Pork and Cauliflower Stir Fry for the Workin' Folk

Happy New Year Y'all. Mine has already started off with a bang. Work's crazy. Toddlers are crazy. Oh and all that holiday eating and drinking has left me feeling less than virtuous. Enter the stir fry. Chock full of veggies and about a million miles away from cheese-laden holiday casseroles. Not that there's anything wrong with cheese-laden casseroles, we just need to take a break from one another for a little while.

The beauty of this recipe is you can prep all the veggies and even the sauce in the morning and store them in the fridge until you're ready to make it. I bet you could even do this the night before.

Hope your new year is starting off wonderfully.

Pork and Cauliflower Stir Fry

Veg to prepare and store ahead (or use right away):
1 large shallot, sliced into thin rings
2 green onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped or cut into strips (I like one red and yellow)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets (to cook faster)

Sauce (mix the following together and chill in a small airtight container or use right away):
1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce (use low sodium if you are sensitive to salty food)
1/3 cup sake
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (I like brown rice)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Also needed:
Canola/peanut or oil of choice (I like Spectrum non GMO canola/coconut blend)
1 pound lean ground pork
1 cup rice combined with 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock in a medium stockpot with lid - bring to boil then reduce heat to low and let cook for 10-12 minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, optional

To make stir fry:
Add just enough oil of to lightly coat bottom and sides of a wok or large cast iron skillet, turning to help coat. Heat over medium/high heat and allow to warm through for one minute.

Add the ground pork and cook, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Kill the heat as you transfer the pork to a holding plate or bowl and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pan and turn the heat back onto medium/high.

Add the veggies (do not season with salt if using regular soy sauce) and sauté, using your spoon to disperse them over as much of the surface area as you can to help sear them. Cook and stir for about 7-10 minutes until you have a good sear on the veg and the cauliflower seems mostly cooked.

Return the cooked pork into the pan and pour over the prepared sauce. Crank the heat up all the way and stir everything to coat in the sauce and let it reduce and bubble away for a couple of minutes.

Serve over the prepped rice.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or red pepper flakes if desired.

Slow Cooker Pork Tikka Masala with Tomato, Coconut Milk and Cilantro

                                      

This is my new favorite thing to make and eat. I usually keep a bag of chopped onion in my freezer which makes this something I can put together in five minutes in the morning before work.

The following statement may officially make me the lamest person on the planet but remembering that dinner is already made when the work day comes to a close and I get that panicked feeling (baby needs a bath! I need a bath! What are we eating? Why is my underwear on the TV?) is the best. thing. ever. As they say a baby changes everything.

Two notes: I actually like sushi rice with this (rinsed before cooking) but any variety would work. Also this freezes beautifully even with the rice included.

Slow Cooker Pork Tikka Masala with Tomato, Coconut Milk and Cilantro

Ingredients/How to:

To a slow cooker, stir together and cook for 4 hours on low:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat and cut against the grant into thin 1/8 inch thick strips (you can often buy it already prepared this way or have your butcher do this)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika or curry (I prefer curry but both are great)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

Big handful cilantro (no need to chop) plus extra chopped for garnish

After 4 hours, stir in the following and cook another 30 minutes while you make 2 cups of prepared rice:

1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1 (14 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

After 30 minutes, turn the cooker off and stir in:

1 tablespoon honey

Serve over rice and with additional cilantro for garnish.

Crusty, Crunchy Mustard Pork Medallions

In reality these are just chicken fried pork chops, pounded flat with a mallet and well seasoned with mustard and thyme. But I find I make them (and get to eat them) more when I call them 'crusty, crunchy  mustard pork medallions' so voila.

If you're going to risk potential bodily harm and the lingering '24 hour diner' smell that comes with frying, then by all means go all the way. And all the way with this recipe means taking the time to soak the pork first in the buttermilk mustard bath. At least 6 hours or overnight.

Finally don't let the multiple steps scare you. They're all easy and if you do them in stages, it's actually a snap. You could even bread and refrigerate them a couple of hours before frying if you're  neat freak like me and don't like the idea of a ton of different breading bowls on your counter just before you sit down to eat.

Happy weekend y'all!

Crusty, Crunchy Mustard Pork Chops
Serves 2. Easily doubled.

Setup and ingredients:
2 boneless skinless pork chops, fat removed
Olive oil, or canola, for frying

Buttermilk Bath:
1/2 pint buttermilk
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon dried mustard
Pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 smashed cloves garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Grated nutmeg
pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Flour Dust:
1/2 cup flour mixed with a pinch salt and pepper (you may need more if your chops are bigger)

Egg Bath:
2 eggs, lightly beaten (again you may need more if your chops are huge)

Panko Coating:
2 1/2 cups panko
1 teaspoon dried mustard
grating fresh nutmeg

Mustard, honey mustard, or honey for serving

How to:
Mix together the buttermilk bath (buttermilk through the nutmeg and pepper flakes if using) and set aside. You can use a smaller bowl, tupperware or even a ziploc bag to hold it in.

Meanwhile, use a mallet to pound the pork to about a scant 1/4 inch. You want them uniformly pounded out - pretty thin - but not so thin that you start to make holes. It's less messy if you put them in a ziploc one at a time to pound them out.

Add the chops to the buttermilk bath, turning over so both are well coated. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or over night.

Remove from the fridge and use tongs to pull the pork out, shaking off the excess and patting lightly with paper towels. You don't need them bone dry, just not drippy. Dredge them in the flour/salt/pepper mixture getting both sides lightly coated.

Now quickly dunk each one into the egg bath, turning over to get both sides. Shake excess off lightly, then set in the panko mixture (panko tossed with dried mustard and fresh grated nutmeg), pressing into the crumbs lightly with your hands. Turn over and repeat until the chops are completely coated.

At this point, you can refrigerate them until you're ready to fry - up to 6 hours - or you can fry right away.

Fill a rimmed skillet or dutch oven about 1/4 to 1/2 inch with oil. You just want enough oil so that it comes up about halfway on the chops so don't go overboard. You can always add more.

Bring the skillet over medium high heat and let the oil heat through. You can test it by adding a pinch of panko to the pan. If it sinks, the oil isn't hot enough. If it sinks but then slowly rises to the top turning golden - you're ready.

CAREFULLY add the chops to the skillet (long tongs are best) and fry for about 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden. When cooked, transfer to some paper towels quickly patting them, then quickly to a cookie sheet so that the air can vent around them and they don't get soggy.

If you're making several or you aren't finished making your side dishes, you can keep the just fried ones in a low 200 degree oven. This will keep them nice and crispy.

Serve with yellow mustard, honey mustard, or even with honey or plain.

Gingery Noodles with Pork, Mushrooms, and Hoisin

Since leaving NYC and coming back to Austin, the one thing I have a hard time finding is good noodles. I know they're out there, I just haven't found them yet. Luckily noodles are a snap to make yourself. The amount of hoisin here can be adjusted according to your own taste and depending on the brand you use. For example, the 'real deal' thick and blackish hoisin is much sweeter and more intense than the organic American brands (like Central Market's) so if I was using that I would scale it back a bit in the quickie marinade. You can always finish the noodles with more hoisin (and/or sriracha) if you think it needs it.

Happy Mother's Day, y'all! I'm headed to Fredericksburg with my sisters and mama...

Gingery Noodles with Pork, Mushrooms, and Hoisin

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons minced or grated fresh ginger

3/4 pound thin (scallopini) boneless skinless pork chops, snipped with kitchen shears into thin strips 

garlic powder

onion powder

2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin

1/4 cup hoisin sauce, plus extra for garnish

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

pinch red pepper flakes

2 peeled carrots, cut into matchsticks or sliced into ribbons with a veg peeler

red bell pepper, diced or cut into thin strips (optional)

1/2 cup chopped green onion, plus extra for garnish

4 oz shredded cabbage mix

8 oz sliced shitake mushrooms, or button

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

canola or vegetable oil, for frying
1 package udon noodles, or in a pinch linguine or other long pasta noodle

sriracha, optional

handful chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large ziploc, throw together the ginger, sliced pork (trim the fat off first if it bothers you), garlic and onion powder, shallots, hoisin, soy, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. "Smush" around until all is well blended together and making friends. Seal and leave on your counter while you prep the rest of your ingredients.

Fill a large pot with water and bring over high heat so you can boil your noodles.

Meanwhile, gather and/or finish prepping your carrots, bell pepper, green onions, shredded cabbage, and mushrooms. Pull out your wok or large nonstick frying pan and canola oil.

Before starting the wok, add your noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente or if using udon, according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

As soon as you start your noodles, heat your frying pan or wok over medium heat and add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Once hot, add the pork and all of its marinade. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes, or until the outside of the pork is no longer pink. It doesn't (and shouldn't) have to be completely cooked through as you don't want it to dry out and you still have to sauté your veg. You just want every bit of the pork's surface to be kissed by the heat and no longer raw on the outside.

Add in your vegetables (1/2 cup green onions through the mushrooms) and continue cooking and stirring for another 3-4 minutes, just until everything comes together and the mushrooms are nice and wilted from the heat. 

Turn the heat to low and stir in your cooked, drained noodles, toasted sesame seeds and garnish of extra green onions and/or cilantro. Taste to see if you want to add in any more hoisin for sweetness/richness or some sriracha for heat and/or to 'sauce up' the pasta a bit.

Serve with additional green onions/cilantro on top if desired.

Seared Pork Chops with Prosciutto, Mushrooms, and Wine

Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (just enough to lightly coat a nonstick pan)
2 boneless pork chops, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick (neither the super thin scallopini ones nor the crazy double cut ones)
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 cup Cremini mushrooms, large ones quartered and small ones halved
1/2 cup white wine (or just enough to create a super shallow pool for the chops to sit in)
5-6 fresh sage leaves
3 slices prosciutto, folded in half length-wise and snipped into lardon (little strips) with kitchen shears
splash chicken stock
small pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
handful chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and set aside. Add the oil to a large nonstick skillet and bring over medium heat. Let heat through for a couple minutes or until the oil moves freely in the pan when tilted then carefully add the chops, leaving them alone for a couple of minutes to brown. Once you have a golden sear, flip to the other side and add in the mushrooms distributing evenly around the pan (they all need contact with the heat and oil - don't let any sit on the chops at this point.)

Stir the mushrooms occasionally around the pan while the pork browns on the second side. After 2 minutes, pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer over medium/high heat. Once simmering, add in the sage leaves, prosciutto, a splash of stock and nutmeg. Let simmer another minute, then remove the chops and set aside while you finish the sauce. Basically you want the amount of moisture to reduce a little and the prosciutto to continue to infuse its flavor for a bit longer without over cooking your chops.

Once the liquid has reduced a little (careful though to not let the pan dry out or you won't have a sauce!) - lower the heat to its lowest setting and remove from the heat a second while you stir in the butter and a teensy bit more of salt and pepper (if you're salt sensitive check it before adding.) Add the chops back into the pan, scoop some of the sauce/mushrooms/prosciutto over the chops, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and serve.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops A La Crock Pot

Don't let the ugly picture scare you away. This recipe is delish. And if the word crock pot scares you or seems a bit WT for your taste, you must have a lot more free time than I do. Please share your secret to mastering the universe in the comments section below.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops A La Crock Pot
* Serves 2, can double recipe for 4 servings.

Ingredients:
2 thick bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 smashed garlic cloves
1 inch chopped fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon orange zest, optional
chopped green onions, for garnish

Directions:
First you need to whisk all the soaking ingredients together either in a large bowl or even in a ziploc until all blended together. Gently pour into your crock pot then add the chops turning them over in the liquid to be sure every bit has been blessed. Turn the crock on low heat and cook for 6-7 hours, turning the chops occasionally to be sure every side is getting equal liquid love (I had to stack the chops on top of one another because my pot is from the 70's - you won't have this problem if yours is newer/wider.)

Check for doneness with a knife before serving and DON'T let them cook for too long past this stage or they'll get tough (if mine are cooked I'll turn the pot off for an hour or so if we're not ready to eat then turn it back on 20 minutes before serving so they warm through again.)

Serve over rice with extra juice from the pot and green onions for garnish.

Broken Spoke Pork Chops

These have no official affiliation with The Broken Spoke other than I had just come back from a late night there seeing Mr. Dale Watson with friends when I remembered we had gone to Central Market that day and bought some delicious fat and juicy pork chops. Sensing I might be hungover the next morning (who, me?), I decided there was no time like the present (3 am) to go about marinating them.

