Category Archives: PORK RECIPES

SLOW SIMMERED SMOKED PORK SHANK/HOCK WITH MIXED GREENS

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Now, if you too are a fan of Stephen Sondheim and are familiar with the musical Into the Woods, then you’ve heard of another woman (actually a witch) who loves her greens as much as I do. Now I don’t have the power to make life miserable for unsuspecting thieves stealing greens out of my garden. But I do have the power to help you produce a dish of greens that even the most greens phobic person might actually enjoy. And ever so simple to prepare. Actually, the preparation could not be easier. A bit of time is required for chopping veggies, but even the most novice of cooks should have no problem turning out this Southern classic.

And I’m telling you true, this is a vegetable dish that is just chock full of vitamins (such as vitamins A, C, and K and folate) and minerals (such as iron and calcium). Greens are also a great source of fiber. And since our bodies need a little dietary fat to absorb some of the vitamins found in dark green leafy vegetables, the olive oil and small amount of fat from the pork shank do the job nicely. (Of course the shank and olive oil also provide flavor. So a win/win situation.)

So a couple of days ago when I made my pot of greens, it was mainly because I had greens that either needed to be eaten or tossed. And I absolutely hate to toss food. I had a big bunch of beet greens, 2 types of kale (common curly kale from our garden and lacinato kale from our farm box) and a couple handfuls of baby spinach. I already had a recipe for collard greens that I love (Collard Greens with Smocked Pork Hocks). But I wanted to see if I could use a mixture of greens, none of which were collard greens. BTW, collard greens are the most commonly used greens in Southern braises and stews. So I took my collard greens recipe, changed things up a bit, and went from there.

Well, after tasting this mixture of greens, I can’t imagine ever again finding the necessity to stick to just one kind of greens. For me now, it’s bring them all on! The greater variety the better!

So if you too would like to feed your family a vegetable dish that is so darned healthy as to actually make you feel giddy, this is the recipe for you.

However, in all honesty, my children would probably have turned their noses up at this dish if I had tried to feed it to them when they were young. They ate a wide variety of foods, some that even surprised me, but they still were, after all, typical kids. So I can’t promise you that your young children will fall down on their knees thanking you for feeding them this wonderfully healthy and flavorful dish. Quite to the contrary I would suspect. But if your family consists of adults, I say go for it!

As always, stay healthy, cook up a storm, and be the person your dog thinks you are. Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 c. diced yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. low-sodium vegetable broth 

freshly ground black pepper 

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or less if semi-spicy is a problem for you)

1 sm. smoked pork shank/hock 

12-16 c. (loosely packed) mixed greens (collard, mustard, turnip, beet, chard, spinach, kale, etc.)

sherry vinegar, for sprinkling, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven or heavy pan. Sauté the onion over medium heat until almost tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  

Add the vegetable broth, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the smoked shank, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for an hour.

Add the greens. (They will wilt down as they cook,)

Simmer for 45 minutes. Do not boil. Add more vegetable broth if needed. May need more time, but be sure to check after 45 minutes. When done, greens will be dark green, tender, and will not have a raw taste.

Remove shank from pot, allow to cool, and remove the meat discarding as much fat and sinew as possible. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Bring the meat and greens back to a boil when ready to serve. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in individual small bowls including some of the liquid. The liquid, often called pot liquor or potlikker, is possibly the best part of this whole wonderful dish. Pass the sherry vinegar.

FAST AND EASY ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

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Now this is what I call an easy recipe. Hardly any prep work, and a resulting product that smacks of hours of simmering, when in reality, very little time is actually involved. And the results – absolutely divine.

I think sometimes we cooks over think and over ingredient dishes that should be left simple and basic. Good Italian sausage already has a lot of flavor. But I am as guilty as the next cook of not allowing just a few simple ingredients to speak for themselves. I’m always trying to over achieve, when almost any dish I prepare would probably be better served (literally and figuratively), if basically left simple. And this pasta sauce is a prime example. Simple ingredients, not a lot of time involved, and a taste that is pure Italian.

