Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts
Hello Autumn! We are coming into one of my favorite cooking seasons now. Autumn, with all of its delicious flavors and colors.
Cooling temperatures also mean that we are not afraid to turn our oven on, and the autumn harvest means that we have an abundance of fresh local vegetables available for us to enjoy! I do so love the Autumn!
I also love Pot Roasting. Especially when it means combining tender pork with fresh carrots and cabbage wedges! This Pot Roasted Pork with Cabbage and carrots is one of my favorite meals to cook when the temperatures start dropping and the nights begin to draw in.
A long slow braise results in succulent moist pork, tender roasted carrots, butter tender cabbage and a rich gravy that is to die for.
The other day I picked up a boneless pork loin rib roast. It looked so good. I knew I was in for a real treat!
The boneless rib is the rib portion of the loin, closest to the shoulder. A similar cut to the center pork loin but with more marbling and better flavor. It is comparable to the prime rib in beef, except a whole lot cheaper!
The rib end has slightly more fat than the center so therefore juicier and is easier to carve with the bones removed. It adapts well to a brine, marinades, glazes, dry rubs. And it works beautifully in an oven braise such as this recipe I am sharing today!
Garlic is a flavor that marries very well with pork. In order to inject real garlic flavor into my roast I like to insert slivers of garlic. (I do this to beef roasts as well.)
Its such an easy thing to do and really adds to the flavors of meat, vegetables and gravy. You will need a small sharp knife. I make deep cuts all over the top of my roast and push slivers of garlic down into them. Just make sure you don't cut all the way through.
You will need a small head of cabbage and about 4 carrots and a small onion.
I rubbed the pork all over with salt and pepper and Bell's seasoning when I had finished inserting the garlic. Bell's seasoning is a type of poultry seasoning.
Then I strained all of the pan juices into the saucepan, pressing the onion to extract all of that flavor and scraping any puree which gathered on the bottom of the sieve into the gravy as well.
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Its pretty much only available in New England, but I make my own, which is very close to the real thing. You can find a link to my recipe for it in the recipe notes below.
You will find that it is something which you will find yourself turning to time after time. Its great in stuffings and stews and for rubbing onto pork or chicken. I make a fresh batch every year and it always gets used up!
I like to peel and slice an onion, which I place in the middle of my large casserole/lasagna type of baking dish. I don't have a roaster as such, not yet.
I place the rubbed pork on top of the sliced onion, where it acts as a sort of trivet for the meat. Kind of like a roasting rack, but with a heck of a lot more flavor!
The onions not only flavor the meat and hold it up, but they also add great flavor to the gravy. My son in law doesn't like onions and won't eat anything he thinks has onions in it. I cannot imagine.
The onions absorb lots of flavor from the meat, its a kind of symbiosis where they help each other out beautifully. I always press the onions through a sieve when all is said and done and you cannot imagine how tasty that onion puree makes that gravy!
The cabbage gets cut into quarters. I leave the core in. This helps to keep the cabbage intact while it cooks and it does get really tender.
I place one quarter into each corner of the pan. I then place the peeled and quartered carrots around the cabbage and roast.
Finally I pour two cups of chicken stock into the pan. The magic elixir that will not only help to tenderize everything, but also add even more flavor.
I like to use the Knorr gel stock pots. I was so happy to find them here in Canada. I really think they are the best things to use in cooking, and I use them a LOT.
You will either need to use a roasting pan/dish which has a cover, or you will need to tightly cover the roast in aluminum foil. I chose the latter and I used three layers. I wanted to really keep all of the moisture in there.
You can now go off and do whatever else your day is calling you to do and let the oven do all the work. About an hour and a quarter later, your meat and vegetables should be cooked and tender. Of course this timing depends on the size of your roast.
Generally speaking pork will take about 25 minutes per pound to roast to perfection. Once that is achieved, I uncovered everything and poured a tablespoon of maple syrup over top of the meat.
Just to add an additional layer of flavor and glaze it a tiny bit. Another 15 minutes and the meal was done.
I had meltingly tender cabbage, almost buttery in texture. Oh how I love that stuff. My carrots were nicely cooked as well. For a meal like this you don't want your carrots to be crispy tender.
Roasted tender is what you want. And of course both ingredients also add flavor to the pan juices. You will need to remove your meat and vegetables to a platter and loosely tend them while you make that tasty gravy!
This vintage Corelle sauce boat and plate was a gift from my sister.
I love it!
I took a leaf from my sister when it came to making the gravy. She always melts some butter in a sauce pan and whisks in flour. There was not a lot of fat on the meat, so I felt okay using butter.
