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Back from Dublin for Some Home Cooked Pork Loin

After spending a wonderful week in Dublin last week, it’s time to get back to the real world of work, school and chores around here. That means back to cooking dinner, and yesterday I decided to make some pork loin. I had gotten the recipe from a Williams-Sonoma link I posted here on the blog a while back but I hadn’t had the chance to cook it yet. Last night I gave it a shot, and I can tell you it turned out great and the lentil salad was out of this world.

Roasted Loin with Lentil Salad

1 cup lentils

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and ground pepper

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of excess fat

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

In a saucepan, combine the lentils, half of the garlic, bay leaf and stock. Season well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the lentils until tender, about 45 minutes. Let the lentils cool in stock.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the pork well with salt and pepper. In a ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sear the pork, turning occasionally, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the remaining garlic and rosemary. Place the pork in the oven and roast until the juices run clear when the pork is pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the lentils and put them in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, mustard, vinegar, onion and parsley. Season and toss to combine. Spread on a serving platter. Slice pork thinly, arrange on lentils and serve.

The lentils tasted great. The combination of the mustard, red onion and red wine vinegar add just the right tang and bite to the lentil salad. We also had enough left over that we can use it as a side dish again later this week with one of our other meals. I also served this with some brown rice and steamed green beans.

For the rest of this week, I plan to post some recipes of things we ate while in Ireland. I will also give some of my observations about the food and pubs and the style of cooking that we observed while we there. It was a great experience on many levels for me, with the food aspect being just one of them. You can check my other blog at The Office of Iguana Flats this week for some of my more personal outlooks on the trip.

I also have some recipes planned for this week that we’ll be using in the coming days that I hope to get up on the blog soon as well. Check back and see what we had in Ireland and what I’ll be making in the coming days. Fall is coming, so we are planning lots of soups, stews, and slow cooker meals. I also recently subscribed to Cook’s Illustrated and got a few great recipes from there this month that I plan to cook soon. Boy, we have a lot to cover! Until next time, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 1, 2012 in Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Pork, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: brown rice, cook's illustrated, lentil salad, pork loin, pork tenderloin, the office of iguana flats, williams-sonoma

5 Steps to Perfect French Fries | The Feed

22 Sep

5 Steps to Perfect French Fries | The Feed.

Okay, so they may not be the healthiest food in the world, but everyone loves french fries. At least one time in your life you need to try making homemade fries. I can promise you that it is worth the effort you put into it. It may not be something you can do all the time, but trust me, you will like them better than anything you ever bought in a store. Follow these five great tips from Cook’s Country and you will never look at Ore Ida’s the same way again. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on September 22, 2012 in Cooking, Cooking Websites, Potatoes, Side Dishes

Tags: 5 steps to perfect french fries, Cook's Country, french fries, homemade french fries

Recipe Roundup: Pork Loin, 4 Ways

18 Sep

Recipe Roundup: Pork Loin, 4 Ways.

I love to make a nice pork loin for dinner. As a matter of fact, I have one that I am going to cook later on this week and just may try out one of these recipes to go with it. There’s nothing like it with a nice little crust on it and some good veggies to round out a meal. Williams-Sonoma gives these four different recipes to try things out with the pork. Check it out and let me know which one you would like to try!

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Posted by MikeG on September 18, 2012 in Cooking, Cooking Websites, Pork

Tags: pork loin, pork loin recipes, williams-sonoma

Back in the Swing With Baked Pork Chops

12 Sep

Wow, it’s been a while since I have had the time to put up an actual recipe that I made for dinner! I hope to have some more to play around the blogs again, it’s just been kind of brutal the way life has a way of intruding upon things sometimes. Anyway, I do have quite a backlog of things that I have cooked recently that I hope to get up here on the blog. I am also on a diet now, so that means trying to cut back on frying and fatty things while still trying to make dinners that appeal to all of us. Tonight was a simple baked pork chops recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. I wanted to bake the pork chops instead of sauteing them tonight, and this recipe looked pretty good and better for us than the usual method.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

Salt

4 center-cut boneless pork chops

4 slices of white bread, torn into pieces

1 minced shallot

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 6 tablespoons

3 large egg whites

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup of salt in 1 quart of water in a medium container or gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Submerge the pork chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Rinse the chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Pulse the bread in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer the crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with the oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Don’t turn off the oven).

Cool to room temperature. Toss the crumbs with the Parmesan, thyme and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup of flour in a pie plate. In a second pie plate, whisk the egg whites and mustard until combined; add the remaining 6 tablespoons of flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in a rimmed baking sheet. Season the pork chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in the flour; shake off the excess. Using tongs, coat with the egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of the pork chop with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so the a thick layer of bread crumbs adheres to the chop. Transfer the breaded chop to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining 3 chops.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chops registers 150 degrees, about 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on the rack for 5 minutes before serving.

I made some brown rice, using the recipe I linked to from the Our Best Bites blog, and some steamed spinach. The pork chops were great. Nice and moist inside and the coating was really crunchy and stayed adhered to the chops.It was much better than using Shake n’ Bake or even my own coating with an egg wash on the meat. The mixture of the flour, mustard and egg whites really made a big difference.

I have lots of recipes that have been accumulating for a few weeks with the dinners I have made, so I’ll be posting them when I get a chance. Some of them include Coq au Vin in the slow cooker, Alton Brown’s meatloaf recipe, corn and tomato salsa, a roasted corn and tomato soup, mu shu pork and even a recipe from Sean for sausage bread. I hope to start getting some of them up in the next day or two. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 12, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Rice

Tags: americas test kitchen, baked pork chops, brown rice, crunchy pork chops, pork chops, spinach

5 Ways with Kabobs

03 Sep

5 Ways with Kabobs.

Even with summer coming to an end. you can always make kabobs indoors if you want to. Either way, it’s a great party food and gives you a chance to experiment with new combinations and marinades. These 5 suggestions from Williams-Sonoma are great recipes for beef, fish, vegetables and even fruit. Check it out!

I plan to get back to a regular schedule this week. Things have been a little crazy around here lately, but I think we are just about on track and with school starting up again, our schedule will get somewhat back to normal, so that means my cooking schedule will be back together too. I hope to have some good recipes this week and I plan to get back to my other blog that I have neglected too long this week as well. See you there!

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Posted by MikeG on September 3, 2012 in Cooking, Cooking Websites, Grilling

Tags: 5 ways with kabobs, kabobs, the office of iguana flats, williams-sonoma

Tips for Hosting a Tailgate Party

02 Sep

Tips for Hosting a Tailgate Party.

It’s hard to believe that summer is over already. It’s back to school this week, which means school lunches, busy weeknights and back to meal planning so I can stay organized. It also means the ending of baseball season (which I love), but the start of football season. I am not the biggest football fan, but I do watch it and enjoy it, and everyone loves to go to a game. Maybe the best part of the game for some is the tailgate party. Here are some great tips from Williams-Sonoma about how to make a great tailgate party and some recipe ideas for you. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on September 2, 2012 in Cooking, Cooking Websites

Tags: hosting a tailgate party, tailgate parties, williams-sonoma

How to Make the Best Burgers | Cook’s Country – Recipes That Work

30 Aug

How to Make the Best Burgers | Cook’s Country – Recipes That Work.

I could pretty much live on burgers and sandwiches if Michelle would let me. All these tips here from Cook’s Country can help you make a better burger not just for the grill but for inside as well. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on August 30, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites

Tags: burgers, Cook's Country, hamburgers, How to Make the Best Burgers

A Simple Dinner: Braised Chicken, Tomatoes and Bacon

27 Aug

I’ve been pretty busy with work lately so I’ve barely had time to do any blogging. As a matter of fact I’ve been completing neglecting my other blog the past few weeks so I could get work flowing. Hopefully I will get back to it next week. in the meantime, I am trying to stay with simple, easy dinners. This one even comes from a cookbook called “Simple Suppers” from Williams-Sonoma. It was a quick meal of chicken and tomatoes and makes a great one pot meal, although I did make some boiled potatoes along with it.

Braised Chicken, Tomatoes and Bacon

4 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped

6 bone-in,skin on chicken thighs, about 2 pounds total

Salt and Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning often, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small plate. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the pan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.

Pour in the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Stir in the oregano, red pepper flakes and tomatoes and their juice. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer and stir in the bacon. Transfer the chicken to individual plates, top with the sauce and serve immediately.

The sauce that is made is delicious. The chicken thighs are ideal for this dish as well. The meat just falls right off the bone and is moist. Best of all, you can have this be a one dish meal and you are all done.

Simple recipe, simple meal, simple clean up, simple blog post. I am planning to make some shrimp tomorrow, so we’ll have to see what I can come up with to make. Check back and see what I decide to do. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 27, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Poultry

Tags: braised chicken tomatoes and bacon, one pot meals, williams-sonoma

Quick and Tasty Chicken, Sausage and Peppers

23 Aug

While I have a few minutes of a break for lunch before starting up work again, I thought I would just pop in and give the recipe I made for dinner last night. I had seen this recipe on Food Network’s website and it sounded perfect for a weeknight meal when you need something quick and easy. I altered it slightly, changing up the kinds of peppers used in the recipe, but other than that I stayed pretty true.

Chicken, Sausage and Peppers

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 peppers of various colors, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper., then toss the chicken with the flour in a bowl to coat; add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown but not cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add the onion, peppers,garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the sausage and chicken are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, sausage and vegetables to a platter with a slotted spoon. Increase the heat to high and stir the parsley into the skillet.; boil until it is reduced by one-third, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.

I served the meal with some white rice to round things out. For the peppers, I had bought a variety of colored peppers at the farmers market – red, orange, yellow, purple and white – so I used them all to make it more colorful. I would use whatever type of peppers you like best; if you want ones that will add some heat, get them and use them here and then use hot Italian sausage in the recipe.

That’s it for today. I have a doctor’s appointment this evening so I don’t think there ill be an organized meal tonight. Check back tomorrow and see what I’ve got. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 23, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Poultry, Vegetarian

Tags: chicken sausage and peppers, food network, italian sausage, peppers

There’ Nothing Better Than a Burger…Except a Steak Burger!

20 Aug

I love burgers. I’m pretty sure I could eat one every day if it wouldn’t eventually kill me. There’s just something about a nice, juicy burger with all the accompaniments you like – bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado, really anything you want – and it’s just plain good. I didn’t think there was too much else you could do to a burger until I came across this recipe for a Steak Burger from Cook’s Country. This burger is made from ground sirloin, which is why they call it a steak burger. Now the thing about ground sirloin is that there is hardly any fat in it at all, so you need to add a little fat to this to make it perfect. it’s nothing a little melted butter can’t take care of, and while you’re at it you can add a little spice to it as well. They also use a steak sauce on the burger to really give it some intense flavor. This recipe calls for the burgers to be grilled, but of course it was raining today when I started cooking so everything got moved inside.

Grilled Steak Burgers

For the Burgers:

8 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground sirloin

4 hamburger buns

For the Steak Sauce:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2/3 cup beef broth

1/3 cup raisins

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the burgers, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onion powder, pepper and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture into a bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

For the steak sauce, add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, raisins, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer until the raisins plump, about 5 minutes. Process the sauce in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to a bowl.

Add 5 tablespoons of the cooled butter mixture and the soy sauce to the ground beef and gently knead until well combined. Shape into 4 3/4-inch-thick patties and press a shallow divot in the center of each. Brush each patty all over with 1 tablespoon of the steak sauce. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of the cooled butter mixture with 2 tablespoons of the steak sauce; set aside.

For a gas grill, turn all the burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until it is hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the burners on high. Clean and oil the cooking grate. Grill the burgers, covered, until the meat registers 120 to 125 degrees, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the burgers to a plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Brush the cut side of the buns with the butter-steak sauce mixture. Grill the buns, cut side down, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the burgers on the buns and serve with the remaining steak sauce.

The steak sauce has just the right bite to it and tastes very good on the burgers. Of course, you can top the burgers with whatever you like to top them with. I prefer some sliced pickle, red onion and tomato myself, maybe a piece of bacon or avocado. You could just eat them with the steak sauce. I still had some of the remoulade I made a few days ago and used that. It was delicious.

There’s no meal tomorrow since we are going to the Mets game at Citi Field tomorrow night, but I do have a dinner planned for Wednesday involving, chicken, Italian sausage and potatoes. Check back on Wednesday to see what it is. until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!