Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
Pork Medallions with Creamy Dijon Sauce make a wonderful midweek supper. Delicious and tender pieces of pork in a rich and creamy sauce.
Its quick and easy to make, simple enough for every day and yet elegant enough for a special occasion! Even a date night if that's on the cards.
Incredibly delicious you can have it on the table in about half an hour's time. You can't ask for much more than that!
It is perfectly sized for just two people, but can very easily be multiplied to serve more if you wish. It would make for very tasty dinner party fare! You can easily dress it up with the sides you choose to serve with it.
Today I served it simply with some fried leftover boiled potatoes and peas and corn. No waste here!
Pork tenderloin is a long, narrow and tender piece of pork that comes from the muscle that runs along the back of the pig. You often see it attached to bone in loin chops. It's that tender juicy nugget on one side of the chop. Need I say . . . my favorite bit.
You will also see it sold as pork fillet. Pork tenderloin is one of the healthiest cuts of pork, and is just as lean as a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
It is the most tender cut of the animal as it is not a working muscle. Its so tender that it lends itself wonderfully to quick cooking and searing. Sauces also go very well.
When I was growing up my mother used to cook pork to death. It was always dry. You could have shingled a roof with her chops and the rain would never have gotten in. Back in those days there was a very real fear of people getting trichinosis from undercooked pork.
Today's pork is much safer to eat, and it no longer has to be cooked until it dries out. Slightly pink is quite safe. So long as the temperature reaches 155*F/68*C or rested to a final 160*F/71*C, it is considered perfectly safe.
WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK PORK MEDALLIONS WITH CREAMY DIJON SAUCE
Good wholesome simple ingredients. There is nothing outrageous here, unless you consider Dijon mustard outrageous. In my kitchen, it is the mustard of preference, especially for cooking.
- 1 pound (400g) pork tenderloin
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS butter, divided
- 1 shallot peeled and finely minced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 1 TBS grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- salt and black pepper to taste
I use olive oil in my kitchen. I use the light for cooking with the extra virgin for everything else, salads, dipping, etc. For when flavor counts.
Olive oil is considered to be much healthier for you, and is a vital part of the Mediterranean diet.
A bit of oil used along with butter helps you to be able to sear your meat without the butter burning. Butter adds the flavor.
You could use white wine instead of chicken stock. I didn't happen to have any in the house. This makes it even more elegant and adds a lovely depth of flavor.
HOW TO COOK PORK MEDALLIONS WITH CREAMY DIJON SAUCE
Its very simple really. I can be rather lazy you know and simple is what works best for me! I did enough complicated when I cooked at the Manor. In my old age I am taking it easy as much as I can.
Trim any silver skin from the pork and cut it into 4 (2 inch thick) medallions. Press down with the heel of your hand to flatten slightly. Season it on both sides with salt and black pepper.
It is really important that you remove the silver skin. It is not like regular fat and will not render itself upon cooking. If you leave the silver skin on when you cook your pork, it will tighten and cause your meat to twist. You can find a wonderful tutorial on how to remove the silver skin from the pork here. It also includes video so that everything is crystal clear.
Heat the oil and half of the butter in a skillet over high heat. When the butter begins to foam add the pork. Cook until nicely browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side until the meat is slightly firm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Add the remaining butter to the pan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for about half a minute over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Whisk in the cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer over medium heat until smooth and thickened.
Return the pork to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Cook until it is firm to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes. It will still be a bit pink in the middle.
Season to taste and serve hot with some of the creamy Dijon sauce spooned over top.
This made for a really delicious mid-week meal for myself. Just because I live on my own that is no reason why I have to feed myself from tin cans or frozen packets. Often cooking from scratch is a lot quicker than heating up a frozen dinner in the oven.
This was lovely. I simply cut the potatoes into thick slices, leaving the peel on. I seasoned them on both cut sides with some salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. I then fried them in my iron skillet, cut sides down, over medium-high heat in a bit of butter and oil (about 1/2 tsp of each) turning them over once they were browned on one side.
They were done to perfection in about the same time as it took to cook my pork. Frozen peas/corn. Win, win.
