Category Archives: PORK RECIPES

TAMALE PIE

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Pictured: Tamale Pie, upper right, Refried Beans, and Cheese Enchiladas

OK, I absolutely adore a good tamale. (That old starch addiction of mine, I’m sure.) But I am not about to do the whole corn husk thing, especially when I want to serve tamales to a crowd. (Thank goodness there are actually times when my better judgment and survival instincts work together to save what little bit of sanity I have left.)  So, where does that leave me when I want to serve tamales to the masses, or just want tamales for Mr. C. and myself? Well, of course, Mr. C. and I can always pop off to a Mexican foodatorium, but darn, you only get at the most 2 little tamales stuffed with not even enough meat to upset your average vegetarian. So when I went in search of an easy way to make tamales I stumbled onto this recipe on a site entitled “Please, don’t pass the salt!” I really enjoyed the author’s comments and of course I had to give the recipe a try. So off to the store to buy masa mix I proceeded. I thought I would have a difficult time, but even my local grocery store on the island carried what I needed. (So very nice when that happens.) So armed with nothing more than a burning desire for a tamale and my new found knowledge, I set about making myself (and Mr. C. of course) some tamales for dinner. It turned out that the dough recipe from the site was basically the same recipe as on the Instant Corn Masa Mix bag, but the technique for building the tamale pie was what I found most informative.  So after carefully following the recipe instructions, except for the filling (I chose to use my own recipe because I knew I liked it), my tamale pie went into the oven. As I pulled it out of the oven (carefully by the way), I knew I had a winner. It smelled just like a good tamale should smell. And when I finally bit into the tamale pie, I was immediately lifted to Mexican food heaven. And so what if I didn’t have a sticky corn husk to peel off before eating! (After all, most restaurants don’t serve tamales in their corn husk skins anyway.) Instead, I had a big old lovely piece of tamale pie, thick with meat that was ever so lovingly encased in a flavorful masa crust, and drizzled with a fabulous chili sauce. Final analysis, did I miss the whole corn husk part of making tamales? Not in the least!  (That’s like asking if I miss mosquitoes when I go hiking in late fall? Same answer!) There are just some things in life that are better off not experiencing. I figure corn husk manipulation is just one of those experiences I will gladly forgo.

Tamale Filling (aka Mexican Shredded Meat):

  • 1 lb. lean pork or beef cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. granulated garlic
  •  1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small onion, chopped fine

Put the chunks of meat into a stockpot and add all of the remaining seasoning ingredients, except for the onion. Cover with water plus about a half inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Add more water if necessary. Add the chopped onion and continue simmering, covered, for an additional hour. Uncover, stir to begin breaking up meat and continue simmering until liquid begins to reduce and meat shreds easily, about 1 more hour. Let cool.

Tamale Pie:

  • 2 ¼ c. Instant Corn Masa Mix for Tamales (Maseca for Tamales)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 c. lukewarm broth (I use “Better than Bouillon reduced sodium chicken base” carried by Costco)
  • ½ c. vegetable oil

Combine masa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm broth and oil. Stir together until dough is thoroughly combined. Cover and let rest for at least 15 minutes so the masa can thoroughly absorb the moist ingredients. Butter a 9 x 9-inch square ovenproof casserole dish. Press a little more than half of the tamale dough into the casserole dish. Using your hands (best tools in the kitchen) press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the dish, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Using a slotted spoon, scoop a generous amount of the filling evenly over the dough, being careful not to spoon in too much gravy. (Remaining liquid can be thickened and served over tamales.) Carefully spread the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion the same thickness as the bottom.  Fill a large roasting pan with about 2 inches of very hot water and put the uncovered tamale casserole in the water bath. Cover both the casserole and the roaster with 2 layers of regular or 1 layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. Carefully set the roaster in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until the masa is set. Remove from oven, uncover and let cool a few minutes before serving.  Serve warm with Green Chili Sauce with Pork, Red Chili Sauce, or gravy made from the filling liquid. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onions, salsa, or whatever your little heart desires. Leftover meat mixture is great for tacos, as a filling for enchiladas or burritos, or to top tostadas. And it freezes beautifully. To fancy things up a bit, try making individual “tamales” in muffin tins.

 

GREEN CHILI SAUCE WITH PORK

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(Green Chili Sauce pictured on Tamale Pie, upper right)

For years when I have been in Denver visiting my Aunt Ruth, we have dined at Ruth’s favorite Mexican restaurant. If you have never been to the Denver area, (which is a mistake I might add) you pretty much can’t drive a block without bumping into a Mexican restaurant. (Please note, this is not a bad thing in my book. I truly adore really good Mexican food.) And Denver, unlike some areas of the US that I could mention, has more than its fair share of really good Mexican restaurants. (And I’m sorry if my next comments bring offence to anyone, but I don’t consider most of the food served by large Mexican chain restaurants in our area to be good Mexican food! To me, everything tastes the same. Regardless of what you order, it’s served swimming in an uninspired sauce that tastes like it has been sitting in a steam table container since just after the Mexican revolution ended in 1920.) So when I taste a sauce that is fresh tasting and has a depth of flavor that compliments rather than detracts from my chosen entrée, I am in pure hog heaven. And speaking of hogs, a pork product is usually at the base of a truly good green chili sauce. You can practically bet your share of pickled pig’s feet on that one! But back to dining in Denver……