So if you are also one of those cooks like me that is always trying to make dishes more complex than necessary, give this recipe a try. You too might learn a valuable lesson. Of course with me, being older than dirt, the lesson might not stick. But if you are younger, and have a more flexible mind, you might be able to learn restraint. (It really is too late for me.) But I have confidence that those of you who are still learning might take advantage of what I am just now realizing at my advanced age. It’s the old do as I say, not as I do “thing”.

One thing I can promise you however, that regardless of your age or culinary experience, you are going to love this pasta dish. It’s clean tasting, simple, and reminiscent of late afternoon dinners in sunny Italian courtyards filled with happy diners, drinking young red wine, and dunking crusty, chewy, freshly baked bread in seasoned olive oil. (Oh how I love Italy.) So to all – keep striving for excellence.

I’ve been thinking lately of Corinthians 13:11, which has always been a part of scripture I truly felt was pertinent to everyday life. Now more than ever. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child: When I became a man (woman), I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

It’s not easy being an adult. It’s a whole lot of hard work, often unrecognized or properly appreciated. It’s simply a whole lot easier to act like a child, than to think, react, and comport oneself as an adult. But especially now, all of us have a huge challenge. Especially parents of young children. How you manage your self during this difficult time is the lesson your children will be learning and taking with them into adulthood. So be kind, be loving, and be sensitive to the needs of those around you. I salute each and every one of you. And I pray for a better tomorrow for all of us. Peace and Love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

¾ c. finely diced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ c. dry white wine

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4-6 oz. penne pasta (or pasta of choice) cooked al dente

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the Italian sausage until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the white wine and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the canned tomatoes, including liquid, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasoning.

Add the al dente pasta, and about a fourth cup of Parmesan cheese. Pass extra Parmesan at table.

 

BRINED, RUBBED, AND GRILLED BONELESS PORK CHOPS

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We love pork chops. First of all they’re easy to cook. (If you know how). And secondly, they are really quite reasonably priced. And there is very little waste because they are such a lean cut of meat. And mainly, when cooked correctly, there is just nothing finer than a good old pork chop for dinner.

But boneless pork chops must be carefully handled or the blasted things can become shoe leather in a matter of minutes! And I do really mean minutes. And believe me, over the years I have made more shoe leather than I care to admit. But too much cooking time is not the only culprit involved with creating an unpalatable piece of meat. The meat itself, especially a cut like a boneless pork chop that contains little to no fat needs extra special care. It’s the marbled fat in meats that melt during cooking that enhance tenderness and add succulence. So how to achieve a juicy, tender, and flavorful pork chop against all odds. Well there are some well-known secrets to achieving pork chop perfection.  

Brining is one of the well-known secrets that every good cook should become aware of if they are not already employing this simple technique. Brining infuses pork chops, and other non-fatty meats, with savory flavors while at the same time tenderizing the meat. Brining works especially well for types of meat like poultry, fish, and less fatty cuts of pork. (Like boneless pork chops.)

The second well-known secret to preparing a truly delicious hunk of meat, is rubbing the meat with a savory combination of ingredients including herbs and spices before applying heat.

The third and final secret to attaining perfectly cooked pork chops, or other meats, bread, cakes and the like, is an instant-read thermometer. Even if you have been cooking and baking for decades like I have, I find it very comforting to have my thermometer on hand even if all it provides is a second opinion!        

So last evening rather than having to cut our pork chops with a hacksaw, our trusty table knife was all that was required. And the meat was juicy and very flavorful. The brining recipe below is new to me and seems to be perfect for pork chops. I haven’t tried it with other meats, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work just fine for them too. The rub recipe below can be used with pork, chicken, beef, you name it. (I have been using it for years.)

So if you too enjoy a nice boneless pork chop now and then, this is the recipe for you. Yes it takes a little time to build the brine. (But not much.) And the rub also takes a bit of time to throw together. But it makes plenty, so you’ll be all set to also rub other meats into culinary masterpieces.

