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It’s no secret that brining certain protein makes for a juicer final product. Leaner meats get added moisture if brined properly. I wanted to try something different this time and instead of my standard water based concoction I went with Apple Juice. Try this one for a great new brined pork tenderloin.

You will need:

Pork Tenderloin – approx. 6 oz./serving
Cold Apple Juice – enough to completely cover loins (I used 2 liters or about 2 quarts.
Juniper Berries – I used between 6 and 8 which I crushed slightly to allow the release of natural oils.
Table Salt – try to use non-iodized but it’s OK if you can’t find it – approx. 30 grams/liter or quart.
Four sprigs fresh thyme.
Pepper Corns – approx. 12 – I used my personal mixture but any peppercorn will do.

In a nonreactive vessel add all of the ingredients and mix well to make sure all of the salt is dissolved. Clean tenderloins of any excess fat and silver skin (you can have you butcher remove the silver skin if you haven’t done this before. Add cleaned tenderloin to the brine making sure it is completely submerged, if it wants to float a little weigh it down with a clean plate. Cover the vessel with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for two hours – you can follow the suggested links below from Rouxbe for times and measures.

Remove the tenderloins from the brine and discard the brine, rinse off the loin and dry thoroughly. In a skillet large enough to hold the loins sear each until you get a good crust. Transfer loins to a roasting pan and roast until done. The internal temperature should be at least 145, remove them from the oven, cover with foil and rest for 15 or 20 minutes. The temperature will rise as the pork rests. Serve with your favorite side dish/dishes.

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After making a batch of pasta dough and having some left over from making linguini I decided to use a part of it to create this recipe for all to enjoy. I’ve also used my homemade Ricotta Salata and Maitake Mushrooms collected this fall. Not to worry I will also show replacement items.

You will need:

For the dough:
400 g bread flour
4 Large eggs
Cold water
Olive Oil.

For the Ricotta Salata:
One gallon whole milk.
4 TBSP White Vinegar
Sea Salt.

For the filling:
6 oz. button mushrooms
6 oz fresh Maitake Mushrooms
One sprig fresh thyme
Sea Salt/Ground Pepper

2 cups marinara sauce, either your own home made or purchased. I used my Sunday Gravy recipe.

Prepare the Ricotta – in a stock pot large enough to hold the ingredients put the milk in and turn the burner on to low (and I do mean low) slowly incorporate the vinegar stirring as it is introduced. Place a double layer of cheese cloth in a colander or strainer and once the curds have all floated to the top of the whey scoop them out and put into the lined sieve. Drain until all of the whey has been removed and it is cool to the touch. At this stage you have fresh ricotta to turn it into salata incorporate a one tablespoon of sea salt and wrap the cheese tightly in the cloth. Place a plate on top and add some weight to further remove any excess whey.

Prepare the Pasta – You can use either your stand mixer or food processor – Place flour, eggs and a little salt (1/2 tsp) in the machine mix well until all of the flour is absorbed and it pulls away from the sides of the machine, if all of the flour is combined and the dough does not pull from the sides add a little water mixed with olive oil. (Use just enough to get the dough to pull away). Remove dough from bowl, form into a disk, wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Prepare the filling – Chop mushrooms, combine with the thyme and salt/pepper to taste. Sauté the ingredients in some olive oil until all of the moisture has been removed and they are of a paste consistency.

Form the cannelloni – Cut enough of the dough to make four, four inch square sheets, roll the dough out to between number 6 and 4 on you pasta maker anything thinner will just make the cannelloni fall apart. Dust sheets lightly with flour an set aside. In a bowl large enough to hold the mushrooms and ricotta add them along with some chopped basil and one large egg. Stir ingredients to combine. Place 1/4 of the mixture at the end of each of the pasta sheets and roll into cylinders.

Place about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of an oven safe pan, carefully place the cannelloni, seam side down on top of the sauce, pour the remaining sauce over the cannelloni making sure to cover all of the pasta, sprinkle some additional Ricotta on top along with parmesan to taste and chiffonade of basil. Cover tightly with aluminum boil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making the cheese and pasta simply use store purchased ricotta and drain it well, purchase either no cook lasagne noodles, softened in water then rolled or large shells also softened in water for ease of handling.

