A Good Appetite: pork

Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Mayan Pork

I have been meaning to tell you guys about our Easter dinner for awhile now. We had pork, but not your typical Easter ham. Instead we went south of the border for a Mayan-inspired pork.

I was recently introduced to pork cooked with annatto at our favorite breakfast place, Blackbird. Matt had it as part of a breakfast taco and let me have a little bite. It was so good, I said we needed to try making it at home.

Annatto is the seed of the achiote tree that is commonly used in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. It is also used for it red color to dye cheeses and make food coloring. This stuff is red, so watch out when you are using it. You can find it at Hispanic groceries and a spice stores like Penzeys. The annatto seed has a slightly nutty, floral, peppery flavor, it is really perfect paired with the acidity of citrus. It really gives pork a fresh, bright flavor.

We served it over hot rice the first night and then had the leftovers as tacos with just some red onion. It really doesn't need much else.

Mayan Pork
We made this in a pressure cooker, but you could also do it in a crock pot or slow cook it in the oven or on the stove top. Your cooking time will increase to a couple of hours instead of 45 minutes.

4 cloves garlic
1 T annatto seeds, ground (you can also use ground annatto)
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t Mexican oregano
1/2 t allspice
1 1/2 lbs pork loin, cut into chunks
juice of one grapefruit juice
1 t olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped onion
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes

With a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves. Add the annatto, cumin, oregano and allspice and grind into a paste. Rub all over the pork pieces. Put in a sealable bag with the grapefruit juice. Let marinade for 4 - 5 hours.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the onions, tomato, pork and 1 cup of the marinade. Cook in a pressure cooker on medium for 45 minutes. Pork should be very tender.

6 servings
Approximately 174 calories per serving

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2013 Kathy Lewinski

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pork with Tart Balsamic Cherries

With only two people in the house, Matt and I have to think when we are shopping and planning meals how we are going to use ingredients that come in larger sizes without a lot of waste. Can something be used in more than one meal that week, like a whole chicken? Should we make a larger dish and have leftovers for lunches? Can we cut it up and freeze the rest to use later?

We did the later with a pork tenderloin that we picked up last week. Matt weighed it and cut it into three pieces, each piece enough for two servings. So, that way we were only cooking exactly what we needed. This is great if you are watching your calories, because there are no leftovers to tempt you into a second helping.

This dish really felt like a special night dinner, even though Matt prepared it quickly in one pan. The tartness of the cherries, along with the depth of the balsamic, adds so much flavor to the pork. You definitely want to use tart, not sweet cherries, in this dish.

Pork with Tart Balsamic Cherries

1/2 T olive oil
8 oz pork tenderloin, cut into 4 medallions
1/2 c sliced yellow onion
1/2 c dried tart cherries
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the pork cook on one side for about 4 minutes. Flip the pork over and add the remaining ingredients. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about another 10 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the onions and cherries have soften. Uncover and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened to a consistency you like.

2 servings
322 calories per serving.

Monday, July 2, 2012

"Old Fashioned" Pork Chops

We're only around for dinner for a couple days this week, so no need for a weekly menu or farmers market trip. Instead I'll start your week off with Matt's latest grilled concoction, "Old Fashioned" Pork Chops.

These are not old fashion pork chops, these are pork chops marinated in the ingredients for Matt's favorite cocktail, an Old Fashioned. Sometimes I feel like you can't really taste the flavors of a marinade in the finished meat, but that is not the case with this one. It's not they they are over-powering, instead you can taste the different components and how well they compliment the pork. I don't particularly like to drink bourbon, but apparently I really love it on pork. Plus, no dry pork here, these chops came out juicy even thought a little more well cooked than we planned.

"Old Fashioned" Pork Chops

1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c bourbon
couple dashes of bitters

2 boneless, double-cut pork chops

salt and pepper

Mix the juice, bourbon and bitters together. Pour in a ziplock bag and add chops. Seal getting as much air out as possible. Marinate in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours.

Remove the chops from the marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness.

Makes 2 servings.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Clash of the Carolinas Barbecue

Over Memorial Day weekend, my cousin and I had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday, so Matt offered to cook dinner for both families on Saturday night. He put out quite a feast smoked pork sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans, cucumber salad and deviled eggs. The star, of course, was the smoked pork. Matt just loves getting a pork butt and experimenting with seasonings and sauces.

