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Pork

Dinner, Italian, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Sauces

Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca

May 27, 2018

Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca is typically made with veal, however, pork tenderloin (and chicken breasts) is easier to find, especially here on Maui.  Pork tenderloin is our choice for this “deconstructed” version of the dish as it is lean, tender, and lends itself well to flavorful sauces such as this one with sherry, aromatic sage, garlic, and a crispy, salty prosciutto topping.  A simple fresh tomato pasta pairs well with the saltimbocca though roasted potatoes or rice pilaf would be equally delicious.

Prosciutto

Pre-cut packaged prosciutto is easy to work with and fries up nice and crispy.  If you prefer to order from your deli counter, ask them to cut the prosciutto into thin slices.  If the prosciutto is cut too thick, it won’t be very crispy once fried.  Note: don’t skimp on the crispy prosciutto!

Cremini Mushrooms

Creminis are one of my favorite mushrooms. They are flavorful, meaty and do not expel much liquid once they are cooked.  White button mushrooms can be substituted if you are unable to find creminis.

Fresh Sage Leaves

Use fresh sage leaves for this recipe.  Most markets sell sage in small bags year round.

Sherry & Mushroom Sauce

The secret ingredient to this luxurious sauce, or any brown sauce for that matter, is demi-glace.  I always have a jar on hand from Williams Sonoma. Once I open the jar, I divvy it up into mini plastic containers then freeze them to use as needed.  The demi-glace is essential for making this sauce especially rich and flavorful.

Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca

Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Adapted from Cuisine at Home
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1½ ounces prosciutto, diced
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
  • 1 tablespoon veal or beef demi glace (whisked with a few tablespoons of the chicken broth then added back to the remainder of the broth)
  • ½ cup dry sherry (or Marsala)
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or unsalted butter)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
Preparation
  1. Slice pork tenderloin into ¾-inch thick pieces. Pound each piece into ⅓-inch thick medallions. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add prosciutto and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook pork medallions until browned, about 2 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees with an instant read thermometer. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
  3. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan and sauté mushrooms until they are nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
  4. Deglaze pan with sherry and broth mixture, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-heat (a good simmer) and cook sauce until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4-5 minutes.
  5. Stir in butter and sage. Return pork medallions to the sauce and warm gently. Transfer pork and sauce to a serving dish and top with crispy prosciutto.

 

Dinner, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Veggies

Ginger Pork Udon with Baby Bok Choy

April 12, 2018

Ginger Pork Udon with Bok Choy

One of the best restaurants here in Maui is Star Noodle.  They feature a superb eclectic Asian menu that we enjoy each time we dine there.  We particularly enjoy one of their noodle dishes: “Lahaina Fried Soup.” The combination of savory ground pork and fresh noodles is irresistible. I was looking for a dish with a similar flavor profile when I discovered this recipe. With perfectly seasoned pork, chewy udon noodles, and crisp baby bok choy, it is a dish I will be making often. The original recipe by Melissa Clark at NYT Cooking calls for rice noodles but I couldn’t resist fresh udon made by Sun Noodles, the renowned artisan noodle producer.

Fresh Udon

Sun Noodles originated in Honolulu in the late 1980’s.  Today, they make more than 600 types of noodles, many of which were created specifically for individual ramen shops and restaurants all over the world.  Luckily, there are a few markets in Hawaii that sell a selection of their noodles for the home cook such as ramen, soba and udon.

Fresh Udon

Baby Bok Choy

With their crisp, juicy stems and tender dark green leaves, baby bok choy is a perfect vegetable for stir frying, or simply steamed and drizzled with soy sauce and sesame oil.

Ginger Pork Udon with Bok Choy

Ginger Pork Udon with Bok Choy

Ginger Pork Udon with Bok Choy
 
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Adapted from The New York Times
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound baby bok choy
  • 16 ounces fresh udon (or noodles of your choice)
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons neutral oil
  • 1 pound lean ground pork
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar, divided (not seasoned)
  • ½ cup sliced scallions, divided
  • 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
  • few dashes of red chile flakes
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • cilantro for serving
  • 1 Fresno chile or Thai chile
Preparation
  1. Trim bok choy and separate dark green tops from white stems. Leave the smaller tops whole, cut the larger ones in half. Thinly slice the stems about ⅓-inch wide.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. The fresh udon took about 4 minutes. Drain and run under cool water; drain again.
  3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a wooden spatula, until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl. Wipe the pan of any residual oil from the pork.
  4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Stir in half the scallions, finely chopped ginger, garlic, and chile flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bok choy stems and cook until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Toss in leaves and bean sprouts. Cook for another minute or two. Return pork to the skillet.
  5. Toss noodles, remaining 2½ tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and sesame oil into the pan. Cook until just warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  6. Transfer to a large wide bowl and toss with remaining scallions. Sprinkle sesame seeds and cilantro over the top, along with thinly sliced peppers.

