fall-inspired pork.

One thing I pride myself in is being able to change my husband's mind about food. Pork chops is one of those things that he never really liked. Me, on the other hand, grew up on pork of many kinds. BBQ'd, fried, braised, sauteed . . . you name it, I probably had it. I made it my mission to have the hubby like at least ONE pork dish.

Why not pork chops?

This recipe is fall-inspired. It has apples, cherries, and sage. I've also added some savory spicy sausage to cut the sweetness of the fruit. I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and collard greens. This time around, I made green beans and leek smashed potatoes. The hubby found this filling and, thankfully, really tasty. Yay for pork!

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Apple-Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops
(makes 4 servings)

4 (thin-cut or 1-in) pork chops, boneless
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
rubbed sage
salt and pepper

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 oz. spicy Italian sausage
1 small apple, peeled and grated
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 stalks green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Cut a pocket in the pork chops with a very sharp knife, carefully bringing the pocket as close to the edge of the chop as possible without cutting through. Drizzle with olive oil then season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, rubbed sage, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Add butter and oil to the pan. When frothy, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sausage, sage, and fennel seeds and cook for a few minutes, crumbling the meat. Saute in apple, celery, onion, and cherries until tender and vegetables have given off most of their liquid. Remove from heat then stir in bread crumbs and parsley until mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Heat a oven-safe pan over high heat with a little bit of olive oil. Working carefully, stuff each chop firmly with a quarter of the stuffing mixture. Once the pan is hot, add the chops and sear on both sides. Once they have been seared, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 450F degrees and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until pork is cooked to desired doneness.

pork, 'taters, and peas.

Just a quick-ish dinner today. Pork chops with apricot and sage sauce, some peas, and a potato gratin. The gratin probably took more time than the pork did as I had to reduce the recipe to about 1/4 of the serving. I saw the recipe from an episode of Cook's Country and decided I wanted to try and make it. No butter or cream? Yes, please! Fortunately, I found a recipe online for it and the rest is history. The pork chops were more an afterthought. After spending so much time on the potatoes, I just wanted to make something that I didn't have to think about. Luckily, the chops tasted great, lol.

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Pork Chops with Apricot-Sage Sauce
(slightly adapted from American Diabetes Association)

2 (4.oz) pork chops
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 large fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp all-fruit apricot spread
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

 
Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just slightly pink in the center, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Put the shallot in the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the broth into the skillet, stirring to dislodge any browned bits. Let boil for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half (about 1/4 cup).

Meanwhile, chop the sage. Whisk the sage and apricot spread into the sauce. Spoon over the pork.

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Olive Oil Potato Gratin
(from Cully's Kitchen)

1 cup shredded Romano cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
2 onions (halved and sliced thin)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes (peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick)

 
Preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and season with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook stirring frequently until onions are browned. Add the minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon thyme and continue to cook until fragrant. Stir in ¼ chicken broth and continue cooking until broth is evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl while onions are cooking mix together the Romano cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, panko bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon thyme.

Spread ½ of the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish and distribute the onion mixture evenly over the top followed by the other half of the potatoes. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the Romano cheese mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 – 20 or until cheese mixture is browned.

turkey part deux: wine-ing it up!

This year's Thanksgiving turned out waaaaaay less stressful than last year's over-achievement. I had written just a little blurb of what happened, but in reality, I was freaking out about how much to feed six people. Although that's really not something to panic about, I was really unsure of how much food to prepare since I had a skewed sense of portioning: during Thanksgiving, my parents make at LEAST seven dishes to feed their moderate family of SIX.

Turkey, bourbon ham, lumpia, rice, stuffing, meatballs . . . it was a labor of love that my mom and dad always looked forward to indulging during this time of year. What did that translate to? Feasting for days, of course! But when I applied that to last years cooking, I found people hardly ate at all. To my disappointment, my guests were too drunk to even enjoy (or appreciate) the veggie and cracker platter I put together for them to snack on.