As always, stay safe, stay happy, and have fun in your kitchen. Peace and love to all from Chez Carr.  

Brine:

1 c. water

2 T. kosher salt

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. maple syrup

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. ice cubes

2-4 thick boneless pork chops

vegetable oil

Heat the 1 cup water, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper to a boil in a saucepan. After the brine comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the ice cubes to help cool the liquid.

Once the brine is cool, place the pork chops in a shallow container or sealable plastic bag and pour the brine over the top. Let the pork chops sit in the brine in the refrigerator for 1 to 6 hours. Meanwhile prepare the rub.

Remove the pork chops from the brine, rinse them under cold water and pat them very dry with clean kitchen towels or paper towels. Lightly coat the chops with veggie oil just before adding the rub. Apply the rub to both sides of the oil coated pork chops thick enough to cover the chop, but not fall off the chop if you turn it upside down. (You will have extra rub for next time. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.) Let the chops rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Grill the chops for 3 to 5 minutes per side. (Depends on the thickness of your chops.) Cook only until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chop. Remove from grill, place on a plate, and let rest loosely covered with foil for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Rub: (can be used for pork, chicken, or beef)

3 T. dark brown sugar, packed

1 T. regular paprika

1 T. chili powder

1 T. kosher salt

1½ tsp. smoked paprika

1½ tsp. granulated garlic

1½ tsp. granulated onion  

¼ tsp. dried thyme

coarsely ground black pepper

Stir or shake all the rub ingredients together. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.    

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND CANNELLINI BEAN CHILI

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It all started with me wanting to try out a recipe for sourdough cornbread. (And I know, sourdough and I appear to be joined at the hip these days. But I love everything sourdough, so why not a sourdough cornbread? After all, many cornbread recipes include buttermilk. Which is also sour. So logic dictates that sourdough cornbread should be delicious. And BTW – it is! Recipe to follow in the next couple of days.)

Anyway, I wanted to try out my recipe for sourdough cornbread yesterday so that I could serve it last evening. So I got to thinking about what to serve with the cornbread? Mr. C. and I love chili. We also love Italian food. So why not a chili that smacks of Italy, with a bit of Southwestern flavor thrown in for good measure. (And authenticity.)

So yesterday, I went on line looking for a chili recipe containing Italian sausage and cannellini beans. And there it was on the reneeskitchenadventures.com site. Of course I messed with the recipe, but I am pleased to give credit to Renee for the bones of this delightful dish.

Now, who knew Italian and Southwestern flavors would mix so well? But OMG, this was one of the best pots of chili I have ever produced, much less tasted. And ever so easy to prepare. But Italian seasoning and diced green chilies in the same recipe? Radical to say the least. But isn’t that fun! And what cooking should be all about! Coaxing the best out of every single ingredient you use. Sometimes it feels like magic to me. How a smattering of this and a dash of that can make such a difference to the final product. Of course there is one combination of ingredients I know I will never prepare. But none the less, it’s fun to imagine. For your reading pleasure: The well-known incantation of the Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

As always dear friends and far-flung readers – stay safe, stay inspired, stay positive, and keep smiling. (Even if no one can tell you’re smiling under your mask!) Oh – and make this chili. It’s really great!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage (I use sweet Italian sausage from our IGA on Camano Island)

1 med. onion, chopped

1½ c. diced bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, green – or a combination)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, opt.

freshly ground black pepper

14 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

4 oz. can diced green chilies

2½ c. vegetable stock  

2 c. cooked cannellini beans*

Heat the olive oil in a large, covered Dutch oven. Add the meat, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Remove the cooked sausage and set aside.  

Add the onion and peppers to the Dutch oven. Cook until the onion begin to soften. Add the garlic; cook for one minute.

Stir in the cumin, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, oregano, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper.    

Add the canned tomatoes with juices, green chilies, and vegetable stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a good hour.

