Perfect bourbon pork chops

Today is Secret Recipe Club reveal day. Secret Recipe Club is a gathering of food bloggers assigned a blog, select and prepare a recipe, and on the designated day, share whose blog we were secretly assigned and post about the recipe. It’s a great way to meet other bloggers and find new recipes.

This month I was assigned Amy's A Couple in the Kitchen, a site where she chronicles her food adventures with husband, Chris. A couple after my heart who love to cook, eat, and travel, the perfect combination of interests. Her blog has a ton of great recipes, and I appreciated the abundance of non-sweets, something that has challenged me with blogs I've been assigned with SRC in the past.

The bourbon pork chops immediately caught my eye, even thought I mostly have given up beef and pork since my last birthday. It is one of those recipes that stuck with me, and I kept coming back to it. Of course, Craig was delighted and up for the challenge of getting "TV-worthy grill marks," as Chris had barbequed them. Oh goodness, did Craig get it perfect. Not only do these look fabulous, they were melt-in-your-mouth tender, juicy, really - the perfect pork chop. Bon Appetit!

(I forgot to buy the suggested cipollini onions, which look to make a lovely side for these chops, and I used Penzey's smoked paprika.)

Bourbon Smoked Paprika Pork Chops

2 boneless pork sirloin chops

kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup (or so) bourbon

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and place in a large zip-type bag. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, brown sugar, bourbon, and additional salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the bag with the chops and allow to marinate for at least one hour. Place the pork chops on a heated grill. Grill the pork chops on both sides until cooked through, with the length of time depending on size of chops. 

(One of our favorite bourbons)

 

Secret Recipe Club - Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Julie’s Little Bit of Everything blog. I enjoyed perusing her blog because we have a lot in common:  50-something Midwesterners who love to cook (and collect cook books), enjoy traveling, gardening, and spending time with our hubbys. And, Julie lives in Omaha, where I lived for many years.

A number of things jumped out at me (peach caprese salad, but December is not the time for fresh peaches in St. Louis), baked acorn squash with apple filling, and lots of sweets that Craig would have loved (but not our Weight Watchers point counting), including mint filled brownie cupcakes and spicy chocolate pots de creme. I have noticed a number of bloggers, Julie included, have a “My 50”, a culinary bucket list of things they intend to make and proceed to then cross them off. I was inspired to join in the fun and challenge myself, which resulted in me making Julia Child’s pate a choux with crème patissiere for a New Year’s Eve party. Now I need to come up with my other 49 things!

I digress. I settled on her molasses coffee marinated pork chops. Since I rarely make pork chops, and I’m not sure why I don’t since these were a big hit, pretty healthy, quick aside from marinating, and very easy. From an Alton Brown recipe, the glaze on the grilled chops is rich and thickens nicely as it cooks down. Thanks, Julie, for sharing!

I made the recipe with only one change. St. Louis is enough of a “Southern” town that I always have local sorghum in the pantry, and I substituted it for the molasses. When he was home from New York over Christmas, Connor shared that his classmates at the CIA didn’t know what sorghum is, and if you don’t know either, you should. People think of it as synonymous with molasses, but not true. Sorghum is the syrup produced when the extracted juice from the sorghum is boiled down, whereas molasses is a leftover, by-product of the sugar industry. Sorghum is highly nutritional and contains iron, calcium, and potassium. It has uses beyond baked in ginger snap cookies or as a topping for buttermilk pancakes, and it is a tangy/sweet addition in savory dishes like these pork chops, stir-frys, and tremendous in baked beans. Seek it out, and as always, local is best.

Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

Serves 4

1 cup cool strong coffee
6 ounces sorghum, by weight
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 to 8-ounce) bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops

Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade.

Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems after the glaze has reduced.

Meanwhile, grill pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Allow the pork chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with the glaze.

Craig’s Dinner – Excellent but can you spell S-P-I-C-Y?