On times like these, I miss my friends in San Diego. *sigh* I could always count on them to not only imbibe, but also to feast!

So this year, I decided that MY turkey day was going to focus on AFTER entertainment was over. I made food that me and the hubby were going to enjoy afterwards and didn't really care who was coming to dinner. . .

And wouldn't you know it . . . if the people from last year were too drunk to eat, these people were too full to eat! What the HECK!?! I never really understood why people eat before going to someone else's house to EAT. Isn't that the point of going to dinner? To EAT?! I was irked when the people we invited finally left . . . The point of making so much food was in order for them to enjoy it and they didn't even eat at all.

Ugh . . . Maybe it's a cultural thing.

My mother always taught me that if you went to someone's house, you had a plateful of food to satisfy hunger, but not gluttony. In other words, enjoy what was being served to you but not to the point where you were eating the whole banquet table. Even the parties that my aunties or uncles used to throw when I was younger had people enjoying food throughout the night until only a few dishes remained. People nibbled because food was prepared to be nibbled on. Isn't that what people are supposed to do if there's food set out for you to eat?

But enough of me whining. I'm just glad we didn't make anything else!

Speaking of whining, I decided to use wine for this year's turkey. I was tempted to use the apple-citrus brine from before, but I like the idea of having an ever-changing Thanksgiving turkey each year. So for this one, I decided to go with a white wine brine. I like that it's different from the orange and apple infused flavors that's popular around this time of year and instead uses plain ol' lemon for the citrus.

Another winning thing about the recipe was the fact that it didn't have a bajillion things to make the flavor profile. It was simple and sweet, and almost a no-brainer. :) I changed a few things based on what I had on hand and scaled down the recipe to fit my dinky nine pound turkey. Also, in order to speed up the process, I used ice instead of water courtesy of the automatic ice machine in my fridge (win!).

Oh, and did I mention that this was a pre-brined turkey? I made the mistake of brining one last year and it turned a tad bit salty (like ALMOST too salty). This year, I learned from my mistake and cut the salt called for in half. It still resulted in a slightly salty turkey, but then again, it might be due to the fact that it was sitting in brine for three to four days. It was still edible, but not like last year. As a precaution, I've halved the salt even further in the recipe below . . . just in case.

Despite that fact, this turkey turned out lovely. I paired it with a compound butter that mimicked the flavor profile to boost all the lovely flavors going on in the recipe. It was awesome. It was tasty. And there were so much leftovers for me to play with afterwords! Ha ha, suckers! Stupid guests . . . That's your loss!

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White Wine Turkey Brine (for pre-brined turkeys)
(adapted from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen)

2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp whole black peppercorn
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 bunch poultry bouquet (sage, rosemary, thyme)
2 cups white wine
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed but left in skins
1 large lemon, sliced
1 tbsp white vinegar
4 to 5 cups ice
8.5 to 9 lbs turkey, giblets and neck removed

 
Bring the stock, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and poultry bouquet to boil. Stir until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour in the wine, then add the onion, garlic, lemon, and vinegar. Stir in enough ice to cool mixture.

Place turkey in a large enough container to allow for bird to be fully submerged. Ladle some of the brine into container. Slowly lower in the turkey and continue to add brine until turkey is covered, making sure to stuff the cavity with a handful of herbs, onion, and lemon.

Close container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours up to 3 days. Remove turkey from the brine the night before cooking, pat dry, and place on a baking sheet in the refrigerator uncovered overnight. Bring turkey to room temperature before using a compound butter for roasting, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

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Herbed Compound Butter with Lemon and Garlic
(makes enough for a 10.lbs turkey)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large sprig sage
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp onion powder
zest of half a lemon
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of fresh ground pepper

 
Rough chop sage and mince together rosemary and thyme. Add to butter. Add garlic, onion powder, zest, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined then refrigerate for at least overnight before use. Bring to room temperature before applying to turkey.