Just before ready to serve, add the reserved meat and the cooked cannellini beans and bring back to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls. Pass the extra virgin olive oil. A small drizzle on top of the soup tastes mighty fine. And corn bread is perfect on the side.

Note: And while I know you are wondering why I don’t just leave the cooked Italian sausage in the pot the whole time, I believe my reasoning not to do so is sound. Unlike ground beef, which is inherently fairly uninspired tasting, Italian sausage is replete with flavor. (The spices bring a lot of the flavor to the mix.) If you leave the cooked sausage in the broth for too long, all that yummy concentrated flavor will be leached away. Yes the flavor will still be in the saucy part. But it’s really nice to bite into a piece of Italian sausage that still tastes like Italian sausage!    

*You can use canned cannellini beans, but I prefer to cook the beans myself. And no, you don’t have to soak the beans overnight or cook them in an instant pot. When I’m in a hurry, I simply wash the dried beans, place them in a covered pot, add lots of water, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the beans gently simmer until they are tender. I check the pot every 30 minutes or so. When the beans are getting close to being done, I add salt to the water.

When the beans are finished cooking, I take the pot off heat and just let the beans sit in the water until I’m ready to add them to the chili.

(I realize my way of cooking beans goes against convention. Soak the beans the night before, etc. But most of the time, I am not efficient enough to know the day before what I am going to serve for dinner the next evening. That takes planning. I just happen to take a much more relaxed approach to the whole undertaking.)  

OVEN BAKED PORK CHOPS WITH RICE AND MUSHROOMS

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I hate dry pork chops. Absolutely hate them. And that’s just what I fixed the other evening when I prepared this recipe. But wait. I have a solution to the problem and that’s just what I’m going to share with you in this post. But before I provide you with what I call “pork chop enlightenment”, I’m going to start with the very reason for this recipe in the first place.

It had been a long, exhausting day of developing recipes, writing up an introduction to a post, cleaning house, and performing my 20 minute daily jazzercise workout.  So the thought of cooking dinner that evening brought with it absolutely no enthusiasm. (Usually I’m gung-ho to start cooking. But not this evening.) But I had defrosted two lovely pork chops, and they were patiently waiting on my drain board to be transformed into a culinary tour de force. (Right, like that was about to happen!) Anyway……..

What I really wanted was for dinner to almost cook itself. So I decided a dish that contained both meat and side, then slapped in the oven to finish cooking, was as close to not really cooking as I could get. That and a simple roasted veggie dish, and dinner was served. So I started throwing ingredients together and came up with this winning combination.

I decided to fry the pork chops until they were nicely browned (I apparently still had a modicum of culinary prowess left in my tired old body), and then throw them on top of the rice while the whole mess cooked in the oven. But like I stated above, the pork chops came out way too dry. So how to fix that for next time? Because there was sure to be a next time. The overall dish was just too good not to make again in the future. So, really, how to fix the pork chop problem? Simple remedy. Don’t bloody bake the pork chops so long! Duh Patti!

For perfect pork chops, the internal temperature should never exceed 145 degrees. (My pathetic pork chops, although I never actually checked, must have clocked in at 350 degrees! What was I thinking?!?!)

So if you too could use a recipe for a really easy main dish to fix after an enervating day, give this dish a try. You will absolutely love the rice. In fact, the rice alone could easily be prepared without any regard to the delicate sensibilities of pork chops everywhere. Just a simple, but delicious side dish.

As always – stay safe, stay secure, and keep having fun in your kitchen.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 lg. thick boneless pork chops (about 1 pound) – all fat removed and cut in half

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T. unsalted butter

1 c. long grain white rice

¼ c. chopped yellow onion

¼ c. chopped celery

8-10 button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

½ tsp. ground dried mushroom powder*

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

pinch paprika  

2¼ c. beef stock

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Heat the olive oil in a small fry pan. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place the pork chops in pan.  Fry until they are nicely browned on both sides.  You aren’t cooking them all the way through. You just want the nice brown color on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium sized covered Dutch oven or pan that can be used on a cook top as well as placed in the oven. Add the rice along with the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Stir and cook until the rice begins to brown slightly and the onion, celery, and mushrooms soften a bit. Stir in the ground dried mushroom powder, granulated garlic, paprika, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce.

