Dr Pepper Pork Loin Chops

This was the result of a little brainstorming and thinking...what could I do to jazz up a basic pork loin chop and play on the sweet white flesh of pork.  I've seen Coke used in marinades and chili and stuff, why not Dr Pepper.   Its sweet with vanilla overtones, could be a match with pork.  What did I have to lose right?  Nothing it worked out pretty swell.

Use regular Dr Pepper, not diet. You want the sugar to combine with the salt to create a brine.  Using diet you'll only get a funny aftertaste from the artificial sweetener in Dr Pepper, or in my case, a migraine.

Dr.  Pepper Pork Loin Chops

• 4 thick cut Pork Loin Chops (about 2 lbs)
• 3/4 c Dr Pepper
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 1 t thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 t fresh ground black pepper.

In mini food processor add garlic, salt, and pepper.  Strip leaves off the Rosemary stem by pulling backwards down the stem across the grain.  Add leaves to mini food processor.  Pulse a few times until garlic is finely chopped.  Add Dr Pepper and oil oil.  Pulse until mixed.  In small non reactive dish or large plastic bag add the pork loin chops and marinade.  Turn over a few times to coat well.

Set aside for 1 hour (no longer as the acid in soda will break down the pork).  Turn chops over every 15-20 minutes to keep well coated in marinade.

Preheat oven to 325F at end of hour.  Heat an oven proof pan such as the Calphalon everyday pan over medium high heat.  Coat bottom of pan with olive oil.  Sear pork chops on one side about 5 minutes.  Turn over and turn off the heat.  Spoon 1 T marinate over each chop.  Cover and bake in oven until they test medium 145F.  About 20-25 minutes.  

Remove from oven.  Place chops on platter and loosely cover with foil to rest.  Use pan drippings to make a gravy from scratch or with the no-brainer stupid easy success every time Ah Bisto gravy mix. If your local groc doesn't carry you can buy it on line at Amazon.

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Somewhere between a Pot Pie and Chicken 'n Dumplings is where this casserole lies.  Hearty comfort food, enjoy and you really don't have to classify everything in life.  Pretend you're in Minnesota and call it a Hot Dish and be done with it.  Seriously.  Its simple hearty fare no need to make more out of it than what it is.

This is a stupid easy, go to when you're too busy to do everything from scratch.  Left over roast chicken/check.  Frozen veggies/check.  Canned soup/check.  Biscuit mix/check. Open whiz, whir bake and you have dinner on the table/

Chicken & Biscuit Casserole

• 3 c diced cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 c peas and carrots
• 2 T butter
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/2 t dried Thyme
• 2 cans cream of chicken and mushroom soup
• 1 1/2 cans milk

Topping

• 2 1/4 c biscuit mix
• 2/3 c milk
• 1/4 t dried Thyme

Preheat oven to 400F  Grease a large casserole dish and place on a baking sheet.

In large sauce pot add butter and over medium heat sweat onions with salt and thyme until onions are translucent.  Add soup to pan and stir in milk until smooth.  Heat until just starting to simmer.  Add chicken and vegetables.  Stir until combined.  Reduced heat and let simmer while preparing the biscuit topping.

For biscuit topping combine the biscuit mix, thyme and milk.  Stir until just combined.

Pour hot chicken mixture into casserole.  Drop golf ball sized biscuit dough balls onto hot filling.  There will be some gaps...which is fine as the biscuits rise they will fill into those empty spots.  

Place in preheated oven.  Bake 20 minutes until bubbly and biscuits are light golden brown.  Serve hot. 

Lemon Thyme Chicken Breasts

With a Meyer Lemon tree in the back yard this time of year I'm blessed with ample lemons and am always looking for ways to use them all.  Step in this Lemon Thyme Chicken Breast.

A couple of things to keep in mind with high acid marinades like this...keep the time short enough to impart flavor but not so long as to "cook" the protein and changes its texture.  Really an hour max is all you need.

Stripping Thyme of its leaves is a lot easier than you think.  Grasp the top of the stem firmly and slide your fingers towards the base with light pressure and the leaves are off and the woody stem can be discarded.  I also do this after handling the raw garlic as it helps kill the smell of the garlic on your fingers.

Lemon Thyme Chicken Breasts

• 4 chicken breasts - I use skinless/boneless
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 lemons sliced thing
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 T fresh Thyme leaves
• 1/3 c olive oil
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 t kosher salt

To make marinade combine zest, lemon juice, thyme leaves, garlic, olive oil salt and pepper in a small blender jar or mini-food prep and pulse a few times until garlic is finely chopped.

In non-reactive bowl...stainless steel or glass, add chicken breasts.  Pour over marinade and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Convect bake if you have it.  Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Place breasts on the lined baking sheets.  Pour marinade over the chicken.  Top with reserved slices of 2 lemons.  Bake 30-35 minutes until cooked through.  Serve hot over parslied rice.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken Breast

File this under stupid easy and incredibly tasty.  Fresh herbs I usually have on hand...dried work just as well.  Just rub them in your hand to crush and activate the oils before adding to the marinade.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken Breast

• 2 lbs Chicken breast halves
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 T fresh thyme leaves
• 1 T fresh minced rosemary

Clean chicken breasts and remove tenders.  Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and herbs in a large non reactive bowl.  Add chicken breasts and tenders.  Toss to coat.  Marinade 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350F.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken breasts and tenders in sheet. Pour any remaining marinade over the meat.  Bake about 30 minutes until thickest breast reaches 165F.

Langoustine Chowder

First up what the hell is a langoustine?  Its a sea critter too big to be a shrimp and way too small to be a lobster.  It is its own critter, not quite as sweet as lobster, but very close.  I first had them several years ago and fell in love with them. They aren't native to my local waters so I need to keep an eye out for them in their frozen state.  Luckily both Trader Joe's and Costco have them from time to time.  When they show up, I grab a bag as they are too good to pass up.

I use a lot of sweet corn, the white variety as its much sweeter than the darker yellow stuff.  Its easy to find in the frozen aisle.  Certainly those 3 weeks is peak of freshness in August I'll use the real deal, but then why limit oneself to so few weeks when the frozen stuff is quite a good substitute.

I use a russet potato,aka Idaho baking as they hold their shape and texture better than the waxy varieties like a Yukon gold in a chowder.  Important to know your spuds and when to use which.

Shhh...big secret here, I don't use flour and make a roux with my chowder which prolly will land me on a 10 most wanted list in New England...but I'm a California guy and I'll do it my way for speed and ease of prep. Corn starch works wonders and doesn't have to cook out to get rid of a "flour" taste.

Lastly, this recipe doesn't call for a specific amount of salt.  The reason being is that salt pork and broth both contain a fair amount of salt in them.  Its best to test for seasoning after the half and half has been added and thickened and add a quarter or half teaspoon as needed at the end.  Its much easier and safer to do it this way rather than piling on the salt early and then have too much in your chowder.

Langoustine Chowder

• 1 lb langoustines
• 1 small onion
• 1 stick celery
• 1 carrot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 lb salt pork or pancetta
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 3 c sweet corn
• 2 large russet potato
• salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 2 T corn starch
• 4 c half and half

Cube salt pork and brown in heavy stock pot over medium heat.

Finely mince onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Add to salt pork and cook 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add thyme leaves and cook 1 minute longer. 

Add chicken broth, sweet corn, finely diced potato and bring to boil then reduce heat to slow simmer.  Cook 15 minutes.  Whisk together cornstarch and half and half.  Stir into your veggie mix and bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes until starting to thicken.  Test for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Add langoustines and cook until opaque, about 5 minutes. (If using frozen cook 1-2 minutes until just heated through).

Serve hot with a big slice of crusty cheesy garlic bread.

Meatless Monday on a Tuesday

So I was too busy to cook Monday and did our Meatless day on Tuesday...shoot me.

Ratatouille is a French dish that is stewed veggies that I twisted up oven roasted instead.  Traditionally it is served over bread or some protein like fish.  I opted to serve it over cooked Bulgar wheat keeping with the whole healthy meatless theme.  The nice thing about ratatouille is that there is no recipe Per Se rather you  grab what ever veggies are looking good that day in the groc and go from there.  I am certain I have some French Grandmother wagging her finger at me for what I did but what the heck...it's tasty and it quite yummy

To ensure your veggies all cook evenly cut them about the same size, here I opted for about a 1 inch dice.

Bulgar wheat falls in the stupid easy category of prep.  1 cup of the Bulgar wheat in a bowl.  Add 1 3/4 c boiling water or stock.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let set 15 minutes.  Fluff with fork to serve.

Oven Roasted Ratatouille

• 1 medium eggplant diced
• 6 Roma tomatoes diced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 medium zucchini diced
• 1 Crookneck squash diced
• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• salt 
• pepper
• 2 t thyme
• 2 4 olive oil

Add diced veggies to bowl.  Toss with thyme and olive oil and spread on baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake in 425F oven 40-45 minutes until veggies are starting to turn golden brown.  (If your oven has convection cycle use 400F and bake 30-35 minutes until veggies turn golden brown).

