Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pork Chops with Bacon Onion Gravy served with Parslied Potatoes with Smoked Paprika


It's always fun for me to cook on Sunday afternoons. I saw Rachel Ray cook this recently and decided this would be a good comfort food meal. Be careful seasoning the chops due to the saltiness of the bacon. This is a keeper. But how could it not be with pork chops AND bacon? 

4 bone-in pork chops, just over 1-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle
2 thick slices smoky bacon, diced 1/4-inch
1 medium onion, diced 1/4-inch
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 12 oz. beer
1/2 cup chicken stock

Season the chops with salt and pepper. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil smokes, add the chops and cook, turning once, until caramelized and the meat is just turning firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a platter and cover with foil, reserve.

Add a drizzle more oil to the pan, add bacon and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the onions and saute over medium heat with the bacon until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, stir for 1 minute, then add the beer. Cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes more, then whisk in the stock. Remove from the heat and season with pepper. Pour the gravy over the chops, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.


2 to 2 1/2 pounds small red skinned potatoes
Salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the whole smaller potatoes and halved larger potatoes in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and cook until the potatoes are tender.  Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot on the stove. Add the butter, and when it begins to melt, sprinkle in the paprika and the parsley.  Toss to coat the potatoes with the butter mixture and transfer to a serving bowl.





Thursday, March 25, 2010

Culinary Quote of the Week

I find chopsticks frankly distressing. Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back 3,000 years haven’t yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food? ~ Bill Bryson

Monday, March 22, 2010

Mexican Fiesta Night

Sweet Harold picked this recipe from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2009.  I modified it a bit by adding some additional spices and using some of his pickled jalapenos instead of fresh.  The original recipe cooked the chicken by cubing it into 1 inch chunks and browning.  Our personal preference is for the chicken to be stewed and shredded when it comes to soups and stews, so that's what I did with this batch.  Two thumbs up from Sweet Harold.  He chose wisely.

3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth or stock
2 T. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pickled jalapenos or use fresh
2 T. all purpose flour
2 T. chile powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried Mexican oregano
1/2 t. ground ancho chile pepper
1/2 t. ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
3 15 oz. cans white navy beans, rinsed and drained
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  In a large Dutch oven, heat the chicken broth and cook chicken for 20-25 minutes.  Remove chicken from brothnd let rest until cool enough to shred.
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering and saute onions for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant.  Add the flour, cumin, oregano and peppers and cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. 
Add this mixture along with chicken back to broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cover and let cook for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and simmer the stew over moderate heat until sightly thickened about 30 minutes longer.  Serve with chips and top with any or all of the following:  shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, cilantro, diced avocado.


Black Beans with Rotel Tomatoes
Last year I asked Sweet Harold to plant some black beans in the garden.  He had a bumper crop and we had plenty for the freezer.  I cooked these for about 4 hours in some chicken broth with a little diced garlic.  About 30 minutes before serving, I mixed in a can of Rotel Tomatoes with Lime and Jalapenos. 


Crawfish and Shrimp Enchiladas
This dish is  based on Paul Prudhomme's recipe.  When I realized that he had 8 cups of cheese, yes 8 cups of cheese, I knew I'd have to adjust that some.  Instead of all crawfish, I decided to go with half crawfish/half shrimp.  This is a wonderful comforting meal. 
1 stick butter (divided)
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup canned diced green chiles, drained
3/4 cup diced bell peppers
salt
2 t. white pepper
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
3/4 t. dried Mexican oregano
1/2 t. minced garlic
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (divided)
2 pounds crawfish
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2/3 very finely chopped green onions
6 inch flour tortillas
In a large skillet, melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Add the onions, green chiles, bell peppers, salt to taste, 1 t. white pepper, 1/2 t. of the red pepper, 1/4 t. of the oregano and the garlic.  Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the sour cream and mix well until dissolved, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
In a medium skillet, melt the remaining butter.  Add the crawfish, shrimp, 1 t. white pepper, 1 t. cayenne and 1/2 t. oregano.
Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add 2 cups of the cheese and stir well.  Simmer until the flavors are well blended about 10 minutes. 
Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray and spread about 1/4 cup of the crawfish mixture evenly on bottom of the dish.  With one torilla at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto tortillas and roll tightly.  Place seam side down in dish.  I got 8 enchiladas in mine.  Top the enchiladas with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and about 1/2 cup of the crawfish mixture.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  The remaining filling can be used for additional enchiladas or serve over rice or pasta.


Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring Time Pasta

I realized a few days ago (and should have years ago) that in this lifetime we're only going to have so many First Days.  I decided to celebrate the First Day of Spring 2010 with lots of fresh Spring flavors.  


12 oz. wide egg noodles
2 T. olive oil
5 green onions, white and some green, thinly sliced
2 T. chopped fresh sage
1 lb. asparagus, washed, trimmed and sliced on bias about 1 inch in length
2 - 6 oz. bags baby spinach
3 T. unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. red pepper flakes

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain the pasta thoroughly and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large deep skillet.  Add the green onions and sage and cook over high heat until ligtly browned.  This will take about 2 - 3 minutes.  Add asparagus and cook for an additional 3 - 4 mintues stirring constantly.  Add spinach by handfuls and cook stirring until wilted.  Add the drained pasta, butter and ricotta.  Stir gently and add 3/4 cup of the pasta water. 

Season generously with salt and pepper and add parmesan cheese.  Cook over moderately low heat until the sauce is thick and creamy.  Add the remaining pasta water if needed. 

Serve immediately and top with additional cheese and red pepper flakes.  Next time I'll add some tiny green peas and maybe a little lemon juice to brighten the flavor just a bit. 



Friday, March 19, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!!


I hope everyone has had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day and that you wore some article of green clothing and didn't get pinched!  I put a nice corned beef brisket in the crock pot this morning before leaving to go to work.  I literally could smell it from the garage when I came home this afternoon.  It's difficult to make a huge Irish meal after working all day.

So I decided to shred up the corned beef, added some thinly sliced Swiss cheese and mustard to oatmeal bread and 1, 2, 3 -- a St. Patrick Day Panini. The ever popular roasted potatoes made an appearance as well. 

Remember, if you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Lime Infused Cod with Mediterranean Salsa


So much fun to take a recipe you want to cook, realize you don't have half of the ingredients and then it dawns on you that you're going to get to play the "Substitute Ingredients Game!" You, too, can be a winner if you use your imagination and have a willing victim, err participant, to try the result!

4 - 4oz. cod fillets
3 - 4 T. fresh lime juice (divided)
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped or use a mixture of kalamatas and mediterranean olives
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 1/2 T. chopped oregano
1 t. red pepper flakes
fresh parsley

Pat the fish dry and drizzle with olive oil. Squeeze 1 T. lime juice over fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature while you make the salsa.

In a medium bowl, combine the olives, tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add 2 T. olive oil and remaining lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat about 1 T. olive oil in a nonstick skillet until it shimmers. Pat the fish dry and place in skillet skin side down. Cook fish over medium high heat about 4 minutes each side. Plate and top with the salsa. Add a little lime zest over top of fish and throw on a little chopped parsley.


Adapted from Food & Wine March 2010


Monday, March 15, 2010

Thai Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro


I've been wanting to make this recipe for months. It was the cover recipe for Food and Wine March 2010. Every time I'd look through this magazine, this recipe called for me to try. So, a rushed trip to the International Market during the lunch hour for soba noodles and tamari sauce and here's the result.

9 oz. soba noodles
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
3 T. tamari
1 t. agave syrup (maple syrup will work as an alternative)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced and separated into rings
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 t. finely grated lime zest, plus 2 T. fresh lime juice
1 pound large shrimp, shelled & deveined
salt
2 scallions, finely chopped on bias
¼ cup chopped cilantro
lime wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a medium bowl, combine 2 T. of the oil with the soy sauces, tamari and agave syrup. Add the noodles and toss.

In a skillet, heat 1 T of the oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to paper towels to drain. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the paper towels.

Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the remaining 1 T. of oil. Stir in the shrimp and season with salt. Grill the shrimp over high heat, turning once, until glazed and just white throughout, 3 minutes.

Arrange the noodles on a large platter. Sprinkle with the scallions, cilantro, crushed red pepper and the fried shallots and garlic. Arrange the shrimp on top and serve with the lime wedges alongside.

Give this one a try.  Took less than 45 minutes from beginning to table.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Grilling Season is upon us!

Sweet Harold is ready to start grillin'.  I'm ready to try some new things on the grill.  Today's experiment:  Hot Dogs with Grilled Coleslaw.  Now I'm very picky/ticky about my coleslaw.  I prefer shredded cabbage over the minced into teensy bits cabbage.   After trying this recipe, this will become a summer staple on the grill. 
1 - 3 lb. head of green cabbage, cut through the core into 8 wedges
vegetable oil for brushing
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 T. mayonnaise
4 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
3 pickled jalapenos, seeded and very finely diced, plus 2 t. pickling liquid
hot dogs & buns
Light the grill.  Brush the cabbage wedges with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the cabbage over high heat until charred, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove from grill and let cool.  When it's cool enough to handle, either slice thinly crosswise or run it through the food processor using the slicing blade.  (If you prefer the teensy bits, use the shredding blade.)
In a large bowl, whisk the mayo, cider vinegar, jalapenos and the pickling liquid.  I used some of Sweet Harold's garden jalapenos from last summer which he pickled.  That's why I have bits of red jalapenos in the picture.  Yum. Yum.
Add the shredded cabbage and toss well.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed and toss again.
Now grill the hot dog buns over high heat until crisp, about 30 seconds.  Grill the hot dogs over high heat, turning several times until lightly charred and heated through, about four minutes.  Place the hot dogs in the toasted buns, top with the grilled coleslaw and serve.  From Food and Wine Annual Cookbook - 2009