Mexican restaurants in and around Denver are known for their sauces, especially their green chili sauce. And my aunt’s favorite restaurant served the best green chili sauce I had ever tasted. That is until I started messing around with the one I am going to share with you today. (And no I will not give you the name of the restaurant in Denver! I am not going to advertise for them because they have never, and believe me I have asked several times over the years, even given me the slightest hint as to what goes into their amazing sauce. So call me a baby, but darn it, I live 1350 miles away. It’s not like I would publish the recipe in a cookbook or blog for heaven’s sake!) So, in order to pay homage to one of the truly wonderful world cuisines, and to let you know that there are homemade dishes that are far superior to what is available in most Mexcian restaurants today, I’m goin’ south of the border for the next few days. Today Green Chili Sauce with Pork; tomorrow Red Chili Sauce. After that Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Shredded Beef, Pork Tamale Pie, Mexican Rice (nary a tomato product in this rice), Margaritas, and a couple of other favorites of mine. So pack your metaphorical bags and join me on my Mexican food adventure.  Open yourself a Negra Modelo or Dos Equis, start reading a book by Carlos Fuentes, and listen to some Carlos Santana. Mexico here we come. Provecho!

  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • 2-3 bone in pork chops
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 ½ c. chicken stock
  • 1 T. tomato paste
  • 2 lg. tomatillos, chopped
  • 5 Anaheim peppers, charred (skins, seeds, veins removed) and chopped
  • 1 lg. or 2 small fresh jalapenos, charred (skins, seeds, veins removed) and finely minced
  • flour

Heat oil in a large, covered sauce pan. Season chops with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carefully place in hot oil and fry until very, very brown and there are lots of brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about a minute or until you can smell the garlic. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, tomatillos, and peppers. Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 2 hours. Remove chops and allow to cool. When cool, remove bones and as much fat and sinew as possible. Flake the meat into very small pieces and return to the sauce. Discard bones and sinew. You will probably need to thicken the sauce at this point. Take about 1/4 cup of the liquid out on the pan and place in a small mixing bowl. Depending on how thick you like your sauce, whisk in a tablespoon or two of flour into your mixing bowl and gently stir back into the pan. Allow to burble for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, adjust seasoning, and serve over your favorite enchiladas, tamales, burritos, refried beans, etc.

 

 

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED PORK TENDERLOIN

It isn’t very often that I get to prepare a braised meat dish where the first step isn’t to dredge the meat in seasoned flour and fry said meat until brown all over in hot vegetable or olive oil. Or pat the meat all over until it is very dry, season it with salt and pepper and fry it in a small amount of oil or butter over fairly high heat. So when I find a recipe for braised meat without this step, I am naturally suspicious! After all, how in the name of all things caramelized or browned is my meat going to have any taste? Then of course, what about the sauce? How is my sauce going to have any depth of flavor without all those wonderful little browned bits in the bottom of the pan? (And really, isn’t a braised meat recipe all about the sauce?) Well fret not. This recipe is living (well not really living anymore) proof that browning and caramelizing meat is not the only way to assure extraordinary flavor in braised dishes. I can’t truly begin to describe how tender and flavorful pork is when it has been prepared this way. And the sauce, oh, it is truly out of this world. So next time you want an easy recipe for pork tenderloin that does not require marinating the meat for hours or browning it before adding the other ingredients, give this dish a try. It is quick and easy enough to prepare even on a weeknight. I know that for a fact. (I wasn’t always a retired lady of leisure you know. I too know what it is like to come home from a long day of work to a cold empty kitchen and a hungry family.) I wish I had some words of wisdom to offer you at this point which would miraculously make your life easier when it came to fixing supper after a long day. But unfortunately I paid good money to have my memories of the first hour at home after work blocked, so you will just have to figure it out for yourself. However, I have retained a couple of little hints that I can share with you. Make your dinners fairly simple, packed full of good nutrition and made with love. Love is actually the best ingredient you can ever add to any dish.

  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • ¾ tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pork tenderloin
  • 6-8 slices prosciutto
  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • ¾ c. dry Riesling
  • ½ c. half & half
  • 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Remove all silver skin, connective tissue, and fat from tenderloins. Dry completely with paper towels. Lay 3-4 pieces of prosciutto next to each other (long sides together) on a flat surface. Slather about a fourth of the mustard mixture on one side of a pork tenderloin. Place it mustard side down on the prosciutto. Slather another fourth of the mustard on the top and wrap the prosciutto around the pork. Repeat the process with the second tenderloin. Pour the vegetable oil in an oven proof baking pan (about the right size for the two tenderloins) and lay the tenderloins, seam side down in the pan. Pour the wine over the meat and bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees (35-45 minutes). Remove meat from pan and cover with aluminum foil for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile add half & half to remaining meat juices and simmer while meat is resting. The sauce should thicken a bit as it is simmering, so watch carefully. After the meat has rested, slice to desired thickness and place on serving platter. Spoon sauce on meat and sprinkle with parsley. Hint: An electric knife works best when slicing the tenderloins.

Side Dish Suggestions:  baked sweet potatoes and a green veggie or green salad

Wine Pairing: chilled Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc