Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
One of my favorite things that I got to experience when I was living in the UK was to go on a Sound Of Music Coach Tour to Austria. What a stunning country Austria is.
Beautiful scenery with chocolate box houses. I enjoyed every minute of my visit to the country. The food was gorgeous as well. Not at the hotel we were staying in, but every meal we had outside the hotel was beautiful.
One night we treated ourselves to Schnitzel and Chips at a beer house/pub not too far from the hotel. When it came to the table I remember thinking to myself, I am never going to be able to eat all of that.
The schnitzel was almost as large as the plate, and hanging off the edge on both sides. Crisp and golden brown, it was served along with a bowl piled high with crisp golden brown chips, and wedges of lemon for squeezing, plus a salad on the side.
I wish I had a photograph of it to show you, but alas I do not. My husband wasn't really fond of me taking photos of food in restaurants.
I can tell you however, it did not disappoint, and I could not finish it. It was one of the best meals we had in Austria and we did eat some very delicious food there to be sure!
I have always wondered what it would be like to schnitzel a bone in pork chop. To pound it thin and then bread it and fry it in oil and butter until crisp and golden brown.
Just the thought whenever I brought it to mind made me hungry. Today I decided to give it a go and I can tell you the results were excellent!
Of course you could use boneless chops if you wanted to, but I am a huge fan of bone in chops and they are usually what I have available in the freezer to use.
I have written the recipe to feed two people. So plan accordingly. You can of course double everything and make enough for four.
It is very easily done.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PORK CHOP SCHNITZEL
Simple ingredients done well. That is always my promise to you. Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good.
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork chops
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (35g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 small free range egg beaten
- 1 1/2 TBS water
- 1/2 cup (30g) fresh soft white bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil
- lemon wedges to serve
As I said, I used bone in chops with great success. You can use boneless. Just make sure they are no more than 1/2 inch thick. You will be pounding them to 1/4 inch thickness.
Don't skip out on the lemon juice. It is an important part of what makes these so delicious and I believe also helps to keep them tender.
I used homemade soft bread crumbs. You can use panko or dry bread crumbs if you wish. I think both would work well.
HOW TO MAKE PORK CHOP SCHNITZEL
These really are very simple to make. If you have all of your ingredients assembled ahead of time, they also go together and cook very quickly!
Don't be afraid of breading! Its really not that hard to do. Just make sure you use a different hand for the dry ingredients than you do for the wet ingredients! Helps to keep the hands cleaner!
Take your chops and slash the fatty edge at 1/4 inch intervals. Place the chops (one at a time) into a large plastic baggie and pound with the long side of a rolling pin until they are roughly 1/4 inch thick. (This will be difficult near the bone, but do your best)
Place the flour into one large shallow bowl. Place the egg, beaten together with the water into another bowl. Place the bread crumbs in a third bowl.
Sprinkle the chops with the lemon juice and the salt. Dredge the chops one at a time in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg to coat and then into the bread crumbs, coating them well and placing them onto a clean plate when done.
Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed skillet.
Once the butter begins to foam add the chops. Fry until golden brown on one side and then flip them over and fry on the other side until golden brown and cooked through. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium heat.
Serve hot with lemon wedges for squeezing over top.
Today I enjoyed my chop with some fried chunky potatoes and mixed vegetables. Rice is also very good with this, and yes, chips are excellent!
You can also really enjoy this with nothing more than a salad on the side if you are watching the pounds.
Tender and juicy pork, with a crisp buttery crumb. It doesn't get much better than this!
Pork Chop Schnitzel
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 18 Min
Not as difficult to make as one would suppose. Once you have all of the elements in place it goes very quickly. Tender and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork chops
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (35g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 small free range egg beaten
- 1 1/2 TBS water
- 1/2 cup (30g) fresh soft white bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil
- lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Take your chops and slash the fatty edge at 1/4 inch intervals. Place the chops (one at a time) into a large plastic baggie and pound with the long side of a rolling pin until they are roughly 1/4 inch thick. (This will be difficult near the bone, but do your best)
- Place the flour into one large shallow bowl. Place the egg, beaten together with the water into another bowl. Place the bread crumbs in a third bowl.
- Sprinkle the chops with the lemon juice and the salt. Dredge the chops one at a time in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg to coat and then into the bread crumbs, coating them well and placing them onto a clean plate when done.
- Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed skillet.
- Once the butter begins to foam add the chops. Fry until golden brown on one side and then flip them over and fry on the other side until golden brown and cooked through. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium heat.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Thank you for visiting! Do come again!
I wanted to cook myself something fairly simple for my dinner today. I am still not feeling 100%. I hate it when I feel unwell, but then again, I don't know anyone who likes it.
I wanted pasta. I love pasta and it is not something which I was able to eat a lot of when I lived in the UK because it was not something my partner was very fond of. Not a problem anymore. I can eat pasta now to my heart's content!
One thing I love most about pasta is the versatility of it, as well as the fact that you can enjoy the leftovers the day after almost as much as on the day itself.
When my children were growing up one of our favorite suppers used to be fried spaghetti, which I would make with the leftover spaghetti. I would cook extra spaghetti just so that we could enjoy this simple dish the day after.
One of my favorite cookbooks is Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. It was one that I chose to bring back to Canada with me. I had an extensive recipe book collection and I could not afford to bring them all, and so I had to pick and choose.
If it came with me, you can rest assured it is an excellent book. Any recipe I have ever cooked from this book has been excellent. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Ms Kiros has mastered the art of turning simple ingredients into something delicious and none of her recipes are complicated to make.
Many of them are family recipes drawing wisdom and taste from her Scandinavian and Greek heritage as well as from her experience with Italian culture and flavors.
Pasta with Tuna, Tomato & Olives was a recipe I had ear-marked for a very long time. Today I finally got around to making it.
One of the things which has always drawn me to this recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients. I almost always have these things in my home. I did not have fresh herbs today, but I made good use of dried herbs.
A little trick I have been wanting to share with you for a while that I learned from my sister. If you wrap your fresh bunch of celery in aluminum foil it will keep in the refrigerator for a very long time. Tried and true!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PASTA WITH TUNA, TOMATO & OLIVES
There is nothing too complicated here.
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 stalks leafy celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 14 ounce (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 TBS tomato puree/paste
- salt and pepper
- 6 1/2 ounce (185g) tin of albacore tuna in oil
- 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1 TBS dried parsley leaves
- pinch crushed chilies (optional)
- 8 pitted Kalamata olives, torn in half
- 14 ounces (400g) pasta (Penne, farfalle, spaghetti, malfalda)
- olive oil and Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
The malfalda, tomato puree and crushed chilies were my own additions. They worked well.
HOW TO MAKE PASTA WITH TUNA, TOMATO & OLIVES
All of Tessa's recipes are very easy to execute. This one is no exception and tastes beautiful when done.
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large based skillet or saucepan. Add the garlic. Cook until it becomes fragrant and then add the celery.
Cook the celery over a gentle heat, stirring frequently, until it softens and turns a pale golden colour.
Add the undrained tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with some salt and black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the tuna, breaking it up into chunks and 3 TBS of hot water. Bring to the boil, then stir in the basil, parsley, olives and chili flakes, if using. Simmer over low while you cook the pasta.
Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water as per the package directions. Drain reserving some of the pasta cooking water.
The sauce should not be too dry. If it is add a bit of the pasta cooking water. Toss in the pasta and turn it over to coat it generously with the sauce. Pull out and discard the whole garlic cloves.
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with more pepper and serve immediately, with or without cheese.
This really was delicious. I was semi-concerned that it might be a bit fishy, but it really wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I probably ate more than my fare share. I can be a real glutton sometimes!
I am trying to repent but its an uphill slog.
Pasta with Tuna, Tomato & Olives
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min
The olives in this deliciously simple pasta dish are left in large chunks. That way anyone who is not fond can easily fish them out. This is quick and easy to make and very tasty. Some crusty bread and a salad on the side works well!
Ingredients
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 stalks leafy celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 14 ounce (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 TBS tomato puree/paste
- salt and pepper
- 6 1/2 ounce (185g) tin of albacore tuna in oil
- 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1 TBS dried parsley leaves
- pinch crushed chilies (optional)
- 8 pitted Kalamata olives, torn in half
- 14 ounces (400g) pasta (Penne, farfalle, spaghetti, malfalda)
- olive oil and Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large based skillet or saucepan. Add the garlic. Cook until it becomes fragrant and then add the celery.
- Cook the celery over a gentle heat, stirring frequently, until it softens and turns a pale golden colour.
- Add the undrained tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with some salt and black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the tuna, breaking it up into chunks and 3 TBS of hot water. Bring to the boil, then stir in the basil, parsley, olives and chili flakes, if using. Simmer over low while you cook the pasta.
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water as per the package directions. Drain reserving some of the pasta cooking water.
- The sauce should not be too dry. If it is add a bit of the pasta cooking water. Toss in the pasta and turn it over to coat it generously with the sauce.
- Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with more pepper and serve immediately, with or without cheese.
Mu daughter's husband was going to be out of town this past weekend and so I had my oldest daughter come to stay with me overnight. I was really super excited about it. I had not seen her since well before Christmas due to Covid.
We had a nice weekend planned. Cook some tasty food, eat some tasty food, watch movies, talk, talk, talk and play with the cats. One thing I really wanted to do was to be able to cook something together.
My daughter is developmentally challenged but super capable. I am so proud of her. I wanted us to cook something together that was within the range of her capabilities, and yet still be delicious and something which she would enjoy.
Also within her budget, as they live on a limited income. We settled on Cheese Enchiladas! We both really love Tex Mex food. They don't use a lot of ingredients, are simple to make, and they are super delicious!
When my children were growing up, I always made them enchiladas with leftover turkey at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. They loved them, and I believe they still make them to this day.
We did not have leftover turkey yesterday, but we did have plenty of cheese and other ingredients. I did bemoan the fact that we had no spring onions, but we made do with what we had.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESE ENCHILADAS
You can make these as naughty as you like by choosing either full fat or low fat ingredients. Yesterday we were feeling especially indulgent so we went full fat all the way!
- 1 cup (115g) dairy sour cream (full or low fat)
- 1/2 cup (115g) cream cheese (full or low fat)
- 1 cup (115g) grated strong cheddar cheese (full or low fat)
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and minced
- 2 heaped spoonful's of canned green chilies (1/2 tin, or 2 green chili roasted, deseeded and chopped)
- 5 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 1/4 cups (295ml) red enchilada sauce (can use green if you wish)
To top and serve:
- 4 TBS grated cheese (to sprinkle)
- sour cream and salsa (green or red)
Most of these ingredients are pretty self explanatory. You can use either a ready made enchilada sauce or my own delicious homemade Enchilada Sauce. (You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for the sauce recipe.)
Once you make a simple homemade enchilada sauce, you may be spoiled for every using ready made sauce again. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it is incredibly delicious.
If you wanted to make things really spicy or kick them up a notch, you could use a Mexican cheese blend. They usually have a bit of spicy cheese in them. We went with cheddar cheese because it is what we had, and we grated our own.
Cream cheese is cream cheese. Don't substitute anything like yogurt for the sour cream. Sour cream has a special richness which helps to make these enchiladas rich and delicious.
When I lived in the UK, it was impossible to find canned green chilies. I used to buy jalapeno chilies and roast my own. Simply roast them whole in a hot oven or over a flame until they are starting to blacken.
Set side in a bowl, covered tightly with cling film to cool. Once cold, peel, deseed and chop. You can also peel, deseed and roll them up, wrap tightly and freeze in a small container. I used to buy green chilies on offer and do loads of them at a time. You will need two for this recipe, chopped.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESE ENCHILADAS
These really are simple to make.
Begin by preheating the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a 7 by 11 inch baking dish with some cooking spray.
Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, onion and green chilies in a bowl, making sure they are well combined.
Place 1/5 of the filling down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place into the prepared baking dish, seam side down.
Spoon the enchilada sauce evenly over top, cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and return to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
Serve hot with some additional sour cream and salsa if desired. I think some rice, Spanish rice or a salad would go nicely on the side for a main meal.
We were just having these for lunch and so we just had them with some sour cream and Green salsa. I stirred the leftover green chilies from the tin into the salsa so nothing went to waste.
When we sat down and started to dig in, the pair of us had only one word to say and that was mmmm. I know its not a word, but there was nothing else we could say. Frigging delicious!!!
I had such a great time with my girl this weekend. We really did enjoy each other very much and have plans to do it again the next time her husband has to be away overnight.
When I was in the UK, I could only dream about spending time like this with my daughter. It is so nice to now be able to make those dreams come true!!
Cheese Enchiladas
Yield: makes 5 enchiladas
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Super delicious and easy to make. The first word from mine and my daughter's mouths when we tasted this was mmmmm. Yes, they were so tasty they left us speechless. You can make these as naughty or as nice as you wish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (115g) dairy sour cream (full or low fat)
- 1/2 cup (115g) cream cheese (full or low fat)
- 1 cup (115g) grated strong cheddar cheese (full or low fat)
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and minced
- 2 heaped spoonful's of canned green chilies (1/2 tin, or 2 green chili roasted, deseeded and chopped)
- 5 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 1/4 cups (295ml) red enchilada sauce (can use green if you wish)
To top and serve:
- 4 TBS grated cheese (to sprinkle)
- sour cream and salsa (green or red)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a 7 by 11 inch baking dish with some cooking spray.
- Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, onion and green chilies in a bowl, making sure they are well combined.
- Place 1/5 of the filling down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place into the prepared baking dish, seam side down.
- Spoon the enchilada sauce evenly over top, cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Uncover, sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and return to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with some additional sour cream and salsa if desired.
Thank you so much for visiting. Do come again!
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