I’m not one to stock up on foodstuffs for the week, I shop daily, or at least every other day, for items I want to prepare for dinner. I hadn’t had pork in a while and thought that a good thick cut pork chop would suite my desire. I went to my favorite market whose butcher area is fantastic and purchased a couple of thick cut chops. By thick cut I mean at least 1 inch in thickness.

At the time I was shopping one of their suppliers, Cabot® Cheese Coop had a display of their product. What caught my attention was the sales associate’s comment that their cheese products are lactose free and since I have a friend who recently learned that she was intolerant I thought to include them in my repertoire.

So I thought, what goes good with pork and cheese, specifically Cheddar, the one I decided to purchase. Apples, of course. I took my groceries home and developed this recipe for all to enjoy. This recipe will feed two and multiplying is straight forward.

You will need:

2 Thick Cut Pork Chop – I used a bone in chop however a loin chop will work.
2/3 cup diced Granny Smith apple – dice smaller than ¼”.
1/3 cup diced Cabot White Cheddar Cheese – dice same size as apple.
One tsp fresh Sage.
One TBSP bread crumb – I used Panko.
Ground Pepper to taste.

Combine apple, cheese, pepper and bread crumbs in a bowl. Toss and let stand while you prepare the chop. Using a very sharp knife, I use a good quality boning knife, cut a slit approximately 1 1/2″ long in the center of the thickest part of the chop. Carefully work the blade of the knife into the flesh of the chop. Place your free hand on top of the chop so to feel the movement of the blade. Work the knife into the cavity you have created making sure to open enough room leaving at least a 1/4 inch of wall around the entire chop. Carefully stuff the apple/cheese mixture into the cavity pressing it tightly to compact.

In a sauté pan large enough to hold the chops sear on both sides to get a good brown crust. Place the seared chops in a preheated, 350 degree, oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove from oven, place on clean plate, tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. I served mine with home made egg noodles and sweet corn kernels.

Enjoy!

Sorry folks this isn’t a quick recipe, it’s going to take a day or two but the results will be great. The good thing about this one is that you actually get 2 for 1 deal. First the beans then the soup. The beans work well as a side dish or main meal and using them to create a this Bean/Corn Soup you can’t go wrong.

You will need:

One pound dry white beans (I used pinto).
Two large bay leaves.
Four sprigs fresh thyme
Sea Salt/Fresh Pepper
Two smoked ham hock/shanks (I used a Hungarian Style Shank).
Two medium sized sweet onions – 1/4 inch dice.
Two medium sized red bell pepper – 1/8 inch dice.
One small habanero pepper, seeds removed – finely diced.
One large package frozen corn kernels
Low sodium chicken broth

Start with the beans, in a container large enough to hold the entire package and enough water to cover soak beans for 12 hours or overnight.

Once soaked drain them and place in a large stock pot with enough water to cover by at least two inches. Add all the remaining ingredients except the corn kernels and chicken stock. Bring pot to a slow boil and turn heat down to a low setting. It will take a while to cook but this slow method will help to thicken the final product without the need for a roux or other thickener.

The beans should be done when the ham hock/shank meat separates from the bone. You can also tell by taking a few out of the pot and taste, they should be just at the al denté stage. At this point you have a great pot of beans. You can portion out several meals using some for a side and some for the soup.

Now the soup part. Depending on how many servings you want to make remove a sufficient quantity of the beans and place in another stock pot. Add the packaged corn kernels and chicken stock. How much chicken stock to use is a personal choice. The more stock you use will produce a thinner soup. Some recipes might suggest that you blend a portion of the soup however I find that this is an unnecessary step.

Enjoy!

Whitefish is very versatile, it has a delicate flavor that accepts all kinds of seasonings. This dish was inspired by my desire to combine my favorite pepper, Thai. I hadn’t cooked with lemon grass before and wanted to develop something using the two. I mulled over ways to use these two items and decided on combining them with Panko and olive oil to use as a crust.

You will need:
One six to eight ounce Whitefish Filet/person.
One cup Panko Bread Crumb/filet
Two to three tablespoon olive oil.
Two Thai Chili peppers/filet.
One tablespoon grated lemon grass.
Sea Salt/Ground Pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients except fish in a bowl using enough olive oil to form a medium paste. Score the skin side of the Whitefish Filet to prevent curling. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold fish in a single layer with enough room between filets. Place fish skin side down and generously coat top of fish with the bread mixture. When fish begins to turn opaque around the edges transfer to a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for ten minutes to toast the coating. Serve with rice with buttered onion.

