tenderloin with Peach, Corn & Tomato Compote

Adapted from Epicurious

4 garlic cloves
2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 (3/4-pound) pork tenderloin
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 pound tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 peach, chopped
1 ear corn kernels
2 teaspoons chopped thyme

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Mash garlic, spices, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a paste using mortar and pestle. Rub all over pork.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 145 to 150°F for juicy meat, 10 to 12 minutes. Let pork rest, uncovered, on a cutting board while making compote.

Add onion to skillet (handle will be very hot) and sautéover medium-high heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, peach and corn and sauté until just softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme.

Slice pork and serve with compote.

Manchego's Kitchen

it's his kitchen. i just cook here.

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