I went with my gut throwing things in the marinade that sounded good to me at that hour. Luckily those things actually tasted good the next night when we came back from the lake - starving - and threw them on the grill.

And that's the story of how these became the Broken Spoke Pork Chops. Good night. (PS - rude super huss waitress who yelled at us to leave while Dale was graciously chatting with us - you have a fat granny ass. Night y'all;)

Broken Spoke Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, rubbed between your fingers
4 small dried (Turkish) bay leaves, crumbled up with your fingers
Juice of 2 limes, reserving the bodies to cut up roughly and add to marinade
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
Good pinch red pepper flakes
Couple grinds of fresh black pepper
Fat sprig of fresh basil
2-4 bone in, healthy pork chops

Directions:
Add the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lime juice and chopped spent limes, salt, red pepper and black pepper, and basil to a large ziploc or sealing marinade bag. Close and smush everything around until well combined then immerse the chops in the marinade, turning over several times to be sure they're well coated. Refrigerate overnight - remove one hour before grilling to let the chill come off. Grill at medium/high heat for 4-5 minutes per side - depending on thickness. Remove and cover with foil to let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Mustard and Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Black Pepper, Coriander, and Thyme

Please tell me you own a mortar and pestle. Not only are they perfect for cracking spices and making marinades but they're also invaluable "I've had a bad day" therapy devices. You just mentally insert someone's face inside and go to town. It's genius. The crunch, crunch, crunch of whole spices getting obliterated underneath your hands...divine.

But enough about me and my psychosis. You don't own one, you say? Let's fix that:

Buy me!

Anyway this marinade makes me so, so happy. It's like Jesus slather for meat. I even over cooked the hell out of my pork last night and it still came out tender. And the leftovers - cold on a sandwich the next day? I'm slapping myself right now.

You probably could make this without a mortar and pestle (grind the spices in a spice grinder, mush the garlic with the back of a spoon and whip it all together) but it won't be near as gratifying as crunching and mushing and mashing together your own little witches potion. But then again you might not be as easily entertained as I am.

Mustard and Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Crushed Black Pepper, Coriander and Thyme
* This would also be fantastic with beef tenderloin or as a chicken marinade.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed with the back of a knife
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablepsoon olive oil
1/4 cup dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 nice sized pork tenderloin

Instruction:
Mash the garlic in a mortar and pestle. Add the peppercorns, coriander, dried thyme and oil, then mix and crush the seeds and pepper as much as possible creating a nice paste (you don't need to mash every single seed - just crush as many as you can.) Add the dijon and salt mixing in until well blended.

Transfer the marinade to a large ziploc. Add the tenderloin, flipping it around in the bag to make sure it's well coated. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Remove 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 375. Line a medium rimmed baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Remove the pork from the bag and scrape off any excess lumps or big chunks and excess liquid.

Roast at 375 for 25 minutes, then raise the heat to 425 and cook another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, lightly tented with foil before slicing and serving.

Porcini and Onion Gravy, for Roast Chicken

It's that time of year again. The time when I start to dream of fall... Fall weather. Fall fashion (layers! boots! oh my!) And most importantly, fall food. I wish I could say that's the reason I made roast chicken with mushroom gravy while it was 105 degrees outside but there's actually a deeper, darker explanation.

After shooting a commercial last week in Prague, I was sent to the ER. I was having a bad stomach ache which led to chest pain which led me to not be able to breathe. In hindsight I feel like a total jack ass. They couldn't find a thing wrong with me and eventually chalked it up to exhaustion and stress (we had just completed two night shoots in a row, wrapping at 6:30 am.) All I can say is, never get sick in Prague. We had been joking the whole trip that we were going to end up in a scene from the movie Hostel and the irony is that's pretty much what happened.

Everyone in the hospital smoked (doctor, nurses, interns), the ceiling was leaking, and I counted 3 spiders on the wall of the dimly lit, sallow hallway they stuck me in for an hour before finally giving me an IV. Oh and the paramedics were laughing as they loaded me up into the ambulance. Good times.

Anyway - I'm fine thanks to the best husband in the world and the best producer in the world (thank you Josh Morse!) But as soon as I got home, I just wanted to be in my kitchen cooking homey, comforting things to make me feel rooted to the ground again. This gravy was one of them - home on a plate with roasted chicken, roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and sweet potato fries. Hurray home!

Porcini and Onion Gravy
* Makes enough for 3-4 servings of roast chicken. Easily doubled.
* This gravy isn't very liquidy - it's more like an onion and mushroom confit. If you like a runnier gravy, don't let the porcini liquid evaporate as much before adding the cornstarch mixture to thicken.
* You can make this up to two days ahead and keep in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave and stir before serving.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and gently smashed
pinch dried sage
pinch kosher salt and pepper
dried bay leaf
large handful of dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce until dissolved
1 tablespoon butter
additional salt and pepper, if necessary for seasoning

Directions:
Add the butter and oil to a medium dutch oven and put over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the chopped onion and garlic cloves. Add in a pinch of kosher salt, pepper, bay leaf and dried sage. Saute, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat a little if the bottom begins to scorch, for 20-22 minutes or until the onions are nice and soft and JUST beginning to caramelize,

Meanwhile, place a handful of dried porcini mushrooms in a cup of boiling water (I just bring the water to a boil in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.) Use a spoon to press the mushrooms down into the water, then set them aside and let them soak for 20 minutes while the onions cook.

Once the onions are softened and have begun to brown a little, pour in the white wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Let bubble away, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the mushrooms and water they soaked in and boil away until most of the liquid has evaporated (leave more liquid if you prefer a more liquidy gravy.) Stir in the cornstarch/Worcestershire mixture and kill the heat. Once thickened, stir in the butter and transfer to a cool burner. Taste for salt and pepper and make any adjustments if necessary. Remove bay leaf and garlic cloves (if desired) before serving.

Serve with roast chicken or pork or beef.

Home Wrecker's Ribs. Saucy, Spicy, and just Sweet Enough to be Dangerous.

Don't you just love when you become completely obsessed with something you thought you'd have absolutely no interest in whatsoever? This just happened to me with the HBO show Game of Thrones. I remember watching the pilot with my husband in the spirit of matrimonial harmony, feigning interest while secretly betting I'd wind up surfing Bluefly. But as soon as the first scene began, I was a gonner.