Cover and bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the lid, place pork chops on top of rice mixture, and continue baking uncovered until the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.

   

BAKED TERIYAKI PORK TENDERLOIN

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And yes, I forgot to garnish the meat with sliced green onions before I took this picture. But I was hungry, and in a hurry to get dinner on the table. But the green onions were great in our scramble this morning. Sometimes the old lemons/lemonade thing is just what is needed.

I love teriyaki. I love chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, shrimp teriyaki, halibut teriyaki, the list goes on and on. But, and this is a big but, to make a great teriyaki dish, you have to start with a really, really good teriyaki sauce. And this my friends, is the best teriyaki sauce I have ever made. Or eaten for that matter!

I found this teriyaki sauce recipe (actually classified as a glaze) by Emeril Lagasse when I was looking for a new recipe for halibut. After making and posting Emeril’s fabulous halibut recipe (Baked Teriyaki Halibut), I thought at the time that the sauce would also work beautifully for other meat or seafood dishes. I hate to brag, but I was spot on in my thinking.

So yesterday I got a hankering for a teriyaki dish. I decided to use the lone pork tenderloin I had been eying every time I opened my freezer door. We love pork tenderloin BTW. So it sounded really yummy to combine the same teriyaki sauce recipe I prepared for the halibut dish, with this lean, mouth-watering hunk of succulent pork.  

So that’s just what I did. And I am so glad I prepared this last evening. It was an easy dish to throw together. And the flavor was beyond excellent. The pork was tender because I only baked it to 145 degrees. (Any longer in the oven and it would have tasted like teriyaki jerky. Which in and of itself is lovely, but not what I was going for last evening.) So be careful not to ever overbake a pork tenderloin.

Anyway, the flavor of the marinated pork was marvelous, the texture perfect, and the sauce lightly dolloped on plain steamed rice was like a gift from the teriyaki Gods. Served with Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad), our evening meal was a pleasure. (See recipe below.)

So to all of you cooks out there who are valiantly trying to keep your family well fed through this most difficult time, I salute you. This coronavirus pandemic is crazy difficult. But don’t hesitate to prepare this recipe, although it’s crazy too. But in the case of this pork tenderloin dish, it’s crazy good!

As always – peace and love to all.   

1/3 c. mirin or rice wine

½ c. low sodium Tamari or soy sauce

1 T. sugar

2 tsp. minced fresh gingerroot

1 garlic clove, finely minced

pinch cayenne

1 pork tenderloin, silver skin* and extra fat removed, then cut in half lengthwise

sliced green onions, garnish

Combine the mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and cayenne in a small saucepan. Pour about a third of the mixture into the bottom of a baking pan. (I use a 9×9-inch Pyrex dish.) Place the tenderloin halves on the sauce and turn to coat. (If need be, cut the tenderloin halves to fit into the pan in a single layer.) Marinate for 1 hour on the first side. Flip the meat and marinate for another hour or 2, or until you are ready to place in the oven.

Meanwhile, bring the rest of the teriyaki sauce to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until reduced a bit. Remove from heat and set aside.  

Bake the tenderloin in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 9-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and loosely tent with foil for about 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal.  Serve garnished with green onions. Pass the remaining teriyaki sauce. Great served with Sunomono. (See recipe below)

* The silverskin is sinew on one side of the pork tenderloin and looks like thin, silvery fat.  You need to remove it because it will become tough and chewy when cooked.  To remove the silver skin, slip a very thin, sharp knife in between the silver skin and the meat, then cut it all away. Take care to just remove the silver skin and not a lot of the beautiful meat itself!

SUNOMONO (JAPANESE CUCUMBER SALAD)

2 T. white distilled vinegar (that’s right, the old fashioned kind)

2 T. sugar

pinch kosher salt

1 English cucumber, partially peeled and very thinly sliced

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. When ready to serve, pour the cooled dressing over the cucumber making sure each slice is coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLE SPAGHETTI

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You know the old saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, well that doesn’t necessarily apply to “older” cooks like myself. Because I learned a terrific new trick when I found the foundation for this recipe on the inspiredtaste.net website.

Ever heard of dried mushroom powder? Well, if you have congratulations. But why in the heck didn’t you let me in on the secret? Of course if you’ve never heard of it either, you’re off the hook. But boy oh boy, regardless, you are going to be very glad you are reading this post today.  

Dried mushroom powder is the real deal. And to think I’ve been using dried mushrooms for years, but never thought to grind them up. Bogles my mind to realize the number of things I do know about cooking, compared to the extraordinary amount of ingredients, techniques, cooking secrets, etc. I have yet to learn. It’s so exciting! I absolutely love to learn. And if it’s about food, well then, all the better! But before I learn and share any more culinary secrets with which to thrill and amaze you, let’s talk more about dried mushroom powder. And yes, it’s just like it sounds. Dried mushrooms finely ground in a blender or spice grinder.

But why bother to make dried mushroom powder you might ask. Why not just use re-hydrated pieces of dried mushrooms in this or any other recipe? Well there are two very good reasons. 1) Dried mushroom powder adds an extra depth of flavor to dishes without adding bulk or texture. Great in soups, stews, pasta sauces, or any dish that might benefit from a bit of umami* (savory or “meaty”) flavor. 2) Not everyone likes mushrooms. And finding a piece of dried mushroom in a dish might be enough to make them unwilling to even give the dish a try. But when added as an ingredient that they can’t see, well, all’s fair in love and fine dining as far as I’m concerned.

And speaking of fine dining – this pasta dish is so good as to be outrageous. Easy to prepare, takes little time to cook, and looks like a million dollars.

So please give it a try. And as far as dried mushroom powder goes, I really couldn’t taste any fungi in the sauce. But there was just this “something” that added richness without smacking you in the face with its inclusion. Some might use the word “subtle” even. But that may even be too strong a word. Oh heck, just make this dish and see for yourself. And yes, I will be adding mushroom powder to many of the dishes I serve from now on. Both new and old favorites.

So as always – peace, love, and great pasta to all.       

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

1 c. chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced  

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. fennel seed

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T. tomato paste

1 (28-oz.) can whole or diced tomatoes (Italian if possible)

1 c. drained and roughly chopped roasted red peppers

1 T.  mushroom powder, opt. – see note below (I used ground porcini mushrooms)

1 c. small chunks of zucchini or yellow squash

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked al dente (save some of the water)

4 loosely packed cups of cut spinach leaves

1/3 c. fresh basil chiffonade

grated Parmesan, Pecorino-Romano, or Asiago cheese for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage, breaking it up as it browns. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a container. Set aside.

Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until translucent; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the oregano, fennel seed, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, roasted red peppers, mushroom powder, and zucchini chunks. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 5-10 minutes. As the sauce cooks, use a spoon to break up the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces for a chunky sauce. Stir in the cooked sausage. Let burble for a couple minutes.

Take the sauce off the heat. Stir in the spinach and basil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss in the al dente spaghetti, and leave alone for a minute or so to allow the pasta time to absorb some of the sauce and to let the spinach wilt. (If the pasta seems dry, add about a quarter cup of the pasta cooking water. Still dry, a bit more water.) Toss again, serve, and pass the grated cheese. 

Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.

* Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, bitter, salty, and sour. It was classified as such over a century ago and is best described as a savory or “meaty” flavor. The word “umami” in Japanese means “a pleasant savory taste.”

BROWN SUGAR AND MUSTARD BAKED PORK TENDERLOIN

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So let’s talk pork tenderloin. One of the most delicious, reasonably priced, super lean, easily adaptable to either baking or grilling cuts of meat there is. And who doesn’t love those qualifications? Well maybe you. But for me, pork tenderloin is a lifesaver. There are just endless possibilities when it comes to preparation. Some recipes require marinating. Some require a fancy sauce. Some require you to baste the meat as if bakes or while it is being grilled. But lucky for you and me, this recipe that comes from theseasonedmon.com site, with my addition of granulated garlic, has no such requirements.

This recipe is so darned simple I was almost reluctant to fix it the other evening. But I was tired (why I don’t know, since I have been practically inert while social distancing from the world) so I didn’t feel like spending much time in the kitchen. So I slapped the brown sugar, etc. together. Slathered the meat with this simple concoction. And threw the whole mess in the oven as instructed.

After the allotted baking time, I removed the pork from the oven, let it rest before slicing, and served it with – wait – I don’t even remember what I served it with. I was that tired. Anyway, I do remember that the pork was really, really delicious. And the next day when I warmed it for lunch, it was perfect. Still tender. Still tasty. In fact, I was really sorry when it was all gone. Next time I will fix 2 tenderloins so we will have planned overs for more than 1 meal. Yes – it was just that good!

So if you are looking for a really easy way to prepare pork tenderloin, prepare this recipe. It’s a real winner. Not the most gorgeous presentation you will ever lay your eyes on. But so what. Sometimes presentation is overrated. I know with my own personal presentation, the package sure ain’t what it used to be. But I’m still the same gal under all those wrinkles. So don’t judge this tenderloin just by the picture above. Just like with older people like me, there’s sometimes a lot more going on than meets the eye. (And in my case – thank God for that!)

As always – love, laughter, good health, and happy eating to all.   

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. yellow mustard (can use Dijon in a pinch)

pinch granulated garlic

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin, silverskin* and extra fat removed 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the brown sugar, mustard, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper together.

Line a small rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Lightly coat the foil or parchment paper with cooking spray. Place pork on the prepared pan and pat dry with paper towels. Rub brown sugar mixture all over the pork.

Bake pork for 20-30 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from oven and loosely tent with foil. Allow the meat to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal. 

* The silverskin is sinew on one side of the pork tenderloin and looks like thin, silvery fat.  You need to remove it because it will become tough and chewy when cooked.  To remove the silverskin, slip a very thin, sharp knife in between the silver skin and the meat then cut it all away. Take care to just remove the silverskin and not a lot of the beautiful meat itself!

CREAMY BACON, CORN, POTATO, AND CHEESE CHOWDER

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Sorry about the photograph. Just know that I am currently in contention for the worlds’ worst photographer award. Wish me luck!

So being a bit short on milk (and not wanting to make a special trip to the grocery store), but still wanting a cheesy bacon soup for dinner, I went searching for a new recipe for an old favorite. And boy am I glad I did. But before I go any further, I want to make an unpaid, unsolicited statement. I love that I can go online and find recipes like this one (thank you skinnytaste.com) without leaving the comfort of my desk chair. No fumbling through numerous cook books with the hope of finding what I need. No having to invent every aspect of a dish. (I’m getting lazy in my old age.) No having to pay even a single penny for a recipe. Just quick and easy access to wonderful recipes. So to all my fellow cooks out there sharing their recipes, I say thank you so much. You have made my life so much easier. And I truly appreciate all the effort you went into on my behalf. There, I feel better now because it just had to be said! But back to this recipe.

What I needed was a way to create a creamy consistency for chowder without using milk as the base for the creaminess. (I hope that makes sense to you.) So when I read this recipe that used pureed cauliflower as a thickening agent, I knew I had hit upon not only a great new concept for this recipe, but also for other recipes. The first one to come to mind was stew. Instead of taking out some of the broth and making either a flour or cornstarch slurry, I could use pureed cauliflower in its place. And cauliflower is good for us. It’s a cruciferous vegetable that is naturally high in fiber and B-vitamins. It provides antioxidants and phytonutrients that can protect against cancer. It also contains fiber to enhance weight loss and digestion, choline that is essential for learning and memory, and many other important nutrients.

So the end result of my using this recipe rather than my other recipe on this site entitled Bacon, Corn, and Cheese soup, is that I used only ½ cup of my precious milk rather than 2 cups. And bottom line. We could not taste the cauliflower at all. Plus I had cauliflower that really needed to be eaten. So joy of joys. I learned a new trick and used an ingredient that was both healthy and deserving of my attention.

So if you would like to make a lovely tasty chowder in the near future, this is the recipe for you. And yes, I still used some flour and cornstarch to thicken the chowder, but very little milk, which was my main concern. So enjoy this recipe my friends. And stay happy and focused on staying healthy. The old saying “this too shall pass” couldn’t be more relevant that what we are all living through right now.

6 lean thick strips of bacon, diced

½ c. chopped onion

2 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced

2 T. all-purpose  

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 c. chicken broth

2 small potatoes, diced

12-oz. cauliflower, including stem, cut into 3 or pieces

2 c. frozen corn kernels

½ c. whole milk

1 T. cornstarch

3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese (loosely packed), or more to taste

Place bacon in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot and sauté over medium heat until well cooked and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl. Set aside.

With the pot still over medium heat, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic, add thyme, salt, and pepper; cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the broth, potatoes, and cauliflower pieces. With a wooden spoon, stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to get all those delicious brown bits. Bring the pot to a boil then decrease to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. (You want the cauliflower to be fork tender.)

Transfer the cauliflower and 2 cups of the broth to a flat bottomed bowl. Using an immersion blender, whirl the cauliflower and broth until pureed. Transfer puree back to the pot.

Add the frozen corn and a slurry made with the milk that has been whisked together with the cornstarch. Mix, then simmer until the soup is hot and thick. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and cooked bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Nice served with garlic toast or homemade bread that has been toasted and liberally spread with butter.

PANCETTA AND KALE PASTA WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

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OK, I know some of you don’t have pancetta just lying around, or kale for that matter. But if you do, you just have to make this dish. I found it (slightly modified by yours truly of course), on the – theviewfromgreatisland site.

OMG – this is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted. And to think, one of the main ingredients is that annoying green veggie kale that every health conscious cook is trying to slam down everyone’s throat! How is it even possible that kale is so good in this dish? (I can hear what you’re thinking, because I was a bit concerned myself.) Not only is it completely possible; it’s the reality! Kale is perfect in this dish. Really! In fact, next time I plan to use even more kale (and yes you read that right) in with the same amount of other ingredients. It was that darned good!

I frankly have no more to say about this recipe. Just make it at your earliest convenience. Except I should add one more piece of advice. Mr. C. and I ate every bit of this pasta last evening. So if you are fixing for a family or you want to have planned overs, you better double the recipe. Consider yourself warned!

Stay healthy everyone. And keep cooking. It helps keep you grounded (in more ways than one!)

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. chopped pancetta* (the leaner the better)  

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2-3 c. thinly sliced kale (loosely packed)  

¼ c. whole milk

¼ tsp. lemon zest

4 tsp. lemon juice  

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

¼ to ½ c. pasta cooking water

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked al dente

grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or  Asiago cheese, for serving

Heat the olive in a large frying pan. Add the pancetta and sauté over medium-low heat until crispy and fully cooked. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute.  

Add the kale to the pan, toss with the pancetta and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes or until the kale is wilted and lightly cooked.

Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir well to combine. While the pasta finishes cooking, ladle about a quarter cup of the pasta water into the frying pan. Bring to a light simmer. Using a pair of tongs, lift the al dente pasta into the frying pan. Toss to combine. If needed, add additional water. (I found that I needed about a half cup of the pasta water last evening.)   

Serve with grated cheese.

*I find great pancetta at Grocery Outlet. It comes in a large package that contains several end pieces. The pancetta is lean and I like the fact that I can cut the meat into the size pieces I need for whatever dish I am preparing. I also like the fact that buying it at Grocery Outlet saves me about 90% off regular grocery stores.