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Homemade Pancetta

Published November 12, 2007 Charcuterie , Italian , Pork , Recipe 13 Comments
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One of my best memories of pancetta is it in a very American context. I had been through a 4 week study abroad in Italy and was then traveling around Europe. My mom had joined me for a week and we were in Riomaggiore in Le Cinque Terre. Staying in a small apartment, we decided to make breakfast for ourselves to save money. The best breakfast I can remember was simply fried eggs with pancetta cooked in a manner similar to bacon. And it’s not that the product was particularly good (it was), but it was simply such a comforting change from the Italian food I’d been eating for months.

I actually tried to recreate that breakfast back at home but the pancetta I got was too salty and was practically inedible. The main problem with pancetta here is just how expensive it is. It’s really hard to justify paying the equivalent of $16 a pound for pork belly (or more!). Trader Joe’s sells it for a fairly reasonable price but, anymore, they only sell the pre-diced version which isn’t bad, it just doesn’t do well for things that requiring stuffing (such as braciale).

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Ever since I bought the cookbook Charcuterie, I had wanted to make pancetta. It’s probably the inner engineer in me, but there’s something particularly exciting about the chemical changes necessary to cure meat. That, and it tastes good (after all, it’s pretty much bacon).

I was particularly proud of making the pancetta. It’s not that it took a lot of work (it just took awhile to cure and then dry). Similar to the bratwurst, it was the act of making something that was far different than I’d ever made before (I act like I was personally changing the chemical bonds to cure the meat).

The recipe is pretty easy as long as you have the proper materials. Measuring by weight is important as otherwise you run the risk of changing the ratio of kosher salt to pink salt. Pink salt is not the pink Himalayan salt but is instead salt with 6.25% sodium nitrate. It’s colored pink so that you don’t mistake it for regular salt (sodium nitrate is toxic in large quantities but the sodium nitrate will chance composition as the meat cures so there’s no risk).

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The drying step is optional but makes for a more authentic product. I used a small refrigerator that I had left over from college for the curing and drying portions as it had plenty of room and my normal refrigerator is pretty full (I also use it to cool down chicken stock and to brine a Thanksgiving turkey).

As for the flavor? It was good. Really good. It was almost so flavorful that it was too flavorful to eat. I can’t wait to try it in Pasta with Corn, Pancetta, and Sage or Spaghetti alla Carbonara (of course if I could find some pork jowl I’d try and make guanciale).

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Homemade Pancetta
Adapted from Charcuterie

One 4-pound (1.8 kg) pork belly, skin removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 grams (1.5 tsp) pink salt
35 grams kosher salt
18 grams (1.5 tbsp) dark brown sugar
28 grams (3 tbsp) ground black pepper
7 grams (1.5 tbsp) juniper berries, crushed
3 bay leaves, crumbled
3 grams (.75 tsp) grated nutmeg
3 or 4 sprigs of thyme

  1. Trim the pork belly to be rectangular and remove the skin if present.
  2. Combine all the ingredients except the pork belly and half of the black pepper in a bowl. Rub the mixture onto all sides of the pork belly.
  3. Place the pork belly in a large 2-gallon zip top bag and refrigerate for one week, turning over every other day. When the pork belly is done curing, it will be firm in the middle. If it’s not firm, refrigerate for one to two more days.
  4. Remove the pork belly from the zip top bag and rinse under running water thoroughly. Dry completely with paper towels. Spread the remaining black pepper over the meat side of the pork belly. Roll the pork belly tightly (there should be no air pockets) and secure with butcher’s twine. Make sure to loop both around the circumference of the roll and around the length of the roll.
  5. Place the pork belly in a spare refrigerator set to its lowest setting on a middle shelf. Place a tray of water combined with 2 tbsp kosher salt in the bottom. This will allow the pancetta to dry. Leave in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
  6. After drying, the pancetta will keep in a refrigerator for 3 weeks and a freezer for 4 months.

Yields 3 lbs. pancetta

Boeuf Bourguignon

Published November 9, 2007 Beef , French 13 Comments
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It’s finally getting cold in our area (cold is a relative concept here but bear with me). I had to light the pilot light in our heater last weekend (no surprise that it was Angela who was cold). With the weather turning, there was an opportunity to make all those dishes that it was too hot to make during the summer.