What is it with HBO? It's like they've shot a probe straight into my brain and created entertainment just for little old me and my perversities. I mean how else can you explain me liking a show that looks like a testosterone-injected version of Lord of the Rings? Jason Mamoa, perhaps...

Anyway, this same phenomenon happened to me with ribs (like that segue? I'll be here all week.) It still amazes me that I went almost three decades turning my nose up at them, thinking them fatty and greasy and messy to finally realize that's exactly what makes them the best things on earth (sorry, thighs.)

And while it's damn hard to beat Martha Foose Hall's Vinegar-Mopped Ribs, I'm afraid sister's got competition with this recipe. And they're even easier to make! Just throw the marinade ingredients into an oversized ziploc, drop the ribs in, marinate overnight and then dump the whole thing - ribs and all - into a roasting pan over a sliced onion for 2 hours. No dry rub, no basting, no grilling.

Just be sure to kick the heat up for the last stretch of cooking so the meat bronzes up around the edges and those bones become nice and pliable, pulling apart without any fight. As Dolly Parton says about ribs in the movie 9 to 5, "That just wrecked my diet but it was SO worth it!"

Home Wrecker's Ribs

Ingredients:
2 lbs babyback ribs
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes, or more for more heat
Good amount fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

1 large vidalia or Spanish onion, sliced thick
additional salt and fresh cracked pepper for seasoning, just before roasting

Directions:
Add the marinade ingredients - garlic through the olive oil - to a large marinading bag, squishing around with your fingers and giving a shake to help mix together. Once all incorporated, add the ribs and turn over a couple of times to be sure all sides of all racks have been anointed. Squish out the air, seal and refrigerate overnight turning over midway.

Remove one hour before cooking off.

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large, rimmed roasting pan with nonstick spray and line with the onions (they don't have to completely cover the bottom - just provide enough lift so the ribs can sit on them and not on the bottom of the pan. Remove the ribs from the marinade bag and place over the onions, fat/meat side up (curved side down.) Pour the marinade all over and around the ribs getting every last drop out of the bag. Season the ribs over the top with a little more salt and pepper.

Transfer the ribs to the middle rack and roast at 325 for 2 hours, keeping an eye on the bottom of the pan so that it doesn't begin to burn/blacken. If it dries out, add a little water or chicken stock as needed but be careful not to flood the ribs.

After 2 hours, kick the heat up to 375, move the tray up to the top rack of your oven, and roast another 20-25 minutes until the top develops a deep, dark bronze color and the ribs separate easily when probed.

Happy BBQ Season! Martha Hall Foose's Glorious Baby Back Ribs

I have grill fever. The first day of March here in Texas is warm and sunny and not conducive to getting work done, though I am being forced to. But it's hard when you're having visions of sizzling steaks, juicy burgers, and beer can chicken sitting pretty on the grill.

My current obsession is ribs. I spent the first 30 something years of my life avoiding them, thinking them messy and fatty, and the last few years praising Jesus for those exact same traits. Now I'm making up for lost time with a vengeance, as if my whole reason for being on this earth is to try any and every iteration of them, from smoked to roasted and sauce less to those doused in thick, sweet goop.

After all, there are a lot of animals with ribs in them. And they should all fear me. I'm looking at a squirrel right now in my backyard thinking how adorable his tiny ribs would look on a plate. Just kidding - I feed possums cat food for crying out loud - but you get my drift. I'm temporarily possessed by a five hundred pound truck driver. It'll pass, I'm sure, though I kind of hope it won't.

Sunday I made baby back ribs (in the oven because I was out of propane, classic!) from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (order this on Amazon now if you don't already have it) and they turned out flipping fantastic. So good in fact that they made me want to make more and more ribs. So stay tuned.

PS - my slaw recipe, though pretty, sucked. Anyone have a good, vinegary (cause that's how I like it, y'all) recipe to share?

Happy Grilling Season!

Martha Hall Foose's Mustard Rubbed Ribs with Vinegar Mopping Sauce
* There is nothing difficult about this recipe but it is a time sucker. Be sure to factor in the 24 hour dry rub and the 3-4 hours of actual cook time, with basting. The upside is the mop sauce doesn't need cooking - just mix and refrigerate.

* 1 slab of baby back ribs, rinsed and patted dry
* 28 oz low sodium chicken stock, only if roasting in oven
* 1 can or bottle of beer, only if roasting in oven
* ingredients for dry rub and mopping sauce below

Step 1 - Make the dry rub (whisk together ingredients listed below) and thoroughly coat your rack of ribs with it, pressing in and smearing around with your fingers. Cover the ribs tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge a good half hour before cooking.

Dry Rub:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon black pepper (she uses a whole tbsln)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Step 2 - whisk the ingredients below together for your mopping sauce and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made a day or two ahead.

Mopping Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I halve this because I'm a wimp)

Step 3 - Grill or Roast!
If roasting, preheat the oven to 300. Prepare your largest roasting pan with a rack. Pour the can or bottle of beer in, then enough chicken stock to reach up the sides to 1/4 inch or so (you don't want the liquid to touch the ribs.)

Set aside a half cup of the mopping sauce for serving with the ribs. Place the ribs over the rack then baste thoroughly with the mopping sauce then continue to roast, BASTING EVERY HALF HOUR WITH THE SAUCE, for 3 1/2 hours, or until the bones move lightly when twisted. Also be sure to continue adding stock to the bottom of the pan to keep it from drying out/burning - if you run out of stock you can just add water.

Slice them up and serve with leftover mopping sauce.

If grilling, place coals on one side of the grill and set a drip pan on the other side. Set the rack 6 to 8 inches above the coals and light the coals.

When ready to grill, you should be able to hold your palm over the coals for about 2 seconds and there should be a light ash coating on the glowing coats.

Place the ribs on the grill opposite from the coals and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes, keeping the temperature at 200 to 225F. Brush with the sauce, cover, and continue to cook, brushing with the sauce every 30 minutes covering between moppings, for 3 hours or until the bones move slightly when twisted.

Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Confit

This is my favorite thing I've made so far this year. The tenderloin is its usual buttery, tender self with a crust of spices including garam masala. If you don't have garam masala, don't panic. Just substitute a mixture of cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. If you don't have cumin, cinnamon, and coriander, put your computer down and get your arse to the store immediately, thanks.

I have to tell you as good as the tenderloin is, it's really just an excuse to make the confit. A confit, though fancy sounding with its French name and pronunciation (CON-FEE) is just something that's been slowly cooked for a long time. You might have seen duck confit on a menu or even ordered it before which is simply a duck leg slow roasted in duck fat and aromatics for a good long time until it's falling off the bone. But having consulted the web I learned that the definition has opened up a bit to other kinds of meats and even vegetables and fruit and no longer requires being submerged in fat to qualify as a confit.

This confit is simply onions and apple, started in butter and finished with a splash of cider vinegar. The closest thing I can liken it to is an adult version of apple sauce. Both sweet and savory. Comforting and exotic. Fric and frac.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Confit
Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (or 2 as confit will be enough for 2 smaller ones)
2 teaspoons garam masala, to season (or a combo of cumin, coriander and cinnamon)
salt and pepper, for seasoning
Dash of olive oil, for drizzling over tenderloin

4 tablespoons butter
1 super large or 2 small/medium pink lady apples, cored and thinly sliced to about 1/8 inch
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
white pepper
couple pinches kosher salt
1/8 or so teaspoon garam masala
couple pinches ground cinnamon
large pinch dried thyme
Splash of cider vinegar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), spray with nonstick spray, and set aside. Meanwhile, season the tenderloin well with garam masala, salt, and pepper. Place the pork onto your prepared baking sheet and drizzle with a smidge of olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes or just until pork is no longer pink on the inside and has the tiniest hint of a crust from the spices. Set aside and tent with foil to rest for 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal into 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch pieces.

For the confit, add the butter to a heavy bottomed dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the apples, onions, bay leaf, white pepper, salt, garam masala, cinnamon, and thyme. Saute, stirring often for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to low/medium (or low if it's sizzling too much) and put the lid on to let simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. At end, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir in. Simmer another 5 minutes before stirring again. Serve warm over roasted meat or crostini.

Creamy Mustard Pork Chops with Hard Cider or better yet - Viva Nigella!

What is it about Nigella? Her soothing-as-Ambien English accent? Her endearing way of phrasing things (just 'bung' it into a pan...)? Or let's face it - her gorgeous, gorgeous face? I say all of those are just icing on an already perfect cake.

For me it's her recipes. Sooner or later you'll make one that changes you as a cook. And in one fail swoop you've crossed a bridge there's no turning back from. You have arrived in the kitchen and Nigella is there with open arms and a cocktail.

I should caveat that while I love the below recipe - it's not the Nigella recipe that altered my cooking life. For me that was her Chocolate Pudding and Cherry Trifle, adapted here. Holly Hell!

Mustard Pork Chops
Adapted from 'Nigella Express' Cookbook...
* Serves 3.
* I used to hold a prejudice against recipes that called for heavy cream, believing it was a form of culinary cheating as anything with heavy cream is bound to be good. Well, I was dumb. That said I sometimes use mostly half and half in place of the cream with just a healthy splash at the end to meet the measurement. No one will notice - this recipe is chock full of flavor.

Ingredients
3 bone in, yet thin pork chops, already pounded by the butcher to 1/4 inch
garlic powder
sea salt or kosher salt
black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup hard cider (alcoholic fizzy apple cider)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/3 cup heavy cream
Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Instructions:
Season the chops on both sides with garlic powder, salt and pepper and set aside. Meanwhile add the olive oil to a medium sized rimmed skillet and bring to medium heat. Let the oil heat through for a minute or two until hot, then add the chops. Cook on the first side for 4 minutes or until they release easily when you try and turn them (making sure they have SOME hint of a golden crust before turning - if they look anemic - leave them be until some color appears.) Flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove and place on a plate covering with foil as you get on with the sauce.

Without killing the heat, add the hard cider to the pan, gently scraping the browned bits from the bottom and swirling into the cider as it gently bubbles away - about 4 minutes. Gently stir in the mustard then raise the heavy cream (or half and half.)

Stir gently while you let everything bubble at a leisurely pace to thicken slightly (if there's no bubble whatsoever - raise the heat a bit.) After about 2 minutes, return the chops and any collected juice, nestling them in among the liquid. Let finish cooking over medium heat (or just get to know each other) being careful not to let come to a boil, for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve spooning extra sauce over each chop and garnish with flat leaf parsley and serve with roasted potatoes and Caesar salad (or that's what I do;)

Oktoberfest Pork Cutlets With Vinegar Infused Pan Sauce and a CSN Review

Fall. The very word makes me happy. What is it about this particular season? The cooler weather? The promise of the holidays ahead? Or maybe a return to heartier, richer meals. I would venture to say all of the above. And as I prepare for the change in seasons (we're still in the nineties here) I realize I'm lacking a few essential kitchen utensils. Namely a roasting pan for a holiday turkey (my cheapie one turned black last year and had to be thrown away.) As luck would have it my dear friends at CSN Stores have contacted me to do a review of one of their products so hopefully soon I'll have the new Viking Roaster I've been lusting after or some other goodie to tell you about. As you may remember, CNS has over two hundred online stores where you can buy everything from high end cookware and designer clothes to cheap bedroom furniture and wall art.

I find myself spending an unhealthy amount of time on their cookware site (lots of items even come with free shipping) as well as All Modern as we're still getting settled in our new place. But no matter what you're looking for if you have the urge to window shop or even restock your own kitchen for the holidays, be sure to check out one of their stores.

Now onto today's recipes. I have to admit the idea of vinegar in a pan sauce wasn't something I appreciated until recently. This tangy pan sauce isn't too tart though so I urge you to try it. While I love the idea of slow cooking a hearty Oktoberfest roast in beer all day, my schedule hasn't allowed me to so I came up with this recipe to satisfy my craving for fall flavors in a hurry. Don't laugh at the teensy amount of anchovy paste...I'm still expanding my palate and this gives the sauce that certain something without alarming any of the other meat and potatoes eaters at the table.

Happy fall y'all!

Oktoberfest Pork Cutlets With Vinegar Infused Pan Sauce
* Serves 4 light eaters or 2 hungry people, I'd recommend serving a starch or salad alongside.

