Black Pig Pork Chops

French Country Cooking – Meals and Moments From a Village in the Vineyards – 
Mimi Thorisson

Everyone that knows me, knows my comfort zone is Italian cooking.  Duh…  Stands to reason being Italian, right?  But lately I’ve been wanting to branch out into other ethnicities just to get a feel for different styles, tastes, and flavors.  One of those things I’ve been meaning to try is French cooking.  NOT the Julia Child, super complicated, intricate, 5-star, Michelin-rated restaurant quality French cooking.  But the country-style, simple, home-style French cooking.  The kind of meals that a family would eat on an average night. The end result?  Pretty good.  And it’s never a bad thing to discover a new way of making the usual dishes.

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Ingredients:

4 Bone-in Pork Chops – 1 inch thick
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and smashed
8 sage leaves
2/3 cup dry hard apple cider
3 tablespoons crème fraîche

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Preheat the oven to 325º F.

Score the pork chops on both sides and season all over with salt and pepper.

In a large sautè pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the pork chops and garlic cloves, reduce the heat to medium, and cook just until the juices run cleat, about 7 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to an ovenproof dish, put the sage leaves on top, and spoon the pan drippings all over.  Put in the oven to keep warm.

Increase the heat under the pan to high and pour in the cider.  Boil for 2 minutes to reduce.  Add the crème fraîche, stir until thickened, and remove from the heat.

Pour the sauce on top of the chops and serve.

Glazed Short Rib Stacks

Valerie’s Home Cooking – Valerie Bertinelli

This recipe calls for putting the short rib meat on a sliced baguette with cheese, and chives, and other ingredients (which is all outlined in the recipe) but being the rebel that I am, I just served them up as short ribs with a side of saffron rice and biscuits.  Because, why not!  But honestly, the main reason I didn’t follow the recipe exactly the way it was written is because I could never get John to eat short ribs on a baguette with cream cheese, et. al.  So I went a bit more traditional and followed the short rib portion of the recipe and just didn’t follow the portion pertaining to the baguette.  But one day I do want to try it just to see how the flavors mix.

As for how the short ribs turned out overall?  REALLY good.  Very tasty.  The blend of ingredients gave them a sweet and savory taste that were really enjoyable.  Definitely worth making again.

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Ingredients:

Short Ribs
1 pound boneless beef short ribs, trimmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 medium carrot, cut into large chunks
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 thyme sprig, plus more for garnish
½ cup dry red wine
1½ cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Additional Ingredients
12 (½-inch-thick) baguette slices
¼ cup cream cheese, softened
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
2 small plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

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Cut the short ribs into 12 bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle with salt, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a small Dutch oven over medium.  Add the short rib pieces, and cook, turning to brown all over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven.

Ass the onion carrot, garlic, and thyme to the Dutch oven, and cook until the vegetables just begin to brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine, and increase the heat to medium-high.  Bring to a boil, and cook until the liquid is reduced to about a ½ cup, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the short rib pieces, broth, honey and vinegar, and reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Cover and cook until the beef is tender but not falling apart.  About 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef and vegetables to a large platter.

Preheat the oven to 400º F. Remove and discard the vegetables ad thyme spring from the beef mixture.

Increase the heat to high, and bring the liquid in the Dutch oven to a boil. Boil until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 2 minutes.  Return the beef to the Dutch oven, and toss to coat.  Remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm.

Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake until just crisp but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes.  Increase the oven temperature to broil.

Place the cream cheese, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, and remaining ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl, and mash until combined.  Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each toast, and broil until the cheese mixture just begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Top each cheese toast with 1 tomato slice and 1 piece of the glazed short rib.  Garnish with the chopped chives and thyme.

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Scallops Limoncello

A Seat At The Table – Beekman 1802

As mentioned in a previous entry, I made this dish along with the lobster dish from the same book.  Definitely good stuff.  And while I expected to enjoy this dish, what I underestimated what the “Wow!” factor once I actually tasted it.  Holy cow… it was a surprisingly delicious.  I think the reason for the surprise was because while I want to like scallops and have enjoyed them on occasion, they’re not an easy food to prepare.  While scallops cook relatively quickly, they can still be tricky.  If you don’t cook them long enough, they’re still raw.  But, if you leave them on for even a minute longer than they should, they become rubbery.  And neither option is enjoyable.  But this recipe is so easy, that it’s almost foolproof.

Having said all that, what else is there left to say, except…  LIMONCELLO!!! 😍

Not to mention… MOSCATO! 😍❤️😍  Hello!  My newest love!  

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Ingredients:

10 sea scallops
¼ cup limoncello
Zest and juice of half a lemon
¼ cup of white wine (like Moscato)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 slice prosciutto, coarsely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon panic breadcrumbs

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Move a shelf to the top position in the oven and preheat the oven to 425º F.

Make sure the scallops are dry.  Place them in a baking dish and pour the limoncello, lemon juice, lemon zest, and wine over them.

In a small skillet, heat the oil and nutter over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and far lick and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden.  Remove from heat and add the parsley and prosciutto.  Spoon this mixture over the scallops and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Back 12 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and scallops are cooked through.

 

Crusted Lobster with Oregano Butter

A Seat at the Table – Beekman 1802

I’ve only made this one, but I will be making it again. Because…  lobster!  But here’s the thing… the recipe calls for live lobsters.  And anyone knows me knows I can’t do live lobsters.  Nope.  Under no circumstances will I put a live lobster into a boiling pot of water.   Nor will I split them in half while they’re still alive.  Not a snowball’s chance in hell.   But frozen lobster tails?  That, I can handle.  So, frozen it will always be.

