Bad Pork Chops Turned Into A Delicious Stir-Fry

I bought some good-quality pork chops for a Christmas dinner and put too many in the roasting pan. They didn't get a chance to caramelize and I overcooked them.  They were tough and dry and a huge disappointment.  I had a few left over and decided to try to revive them in another dish.  This attempt was a success!

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:

















Cooked pork chops cut into cubes, clementines, rosemary, garlic, ginger, scallions, red pepper, green pepper, parsley, turkey stock (in freezer and saved from Thanksgiving)

STEP ONE:





Heat a T. of olive oil in a wok or large skillet and add peppercorns. Allow them to sizzle for a minute and add the scallions, garlic, ginger, red pepper, one T of chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt.  Stir on medium high heat for a few minutes until they soften.

STEP TWO:



Cook some rice or quinoa or a combination which is what I did here.

STEP THREE:



Add the clementines and stir fry until they start to char a little.

STEP FOUR:





Add the pork and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer for another few minutes.

STEP FIVE:






Spoon pork mixture on grains, top with chopped parsley and serve with a salad. I had pea shoots, tomatoes and arugula on hand and threw it all together with a champagne vinegar dressing.

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!  WISHING EVERYONE A TASTY, ADVENTUROUS AND DELICIOUS 2017.

CLAMS, SHRIMP AND NOODLES

I love cherrystone clams, especially cooked with white wine.  I found beautiful clams the other day and paired them with some shrimp. Here's the simple, quick recipe, about 35 minutes from start to finish.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



Cherrystone clams, shrimp, fettuccine, tomatoes, garlic, fresh oregano, Italian parsley, escarole, bay leaves, white wine, butter, olive oil, black pepper, sea salt (just pretend it's there)

STEP ONE:



Roast the tomatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cook the pasta, drain, drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

STEP TWO:




Pour 3/4 cup of water and a cup of white wine in a pot. Add a bay leaf, a tablespoon of chopped oregano, few peppercorns and a pinch of sea salt and reduce to about a cup. Steam clams until they open. Turn off the heat and let them sit while tomatoes finish cooking. Drain and set aside.

STEP THREE:



Chop about 4 cloves of garlic if you're a garlic nut! The implement pictured is a boon to the cook. I found it in Alaska as I watched an Inuit woman scraping salmon with it. It is also fantastic for chopping just about anything.  It's called an Ulu.  So chop the garlic and saute in olive oil until soft but not golden, just a few minutes. This will give a robust garlic flavor to the dish.

STEP FOUR:



Steam the escarole and add to the pasta with the roasted tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil on top. Add a couple pinches of sea salt. Gently toss.

STEP FIVE:



Saute the shrimp in a little butter or olive oil (or both) and add to the pasta with the clams. Dress with parsley and if you'd like a little punch, some red pepper flakes to taste.  A little bread on the side is a nice touch. And some lemon zest would be a tasty addition too.

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

MOVE OVER TURKEY!

I cooked for 17 this Thanksgiving with a lot of help from my family and friends. I was responsible for the turkey, dressing, ham, rutabaga and the gravy.  Everyone else brought delicious sides and great desserts: key lime, apple and lemon meringue pies and a delectable cheesecake baked by a friend of a guest who is a pastry chef in a downtown restaurant.  We had plenty of food and plenty of leftovers too even after I distributed care packages to people.  After four days of eating turkey and ham sandwiches along with turkey soup, I was ready to start rummaging through the fridge to see what I could turn into a delicious meal. This reminds me to post a recipe for turkey stock/soup next Thanksgiving!

We had quite a bit of the Iberico chorizo I bought for a charcuterie platter and some gouda and cheddar cheeses along with some asparagus, red pepper, tomatoes, black olives, onion and some fresh thyme and rosemary. I had been to a salon earlier in the day and saw a recipe for a galette (which is really just a fancy word for flatbread) in Food and Wine magazine.  I liked the simple recipe for the pastry so I copied it. The topping wasn't to my liking since I'm not a big butternut squash fan, so I used what I had on hand to create my own.  Here's what I've got:

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



Iberico chorizo, tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, onion, garlic, asparagus, gouda cheese, cheddar cheese, crushed red pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, butter, flour, sea salt, pepper, ice water

STEP ONE:



Measure 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp. sea salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and mix together.

