Bacon S'mores

Yeah, you read that right.  Bacon.  S'mores.  Warm gooey marshmallows, creamy chocolate, and salty, crispy bacon.... they are magical.  I am a little worried that I will never make anything this delicious ever again.

Bacon S'mores
Graham crackers
bacon (regular thickness) cooked until crispy
milk chocolate
jumbo marshmallows
camp fire (this is key)

Toast marshmallows over fire until golden brown, I like mine just a teeny bit charred.  I use two per s'more.
Assemble s'more with 1 slice of bacon.

7 Ingredient BBQ Sauce

A seven ingredient BBQ sauce?  Yup, not kidding.  I think if you have a really flavorful meat, you don't need an overly complicated sauce.  We wanted something tangy to cut through the richness of the smoked pork with the all purpose smoking rub, but for some reason I didn't want to go for a straight up mustard, vinegar sauce, so this came about.  The seven ingredients are cheap things that I always have in the house, I can whip this up in no time for chicken or pork.

w/ Super Thick Cut Homemade Dill Pickles

7 Ingredient BBQ Sauce
1 C tomato sauce (=1 small can)
1/2 C cider vinegar
1/4 C yellow mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lrg chipotle, finely minced (optional)
1 lrg clove garlic, finely minced (~1 1/2 tsp)

   Combine all ingredients.  Bring to a bubble over medium heat, cook until thick, about 20 minutes.
   Makes a little less than 1 1/2 C of sauce.
BBQ Sandwiches:
   When sauce comes to a bubble, add whatever meat you are using.  Heat meat in sauce until sauce is thick. Depending on your sauciness preferences, this is enough for up to 5 C of finely chopped or shredded meat.
   Serves 4-6

Currant and Almond Stuffed Pork Loin w/ Sweet Vermouth Pan Sauce

Last Saturday, I catered my first plated meal!  It was intense and exciting... and went pretty damn well despite a few minor hiccups.

Menu

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Currant and Almond Stuffed Pork Loin w/ Sweet Vermouth Gravy

Bacon Creamed Spinach

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes

Triple Chocolate Torte w/ Raspberry Whipped Cream

If you don't think that sounds delicious, you're an idiot.  I got teenagers (11-17) to lick their plates clean and rave about the food... and you know they are notoriously picky.  Oh, and I wrote the recipe for currants, but when shopping there weren't any.  I used cherry infused cranberries instead.  That was also delicious.  The menu says gravy because cooking for a crowd, the gravy was easier than a pan sauce.... same flavor profile still.

Currant and Almond Stuffed Pork Loin

3.5-4 lb pork loin, butterflied

1 C stale bread, cut into small cubes

1/2 C dried currants

1/2 C chopped raw (or lightly roasted) almonds

1/2 C watered down beef broth*

1/4 C sweet vermouth

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

1/2 an egg, lightly beaten

extra oil, salt, and pepper, and broth

   Combine bread, currants, almonds, broth, vermouth, oil, thyme, salt and pepper, and egg.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Spread on the inside of the butterflied loin.  Roll up and truss (tie) with butchers twine.  Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the pork.

   Heat some oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat.  Sear all sides of pork.  Place in a roasting pan with ~1/2 C watered down broth.  Cover with foil.

   Place in a 375 deg F oven for 45-50 minutes.  Remove foil.  Cook another 25-30 minutes; until internal temperature reads 145 deg F.

   Tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.  Slice and serve.

   Serve 6-8.

Sweet Vermouth Pan Sauce

Pan drippings from searing pork

1/2 C watered down beef broth

1/4 C sweet vermouth

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

   While pan is still hot from searing pork (pork should be removed but heat not turned off), deglaze with vermouth.  Scrape all the bits off the bottom.  Turn heat down to med.

   Add broth.  Reduce by a little more than 1/3.  Melt in butter.  When thick and shiny it is ready.

   Spoon over carved pork.

*Even reduced sodium beef broth become too salty in this dish because of the reduction in the pan sauce and inherent salinity of other ingredients.  Water broth down with a 1:1 ratio of beef broth to water.