Specifically, I’m referring to braised dishes. There’s something magical about taking a cheap (relatively) piece of meat and turning it into a great meal. It seems closer to real cooking.

And when it comes to things like braises, I think the rustic style classics are the best. Things like Coq au Vin (which was my original choice for this meal but we decided on beef instead). Or, in this case, Boeuf Bourguignon. And, while it was codified by Escoffier, I still think it’s rustic at heart. And that appeals to me. Particularly on a cold day.

However, I’d not recommend doing what I did: starting cooking at 4:30 PM thinking that it would only take two hours to braise. The recipe specifies from 3 to 4 hours but, luckily, mine was fork tender after two and a half hours so we were able to eat right around 8:00 PM (the prep work and browning takes time). Good things are worth waiting for.

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Bouef Bourguignon
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

3 oz. bacon, cut into lardons
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 lbs. lean stewing beef (such as chuck pot roast or top round), cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and pepper
1 small sliced carrot
1 small sliced onion
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 to 3 cups beef stock
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
a bouquet garni consisting of 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 bay leaf, and 4 sprigs of thyme
9 to 12 brown braised white onions
1/2 lbs. sautéed mushrooms

  1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
  2. Blanch the bacon in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and dry.
  3. In a large dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the vegetable oil is hot, cook the bacon in it until the bacon is browned. Remove the bacon from the dutch oven and reserve the bacon.
  4. Dry the beef in paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in the dutch oven on all sides, in batches if necessary. Remove the beef and place it with the bacon.
  5. Brown the sliced carrots and onions in the dutch oven. Pour out the fat.
  6. Return the beef and bacon to the dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour and stir. Put the dutch oven in the oven for 4 minutes. Stir the contents and return to the oven for 4 more minutes. Remove from the oven and change the temperature to 325ºF.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add enough beef stock until the beef is barely covered. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer on the stove top. Cover the dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
  8. While the beef is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms. They will be reheated in the boeuf bourguignon before serving.
  9. When the meat has finished cooking, remove the dutch oven from the oven. Taste the sauce for seasoning. Simmer the sauce over medium-high heat if it’s not thick enough. If it’s too thick, add more beef stock. Add the mushrooms and onions and simmer for several minutes, until the contents are equally warm.
  10. Serve with boiled potatoes or egg noodles.

Serves 3 to 4.

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Brown-braised Onions

9 to 12 pearl onions
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup beef stock
salt and pepper
a bouquet garni consisting of 2 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 2 sprigs of thyme

  1. Peel the onions and cut off the root and stem ends. On the root end, cut an x into the base.
  2. In a sauce pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and brown for 10 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring regularly.
  3. Add the beef stock and bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes.


Sautéed Mushrooms

1/2 lbs. button mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil

  1. Scrub the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Cut off the bottom of the stem and cut the mushrooms into halves if small or quarters if large.
  2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.

Ravioli al Formaggio con Sugo di Pomodoro (Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Sauce)

Published November 8, 2007 Italian , Pasta , Vegetarian 3 Comments
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The title today is stretching my Italian. I think that’s the correct translation (from English to Italian) but I’m not an expert by any means. In Italy, I would say something in Italian and get a response in English. But at least I tried.

Luckily for us, tomatoes are still in season here so we’ve been having a lot of tomato sauces and tomato soups (don’t you wish you lived in Southern California? of course you probably don’t have massive fires where you live so it’s probably a wash). We hadn’t had ravioli in a while and I figured it would be a good match for the tomatoes I bought at the Farmer’s Market.

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When it comes to ravioli, I usually just make cheese ravioli. Meat ravioli can be good but frequently they tend to be too much flavor in one place. I also don’t particularly care for the texture of chopped meat. Cheese ravioli have a much simpler, cleaner flavor. I tried to keep the ravioli filling simple, partially because I’m lazy, but mostly because it works. The recipe could easily be modified by using a different herb or different cheese.

The problem with saucing cheese ravioli is that the sauce can’t be too complicated or flavorful or it will overpower the taste of the ravioli. So I figured that the simpler a sauce the better and figured tomatoes with a few aromatics and some herbs would be good. Plus we had fresh thyme in the fridge.

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While homemade pasta seems like a luxury and very time consuming, it really isn’t in this recipe. It took about 45 minutes or so from walking into the kitchen to finishing dinner. The pasta gets made while the sauce cooks so there’s no real downtime.

I previously wrote more in depth instructions for pasta making and didn’t feel the need to repeat them here. When making my pasta, the dough ended up a bit dry so I added a few drops of water and that took care of the problem.

The ravioli were good but Angela wasn’t as big a fan of the tomato sauce as I was. So I get to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

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Ravioli al Formaggio con Sugo di Pomodoro (Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Sauce)

Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs. whole tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp diced garlic
4 sprigs thyme
salt

Cheese Ravioli:
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp diced Italian parlsey
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
an egg wash of 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Place them in a large skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the skillet and run them through a food mill with the disk with the largest holes (or peel the tomatoes and dice them).
  2. Clean the skillet and melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Lightly simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and one egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
  4. Using the well method, mix the flour and two eggs together. Knead the dough until it comes together. Divide the pasta dough into four pieces.
  5. Roll out one piece of pasta dough to the thinest setting. Place 1 tsp of ricotta mixture about 1 inch from the corner of the dough. Repeat with the remaining mixture until no room is left on the dough. Each drop should be approximately 1 inch from any other. See the picture above for an illustration. Spread the egg wash in lines between the filling mixture. Roll out another piece of dough to the thinest setting and place over top of the first piece of dough. Press down between the filling and try to remove any air bubbles. Cut the ravioli with a pastry cutter or pizza cutter. Make sure all edges are sealed on the ravioli. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough and ricotta mixture.
  6. Cook the ravioli in salted boiling water for approximately 2 minutes after they begin to float.
  7. Add the thyme leaves to the sauce. Remove the ravioli from the water and add them to the sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute more.
  8. Serve the ravioli with the sauce and sprinkled with grated parmesan.

Serves 3 to 4.

Homemade Bratwurst

Published November 6, 2007 Charcuterie , German , Pork , Sausage , Veal 3 Comments
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For home cooking, there are a few things that you usually buy pre-made and aren’t really considered convenience foods: bacon, puff pastry, and sausage. Except, I decided that it would be fun to make my own sausage. And that’s when I realized I was a real foodie.

It’s not as if I don’t have access to quality sausage (the local butcher shop makes their own even if they seem to run out of hot Italian sausage before I can ever buy it). It really was a crazy idea.

In my defense, I did get the food grinding and sausage stuffing attachments for “free.” My employer offered a $50 gift certificate for completing a short health survey that I then applied to sausage making equipment.

Bratwurst isn’t the first batch of sausage that I made. That honor would go to garlic sausage that ended up too garlicy and not salty enough. That’s also when we found out that Angela is much better at feeding the meat into the casings than I am (I get to push the meat into the stuffer).

Will had planned an Oktoberfest themed Halloween party and I offered to bring homemade bratwurst. On the Monday before Halloween, Will came over for dinner and documented the process (all images except the top one are Will’s) of sausage making. It’s amazing the number of sexual innuendos you can make when making sausage; particularly when part of the process is done by your wife.

Making sausage is actually pretty easy as long as you have the proper equipment. I use a KitchenAid Mixer with the Food Grinder Attachment and Sausage Stuffer Attachment. The key issue is keeping everything really cold at all times. This is particularly true for the grinding portion or the fat will start to melt and the grinder won’t work anymore (this happened the first time I made sausage; I didn’t have the meat on ice and towards the end the grinding die kept getting gummed up with melted fat).

So how good was the sausage? Good enough that we didn’t remember to take any pictures of the bratwurst when it was cooked. Good enough that all that we cooked was eaten (and we made extra). Good enough that people wanted to take some home with them. Good enough that Angela, who doesn’t particularly like sausage (which means that I’m even crazier for wanting to make sausage), loved it. It was the best sausage I’ve had and that includes some in Germany and Austria.

So, I’ve made sausage and I have some panchetta curing (which is close enough to bacon for me). I suppose I need to make some puff pastry at some point.

Homemade Bratwurst
Adapted from Charcuterie

1350 grams (3 lbs.) boneless pork shoulder butt, cut into 2 inch pieces
450 grams (1 lb.) boneless veal shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces (or substitute 1 lb. ground veal)
450 grams (1 lb.) pork belly, skinless, cut into 2 inch pieces
40 grams (1 1/2 oz.) kosher salt
6 grams (2 tsp) ground white pepper
5 grams (1 1/2 tsp) ground ginger
5 grams (1 1/2 tsp) grated nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten, very cold
1 cup heavy cream, very cold
10 feet hog casings

  1. Combine all ingredients except eggs, cream, and casings in a large bowl. Toss to distribute the seasonings evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Place the hog casings in a bowl of water and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Several hours before grinding, place the food grinder, mixer bowl, paddle attachment, and any other attachments in the freezer.
  4. Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and place in a bowl of ice and salt. Grind the mixture through the small die into the mixer bowl set in a bowl of ice and salt.
  5. Beat the mixture with the paddle attachment on low speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs and cream and increase speed to medium. Mix until the mixture is uniform. Refrigerate the bowl until ready to stuff.
  6. Sauté a small portion of the sausage in a small bit of oil and taste for seasoning.
  7. Remove the hog casings from the refrigerator and rinse both the inside and outside of the casings in running water.
  8. Setup the sausage stuffer using the largest stuffing attachment. Place meat in the sausage stuffer and turn on to low speed until the meat is just at the end of the attachment. Slide the opening in the casing onto the stuffer and then push the remaining casing onto the stuffer until there is about an inch hanging off. Tie off the end of the casings. Slowly push the meat mixture into the sausage stuffer while holding the casing and letting the meat fill it (this is a two person job). The speed is determined by the speed of the meat being putting into the stuffer not the speed of the mixer. When there is no more casing, tie it off and repeat this step with the remaining casing.
  9. Twist the sausage into 6 inch long segments and cut with shears.
  10. Cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 150ºF.

Makes 5 lbs. of sausage.

Escalopes de Veau à l’Estragon (Veal Scallops with Brown Tarragon Sauce)

Published November 5, 2007 French , Veal 2 Comments
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I like veal a lot. The only problem is finding it. In our area, the only types I can find are veal scallops, veal chops, and ground chops. And, once in a great while, veal blade steak. And, sadly, while we have ethnic grocery stores in our area, none are the type to carry veal (they’re all Asian or Hispanic).

So, in most cases, I stick with veal scallops which aren’t quite as expensive as the veal chops. To Americans, the classic preparation of veal must be in veal parmesan (which has been mostly subsumed by the chicken variety). While it’s good (and I’ve made it and will probably make it again), I think the veal flavor gets overwhelmed by the tomato sauce and cheese.

When I pull out of the freezer, I usually look for something a bit out of the ordinary. While veal isn’t a special occasion dish for us, it is a bit more special than a normal dinner. French preparations seem a bit better at emphasizing the flavor of the veal without overwhelming it.

The major reason for choosing this recipe was that I had fresh tarragon that I wanted to use. The dish is fairly fast and the main time constraint was boiling water for pasta twice because I didn’t discover that the egg noodles had bugs in them until after the pasta was in the water (I switched to farfalle in fresh water afterwards; I didn’t need extra protein that night). The sauce nicely accents the veal without overpowering it. It also has the consistency of a cream sauce without having any actual cream in it.

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Escalopes de Veau à l’Estragon (Veal Scallops with Brown Tarragon Sauce)
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One

4 veal scallops (veal scallopini)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced shallots
2 tbsp vermouth
2 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tsp water
1 tbsp softened butter

  1. Season the veal with salt and pepper on both sides. Dry with paper towels.
  2. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter with the oil over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the veal scallops and brown on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the veal to a plate.
  3. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook for one minute.
  4. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth, scrapping up any browned bits.
  5. Add the chicken stock, corn starch, and 1 tsp tarragon. Boil for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
  6. Return the veal to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes or until the veal is cooked through.
  7. Check the sauce for seasoning. Off heat, add the softened butter and remaining 1 tsp tarragon.
  8. Serve with buttered egg noodles (or at least that’s what we had).

Serves 2.

Heirloom Tomato Soup

Published November 2, 2007 Recipe , Soup , Vegetarian 6 Comments
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Most weeks at the farmer’s market, I buy tomatoes when they’re in season (which is most of the year around here; eating seasonally has a whole different meaning in Southern California). Recently, I’ve seen not only the standard Roma and Beefsteak tomatoes, but also a variety of heirloom tomatoes. Normally, I buy the Romas and make a tomato sauce out of them. This week, though, the heirlooms were calling my name. It didn’t hurt that one stand was selling them for only $2.00 per pound.

Our farmer’s market is on Sunday and, sadly, two of the smaller tomatoes didn’t make it until Thursday. At that point, it became imperative to actually eat them and not allow them to slowly explode on our counter top.

I had met Angela for lunch on Thursday so a lighter and simpler dinner was in order. I had originally thought about making pappa al pomodoro but the leftover bread was too far gone to resuscitate (and there wasn’t much left). Instead, I decided to just make a simple tomato soup.

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This isn’t the first tomato soup I’ve made but, despite some similar ingredients, this is rather different. This is a lot simple and is much more centered around the flavor of ripe tomatoes. Last night, the simple flavors worked very well.

We also discovered that Angela and I prefer different levels of salt in this dish: her more, me less. This is a bit unusual as I usually like my food a little more well seasoned than she does. So make sure you taste for seasoning before serving.

There’s no requirement to use heirloom tomatoes in this soup but I can’t help to think that it fits the spirit of the dish better. But, really, whatever is fresh and ripe.

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Heirloom Tomato Soup
Adapted from The Art of Simple Food

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small leek, white and pale green part sliced
salt
2 garlic gloves, peeled and sliced
2 lbs tomatoes
1 tbsp white rice
1/2 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 cup water

  1. In a large sauce pan, melt 1 tbsp butter with the olive oil. Add the onions and leeks and a large pinch of salt and sweat until they’re softened, about 10 minutes. Do not allow them to brown.
  2. Add the garlic and sweat for 2 minutes more.
  3. Add the tomatoes, rice, bay leaf, thyme, and a large pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the water and remaining 1 tbsp butter. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
  5. Purée in a blender for 1 minute in batches. Push the soup through a medium strainer.
  6. Taste for seasoning and reheat if needed. Serve topped with crutons and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer.

Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Herbs, and Cheese

Published October 31, 2007 Chicken , Recipe 1 Comment
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Yesterday morning, I pulled some boneless chicken thighs out of the freezer with the idea of doing something with them for dinner. My original though was to make some sort of stir fry but, when dinner time approached, stir fry no longer held the allure it did previously.

That left me sitting on the floor in front of my bookcase full of cookbooks (I think I may have a problem…) desperately trying to find something to make. Boneless chicken thighs aren’t exactly common in cookbooks but to add to the difficulty was the fact that we were out of eggs which made a breadcrumb coating impossible.

In the end, I decided to be adventuresome and forgo a recipe. This is a bit unusual for me. Normally I like the comfort and safety of a recipe (not that that’s a guarantee of success; Will can attest to my pumpkin pie failure). I also don’t find myself to be particularly creative or good at finding compatible ingredients (I think that means I wouldn’t be a particularly good chef).

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While looking through the cookbooks, I had decided that some sort of rolled and stuffed would be preferable. So, heading to the fridge, I tried to figure out exactly what I could stuff the chicken with. Prosciutto is an obvious choice as what doesn’t go well with prosciutto? Parmesan cheese would be a good complement (I had originally though of using provolone but Angela isn’t a big fan of it and it can be a bit strong). Finally, I went through some of the fresh herbs that I’ve accumulated recently and settled on thyme and savory (mainly because I wasn’t entirely sure of the taste of savory).

In the end, the chicken turned out pretty well. The only problem was that it took longer than I expected and that there were a bit too many herbs (the recipe here presents a reduced amount). The sauce it’s cooked also cooked down a bit much so there wasn’t any for pouring but the chicken didn’t need it.

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Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Herbs, and Cheese

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 slice prosciutto
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 sprigs thyme, leaves only, diced
1 sprig savory, leaves only, diced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
4 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup white wine or vermouth
1 cup chicken stock

  1. Spread the chicken thighs flat and season the inside with salt and pepper. Place one slice of prosciutto on each chicken thigh and then sprinkle with cheese and herbs. Roll up the chicken thighs along the longest axis. Tie in two places with butcher’s twine or secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper on all sides. Dredge the chicken in the flour.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate.
  3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine or vermouth, scrapping up any brown bits. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken. Cover and simmer until the chicken reaches 165ºF, about 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the chicken from the skillet and top with the sun-dried tomatoes. Cut the butcher’s twine on the chicken or remove the tooth picks.

Serves 2.

Cornmeal Herb Pork Tenderloin

Published October 29, 2007 Pork , Recipe 2 Comments
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I think that the pig, in the words of Homer Simpson, is a “wonderful, magical animal.” What else could produce such variety as bacon, ham, and pork chops. Getting the best out of most cuts of pork requires lots of time; whether curing, smoking, or just a simple braise.

Unfortunately, most days I don’t have that kind of time (sadly, my employer seems to prefer it when I actually go to work during the day; who knew). So every once in awhile we buy a pork tenderloin. It’s not the most flavorful cut but it cooks quickly and doesn’t get that tough (for some reason, Angela really likes her meat tender).

Pork tenderloin (I always have to look twice at recipes and make sure I’m not mistaking pork loin for pork tenderloin) doesn’t stand well on its own. By that, I mean that it’s similar to something like a chicken breast: you don’t want just a chicken breast as it’s fairly bland; you need to add something to it. Because of this, I’m always looking for good pork tenderloin recipes.

This recipe seemed to work particularly well for the pork. The herbs add good flavor but don’t totally overpower the porkyness. The cornmeal works well as a binder and adds good texture. The only problem with the original was that I don’t own a grill (despite the near year-round grilling whether here in Southern California, I have no where to put a grill), so I had to adapt it to oven cooking.

I also ended up changing the herb mixture a bit as I didn’t have any fresh rosemary. I could’ve used dried but something about the recipe screams for fresh herbs to me. While it’s fall now, I think there’s something spring-like about an herb crusted meal (particularly if it were to actually be grilled).

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Cornmeal Herb Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from Apartment Therapy
1 1-lbs pork tenderloin
1/2 cup Italian parsley
5 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
5 sage leaves
4 sprigs of tarragon, leaves only
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine the parsley, thyme, sage, tarragon, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Pulse to combine. In a bowl, mix together the herbs and the cornmeal. Slowly add 1 tbsp of the olive oil and mix to combine.
  3. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Rub the cornmeal mixture over the pork tenderloin.
  4. Put the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, brown the tenderloin on three sides.
  5. After browned on three sides, turn the tenderloin to the fourth side and place in the oven. Cook until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 135°F, approximately 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Serves 2 to 3.

 

Spaghetti alla Amatriciana Bianco

Published October 26, 2007 Italian , Pasta , Recipe 5 Comments
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Simple pasta dinners are a staple in our household (it should really be apartment-hold but I don’t think that’s a real word). The main reason is that we frequently can’t figure out what to actually eat for dinner and we usually get to the point where either I need to make something very fast or we go out to dinner (and, given both of us have an innate frugality, eating out is seldom an option).

This is the point where I usually reach for a simple pasta recipe. This was the situation last night. To complicate matters further, we had spaghetti al pomodoro earlier in the week so a tomato sauce is out.

We eat traditional Bucatini alla Amatriciana relatively regularly (as regularly as anything we eat) so the same dish just without the tomatoes sounded like it could be a winner. And it was quite good. It’s very similar to Spaghetti Alio e Olio, just with panchetta added (and how could that be a bad thing?). The dish is extremely fast: the critical path is the cooking of the pasta. The sauce cooks in about 4 to 5 minutes. The only key is to not put in any more butter or olive oil than specified; if you do, it will end up too oily.

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In other news, we didn’t clean up from the pork chops the other night and we think our cats absconded with the leftovers. Oops. I’m just hoping they didn’t hide it somewhere and we’ll find it in several weeks. Our cats eating pork always makes me imagine the two of them stalking and attacking a pig.

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Spaghetti alla Amatriciana Bianco
Adapted from Trattoria Cooking

1/2 lbs. spaghetti or bucattini
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 oz. panchetta, diced
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Italian parsley, diced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving

  1. In boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 1 minute less than indicated on the packaging. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
  2. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the panchetta and red pepper flakes and cook until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the cooked past, the reserved cooking water, the parsley, and parmesan cheese. Stir and scrap up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute more. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese on top.

Serves 2.

Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers

Published October 25, 2007 Italian , Pork 4 Comments
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About once a year, Costco has a coupon that makes a family pack of pork chops extremely affordable. With a reluctant Angela in tow, I buy a package. These pork chops are pretty big: I usually cut them in half as we really don’t need that much protein. So I use one or maybe two of them and then freeze the rest. We then proceed to eat a pork chop ever month or so for the rest of the year. I think I need to stop buying large quantities of pork chops.

I decided that we really need to finish up the pork chops we had (the date on the package said January but I tried to ignore that; I think there’s one more thats left). We could use the room in the freezer and they are coming up to their anniversary in there. Angela wasn’t particularly enthused about the idea (she’s not a big fan of pork chops because they have a tendency to be a bit tough) which is why we don’t eat them very often (see the about page).

The real question when pulling something out of the freezer (particularly when it’s something that I don’t cook particularly often) is how to prepare it. I’ve made enough bad pork chops in my life (they have to be one of the easiest things to overcook) to know that this is a delicate question.

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I settled on a recipe from Mario Batali because, well, I had just gotten his cookbook (we had a 50% off coupon from Barnes & Noble) and it looked reasonably good. It also happened to fit into things we just happened to have (well, with some modifications): pork chops, peppers, leftover white wine, and pearl onions. Now, the original recipe called for bell peppers but I only had an Italian frying pepper. It also called for “bulb onions” which I’m guessing are just fresh pearl onions with their stems attached. It also called for olives which I don’t like (I’ve tried several but haven’t come up with any I don’t spit out; I really want to like them; what’s a good “starter” olive?) so I left them out.

The original recipe called for a lot more red pepper flakes than I’ve listed here. The dish was hot. Very hot. Almost too hot to eat. It also repeated the pepper spray incident but to a lesser extent (Angela’s words: “Did you create pepper spray again?”).

This is one of the better recipes for pork chops I’ve had. Surprisingly, they weren’t over-brined (which I was afraid of given the length of time they are brined for). The peppers and onions also worked well with the pork chops. The sauce reminded me a bit of an Asian style stir-fry sauce. It might have been the red pepper. Sadly the potatoes were overpowered in taste by the pork chops. I also think the potatoes weren’t that good (but they were pretty).

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Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers (Cotolette alla Zingara)
Adapted from Molto Italiano

5 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 pork chops
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Italian frying pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin slices
4 pearl onions, peeled and sliced into rings
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp capers with brine
1/2 cup dry white wine

  1. Combine 1 cup of water, the kosher salt, the brown sugar, the peppercorns, and the bay leaf in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to desolve the brine ingredients. Pour the brine into a bowl and add the remaining 4 cups of water. Place the pork chops in the brine, cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Dry the pork chops with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour.
  3. Over high heat, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the pork chops in the oil, about 7 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the other. Remove the pork chops to a plate.
  4. Add the onions, peppers, red pepper flakes, and capers to the skillet. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Deglaze with the wine, scrapping up all the brown bits.
  5. Add the pork chops back to the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes or until the pork reaches 135°F (mine cooked past this point but we’re still good).
  6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Serve covered with the sauce.

Serves 2.

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