STEP TWO:



Grate 3/4 stick of butter into the flour.  Grating the butter is an easy way to get it integrated into the flour without cutting cubes or using a food processor.  Just make sure the butter is very cold or frozen before you grate.  Gently toss into the flour.

STEP THREE:



Add about 1/3 cup of ICE WATER (very important for a good pastry) to the flour until it lumps together and you can manipulate it into a ball. Wrap in plastic and set in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

STEP FOUR:



Cut up onion, garlic and red pepper and fry in a T. of olive oil until almost soft.  Add some fresh thyme, a little rosemary and crushed red pepper to taste.

STEP FIVE:



Add the asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes.

STEP SIX:





After an hour, take out the dough and a piece of parchment paper.  Roll out the dough to about a 14-inch round.

STEP SEVEN:



Sprinkle gouda cheese on the pastry.

STEP EIGHT:









Place the cooked vegetable mixture on top of the cheese and then add the chorizo, fresh tomatoes, black olives and cheddar cheese (or any type of cheese you have on hand). Fold up the edges of the pastry to form a crust. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Keep a watch on it. You don't want it to get too brown. When it's golden, take it out.

STEP NINE:





Remove the flatbread from the oven. Can garnish with a spring or two of rosemary or thyme. I forgot to do that, but I think it would be a nice touch. I'm a salad nut, and this dish definitely begs for one. I made one with red leaf lettuce, avocado, cucumbers and clementines. I dressed it with a sherry vinaigrette.   ENJOY!


ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

PICKLED WHAT?

Persimmons!  I have some Fuyo persimmons from my Burmese friend Sunda.  She usually cuts them into cubes and serves them raw as a dessert.  They're sweet and delicious unlike the Hachiya persimmon that has so many tannins, it is hard to swallow if not completely ripe.  I once found a tree full of small persimmons on Solomon's Island in Maryland beside a pond. I ventured to try them, and they were so sweet and succulent, I ate them like grapes! The Fuyo, on the other hand, is very hard when ripe, is smaller and can be eaten raw with good results.

 I happened to see a FB post from another friend, Fariba, who said she had pickled some, so I asked her how she did it.  Like me, she's an intrepid experimenter, so she said she just cuts them up, adds white vinegar and lots of herbs and spices (many Iranian), jars them up and lets them sit for 6-8 months depending if you like them soft or crunchy.  I looked around for other recipes and saw that you can eat them within a week too. So, this is what I did.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



Fuyo persimmons, apple cider vinegar, water, black mustard seed, tricolor peppercorns, sugar, cinnamon stick.

STEP ONE:






Peel and chop the persimmons into cubes. I used three in this recipe.

STEP TWO:



Place 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 2 T. sugar in a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves.  Let cool. Put persimmons in a clean jar, add the liquid along with a small cinnamon stick,  1/4 tsp. black mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp. peppercorns.

STEP THREE:





Store the jar in the refrigerator for a week and then enjoy!

I prepared this concoction last week and tasted them today.  They were really good and soft the way I wanted them. I might use a little less vinegar next time.  The contrast between sour and sweet was almost perfect but not quite. The beauty of this recipe is the freedom to explore with different flavors.  I might add some herbs next time, maybe some ginger.  Feel free to experiment.  These pickled persimmons go well with cheese, pork, fish and probably a charcuterie plate.  I'll try that next!

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

Have You Ever Cooked Radishes?

Radishes are usually eaten raw, at least that's the way I always ate them. Then I came across a recipe in Lydia Matticchi's Italian-American Kitchen that featured cooked radishes and I've frequently cooked them ever since. They are delicious when cooked, and you can cook the nutritious greens too!

One of the troubles with going nuts at a farmers market on the weekend is using everything before it goes bad.  I had a riot of vegetables that needed to be cooked and eaten, so this week's vegetarian meal shows the outcome.  When I cook vegetable-only meals, I like to find new ways to flavor them. I came up with sage, fennel seed and rosemary to bring some punch to the dish. The egg on the cutting board ended up going back in the fridge.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



Whole-grain quinoa, miso, cabbage, potatoes, asparagus, garlic, onion, carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes, egg, parmesan cheese, parsley, avocado, spinach, lemon

Other pertinent characters: dried sage, dried basil, fresh rosemary, dried oregano, paprika, fennel seed, seasalt, crushed red pepper, fresh ground black peppercorns

STEP ONE:



Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of miso. One cup of quinoa will feed two people, so adjust accordingly.  I use whole-grain quinoa since I think the more common variety is bland. The whole-grain imparts a bit of a nutty flavor.  Make an extra cup of miso and set aside to add to the dish later.