Chipotle Shredded Pork

If you know me, you know that I adore braised pork.  Which is why I already have several recipes for the stuff.  Normally, I like to load it with spices and various yummy things.  But I refrained from my usual healthy use of the pantry; this is a seriously parred down version.  It is still every bit as delicious, but requires half the ingredients.  Perfect for tacos, salads, nachos, sandwiches, or just on its own with some rice and beans.

Chipotle Shredded Pork
1.75-2 lbs trimmed pork shoulder (or country ribs)
1 small onion, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced (or 1/2 of a large pepper)
2 lrg coves garlic, minced
2 med chipotles, minced
vegetable oil
1/2 C water
salt and pepper

   Liberally salt and pepper pork.  Heat some oil over med-high heat in an oven safe pan.  Sear pork on all sides.
   Add veggies, garlic, chipotles, and water.  Cover.
   Place in a 325 deg F oven for 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover for the last ~20 minutes.
   Shred pork (it should pretty much fall apart).  Return to pan.  Heat through and make sure most of the liquid is evaporated.
   Serves 4-6.

Ingredient Count: 5
Freebies:  salt, pepper, vegetable oil, water (Because you should always have these things on hand.)

Chipotle Maple Glazed Ham

I hope everyone's hangover is doing well!  

Welcome to 2012

Last January I featured healthy recipes that wouldn't bust your resolution or your wallet.  I thought about doing that again, but something has been sneaking up on me for a while.  Since I started working, I've been using fewer and fewer ingredients.  I love a lot of ingredients as long as they all harmonize.  But sometimes you don't need a lot, carefully choosing items and letting them sing can be really wonderful.  Claire Robinson has been doing the 5 ingredient thing for a while.  I don't want to box myself in that much, but this January I will be featuring Few Ingredient Recipes (So, less than 10, because sometimes that 6th or 7th ingredient would help so much!)  And I am giving myself a 4th freebie.  Claire gives herself salt, pepper, and water.  I am adding vegetable oil to that mix of free items.  So, easy, delicious recipes that leave you plenty of time to keep that resolution in check.

Yesterday's recipe kicked off the few ingredient month (even though I didn't mention it in the post.)  This ham is what I made for Christmas dinner, but would make a wonderful first dinner of the year.  And the leftovers make great sandwiches.  This was my first ham, because I generally don't like ham.  But I gotta say, this one changed my mind.

Chiptole Maple Glazed Ham
1 7-8.5lb smoked, spiral sliced ham*
1/4 C real maple syrup
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
4 small-med chipotles + 1 tsp of the adobo sauce they are packaged in
4 lrg cloves roasted garlic
1/8 C water

   If you don't want the glaze to be too spicy, remove the seeds from some or all of the chipotles.  Roughly chop the chilies.
   Combine chipotles, syrup, oil, and garlic.  Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender to puree the mixture.  Add water to glaze and mix.
   With a pastry brush (I use a silicon one), brush half of the glaze over the ham.  Work the glaze into the cuts of the ham.  Wrap in foil, place on a baking sheet or a roasting pan.
   Bake at 350 deg F for 1 hour- 1.25 hours.  (Time may vary slightly depending on actual size of ham.)
   Remove foil.  Spread the rest of the glaze over ham.
   Return to 350 deg F oven for another ~20 minutes.
   Serves 12-14 (or a few more)

*Make sure that the ham your use is a no water added, regular smoked, bone in ham.  If it says "water added" do NOT buy it for this recipe!  The size varies so much; the ham I used was about 7.5 lbs.  A 9lb would be pushing the ham to glaze ratio but should still work.

Tomato Braised Pork

I know I do a lot of braised pork recipes.  It is so delicious, comforting, and affordable.  This version is sort of region neutral.  It has eastern European overtones but also a strong Southwestern/Mexican influence.  Really, it could be applied to any cuisine.  You could make this into wraps, sandwiches, tacos, tamales, serve it over potatoes, grits, couscous, or even a salad.  (Seriously.)  This is recipe is for 2-3 servings, but it is easily multiplied for larger parties.

Tomato Braised Pork
3/4 lb boneless pork (roast, shoulder, country ribs, etc.)
sweet paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 lrg onion, roughly chopped
1 C crushed tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hot pepper relish (optional)*
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp bacon fat or oil

   Cut pork into chunks roughly 2 in x 2 in.  Season with salt and pepper.  Liberally rub with paprika.
   Heat fat or oil over med heat in an oven proof skillet or pot with a lid.  Sear pork.  Remove from pan.  Add onions, saute 4-5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients.  Add pork back to pan.
   Cover with lid and place in a 300 deg F oven for 40-50 minutes.  Uncover and cook another 20 minutes.
   Shred pork.  Reheat if necessary (This can be made a couple days in advance.)  Serve as you like.
   Serves 2-3.

* I used a homemade hot pepper relish that is basically just a variety of fresh chilies pureed with oil and a little water.  You could use half of a med sized chili, like a jalapeno, minced or a 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, even a few dashes of hot sauce.

Negra Modelo Pork

Beer and pork.

Two things that have gone together literally since the beginning of fermentation and slaughter. 

I don't think I need to say anymore, except that you can eeeeeasily change the flavor just be changing the beer.  I started with Negra Modelo (a Mexican amber beer for those of you who don't know, slightly sweet, not too hop-y) because we were making the pork into taco.  But this meat is incredible versatile.  I made it into tacos and then a frittata.  You could have just a platter of this for pulled pork sandwiches, add it into a soup, make a casserole.  Almost anything you want to do with it you can.

Negra Modelo Pork
2.5-3 lbs pork shoulder*
1 12-oz bottle Negra Modelo
2.5 Tbsp honey
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

   Comine beer, honey and oil.  Liberally salt and pepper pork; place in marinade and use a fork to poke holes in the meat.  Allow to marinade for at least 4 hours.  Turning over occasionally.  (The longer you marinade the better.)
   Cover an oven safe dish and palce in a 350 deg F oven for 1.5 hours.
   Uncover, turn heat down to 300 deg F .  Cook another 45 min to 1 hour until meat easily pulls apart.
   Shred meat.  (Up to this point, it can be done several days in advance.)
   Reheat uncovered at 350 deg F for service and to reduce braising liquid.
   Serves 4-6.

*Pork Shoulder:  I like to buy country ribs because you can get smaller quantities of meat and it is already cut into managable pieces.  If you can't find that, just get a small shoulder and cut it into large chunks.

Lemon Oregano Pork and Zucchini

I can't fully explain how much I love this cooler weather!  In my opinion, it is perfect grilling weather.  Alright, I think most weather is grilling weather, but this is the best.  You don't dread the extra heat billowing from the grill.  You can just sit outside and relax while your dinner cooks.

Last week we threw together this rub for some pork and zucchini with things we had lying around.  It was delicious on both.  Likewise, it would be great on poultry, meaty seafood like halibut or shrimp, mushrooms... really, just about anything.  I love when a seasoning blend is so versatile.

Lemon Oregano Rub
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper

   Combine ingredients.
   Serves 4.  Enough for 4 3/4-inch pork loin chops (a medium sized piece of meat, ~6 oz) or 4 large zucchini.
   Lightly rub whatever you are cooking with oil then spread rub on both sides.  Cook as desired.  Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Chipotle Orange Pork "Steaks"

   This is a really fantastic all-seasons marinade.  Roast or pan sear for the colder months, and grill when the weather allows.  Cutting a pork loin into medallions allows you to enjoy the heartiness of a steak without the heaviness of red meat or the price tag of a good cut of beef.  (Though, this would be great on a flat iron or flank steak or chicken if you don't do the mammal thing.)

Chipotle Orange Pork "Steaks"
1 1/4-1 1/2 lb pork loin cut into steaks about 1 1/4 in. thick
zest of 1 orange
juice of 2 oranges (~3/4 C, maybe a little more)
1 lrg chipotle
1 tsp of adobo sauce (that the chipotle is packaged in)
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

   Combine all ingredients except pork. 
   Between two piece of plastic wrap very lightly pound meat to help tenderize it.  Put in marinade.  Marinate for 1-12 hours, the longer the better.
   Shake off excess marinade and sprinkle a tiny bit more salt on pork.  Place on hot grill.  (If you are using charcoal, throw on a couple hunks of wood to give a nice smokey flavor)  Grill 5-6 min per side.
   While pork is grilling, pour excess marinade into a pot.  Heat over medium/med-high until it starts to bubble.  Reduce by half to form sauce.
   Let pork rest for 3-4 minutes under a foil tent.  Serve and spoon sauce over.
   Serves 4.

Also, check out SAVE THE ARTIST for a post about developing your palate!

Poblano Beer Pork Tacos

   I love tacos, I've done several variations and I just can't stop coming up with more.  These came about because someone left cans of Bud Light here a while ago.  Neither Louis nor I particularly like Bud Light, so I kept coming up with different ways to cook with beer.  Obviously, I suggest you use a better beer, but it doesn't have to be anything too expensive.  Even regular Budweiser would be good.  The beer adds a nice little acidity, and the carbonation and hint of alcohol will help to tenderize the meat as it cooks.  The beer flavor is subtle and marries so well the fruitiness of the chilies and richness of the pork.

Poblano Beer Pork Tacos
2 medium poblanos, very thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 medium jalepeno, minced
1 large chipotle, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 12 oz can beer
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey*
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2.5-3 lbs country ribs
salt and pepper
Tortillas
shredded jack, red onion, cilantro

   Remove stems, seeds, and ribs from poblanos and jalepeno.  Combine first 10 ingredients in a deep roasting pan or baking pan.  Salt and pepper pork pretty liberally.  Add to sauce.  Cover.  Place in 325 deg F oven for 1.5 hours.  Uncover, turn heat down to 300 deg F and cook another hour.
   Shred pork and remove bones.  Serves immediately (or store in air tight container for 3-4 days.  To reheat, place in a pot, cover and heat over med-low heat.  Add a little stock or water if needed.)
   Place on tortillas with some cheese, red onion, and cilantro or whatever else you like.
   Serves 4-6.  (Number of servings really depends on how large the bones in the meat are.  Stretch your budget and servings by upping the sides.  Rice and beans are cheap.)

*You can use all honey or all brown sugar.  I used both out of necessity but the two different sweetnesses was really nice.  The floral aspect that plays off the chilies from the honey and the caramelized sweetness of the brown sugar is perfect with pork.

  

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Roast

   You know what happened this past weekend?  The hubs and I made our last trip back to Tennessee for this round of living in North Carolina!  In about two months we are moving back to TN for a good long time.  Crazy exciting.  We hung out at TRF on Saturday and Sunday but sadly had to leave before the final day of jousting (congrats to Paul on the tournament win!)  Being there was a little strange at first, this is the first year in a while that I haven't worked a single day of the faire.  However, I have figured out what I want to do there next year and I am crossing my fingers that it works out!

   And now on to the food because that is what this blog is about. 

   I love to stuff meat especially with things like spinach because it is like rolling up a side dish into your main meal component.  Spinach and feta is a classic flavor combination:  mild, earthy spinach and soft, salty feta, so good.  This stuffing isn't fussy or complicated with only a few ingredients.  The presentation is pretty and perfect for serving to guests.  Also, it is easily doubled to feed more people.  You will just need to adjust the cook time.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Roast
1.5 lb pork roast, butterflied*
8 oz frozen, chopped spinach
4 oz feta, crumbled
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus a little more)
sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper

   Thaw spinach and squeeze out water.  Combine spinach, feta, garlic, oregano, oil, salt and pepper.
   Salt and pepper both sides of butterflied pork roast.  Place spinach filling down the center of the pork.  Wrap pork around filling and tie with kitchen twine or secure with toothpicks.
   Heat a little oil in an oven proof skillet over med-high heat.  Sear pork on all sides and transfer pan to a 350 deg F oven.  Roast for 40-45 minutes.  When a meat thermometer is inserted into the pork (not to the filling) it should read 155 deg F (this applies to larger roasts as well.)  Pull out of oven, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. 
   Slice in ~1 inch slices and serve.
   Serves 4-6.

I didn't sear mine, so your whole roast will be prettier.