This time his took his inspiration from the Carolinas. South Carolina likes a mustardy barbecue while North Carolina is known for the vinegar based. He decided to mixed the mustard and vinegar flavors together in both the mop and the sauce. Oh, the sauce!

This as such an barbecue amazing sauce, a little spicy, a little sweet and a little tart. We served it on the side at dinner so everyone could add it as wanted. With the leftovers though we mixed the sauce and meat together before refrigerating. I have to say it was better the next day this way. I'd use this sauce again even if we didn't do the same rub and mop.

As with many of our recent barbecue recipes, we did this on our smoker, but you can do it on a grill as well. Just keep the heat low and the meat over it indirectly. I also suggested getting a cheap smoker box especially if you are using a gas grill for more of a smoky flavor.

Clash of the Carolinas Barbecue

Rub and Mop

1/2 c yellow mustard
2 T new mexico chile powder
1 T sweet paprika
5 lb pork butt or shoulder
1/2 c malt vinegar

Mix the mustard, chile powder and paprika together. Rub half on meat after poking it with a knife all over. Cook the meat in a smoker at about 225 - 250 F for about 8 hours until very tender.

Add the malt vinegar to remaining mixture. Use to mop meat every hour or two.

Barbecue Sauce

1 small onion, chopped
2 T unsalted butter
1 T dark brown sugar
1 T new mexico chile powder
3 oz tomato paste
1/2 c yellow mustard
1 c apple cider vinegar

Melt butter and saute onions until translucent. Add sugar, chile powder, tomato paste, mustard and vinegar. Simmer for about 10 minutes. You want it to be relatively thin for a barbecue sauce. Add more vinegar or water to thin if needed.

Chop or pull the cooked pork. Serve with the sauce mixed right in or on the side.

Makes about 10 - 12 servings

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Smokey Pork Tacos

Matt wanted just one thing for his birthday this year, to upgrade from our El Cheapo smoker to something a little bigger and hopefully a little better. Don't get me wrong the El Cheapo served us well for two years, but it took a lot of attention to keep a good even heat. So, I present our latest toy, the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker.

One of the main reasons Matt wanted this smoker is because you can get a temperature sensor fan unit for it. Now, he isn't planning on buying the unit that is for sale but making his own. Once it is done this smoker will keep should keep a good even smoking temp. Though we don't have the piece yet, he couldn't resist breaking in his new toy with these Smokey Pork Taco.

The new smoker worked so well, it was able to hold a nice low temperature and used much less fuel than our old one. As for the tacos, they were smokey with a tang of lime and just a hint of peppers. The creamy avocado was the perfect paring for them. This is the kind of meal that really makes me feel like summer grilling and smoking season is here.

Smokey Pork Tacos

For the Pork:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 t ancho chile powder
1/2 t chipotle powder
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t sweet paprika
1/4 t cumin
1/4 c lime juice
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T tomato paste
2 T olive oil
1 lb pork tenderloin

For the Taco:

Use any or all of the below

tortillas
ripe avocado
sour cream or plain yogurt
chopped onion
grated cheddar
salsa

Mix the garlic, ancho, chipotle, smoked and sweet paprika, cumin, lime juice and worchestershire sauce together. Microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir. Add in the tomato paste and olive oil.

Butterfly the tenderloin and lay it flat. Remove any silver skin. Use a sharp blade to cut shallow slices down the length of the tenderloin.

Put the tenderloin in a small ziplock bag. Add the marinade. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag. Seal. Massage the meat to work the marinade in. Let sit in the fridge for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Remove the meat from the marinade, throwing remaining marinade away. Smoke the pork for 75 - 90 minutes at about 225 F. You want to cook it to 145 F - 150 F. (If you don't have a smoker go ahead and throw this on your grill and cook it over indirect heat. You can get small smoker boxes to go on the grill for about $10 if you want to add a smokey flavor.)

Slice the pork into strips. Serve on warmed tortillas with your choice of toppings.

Makes 5 - 6 tacos

Friday, March 9, 2012

The Meatloaf Sandwich

Last night Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf met its real purpose, the meatloaf sandwich.

A nice hearty wheat bread, a good warm slab of leftover meatloaf, some soft cream cheese and sweet green tomato jam. A comforting little plate if there ever was one. Seriously, the cream cheese and jam are just perfect combinations with the meat adding layers of texture and sweetness. If you don't have green tomato jam try it with apple butter.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf

Since Matt is doing most of the cooking right now, he is also coming up with most of the weekly menu. This week he said he wanted to make meatloaf (I think it's mainly because he wanted meatloaf sandwiches later in the week).

He said his goal with this meatloaf was to not only make it tasty, but also fill it with a bunch of vegetables. So he added carrots, kale, sun-dried tomatoes and onion to the meat mixture. Add some chipotle and cayenne and what we ended up was one heck of a flavorful, moist meatloaf. Maybe the best one I've ever had. It was hard not to go back for a second slice, but I then there wouldn't be any left for sandwiches, would there?

If you have a hard time getting folks in your family to eat dark greens like kale, try this meatloaf, it's a great way to sneak it in.

Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf
Make sure to use a mix of ground meats in this, it really adds to the flavor.

1 T dried parsley
1/2 t chipotle
1 T ground black pepper
2 t kosher salt
dash cayenne
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
10 sun-dried tomatoes, we used the dry ones, but the ones packed in oil would work too
4 oz kale, hard stems trimmed off and the rest blanched
1 yellow onion, peeled
1 c bread crumbs
3 large eggs
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
ketchup

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl mix the seasonings together. Put the garlic, carrots, tomatoes, kale and onion in a food processor. Process until finely minced. Add the vegetables to the spice mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and eggs. Add the meat and use your hands to gently mix everything together.

We only wanted to cook half of the mixture and it was too small for our loaf pan, so we shaped it free form on a parchment covered baking sheet (We froze the other half of the mixture in a loaf shape to cook up another time.) You can use a loaf pan if you wish.

Bake for about 60 minutes or until thermometer inserted into the center registers 155 F. After 20 minutes brush the loaf with a thin layer of ketchup. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

The full recipes makes about 8 servings.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Drunken Pig Chocolates (and other Valentine's treats)

Recently, I picked up some heart-shaped silicone ice cube trays from IKEA and Target which inspired me to try my hand at making filled chocolates.

I did a bit of research online and it didn't look like too tricky a process. Basically, just use a brush to coat the molds with chocolate, let set, fill and top with more chocolate. I learned a few tricks along way, like freezing your molds makes it easer to coat them with chocolate. For a complete step by step on assembling the chocolates visit my craft blog, Just Crafty Enough.

The main reason I wanted to try making my own filled chocolates was so I could fill them with whatever I wanted. I was thinking bacon and Matt suggested bacon jam. Then I though bacon jam made with bourbon and drunken pig chocolates were born.

The salty, meaty jam with just a touch of heat works perfectly inside the sweet chocolate.

Drunken Pig Jam

3 strips bacon, chopped
1/4 c thinly sliced onion
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t cayenne (yes, the picture shows ancho chili powder, but we changed our mind)
1 T packed brown sugar
1/4 c bourbon

In a small skillet cook the bacon over medium-high until it renders its fat and it just cooked but not crisp. Remove to paper towel cover plate to drain. Leave about 1/2 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan. Add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent but not brown. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cinnamon and cayenne. Add the brown sugar and bourbon. Let cook on low until everything is sticky and brown. You want your onions to look caramelized.

Put into a small food processor and purse until you get a chunky paste. Let cool before using to fill chocolates.

Makes about 1/3 cup.

For the rest of my fillings I started with a basic chocolate ganache recipe from Joy of Cooking. I brought 3/4 cup heavy cream to a boil. Removed it from the heat and then stirred in 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate. My pan must have been too hot because my ganache broke and became an oily mess, luckily that is an easy fix. I whisked in a little more cold cream, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the ganache came back together and became the smooth, shiny filling I wanted.

Let the ganache cool to room temp before using it as a filling. You can put it in the fridge to help speed that process.

Once you have the finished ganache, you can flavor it with anything you have on hand. I made three different flavors, cayenne, salt and cherry bitters. Just mix the flavoring with the ganache and taste until you get the flavor you like. I have to say I was really surprised at how good the cherry bitters were, it tasted like a chocolate covered cherry. Other thoughts I had for flavorings were lavender and St. Germain.

The ganache filling worked really well in the chocolate because it set up stiff enough to help make the chocolates easy to press from the molds.

I also tried using caramel made from our Apple Cider Syrup as a filling, but it wasn't very successful. I had to heat it a bit to make it soft enough to get in the molds. Problem is then in was warm enough to melt the chocolate. When I tried to press it out of the mold it just fell apart. Maybe it I let it set up longer it would have worked out.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Matt's Hawaiian Stir-Fry

Last week, I suggested to Matt that we have some of the sausages we have in the freezer for dinner. He started listing the kinds we had and remembered there was a Hawaiian sausage flavored with pineapple and cherries. He thought it would be good in a stir-fry.

I have to be honest with you this did not turn out exactly as we had planned. The sausages were uncooked, so Matt put them to simmer in a pot with a little water. Well, the skins burst open and they completely fell apart. What we were left with was more of a ground Hawaiian sausage. Luckily, this would work just as well in the stir-fry as slices of sausage.

The sausage itself was really interesting. We picked it up at RJ's Meats last summer. They used a mixture of ham and pork along with the pineapple, cherries and spices. The flavor of the ham really stood out in this sausage, to tell you the true it reminded me a lot of Spam. And really can you get more Hawaiian than Spam?! Mixed with some red pepper, coconut and fresh pineapple, it gave us a little flavor of the tropics during a Minnesota winter.

Matt's Hawaiian Stir-Fry

1 T canola oil
1/2 a red pepper, chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1 1/2 c pineapple cubes
3/4 c cooked white rice (we used jasmine)
6 oz Hawaiian sausage, sliced or crumbled (or use Spam)
2 eggs, whisked
handful of unsweetened coconut flakes

Sauce

2 T soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T hoisin sauce
1 T honey

Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion and pepper. Cook 1 minutes. Add the pineapple. Cook 2 minutes until the pepper is softened and the pineapple starts to brown. Add the rice and sausage. Stir to combine. Pour in the egg and stir until cooked. Add the sauce and coconut. Cook until everything is combined and hot.

2 servings

By the way the left over red pepper, sausage and pineapple made for a great pizza later in the week.

We just added some red sauce and mozzarella.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Cornbread Pudding

This past New Year's Eve we got together with family for a late dinner of barbecued ribs with corn bread and slaw. There was a lot of cornbread leftover, so I decided to turn some of it into a bread pudding type side dish for another night.

A little milk, egg, bacon and cheese later and we had the best leftover cornbread. It's sweet with a hint of smokey saltiness from the bacon. The custard keeps it wonderfully moist. The only things I might add to it next time are some frozen corn kernels and maybe some scallions.

We had two different kinds of cornbread to start, one was plain and the other had green chiles and spices in it. Both were great in the puddings.

Cornbread Pudding
This recipe makes about 3 cups of pudding. You can easily adjust it to make more.

2 sliced bacon, chopped
3 c pieces of torn cornbread, packed
2/3 milk (or half and half for extra richness)
1 egg
2-3 T grated smoked gouda or cheddar (we used a smoked gouda because we had it on hand, but it was the least smoky gouda I've ever tasted)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain and set aside.

Divide the cornbread between two 1 1/2 cup ramekins.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Stir in the cheese and bacon. Season with a little salt and pepper. Check to see how salty your cheese is before adding too much salt.

Pour the liquid mixture over the cornbread. Mix lightly to incorporate. Press down a bit with the back of a spoon. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes for the bread to absorb all the liquid.

Bake for about 30 minutes until puffy and golden.

Makes 2 servings.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Bourbon Pork with Apple Cider Syrup

This past weekend Matt and I had a sort of pre-Christmas celebration. We opened the gifts we didn't want to take with us while traveling, had a big leisurely breakfast and a lovely roast for dinner. Matt was in charge of the roast pork tenderloin. He had an idea for it that had been mulling around in his head for awhile.

The idea grew from an article he read about someone who was making and selling apple cider syrup. It sounded so good to him that he bought a gallon of cider to try it himself.

Making the syrup is pretty easy. Basically, put the cider in a pot, one with a large circumference to spread out the heat is best. Let simmer until it reduces and thickens to your desired consistency. It took almost all day to reduce it to a syrup. It'll look cloudy at some points along the way, but ends up beautifully shiny. Watch it carefully towards the end as it can become apple cider caramel pretty quickly. (Ours is actually slightly thicker than we wanted, but heated pours well). It has a wonderful flavor, sweet with a touch of tart. It'll remind you of a caramel apple. We got a little over 1 cup from just under a gallon of cider. This is actually a steal since it was selling for $30 for 3 oz.

The syrup can be used on pancakes or waffles, it would be amazing on vanilla ice cream, but Matt wanted it for a sauce for pork.

