Spicy Pork Loin with Butter Bean and Chard Risotto

Ingredients
2 lbs pork loin
1 tspn dried oregano
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tspn red pepper flakes
1/2 tspn black pepper
1 tbspn vegetable oil

Combine spices and brown sugar in spice grinder and blend.  Then rub loin with oil and then generously on all sides with spice rub.  Allow to sit for 30 to 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 325.  Bake for around 2 hours.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

Risotto:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup (packed) 1/2-inch squares Swiss chard (from about 3 large leaves)
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can butter beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add chard and toss until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes.

Add rice; stir to coat well, about 3 minutes. Add wine; simmer until wine evaporates, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth. Simmer until absorbed, stirring almost constantly, about 2 minutes. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, simmering until broth is absorbed each time and rice is creamy and just tender, stirring almost constantly, about 18 minutes longer.

Now stir in the butter beans.  (Being southern, of course the beans need to cook in boiling water with bacon for about 45 minutes before adding to the risotto)

Finally stir in chard and cheese and serve. 

 

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Moon Pies

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Salt
4 ounces dark chocolate, melted
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Cocoa and cinnamon, for dusting

Beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the 1 whole egg.

Add the 2 1/4 cups of flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and beat until a soft dough forms

Divide the dough into 2 mounds and transfer to 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pat each mound of dough into a 1/3-inch-thick square, wrap and refrigerate until firm, 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 square at a time, on a floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 13-inch square, 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, ( I used a small wine glass) stamp out rounds and arrange them 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets; repeat with the second square of dough. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm. Reroll and cut out more rounds, using the scraps only once. Refrigerate the cookies just until firm, about 10 minutes.

Bake the cookies in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned, shifting the pans halfway through baking. Let cool slightly, then carefully invert the cookies onto racks and let cool completely.

Spread the melted chocolate on half of the cookies and the peanut butter on the other half. Allow the chocolate to set.

n a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230° to 235° (thread ball) on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a clean standing mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the 2 egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until firm peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the hot corn syrup and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. At medium-low speed, beat in the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and the 1 cup of confectioners' sugar.
( This marshmallow mixture was quite thick and sticky, I think I'm thinking of using fluff mixed with powdered sugar and crisco) 

Transfer the marshmallow to a pastry bag with a plain 1/2-inch tip or a large zippered plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe 1 1/2-tablespoon mounds of the marshmallow onto the chocolate-covered cookies. ( (I just spooned the mixture onto the cookies) Top with the peanut butter–covered cookies and press lightly to spread the marshmallow to the edges. Let the moon pies stand in an airtight container for 2 hours (they will soften slightly) before dusting with confectioners' sugar, cocoa and cinnamon and serving.

Pastisto

Ingredients

For the Tomato Meat Sauce:

nocoupons

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Bechamel:

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
• 3/4 pound small shells

 Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions for 5 minutes.

Brown ground meat for 8 to 10 minutes.  I used ground beef and Italian sausage.

Add the red wine and simmer for 2 more minutes.

Add garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and red pepper.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes.

 Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 45 minutes until it looks like this:

Now let cool and begin on the bechamel.

Heat the milk and cream to a simmer.  Now melt butter and add flour.  Cook for around 2 minutes til it forms a light bronw roux.

Add cream mixture and simer until thickened. so that it coats the back of a spoon.  Remember to whisk occasionally to keep from clumping.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Stir in Parmesan cheese and add 1/2 cup meat sauce.  Let cool and then add in eggs and yogurt.

Mix meat sauce with cooked pasta and pour into 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Spread the bechamel over the meat sauce and pasta.  Then sprinkle with additional cheese.  In an oven preheated to 350 degrees, bake for around 45 minutes.

First Recipe Using Spciy Tomato Jam

Menu
Flat Iron Steak with Goat Cheese and Tomato Jam
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Turning Greens

First Up, the risotto

ngredients

nocoupons

• 1-ounce dried morel mushrooms
• 1/2 pound fresh porcini or cremini mushrooms
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (3 shallots)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Melt 2 tbsp butter and oil, then saute pancetta for 3 to 5 minutes to render the fat.  Now add onions and saute for 6 to 8 minutes until starting to caramelize. 

so I only used dried mushrooms.  Before starting on the risotto, steep the shrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes.  And now back to the recipe, add re hydrated shrooms and saute for 5 minutes.

Now add aborio rice and saute for 2 minutes to make sure the grains of rice are coated in oil.

Reduce heat to medium low.  Now add 1/2 cup white wine to deglaze pan and while ti evaporates scrape pan with wooden spoon to remove any brown bits form the bottom.  Once that is reduced begin adding chicken stock, two ladles at a time.  Allow stock to be absorbed before adding more.  This process will take around 30 to 40 minutes. 

Once rice is the right consistency, add rosemary and Parmesan cheese.  It is now ready to serve.

Now for the greens

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup julienne country ham
• 1/2 cup julienne spicy capicola
• 1/2 cup julienne salami
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup julienne yellow onion
• 1 cup julienne green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup julienne fennel
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 pounds escarole, cleaned, dried and julienned across the leaf, using only leafy greens
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup good quality finely grated Parmesan

First, saute the pancetta til it starts to render.  Next add in the salami and capricola.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes. 

Next add a bit of olive oil and then saute up the onion, bell pepper and fennel for around 8 minutes. 

Now add escarole and chicken stock and allow to begin simmering for 5 minutes.  Once the greens have begun to wilt add the acids, herbs and cheese and allow ti simmer for a total of about 7 minutes.  Be sure to stir occasionally so as to incorporate the flavors completely.

And finally the steak.  My outdoor grill was out of gas so had to use a grill pan.

Grill steak on medium high for 7 minutes a side.  Allow steak to rest for 10 minutes tented with foil
Before tenting spread softened goat cheese across steak.  Then once rested spoon tomato jam atop goat cheese.

Peach and Mustard Compote

• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 3-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 3/4 pounds firm-ripe peaches, cut into 1/4-inch wedges (with skin)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries or currants

Blanch peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds and then stop cooking in an ice water bath.  Skin should slide off easily now.  Then dice up peaches into 1 inch pieces.

Use a vegetable peeler and remove zest from lemons and collect the juice as well.

Now combine all ingredients except peaches and raisins and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now add peaches and raisins and continue cooking for around 10 minutes.

And then use the same canning procedure used for the spicy tomato jam post.