Stuffed Pork Chops

Jerome and I ended up having the ranch to ourselves starting Saturday afternoon through Easter Sunday when we left in the evening. We decided to make dinner in the wonderful kitchen. I have had the ingredients for this recipe for about a week and we never got around to making it at home. So, I took the ingredients out to the ranch. I bought this great cookbook by Food Network - Great Easy Meals: 250 Fun & Fast Recipes. 

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 bone-in, thick-cut pork chops (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1/2 medium head escarole
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 slices provolone cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

Dissolve 1/4 cup salt and the sugar in 3 cups warm water in a large bowl. Insert a paring knife into the curved side of each pork chop to make a deep pocket, about 2 inches wide. Soak the chops in the brine, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop the escarole and garlic. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the chops from the brine and pat dry. Fold each cheese slice and tuck into the pocket of a pork chop, then stuff with the escarole mixture. 

 Look at the handsome chef! He's so good at grilling & cooking!

Brush the pork with olive oil, sprinkle with the sage and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork in batches, turning once, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the beans and 1/3 cup water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt and pepper. Return the pork to the skillet, cover and cook over medium heat until no longer pink, 5 to 7 more minutes. 
Serve the pork with the beans.

We were going to eat this meal in front of the tv. So, Jerome decides to cut up his food before we leave the kitchen. Good idea. Then, I see this:

Haha. He said it tasted so good, he didn't want to waste the meat he accidentally left attached to the bones. Hope that encourages you to try this meal.

Pork Fried Rice

#13, BB 1 + 5

I love these 20 meals because, after the one day of cooking, all the meals come together in less than 20 minutes. This one literally took 10 minutes to make. Since I don't like peas, we added in extra pork for my hubby. We also used tamari instead of soy sauce. It's an aged soy sauce and my hubby prefers it to soy sauce. And since he was cooking, he used tamari. =) So yummy. I love it!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup peanut oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 cup Pulled Pork
• 3 cups Rice Pilaf
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

DIRECTIONS
In extra-large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. peanut oil until very hot. Add scallion whites and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add eggs and scramble until set, 45 seconds; transfer to bowl. Add remaining 2 tbsp. peanut oil, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute. Add pork and stir-fry 45 seconds to heat through. Stir in pilaf and soy sauce and stir-fry 2 minutes. Return eggs to pan with sesame oil and toss well. Top with scallion greens.

1 Day...20 Meals (Thanks to Rachael Ray)

Warning: Long post with 6 recipes.

Based on her new show Week in a Day, the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine has a section called Twenty Dinners, One Day. You cook 5 "building-block" recipes that can be incorporated into 20 weekday meals to get you through a month. I highly recommend buying as much in bulk as possible and not start your cooking day at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. =) 

I started my day running errands with my mom & didn't get to start cooking until 4. I finished at 11:45 pm. Thanks to my wonderful husband for cooking the first meal, so I was able to eat dinner. I cooked the building blocks out of order which probably didn't help. 

My freezer after cooking and minus one meal.

I am going to post the building blocks in the order recommended. 

Building Block 1 - Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless pork shoulder roasts (about 5 lbs. each), cut into 2- to 3-inch chunks and excess fat discarded


• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped


• 2 lemons, zested


• Salt and pepper


• ½ cup white wine (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450°. Place all of the pork in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with the garlic, lemon zest, 1 tbsp. salt and 1½ tsp. pepper. Toss well, massaging the garlic and zest into the meat. Transfer half of the pork to a large rimmed baking sheet and place both the roasting pan and the baking sheet in the oven. Roast until the meat is browned on top, about 30 minutes. Turn the pork chunks over and roast to brown the other side, 15 minutes. Remove both pans from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325°.


2. Using tongs, transfer the pork from the baking sheet to the pork in the roasting pan. Pour the pan juices from the baking sheet over the pork and add the wine (if using). Tightly cover the pan with foil. Continue roasting the pork until nicely tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the baking sheet and set aside.


3. Let the pork cool for at least 15 minutes, then, using 2 forks, shred it a few pieces at a time. As you work, transfer the shredded pork to the clean baking sheet and let cool completely. Pour the juices into a bowl to cool. Skim and discard the fat.

FREEZE IT!
Divide the pork into 1-cup portions and transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Pour a little pork juice into each, squeeze out the air and flatten. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.

USE IT!
Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, or pop into the fridge in the morning and let thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)

CHANGE IT! 

• Add some oregano or rosemary to the rub.


• Marinate the pork in lime juice, soy sauce and ginger for 1 hour before roasting.


• Toss the pork with adobo sauce, orange juice and beer in Step 2.


• Toss the pork with some BBQ sauce in the last 10 minutes.

Building Block 2 - Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup EVOO


• 8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled


• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)


• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper


• 1 cup red wine


• 4 cans (28 oz. each) or 3 cans (35 oz. each) crushed san marzano tomatoes


• Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 5- to 6-qt. heavy dutch oven, combine the EVOO, garlic, anchovies (if using) and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden and the anchovies fall apart, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the wine, then add the tomatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.


2. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and reduced by one-third, about 2 hours 15 minutes. Season with salt. Let the sauce cool completely.

FREEZE IT!
Store in 1- and 2-cup containers. (You’ll need at least two 1-cup containers.)

USE IT!
Thaw at room temperature for about 2 hours, or pop into the fridge in the morning and let thaw all day. Or, if you forgot, run it under cold water, slip it out of its storage container and reheat in a small saucepan over low heat, or microwave it on the thaw setting.

CHANGE IT!

• Add minced carrots with the garlic to sweeten the sauce.


• Bump the red pepper to ¾ tbsp. for extra spice.


• Double the wine for a more intense flavor.


• Stir in 2 small links chopped cured chorizo and omit the anchovies.

Building Block 3 - Roasted Veggies

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lbs. bell peppers (10 to 12 medium, in mixed colors), cut into 1-inch strips


• 2 large onions, halved and sliced ½ inch thick


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• Salt and pepper


• 5 tbsp. EVOO


• 1 large butternut squash (4 to 4½ lbs.)—peeled, seeded and cut into ¾ -inch cubes (8 cups if you are buying precut squash)

DIRECTIONS

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450°. Combine the bell peppers and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper on top. Toss with 3 tbsp. EVOO and spread evenly in the pan. Place in the lower third of the oven and cook for 10 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, place the butternut squash on another large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO and sprinkle with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper; toss and spread evenly in the pan. Once the peppers and onions have cooked for 10 minutes, add the squash to the upper third of the oven and roast, along with the peppers and onions, until fork-tender, 15 minutes. Let the vegetables cool completely on their pans.

FREEZE IT!
Divide into 1-cup portions, keeping the pepper-onion mixture and the squash separate. Transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and flatten the bags. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.

USE IT!
Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, or pop into the fridge in the morning and thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)

CHANGE IT!

• Brush the squash with maple syrup before roasting.


• Toss the peppers and onions with hearty herbs like oregano or thyme before roasting.


• Toss the roasted squash or the pepper mixture with leafy herbs like mint or parsley after cooking.


• Toss the roasted squash with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds after cooking.

Building Block 4 - Pulled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lbs. skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts


• 4 lbs. skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs


• 2 tbsp. EVOO


• 2 lemons, cut into wedges


• 1 tsp. paprika


• 1 tsp. dried thyme


• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Place the chicken breasts on 1 sheet and the thighs on the other. Drizzle with the EVOO and squeeze the lemons on top. Sprinkle with the paprika and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Roast until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.


2. Remove the chicken skin, then pull and cut the meat off the bones. Tear the meat into shreds. (Save the bones, skin and any juices from the pans to make broth if desired; see bonus recipe at right.)

FREEZE IT!
Divide into 1½ -cup portions and transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and flatten the bags. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.

USE IT!
Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, or pop into the fridge in the morning and let thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)

CHANGE IT!

• Use hot or smoked paprika instead of regular.


• Add a little bit of sesame oil in addition to the EVOO.


• Substitute limes for the lemons.


• Swap in tarragon for the thyme.

Building Block 5 - Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp. EVOO


• 3 onions, cut into ½ -inch pieces (about 4½ cups)


• Salt and pepper


• 3¼ cups long-grain rice


• 2¼ cups chicken broth


• 4 bay leaves


• 16 oz. frozen peas (I didn't use these. I don't like peas.)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 7-qt. dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.


2. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2¼ cups water, the chicken broth, bay leaves, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer, undisturbed, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Quickly scatter the peas on top, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover and let cool completely, tossing once or twice. Discard the bay leaves.

FREEZE IT!
Divide into 1-cup portions and transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and flatten the bags. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.

USE IT!
Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or pop into the fridge in the morning and thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)

CHANGE IT!

• Halve the amount of onions and add 3 minced jalapeños.


• Use corn instead of peas and add chopped cilantro.


• Swap in 1 cup white wine for 1 cup broth.


• Add thyme or rosemary when cooking the onions.


• Omit the peas and stir in chopped olives and toasted almonds.

After the chicken finished cooking, I made the bonus recipe of chicken stock. 

You can freeze the stock in ice cube trays. =)

INGREDIENTS

• Bones and half the chicken skin from Pulled Chicken


• 1 unpeeled onion, cut into eighths


• 5–6 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved


• 1 carrot, cut into 4 pieces


• Handful celery leaves (optional)


• Few black peppercorns


• 2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Throw the chicken bones and skin into a 6-qt. pot.


2. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery leaves (if using), peppercorns and bay leaves. Add water to come to about 2 inches from the rim of the pan. Bring to a simmer and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Let the broth simmer away for about 2 hours.


3. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Let the broth settle so that the fat rises to the surface, then skim the fat (or use a gravy separator to do it) and discard. Store in freezer containers, or reduce to bouillon strength and store in ice-cube trays (see photo above).

Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is a fabulous twist on spaghetti and meatballs. Rachael Ray has less sauce, more veggies and more meatballs. Bigger meatballs too. This is a great recipe. I recommend making the meatballs with ground chicken if you can find it. However, ground pork also gives it a more chinese flavor.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 pound ground pork or chicken
• 1 egg
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, 1/3 palm full
• 8 scallions, 2 finely chopped, 6 cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup tamari dark soy, divided
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
• 2 inches ginger root, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 pound triple washed spinach, leaves stripped of larger stems, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, available on Asian foods aisle of market
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, available on Asian foods aisle of market

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente. Heads up: reserve 1/2 cup cooking water just before draining.

Place pork in a mixing bowl. Add the egg to the bowl. Place rice cereal in food processor and pulse into a bread crumb like consistency. Add cereal crumbs to bowl.

Add salt, pepper, five-spice powder, 2 chopped scallions and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Mix the meat balls thoroughly. Form 1 1/2-inch balls and coat with 1 tablespoon oil, scatter onto a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes.

When the meatballs are close to done and the pasta is in, heat a large skillet over high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, a couple of tablespoons. Add the snow peas, red pepper, remaining cut scallions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry 2 minutes add spinach and wilt, 1 minute. Add the remaining soy sauce, about 1/3 cup, and the sesame oil then drain, add in pasta cooking water and toss to combine so pasta can soak up sauce, about 1 minute. Garnish with sesame seeds and top with lots of meatballs.

Chili Tamale Bowls

This is an amazing recipe for your taste buds. It is a chili with polenta that ends up tasting like a tamale. One change we made was the peppers. We couldn't find dried Ancho chili peppers. Instead, we used 3 chipotles in adobo. I would recommend 1-2 if you are not a fan of spicy foods. Or you could seed them. Also, we didn't have any tomato paste at the time, so we substituted with tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 Ancho chili peppers, seeds and stems removed
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 pounds ground pork
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palmful
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 2 pinches cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cloves
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup lager beer
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup quick cooking polenta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 rounded tablespoon honey or agave syrup
• 2 cups shredded Pepper Jack or other soft melting cheese
• Suggested garnish: wedges of lime, fresh chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions
• Yields: Serves 4

Preparation

Place anchos in a pot and cover with about 2 1/2 cups stock
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to soften peppers,
7 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, a couple of turns of the
pan, over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown meat, breaking
into small pieces. Season the meat with cumin, coriander, paprika,
cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. Add onions and garlic to meat
and cook to tender 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, incorporate
it and then add beer to the pan.

Purée the stock and softened anchos, then stir into chili.
Reduce heat under chili to low.

Bring remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock and milk to a boil then whisk
in polenta and whisk about 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Stir in butter
and honey and season the polenta with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour polenta into individual bowl and form a well in the center.
Fill polenta lined bowls with chili and top with shredded cheese.
Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over top of tamale bowls and
garnish with scallions and cilantro, optional.

Traditional Egg Rolls

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. It is by far the best traditional egg roll recipe that we have found. I will have to put up a Tex-Mex egg roll recipe later.

ingredients

• 2  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  tablespoon cooking oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2  cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage or cabbage
• 4  green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 8  ounces lean ground pork
• 1  4-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained and finely chopped
•   Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
• 12  egg roll wrappers 
•   Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center), Chili Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center) or Chinese Mustard Sauce ( see Recipe Center)
•   Chinese Mustard Sauce (see Recipe Center)

directions

1. For sauce, stir together the water, sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, red pepper, and black pepper. Set aside. Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add regular cabbage (if using) and green onions. Stir-fry for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables. Add the ground beef or pork; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain off fat. Push meat from the center of the skillet. Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cooked vegetables, mushrooms, and, if using, Chinese cabbage. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Remove from skillet; cool.

2. In a wok or 3-quart saucepan heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 degree F.

3. Meanwhile, place the egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling just below the center. Fold the bottom point over the filling. Then tuck it under the filling. Roll the wonton wrapper once to cover the filling, leaving about 1 inch unrolled at the top of the wrapper. Moisten the right hand corner of the wrapper with a little water. Grasp the right and left-hand corners of the wrapper. Bring these corners toward you, below the filling. Overlap the left-hand and right-hand corners. Press the corners together securely to seal. This step is pictured.

4. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, in hot oil for 1 to 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil. Drain on a wok rack or on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining food. Serve warm with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce, Chili Dipping Sauce, or Chinese Mustard Sauce. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 12 appetizer servings
 
• Calories 210, 
• Total Fat (g) 14, 
• Saturated Fat (g) 2, 
• Cholesterol (mg) 15, 
• Sodium (mg) 307, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 16, 
• Protein (g) 6,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet