Real Food with Mike

Jalapeno-mint-cane sugar sorbet

2008-08-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sounds weird, tastes great. This isn't going to have any real appreciable level of heat to it, so if you're not a big fan of spicy foods, you can still give this a try. The flavor of jalapenos is extremely mild, as is the heat, which makes it one of my favorite all-time chiles to use in cooking.

You will need:

-2.5 cups water
-1.75 cups cane sugar (aka "raw" sugar)
-Juice of one lime
-Large handful of mint leaves
-1/2 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
-3 medium jalapenos, membrane and seeds removed, sliced

The recipe as well as the process for this is extremely simple. Start by making a simple syrup by placing the water, lime juice, and sugar over medium heat until at a simmer. Once the sugar is THOROUGHLY dissolved, remove it from the heat and toss in the rest of the ingredients. Allow to steep off the heat for no more than 15 minutes, 5-10 being preferable.

Then, strain out the solids through a fine mesh sieve and place the bowl into an ice bath in another, larger container, perhaps a colorful bear-themed bowl.

Allow this to cool thoroughly to room temperature, then place the bowl in the freezer until the liquid is very cold. At this point you have two choices:

1.) If you have an ice cream maker, simply pour in the sorbet base, then churn and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions

2.) If you do not have an ice cream maker - I don't - whip a little bit of air into the very cold base using a food processor or even a stand mixer, then pour into a pyrex dish. Cover very tightly to keep funky odors from the freezer from invading your sorbet, then freeze overnight.

In the morning, you will have a refreshing and delicious dessert that contains no fat whatsoever. In fact, you don't even need to exercise, it burns fat for you. Or something.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Jerk Chicken with Jamaican Spiced Rice and Plantain/Sweet Potato Cakes

2008-08-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here's how it goes.

Assemble your ingredients:

For the jerk marinade:

-1 tbsp freshly ground allspice (don't use previously ground spices for this if you can help it)
-2 tsp dried thyme (if using fresh, which I don't like for this, use a full tablespoon)
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
-1 tsp ground clove
-1 tbsp chopped garlic
-1 inch section of ginger, chopped into pieces
-3 jalapenos, stems removed, cut into pieces
-1 to 2 serranos, stems removed, cut into pieces
-1/4 cup soy sauce (may need more, start with this amount)
-Juice of one to two limes depending on how much you like the flavor
-small handful of fresh mint leaves
-Freshly ground black pepper

Pretty simple for this: grind it all up in a food processor until it is a runny paste consistency, then apply to your meat of choice and marinate for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible. I used fileted chicken breasts because they were on sale and because I didn't want to be cooking them forever, you'll want to use split bone-in breasts if you have the time. Note also that I only cooked these under the broiler because I don't have a grill at my current place - if you do have a grill, even just a gas one, use that for the best end result.

For the rice:

-1.5 cups jasmine or basmati rice (or other long grain rice - jasmine and basmati are preferable because they have a sweet, nutty taste and aroma)
-2.25 cups chicken stock
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-Several cloves garlic, chopped
-1 large jalapeno, chopped
-1 serrano, chopped
-1/2 tsp each: ground cloves, ground allspice, ground coriander, ground nutmeg
-Large pinch kosher salt
-Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Sweat your onions, garlic, and jalapeno with the salt/pepper until translucent and mostly soft. Add your rice and cook for about a minute over medium heat or until you begin to smell a nutty aroma. Pour in your chicken stock (preferably already nearly at a boil on another burner) and your spices and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and clamp on the lid for about 15 minutes or until rice is just tender and liquid is all gone. At this point you can stir in some kidney beans to make Jamaican Rice and Peas (don't ask me why they call it peas and not beans) or simply taste for seasoning and serve as is alongside the other stuff.

For the plantain/sweet potato cakes:

-3 medium plantains, peeled and cut in half
-2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
-Olive oil
-Salt
-Pepper
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Roast your plantains and sweet potatoes by drizzling with olive oil, salt and pepper and cooking at 450-500 degrees, covered, for approximately 30 minutes or until a knife pierces the flesh and pulls out with no resistance. Allow to cool THOROUGHLY.

Once cool, place the potatoes and plantains into a food processor along with the soy sauce and red onion and pulse until the consistency seen in the picture below. If the mixture is too tight, add a bit of olive oil to loosen it up. Once combined, taste to make sure that seasoning is correct (adding more soy sauce if necessary), crack some fresh pepper into it, then set aside.

To cook: simply heat a large skillet over medium-medium high heat with vegetable or canola oil. Form the mixture into patties and fry until both sides are golden brown.

Make sure to serve this meal with plenty of your favorite hot sauce and lots of finely chopped red onions. :yum:

To the purists: no, this jerk is not really authentic at all because I did not use scotch bonnets or habaneros. Part of that was because manxk and I agreed to throw down with jalapenos as the key ingredient, but also because a lot of people can't handle real jerk - shit is HOT.

Anyways, enjoy :wavey:

Pics (mostly in order)

Peppercorn-crusted filet with horseradish risotto and maple-glazed carrots

2008-08-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Might sound complicated, but this is actually really simple.

Liberally apply kosher or sea salt to both side and freshly ground black pepper to one side of the steak.

Then put about a quarter cup of black peppercorns into a couple of ziploc bags and beat it like it owes you money until very coarsely cracked, as such:

Place those cracked peppercorns onto a plate and drop your steak onto it. Shouldn't need any sort of oil or any other liquid to get it to stick, the steak's natural moisture should take care of that. Get a good coat on there, as some of it will fall off during cooking.

Then, let that steak sit out until it's at room temperature.

Next up is the maple-glazed roasted carrots. I used very young carrots for this...true baby carrots would be best, and I would avoid using mature carrots altogether because they don't have the same level of natural sweetness.

First combine about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or melted butter (I used the oil) with a tablespoon of high-quality, real maple syrup. Yes, real, not Mrs. Butterworth's or Aunt Jemima's recipe. Sprinkle a little salt in, mix well until an emulsion is formed, then toss your carrots in the mixture until well-coated. Place in a 500 degree oven, covered loosely with foil, for about 25 minutes or until fork-tender but still fairly crisp.

Roundabout this time you should be considering some ingredients for your horseradish-spiked risotto:

-1 cup Carnaloni (preferred) or Arborio rice
-1/2 cup white wine
-4 to 5 cups stock (vegetable is what I used, but you can just as easily use beef or chicken)
-4 cloves minced garlic
-1/2 large onion (whatever kind you like)
-About a tablespoon of very finely minced (not grated) FRESH horseradish - if you can't get fresh, don't bother using it at all
-Kosher/sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
-Pinch of red pepper flakes (how much is up to you, it will already be a bit spicy due to the horseradish)

Risotto is one of those things that is very intimidating to a lot of cooks but really should not be - very, very simple to do. Here's how you make it:

Before you begin, put your stock in a separate pan and heat it until simmering. If you don't do this, not only will your risotto take a lot longer to make, but you won't get the signature creamy texture that makes it what it is.

Sweat your onion, garlic, and horseradish, along with a good pinch of salt/pepper and red pepper flakes, in about two tablespoons of olive oil until translucent and very fragrant. Put in your rice and stir until all the pieces of rice are well-coated in the oil. Crank the heat up to about medium and pour in your white wine. Allow to evaporate until it is about half the original volume of liquid, then begin ladling in your stock. You want to put in about a half cup of stock for each addition, and wait until it has cooked into the rice before adding the next installment. The whole time you want the pan at a somewhat brisk simmer - too slow and you'll be there for a day stirring it, too hot and you won't allow the rice to absorb the liquid, which will, again, mess up your end result in the texture department.

Keep on trucking along until you get to this point:

Turn your heat as low as it will go and stir in a couple of tablespoons of butter, taste for seasoning (if you did this right you shouldn't need to add anything), and clamp on the lid. This stuff is ready to go when you are.

Did I mention that you should have finely grated about an inch-long piece of horseradish to either top the steak with after it is cooked or place into the risotto if you want to add a bit more heat? Do that, then come back.

Now comes the grand finale: it's time to cook that filet you have sitting on the counter.

Heat a large skillet (cast iron would be preferable, but I used a standard all-clad) in that same 500 degree oven you're cooking your carrots in for about 5 minutes or approximately until it can melt through the floor.

Put a tablespoon of clarified butter (butter with the milk solids and water boiled off) and a tablespoon of vegetable/canola oil into your pan. Drop in the steak, peppercorn side down first, and cook for about 2 minutes or until you have a lovely crust.

Flip it over, tent the pan loosely with foil, and drop it in the oven for about 4 more minutes for medium rare/medium-ish. When in doubt, you can use a thermometer, but if you have any idea what you're doing you can tell just by using your fingers.

When it's done, place it on a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 3 or 4 minutes while you get everything else together.

Slice your steak thinly and serve with your risotto, carrots, and, if you so desire, some of that freshly grated horseradish on top.

Enjoy

Minestrone alla Milanese

2008-08-08T21:11:00.001-07:00

Minestrone alla Milanese with Roasted Tomato and Balsamic Relish and Crostini

Assemble your ingredients for the soup:

-1/2 pound of hot italian sausage (you can use prosciutto, salt pork, bacon, or any number of other cured pork products for this in place of the sausage)
-1/2 pound elbow macaroni
-Lots and lots of assorted veggies (I used sweet onion, celery, carrot, cremini mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper)
-One carton vegetable broth and one carton chicken broth (homemade would be better, but I don't cook many whole chickens so I didn't have any bones laying around to make stock or broth with)
-28.8 ounces (two small cans) of chopped tomatoes with juice (San Marzano if you can get it)
-Small can of garbanzo beans
-Large can of white kidney beans
-Dried oregano/basil/parsley
-Dried red pepper flakes
-Spring of fresh rosemary
-Olive oil
-Salt
-Pepper

As for the crotini and relish:

-One loaf crusty french or italian bread, cut on the bias
-Olive oil
-Sea salt
-Pepper
-Four medium tomatoes
-Four whole garlic cloves
-Balsamic vinaigrette (homemade is best, of course)
-Fresh basil (cut into a thin chiffonade)

Directions for the relish and crostini:

Drizzle three of your four tomatoes as well as your garlic cloves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 500 degree oven until soft. Remove the skin from the tomatoes after allowing them to cool, and try to get out as many of the seeds as possible. Chop the tomatoes and thinly slice the garlic, then set aside.

Chop your other tomato, removing your seeds first, and toss it in your bowl with the roasted tomatoes and garlic. Your chiffonade of basil goes in next, then pour on the balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

For the crostini, simply brush the slices of bread with olive oil and either grill or broil them until crispy and browned. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and serve with the relish.

Directions for the soup:

I'm going to let the pictures walk you through this for the most part. It's really pretty simple. First step is to take your sausage out of its casing and brown it in a large stock pot. Take it out, drain it, and set it aside. Sweat your carrots/celery first until just about tender, then add your other aromatics and veggies and cook until just tender with a bit of olive oil if there isn't enough fat left over from the sausage and salt/pepper. Toss in your rinsed, drained beans after this.

(A note on the beans: obviously, it would be best if you used dry beans that you cooked yourself, but not everybody has several hours to devote to this, and frankly, you're not going to notice that much of a difference.)

After this, throw in the reserved sausage, tomatoes, herbs, red pepper flakes, and broth. Let this cook for as long as you can possibly wait with the lid on. When you're close to serving time, go ahead and crank up the heat to medium high and throw in your elbow macaroni. Cook until al dente, remove your rosemary sprig, season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

This ain't exactly photo shoot material, but it sure is good.

Enjoy

Roasted Chile and Garlic Pizza with Goat Cheese and a Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

2008-08-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

This tomatillo sauce is one of the single best concoctions I've ever made in terms of both flavor and versatility. This stuff can be served as a salsa, pasta sauce, and made into countless other dishes.

Ingredients

-Pizza dough (see below)
-Tomatillo sauce (see below)
-Roasted chiles and roasted garlic (see below)
-4 to 6 ounces of good quality goat milk cheese, crumbled
-8 ounces of good quality Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded
-Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish

Dough for crust:

-2¼ cups high-gluten (bread) flour plus approx. ½ cup for kneading
-1 tsp kosher salt (or ¾ tsp table salt)
-1¼ tsp (half of a standard package) active dry yeast
-¾ cup warm (approx. 105 degree) water plus more as needed
-¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Pinch of cane or “raw” sugar (or small drizzle of honey)

Mix 2¼ cups flour with kosher salt in a large bowl (or, if using a stand mixer, in the mixer bowl). If combining by hand, make a well in the center of the flour.

Bloom yeast in ¾ cup of warm water and sugar/honey for approximately 5 to 10 minutes or until light bubbles appear on the surface. Pour yeast/water mixture and olive oil into flour and mix by hand (or with a stand mixer with dough hook) vigorously until dough begins to become slightly elastic and sticky. Add more water as needed until dough consistency is tacky enough to allow it to stick to the bottom while still pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto cool, smooth surface (stone countertop or large stainless steel cookie sheet, preferably) generously dusted with flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until gluten is well-developed. (Dough should be tacky but no longer sticky and have noticeable resistance when stretched.)

Shape dough into a ball and place in a well-oiled glass bowl covered with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm area of the house (microwaves often work well for this, turned off of course) for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, cut into two equal portions, and shape each portion into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in refrigerator for at least an hour to rest. One portion is enough for one large thin-crust pizza. The other portion will keep for a week or more if wrapped tightly and placed in a resealable bag or foil.

When it comes to shaping your pizza dough into a crust, you're on your own. If you are able to work the dough well enough to do the iconic “dough toss” and shape it in the air, go for it. For those of us who are not quite so dexterous, a good rolling pin can work wonders. I prefer thin, crispy (but still slightly chewy) crust, so I roll the dough out to approximately 1/8th of an inch thickness and then dock it with a fork. This allows any excess gas to vent out, thus preventing the crust from bubbling up during cooking. At this point you have the choice to either pre-bake the crust (by whichever method will allow you to get it the hottest, 500+ degrees is preferable), which I prefer, or to simply layer the ingredients on top of the raw dough and bake it all together. For this particular recipe, I would recommend pre-baking the crust for approximately 5 minutes, as the toppings and the sauce are already cooked and you really only need to get the cheese melted and slightly browned.

Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

-½ lb Tomatillos, husks, stems, and seeds removed, quartered
-½ cup coarsely chopped sweet onion
-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
-1 tbsp olive oil
-¾ tsp Kosher salt
-½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
-¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
-2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Handful fresh cilantro and fresh basil, chiffonade
-Large pinch cane or “raw” sugar (optional, but very helpful in cutting the acidity of the tomatillos)

Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add onions, serrano and salt, then sweat for approximately 4 to 5 minutes or until onions become translucent and tender. Add tomatillos, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, continuing to cook 7 to 8 minutes or until tomatillos are very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool before pureeing in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add herbs and sugar and pulse just until finely integrated into sauce. Transfer to a non-reactive bowl, stir in olive oil, cover tightly and place in refrigerator for at least one hour (overnight is preferable) to allow flavors to meld.

Roasted Chiles and Garlic

-2 bell peppers, orange, red, and/or yellow preferable
-3 to 4 Jalapeno chiles
-1 Anaheim chile
-1 head of garlic, top quarter removed
-1 tbsp.olive oil
-Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

To roast chiles, use either a direct-flame approach (over a gas range turned to “high” or a hot grill) or simply use your oven's broiler function. Roast until skins are black, then place into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until skins are loosened and chiles are cool enough to handle, then remove skins (avoid using running water for this). Remove stems and seeds as well as the membrane from the bell peppers. You may also remove the membrane from the Jalapenos and Anaheim if you are aiming for a lightly less spicy final product, although the difference will be negligible after roasting. Tear or chop into appropriately-sized pieces and set aside.

To roast garlic, place whole head with top portion removed, drizzled with oil, seasoned lightly and wrapped loosely in aluminum, into a glass baking dish. (A muffin tin works well if roasting multiple heads of garlic at once.) Bake at 450 to 500 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and rest until cool enough to handle, then remove cloves by squeezing out. Reserve 5 to 6 cloves (less or more depending on taste) and slice very thinly, then set aside.

Pizza Construction

This is the part where you will want to improvise a bit, as not everyone has access to a pizza peal/stone and a wood-burning or brick oven. I originated this recipe using a standard convection oven set to 550 degrees and a large stainless steel sheet pan and it still turned out great, so don't despair if you don't have all the fancy gadgets.

Start by preheating whatever surface the pizza will be cooked on in your oven (or grill) at the highest possible temperature available to you. You'll want the surface to be rocket hot to give you the best possible texture on the crust.

Dust your pizza peal (or, in my case, another sheet pan) and place your formed dough crust onto it. If you are looking for a thin, crispy crust, I will again recommend docking the crust with a fork, lightly brushing with olive oil, and pre-baking for 5 or so minutes prior to topping. IF YOU DID NOT PRE-BAKE, brush a light coating of extra virgin olive oil onto the crust. Top with approximately ½ to ¾ cup of tomatillo sauce. Try to avoid the American method of dousing the pizza crust in a gallon of sauce – the perfect pizza has a good balance of all ingredients.

Place your sliced roasted garlic on top of here and don't be shy, as roasted garlic has a much more mellow flavor than fresh. Top with an even layer of Monterey Jack, then evenly distribute the roasted chiles around the surface of the pizza. Evenly dot the top of the pizza with the goat cheese. As a final touch prior to baking, put a few grinds of coarse black pepper and (if you like a lot of heat) sprinkle with a few more red pepper flakes.

Place into oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes (possibly more depending on how hot your oven is and whether or not you pre-baked the crust) or until cheese is melted and slightly browned and crust is crispy. Top with cilantro for garnish, allow to cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

Coffee/Spice Pork loin chops, roasted white asparagus, and warm purple potato salad

2008-08-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

On the menu tonight:

* Cinnamon/coriander/coffee/guajillo chili crusted pork loin chops with spicy blueberry reduction sauce
* Roasted white asparagus
* Purple potato salad with roasted garlic-red wine vinaigrette

You guys better like this, I broke my coffee grinder grinding up the spices. Go figure.

Here's how it goes.

First step, assemble all your ingredients:

For the spice rub:

-1 tbsp fresh whole coffee beans
-2 large dried guajillo chilis
-2 sticks of cinnamon (preferably actual cinnamon and not cassia if you can find it)
-About 2 tbsp of whole coriander seeds
-1.5 tsp regular table salt (kosher or sea salt is too coarse for this particular application)
-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Everything except for the coriander is ready to grind. I would recommend not making the same mistake I did and trying to grind the cinnamon in mostly-whole sticks. Beat it down with something heavy in a ziploc first until it is in small, coarse chunks, then grind. Take the stem and the seeds out of the guajillo chiles and tear them into smaller chunks before grinding. You probably won't get a super-fine powder out of them, which is actually okay. Grind your coffee as finely as you can, you really only want the flavor of the coffee, not the texture. For the coriander, place into a small skillet over medium heat and toss vigorously for about 2 or 3 minutes or until fragrant, allow to cool, and then grind finely.

[IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f40/lawlrus/IMG_0452.jpg[/IMG]

Potato salad:

-About a pound and a half of purple potatoes (you can use any kind of potato you like, but these just plain look cool - if you use another type, pick a waxy potato like a red-skin)
-Approx. 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-Approx 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (or any vinegar you have a particular affinity to)
-1 head of roasted garlic (cut top off head, drizzle with olive oil, salt/pepper, roast at 500 degrees wrapped in foil for approx 30 minutes or until very soft, then cool)
-1 jalapeno, diced finely
-Handful parsley, finely chopped
-Salt and pepper to taste

(Didn't get a picture of anything but the potatoes for this one)

For the sauce

-Reserved juices/fat from chops
-Small jalapeno, seeded and finely sliced
-About a cup of ripe, fresh blueberries
-Few cloves garlic, finely chopped
-Approx. 1 cup chicken stock (homemade is best)
-2 tbsp cream
-1 tbsp butter
-Salt and pepper to taste

(not all ingredients pictured)

For the asparagus:

-1 bunch white asparagus (Most people might tell you to peel these, I personally love them raw with the skin on - but I'm weird. Do what you feel like here.)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-Salt & Pepper
-Crushed red pepper flakes

Time to get cooking:

First thing's first: you'll want to put a generous helping of the spice rub mixture onto both sides of your loin chops and allow them to come to room temperature. You probably want to leave them out for about 20 or 30 minutes to give a bit of time for the rub to penetrate the top layer of the meat and impart a bit more flavor into the pork, and also to adhere a bit better.

Then, start by preparing the vinaigrette for the salad. Simply put every single one of the roasted garlic cloves (just squeeze em right out of the head) into a mixing bowl, then whisk with the olive oil until well-blended. Drizzle in vinegar in a slow, steady stream until an emulsion is formed. Then whisk in the jalapenos, parsley, salt and pepper. Easy enough, right?

Go ahead and get your potatoes chopped into fairly uniform pieces and start them in a large pot in cold lightly salted water. Bring to a boil for approximately 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender but NOT mushy. Interestingly enough, the potatoes will go from a very deep purple to an almost pastel blue. Set aside away from heat for a few moments. When you're ready to serve, drain your potatoes THOROUGHLY and toss very lightly with the vinaigrette. Top with more parsley and a bit of freshly chopped tarragon and mint if you like.

At this point you'll want to dress your cleaned (and peeled, if you want) asparagus with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Wrap tightly in a foil pouch and place in the same 500 degree oven you roasted your garlic in for 10-15 minutes or until they're the texture you want. As I said above, I prefer them very lightly cooked or raw, so they only stayed in about 5 or 6 minutes for me.

Heat a skillet (no non-stick, please, you can't make a pan sauce in a non-stick skillet) large enough to hold your chops with plenty of room over medium-high heat with about 2 tbsp of canola/veggie oil or clarified butter. Once hot, sear your chops until a nice crust is formed - BE CAREFUL here, as the spices on the outside of the pork WILL burn if you're not careful.

As soon as you get a nice crust on one side, tent loosely with foil and place the whole pan into that 500 degree oven for about 5 more minutes or until the chops are properly cooked. Some people might tell you that you want pork at 165-175 degrees or even higher - those people are full of shit. This ain't 1985, you're not going to die from pork that's cooked a little pink. Just exercise a little discretion here. It's really easy to mess up and get dry pork.

Take the pork out, place on a plate tented with foil, and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes while you make the sauce:

Put the pan over medium heat, adding more oil or butter if necessary, and toss in your garlic and jalapeno slices. Cook for a minute or two until they just start to pick up some color, then toss in your blueberries. Cook for about another minute, then add the chicken stock and crank the heat up to medium-high. Cook for approximately 6 to 7 minutes or until the stock has reduced by half and your sauce has gone from clear/yellow-tinged to a fairly deep purple. Turn the heat off, then add the butter and cream. Taste for seasoning, then add salt if needed and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. You're done.

Plate everything up, hopefully better than I did here, and enjoy.

Stuffed Chops v. 2.0 now with more deliciosity!

2008-07-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

Cliffs: mom's birthday was today, she saw the photos of the other stuffed chops I made last night and requested something similar. I was much obliged to fulfill said request. On the menu:

-Pan-seared pork chops stuffed with spinach, goat cheese, walnuts, and kalamata olive with a red wine-coffee-maple reduction
-Herbed roasted new potatoes
-Insalata caprese with fennel

Preface: antipasto course

For a simple appetizer I made a standard insalata caprese using locally grown organic tomatoes, fresh, whole-milk mozzarella, basil from my back porch, and thinly sliced fennel bulb. Top this with a drizzle of (preferably homemade) balsamic vinaigrette or just EVOO and balsamic vinegar separately. Liberally apply kosher/sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and allow to sit for flavors to meld a bit for at least an hour.

For the crostini (bread) above, use a crusty loaf of italian or french bread, cut on the bias, brushed with olive oil and broiled or grilled until golden brown and delicious as above. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and serve with the caprese.

Step 1: assemble your ingredients

For the stuffing: All items should be finely diced aside from the mushrooms and olives, which should have a small but still rough dice for better texture.

From top left going clockwise:

Baby spinach, chopped walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, cremini mushrooms, fresh tarragon, shallots, garlic, Kalamata olives

For the sauce: you'll need one large shallot, very thinly sliced, along with about a tablespoon of finely minced tarragon. You will also need about 12 medium-sized cremini mushrooms, sliced. Finally, you'll want about a cup to a cup and a half of red wine (I used a pretty decent cabernet for this, but you're free to use whatever strikes your fancy), along with a tablespoon of maple syrup - the real kind, not Mrs. Butterworth's - and two tablespoons of STRONG brewed coffee. (Preferably freshly ground and freshly brewed.)

For both: olive oil, sea/kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste

Step 2: prepare your chop(s)

You're going to want to make a "pocket" in the meat by cutting into the side right in the middle and very carefully slicing a hollow cavity. Go as far to the back of the chop as possible without cutting through the other end, and try your best to open up the sides as well if possible.

When you're done with that, lightly brush each side with canola oil and liberally apply salt and pepper.

Step 3: cook your stuffing

Simple: lightly sweat your shallots and garlic (medium low-medium heat) with a little olive oil and some salt/pepper. When everything starts to get soft, toss in a bit more oil along with your mushrooms. After the mushrooms start to shrink a bit you can throw in the spinach, olives, and walnuts and allow it to wilt very briefly. Take it off the heat, put it into a bowl, and mix in your goat cheese (to taste). Allow to cool briefly before stuffing.

At this point you might consider tossing your potatoes together. Very simple recipe for these: I used about 7 cloves of roasted garlic (see below), a couple tablespoons of olive oil, generous amounts of salt and pepper, dried oregano/basil/parsley (I prefer dried to fresh for this application), and a few red pepper flakes. Try to cut your potatoes into pieces that are similar in size so that they all cook evenly, then toss with everything to coat and roast in a 500 degree oven (covered with aluminum foil until the last 5 or 10 minutes) until potatoes are fork tender.

About the roasted garlic:

An extremely simple recipe for this is as follows - one head of garlic, drizzled with olive oil, topped with salt and pepper, then covered loosely in aluminum foil and roasted in a hot oven until soft and golden. Allow to cool before attempting to handle or you will be sorry.

Step 4: stuff your chop(s)

Use a couple of tablespoons of stuffing at the most. You don't want it to bulge, you don't want the stuffing to fall out in the middle of cooking, and most importantly, you need to treat the stuffing as the accoutrement it is. Balancing ingredients and flavors is one the most important parts of cooking.

Step 5: Sear your chop(s)

Heat a stainless steel skillet (no non-stick, please) over medium-high heat with about two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil as the smoke point is too low for really high-heat cooking and it will burn when you put it in the oven, giving you a bitter final result. Sear for a minute or two until you have a nice crust, flip it over (if the pan is really dry you should add another tablespoon of oil), then stick the pan, covered, into a 500 degree oven. Roast for 5-10 minutes depending on how big the chop(s) is/are and how many you have. You're aiming to just barely cross the line from pink to white...a very light pink is fine, today's pork is nowhere near as dangerous as the pork from a decade ago. Take the pork out of the pan and drop it onto a plate tented loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to allow it to rest.

Step 6: making the sauce

Using the same pan that you seared the chops in, you're going to sautee your shallots very briefly until they begin to slightly caramelize. (You may need to add a bit of oil if there wasn't much fat on the meat.) Throw in the mushrooms and allow them to cook until slightly browned and about half-cooked. Crank up the heat to medium high or so and pour in the wine and coffee to deglaze the pan. All those "nasty" bits of black and dark brown in there are actually extremely tasty and you want to scrape them with your spoon to get them into the sauce. Stir and let it reduce by half. At this point, pour in your maple syrup and allow to cook for a minute or two more. When you're ready to serve, turn off the heat and toss in your finely minced tarragon. Allow to cook with the heat off for just a moment more and then sauce your plates.

Step 7: enjoy

Once again, my presentation is awful, but that's why I'm not in a 5 star restaurant getting paid $100k a year to run the joint. It tastes amazing, and that's what matters most.

Pan-seared pork chops stuffed with feta, shallots, cremini mushrooms and spinach with a shallot-tarragon-bing cherry red wine reduction

2008-07-22T12:33:00.001-07:00

My first post - hope you guys like it!

Step 1: assemble your ingredients

For the stuffing: Finely dice your garlic and shallots, finely dice a few leaves of tarragon and basil. Small dice on the creminis, and just make sure your feta is in pretty small pieces to make stuffing easier. You can chop your spinach if you would like, but I used baby spinach and didn't see any reason to.

For the sauce: you need one large shallot, very thinly sliced, along with about a tablespoon of finely diced tarragon. Remove the pits from your cherries and cut them right in half, no further prep necessary. You're going to need about a cup of a decent red wine. Try not to get the drug store special for this, any time you cook with wine you want to use wine that you would drink on its own. I don't drink myself, but I still give it a taste when I'm cooking with it to make sure it suits my needs.

For both: olive oil, sea/kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste

Step 2: prepare your chop(s)

I only did one chop tonight (upgraded bachelor meal) but the amount of stuffing I made would have been enough for at least 2 more of the same size. You're going to want to make a "pocket" in the meat by cutting into the side right in the middle and very carefully slicing a hollow cavity. Go as far to the back of the chop as possible without cutting through the other end, and try your best to open up the sides as well if possible.

When you're done with that, lightly brush each side with canola oil and liberally apply salt and pepper.

Step 3: cook your stuffing

Simple: lightly sweat your shallots and garlic (medium low-medium heat) with a little olive oil and some salt/pepper. When everything starts to get soft, toss in a bit more oil along with your mushrooms. After the mushrooms start to shrink a bit you can throw in the spinach and allow it to wilt very briefly. Take it off the heat, put it into a bowl, and mix in your feta (to taste). Allow to cool briefly before stuffing.

At this point you might consider what you're making alongside the chops. Tonight I made a very simple bundle of roasted asparagus the easy way: olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, and some red pepper flakes wrapped in foil and tossed in the 500 degree oven for a total of about 10 minutes. You might need more depending on how big the stalks are and how many you have.

Step 4: stuff your chop(s)

Most important thing here: this is not a porno, you don't need to stuff the chops like you're on camera here. Maybe a couple of tablespoons of stuffing at the most. You don't want it to bulge, you don't want the stuffing to fall out in the middle of cooking, and most importantly, you need to treat the stuffing as the accoutrement it is. Balancing ingredients and flavors is one the most important parts of cooking.

Step 5: Sear your chop(s)

Heat a stainless steel skillet (no non-stick, please) over medium-high heat with about two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil as the smoke point is too low for really high-heat cooking and it will burn when you put it in the oven, giving you a bitter final result. Sear for a minute or two until you have a nice crust, flip it over (if the pan is really dry you should add another tablespoon of oil), then stick the pan, covered, into a 500 degree oven. Roast for 5-10 minutes depending on how big the chop(s) is/are and how many you have. You're aiming to just barely cross the line from pink to white...a very light pink is fine, today's pork is nowhere near as dangerous as the pork from a decade ago. Take the pork out of the pan and drop it onto a plate tented loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to allow it to rest.

Step 6: making the sauce

Using the same pan that you seared the chops in, you're going to sautee your shallots very briefly until they begin to slightly caramelize. (You may need to add a bit of oil if there wasn't much fat on the meat.) Crank up the heat to high then toss in the cherries. You aren't searing the cherries here, you're just giving them a really, really quick char to bring a bit of flavor out. Once the pan is rocket hot (no more than 30 seconds) drop in the red wine. Stir and let it reduce by half. When you're ready to serve, turn off the heat and put in your finely minced tarragon along with a couple of leaves of basil, cut in a chiffonade preferably.

Step 7: eat the food, asshole

If you're into presentation you can surely do a better job than I did. I was anxious to eat the damned thing, so you can tell that I really half-assed this aspect of the dish. Throw your asparagus on the bottom, your chop on top, and pour your reduction all around it, making sure to put a few shallots and cherries on top of the chop along with the sauce. That's it! Serve and enjoy.