Once the butter starts to foam, I whisk in the butter and cook the two together for about a minute or so. This helps to cook out the flour taste.
Then I strained all of the pan juices into the saucepan, pressing the onion to extract all of that flavor and scraping any puree which gathered on the bottom of the sieve into the gravy as well.
Oh my. What a lovely gravy this is. I could drink it like hot chocolate. It IS that darned delicious!!
With a few boiled potatoes on the side or some mash, you have a meal fit for a King or a Queen here. I guarantee nobody will be complaining and your house will smell wonderful!
You cannot ask for a better pork with cabbage recipe. This ticks all of the boxes.
Tender succulent meat. Check! Beautifully cooked vegetables. Check!!. Flavor filled gravy. Check!!! This was the perfect way to usher in Autumn! Happy Fall, Y'all!
Pot Roast Pork with Cabbage & Carrots
Yield: 4
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 45 MTotal time: 2 Hour
Moist and tender roast pork with a flavor filled gravy and tender wedges of cabbage and carrots on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Loin Rib Roast (mine was about 2 1/2 - 3 pounds in weight)
- 3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Bell's Seasoning (can use Poultry seasoning)
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths
- 1 small head of cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- 1 TBS Maple Syrup
To make the Gravy:
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS flour
- pan juices from the roast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a large deep roasting casserole dish.
- Using a sharp knife, make deep stabs in the surface of your roast. Take care not to cut all the way through to the bottom. You just want pocket. Shove a sliver of garlic into each pocket. Rub the roast all over with the salt, pepper, and Bell's seasoning.
- Place the sliced onion in the middle of the roasting casserole. Pop the pork roast on top of the onion. Place the cabbage wedges and carrots around the roast. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and then cover the pan completely and tightly with a heavy sheet of foil. If you pan has a lid, just pop on the lid.
- Roast the pork in the preheated oven for 25 minutes per pound of meat. I roasted mine for approximately 1 1/4 hours. The juices should run clear, and the vegetables should be tender.
- Uncover and spoon the maple syrup over the pork. Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and remove the pork and vegetables to a serving platter. Loosely tent with foil while you make the gravy.
- To make the gravy, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk to combine, cooking over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Strain the juices from the roasting pan into the saucepan through a fine mesh sieve. (I like to push the onion through to a puree. It adds nice flavor to the gravy. Discard any solids.) Cook, over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens.
- Serve the pork cut into slices along with the vegetables. Pass the gravy at the table.
- Potatoes go well with this. Mashed, roasted, boiled, baked. All are good.
Notes:
You can find my recipe for Bell's Seasoning here.
I picked up a rather largish piece of pork loin roast the other day for about $7. It was rather large just for myself, but I knew that I would be cooking a meal for a friend's family later in the week, and I thought I could cut the remainder into chop sized pieces to use for making schnitzel or whatever another time.
I got 8 (1-inch thick) chops and enough pork from it to make this tasty pork and potato pie! I consider that to be a win! I did also make a small casserole of this dish for myself to have for my own supper as well.
I think when you are asked to send a meal to a family, the best thing you can make is a stew, soup or a casserole. Its usually for a time when they may be going through something rough and they may not have time to tinker about with a lot of fussing.
Something which can be simply reheated, or frozen for a later date is the best option. I had this pork and I found the perfect recipe for a simple pork and potato casserole with a biscuit topping in one of my favorite cookbooks.
Marcia Adams, New Recipes from Quilt Country. I have had both of her Amish books for years and years. I can remember watching her cooking show on PBS many years ago.
Actually PBS was ahead of its time, well before the food network came along. I can remember watching cooking shows on PBS back in the 80's and 90's and some very good ones at that.
That is how I first became acquainted with the Irish Chef, Paul Rankin and his ex wife Jeanne. Watching their Gourmet Ireland show on PBS. It used to be on in the 1990's.
Little did I know that I would one day get to meet Paul Rankin in person some years later. We were on a cooking show together in the UK, and he declared my soup to be delicious. It was my Parsnip and Apple Soup.
Life is a funny thing is it not? With all of its twists and turns. He was much shorter in real life than I had imagined him to be.
Back to this casserole dish. It is an Amish dish and we all know that the Amish are great cooks, much like the Mennonites.
I used to go to a Mennonite restaurant near Saint Jacob's in Ontario's horse and buggy country. They had the best food. It was called Anna Mae's.
Great home cooked meals, with ample portions, lovely bread and pies. All from scratch. Maybe I will get a chance to go there again one day.
This is not a pie in the real sense of pies. There is no top or bottom crust. Just a type of a biscuit cobbler topping.
The base is composed of a juicy tender pork and potato filling, in a lush flavor filled gravy. Cubes of pork are browned in a skillet until golden brown. Make sure you don't crowd the skillet or your pork will stew rather than brown.
Once it has browned you add some water and a bay leaf. The pork then gets simmered for about 40 minutes until it is starting to become fork tender.
Pork loin can be a very dry meat as it is so lean. This slow simmer prevents that from happening.
At the end of that time you add some celery, onion, potato and seasonings. A further simmer ensures perfectly tender and juicy pieces of pork, perfectly cooked potato, and a flavor filled broth, ready to be thickened in preparation for the oven bake.
It so simple to thicken the broth. Flour and milk, shaken or whisked together. Make sure you don't have your mixture bubbling when you whisk it in, or you will end up with lumps.
In fact, I would take the pan off the heat just to do this part. Slowly whisk it in until its amalgamated and then put the pan back on the heat. Slow and steady, constant whisking. That is key.
Return it back to the heat until the whole bit is bubbling and thickened. Ready to pour into your casserole dish.
That topping is just like a drop biscuit dough, made with butter and seasoned with celery seed and black pepper. You just drop it on top of the warm meat and potato filling in tablespoon sized amounts.
Into the oven it goes until the biscuit topping it golden brown and that is it! Casserole done!
Tender pieces of pork and potato . . . crisp buttery topping . . . deliciously simple.
Not a dry piece of meat in the mix and incredibly moreish. I do so hope the people this is intended for enjoy this.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a delicious sharing dish, or something tasty to take to a gathering, look no further. This tasty pork and potato pie fits the bill on all counts!
Amish Savory Pork Pie
Yield: Serves 6
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
The meat and potato filling for this delicious cobbler type of pie can be made ahead several days in advance. Simply reheat, drop the biscuit topping on top and then bake when you are wanting to serve it. It makes the perfect dish for a take-along, or buffet.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 pound lean fresh pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick celery, peeled and copped
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock
- 1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBS dried parsley
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 1/2 TBS flour
For the cobbler topping:
- 1 cup (140 grams) plain all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp celery seed
- 1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 3 TBS cold butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy based skillet. Add the cubes of pork. Sauté until the pork is evenly browned, about 10 minutes or so. (Don't crowd the pan, doing it in batches if you need to.) Add the water and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the pork is tender.
- Add the potatoes, celery, onion and the chicken stock. Continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes, covered. Stir in all of the seasonings.
- Whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk into the meat mixture, stirring constantly, cooking until the mixture bubbles up and thickens. Transfer everything to a baking dish (12 by 7 inches) (You can do it two days in advance up to this point if you wish.)
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C.
- To make the cobbler topping, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Stir in the celery seed and black pepper. Drop in the butter. Cut in using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
- Add the milk all at once, blending together until just mixed. Using a tablespoon, drop the dough in dollops on top of the warm meat mixture.
- Bake for 10 minutes until the biscuit topping is golden brown. Serve hot.
About two months ago when I was staying at my sisters, she made the best oven barbequed ribs I have ever eaten. They were tender and delicious and really succulent. It was love at first bite for me!
I love spare ribs! They are something I only ever rarely eat. A lot of that has to do with having to go through a lot of pallaver to get them really tender, and then of course there is the fat content. They are a rare treat!
Making them in the past had always involved simmering them in a liquid for a long period of time. Then I would have to brush them with BBQ sauce and cook them some more in the oven or on the grill.
I didn't always have the time or the patience for all of that. My sister's method is so much easier and results in perfectly cooked juicy ribs!
It really was simple and I asked myself afterwards, why had I never thought to do the same! It was so easy and they were so tender.
How could I not have thought of this myself? I mean, if you look at them they are literally falling apart, they are so tender and there was no boiling, simmering involved at all.
First of all she only ever uses back ribs. She says there is too much bone in the side ribs, and I have to agree with her. You are paying for a lot of bone when you do ribs anyways, why pay for even more!
The side ribs almost always include that huge breast bone and there is not an awful lot of meat on them. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, you get a lot more meat for your money if you buy back ribs.
That is probably why back ribs are so much more expensive than side ribs. It makes sense. This past week the local Foodland had back ribs on offer so I took advantage of the great price and bought some for me to cook at home.
I decided to cook them just as my sister had.
First I started by creating a delicious, nicely flavored rub to season them with. This involved quite a few different spices, as well as some brown sugar.