The pork is marinaded in bourbon and then roasted with apples and onions. It is a dish that is full of warm comforting winter flavors. And bonus, the apples and onions roasted with it become an easy side dish.

Bourbon Pork with Apple Cider Syrup
The pork needs to marinade for 4 - 6 hours before roasting, so plan ahead.

1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 T honey
1 t kosher salt
1/8 t cayenne pepper
2 T olive oil
2 T bourbon
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 apples, cored and quartered (pick an apple that won't get too mushy when cooked)
Apple Cider Syrup

Mix the vinegar and honey together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until the honey is softened enough to stir in. Mix in the salt until dissolved. Add the cayenne, olive oil and bourbon. Put in a plastic zipper bag just big enough to hold your tenderloin. Add the pork. Seal the bag removing as much air as possible. Marinade in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put the onion and apples on the bottom of a small roasting pan. Remove the pork from the marinade and place on top. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the pork is 165 F in the middle. Let rest a few minutes before carving.

Top with heated Apple Cider Syrup.

4 servings.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Biscuits with Sausage and Coffee Gravy

Sun Street Bread had buttermilk biscuits at the farmers market on Sunday, so we decided to pick some up and make biscuits and gravy for dinner. Yes, yes, I can make my own biscuits, but with such fantastic ones easily on hand there is no need to.

Ok, there is really no pretty way to photograph this dish, believe me I tried, but what it lacks in looks it totally makes up for in taste.

Sausage gravy is really pretty basic, sausage, milk, flour and lots of pepper. Matt thought we should add one more ingredient to give it an extra kick, instant espresso. Coffee is the secret ingredient in my grandmother's recipe for Swedish meatball gravy, so it made perfect sense to me. What you end up with is a dark rich gravy with a hint of coffee flavor. I loved it. Matt thought there was a little bitterness from the espresso, but I didn't notice it at all.

Biscuits with Sausage and Coffee Gravy
Do not skimp on the pepper in this gravy!

1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
olive oil, if needed
2 T all-purpose flour
1 c milk
1/2 t instant espresso or coffee
30 grinds fresh pepper
salt
3 biscuits

In a large skillet, sauté the sausage over medium heat until cooked through. If your sausage is lean and doesn't release much fat add about 1/2 T olive oil. Sprinkle with the flour. Stir while cooking for 1 minute.

Mix the espresso into the milk. Stir slowly into the sausage. Cook while stirring until thick and creamy. If it is too thick stir in a little more milk. Stir in the pepper. Taste and add salt as needed.

Cut biscuits in half and top with sausage and gravy.

Makes 3 servings.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Squash Pizza

Where did this week go? Oh, I know, it's been filled with home remodeling woes from upside-down light to tiles of different dye lots. Ah well, at least we had a really good pizza this week.

This is just one of those perfect fall pairings, squash, bacon and goat cheese. It doesn't look like enough toppings, but its full of sweet, salty, spicy and tangy flavors. Have leftover squash from dinner? That would be a great way to make this too.

Squash Pizza

Crust for one pizza
1 small squash, we used an Acorn, you can chose your favorite
1 yellow onion, sliced
olive oil
kosher salt
2 slices bacon, chopped
chevre goat cheese (if you like a really cheese pizza or don't like goat cheese you can use grated provolone like Matt did)
crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Peel and cube the squash. Put the squash and onion into a small roasting pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat everything. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes until the squash is soft.

In a small skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Roll out the pizza dough to your desired thickness.

Crush the squash up a bit. Top the dough with the squash, onions and bacon. Crumble the cheese over the top. Sprinkle as much red pepper as you like.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted about 15 minutes.

Serves 2 - 3

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese

A couple weekends ago, Matt and I stopped by the Modern Cafe for dinner. While there we tried their amazing brussels sprouts special, brussels sprouts and pork belly with a cheese fonduta. I had the flavors of that dish in mind when I made this mac and cheese.

This was such a great combination. The brussels sprouts get roasted before being added to the cheese sauce to soften them and give them a slow roasted nutty flavor. I used the bacon fat to make the cheese sauce which really bumps up the flavor. This version of mac and cheese has found its way into our winter comfort food rotation. Bonus, I think this would be a great way to get someone who isn't the biggest brussels sprouts fan to give them a try, I mean what isn't good covered with cheese and eaten with bacon?!

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese
I often make mac and cheese early in the day, put it in the casserole dish, cover it then leave it in the fridge until I'm ready to bake it for dinner.

1 c or so brussels sprout, halved or quartered depending on the size (I used a little less than a cup and wished there was more)
olive oil
3/4 lb elbow macaroni
1 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 c chopped onion
2 T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c half and half (or 3/4 c each milk and cream)
9 oz sharp cheddar, chopped (I like the look of a white cheddar)
pinch dry mustard
dash worcestershire sauce
few grounds fresh pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put the brussels sprouts in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat them. Roast in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until softened and browned. (The time will depend on how small you cut your sprouts. Keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.). Set aside.

Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-heat until it has released its fat and is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain, leaving the fat in the pan. Check to see how much fat is in the pan, you want about 1 tablespoon. If you have less than that add a little butter to make up the difference. Add the onion and sauté until translucent.

Sprinkle the flour over the onion. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the half and half. Stir until the sauce is bubbly and thickened. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the mustard, worcestershire and pepper. Add the bacon to the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed (the amount will depend on how salty your cheese and bacon are). Stir the brussels sprouts and macaroni into the sauce.

Pour the whole mixture into a large casserole dish and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. It should be golden brown on top with lots of nice crispy bits.

Makes 5 - 6 servings.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup

What could be better on a chilly, rainy fall day than a bowl of hearty soup?

Not much in our books. We really couldn't be more happy to have soup season on us again and this soup was a great way to kick it off.

This soup is super simple to make and, despite that fact it doesn't have a huge list of ingredients, it's full of flavor. The trick is to use good beans and sausage, both of which give a lot of flavor to the broth. We used Ranch Gordo Yellow Indian Woman Beans, which is a small bean that retains it shape while cooking yet still gets creamy on the inside. They have a rich, earthy flavor. You want to make sure the sausage is well spiced, some brands can be a little bland (which is why we started making our own). If yours is, add a little extra fennel and garlic with the red pepper flakes to the broth. A good dose of seasonal kale ups the healthy quotient.

Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup
(I use dried beans, but you can used can beans if you wish and cut the first simmering time to 30 minutes.)

1 c dried yellow Indian woman beans (or white beans)
1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz bulk Italian sausage
1/4 t crush red pepper flakes (skip if you use a spicy Italian sausage)
1 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
5 c chicken stock
kosher salt
4 oz fresh kale, roughly chopped

Rinse the beans. Put them in a pot or crock pot with about 3 cups water. Simmer for about 2 hours until almost tender. Drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Add the sausage and cook through. Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Add the bay leaf and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the cover. Taste the broth and add salt as needed. Add the kale and simmer uncovered until tender, about 30 more minutes.

Makes 5 - 6 servings.

What soup is fall making you crave?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Apples of my Eye

We are starting to see the first of the fall apples in the farmers markets here in MN. Apparently, local growers are expecting a bumper season with 50% more apples than usual! That is a lot of apples.

With that in mind we thought we'd share some of our favorite apple recipes from the last couple of years to get you ready to use these fall favorites to their fullest.

Stuffed maple burger with spicy apple bacon compote

Stuffed Maple Burger with Apple Bacon Compote

Baked Apples

Apple Waffles

Maple-glazed sweet potatoes & apples with bacon

Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Bacon

Applesauce Three Ways

Apple Galette

Matt's Caramel Apple Crisp

Easy as Pie Apple Turnovers

Cheddar Apple Bacon Tar t

Apple Bread Pudding

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BL(GF)T

We're cooking easy, comfort meals that don't take a lot of time in the kitchen this week. Last night's dinner was a perfect example, plus it featured one of my favorite treats as a kid, green fried tomatoes.

Yes, that is a BLT, only the T is green, breaded and fried. Who knows if our tomatoes will ever ripen this year, so I might as well eat them while they are green. They get so wonderfully sweet when fried. That sweetness is the perfect foil to some good salty bacon.

The tomatoes get sliced very thin then patted dry with a paper towel. Some people dip their tomatoes in egg before dredging in a flour mixture, but I find that makes for too heavy a coating. Instead I dipped mine in some buttermilk (well, I didn't have buttermilk on hand so actually I used half and half with a little lemon in it). I went very simple on the breading for the tomatoes as I wasn't eating them alone, just a mixture of 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon cornmeal and some salt and pepper. Then, to make it even better I fried them in the bacon grease, oh yeah, the bacon grease. This is not a sandwich for the faint of heart.