pork tenderloin with roasted winter vegetables

This healthy one-dish meal was inspired by a recipe I found in February's Gourmet magazine (the "quick meals" section is surprisingly helpful). Instead of limiting this to roasted fennel wedges, I added some carrots and parsnips, which I roasted separately for 15 minutes before adding to the pot with the tenderloin. I also skipped the fennel seeds - thought I had them in the pantry but they were carraway. Delicious and honestly ready in less than 30 minutes.

Grocery list: 1 tsp fennel seeds (left out), 1-2 pounds pork tenderloin, 2 fennel bulbs, olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 2T butter, 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice. Also added: 3 parsnips, 2 carrots.



If you're going to add the winter vegetables, clean them first, then slice them into spears.



Roast parsnips and carrots at 425 degrees, turning every 5 minutes, for 15 minutes.



To prep a fennel bulb, first cut off the fronds, then cut it in half. There's a really tough little inner core that you want to remove, because it won't soften up like the rest of the fennel slices when they cook.



Thinly slice the fennel, then smash and thinly slice the garlic. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper on all sides.



Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloin in olive oil to brown it on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. Remove to a plate.



Cook the fennel and garlic for 5-6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and butter.



Transfer the roasted parsnips and carrots from the baking sheet into the dutch oven.



Return the tenderloin to the dutch oven, nestling it right into the vegetables. Place everything in the oven, uncovered, and immediately set the temperature down to 375 degrees. Roast until the internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees.



Allow it to rest, then slice. While it's resting, if the vegetables still contain a lot of juice, move the pan to a medium flame on the stove and cook until the liquid reduces down to a thick consistency. I like to return the pork to the main dish, along with any meat juices that collect on the carving board, so everything stays warm.



I served this alongside the buttermilk fantail rolls that I learned how to make in this same issue of Gourmet. I've actually been baking a lot lately, but am waiting till I perfect a few of these bread recipes before blogging them.

bacon wrapped maple pork loin

First, an apology/excuse... I've been (and still am) traveling to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a work trip. As with all other work trips, I cooked up a storm before leaving (both so A would not starve in my absence, and also so I'd have some photos and recipes to blog about when I'm up at 4am with jet lag and nothing to occupy my time but the indiscernible plotlines of Bollywood movies). But this trip, I've just been so busy, and more homesick than usual, so I've been avoiding the pictures of familiar comforting foods. Without further procrastination, here is an amazing recipe I found on Epicurious for a roasted pork loin. It is certainly not meant to be cooked, portioned and then frozen, but I'm happy to report that this is what I had to do out of necessity, and A has informed me it worked perfectly well. Note that you'll need between 8 and 24 hours to brine the pork before roasting it.

Grocery list: (for the brine) 1/3 cup kosher salt, 2 T maple syrup, black peppercorns, 2 sprigs fresh sage, garlic, 1 bay leaf, 3-4 pound boneless pork loin roast; (for the roast) 3 garlic cloves, 2 T finely chopped fresh sage, 3 T maple syrup, bacon slices, 1 T cider vinegar.



To make the brine, combine the salt with 8 cups of water, a smashed garlic clove, a couple sprigs fresh sage, a bay leaf, 1 T of syrup, and a large pinch of black peppercorns. The original says to heat this all in a saucepan over the stove, but to save some of the dishwashing, I placed this in the bowl I normally use to brine things (meaning, a big one), and heated it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for an hour.



Submerge the pork loin in the bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours and up to 24.



When it's time to roast the pork, remove it from the brine and pat it dry. Make a paste of 3 minced garlic cloves, the sage, and 1 T of the syrup.



Rub this over the top and sides of the pork.



Lay strips of bacon across the pork to cover the top - the original calls for 16 slices but I only needed to use 6. Tuck the ends of the bacon underneath the pork. Roast at 350 degrees on the center rack of the oven until the pork is 140 degrees (this took a little over an hour).



Make the glaze by mixing the remaining syrup with the cider vinegar, then brush this over the pork. Return to the oven and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the pork is 150 degrees (this was about 15 more minutes for me).



When the roast is done, remove from the oven but leave it resting in the pan for about 15 minutes. This will allow the pork to reabsorb some of its juices. The original recipe provides instruction for cooking up a simple au jus from the pan juices mixed with more syrup and cornstarch, but I decided to skip this. If you end up trying it, let me know how it turns out. Slice the roast on the diagonal to serve.

crispy pork chops with sage cream gravy

I've had this old Rachel Ray recipe on file for a long time now, and it keeps getting put to good use. I was never a fan of pork chops (from childhood, if you asked "do you want pork chops for dinner?", all I heard was "do you want bricks of glue and sawdust charred for 45 minutes on an open flame, with a minuscule side of ketchup to try and swallow it down with?"). But I do understand it's a good source of protein, and the boneless center cut loin has about the same stats as a chicken breast. And there's nothing like a little bit of crispy panko to help you get over a food phobia, right? This is actually not as unhealthy as it sounds - the gravy is made with whole milk (not cream), thickened up with an olive oil and flour roux, and the pork is pan-fried and then baked. I didn't even need the ketchup.