I’ve been preparing this simple rice dish for many years and recently made a batch for dinner. A simple side dish that can replace your favorite starch. This recipe can serve 4 people.

You will need:
One medium sized sweet onion – 1/4″ dice.
2 cups rice – Basmati works well.
One stick unsalted butter
Sea Salt/Ground Pepper to taste.

In a sauce pot big enough to hold all of the onion slowly heat butter until just melting, careful not to burn, place all of the onion in the pot a simmer on low until the onion is translucent. Be careful not to add too much color to the onion. Remove from heat and hold. Prepare rice as you would normally, when rice is finished put into a bowl a little larger than the amount of rice, pour the butter/onion mixture into the rice and stir to combine completely. Season to taste.

Prepare an oven proof glass cassarole, preferably one that has a cover, alternatively a piece of foil will do just fine. Place the rice/onion/butter mixture into the cassarole, cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish after 20 minutes to slightly brown the top.

It’s nearing that time of year again when this delicious, little known mushroom, will be ready to be harvested. One would be surprised at the size and weight that they can reach. My largest find weighed in at a hefty 40lbs. I used some of it fresh and have dried them for future use. Also known as the Miatake they have both culinary and medicinal qualities.

I’ve been working on a mushroom soup using this along with other fungi and will post it as soon as I create, taste and test.

The other day while contemplating breakfast I was torn between a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal and a dish of bacon and eggs, I went with the bacon and eggs. I noticed that when I went to the package of bacon there was a little too much to eat but not enough to leave for another breakfast meal. So not wanting to waste anything I decided to cook up the bacon and save the small portion for use in another recipe.

A day or two passed and another breakfast came along this time thinking I really wanted a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. As I opened the refrigerator door my eyes glanced at the bacon I had left over and nest to it an almost empty bottle of pure maple syrup my mind raced, “What if?”

The what if turned into an experiment, I prepared my favorite brand of oatmeal, Quaker Oats Old Fashioned, added the raisins then just before it began to thicken dropped in half of the bacon which I had diced then I added some maple syrup and topped it all off with the remaining cooked bacon.

The resulting dish proved to be a great marriage of sweet and salty, smooth and crispy.

You will need:

1 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1 3/4 cup milk
Dash of Salt
1 oz. Raisins
1 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup
2 slices pre-cooked crisp bacon, diced, more if you desire.

Place milk and salt in a sauce pot and bring to a slow boil, add oats and stir until the combination begins to thicken.  Add raisins and stir to combine cooking for a minute or two to allow raisins to soften.  Pull sauce pot off burner and add half of the bacon stirring to combine, pour into individual serving bowl and sprinkle remaining bacon on top.  Serves two.

There are many recipes found that use coffee to enhance the flavor of beef however using the slow roast method makes this one unique in it’s taste and eye appeal.  Unfortunately I did not take a photograph when I served this for a holiday dinner but promise to add one as soon as I remake this savory dish.  I served horseradish mashed potato and honey glazed carrots as accompaniments.  The following recipe will feed 4 hungry dinners.

You will need:
One three pound center cut filet of beef (tied)
Dark Roast ground coffee – enough to coat roast
Olive Oil
Salt/Fresh ground pepper.
Beef Stock – low sodium

Preheat oven to 250° F.  Lightly rub olive oil on all sides of roast.  Season roast with salt and pepper.  Roll roast in coffee grounds and shake off the excess.  Place coated beef on a rack and place into roasting pan.  Add some water to bottom of pan, just enough to just below the beef.  Place in preheated oven and cook for approximately 2 hours.  Take the temperature of the beef after the 2 hour time period it should register somewhere between 135 and 145 internal temperature.  Place roast on a board or plate and cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

While beef is resting place roasting pan over medium heat on the stove top add approximately one cup of beef stock scraping up the fond.  Cook until it is reduced and slightly thickened add one or two tablespoons of butter to the sauce to give it body and sheen.  Serve with potato and carrots.

Not having Sole in a long time we decided to try to prepare something a little different. Initially the thought was to replicate a crust I had prepared for Skate Wing, a pistachio/ginger compilation. While browsing the assortment of nuts I noticed that Macadamia nuts were on sale and decided to use them instead of pistachio’s and since ginger would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the Macadamia’s I decided to come up with this recipe.