Gone Pecan

Weeknight dinners can be tough.  I'm tired from working all day and often don't feel like going all "gourmet" in order to put food on the table.  I know that many women can relate.

I usually have pork tenderloins in the freezer, and they're a quick and healthy dinner option.  A single pork tenderloin generally weighs about 1 pound, which means it's the perfect size for a family of four if you don't want leftovers.  I recently saw this idea in Better Homes & Gardens magazine, and it was well received by my brood.

Cut a pork tenderloin crosswise into medallions about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick.

Pound each piece lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to flatten.  Season as desired; I used Galena Street Rub for a little heat, but you could use cajun seasoning or whatever you like.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.   Finely chop about a cup of pecans.  Dip the pork medallions into pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup!)

 and then the pecans.  Press the pecans in slightly so that they adhere.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet.  When it's shimmering, add 4 to 6 of the pork medallions.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, no longer because you want it barely pink in the middle.  Continue cooking in batches, then remove medallions and add about 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, a dash of cayenne, maybe a little cumin, and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice to the skillet (or use a good not-from-concentrate OJ like my favorite):

Reduce until slightly thickened and pour over the pork medallions.  Garnish with fresh orange wedges.

We ate it all, or as they would say in New Orleans, it was Gone Pecan!

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Weeknight Wonder

My daughter had a choir concert at 6:00 last night, and I got home from work at 5:00.  I needed to put dinner on the table...FAST!
This sweet and savory pork tenderloin is one of her favorites, and it takes less than 30 minutes to make.  Leftovers are great cold in a main dish salad.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Glaze
Adapted from epicurious.com
(click here to print)

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tsp. rubbed dried sage
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Glaze:
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Rub the pork with the sage and sprinkle evenly with garlic salt.  Add the oil to the skillet, then sear the pork on all sides until brown, about 5-7 minutes.

Combine maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard.  Add to skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake the pork tenderloin for 12-14 minutes, or until pork registers 150 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice pork and spoon maple syrup glaze over top.

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Chef in Training

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Everyday Tastes

Mangoes & Chutney

Momtrends

This Chick Cooks

Simply Delish Saturday

There's a Method to My Ham-ness

Today my friends and family gathered for an Easter potluck.  My contribution was the main course:  a spiral-sliced ham.  It was a thrifty choice; ham was on sale this week for only $1.49 a pound.  Honey-baked hams go for probably about $7-8 a pound, and making this ham probably takes less time than standing in the very long holiday ham line.

This is the second time that I have tried Cooks' Illustrated's method for cooking a spiral-sliced ham.  This is simply the best recipe I have ever tried for ham because the meat stays moist and tender.  And it's easy, too!

Spiral-Sliced Ham with Maple-Orange Glaze

Source:  Cooks Illustrated magazine

(click here to print)

7-10 lb. bone-in spiral-sliced half ham
1 large oven cooking bag

The ham should come factory-wrapped in plastic and may have a netting around it as well.  Do not remove the plastic from the ham but do remove the netting, if applicable.

Get a large food-safe pail (mine was 5 gallons) or even a large cooler and fill it halfway with HOT tap water.  Submerge the plastic-wrapped ham completely.  If your ham is foil-wrapped instead of plastic wrapped, transfer it to a large ziptop bag (2 or 2.5 gallon size) first.

Submerged ham

Let ham sit in the hot water for 45 minutes, then drain and repeat: add HOT water to submerge the ham and allow it sit in the water for an additional 45 minutes.  This allows the ham to slowly warm so that it doesn't have to bake as long in the oven.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and set the rack to the bottom-most level.  Remove ham from the water and the original plastic covering.  Remove the plastic disk at the wide end of ham.  Place the entire ham cut-side down into a large oven cooking bag and use a  twist-tie to secure, trimming off excess plastic.  Place the bag cut-side down into a shallow roasting pan, pierce the top of the bag with a knife in 3 or 4 places, and place in the preheated oven.

Ham in oven cooking bag

Bake for 10 minutes per pound.  My ham was 8 lbs., so I cooked it for 80 minutes.  Remove ham and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, cut open the oven cooking bag and push it down to expose the top and sides of the ham.

unglazed ham after 80 minutes

Brush the ham with one-third of the glaze and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the glaze is sticky.

Remove the ham from the oven and brush with another third of the glaze mixture.

Marvelous Maple-Orange Glazed Ham

Let the ham rest for 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil.  While ham rests, mix the remaining glaze with a couple tablespooons of the ham juices and reserve.  Carve ham and serve with the reserved sauce.

Maple Orange Glaze

3/4 cup pure maple syrup (the real deal!)
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5-7 minutes.  Use to glaze ham.


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Girl Meets Grill

I love pork tenderloin because it is as lean as chicken breast and is a nice change of pace (you know, pork is The Other White Meat!).  This is a recipe that I use when I want to go Greek.

Pork Souvlaki
(click here to print)


1 large lemon, juiced (save the zest for another use if you want)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green or red bell pepper (or some of both), cut into 1-inch pieces

In ziptop bag, combine lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, oregano and garlic.  Swish to combine.  Add pork cubes and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.  (I let it marinate all day and grill that evening.)  Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes

Remove the pork from the marinade and set aside.  Boil the marinade for about 5 minutes to kill any bacteria because you want to use this to baste the kabobs.  Thread pork, peppers and onions onto bamboo skewers, alternating meat with veggies to make an attractive presentation.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or to desired doneness.  Baste occasionally and turn skewers frequently for even cooking. You do not want to overcook pork tenderloin or it will be dry.

Serve in pita bread with tzatziki sauce.  Heck, throw some feta cheese and tomatoes in there, too, if you want.  You could also eat this in a tortilla, but then we might have a new hybrid cuisine called Continental Con-Fusion!

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup lowfat plain yogurt, drained (see directions below) OR Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill (or 1 Tbsp. fresh, if you have it)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or to taste

Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a couple layers of paper towels, dump in yogurt, place over a bowl, and allow to drain in refrigerator several hours or overnight.  The purpose of this step is to remove as much water as possible from the yogurt.  If you use Greek yogurt, you can skip this step.

Squeeze as much water as possible from the cucumber (I use a clean dish towel).  Combine with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and dill.  Let the flavors marry in the refrigerator while the pork is marinating.  Serve with the pork tenderloin.

So good, and so good for you!  Opa!

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Do the 'Cue

The Spring weather in Texas has been pleasantly warm for the most part, but I know that some parts of the country haven't quite thawed out yet.  Here's a wonderful recipe for a slow-roasted pulled pork that just may fool you into thinking it came straight off the barbecue.

Crowd Pleasin' Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork
Source:  Emeril's Potluck by Emeril Lagasse

(click here to print)

1 pork shoulder roast aka Boston butt (6-8 lbs.) 
4 tsp. Emeril's Essence seasoning (sold in spice section or make your own using recipe below)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. salt

Combine the Essence, cayenne, and salt and rub generously over all sides of the pork.  Put roast in a ziptop bag and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place a rack in a large roasting pan and place the roast on the rack, fat side up.

Dry rub on raw pork butt

Cover the roaster with heavy-duty aluminum foil and bake for 4 hours.

Pork after 4 hours

Remove the foil (carefully! so that you don't get a nasty steam burn) and continue to cook for an additional 2 hours.

Pork after 6 hours

 Remove from the oven and separate the fat (if desired--it tastes great, kinda like bacon, but obviously isn't very healthy).  Shred the meat using two forks.

Naked Pulled Pork (no sauce)

Warm about 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce and mix with the pork so that it doesn't dry out.  My favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe is equal parts Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse and Spicy Original.  The hickory sauce gives the illusion that the meat just came from the smoker, and the spicy original gives it a nice little kick.  Pile the pork into buns and serve with additional sauce on the side.  If you're serving a crowd, keep it warm in your slow cooker.

Pulled Pork Barbecue with Crispy Coleslaw

 Essence Seasoning Mix:

2 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

This is so easy that there's no reason NOT to do the 'cue!

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