Ingredients:
4 thin boneless pork cutlets (the kind you buy by the 4 pack, already sliced thin - about 1/4 inch thick)
3 tablespoons butter, separated
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper
garlic powder
8 oz mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
4 slices of red onion, cut to 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon whole dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste
Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large rimmed skillet with a lid. Add chops and sear 3 minutes per side, just until light golden. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove, tent with foil, and set aside while you get on with the sauce.

As soon as you remove the chops from the pan, add the onion slices to the same pan, seasoning with salt and pepper and garlic powder cook 5 minutes stirring a couple of times. Add the mushrooms, season them oh so lightly again with salt and pepper and saute, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes or until they've released their liquid and shrunken a bit.

Add the wine and vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook down for 2-3 minutes until reduced by half, then add in the mustard, anchovy paste, and 1 teaspoon of butter (add a tablespoon for a richer, less sharp sauce and less if you want more of a punch from the vinegar) stirring well. Return the pork chops to the pan along with any juices that may have collected, stirring them in and letting the chops reheat for 1-2 minutes.

Serve warm garnished with flat leaf parsley.

Pan Seared Pork Cutlets with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce and Parmesan Penne

Pan Seared Pork Cutlets with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
4 thin boneless pork chop cutlets, seasoned with salt and pepper
3/4 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine (preferably Chardonnay)
1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon well drained capers
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 good squeeze honey

Instructions:
Heat up oil in a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is sauntering around the pan freely, add the seasoned chops, spacing evenly apart and letting cook about 4-5 minutes per side or until they've achieved a nice golden brown on the first side and release somewhat easily. Turn over and cook another 3-4 minutes or until golden on the other side. Transfer to a low, warm oven (250 or so) to keep warm while you make the sauce.

Kick the heat up to high on the pan and add the white wine, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan while you bring to a boil. Let boil down for about 5 minutes, or until reduced by at least half, then add in the chicken stock. Boil for 1 more minute then lower the heat to low and add in the juice of a half lemon, capers, butter and honey. Stir until all is dissolved and melted in. Taste for salt/pepper/sweetness. If it's too tart, add in another squeeze honey and stir in. I can't imagine it wouldn't be piquant enough with all that tart lemon and salty capers, but you never know.

Remove the chops from the oven and add back to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Serve warm with the sauce and capers ladled over the pork.

Parmesan Penne

2 cups petite whole wheat penne
handful kosher or sea salt for pasta water
4 tablespoons Fresh Dill, Lemon and Balsamic Dressing, recipe follows
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or more if you like)
2 tablespoons lightly toasted slivered or sliced almonds

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in a handful of salt, let return to a boil, and add in your pasta. Cook for 6 minutes or JUST until al dente. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl (if you just drain it and return to the same pot, your cheese will get to hot when you stir it in and clump together instead of combining politely with the pasta.) Toss with the dressing then add in the cheese and toss again. You might want to throw a pinch of pepper in there and toss again. Just think about it. Serve with a scattering of toasted almonds over the top.

Fresh Dill, Lemon and Balsamic Dressing:

3 heaping tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (a couple dashes) balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon honey
1 small garlic clove minced (or 1/2 if you're garlic sensitive)
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

Put the dill, balsamic, salt, pepper, honey, garlic, dijon and lemon juice in a blender. Turn on low for a minute or so to knock the fight out of them. Scrape down the sides to drown any disobedient bedfellows, then blend again for a few seconds. With the motor on low, remove the cap from the top and slowly drizzle in the olive oil so that it emulsifies as added. Taste for salt/pepper/honey making any adjustments necessary. If it's too tart, add another squeeze of honey. If it's bland, another pinch of salt and/or pepper. Usually all a 'blah' dressing needs is a bit more salt, but then again another slug of balsamic never hurt one either.

Martha Hall Foose's Vinegar 'Mopping' Sauce and Dry Rub

If you like to eat tasty food, cook tasty food, or ever ponder taking a road trip through the south to come head to head with the home of the blues (and incredible southern food) then go on Amazon this instant and buy 'Screen Doors and Sweet Tea' by Martha Hall Foose. And before you skip onto your next food blog or celeb gossip site thinking you have nothing in common with a woman cooking up southern food in Mississippi, think again. Martha got herself out of the deep South as soon as she possibly could flinging herself halfway across the world to Paris (where a bag of grits made her instant bff's with an artsy set that showed her parts of the city never seen by tourists.) And while she loved it, she eventually followed her heart back to that rich, culture-soaked Mississippi soil. Martha, it turns out, is proof that you can go home again after all.

The stories and recipes pull you in like quicksand but what I love most about the book are the deeply little southern things she introduces the reader to such as this vinegar-riddled 'mop' sauce. A mop sauce, it turns out, isn't like a BBQ or basting sauce exactly. It's meant to be thin and there's no need to boil it down for hours over the stove to thicken it. She includes it in her recipe for ribs (delicious) but I love it just as much basted over a double cut, bone-in pork chop or a whole chicken. It's an instant recipe booster as is her dry rub which I included below.

A final example of a southern wisdom from the book comes from a friend of Martha's on cleaning and prepping a turtle for turtle soup - "Drive it over to Louisiana and have someone do it for you."

Mopping Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I halve this because I'm a wimp)
Shake vigoruusly and refrigerate overnight. Baste ribs, pork chops, steak, or chicken frequently over a hot grill.

Dry Rub:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon black pepper (she uses a whole tbsln)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix all and store in an airtight container for up to a month. Pat thickly over cuts of meat (ideally the day before grilling) keeping wrapped in the fridge overnight to absorb the flavors.

Urban Cowboy Pasta with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Cheddar Cheese

Did you know you could put cheddar cheese in pasta? It's really not that crazy when you think about it. A good sharp aged cheddar, which is what you want here, isn't that different in texture from Parmesan or Asiago. A ladle full of pasta water to help everything make friends and you're good to go. I particularly love the cheeseburger-iness of the flavors here. Salty sweet prosciutto, tender tomatoes, and a punch from the sharp cheddar and green onions added at the very end. It's worth noting that even though you fry up the pancetta to start with, it will lose its crispy texture after you introduce the tomatoes and splash of pasta water. If you'd like to keep it crunchy, remove it with a slotted spoon and add it back in at the very end.