*Your butcher should be able to butterfly the roast for you.  This is a good basic video on how to butterfly, the same technique is easily applied to larger cuts.  Basically, you just want to open to meat enough to stuff it.

Pork Enchilada Casserole

   I don't know about you, but I find making enchiladas is a pain in the ass.   Perhaps it is because I like corn tortillas for enchiladas.  They tend to fall apart on me and get mushy when I roll them up around meat and slather them in sauce.  Now, I am not a big casserole person, but this seemed to be the perfect solution for my soggy tortilla problem.  And, I don't want to brag, but I was right.  This was so easy and tastier than I could have imagined! 

Pork Enchilada Casserole
1 recipe Mexican Braised Country Ribs*
1 recipe stewed black beans
1 1/2-2 C shredded cheese (cheddar or jack)
6-inch corn tortillas (about 10)
sour cream
chopped cilantro
lime wedges
enchilada sauce:
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
juice of 1 large lime
1 large chipotle, minced or pureed

   Mix up sauce.  Salt and pepper to taste if using unsalted tomato sauce.
   Lightly spray a 13x9 baking dish.  Spread a little bit of sauce (just a couple Tbsp) in the bottom of the dish.  Lay down one layer of tortillas.  It will probably take 4:  3 whole and 1 torn to fill in gaps..   Spread half the beans over the tortillas.  Top beans with half the pork.  Add about 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat.  Top casserole with last three tortillas, sauce, and cheese.
   Cover.  Bake at 375 deg F for 25 minutes.  Uncover.  Bake another 15 minutes. 
   Let cool for about 5 minutes.  Cut and serve with sour cream, cilantro and lime wedges.
   Serves 6.
*You could also use 1 recipe chipotle chicken or roasted vegetables.  Or, for the really easy version, 1 store bought (smallish) rotisserie chicken shredded mixed with about 1 C salsa.

Mexican Braised Country Ribs/Guajillo Chili Pork Tacos

   Ugh, I feel bad that I have lapsed several days.  Oh well.  I've been really busy getting costume pieces done and then on Friday we drove to Tennessee.  So, yeah, I am in Tennessee now... again... for the weekend.  There may not be a beach here but it is so much prettier in TN!  Everything is so green, the trees are budding, and the annoying birds are hatching.  I need to train my cat to kill them.

   To make up for the last couple of no-post days, you are getting 2 (sorta) today!  Ok, these coutry ribs are fantastic.  I had never eater or worked with this cut before, but they were cheap and all the pork shoulders were way too large.  They were really easy and incredibly delicious.  You could braise them and go ahead and have them for dinner.  Or make them into pulled pork tacos like I did.  Or make a big batch, have them for one dinner, then use the left overs for tacos.  The meat can be braised several days in advance so this would be perfect for a big taco party.

Mexican Braised Country Ribs
2-2.5 lb country ribs, trimmed
1 med onion
1 lrg carrot
1 lrg rib celery
4-5 lrg garlic cloves, minced (~3 Tbsp)
1 chipotle, minced
1 C water
3/4 C salsa
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

   Cut country ribs into 4-5 inch sections.  Cut celery and carrot into large chunks (these will be taken out in the end.)  Slice onion thinly.  In a baking dish, combine garlic, chiptole, salsa, water, oil, and oregano.  Add celery, carrot, and onion.  Liberally salt and pepper meat.  Place in dish. 
   Put in a preheated 450 deg F oven for 25-30 min.
   Reduce heat to 300 deg F.  Turn meat over, cover dish.  Cook for about 2 hrs.  Check after 1 hr, stir everything together.  Meat is done when it literally falls apart when you touch it.  Remove celery and carrot chunks.  Shred or serve as is.
   Serves 4-6

Guajillo Chili Pork Tacos
shredded pork from Mexican braised country ribs
1 chiptole
2 dried guajillo chilis
~1C reserved chili liquid
1 Tbsp honey salt and pepper
tortillas
taco toppings (whatever you like)

   Boil about 2 C water, turn off heat.  Add dried chilis that have the stem and seeds removed to water.  Let sit for about 30 minutes, until chilis are soft and pliable.  Place reconstituted chilis, chipotle, 1 C of guajillo chili liquid, and honey in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add sauce and pork to pot.  Heat through and allow sauce to reduce by about 1/4.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Build tacos!
   Serves 4-6

Pork Fajita-Tacos

   I don't really know if these are tacos or fajitas.  They are kind of an in between thing.  Fajtacos?  Whatevs.  This is a great way to use left over pork chops  (see smokey rubbed pork chop post from a few days ago.)  We actually grilled the chops with the intention of using them this way.  If you are having the chops on their own, I suggest grilling up a couple more for these babies.  Just cool the meat and slice it thinly.  