Friday, March 12, 2010

Pork

I have a dear friend who is a constant source of encouragement, laughter and delicious recipes.  He totally understands my love of all things pig.  His experiments with sausage making, meat curing and preserving Cajun/Creole recipes are incredible.  Check out his blog.  You'll see what I mean.


Thursday, March 11, 2010

Culinary Quote of the Week

Older people shouldn't eat health food, they need all the preservatives they can get. ——Robert Orben

I'm not saying I agree with that quote, but I thought it was pretty funny!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

82nd Annual Academy Awards

I attempted for weeks to plan a menu based on either one of the Best Picture nominees or a combination of all of them.  I wasn't happy with any of my ideas.  So I decided to just go Ultra Elegant like the Oscars of long ago used to be.

Here's a few pics of the menu and table:




Let's start with our Red Carpet Arrival:  Seared Bay Scallops drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and lemon zest


Dry bay scallops with a paper towel.  Heat 1 t. olive oil in small skillet over medium high heat.  Place scallops into skillet and let cook for about 1 minute until deep golden.  Turn over gently and cook for about 30 seconds more.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and top with freshly grated lemon zest.  Voila!

Coming Attractions:  Lobster Salad over Mixed Greens


1 cup cooked lobster (I steamed two lobster tails for about 7 minutes and then removed meat from shells very carefully to keep it in large pieces)
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup mayonniase, or to moisten
1/4 t. salt
dash of pepper
mixed salad greens
Sprinkle lobster meat with lemon juice.  Add celery, salt & pepper.  Stir in mayonnaise, chill thoroughly.  Arrange lobster salad on top of mixed greens.

On to The Main Event:  Steak Oscar - filet mignon topped with bernaise sauce, crab and asparagus


Here's Ina Garten's version:
Season the steaks liberally with salt and coarsely ground black pepper on both sides. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steaks on each side for 1 minute.  Lower the heat to low and cook the steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Serve with the bernaise sauce on the side or on top or under......

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good white wine
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 extra-large egg yolks*
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
For the sauce, put the vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to a few tablespoons.  Cool slightly.

Place the cooled mixture with the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt in the jar of a blender and blend for 30 seconds.  With blender on, slowly pour the hot butter through the opening in the lid.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon leaves and blend only for a second.  If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of white wine to thin.  Keep at room temperature until serving.

Supporting Characters:  Understudy Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary


For the potatoes, I cubed 10 red new potatoes.  Tossed them with granulated garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and put in a preheated toaster oven for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees.  Sprinkled 1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary over the hot potatoes just before serving.

Trailers:  Silky Chocolate Truffle Pie


10 - 1 oz. squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place chocolate squares in a large microwaveable bowl.  Add cream.  Microwave on high 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Cool slightly.
Add eggs, sugar and flour.  Beat with a wire whisk until well blended.  Pour into lightly greased 9 inch pic plate.
Bake 35 minutes or until outer half of pie is puffed and center is sightly soft.  Cool.  Top each slice with grated chocolate, whipped cream or fruit.  Or a combination!

The Ultimate Accolade


1/2 ounce orange vodka
1/3 ounce orange juice
top with your favorite champagne or sparkling wine

We had fun with this menu.  Let me assure you, we don't have filet mignon and/or lobster every day.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Moroccan Night

There's nothing like the aroma of all the spices blended together when you make these recipes.  I am beyond tempted to learn bellydancing now!  The color the tumeric gives to the chicken is just gorgeous.  Do yourself (and some of your favorite people!) a favor and make these recipes soon.  You'll be glad you did.

Let's start with our soup.  I added double the amount of couscous the recipe called for and about a cup of extra chicken broth.  So, we had a thick stew like texture instead of a very liquid soup that the recipe stated would be the end result.  I liked this version.  The sweet potatoes added a very sweet flavor and next time I'd add another potato.

Moroccan Chicken and Couscous Soup



2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into approximately 1 ½ by ¼ inch strips
¼ t. cayenne
1 t. ground cumin
1 ¾ t. salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet potato (about ½ pound) peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
¾ cup tomato puree
1 quart water
2 cups low sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
½ cup couscous
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high. Add the chicken, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potato, zucchini, tomato puree, water and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the couscous to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the soup stand, covered, for 2 minutes. Add the parsley and serve.
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine via http://www.cooking.com/


Shirazi Salad (Cucumber and Tomato Salad)



Now we'll move on to the salad.  Next time I make this (with some of Sweet Harold's garden cucumbers and tomatoes!), I'll add some chopped mint and maybe a little more lemon juice.  It needed a little more "zing"  for my taste.