Pork Tenderloin is my favorite cut of pork. If you also love it you might enjoy the following recipes as well:
PARMESAN CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN - This is a very elegant way to cook pork. The pork is coated with a bit of oil and then rolled in a cheese herb mixture prior to roasting to perfection. A delicious lemon and olive sauce is created to spoon over top. Altogether quite delicious and simple to do.
DIJON, GARLIC AND HERB PORK FILLET - Pork tenderloin is brushed with some Dijon mustard and then rolled in a flavorful garlic and herb mixture before roasting to perfection. Delicious served sliced with an assortment of vegetables on the side. Tender juicy, perfectly cooked pork with a beautifully herby crust! Quick and easy to do, and healthy too!
Yield: 2
Pork Medallions with Creamy Dijon Sauce
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A delicious weeknight dinner that's on the table in 30 minutes. Elegantly impressive, but very simple to make.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (400g) pork tenderloin
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS butter, divided
- 1 shallot peeled and finely minced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 1 TBS grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim any silver skin from the pork and cut it into 4 (2 inch thick) medallions. Press down with the heel of your hand to flatten slightly. Season it on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the oil and half of the butter in a skillet over high heat. When the butter begins to foam add the pork. Cook until nicely browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side until the meat is slightly firm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for about half a minute over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
- Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Whisk in the cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer over medium heat until smooth and thickened.
- Return the pork to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Cook until it is firm to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes. It will still be a bit pink in the middle.
- Season to taste and serve hot with some of the creamy Dijon sauce spooned over top.
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Macaroni Cheese & Tomato Bake is a recipe that I love. I had not made it in a very long while, mostly because it made so much. This week I decided to downsize it to half the amount so that I could enjoy it reasonably.
My daughter Eileen and her husband make this very often. Its a recipe from my cookbook, The English Kitchen, an Anglophile's love note to English Cuisine. They just love it and I am not surprised as it is delicious!
Its also very easy to make. What you have here is a base of pasta in a deliciously simple tomato sauce. A rich and cheesy bechamel sauce gets slathered on top and then you crush some cracker crumbs over top of that.
The whole thing then gets baked in a hot oven for half an hour to perfection. Everything is bubbling and golden brown. It truly is delicious and such a simple make.
It is a meatless main dish that is so tasty you won't miss the meat and in this day and age when groceries are becoming more and more expensive, something economical such as this dish is really welcome.
There is no need to add any meat. It is beautiful all on its own. Rich and creamy and very flavorful. Prepare yourself to fall in love!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MACARONI CHEESE & TOMATO BAKE FOR TWO
Simple store cupboard ingredients that you probably have in your larder already!
- 1 cup (4 ounces/115g) dried macaroni
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1 14-ounce tin (400g) chopped tomatoes, drained
- 2 tsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 1 TBS dried basil leaves
- 2 1/2 TBS of butter
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 cup (240ml) of whole milk, warmed
- 1 cup (120g) of strong cheddar cheese, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- a handful of cracker crumbs
You can use any kind of dried pasta or macaroni in this that you wish, but I do recommend using a pasta that will really hug that tomato sauce. Tubes are preferable. Today I used a type of twisted tube pasta called Casarecce.
This kind of pasta is the right shape for hugging that sauce. It comes from Sicily. What you have here are a pasta that is shaped like longish scrolls. Rolled up edges with a groove down the center. About 2 inches in length.
You also want to use a really good brand of canned tomatoes for this. Here in Canada I like Mutti. They are real Italian tomatoes. They might cost a tiny bit more than other tomatoes, but they are worth every extra penny as far as taste goes.
They are really tasty with a beautiful bright red color. Today I used the Polpa tomatoes, which means finely chopped tomatoes. They are in a lovely rich tomato juice.
You will want to use a nice sharp/strong well flavored cheddar for in the sauce. I used a British white cheddar that I bought at the farm market next door. Cathedral City. It is a cheese I used to buy in the UK.
It has a lovely strong flavor, either eaten out of hand or for use in cooking like this. You want a cheese that is going to impart a nice rich cheesiness to the sauce.
It just makes sense that in a dish where the major components are tomatoes, cheese and pasta that you would want to use the best that your money can buy. Their flavors really count.
HOW TO MAKE MACARONI CHEESE & TOMATO BAKE FOR TWO
There are two components to the dish, the tomato sauce and the bechamel. It might seem fiddly, but trust me when I say it really isn't. You can make this up ahead of time, cover it and pop it into the fridge, ready to take out and bake when you want to serve it. Just leave it at room temperature for half an hour prior to popping it into the oven.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently until softened over medium low heat. Don't let it brown. Add the drained tomatoes and the tomato puree. Cook together for a few minutes. Stir in the basil and break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook, whisking for at least one minute, and then slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil, making sure it doesn't catch on the bottom. Whisk in cheese, stirring until it melts. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Cook the macaroni until al dente according to the package directions. Drain well. Stir the cooked macaroni into the tomato mixture. Pour into a large baking dish and smooth over.
Spread the cheese sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle on a handful of cracker crumbs. (I find the easiest way to spread the cheese sauce over top is to dollop it on in a number of places and then to join the dollops.)
Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
This truly is delicious. The simple things in life are usually some of the best things of all, both in lifestyle and in eating.
All you really need on the side is some crusty bread to mop up all of those gorgeous sauces and a leafy salad. You will not miss having meat in this. Believe me. This is incredibly rich and tasty all on its own!
Some other economical meatless pasta dishes that you might also enjoy are:
CRUSHED MACARONI & VEGETABLES - Broken pasta is layered in a dish along with some tomatoes, cooked spinach and cheese. A mix of water, good olive oil and garlic gets poured over top. Tightly covered it is baked long and slow until all the flavors blend beautifully and the macaroni gets almost creamy. I do like to add a splash of good Balsamic for another layer of flavor.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND GOATS' CHEESE LASAGNA - This is one of my favorite lasagna's to make and to eat. The flavors are amazing. Rich bechamel. Tasty sweet butternut squash. Chopped toasted walnuts. Rich and tangy goat's cheese. Deliciously company worthy to say the least.
Yield: 2
Macaroni Cheese and Tomato Bake
I downsized one of my favorite versions of mac and cheese to serve just two people. I will leave the link to the full sized version below. Its delicious whether you are feeding two or feeding four.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4 ounces/115g) dried macaroni
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1 14-ounce tin (400g) chopped tomatoes, drained
- 2 tsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 1 TBS dried basil leaves
- 2 1/2 TBS of butter
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 cup (240ml) of whole milk, warmed
- 1 cup (120g) of strong cheddar cheese, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- a handful of cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently until softened over medium low heat. Don't let it brown. Add the drained tomatoes and the tomato puree. Cook together for a few minutes. Stir in the basil and break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.
- To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook, whisking for at least one minute, and then slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil, making sure it doesn't catch on the bottom. Whisk in cheese, stirring until it melts. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Cook the macaroni until al dente according to the package directions. Drain well. Stir the cooked macaroni into the tomato mixture. Pour into a large baking dish and smooth over. Spread the cheese sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle on a handful of cracker crumbs.
- Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
If you would like the full sized recipe which feeds four people, click here.
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I had the family over for supper at the weekend and I baked a quantity of potatoes for us to have with our dinner. I always like to bake extra's because you never know what you are going to find on the inside of a potato.
Sometimes they will be perfectly find and sometimes they will have hollow hearts or black spots, etc. Baking extra potato means that I will have enough for everyone should that be the case. I also love having leftover baked potatoes to cook with.
I had seen this recipe for Perfect Baked Potatoes on Gimme Some Oven last week. I was keen to try out her method. The photograph of her finished baked potatoes looked so good.
It really wasn't all that radically difference from the way I normally bake mine, except that I don't normally butter my potatoes prior to baking or salt them. Normally I just scrub them, prick them all over and then pop them right into the oven and onto the rack.
I have found that doing so always yields a beautiful crisp skin. The skin on hers was not as crisp as the skin on my own, but that is probably the butter softening it.
Anyways, they were good with our traditional toppings of cheddar, sour cream and chives. Nobody was complaining.