Finally there's no real reason I called this Urban Cowboy pasta other than a somewhat tenuous link to it being both fancy (pancetta) and down to earth (cheddar cheese.) Honestly I just use any excuse I can find to plug the movie, an old favorite. I mean any film that can work in this description of cowboys - 'some of us got smarts real good' should be watched again and again.

Urban Cowboy Pasta with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Cheddar Cheese
Serves 4 cowboys or six ladies.

Ingredients:
1 box (1 lb) spiral or tube shaped pasta
Dash of olive oil
4 oz diced/cubed pancetta (you can sub bacon)
1 (28 oz can) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pinch sea salt
Dash garlic powder
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Pinch of fresh cracked pepper
2 1/2 cups extra sharp grated cheddar (white or yellow - I like to grate a block of 2% Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow), plus extra for garnish
Ladle full of pasta water
1/2 cup chopped green onions, plus extra for garnish

Instructions:
Put a large pot of water over high heat to boil for your pasta. Once boiling, season with a handful of kosher or sea salt, and add your pasta cooking about 6-7 minutes or just until al dente.

Meanwhile, add a dash of olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and bring over medium heat. Add in the pancetta cubes and cook, stirring every other minute or so, until nice and crispy (about 5-6 minutes.)
Add in the drained tomatoes and season with a half teaspoon sugar, a small pinch of sea or kosher salt, dash of garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, breaking the tomatoes up gently with a wooden spoon. Bring the tomatoes mixture to a boil and let go for about 3 minutes, stirring once. Reduce the heat to low and season with a good grating of fresh nutmeg and fresh cracked pepper. Stir to incorporate. Add in the pasta using a spider or slotted spoon along with the 2 1/2 cups of cheddar. Stir to incorporate, then add in a ladle full of pasta water to help everything meld and stir again. Just before serving, stir in the chopped green onions.

Serve warm, garnishing with extra grated cheddar and green onions.

Seared Duck Breast with Earl Gray, Honey, and Orange Sauce

This is one of those recipes I bookmarked from Epicurious years ago and just recently got around to making. I liked it but am betting the sauce would be even better on chicken or pork as I think its subtle sweetness would compliment a less in-your-face meat. I subbed lavender honey for regular honey, and didn't bother using a sieve to make the sauce smooth. As I've said before, I'm a texture gal, and if I'm going through the trouble to saute onions for half an hour, I'd like the pleasure of eating them in the end. Also, by using tea bags instead of loose tea, you eliminate the need for straining the sauce anyway.

Finally - I normally brag that you can cook anything you love at home just as well as at a restaurant. This is equally true for duck but if you don't have a good hood vent/fan - don't bother. No one likes to smell like duck fat the following day... Restaurants, it seems, will always have a purpose.

I served this with baby brussels and baby yukon golds that were soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained and dried, and roasted in the oven (doused in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper) for 20 minutes per side. After they came out I tossed them with lemon zest and freshly minced parsley.

Seared Duck Breast with Orange, Earl Gray and Honey Sauce
* Adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious
* Serves 3-4, as long as you have ample sides.

Ingredients:
2 boneless Muscovy duck breast halves (about 1 3/4 pounds total)

3/4 cup chopped shallots or sweet onion
sea salt and pepper, for seasoning
2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orange juice
5 Earl Grey tea bags, strings left on with just the end tags removed
1 tablespoon lavender honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Minced flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce skin of duck breasts all over with fork. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large skillet over high heat. Add duck breasts, skin side down, to skillet. Reduce to medium heat and cook until skin is well browned, about 6 minutes. Turn duck breasts over; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set rack in roasting pan. Transfer duck breasts to rack (reserve drippings in skillet). Roast duck to desired doneness, about 12-15 minutes for medium-rare. (I wouldn't go beyond 20 minutes or you'll have tough duck which might as well be tough shoe leather.) Remove from the oven and let rest, tented with foil, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Tilt skillet; push shallots to higher end of skillet, allowing drippings to flow to lower end. Spoon off drippings and discard. Add broth, orange juice and tea bags to skillet. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 17 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags, pressing against the sides of the pan beforehand to release any juice. Add honey to the pan; bring to simmer. Whisk in butter until melted. Taste the sauce for balance and make any adjustments necessary with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice duck breasts crosswise. Fan slices on each of 4 plates, dividing equally. Spoon sauce around duck. Garnish with minced parsley, if desired.

Piggy Back Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Sharp Cheddar Frico

Happy Valentine's Day! I realize this isn't exactly a date night main entree, but as you can see I'm a week behind in my posting to cooking ratio. No matter - this recipe is my Valentine's present to YOU. Have you ever made pulled pork sandwiches? I hadn't and for the Super Bowl, I searched high and low for the perfect recipe with a particular version in mind I'd had years ago made by a friend in her crock pot. When pushed for what she put in it, she said "a can of Coke and an onion." Hmm...some people sure are protective of their recipes. I didn't doubt that those two things were in there, but she was leaving out the rest of the goods. I filed the idea of pulled pork via crock pot and Coke away until last Sunday when the obsession for the perfect recipe returned in full force.

As usual, I didn't use any recipe I found, but went rogue like a gypsy mixing potions. Lots of recipes call for brown sugar in addition to soda or juice or other sweet liquid but it struck me as a fun challenge to think of other things to contribute sweetness and flavor (I don't get out much.)

One thing came to me right away - pickle relish. My grandmother used it in her tuna fish and I had fond memories of its sweet but sharp bite amongst savory ingredients, so in it went. Even if you're not a fan, I don't think it will put you off as it's not an in your face guest at the party but rather a sit-quietly-in-the-corner-scoping-out-the-ladies type.

The thing to remember about long slow cooking - be it via crock pot or stove top simmering (ragu/short ribs/etc.) is even though it's a wonderful way to slowly develop incredible flavor, you have to remember to give it a good slap in the face after all that relaxing to wake up the flavors. I know this seems counter intuitive but trust me on this one.