STEP TWO:





Cut the potatoes in rounds and cut in half. Chop the onions and garlic.  Heat 1 T. of oil (I used canola) and add the potatoes. Allow to cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes, turning when golden on one side and then add the onions and garlic. Add 1 T. dried sage, 1 tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. fennel seed, 1/2 tsp. seasalt, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste), 1/2 tsp. paprika. Stir. You may need to add more oil. Stay attentive and allow to cook for a few more minutes.

STEP THREE:



Cut radishes in half and add to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes on low heat.

STEP FOUR:



Chop the carrots and add to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.  Add the one cup of reserved miso and stir.

STEP FIVE:



Add chopped cabbage, asparagus, tomatoes and one-quarter sprig of rosemary leaves, chopped.  Cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. Believe it or not, it's the same cabbage from weeks ago! It wasn't an uninvited guest, but it appears to want to stick around forever.

STEP SIX:



Throw in the spinach and cook for another minute.

STEP SEVEN:





Arrange on a platter, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top, generously douse with freshly ground pepper and if you're vegan, you're good to go.  If not, and you choose to, grate some parmesan (or any cheese you like) on top.  Garnish with parsley. I used the avocado in a spinach salad.

Miso is a complete protein (all 9 amino acids), so it's a good choice for vegans and vegetarians. It's good for everyone!  It has vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron, potassium, choline and lecithin. It's also high in dietary fiber.

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

A Peek in the Fridge Screams Scallions!

In my quest to use everything perishable I have on hand to prepare weekly meals, I spotted a whole lot of scallions in one of the drawers in my fridge. My Persian husband had bought several bunches for a khoresh (stew) and as usual, bought enough to feed a dozen people just in case we had unexpected guests. The khoresh fed four (with yummy leftovers) and no unexpected guests arrived.  So here we were with these beautiful onions that needed some attention, and I decided to use them in a quinoa dish to go with the Wild Alaskan salmon and sea scallops I was going to prepare for the evening meal.  My aim is to make easy, delicious meals and cut down on food waste in the process.

Today's Menu: Wild Alaskan salmon with sea scallops, quinoa, sautéed mushrooms and green beans, eggplant and tomato ratatouille.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:

Salmon, sea scallops, heritage tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, mushrooms, green beans, quinoa, vegetable broth, shredded cauliflower, Italian bread crumbs, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, pepper, saffron

STEP ONE:



Heat about a T. of oil in a heavy skillet and add chopped scallions when the oil is hot.  Allow to cook until the scallions are soft and start to brown. Add a pinch of sea salt.

STEP TWO:



Place a couple cups of the shredded cauliflower over the scallions and press with a spoon to cover.  Sprinkle a little water in the skillet to generate some steam and let cook for about 10 minutes.  Set aside.

STEP THREE:



Cook the quinoa in vegetable or chicken broth.  Grind a 1/2 tsp. of saffron threads to powder and add a T. of hot water. Pour onto the quinoa, mix in the cauliflower/scallion mixture and set aside.



I want to give a shoutout to my friend, Marilyn Olsen, who brought this mortar and pestle to me from Montana. I love it!

STEP FOUR:



Cut the eggplant and tomatoes in disks and chunks. Throw some fresh garlic in a pan with the eggplant and tomatoes. Sprinkle some Italian breadcrumbs on top once the tomatoes start to soften. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and a generous grind of pepper.  Cook until vegetables are soft.

STEP FIVE:



Season the salmon with 1/4 tsp. ground coriander, 1/8 tsp. cumin and fresh garlic tucked into the fish. Sauté in a skillet over medium heat for about 8 minutes, four minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.  Sauté the scallops over high heat in 2 T. of butter until they are well browned.  Shouldn't take but a couple of minutes on each side.

While seafood is cooking, sauté the mushrooms and green beans in garlic and butter.

STEP SIX:



Arrange the quinoa on a platter. Place the fish and scallops on top and place the vegetables in an attractive configuration around the seafood.  Serve and enjoy!

This meal is quick and delicious. It has butter in it, but I would still say that it is also very nutritious and easy on the waistline!

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!