I don’t know if the rest of the country is suffering from the effects of this crazy weather with huge sinus and allergy issues, but we are in the Midwest. Craig decided to cure us with dinner this evening. And it was a-may-zing.

We had some of the last of “our” pork in the freezer that needed used, a boneless pork loin. I had seen a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked interesting, Korean, spicy, and super easy. It marinates for at least four hours, and I figured preferably longer is better. That nasty work thing got in the way for me, and Craig ended up doing the prep, with a few substitutes that resulted in an outstanding meal. I boiled down the remaining leftover Sriracha sauce, about a quarter of a cup with the onions. I then added it to a simple stir-fried veggie mixture of garlic, onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, red bell pepper, and zucchini with some soy sauce, ginger, sherry, rice wine vinegar, and thickened with a cornstarch slurry. The entire meal was amazingly tasty, albeit SPICY. And grab your box of tissues!

Korean Spicy Marinated Pork (Dae Ji Bool Gogi)

Serves 8

1/4 C rice wine vinegar           

2 T soy sauce

1/2 C Sriracha sauce

2 T minced garlic

3 T minced fresh ginger root

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

3 T sugar

3 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings

1 boneless pork loin, about 2-1/2 pounds, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Canola oil as needed

Stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, garlic, ginger, freshly ground black pepper, sugar, green onions, and yellow onion in a large bowl. Mix in the pork slices, mixing well until completely coated. Place into a ziplock plastic bag, squeeze out any excess air, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours, and longer is preferable.

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add only enough pork slices in batches to fit the pan, and cook until no longer pink in the center, and lightly browned on the outside, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove from the pan to a 200-degree oven to keep warm. Add canola oil as needed and continue cooking the pork until all is cooked. Serve immediately with any accumulated juices.

The Perfect Pork Roast

Saturday evening we participated in our neighborhood’s autumn-themed progressive dinner party, and we volunteered as one of the main course homes. I was greatly looking forward to it but knew it would be a slight challenge with the timing of whatever we prepared for the entrée. We wanted to partake in the hors d'oeuvres so we knew it had to be something prepared in advanced and re-warmed; something we stuck in as we were walking out the door; or something with a quick cook since we were allotted only an hour and a half before heading to the dessert home. And it had to be seasonal. In an ah-ha moment, I remembered the cover recipe from October’s Bon Appetit, a gorgeous pork roast stuffed with mushrooms, apples, and kale, wrapped in prosciutto and baked with apples and hard cider. Talk about shouting Fall. Plus, it could be semi-prepared up to a day in advance and had a long enough bake time to allow us a few nibbles of appetizers and glass of wine at home #1.

I cannot take credit for preparing this beauty. That all goes to Craig. As we set out to prep on Saturday morning, I asked if he wanted to begin the pork, and he took charge. Other than soaking the dried mushrooms and apples and steaming the kale, he did the whole thing. Lots of steps, but certainly nothing difficult. Do have your butcher butterfly the pork loin and do not use pork tenderloin unless you significantly alter the cook time.

Since we changed none of the ingredients, I am simply including the link to the original recipe – with one very big PAY ATTENTION TO THIS note. The indicated oven temperature and cooking time are both WRONG. I used an oven temp of 375 degrees F., and it cooked in about an hour and fifteen minutes to 142 degrees F. stuffing temp. Next time I will take it out at 135 degrees F as it was ever so slightly overcooked.

This is truly an impressive dish. Make it. When you take it out of the oven, you'll guests will gasp. And it's as delicious as it's stunning.

We served it with butternut squash risotto and roasted broccoli.



Not Your Mother’s Ham and Bean Soup but OH-SO Tasty

I learned recently that one of Craig’s favorite things from childhood was his mother’s ham and bean soup. Perfect for a winter evening. I decided this was the ideal dish to start with for my non-recipe cooking. I attended a class a few months ago at Kitchen Conservatory where we had no recipes, and while initially intimating, it is a great way to cook. Whatever you have, whatever you’re in the mood to eat. Food & Wine recently featured an article about intuitive cooking with Thomas Keller. And soup lends itself to spontaneity quite nicely.

So here goes. While this is not what Craig recalled his mom made, he loved it. Surprisingly layered flavors, slightly warm, and really good. As I was cooking, I attempted to jot down what I did, so be forewarned:  this is not a professionally written recipe and goes more to cooking from your gut. But do try it. Very tasty.

Spicy Bean Soup with Ham, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

Serves 4

1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrots, chopped

1 can diced green chiles

2 t. cumin

1 packet Goya ham-flavored concentrate

Freshly ground black pepper

1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used about half a jar of tomatoes we canned this summer)

4 cups chicken stock, homemade, or low fat, low sodium
2 cans red beans, drained, rinsed
1 chipotle in adobe, finely diced

1 T. adobe sauce
2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup chopped cilantro – more to taste

Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

In a Dutch oven, heat oil, then add garlic, onion, celery, and carrots and cook until soft. Add green chiles, cumin, ham concentrate, and black pepper. Cook a few minutes until well-blended.

Add tomatoes, stock, red beans, chipotle, and adobe. Bring to a boil, and then simmer at least 30 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree until semi-smooth but some beans/vegetables remain (or blend about 2 cups beans in a blender). Return to pot, add ham, and heat until heated thoroughly. Stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve hot, garnished with thinly sliced green onions.

Sweet Potato and Ham Hash and an Authentic Cast Iron Skillet

Our pantry runneth over with sweet potatoes from our CSA box, and we had leftover ham from an enormous roast I made earlier in the week. Perfect ingredients for hash, and the cast iron skillet my Uncle Truman gave me a few years ago was just the thing to cook such in. It’s the kind of skillet that my grandmother used, well-seasoned and huge, and it browned the potatoes ever so crisply. Don’t skip the cider vinegar. It adds a piquant zip that compliments the sweetness of the potatoes and the saltiness of the ham. We served it with a Napa cabbage sIaw. And the leftovers are even better the next day topped with two poached eggs. Devine.

Sweet Potato and Ham Hash

Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain.

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add ham; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell pepper and onions; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes, salt, celery seed, pepper, and nutmeg; cook 4 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and vinegar. Toss gently until liquid is absorbed.



Serves 6

6 cups 3/4" diced peeled sweet potato (about 1 1/2 pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced cooked ham (about 8 ounces)

1 cup chopped bell pepper

2/3 cup chopped onions

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Crown Roast of Pork, Dirty Rice, and Lemon-Buttermilk Chess Pie - The Perfect Dinner Party

After reading The Pat Conroy Cookbook for my Kitchen Conservatory book club, which has an entire chapter dedicated to Frank Stitt, I knew we needed to host a Southern-themed dinner party. Craig loves to mix it up with dinner guests and indeed we did. No one knew anyone else and these are friends from all parts of our lives. His toast posed the question what wine, red devils, secret dinners, tennis, and pigs have in common? One of our guests quickly and correctly guessed those are the connection between us, and Craig proceeded to share the bonds of our friendships. Everyone clicked perfectly, and we laughed so hard, fascinating conversation abounded, and as Connor pointed you, “you guys sure were loud.” Delectable food, some mighty tasty juice (wine), but best of all, truly the perfect dinner party thanks to our magnificent friends.

Our menu is below and the Pork Crown Roast Stuffed with Dirty Rice and Creole Mustard Sauce, loosely based on an ancient Gourmet recipe, incredibly easy to prepare and fabulous to present. The dirty rice calls for a traditional roux, but I could not bring myself to do all that oil. I am quite proud that I had the patience to successfully prepare the roux with not one drop of fat. And NO NO NO giblets in my dirty rice. (Technically, it's quite far from authentic, but no one complained). While the pork is the centerpiece of the meal, the lemon-buttermilk chess pie was my favorite part of dinner , modified from Cooking Light, more lemony than the original recipe. I am not a dessert person, but it is tart, light, and just divine, what you’d expect of a perfect Southern pie.

Menu

Highland’s Bar & Grill Pimento Cheese

Funeral Pickled Shrimp

Spiced Pecans

Louis Roederer Brut Champagne

Springtime Cream of Asparagus Soup

Crown Roast of Pork with Creole Mustard Sauce

Low Country Dirty Rice

Green Beans Y’all Won’t Believe

Lemon-Buttermilk Chess Pie

Crown Roast of Pork and Creole Mustard Sauce
Serves 12

2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
a 12-rib crown roast of fresh pork (about 6 3/4 pounds)
Dirty Rice Stuffing (recipe below)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2/3 cup Creole mustard
flat-leafed parsley sprigs for garnish

In a small bowl combine the thyme, the salt, pepper to taste, and the oil and rub the mixture all over the pork, patted dry. Arrange the pork on an oiled round of heavy-duty foil slightly larger than the bottom of the pork in the middle of a lightly oiled shallow roasting pan and fill the center of the crown with some of the stuffing, mounding it. Roast the stuffed pork, the stuffing covered with another oiled round of foil, in a preheated 450°F. oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 325°F., and roast the stuffed pork until a meat thermometer registers 145°F. Transfer the pork to a platter, cover with heavy-duty foil and let it stand for 15 minutes.

In a 2-quart shallow baking dish bake the remaining stuffing in the 325°F. oven during the last 30 minutes of the pork's roasting time.

While the pork is standing add the wine to the roasting pan, deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Add 1 cup water and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 1 1/3 cup. Add the 1/2 and 1/2, boil the mixture, stirring, until it is reduced to about 1 cup, and whisk in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

Discard the foil from the stuffing, arrange the parsley and decoratively around the pork, and serve the pork with the mustard sauce and the remaining stuffing.

Sorta Dirty Rice

1 1/2 cups short-grain rice (I use brown rice)
About 4 cups low fat/low sodium chicken stock
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
cayenne to taste
S&P to taste

In a heavy saucepan combine the rice and 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook the rice, covered, for 15 minutes, or until it is tender and the stock is absorbed. Brown rice will take longer and may need more stock. Keep an eye on it.

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage until it is no longer pink; drain on paper towels. Wipe out the skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sauté the onion, pepper, and celery until soft.

Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat. Reduce the head to moderate and add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Stir constantly with a wire whisk, scrapping the flour down the sides of the pan. If the flour begins to brown too fast, remove skillet from heat, lower heat, then continue cooking and stirring. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the flour has the color of milk chocolate. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR STOVE’S EXHAUST FAN ON. Trust me on this.

Add the sautéed vegetables, the sausage, and 1 1/2 cups of remaining stock, and simmer for about 20 minutes (add more stock if it thickens too much) to make a gravy.

In a large bowl combine the rice, the gravy, the scallion greens, the cayenne, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. The rice may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the rice return to room temperature before stuffing the crown roast.

Glorious Dessert - Lemon-Buttermilk Chess Pie

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce - WOW

With great anxiety, we debated what we should do first with our new pork. Which cut should we select? How should we prepare it? What recipe is worthy of it? What if it doesn't live up to the high expectations we have for our local, sustainable, fresh, grass-fed, blah, blah pork?

We were greatly relieved in our choice of Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce. I had grapes to use from Saturday's Cheddar Crisps with Roasted Grape Relish appetizer and recalled seeing this last year in Eating Well (recipe modified). The sweetness of the grapes are intensified by roasting, but the sauce offers a sharpness with the Port and a bite from the Dijon, all coming together for an elegant, company-worthy dinner. We served a barley risotto plated underneath the pork (which nicely soaked up the sauce) and green beans roasted with garlic and cherry tomatoes.

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce