Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken

 Use a fairly good sized chicken - like around 3 pounds or over

The easy way: sprinkle the chicken all over with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Roast in a pan or baking sheet with sides at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour and 30 minutes.

The just a little bit harder way: Mix together 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon oregano,1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. and 1 garlic clove put through press. Rub all over the chicken. Place in a pan or baking sheet with sides and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Porto Pork Chops

Almost right after she graduated from Indiana University, Allison took off for Spain to teach English and explore the world. She got a week off at Easter time, and we joined her in Madrid. We rented a car and drove into Portugal. Back in the 1400s, it was a world power and its only rival was Spain. In fact, the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas divided the world in half between the two countries. Nothing last forever - right? However, while Ronald Reagan was president, Argentina claimed that the treaty gave them the right to the British owned Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Of course England didn't agree and forcefully let it be known the treaty was obsolete!

We stayed in the city of beautiful Porto for a couple days and were charmed by the tiles, the architecture, all the colors but especially by the food. On Easter Sunday we ate at a fabulous restaurant right on the water where Roy ordered a Francesinha, a sort of sandwich made of several pork meats which were swimming in the most delicious sauce any of us had ever tasted. It was definitely something cooked low and slow and had a dash of what Porto is famous for - port wine.

When we got home, I was dreaming of those flavors but didn't have the time or patience to watch over something for hours. I don't drink alcohol, but I like to cook with it for the complexity it gives to a dish and I figured a bit of port might give me the essence of what I was looking for in a hurry. The inspiration for this dish posted here came from a recipe in the 2009 cookbook, The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore. I tweaked it a bit and the result turned out to be a favorite of Roy's. Of course, it is still totally delicious without the port and over the years I have often left it out.

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick

2 medium sweet potatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, put through a press

2 teaspoons dried sage

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup tawny port (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel each sweet potato and pierce with a fork. Microwave on high for six minutes. When cool enough, cut into cubes. Set aside.

Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, sage, thyme, salt, lemon juice and pepper to make a paste. Reserve 1 teaspoon of mixture. Rub the rest into both sides on each pork chop. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a oven proof pan such as an iron skillet or Dutch oven and place over medium high heat until very hot. Brown each pork chop about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the sweet potato cubes, diced red onion, 1/4 cup parsley and the reserved 1 teaspoon of spice mixture to the same hot skillet that the pork chops were browned in. Gently stir to combine and loosen the crispy bits. Sear the sweet potatoes, turning over once after 2 minutes. Continue to cook for 2 additional minutes.

Return the pork chops to the pan, nestling them among the sweet potato cubes. Pour the port over the pork chops and sweet potatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Place skillet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.

Pulled Pork on Braised Red Cabbage

Cooking at home is a healthy habit; there is total control over what ingredients are in the dish! But I've realized that for some, it really stresses them out! They come home from work tired, hungry and don't want to mess with an hour of kitchen toil. I know - I've been there!  The secret is recipes that are quick, easy, and are made with some protein that's already been cooked.  When the girls were growing up, I'd roast a chicken or a cut of beef on Sunday, then I could use the left overs in other things during the week. Today, my Instant Pot makes it even easier. This post involves placing some pulled pork on top of braised red cabbage. If time and patience are short, ditch the carrots and/or the apples in the recipe - it will still taste great - but if five more minutes could be spared, it's worth it! 

Spice Mix Rub for Pulled Pork

2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together.

Directions for Cooking Pulled Pork

3 - 4 pound pork shoulder/Boston butt
Spice mix rub for pulled pork above
2 cups beef broth
1 cup apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit, or get out crock pot or pressure cooker such as Instant Pot.
First pour the beef broth and apple cider vinegar vinegar into a roasting pan, crock pot, or pressure cooker.

Then rub the spice mix into the meat.

Put the meat into the cooking vehicle.

Cook until pork can be pulled about and shredded with two forks. For oven, roast for 4 to 5 hours. For crock pot, cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. For pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

Braised Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium red cabbage, cored and shredded
1 Granny Smith Apple, cored and sliced
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup red vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch ground cloves

Place the 2 tablespoons olive oil, onions, and carrot in a pan and saute over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds more. Then add the cabbage, apple cubes, orange juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and ground cloves. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes over medium low heat until the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Place some braised cabbage on each serving plate or on one large platter. Place pulled pork on cabbage. Place a handful of greens on top and finish off with a sprinkle of red wine vinegar, drizzle of olive oil, and a shake of sea salt.

Asian Burritos

Last weekend I found myself in a little predicament. We had come back home after being in Florida just in time to host an extended family get together. Because of the circumstances, I fell back on my usual easy go-to meal for a crowd: coleslaw and barbecue baked beans. But since it was way too cold to grill, I took the easy way out and oven roasted pork loin with a neutral rub. I served it sliced thin with BBQ sauce and little slider buns. That turned out great; my problem was that the next day, I still had a houseful of people to feed and nothing in the refrigerator but left overs! I had a package of flour tortillas, extra cooked pork, the remains of a vegetable tray, an unopened bag of coleslaw mix, and some Asian condiments. The perfect thing to do was make Asian burritos. It turned out to be a big hit - maybe even more fun than the dinner the night before. Everyone could make their own just the way they wanted and we all had a good laugh at my ineptness at rolling a burrito!

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Six Burritos:

1 pound cooked pork tenderloin cut into 18 slices (suggestions for cooking below)
6 large flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into matchstick sized pieces
1 1/2 cups cucumber, cut into matchstick sized pieces
1 1/2 cups red onion, cut into thin slices
3 cups white vinegar
1 (14 oz.) package of coleslaw mix
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce, divided (I used Huy Fong brand)
1 cup mayonnaise
Bunch of fresh cilantro 

Suggestions for Cooking the Pork Tenderloin

As I mentioned above, I just used a very neutral, but still delicious rub and baked it in the oven at 425 degrees. For a one pound tenderloin, a cooking time of 20 minutes will yield an internal temperature of 145. For those who like their pork on the well done side, 30 minutes of cooking time will bring it up to 155 degrees and 40 minutes brings it a bit past 160.

It could also be grilled over medium heat for the same amount of times.

Neutral Rub:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic gloves, minced or put through a press
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt

But - If planning ahead is an option, here is a recipe for an incredibly delicious marinade. It is the family recipe from my Vietnamese friend Kim. Whisk all the ingredients together and let the pork marinate for several hours. Kim says grilling is best, but baking works fine.

Thit Nuong:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon Maggi soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To Assemble the Asian Burritos:

Place the carrots, cucumbers, and onions is separate containers. Pour 1 cup of vinegar over each one and set aside for five to 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil  and 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce.

In a second small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce. 

Heat the tortillas up by wrapping them in a couple paper towels and cook on full power in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Place the tortillas on serving plates.

Spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the coleslaw mix on each tortilla.

Sprinkle a tablespoon of the oil and vinegar mixture over each coleslaw covered tortilla.

Top each tortilla with three slices of tenderloin.

Drain the pickled vegetables and evenly divide them over each tortilla.

Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of cilantro leaves over the top.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture over each tortilla.

Roll each one up by folding it in half, then pulling the top side halfway back. Next fold the perpendicular sides in and finally roll to close it up.