 

Beef, Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Sandwiches

Japanese Burgers

November 26, 2016

Japanese Burger

The moment I saw this recipe from the New York Times I knew I wanted to make it right away.  I was curious to know why these were called Japanese burgers.  Upon reading the ingredients, panko bread crumbs, soy sauce, and the combination of ground beef and pork, the answer was clear.  The recipe comes from Tadashi Ono, owner of Matsuri restaurant in New York. Tadashi is Japanese.  The article also lists a recipe for wasabi (Japanese!) ketchup to go along with the burger. In the end, it didn’t matter what they called these burgers.  They are so good I just call them “ono burgers!”

Ground Sirloin & Ground Pork

Times market in Kihei sells specific types of excellent ground beef (including sirloin and chuck), rather than the usual generic version. Whole Foods market ground the pork for me while I waited at the counter.

Ground Sirloin & Ground Pork

Panko, Milk, Onion, Soy Sauce

A bit of panko and milk moisten the meat.  Very finely minced onion and soy sauce flavor the ground beef and pork along with a little salt and pepper.

Japanese Burger

These are juicy, moist burgers.  We heated leftover patties wrapped in foil in the toaster oven the following day and they were equally delicious as they were on the first day.  In place of the wasabi ketchup suggested in the article, we opted to mix up sriracha with ketchup because sriracha enhances nearly every food imaginable (pizza, noodles, eggs, mayonnaise, ketchup).

Japanese Burger

Japanese Burgers
 
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Adapted from the New York Times
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ cup panko
  • ¼ cup 2% or whole milk
  • 10 ounces ground sirloin
  • 10 ounces ground pork
  • ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • sesame oil for coating hands
  • 4 brioche buns for serving
Preparation
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs and milk and let rest for a few minutes. If the mixture seems too dry add a few extra drops of milk to moisten the bread crumbs.
  2. Add sirloin, pork, onion, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Knead the meat until it becomes sticky and binds together. Divide into 4 equal parts (a scale comes in handy).
  3. Lightly dab your hands with sesame oil. Using your palms, roll each part of the meat into a ball, then pat the ball flat, shifting it from hand to hand to form a ½-inch-thick patty. Make a shallow indentation across the center of the patty to keep it from puffing while it grills.
  4. Grill the burgers, flipping twice, until browned and cooked through with no pink in the middle, about 10 minutes (160 degrees). Serve on buns, topped with spicy ketchup and shredded iceberg lettuce.

 

 

Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Kimchi, Korean, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Rice Dishes

Kimchi & Spam Fried Rice

June 7, 2016

Kimchi & Spam Fried Rice Kimchi and Spam are staples in many households here in Hawaii.  Crunchy, pungent, spicy, kimchi pairs perfectly with a bowl of steaming rice and Korean hamburger patties.  And Spam?  Well, there are lovers and haters, just as there are for cilantro, Marmite, and anchovies…. Everyone I know loves a bowl of homemade fried rice and most would not turn down this version with kimchi, Spam and a perfectly  fried egg.  Spam may look unappealing straight out of the can, but once fried up into crispy little Spam croutons, it pairs perfectly with rice of any kind.  You ought to give it a try!

KimchiThere is an abundance of kimchi choices at the markets.  Use your favorite brand, but choose one that has a medium heat level rather than mild.

Glorious SPAM!Glorious SPAM!  I always chuckle when I see this little guy on the can.

Crispy Fried SpamFrying the Spam until each piece is perfectly crisp makes all the difference.  You won’t be able to avoid nibbling on them before they make it into the fried rice.

Kimchi & Spam Fried Rice

Kimchi & Spam Fried Rice
 
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Adapted from Kenji's Serious Eats recipe.
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 5 cups cooked jasmine rice (I use my rice cooker and the measuring cup that came with it - 2 cups uncooked rice)
  • 1½ cups finely chopped kimchi, about 325g (kimchi drained with 3 tablespoons liquid reserved)
  • canola oil
  • 1 12-ounce can Spam, cut into ½-inch dice
  • 2 cups finely diced onion
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • ⅓ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
  • fried eggs, for serving
  • 1 Fresno chili thinly sliced (optional)
  • Sriracha hot sauce, for serving
Preparation
  1. Cook rice and let cool completely. I cook my rice in the morning and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. For this dish it is better to use day old rice.
  2. Place kimchi in a mesh strainer set over a bowl. Squeeze out excess liquid (reserve 3 tablespoons liquid). Finely chop kimchi.
  3. Heat a few teaspoons of canola oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add Spam cubes and cook, tossing frequently, until well browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Wipe out wok.
  4. Add 2 teaspoons canola oil over medium heat and sauté onions until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir fry for 1 minute.Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  5. Add ½ tablespoon canola oil to wok. Increase heat to medium high and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add the rice and cook, stirring and tossing, until rice is warmed. Press rice against the sides of the wok to crisp up (like bibimbap and tag dig). Add onion and garlic mixture, kimchi, Spam, and ⅓ cup scallions tossing with rice to combine. Pour in reserved kimchi juice and season generously with black pepper. Add sesame oil, fish sauce and cilantro. Toss to combine.
  6. Serve fried rice in ceramic bowls, topped with a fried egg, reserved 1 tablespoon scallions, Fresno peppers and sriracha sauce.