Smokey Pork Fajtacos (I'm sticking with this word)
2 smokey rubbed pork chops, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large bell pepper (any color or any combo), sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 recipe chipotle lime sour cream
lime wedges
fresh cilantro
warmed tortillas (corn or flour.... I was over ruled in this decision, I wanted corn.  They wanted flour.)
salt and pepper

   Saute onion and pepper until soft and tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add garlic and pork.  Heat pork through.  Serve with tortillas, sour cream, cilantro and lime wedges.
   Serves 4.

Smokey Rubbed Pork Chops

   Sometimes a marinade takes too punch fore-planning.  To get the maximum flavor you need a a good couple of hours.

   I meticulously plan my meals out, but my parents don't do that.  They wing it all the time.  For me, this is incredibly frustrating.  I like knowing what I am making.  In some ways, I feel creativity flows on the fly.  However, it is easy to get stuck in ruts.  Like Italian ruts.  (Sorry, Mom......)  I like having the time to plan out my kitchen creativity.  When that luxury is not allowed to me, I still try to mix it up.  My mom makes Italian all the time. (No, she is not Italian in any way, shape or form.)  So I often default to Latin or Asian food.  Latin and Caribbean foods are easy because the flavors lend themselves so well to dry rubs.  The 30 minute answer to a wet marinade!

Smokey Rubbed Pork Chops
4--3/4 inch (boneless) pork chops (1-1.5 lbs)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt (generous 1/4 tsp....)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
cooking spray

   Combine dry spices.
   Pat meat dry with paper towel.  Rub with spice blend.  Allow to rest at room temp for 15 minutes.  (Longer is great, but put chops in the refrigerator if sitting more than 1 hour.)  Lightly spray both sides with cooking spray.  Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes a side.
   Serves 4.

Triple Chili And Roasted Pork Tamales

Tamales.  Yuuum.  This was the first time I ever made them.  They were really good, but do have some kinks to work out.  That is my introduction.=D  (Warning, I got picture crazy.)

Triple Chili and Roasted Pork Tamales
4 oz dried corn husks
     Cover with water in a large pot.  Place a plate on top to weigh down the husks.  Bring water to boil.  Boil 10 min.  Turn heat off, cover with lid let stand 3 hours-overnight.

Dough:
2 C masa harina
1 1/2 C fine ground grits
2 1/4 C hot water
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
     Combine dry indredients.  Add hot water.  Mix into a paste-like consistency.  Keep covered with a damp cloth while working so it does not dry out.

Filling:
2.5-3 C shredded garlic roasted pork
1 large dried ancho chili
2 dried New Mexico chilies
(~1 C very hot water)
1 chipotle in adobo
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp pasted garlic
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp clove
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
     Remove stem and seeds from dried chilies.  In very hot water, soak ancho and New Mexico chilies until tender and pliable (about 30 minutes).  In a food processor (the immersion blender food processor attachment works just as well)  puree reconstituted chilies and chipotle with about 1 Tbsp of the chili water.  Add all other ingredients except pork.  Pulse food processor to mix.  Pour over pork and mix to evenly coat.

   1.  Take a large corn husk.  Spread a rounded Tbsp of dough into a 3x3 square on one edge of husk.  You will  need to use your fingers.

   2.  Add about 2 tsp of filling to center of dough.

   3.  Roll corn husk to bring edges of dough together, sealing in the filling. 

   4.  Fully roll up the corn husk and fold edges up and together.

   5.  Secure by tying a strip of corn husk around the wrapped tamale. 

Makes about 3 dozen.  (Freeze at this point, thaw completely before steaming.  Or refrigerate up to 1 week, then steam.)

Add about 2 inches of water to a large pot.  Place in steamer basket (water should not touch basket.)  Layer extra corn husks around steamer basket.  Add half of the tamales to basket.  Cover.  Bring water to a boil, turn down to med-low.  Allow to steam for 45 minutes if there are several layers of tamales.  Only 25 if there is a single layer.

Garlic Roasted Pork Shoulder

   This is a really simple recipe that can be transformed into countless other recipes.  Pozole or other soups, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, nacho or salad topper... I roasted my shoulder for use in tamales!  About a month ago, my mom had her book club meetings at our house.  For one, I made a Mexican meal.  We really wanted to make tamales.  It was the first time I had ever even attempted such a thing.  They turned out well, but it was an interesting experience to say the least.  They do need some tweaking to be perfect, but these were pretty damn tasty.  Once this season of the Tennessee Renassaince Festival is over, I will have time for a lot more in depth cooking.  However, I know many of you will like this, most of the upcoming recipes will be really fast and/or incredibly easy dishes!  (The ones that aren't fast are probably stock piled from last month.)

Garlic Roasted Pork Shoulder
1 5-lb pork shoulder
8 garlic cloves (large-ish)
salt
pepper

   Trim excess fat off top of shoulder.  There should be a thin layer (about 1/4 inch) of fat, but most cuts will have about 3/4 inch fat cap. Cut garlic cloves into chunky slices (long ways, tip to root).  Make 1 1/2 inch deep incisions all around the pork (top, sides and bottom).  Stick garlic slices into incisions.  Liberally salt and pepper.
   Place on a roasting rack in a pan (lined with foil to make clean up easier.)
   325 deg F for 3-3 1/2 hours.  Until pork is tender and pulls apart easily.

Tomorrow... tamale recipe! 

Bacon Wrapped and Stuffed Pork

  This dish literally started off as a joke.  My friend and were talking about how bacon would be really good in dish we were eating.  But bacon makes everything better!  Bacon is a miracle food that everyone loves.  So much so that even vegetarians pretend to eat.  (I do NOT recommend soy bacon aka Fakon.....)  With a couple drinks in us, we started formulating bacon wrapped ravioli, which turned into bacon stuffed ravioli, then bacon stuffed chicken, and finally concluded with bacon stuffed chicken that is then wrapped in bacon.  I knew I had to make it for the sheer ridiculousness of the idea.

   When it came time to cook, we had a pork tenderloin that needed to be used, but the same thing could be done with chicken, no problem.  I think I like the idea of pork for this dish better than chicken though because it is porcine explosion worthy of Emeril Lagasse or Michael Symon.

Note:  We did not have as much bacon as I thought when I made this dish, so there should be more bacon wrapped around the tenderloin.  Also, don't mess this up with cheap bacon.  Get some nice meaty stuff!  And a butcher should be able to butterfly the tenderloin for you if you can't/don't want to do it yourself.

Bacon Wrapped and Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
1 lb pork tenderloin, butterflied
7-8 slices bacon
5 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and excess water squeezed out)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper

   Lightly pound butterflied tenderloin if it is not already even in thickness.  Salt and pepper both sides.
   Chop and render 4 of the bacon slices over medium heat until crispy.  Quickly stir in garlic making sure not to burn it.  Toss in spinach.  Spread mixture over the pork.  Roll up pork.  Wrap with 3-4 slices of bacon.  Try to get the ends of the bacon to meet where the seam of the pork roll is.  Secure with toothpicks.
   Sear pork evenly on all sides.  (In a little bit of oil, if needed.)  Place pork on a roasting rack in a pan.
   Bake at 400 deg F for 25-35 min, turning over half way through cooking.  (Time is dependent on thickness of roll... 25-30 min is a good starting point.  Mine took exactly 30 min and was perfect!)
   Serves 4.  Roasted butternut squash soup is a great side for this. 