Grocery list: 4 boneless center cut pork loins, whole milk, egg, panko, sage, parsley, flour, parmesan.



Mix the panko, parmesan, some of the parsley and sage in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the pork chops one at a time).



To bread the pork, dip first into the egg (whisked first of course), then press into the panko mixture.



Add 2 T of olive oil to a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and fry the pork chops for 5 minutes per side.



Move the pork chops to a wire rack set over a baking sheet (this will keep them from getting soggy on the bottom while they cook in the oven). Bake at 400 degrees for 10 more minutes, while you whip up the cream sauce.



Add another 1 T oil to the same pan, and whisk in 3 T of flour.



Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk.



Mix the remaining parsley and sage into the cream sauce, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately over the pork chops.

apple cider-braised pork shoulder

Like most people, the recession is having an impact on the food I eat. But instead of giving up on the "slow movement" entirely, I'm really trying to learn to cook cheaper cuts of meat in creative ways. Some of these experiments have been failures - I don't have the heart to post the cranberry mushroom brisket that seemed so promising but was tough and boring - but this pork shoulder was a decisive win. I think most of the time people use shoulder for pork barbeque, but I didn't have the time to babysit the grill for 4 hours. This recipe (from Epicurious) was great, since you only have about 10 minutes of prep time, then the roast cooks slowly in the oven. The meat was really tender, and until I make the mistake of looking up nutrition facts for pork shoulder, this is going in the rotation.

Grocery list: 3-4 pound pork shoulder, 2 garlic cloves, 3/4 cup apple cider, 5 large onions, olive oil.



Thinly slice the garlic, then cut slits into the pork shoulder. Insert the pieces of garlic in the slits. Season all over with salt and pepper.



Heat 1 T olive oil in a large dutch oven, then brown the pork for about 1 minute per side. Remove the pork shoulder to a plate.



Heat another T olive oil in the pan, then saute the onions (sliced lengthwise) for 10 minutes, or until they start to caramelize. Stir in the apple cider.



Place the pork back in the pan, cover tightly with foil (or the dutch oven lid, if you have the oven-safe handle), and roast for 325 degrees. The recipe calls for 2.5-3 hours, but use a meat thermometer to be safe.



Remove the roast, and if the onion mixture is still more liquid-y than syrup-y, heat over medium-high flame until reduced. Shred the pork and serve with the sauce. I also made sweet potato fries and garlic chard - they tasted great but the pork's sauce can make the fries soggy. Fair warning...

slow cooked ribs with lisa's secret* barbecue sauce

*That is, secret until I posted it here (sorry Lisa, this is too good to NOT share!). Cooking ribs in a simmering slow cooker all day seems like a great idea at first: as minimal prep work as it gets, and you have the most delicious fall-off-the-bone tender ribs you've ever tried. The only caveat? Having to sit around and smell ribs cooking for 8 straight hours. Not a big deal unless, like me, you work from home. Anyway, the best part of these ribs is the sauce. And for me, the best part of the sauce is hearing Lisa (A's mom) TALK about the sauce. A is the oldest of 3 boys, so when Lisa tells me how to cook anything, it's always "the boys used to love this." With the ribs, it's "when the boys were all home, I used to have to make 3 crockpots full, I'd have to quadruple the sauce recipe, the boys ate 40 pounds of meat each" etc. I don't know why, but I absolutely love stories about "the boys". Anyway, try this sauce, and you'll know why a mom of 3 200+ pound "boys" has to make 4x or more of the recipe. It's that good.

Grocery list: however many rack(s) of ribs you want to cook - one full rack baby back ribs serves 2-3, technically. Ask the butcher to cut the membrane off the back for you and it will save you a lot of work at home. For the sauce (I make a double batch to cook the ribs in, and another double batch for dipping later on), per batch: 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 medium onion finely chopped, 1.5 T worchestershire, 1 T white vinegar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp mustard, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt.



If you're making the sauce for the crockpot, you don't need to cook it first, just mix everything well and drop it in on top of the ribs. Set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low, and then vacate the premises lest you drive yourself crazy with how good it smells. When the ribs are almost done, you can make another batch of the sauce - heat it in a small saucepan on the stove at a low simmer for about 20-30 minutes (the onions will get super tender and all the flavors meld together the longer you let it cook).



This is what the ribs look like when they're almost done. (Note to self: never blog on an empty stomach, especially NOT about ribs.)

roasted pork with leeks

I didn't grow up eating a lot of pork, and on those rare occasions I remember dry bone-in pork chops grilled with barbeque sauce. Only in the last year or so have I realized that I've been missing out. This particular recipe may take 2 hours to cook, but it's very hands-off. The meat is so tender it falls apart under your fork, due to roasting with a simple mix of leeks, a pat of butter, and white wine. This is one of my staple dishes, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

Grocery list: 2-3 pound center cut pork tenderloin or center cut roast, 2 pounds of leeks (3 or 4 big ones), butter, white wine.