This is why I hold off my final arsenal of flavors until the very end. Molasses, tomato paste, and more relish and spices, cracked black pepper being the most important. I mean with all that sweetness going on, someone's got to be the grown up and look responsible. This is also where the pig on pig action comes into play. You know I'm a texture freak, which is why I love putting crisp cooked bacon slices on top of the sandwiches instead of adding snipped bacon in with the tenderloin at the beginning. But if you don't like the idea of bacon on top of pulled pork, you can cut the crisped bacon into 1/2 inch pieces instead, tossing them in with the shredded meat at the last minute before serving if you like. And if you're already breaking the rules, I advise tipping in any bacon grease from the pan and stirring it in. It may sound wrong, but it's so right, like two old friends reuniting after a long time apart.

The cheddar fricos were an unfortunate accidental discovery on my part. I was literally about to scold my husband on his inability to eat anything without cheese on top of it, mid bite of pulled pork sandwich, when I noticed a little slightly burnt spot of cheese on my pan of stuffed jalapenos. You can guess what happened next. And please do - I'm too embarrassed to say it out loud. Anyway, if you want to dive head on into gluttony as I have, make the cheddar fricos to go on top.

PS - we saw Wolfman yesterday. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother. Just have a martini and put in the Jack Nicholsen/Michelle Pfeiffer movie Wolf from the nineties. It will seem like 'Best Picture' in comparison if not at least entertain you which is more than I can say for the sadly misguided Wolfman:(

Piggy Back Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Sharp Cheddar Frico
* This recipe should make at least 16-18 sandwiches.
* The pulled pork would also be excellent on nachos.
* Cheese Frico is not pictured because it was a last minute discovery.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of pork tenderloin (you can just get 2 one pound tenders)
1/2 cup Dr Pepper
2 tablespoons pickle relish
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 heaping tablespoons molasses
2 heaping tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sweet pickled relish

8+ slices bacon, baked in a 350 oven for 15 minutes until crisp (if you're serving the all of the pulled pork, double the bacon called for so that you'll have extra slices for topping just in case. BUT if you're adding the bacon into the pulled pork versus putting it on top, you only need about 5 cooked snipped pieces and their grease. Anymore might dominate the other flavors.)
16-18 Hamburger buns
Cheddar Frico, recipe below

Instructions:
Place the tenderloins in a cold crock pot. Meanwhile, mix up the first set of ingredients - the Dr. Pepper through the teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Pour it into the crock pot over the tenderloins, and lift and mix them around to make sure they're all touched by its magic. Put the lid on and put the crock pot on the 'high' setting for 1 hour.

After one hour, lower the crock pot to the 'low' setting and cook for 6 hours, flipping the tenderloins over at some point, preferably midway through. After six hours, use a fork to check and see if the meat shreds easily when scraped with a fork. If it does, turn off the crock pot and let cool for a few minutes, then transfer the meat to a medium lidded pot and shred mercilessly, using two forks. (If it's not shred-able yet, keep cooking another 30 minutes to an hour until it is.)

Once shredded thoroughly, stir in the last set of ingredients - the molasses through the relish, blending well, and put over low heat on the stove. Simmer with the lid on or partially on, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (During this time you can prepare the bacon and cheese frico to go on top.) Do a final taste for seasonings, adjusting any salt/pepper if necessary to taste.

Serve on the softest buns you can find, preferably those melt in your mouth potato rolls, stirring the meat well beforehand to evenly distribute the juices. Top with crispy bacon then frico, and serve.

Cheddar Fricos
* This isn't so much a recipe as a guide. All frico are is mounds of cheese baked or fried until they form flattened little crisps. I like to bake mine for ease, but it helps to have parchment paper or a silpat to keep them from sticking.
* 3 cups of cheese should yield 12 fricos, but this isn't a science - the size are up to you so you may need to adjust the amount of cheese called for if you're serving it on all the pork sandwiches.

Ingredients:
3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar
a silpat or parchment paper
a baking sheet

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Place the shredded cheese in little mounds (anywhere from a heaping tablespoon to whatever you like, just be aware of adjusting cooking time if you make them bigger) on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure you space the little mounds at least an inch apart as they spread out like a cookie when baking.

Bake for 5-7 minutes, just until melted and flattened out and the edges become golden brown. Remove and let cool for 2 minutes before transferring with a spatula to your sandwiches. If you want them even crispier, transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Pork Scaloppini with Sage, Prosciutto and Wine

While on vacation in Austin, Kris and I ate at an old favorite - Vespaio on South Congress. And here's my confession - I ordered the veal scaloppini with prosciutto and sage. But that's not the worst part. The worst part is I ate it like it was running away from me. It was so tender, so sinful, so perfectly wrong I couldn't stop myself.

They used dried sage instead of fresh and I think this is genius. Fresh, whole sage leaves can overpower a delicate meat in my opinion. When I got back to New York, I knew I'd have to recreate it at home. I went to the butcher, opened my mouth to order veal cutlets...and got pork instead. It turns out I'm the worst kind of hypocrite on earth. I can order veal out (once in a while), but not make myself prepare it at home. Oh well...

A trick to keeping the pork as tender as possible so that it mimics veal is to NOT get your pan scorching hot before adding it. I know this goes against everything I ever tell you, but it works. I read about it in Cuisine at Home, a great little magazine my mom got me a subscription to years ago.

Just curious - do any of you out there in the blogosphere have veal guilt? I asked a girlfriend of mine once over drinks - a petite adorable little lady - and she just turned to me and said "I have no problem eating baby cow. They're delicious."

Pork Cutlets with Prosciutto and Wine Pan Sauce
* Believe it or not, you can make this ahead, putting the cooked veal and pouring the sauce over, in a small rimmed baking sheet or oven proof platter in a low heat oven for up to an hour. Just make sure it's on the lowest setting so it's just keeping it mellow and not cooking it further.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless pork chops, pounded to 1/4 inch, scallopini style, salt and peppered on one side, then lightly dredged in flour on both sides
* Go easier on the salt than normal - between the prosciutto and stock, there should be plenty;)
2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Add the pork cutlets to the pan WHILE THE HEAT IS OFF, then turn the heat onto low/medium. Once the meat begins to sizzle, let it go for 30 seconds, then flip to the other side and cook only another minute. You just want it cooked through - not even browned like normal.

When just cooked through, remove and transfer them to a low oven to keep warm. Add the wine and chicken stock to the pan along with the garlic cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Let bubble away until reduced by half, then take off the heat and stir in the minced prosciutto, sage, and butter.

Drizzle the sauce over the warm cutlets and serve.