Category Archives: meat

Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut & Apple

Posted by Dave in gluten-free, meat and tagged with , , , ,

Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Apple

This Bohemian dinner is based on the tender pork chops that my mom makes, but with a bit more flavor.

Listen to “Sauerkraut Polka” repeatedly while preparing or consuming:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX1nJVvaSZ4

Select end or center cut pork chops with bone (e.g., one chop per serving, 1/2″-3/4″ thick), brown chops lightly in a frying pan on medium-high heat and place them in a single layer in a baking dish then season them with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano. In the frying pan, lightly sauté sauerkraut combined with thin slices of apple (I used 2 cans of Frank’s brand sweet sauerkraut with caraway seed and 1 Braeburn apple for 5 chops); season kraut with some ground cinnamon, allspice, a tablespoon or two of brown sugar, and minced cloves of garlic while sautéing. In the baking dish, cover the chops completely with kraut and apple mixture and ensure that there is enough moisture in the dish. (The liquid from canned sauerkraut was sufficient; otherwise add water or balanced lager beer so that there is at least 1/4″ of liquid in the pan.) Cover the dish and bake for one hour at 300°F. Uncover and splash a few ounces of red wine over the top, then continue to bake, uncovered, for another half hour or more at 325°F; occasionally spoon liquid over top as necessary to keep moist. Serve with garlic mashed red potatoes as a side.

Jambalaya and Cornbread

Posted by Dave in fish, meat and tagged with , ,

Jambalaya and Cornbread

Mon cheri belle!

This dish is a fusion of my usual simple bachelor-style mock Jambalaya (packaged Vigo brand red beans and rice prepared as directed, adding sauteed peppers and onions and hot italian sausage, hot sauce) with Emeril Lagasse’ proper Cajun Jambalaya: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2/

Prepare packaged red beans and rice with about 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce added. (Yes, I know beans are not a usual ingredient in Jambalaya. :-) While that is cooking, sautee celery, onion, green pepper, one serrano pepper, tomato, and 2 cloves garlic in olive oil. Combine meats, e.g., two sliced hot italian sausage (cooked) and about 1/2 pound of cooked Langostino tails (cooked) with seasonings: smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne (sparingly), oregano, thyme. Mix everything together for about 4 reasonably generous servings.

The Langostino is a prawn or shrimp-like crustacean that I used instead of shrimp or crawfish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langostino
The corn bread was from Trader Joe’s mix. It’s good (moist, yet crusty at edges), but on the sweet side.

Pita Pizza

Posted by Dave in meat, mediterranean, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

Pita Pizzas

I’m temporarily drinking fake (non-alcoholic) beer, so perhaps some ersatz pizzas are in order!  These two were prepared in a toaster oven on pita bread brushed with olive oil:

  • BBQ sauce, garlic, swiss and Gruyère cheeses, applewood smoked bacon, white button mushroom, red onion, and jalapeno.
  • Kyopoolu (sauce), swiss and Gruyère, bacon, mushrooms, red onion, oregano, and fennel seed.
Which was better?  Hmm, both were awesome, it’s a tie.
An aside: I find Clausthaler Golden Amber and O’Doul’s Amber to be the most palatable of non-alcholic beers that are widely available in the states.

Cornish Pasties

Posted by Dave in meat, potatoes and tagged with , , ,

Cornish Pasties

If you’re in need of a respite from foul weather and misery, try making comforting Cornish pasties. History has it that these originated in Cornwall, UK, and were popular with miners; subsequent immigration seems to be the basis for their popularity in regions of the U.S. Some sources claim that a miner would hold the pasty by the crimped crust, eat the center, and then discard the crust as it may have been poisoned by tin ore dust from the miner’s hands.
Here are two varieties I just made:

Traditional: beef, rutabaga, potato, and onion
Traditionally, the crust is filled with raw ingredients then baked, e.g.:
http://www.suite101.com/content/british-food-cornish-pasties-a48188

Beef with Caramelized Onions and Stilton Cheese
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Pasties-with-Caramelized-Onions-and-Stilton-Cheese-351530#ixzz1DYFbbbgY

These shown are halved as they were unusually large with 10″ pie crust. Next time I’ll try the pastry on my own and aim for serving-size. Feel free to have your own debate about whether the crimp should be on the side or the top. I used this video as a reference:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iuQMTEYLRM but there are lots of others on youtube involving people recording their grandmum’s version. :-)

Mediterranean Beef with Hummus

Posted by Dave in meat, mediterranean and tagged with , , , , ,

Meditterranean Beef with Hummus

ingredients: beef, e.g., lean ground, top sirloin (shown here), or top round sliced against grain (if possible), hummus, slivered almonds, garlic, oregano, paprika, tomatoes [, green and kalamata olives, onion, pepper.] sauce: goat’s milk or greek style yogurt, cucumber, dill, minced garlic [, vinegar]. directions: prepare yogurt sauce a day in advance if possible (quartered and sliced cucumber, peeled if you wish). sauté beef with garlic, spicy or smoked paprika, black pepper, hot sauce, e.g., Cholula [, add sliced green olives, serano peppers]; serve over warm hummus, top with toasted slivered almonds, garnish with tomatoes and/or kalamata olives, yogurt sauce and warm pita bread on the side; enjoy.

(This is also great made with lamb; that’s the dish that inspired it from a local restaurant.)