Start by cleaning the leeks. Chop off the tough green leaves (approximately the top half of the stalk), and the tip of the root end. Slice lengthwise. Run under cool water, separating the leaves gently to rinse out all the dirt in between them -- but don't pull apart the leaves entirely or it will be a lot harder to chop. Next, chop the leeks into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a big bowl of cold water, and crunch the chopped leeks with your hands to release any little particles of dirt remaining. Rinse one more time to be sure.



Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper, and remove the contents of the dutch oven to a separate bowl. Increase the heat to medium-high and add another tablespoon of butter to the pan. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper, then sear for about 1 minute per side.



Pour 1/2 cup white wine into the pan, and stir around the pork loin to help loosen the brown bits. Dump all the leeks back on the top and sides of the pork, turn the heat down to just-barely-on, cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes (or longer, if you use a single center cut roast instead of 2 tenderloins, it may take 2 hours). Slice the pork and serve with the leek sauce on top.

stuffed pork chops & grilled polenta

I don't normally watch cooking shows, but my sister and I caught a few minutes of a Tyler Florence episode yesterday that made me want to try his recipe for stuffed pork chops (Anthony said the guy lost all credibility when he endorsed a menu for Applebee's, but this looked so good I have to ignore that little detail).

Tyler used bone-in chops, but I prefer the center cut boneless variety -- just make sure they're really thick. For each chop, you need a slice of fontina cheese and a slice or 2 of prosciutto. You'll also need a box of polenta (look in the rice/pasta aisle), a few handfuls of red seedless grapes, thyme sprigs, butter, cream and parmesan.


I soaked the chops in a brine while I made the polenta and prepped everything else (about 30 minutes; put the chops in a gallon size ziploc with a handful of sugar, salt, and a sprig of thyme, then put the bag in the fridge). Cook the polenta according to the package directions, or make grit cakes, if you prefer. When the polenta is done cooking, stir in a 1/4 cup of cream, a handful of grated parmesan, salt, pepper, and 2-3 T butter. Spread into a square pyrex dish and put in the fridge to cool/harden.

Preheat the oven to 425, then stuff the chops -- remove from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Cut an opening (see the picture), and move the knife around on the inside to create a pocket. I wrapped the fontina slice with the prosciutto to easily stuff it down in the pocket. Heat some olive oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over med-high heat. Cook the pork chops for about 6-8 minutes (sear both sides basically), then place the skillet in the oven to roast the chops for 5-10 minutes more. Since mine were so thick I ended up cooking a full 10 minutes in the oven. I also put a big bunch of seedless grapes right on top of the pork chops before putting the pan in the oven, drizzled with olive oil and salt/pepper. This roasts the grapes so you have a sweet contrast to the salty pork dish.

While they are roasting, you cut the polenta into squares, brush with olive oil, and grill on a grill pan till they are brown. To serve the entire dish, place a pork chop on top of the polenta, grapes on the side (I served with a simple arugula salad on the side as well). You definitely won't find anything this good at Applebee's...

hoisin pork roast with rice and sesame broccoli

I'm a little obsessed with my slow cooker (known around my house as the silver bullet, although I'm not sure if I can continue calling it that now that my friend Teddy has pointed out what the term "silver bullet" means around her own establishment...). I just got it 2 months ago, so I'm still in that phase of wanting to try everything at least once. If you put a slow cooker recipe in front of me, I'm compelled to make it.

This one I saw in a Rachael Ray magazine. It turned out well enough, but I'm personally not as big a fan of hoisin sauce as I thought. I think I'll try this recipe again but with a sweeter sauce. Or, like I do with barbeque pork ribs in the silver bullet, make a batch of fresh sauce when the cooking is done. This one calls for the sauce left in the cooker to be reused, and maybe that just grossed me out a bit?

Here's the recipe: tie up one big (2-3#) pork loin roast (it won't look like it needs to be tied when it's raw, but trust me, it will fall completely apart when it starts to cook if you don't tie it at least a couple of times), the put in the slow cooker. Mix sauce in a bowl: 1 bottle (10 oz) hoisin sauce or duck sauce -- I'll have to try the duck sauce next time, bet it's sweeter -- plus 3 smashed garlic cloves, 2 T grated fresh ginger, 1 T chili paste, 1 T rice wine vinegar, 1 T soy sauce, 2 tsp dark sesame oil, 4 tsp cornstarch. Pour this over the meat, set the cooker for 8 hours on low.

When it's done, you take the roast out and set on a platter for a few minutes to rest, then slice it, sprinkle with a little chopped scallions and cilantro, serve over jasmine rice w/extra sauce.

I also made a simple recipe for broccoli from the Moosewood cookbook -- steam a bunch of broccoli florets, then toss with a simple dressing made of 2 parts rice wine vinegar + 1 part dark sesame oil. Salt, pepper, a few red pepper flakes, and shake some sesame seeds on top = nice new way to have broccoli.

(Here's a pic of the silver bullet. What a beautiful baby.)