Pipian

  I was skimming through my mother's cookbooks the other day and picked up the first edition of The Betty Crocker International Cookbook.  It was funny reading some of the horribly outdated recipes.  For example, the use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in many of the Chinese recipes.  My favorite reference that shows the age of the book is in the into to chicken kiev which says, "Kiev is one of the premier cities in the Soviet Union...."  While some of the things are good for a laugh, there are a lot of great recipes in the book.  Many of which are classic to a cuisine but have fallen out of style or were never even in style (in America).

   If you haven't figure it out by now, I am hugely influenced by Latin and Caribbean food and flavors.  So when I saw the recipe for pipian sauce I had to make it.  Pipian is a traditional Mexican sauce normally served over roasted meat or enchiladas.  You could probably even serve it with some good, crusty bread on a buffet.  This is my variation of pipian.  I used the sesame seeds because they are easier to find, but the pepitas are traditional

Pork Chops with Pipian
1/3 C sesame seeds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
4 boneless pork chops, 1" thick
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 C tomato sauce (one 8oz can)
1 C water
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika (or 1 tsp cumin)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp clove
1/8 tsp cayenne
lime wedges
cilantro, salt, pepper, oil

In a large, deep, dry skillet toast the sesame seeds or pepitas.  (If you are using pepitas, get the unroasted variety.)  Remove from skillet and let cool.  Using a mortar and pestle or a small food processor, crush the toasted seeds.  ( I like a mixture of totally pulverized seeds and mostly whole ones.)
Heat about 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat in the skillet.  Salt and pepper the pork chops.  Sear both sides.  Do not cook all the way through.  Remove from skillet.
Saute onions for a few minutes.  Add garlic, tomato sauce, water and spices.  Simmer for about 10 min, or until reduced by about 1/3.  Fold in crushed, toasted seeds.  Return pork chops.  Cover and turn heat down to medium.  Simmer until pork is cooked.  This should take about 15 minutes, but may vary depending on thickness of the cut.
Top with fresh chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.  The acid from the lime is really delicious!

*The same process may be done with chicken.  If you want to make just the sauce to put on top of whatever you like, follow the same process, but when you add the seeds, leave it uncovered and let it reduce until it is about 1/2 of the starting point.  Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice at the very end.  If the sauce gets too thick at any point, or you simply want it thinner, add a little bit of stock, tomato juice, or water.

Fig and Chipotle Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

   I'm not going to lie, this is one of the technically hardest dishes to make.  Have no fear though, because I have a couple tricks to make it a little less daunting!  It is a two step process of marinating then stuffing.  The marinade is great all on its own, too.  I can't exactly define a region or cuisine to this recipe, but it is most definitely Spanish-inspired.  It is a super impressive dish that is actually very healthy (but it doesn't taste like it.)

Marinade
1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp dry sherry (optional, if not using sherry, use 1 Tbsp red wine or cider vinegar)
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp minced garlic
1-1.5 lbs pork tenderloin

Trim off excess fat and remove silver skin.  Cut your pork tenderloin in half.  (It is just easier to work with the shorter sections.)  Butterfly open the halves.  Marinate for several hours (up to 24 hrs.)
*If you are not stuffing it, add salt and pepper to meat just before cooking
**Easier Option:  Use chicken breast or thick cut pork chops and cut a deep pocket into the side for stuffing.  This saves you the hassle of butterflying and is just as delicious.

Stuffing
1/2 C diced dried figs (about 6-8 whole dried figs, preferably black mission)
1/3 C chopped parsley
1/4 C pistachios, chopped
2 Tbsp dry sherry (if not using sherry, use equivalent amount of stock or orange juice)
2 Tbsp chipotle puree (2-3 whole chipotles in adobo that are minced into a fine paste)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all stuffing ingredients.  Remove meat from marinade; salt and pepper meat.  Lay flat the sections of pork.  Divide stuffing in half and spread over the pieces, leaving a half inch border on three sides.  Roll halves up.  Truss with butchers twine or secure with tooth picks.
375 deg. F for 45 minutes.  Until internal temperature reaches 140 deg. F.  Rest for about 8 minutes, slice and serve.  (4-6 servings)
**Easier Option:  Place stuffing into pocket of chicken breast or pork chop.  Secure with toothpicks.
375 deg. F for about 30 minutes (depending on the size of the meat cuts.)