Moroccan Pork Tenderloin

I was digging through my spice cupboard and was overcome by the gorgeous aromas and an idea. Since I cook so much pork tenderloin for my kids, why not try something new and exotic using these spices.

Score your pork tenderloin and put aside. In a bowl mix together this rub: 1 tsp. of allspice, 1 tsp. of dry mustard, 1 tsp. of anise seed, 1/2 tsp. of cumin, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar, OR, artificial brown sugar and 1 tsp. of orange zest.

You'll also need, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of butter, 1 yellow pepper sliced up, 1 red pepper sliced up, a spring of fresh rosemary, 1/4 cup of orange jam or marmalade (I use sugar free Smuckers), 1-2 cups of chicken stock - I use the Knorr Homestyle stock bouillon (they look like little gelatins).

Rub the spice mixture all over the pork tenderloin and put into an olive oiled pan on medium heat and sear on all sides. When the pork is nice and brown on all sides, take out of the pan and put aside. Add 1 tbsp. of butter to the pan and add a mixture of sliced red and yellow peppers and saute until al dente and remove. Then add the chicken stock to the pan with rosemary sprig and simmer to reduce for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Then put the pork tenderloin into a casserole dish, top with the peppers, and pour the chicken/rosemary stock around the pork and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or less if you like less done. Take out of the oven and rest the pork tenderloin while you make the au jus.

Au Jus: Mix the chicken stock and the orange jam/marmalade together.

Slice the pork tenderloin and arrange on a plate with the peppers. Finally pour the au jus over it and enjoy. I think I may have to do some Moroccan recipe experimenting. You can also serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Pear Gorgonzolla Marinated and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Greek Inspired Spinach

I grilled an absolutely magnificient pork tenderloin Sunday night for dinner. First I scored the raw meat and marinated it in an already prepared pear and gorgonzolla vinegrette (any sweet fruity vinegrette would suffice). Vinegar tenderizes meat (a meat tenderizing secret I learned from one of my friends). I marinated the pork for about 2 hours, though you could marinate longer if you like. Then I seasoned with oh so yum, "smoked paprika"on both sides of pork Smoked paprika is very smooth mild and a little sweet with just the right amount of heat. My tenderloins were quite large so what I do is grill on all sides first on the BBQ, then I move the meat to the upper rack of the BBQ until it's cooked perfectly (a little pink inside) a total of 15 minutes on the BBQ. Always let your pork rest before serving. When you do take it off the grill, move to a platter and put aluminum foil over it. Slice and pour all the juices over meat.

Sauteed Greek Inspired Spinach: Heat a pan up with a little olive oil and a pinch of Fleur de Salt. Add 8 cups of fresh spinach, 1/4 cup of pinenuts, 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, 1/4 cup of feta cheese and stir around until the spinach is just wilted. Serve on the side of pork tenderloin and enjoy!

Yummy Hot German Potato Salad with Pork Roast and Pancetta Broccoli on the side

Sometimes I think I need a little spanking to wake me up from the bliss of cooking such delightful concoctions. I broke the rules, I think...if there even are any. I served pork in three freakin' dishes tonight. Does my family care? No. I did it to get my children to gobble up the veggies and try new dishes and it worked. It bloody well worked. It's been decades since I enjoyed and made a good Hot German Potato salad. In fact, making a HGPS was the very first thing I ever made together with a pot of coffee when my mom came home from work one night. It was the first of many nights, that I would indulge in the joy of making, alchemizing, stirring, peeling, and sauteing, simply for the joy it brought to moi, but of course to all of those around...moi. Yesterday my mom made HGPS for our annual family/chick luncheon. Here's what she did. Never be afraid of the measurements, just add a little more of this or a little more of that:

Hot German Potato Salad

Boil six potatoes with skins on until you can prick a fork in it and it's just tender (get your mind out of the gutter). Drain and cool the potatoes. Saute up one half of a red onion and three slices of chopped up bacon in a pan until its gliseny and cooked how you like it. Be careful not to burn the onions, you only want it all to be soft and slightly brown. Then to make the vinaigrette, add 1/4 cup of canola oil with about 3 tbsp. of HONEY MUSTARD, and 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar, or any other whitish vinegar you have on hand. Finally peel all the potatoes of their skins and slice into a dish. Add the bacon and onions, then the vinaigrette and toss ever so gently. Add some pepper and a little green garnish if you'd like.

The little Pork Roast that Could...

Mix up a marinade of 1/4 cup of orange marmalade, 1/8 cup of low sodium soy sauce, a tsp. of minced garlic, and 1/4 cup of olive oil (I love oil and you ought to see my smooth skin!). Mix up and pour 1/2 of the mixture over the roast (which is in a nice roaster with a bunch of washed button mushrooms), pour some chicken 1broth in the pan (why is there no pork bouillon?), and then put into a 350 degree oven until meat is just cooked (there can be a little pink in it). There is seriously NOTHING worse than overcooked pork. Use a meat thermometer to help you along or look on line to get cooking times. When the roast is just cooked to medium rare, take it out of the oven and put tin foil over it to rest.

Last but not least, broccoli with pancetta: Simply clean and cut up broccoli and steam either in a steamer or in the microwave until al dente (not soft but just soft with a bit of bite to it.) Toss into a frying pan, once again with a tad of garlic, a smattering of olive oil and 1/2 cup of pancetta (which is an Italian bacon).

Alright then. Pork pork and more pork. It was an evening of experimentation to get my kids to try more things. They ate ALL of the broccoli, all of the pork and their HGPS which they said was ok, but me.....I had to undo my pants because I ate so much of it tonight. Until these kids know what they're talking about in terms of good taste when it comes to HGPS, trust me...you'll love it! XOXXOXO

Weekend Dinners - Pork Tenderloin Wellington

At this very momentino I have an enormous spaghetti squash cooking in my oven and because I'm avoiding pasta for a couple of weeks, I plan on dousing said squash with some gorgeous creamy pasta sauce and parmesano later on when my family has dinner. Last night however I cooked an interesting little Wellington, Pork Tenderloin Wellington to be exact. And though I mucho prefer Beef Tenderloin Wellington, this easy to make dinner was also quite nice. I simply BBQed two pork tenderloin seasoned with a little Montreal Steak Spice for just a little while. Overcooking pork, especially tenderloin is a no no. It will continue to cook after you take it off the BBQ and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes. I BBQed my tenderloin for about 15 minutes total on the BBQ (there should be a little pink inside). In a pan I sauteed very chopped mushrooms and onion in butter and three tbsp. of low sodium soy sauce, smeared the cooled tenderloin with pate, pressed half of the drained mushrooms and onions into the pate then I swathed the tenderloin in rolled out puffed pastry and put an egg wash all around it so that it would brown up nicely in the oven. To make the egg wash I just added one egg and a little milk in a bowl and whisked it until it was blended and using my hands put the egg all over the tenderloin and pastry. Then I cooked the Pork Wellington in the oven at 350 until the pastry was brown. I also whipped up an easy packaged gravy and added the rest of the sauteed mushrooms and onion to it. When it's time to eat, slice the Wellington, arrange on the plate and pour gravy over it. Yummo! P.S. I just reheated the Wellington and had it for lunch and it was even better the next day.

Once the pork has rested top

Very Low Fat Bubble and Squeak

Cut up as much green cabbage as you can eat and an onion.  Put into a non-stick frying pan with 1 cup of beef broth and simmer until the cabbage and onion is al dente.  Then cut up a big low fat sausage, I cut up a Costco turkey mango sweet onion one, and saute all together.  Add salt and pepper and garlic too.  It is delicious!

Rum Ribs with Green and Yellow Beans with Garlic and Pancetta

These rum ribs are simply divine and my hubby loved them. The recipe was given to me from my sister who got it from her mother-in-law. I love it when people share their recipes. They are nicely sweet with a little chili sauce kick. I had to improvise with some of the ingredients and will put my improvs in a bracket beside the original recipe. Here's the recipe: 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of chili sauce, 1/4 cup of ketchup, 1/2 cup of dark rum (I used amber rum), 1/4 cup of soy sauce (I only had oyster sauce), 1 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 2 cloves of garlic (I used minced from a jar), pepper. Then you cook and cover ribs for 350 degrees for 1.5 hours (I boiled mine for an hour). Then you take out of the oven or take out of the pot and drain, and pour 1/2 sauce over the ribs and put back into the oven for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven again and put the rest of the sauce on and return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes (1 hour total with sauce). For the beans, I love using Europe's Best brand and simply added the frozen beans to an olive oiled and garlicy pan, and sauteed until the beans were just cooked, then added 1/2 cup of pancetta and tossed until both the pancetta and the beans crisp just slightly. A lovely dinner, you will enjoy.

Pork Roast Bathed in Rosemary and Bacon

I bought another big roast this afternoon, but couldn't wait to get it home to season and wrap in bacon and roast. So I like to buy pork leg because it has the perfect amount of fat on it. Cut about 8 slits over your roast and insert some garlic from a garlic bulb in each one. Then top the roast with 1/4 cup of sugar free or completely loaded maple syrup and massage it into your little pig. Then you season with garlic salt and Herbes De Provence. Then you lay full on Rosemary sprigs, about 4 or more across the entire roast and then layer bacon over top, tucking under. I used about 8 slices of bacon because it covered my roast. Then insert a meat thermometer and pop said pork roast into a 400 degree oven for the first hour. I then lower the temp. after an hour and keep an eye on the thermometer. When it's done, just let rest for about 20 minutes. Never serve a roast immediately. Let the meat settle into succulence before you slice the first piece...obviously to yourself first!!!! ******Please top with the Fried Star Anise and Apple. You may cry tears of joy.

Fried Star Anise and Granny Smith Apple for Pork Roast

OK - this was divine and delish. Cut up 1/2 a star anise into nice strips, peel, slice, and chop e 2 Granny Smith Apples, and add to a frying pan with a tbsp. of butter, and a tbsp. of oil, 1 tbsp. chopped garlic and fry up on medium heat until gorgeously coated with glistening fat and becomes nice and soft, but barely crisp. Add, part way in between, 1/8th of a cup of apple cider vinegar and keep on fryin' baby. Once completed to your liking - turn off the element and put into a nice little serving bowl to put over pork roast. Fabulous!!!!!!!

Pork Cilantro Lettuce Wraps with Chimichurri Sauce

Well well. What does one do with a little extra pork roast hanging about? I use up the cilantro I've got in the refrigerator, combine it with a few bits and pieces, together with some "Memories of Patagonia" Herb and Garlic Chimichurri Sauce and voila! Fresh, delish, and perfect for a hot summer night.

You'll need your favorite lettuce that's nice and bend-y so you can wrap it easily. I happen to use Romaine lettuce leaves tonight. Wash and dry each piece and set aside.

You can find Chimichurri Sauce Recipe on the Internet (because I've not made it from scratch yet) and it's really lovely when you're making an exotic flavoured wrap such as this. I used a bottled version from President's Choice which really carries lovely marinades, etc. Here's what you'll need.

1 cup of Chimichurri Sauce, 1 cup of sour cream, the juice of one lime, 1 cup of cilantro leaves (fresh), 1 sliced red onion, shredded fresh ginger, thinly cut up pork roast. Combine in a bowl the Chimichurri Sauce with sour cream and add the lime juice. Then lay out the lettuce leaf and begin layering with a tbsp. of Chimichurri Sauce/Sour Cream/Lime mixture, shredded or thinly sliced pork roast, red onion, dots of freshly shredded ginger, about 2 tbsp. of cilantro leaves, then top again with another tablespoon of sauce. You can, if you like secure the leaves with toothpicks. What's so "cool" is you can assemble all of this and have it later. There is no heating required and it's a terribly refreshing dinner on a hot summer night. Enjoy!

Summer Pork Leg Roast with a Fruity Twist

Tonight I've run out of propane for the BBQ, so instead I'll utilize my oven. I love pork leg (boneless)...goodness how did that guy get around come to think of it?

I love the layer of fat that surrounds the pork leg because it gets deliciously crisp and succulent as you cook it. Tonight I just pressed some fresh rosemary and garlic into the top of the leg and of course stuck a meat thermometer in it so it cooks to perfection. When I cook pork roast or tenderloin, I ALWAYS allow the meat the rest once I've taken it out of the oven. If you eat pork roast or tenderloin straight out of the oven it' seems watery and rubbery. When it rests for a moment (about 10-15 minutes) it settles.

I also made a little basting sauce comprised of 1/2 cup of apricot marmalade, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and 3 tbsp. of soy sauce. Easy and absolutely delicious. I wait to baste the pork until it is half way done for some reason then it won't slide off the raw meat but as it bakes it tends to stick. Mind you, I got to thinking that it might be nice to baste the roast for the day with this marinade so that the meat becomes more infused with it. Next time. After the roast was done, I simmered and reduced the juices down so it was thick and syrupy and poured it over the roast to serve. P.S. The fruity twist is the apricot marinade. The summer part is the bikini I made for our little piggy. Aww....he's so cute in this picture.

Happy Fall Flavors! Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin and Four Cheese Scallop Potatoes

You know, sometimes I bore myself. I get stuck in the same old everyday recipes, especially the one for my pork tenderloin. I've made the same pork tenderloin recipe for years with one exception. A couple of years ago, I made a to die for strawberry pork tenderloin from a Rachel Ray recipe and one of my guest's had the nerve to feed the left overs to his dog! It made me feel kind insecure for trying a new pork tenderloin recipe, so I got stuck in a culinary rut. Tonight I'm trying a new recipe for tenderloin and the sauce so far tastes quite delicious. Get two strips of pork tenderloin and pat dry. Then season with some salt and pepper. In a frying pan add some olive oil - an 1/8th of a cup, and 1/2 of a diced red onion together with 1 tsp. of minced garlic. Saute until the onion is soft. Then add 1/4 cup of yellow mustard to the pan, and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. I used a sugar free syrup. Whisk the sauce around and add the pork tenderloin and saute each side until just brown. Then put the meat and the sauce into a casserole dish and put into a 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Always let the tenderloin rest before serving.

Oh my hubby will be so excited to see he's getting something other than mashed potatoes tonight! Do I sound simple and easy to please. Well, I am. I actually baked my scalloped potatoes tonight in a buttered loaf pan since I didn't want ooodles of left overs for which I could succumb to. Just peel as many potatoes that you want. I peeled enough to layer four layers of potatoes - so I used about 8 little and medium sized potatoes. Peel, slice and lay first layer of potatoes into pan; salt and pepper, add some chopped onion, sprinkle 2 tbsp. of flour, and 1/3 cup of cheese over top. (I used the mixed bag of provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan, and emmental). Repeat this process until you are done. Then top with three cups of hot milk. I warmed mine up in a pan. Make sure you have enough milk to almost come up to the top. Don't add cheese to the top layer yet. Put foil over pan and bake at 375 for an hour. After an hour, top with cheese and cook for another 20 minutes.

Some Easy and Delicious Recipes to Try This Week

This past week, as I get my house in order, I've been joyfully revisiting all of my old cookbooks and recipes. Many of these recipes were born in the 1980's and I've been making them ever since. It's time I make them famous by posting them on the web. Finally they will have their 15 minutes of fame!

Mushroom Cream Patty Shells (I can't remember what cookbook I got this from back in the 1980's, but it is a Southern appetizer/lunch).

Here is a nice fattening appetizer that will truly ruin your diet. There is nothing comparable to these mushroom patties. They are 5 star and can be served with a salad and a glass of white wine.

First make the patty shells using 1/4 cup of unsalted butter or margarine, and 24 soft white sandwich bread slices. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim crusts off of the bread. Then grease up 2-12 cup muffin tins with the butter and press a slice of white bread into each one making sure they are snug and fit in the muffin tins. Bake shells in the oven for 10 minutes, or until nicely but ever so lightly brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Now you are going to prepare the filling that you will put into the shells. I just keep the shells in the muffin tins until it's time to fill.

Now for the mushroom cream. You will need 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, 4 green onions, chopped, 2 tbsp. of parsley, 2 tbsp. of minced chives, 1/2 lb. of mushrooms chopped, 3 tbsp. of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of whipping cream, 1/4 tsp. of thyme (this is perfect in this dish, you can really taste it), 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tsp. of black pepper, salt, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, 24 baked patty shells, grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. of butter. At least the body can process butter!

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, parsley, chives, and cook until veggies are wilted which will be about 3 minutes. Stir in washed and cleaned mushrooms, cook 10 minutes until liquid evaporates. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook 2 minutes stirring. Mixture will be very dry. Stir in cream, thyme, cayenne, pepper, salt, and lemon and blend very well. Now reduce the heat to low; cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Put mushroom cream into each patty shell, top with Parmesan cheese and 1/4 of butter. Bake in oven until topping is bubbly about 10 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 24.

Pork Tenderloin with Cream Gravy

2 lbs. of Pork Tenderloin, 4 tbsp. of butter, salt, pepper, paprika, 2 medium onions, cut up, 3 cups of beef bouillon (2 cubes and three cups of water), then a couple of strips of bacon or ham thinly sliced to put over the meat.

Gravy: Beef juice, 1/2 cup of cream, 2 tbsp. of flour to thicken, 3 tbsp. of butter.

Season meat with salt, pepper, paprika. Put butter in pan over med. heat and melt with onion and brown meat on both sides. Once the meat is browned, take out of pan and put into a casserole dish. Top the tenderloin with your choice of thin stips of ham or bacon (you need not cook the bacon prior). Then pour beef broth into the casserole and place in a 350 deg. oven for 20-30 minutes. Take out and put the meat aside so you can make gravy with juices. Mix cream and flour and stir to make a paste. Bring juices to a light boil and add cream/flour mixture, stirring vigorously, turning heat down to low. If any lumps occur, using the flat part of the spoon, stir and mash lumps against the side of the dish and add a little more cream if you like. I like using a whisk whenever I am making gravy to cut any lumps that may form.

Finally, lay the tenderloin on a nice serving platter, spoon gravy over tenderloin, garnish with parsley and serve.

Here is another scrumptuous pork tenderloin recipe.

Dijon Pork Tenderloin with Green Apples Wine and Cream

2 pork tenderloins cubed into 2-3 inch slices, 10 small peeled, cored, and sliced thin granny smith apples, 1/4 cup of butter, 1 cup of whip cream, 1/3 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup of white.

Generousy butter a 10 X 10 long casserole type dish and layer thinly sliced Granny Smith apples in to the dish. Put into a 400 deg. oven for about 10 minutes. Next, combine whip cream with Dijon mustard and mix just until blended. In a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat brown the pork tenderlion slices. When finished, put into casserole over apples. Take 1/2 cup of white wine and put into the pan stirring over heat to scrap brown bits and let come to a boil. Then po9ur wine mixture over casserole, then finally pour mustard cream sauce over casserole and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.