Dressing
2 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
¼ t. sea salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
Salad
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
5 small cucumbers, preferably Persian, unpeeled and diced or 5 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
¼ red onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
To make dressing, whisk ingredients together in mixing bowl, set aside.
To make salad, combine all ingredients in salad bowl, toss with dressing and serve.
Adapted from http://www.vegetariantimes.com/


Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives


Finally, the main event.  I have a tagine which I used instead of a skillet.  I love all the spices in this dish.  This is such a fun dish to cook and the flavors are so different than what we're used to eating on a regular basis.

2 t. paprika
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. turmeric
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
2T. olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs. cut into 8 pieces or 3-4 pounds of chicken thighs and legs
salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
Peel from one preserved lemon*, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, peel cut into thin strips
1 cup green olives, pitted
½ cup water
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.

In a large, heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and lemons are salty) and brown, skin side down for five minutes. Lower the heat to medium love, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through

Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve with couscous, rice or rice pilaf.
Adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/



*Preserved Lemons
Many Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes call for preserved lemons, lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices. It's quite easy to do, though takes at least three weeks before the lemons are ready to use.  I keep some of these in the fridge at all times. 
4 lemons*
1½ cups lemon juice*
2 cups Kosher salt
*the amount of lemons and lemon juice required will vary according to the size of the lemons.

With soap and boiling water, thoroughly clean a small ramekin, a 1-quart glass jar and its air-tight lid. Allow to dry completely.

Thoroughly scrub the lemons and wash with soap and water. Slice the small bumps off both ends of the lemon, then quarter each lemon pole to pole. (If you are giving the lemons as a gift, you may wish to remove the seeds and trim the white material that runs from top to bottom through the lemon.)

Pour salt into a bowl. Place each lemon slice into the salt, one at a time, rolling it until the lemon is heavily caked in salt. Place the lemon into the glass jar. Repeat until the glass jar is almost completely packed.

Pour the lemon juice into the jar, leaving ½” of space at the top. Add a tablespoon of salt. To ensure the lemons remain completely submerged in lemon juice, place the bottom of the ramekin through the mouth of the jar and on top of the lemons. Close the lid.

Allow the lemons to pickle for 30 days at room temperature, turning/shaking the jar each day to redistribute the salt throughout the liquid. The lemons will be fully-preserved after 30 days. The preserved lemons can be transferred to refrigeration and stored for up to 6 months.
From http://www.thefoodchannel.com/

Friday, March 5, 2010

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Culinary Quote of the Week

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. —  Julia Child

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Pork Tonkatsu


Tonight we took a little trip to Japan.  In Japan, tonkatsu, fried pork cutlets are extremely popular.  This recipe comes to us via the March 2010 edition of Food and Wine magazine.

1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup applesauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 egg whites, beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 - 8 oz. pork tenderloins, cut into two inch pieces and pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Salt
1/4 cup canola oil

In a small saucepan, bring the ketchup, applesauce, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mustard and vinegar to a simmer for a few minutes.  Divide into 4 small bowls.  Cool.

Put the flour, egg whites and panko in  3 separate shallow bowls.  Season the pork cutlets with salt, then dredge in the flour, tapping off the excess.  Dip the cutlets into the egg white, followed by the panko, pressing the crumbs to help them adhere.

In a large skillet, heat 2 T. of the oil.  Add the cutlets and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Brush the remaining oil on the cutlets.  Flip and cook until golden brown, about 5 more minutes.  Transfer to a work surface and cut into strips.  Serve over steamed rice with the dipping sauce on the side.

Sauteed Spinach
1 T. olive oil
1 9 oz. bag spinach
rice wine vinegar
sesame oil
salt
3 green onions (white and some green) thinly sliced
sesame seeds

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add spinach.  Cook until wilted.  Season with salt, a splash of rice wine vinegar and a drizzle of sesame oil.  When ready to plate, add green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.


Monday, March 1, 2010

Blue Plate Special


Sometimes you just want comfort food.  You don't particularly want to think healthy or worry about fat grams or calories.  Tonight was the night.  From start to table in about 45 minutes.  Fried cubed pork steak with onion gravy, new potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots and creamed corn from last year's garden.  Yummy goodness. 

No recipes here.  This is just a meal I know how to cook with my eyes closed.   If anyone wants to know specifics on anything in particular, please post.  I'll try to come up with an explanation to any questions.