To use compound butter:
When compound butter is at room temperature, position turkey on roasting rack. Carefully separate the skin from the breasts of the turkey. Spread butter over breast meat under skin until a thin layer forms. Slather additional butter onto the remaining areas of the turkey, as well as the inside cavity. Discard any leftover butter.

Loosely place some celery, carrot, and onion in the cavity of the turkey. Roast at 475F degrees for the first 30 minutes then at 325F for the remainder of the cooking time (fyi: an almost 9.lbs turkey takes around 3 hours to cook at this temperature). If skin starts to brown too quickly, cover problem areas with foil to prevent burning.

Cook to 155F degrees then let rest for at least 30 minutes. Bird will continue to cook and should reach a safe internal temperature of 165F degrees.

falling out of line.

Sometimes I suck at using ingredients in season. Like this dish... I should've made this during November when all the squash was in season and reasonably cheap. But did I do that? NOOOOOOOO.... I just went ahead and made it now... when fall is long, long, gone and spring is about to start in a few weeks. *sigh*

Well... can't really help it, really. I live in Guam where it's perpetually always summer. And since I get tired of doing potatoes and frozen vegetables, I decided that some squash was in order. I haven't had acorn squash in a long time so this was a nice little dish to put together. I halved the recipe since it was just the hubby having dinner. Relatively easy with some surprising elements! Case in point: boiling the lemon for a couple of minutes took the bitterness away!

After the boiling, the lemon slices were edible afterwards (pith and all) and were pleasantly sweet. The taste reminded me of sweet lemons I bought at a farmer's market right before I left San Diego. Must remember to do that for future recipes that call for lemon slices in the dish.

For the pilaf, I decided to take a shortcut of sorts and used a boxed mix in order to replicate this pilaf. I basically added some veggies to it and called it a day. Ah, laziness! Anyhoo, here's what I did...

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Chicken Thighs with Roasted Acorn Squash and Canadian Maple Syrup
(from Fresh Canteen)

5 pcs chicken thighs
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
butter
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 (1 to 1.5lbs) acorn squash

Preheat oven to 425F

Prepare Chicken:
Bring a small pot of water to boil & add the lemon slices, boil for 1 1/2 minutes & remove slices. Cut each slice in half. In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, chopped sage, garlic, coriander, 1 tsp salt & a good grind of pepper. Add the chicken, lemon slices & toss to distribute the mixture, set aside

Prepare the sauce & squash:
In a small sauce pan melt over medium heat 2 1/2 Tbsp butter, maple syrup, chili powder & a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, set aside. Place the squash stem side down or cut the bottom point of the squash so it will sit flat. Using a sharp chefs knife, cut the squash in half & remove the seeds. Slice the squash in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices (if you want to peel the squash, use a vegetable peeler after the squash has been cut in slices). Place the squash in a bowl & toss with the maple sauce.

Cook the chicken:
Spread the squash on a medium to large rimmed sheet pan or an oven proof pan large enough to hold the squash & chicken without crowding. Place the chicken on top of the squash. Roast for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark sprinkle the green onions over the chicken & squash. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.

Plate your dish:
Serve family style or plate individually with some rice, making sure to share all the delicious pan juices from the chicken. Garnish with some extra lemon slices.

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Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Kale
(adapted from Cook's Hideout)

I tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrot, chopped match-stick size
1 cup kale, stem removed and chopped small
1 (4.3oz) box Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
handful of pine nuts

In a medium saucepan over low heat, cook pine nuts for about 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted. Be careful not to burn. Once toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Return pan to stove top and increase to medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and saute onions and garlic until fragrant. Add kale and carrots, cooking for 5 to 7 minutes or until just wilted. Stir in the rice and seasoning packet from the Rice-A-Roni box. Cook for 1 minute then add the water. Bring to a boil then cover, reducing heat to low.

Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff the rice and stir in dried cranberries and pine nuts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups of pilaf.