Sweet and smoked paprika, dry mustard powder, ground cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, etc. to just name a few. I have given you the exact quantities and spices in the notes section of the printable recipe below.
I am actually a huge fan of making my own mixes, spice blends, and rubs. I have a whole page dedicated to them here.
Today I only had one rack so I only used a portion of the rub. You will need to keep to the cook time no matter how many ribs you have. This tasty mixture got rubbed into the ribs all over.
You will need a deepish roasting tin large enough to hold a rack that you can place the rubbed ribs onto in a single layer. You may want to line it with foil to make cleanup a bit easier.
Place the rack in the roasting tin and then lay the spice rubbed ribs on top of the rack in a single layer, leaving room around each for the air to circulate.
Pour a bit of water in the bottom of the roasting tin. You want it to come up between 1/2 to 1-inch in depth. You DON'T want it to touch the ribs. These ribs are steamed not stewed.
Cover your tin tightly with aluminum foil and then leave them to roast for a few hours at a low temperature. At the end of that time you will find that they are lovely and tender and moist.
You could leave it right there and continue to roast them for a further half an hour uncovered. But I chose to add even more flavor by brushing them with barbeque sauce.
Roasting them uncovered and slathered with sauce gives them a nice sticky surface and makes them really finger-licking good! Just use your favorite brand of sauce.
I like the Jack Daniels BBQ sauce myself, but I couldn't find any of that here. I ended up using Bulls Eye for ribs and chicken.
I think this is the best ribs recipe I have ever used and yes, it is more of a technique than it is a recipe! But that doesn't matter. What works, works.
Just look at how tender and juicy they turned out. The meat literally falling off the bone. No hint of dryness at all, and they were so simple to cook.
Succulent doesn't begin to describe them. You could of course serve them with additional BBQ sauce. I was quite happy with them as they were. No extra sauce needed.
I enjoyed them with a nice baked potato, topped with some sour cream and chives from my back garden, along with a tasty tossed salad. Yummilicious!
Of course there was a lot more meat on the ribs than I could enjoy in one sitting. That's one of the hazards of being only one person.
What to do, what to do.
It was simple really. I used a fork and removed all of that tender succulent meat on the remaining bones and tossed it into the refrigerator.
Today I warmed it up with a bit of stock and some additional BBQ sauce and enjoyed a delicious Pulled Pork Sandwich of a sort, with some sweet potato fries. It was delicious!!
There is no reason why a single person can't still enjoy delicious and yet simple meals the same as anyone else! Bon Appetit!!
Yield: 4 depending on appetites
Best Oven Barbequed Ribs
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 35 M
These ribs turn out beautifully tender, succulent and filled with amazing flavors, every single time.
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds of pork back ribs
- 1/2 cup of your favorite spice rub (see note below)
- BBQ sauce for brushing (use your favorite kind)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300*F/150*C. You will need a deep roasting tin large enough to hold a rack. Line with aluminum foil.
- Rub the pork ribs all over with the rub and then lay them out onto the rack in the roasting tin in a single layer. This allows the air to circulate around them.
- Add about 1/2 to - inch of hot water to the bottom of the pan. You don't want it to touch the ribs.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Roast the ribs in the preheated oven, tightly covered, for about 2 hours. Check periodically to make sure that the water hasn't totally evaporated.
- At the end of that time the ribs should be well on their way to being tender. Remove the foil and brush the ribs all over with BBQ sauce.
- Roast for a further 1/2 hour, brushing them with some more BBQ sauce once or twice. At the end of that time the ribs should be deliciously glazed and tender.
- The ribs are done when a sharp knife slides easily into the thickest part of the meat.
- Allow to rest, lightly tented for about 10 minutes. Cut into portions and serve immediately with or without additional BBQ sauce for dipping.
Notes:
This makes a great rub for pork or chicken: Measure the following into a spice grinder and grind to combine well. 1 1/2 TBS paprika, 1 TBS smoked paprika, 1 TBS chili powder, 1 1/2 TBS sea-salt 1/2 TBS ground ginger, 1/2 TBS chipotle powder, 3 TBS dark brown sugar, 1/2 TBS black pepper, 1/2 TBS ground nutmeg, 1/2 TBS ground oregano, 1/2 TBS ground thyme, 1/2 TBS ground coriander, 1 TBS dry mustard powder, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 1/2 TBS onion powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Once mixed store in an airtight container in a dark place for up to six months. This makes approximately 1 cup and can be used on all sorts of things. Its delicious!
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