 

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Sauces

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

May 5, 2016

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Virtually anything grilled with Granny’s teriyaki sauce is terrific.  Sometimes we grill tofu, sometimes chicken, occasionally fish, or in this case for the first time, pork tenderloin.  It’s such an easy meal to whip up on a week night and leftovers are more than welcome the following day.  Pork tenderloin is lean and because of its compact size, it cooks quickly which means dinner is on the table in no time.  A side of Japanese rice and baby bok choy makes the perfect meal.

Pork Tenderloin Marinating

Place the sauce and pork in a bowl, or even better, a Ziplock bag.  Refrigerate for a few hours, turning occasionally.

Grilling Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Use a gas or charcoal grill.  This time we used our gas grill and started cooking over indirect heat (to about 95 – 100 degrees internal temperature) then finished over direct heat to 145 degrees, basting occasionally with sauce. Our favorite digital thermometer the Thermapen is essential for perfect doneness. This cooking technique is also known as the reverse sear.  The traditional method is to sear the meat first and finish in the oven or on the grill over indirect heat.  The reverse sear method prevents an over done “gray” rind and the meat cooks more evenly with  a consistent  doneness and color from edge to center. Voila!  In less than half an hour our pork tenderloin is ready.

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

 

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
 
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Author:
Serves: 2 generous servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
  • Granny's teriyaki sauce
  • Reserve ¼ cup sauce for basting pork
  • Save remainder for finishing as described below
Preparation
  1. Trim pork tenderloin removing any visible fat and silver skin. Trim off the ends if they are very thin so that the pork tenderloin is of uniform size. The trimmings can be frozen for another meal (tacos!).
  2. Place pork tenderloin in a Ziplock bag with ½ cup of teriyaki sauce. Seal bag and place in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours. Turn bag occasionally so the pork is well marinated.
  3. When you are ready to grill the pork, remove it from the bag and discard marinade. Grill the pork by reverse sear method, basting occasionally with the reserved ¼ cup sauce, until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees on a digital thermometer.
  4. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved teriyaki sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the sauce becomes a bit thick and syrupy. Set aside.
  5. Let pork rest for 5 minutes then slice into ½ inch pieces. Drizzle with teriyaki sauce and serve with rice and steamed bok choy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken, Dinner, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

November 16, 2015

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersJohn has been contemplating purchasing a Weber smoker for quite some time.  The decision was made easier by Amazon, which until recently did not offer free shipping to Hawaii.  The first thing we smoked was a fresh turkey breast.  It turned out to be easy and delicious, but we didn’t take any pictures or notes, so we’ll do that another time.  This recipe comes from Jeff’s “smoking-meat” blog.  We’ve made it a couple of times and it is so tasty.  It features a nice hint of smoke, a good barbecue sauce, and tender chicken tucked inside smokey bacon.

Preparing Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersBuy thin or regular cut bacon so that it has a chance to render and crisp up a bit while in the smoker. I cut my bacon strips into three even pieces but if you have larger pieces of chicken you might cut the bacon in half.

Preparing Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken SkewersWe had one lonely piece of bacon left and a couple of potatoes lying around so into the smoker they went.

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers
 
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Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of any visible fat
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ⅓ cup of your favorite dry rub
  • 1 pound bacon
  • your favorite barbecue sauce (we like Trader Joe's)
  • wooden skewers
Preparation
  1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, about 6 pieces per chicken thigh ( 8 if you are using a large chicken thigh)
  2. Place chicken pieces in a Ziplock bag and pour about 3 tablespoons canola oil into the bag. Mix chicken and oil so that the chicken is well coated. Add ⅓ cup of your favorite dry rub to the bag. Massage the bag well so all the chicken pieces are evenly coated with dry rub. Place the bag in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  3. Place a piece of bacon on your work surface, top with a piece of marinated chicken, roll and push onto the skewer. Continue to add more bacon & chicken pieces to the skewer, leaving enough space on the skewer for turning during smoking. If you leave a bit of space between each piece of chicken, the bacon tends to crisp up better than if you push the meat together tightly.
  4. Set up your smoker for cooking at 250 degrees. Smoke the chicken for about 1 hour, brush generously with barbecue sauce, and smoke for about 30 minutes longer before removing the from the smoker.

 

 

 

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