I actually made this along with a scallop recipe from the same book and they were both amazing.  Definitely worth making again, although I’m not sure I’d want to make them both at the same time because it doesn’t allow you to appreciate each one for how amazing the individual dish is. 😍

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Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Two 1 ¼-pound live lobsters 
½ cup panic breadcrumbs

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Preheat the oven to 400º F.  One a shallow baking pan — large enough to hold the halved lobsters in a single layer — with heavy-duty foil.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the parsley, oregano, mustard, salt, and pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring until the butter has melted.  Set aside.

Split lobsters in half lengthwise. (You can also ask your fishmonger to do this for you when you buy the lobster.)

Place the lobster halves cut side up on the baking pan.  Spoon the butter mixture gently on the lobster halves and top with breadcrumbs.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the breadcrumbs.  Bake until the flesh is firm and white and starts to pull away from the shell — 12 to 14 minutes.

Note: In the water months, an optional way to serve this dish is with boiled potatoes or corn on the cob — a simple meal that tastes of summer.

Farfalle with Sausage and Roasted Broccoli

The Home Cook – Alex Guarnaschelli

Sausage…  one of my favorite foods.  So whenever I find a recipe that includes sausage, I’ll always be game to try it.  Couple of things:

1. Even though the recipe calls for both sweet and hot sausage, I stuck with just the sweet sausage because I’m not a big fan of hot sausage, and a really have to be in the mood for it, which isn’t often.  So, essentially, what I’m saying is, all sweet, all hot, a mix of both, the choice is yours! 
2. Also, for this one, even though I had the broccoli florets on hand, I decided to substitute broccolini because it’s not as “broccoli-ish” tasting, if that makes sense.  Either way, it came out pretty good.  And it’s definitely worth making again.

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Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small head broccoli, cut into bite-size florets (2½-3 cups)
Kosher Salt
2 sweet Italian sausages (about 8 ounces)
casings removed
2 spicy Italian sausages (about 8 ounces)
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound dried farfalle pasta (De Cecco is one of the better brands, but Barilla is good, too)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

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Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Cook the broccoli:  In a medium saucepan, toss 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the broccoli.  Season with salt.  Arrange the florets in a single layer on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.  Roast until the broccoli is browned on the edges and almost slightly crispy, 15 to 18 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Cook the sausage:  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Breaking them into small pieces and they fall into the skillet, add both kinds of sausage.  Cook, stirring from time to time, until the sausage browns, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the white wine and oregano, and simmer over medium heat until the wine cooks down, 5 to 8 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta:  In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil ad add ½ cup salt.  The pasta water should taste like seawater.  Add the farfalle to the boiling water and stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom as it cooks.  Cook the pasta until it is al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water in case you need to to adjust the sauce.

Finish the dish:  Add the broccoli and pasta to the sausage in the skillet,  and sprinkle with half of the reserved pasta water and the remaining one tablespoon olive oil.  Stir with a wooden spoon to blend.  Taste for seasoning.  Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Add more pasta water if needed to create a sauce that lightly coats the pasta.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Steak and Cheese Tostadas (vampiros de carne asada)

Casa Marcela – Recipes and Food Stories of My Life in The Californias –
Marcella Valladolid

I’ve made these tostadas a few times, now.  And they’re nothing short of amazing. They’re so good and pretty simple to make.  The first couple of times I made these, radishes were in short supply.  Couldn’t find them anywhere.  So I substituted cucumbers.  Why cucumbers?  Why not!  And because I like them.  So, basically, what I’m saying is that sometimes you have to change things on the fly, and it’s okay.  You just work with what you have. 😊

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Ingredients:

1½ pounds skirt steak
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
6 corn tortillas
1¼ cups shredded Oaxaca cheese or any other white melting cheese
½ cup sliced radishes
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
Lime wedges, for serving

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Place the skirt steak in a glass baking dish.  Drizzle the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper.  Add the orange juice, thyme, and oregano and let marinade for 20 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with oil.  Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess liquid drip off (discard the marinade), and add to the grill pan.  Cook the steak until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and chop into ½-inch pieces.  Keep warm.

Using the same heated grill pan, grill the tortillas, turning constantly, until crisp, about 6 minutes.  Divide the cheese equally among the tortillas.  Grill just until the  cheese is melted and remove from the grill pan.

Top each vampiro with ¼ cup of the chopped meat and some of the radishes, cilantro, onion and avocado slices.  Squeeze a lime wedge over each and serve immediately.

Chicken Breasts with Mortadella (petti di pollo alla modanese)

Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner – Lisa Caponigri

Some of the best tasting dishes are rooted in their simplicity.  And this is one of the simplest meals I’ve ever made, but wow…  it was so good.  And definitely worth making again.

The recipe is scaled for 6-8 people, and since we’re only 3-4 (depending on who’s home for dinner) I halved everything to keep the ratios accurate.

Also, it bears mentioning that if the breasts you have are a little thicker, after cooking the breasts in the skillet, you’ll have to put them in the oven in order for them to finish cooking.  The reason I’m mentioning this is because it happened to me!  😊 So I put them in the oven at 325º F for 35 minutes and they were perfect.  Thoroughly cooked but juicy and tender.

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Ingredients:

8 chicken breast halves, with rib meat and bone attached
1 cup all purpose flour
Sea salt
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
8 very thin slices (about ¼ pound) imported mortadella
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano very thinly sliced
¼ cup heavy cream

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Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and pound until they are almost flat.

Place the four on a large flat dish and season with salt.

Melt the butter in 2 skillets over medium heat.  Lightly dredge each breast in the flour, coating fully and tapping off any excess.  Took the chicken, in batches, 4 minutes per side.

Just before serving, top each breast with a slice of mortadella and a slice or more of Parmigiano.  Add the cream to the pan and let bubble a few minutes.

Serve each breast with the cream sauce spooned over the top.