Mushrooms and Thyme are bestest friends

No kidding, mushrooms and thyme really play well together in terms of taste. One of our favorite recipes for dinner parties or pot lucks is "Big Pasta and Mushrooms". Its an adaptation of a recipe from Nigella Lawson that hits the flavor profiles, but in a smaller quantity (hers calls for 3 lbs of pasta) and without the fuss of making a bechamel sauce.

I'm inherently lazy and will take short cuts where appropriate. Canned cream of mushroom soup is the short cut here that saves a ton of time in prepping the dish.

For my version I kept the amount of mushrooms similar to what the original recipe called for. Why? Because I love freaking mushrooms and felt that my ratio gave you more of a sense of the mushroomy goodness than the original.

The mushrooms I chose were those that looked best when I went to the market on the day I made this batch. The type of mushroom you use isn't as important as getting the quantity right and using those that are freshest when you are in the market. You can even fudge with the weight as an extra ounce more or less won't hurt the final outcome.

Big Pasta and Mushrooms

• 8 oz portobello caps sliced
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
• 3.5 oz oyster musroom sliced
• 2 c loosely packed dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 stick butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme tied in a bundle - plus extra for garnish
• nutmeg
• 1 t herbed sea salt (regular sea salt can be substituted)
• 1 t fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 c vermouth
• boiling water
• 1 1/2 c fresh grated Parmesan
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 4 c milk
• 1 1/2 lbs large pasta (I used stuffing size rigatoni)
• 1 1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
• Preheat oven to 400F.

Put dried shitakes in a measuring cup and cover with boiling water. Allow to steep for at least 5 minutes. Put salted water on to boil for pasta. Cook pasta to "al dente".

In large sauce pot add butter and olive oil. Over medium heat melt butter and then add garlic and thyme bundle. Cook one minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and fresh cracked pepper. Using microplane add 10-12 good scrapes of nutmeg to the mushrooms. Cook 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until they have released their moisture and the liquid has nearly evaporated.

Drain the shitakes, reserving liquid (should be about 1 cup). Add shitakes with the sea salt to the pan and cook 1 minute folding them in constantly until evenly distributed. Add vermouth, cook 2-3 minutes until absorbed by the mushrooms. Add the reserved shitake liquid and cook 5-7 minutes until nearly evaporated. Remove thyme twig bundle.

Add cream of mushroom soup, milk and 1 cup parsley to the mushroom mixture stir until soup is dissolved. In large mixing bowl add the cooked and drained pasta. Add the mushrooms and fold gently until well distributed. Sprinkle on 1 cup of Parmesan and fold until well distributed.

Pour into 12X17 baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 c Parmesan across the top. Bake 30 minutes until parts are browned and crusty.

Remove from oven and garnish with 1/4 cup parsley and 6-8 thyme sprigs.

Barley Thyme Soup

Lazy Sunday, cool breezes and something special for lunch.  All from leftovers on hand its quite tasty and very healthy with the addition of a grain like barley.

You'll note that I subbed in green onions with their tops instead of using just a large onion.   I did this as the flavor is a bit softer then a mature onion and adds just a nice roundness to the final soup.  

Barley and Thyme Soup

• 1 1/2 c diced ham
  
• 1 med onion coarse chopped
  
• 4 green onion sliced including green tops
  
• 1 carrot diced
  
• 1 c sliced celery
  
• 1 c pearl barley
  
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  
• 2 14.5oz cans chicken broth
  
• 2 T butter
  
• 2 T olive oil
  
• 1 T fresh ground black pepper

Heat oil and butter until butter starts to sizzle.  Add onion, carrot, celery and thyme.   Cook 5-10 minutes over medium heat until onion is soft and clear.  Add ham and barley.   Cook another 5-10 minutes until the onion begins to brown.

Add broth and 2 cans of water.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until barley is al dente but cooked through.  Just prior to serving skim off the thyme sprigs.  Test seasoning and adjust if needed. 

Easy Coq au vin (chicken stewed in wine)

Coq au vin is literally rooster (cock) cooked in wine.  Its a classic French peasant dish that is oh so very tasty.  Of course when you use an old rooster, its all tough as it is an old bird.  My version is using regular store bought chicken parts that are generally from young birds.  The meat is infinitely more tender and as such doesn't need to soak in wine forever to marinate and break down the meat.

Of course I cheat even more by buying already whacked chicken parts at Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets.  I use both the chicken thigh and chicken breast.  Both bring different flavors to the dish more like you'd get with a whole chicken.  Also its damn easy which is a good thing in my book.

This version also is heavily influenced by Janna who asked about cooking with flavored salts on another post.  Yes, indeedy, I used my sel gris aux herbes in the marinade and did not regret it one bit.  Yowsa- its some good stuff there Maynard.

Easy Coq Au Vin

• 1 2 lb package chicken breasts
  
• 1 2 lb package de-boned chicken thighs
  
• 2 c red wine (I used a shirah/cab blend from Callaway Crossing)
  
• 2 t fresh cracked black pepper.
  
• 2 t sel gris aux herbes (substitute herbs Provence and sea salt)
  
• 2 T fresh garlic - chopped
  
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
  
• 1 c flour
• 1 T black pepper

• 1 yellow onion halved then sliced
  
• 1 stalk celery with tops (approx 1c chopped)
  
• 1 carrot chopped
  
• 1 t +/- sel gris aux herbes to taste
  
• 1 t fresh cracked black pepper
  
• 2 bay leaf
  
• 1 -2 14oz cans chicken broth
  
• 
  
• 8 oz cremini or similar small dark mushroom - halved
  
• 1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
  

In large non-reactive bowl place one layer of chicken some of the sel gris, garlic and a couple of sprigs of thyme.  Repeat until all chicken is in the bowl.  Add the wine it should just cover the chicken.  Cover bowl with cling film and set in refrigerator to marinade at least 2 hours.

Pull chicken from marinade and pat dry on paper towels.  RESERVE MARINADE. 

Heat saucier over medium high heat.  Add extra virgin olive oil and heat til shimmering.   Dredge dried chicken pieces in the flour, knocking off the excess and sear all sides until nice deep brown.  You will need to do in batches so as not to crowd the pan in order to get a good sear instead of steaming.  As each batch is seared put on a platter until you are ready for them.

Add the onion, carrot and celery with a bit more oil if needed.  Cook 5- 10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan as you go.  When onion is translucent add the reserved broth.  Cook and scrape the bottom of the pan until all the browned bits are removed.   Cook about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  

Add reserved chicken.  Add enough chicken broth to just cover the chicken.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer at least 1 hour.  Or you may cover and put in 325 oven to simmer 1 hour.  Add mushrooms and simmer 15 minutes longer until cooked through.

Remove lid and stir in parsley, cook 1 minute.  Serve in bowl with mashed potato or boiled potato on the side.  

Roast Chicken

Simple roast chicken, how hard can that be? Never did one in all they years I have been cooking. (Mostly because I am not a fan of chicken but do it to appease the fam). I have done more than a few turkey's but this was new territory. A quick search of Food TV and I found a couple that I could use as a reference point for a recipe I would call my own.

The recipe:
Simple Roast Chicken
2 approx 4 lb roasting hens
3 lemons
1 head of garlic
large carrot
2 T dried thyme
salt
pepper
4 large sprigs of fresh sage

For Herb butter:
about 3/4 stick butter at room temp.
1 t dry thyme
1 t dry basil
1 T dry parsley
1 T fresh chopped garlic
Mix and set aside while preparing the chickens

Clean out the chicken off the various body parts. Rinse inside and out with cold water. Pat dry.

Slice one lemon into 4 thin slices. Slice the other two lemons in half.

Generously salt and pepper each cavity. Add dry Thyme. Split carrot and put 1 piece in each cavity. Crush the garlic cloves, divide between each chicken. Stuff the lemon halves into each cavity. Slip fingers between breasts and the skin. Slip one slice of lemon into each slit so that each breast has a lemon slice centered in it. The resulting bulges will make the chicken look like some sort of mutant gas mask...you want it that way. Tuck one sprig of the fresh sage into each chicken.

Tuck and fold wings under the chicken. Wrap a string under the wings and then pull towards the legs. Wrap one end around a leg then draw legs together and tie to secure.

Rub chicken with the herb butter. Arrange the remaining sage leaves on top of the chicken. Salt and Pepper.

Bake at 400 until meat thermometer in thickest part of the thigh reads 165F. I use a convection roast with thermometer probe to help take the guess work out and getter a better browned and crisped skin. It should take about 1 1/2 hours to get it to that temp. Check that juices run clear before removing from oven.

All trussed up and ready to go. See...with the lemon slices under the skin it does look like a WWII gas mask!

There we go all done, thank gawd for non-stick roasters and racks. I swear if I didn't have that option I would rarely roast as with regular pans it is just a pain to get them all clean. I do two chickens at once as that way I get one for dinner tonight and another for dinner later in the week when I am way to busy to do much more than a quick reheat.