Anyways, I found myself with a quantity of leftover baked potatoes to use up and I decided to make this loaded baked potato casserole, which makes for a great side dish, encompassing all of the flavors that we would traditionally associate with baked potatoes.
I can remember years and years ago, my ex husband and I would sometimes go out to dinner at a local steak house. You could order your steak according to your preference and then choose from a number of sides. I always wanted mushrooms, onions and a baked potato. The salad bar was always included for free.
You could have what you wanted on your baked potato. For me that was sour cream, a smattering of cheese, some chopped green onions or chives and some crumbled crisp bacon. I could make a meal of that alone!!!!
This tasty casserole uses all of those traditional potato toppings, and it is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes. You can leave the skins on if you wish, or you can remove them.
For me, it all depends on what kind of mood I am in and today I was in a skinless potato mood. I have to tell you however, leftovers never tasted so good!
Of course the quantities of this are for two people only, but it is very simple to double or triple the recipe should you wish to serve more.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LOADED BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE FOR TWO
Its amazing what you can come up with by using a few simple ingredients and some leftovers.
- 3 leftover baked russet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds prebaking weight)
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
- 1 cup (120g) grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled
- 3 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
If you don't have leftover baked potatoes to use for this, you can bake some potatoes fresh. Just wash them really well, poke all over with a fork and pop them into a hot oven, right on the oven rack. (400*F/200*C/gas mark 6)
Bake them for about an hour at this temperature at which time they should yield when lightly squeezed. (Put an oven mitt on your hand first!) Set aside until you can comfortably handle them and then peel and cube as per the recipe.
No need to heat them in the microwave as they will already be hot.
You can use low fat or full fat sour cream in this. I don't think it matters which. You could also use plain yogurt, although it may have a tendency to split.
Today I used a combination of chives (as I had some leftover as well) and spring onions, but either one will do, and both are great!
I always have cooked bacon in my freezer. I tend to cook my bacon one pound/package at a time and then freeze it in a tightly closed zip lock baggie so that I have crisp cooked bacon to hand whenever I should need any. It will keep for quite a while, which works out great for me, who lives alone!
HOW TO MAKE LOADED BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE FOR TWO
If you already have baked potatoes to use, this is really quick to make. Easy, easy, easy and incredibly delicious!
Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 4. Spray some baking spray into a small shallow baking dish. (Mine is 7 inches by 11 inches.)
Peel your baked potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place into a bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove and stir in the butter until it melts.
Set aside 2 TBS of the cheese, 1 TBS of the bacon and 2 TBS of the chopped spring onion. Stir the remainder into the warm potatoes along with all of the sour cream. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and cover tightly with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the foil and garnish with the reserved cheese, bacon and onions.
Serve hot.
I cannot think of anything this would not go with. Steaks, fish, pork, poultry, etc. All would work very well. This tasty side is quick, easy, delicious, and a great repurposing of leftovers!! No waste here!
If the potato is a favorite vegetable for you like it is for me, you might enjoy the following dishes!
CLASSIC POTATO SALAD (SMALL BATCH) - If you have some cooked potatoes on hand, then you have the makings of a potato salad. This small batch version is every bit as delicious as the full sized version! A classic recipe, with plenty of flavor, cubed potato, boiled egg, some crunch from cubed cucumber and not swimming in mayonnaise.
CHEESE AND BROCCOLI STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - This tasty version of a twice baked potato is loaded with rich sharp cheddar cheese and crispy tender bits of broccoli. Its a fabulous way to get in one of your five a day! Its also a great way to get children to eat their veggies!
Yield: 2-3
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole for Two
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
This tasty casserole is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes. I often find myself baking extra potatoes just to use in it! Its delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 leftover baked russet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds prebaking weight)
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
- 1 cup (120g) grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled
- 3 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 4. Spray some baking spray into a small shallow baking dish. (Mine is 7 inches by 11 inches.)
- Peel your baked potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place into a bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove and stir in the butter until it melts.
- Set aside 2 TBS of the cheese, 1 TBS of the bacon and 2 TBS of the chopped spring onion. Stir the remainder into the warm potatoes along with all of the sour cream. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the foil and garnish with the reserved cheese, bacon and onions.
- Serve hot.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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