Tag: pork
Quick Pork Tacos with Poblano and Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Crema
OMG, I am so excited about this recipe- this screams summer to me!! I love using Latin/Mexican ingredients in the summer… so good and delicious… this is perfect for through the week or to entertain with…
- 1 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cleaned and excess fat cut off and cut into 1 inch squares
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo and some sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Blend the peppers, honey, lemon juice, oil and salt together and marinate the pork pieces in the mixture for at least 2 to 3 hours.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat a grill pan with the oil and cook the pork pieces on a high heat till they are golden brown and just cooked through- about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep warm.
Salsa
- 1 cup pineapple, sliced
- 1 poblano pepper, cut in half
- 1 onion, cut in half with skin on
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Salt
- Juice of a lime
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Transfer the vegetables to a lined cookie sheet and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Mix well and roast in oven for about 20 minutes till the vegetables are soft. Take out and let cool. Take the skin off the poblano pepper and chop all the vegetables. Place in a bowl and add lime juice and more salt if needed. Set aside.
Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado, cut in half
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
- Juice on one lime
- Salt
Transfer all the ingredients to a blender. Blend till a smooth consistency is achieved.
Serve the pork on warmed corn tortillas topped with the salsa and the crema!
Mexican Pork and Tomatillo Chili
I posted this recipe last year and think it would be delicious for the Super bowl coming this weekend. Try it and let me know what you think…
I love Mexican cuisine, especially since it is full of very strong, bold flavors. I make all sorts of preparations including tacos, enchiladas, salsas, guacamole.. the list goes on. I especially love using tomatillos and all the different Mexican chilies out there. For this preparation I used a poblano pepper- which looks like a large jalapeno pepper closer to a regular green pepper. It sometimes has a bit of heat and once its roasted, the sweetness comes out.
I roasted tomatillos, garlic, green onions and the poblano chili with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. I then made a thick sauce by blending all the roasted vegetables and I had a fabulous start to my chili. I had a pork shoulder with bones cut into small flavors for the dish. Any stew meat can be used as long as it can stand up to 2 to 3 hours of cooking. The house smells wonderful while the delicious chili is on the stove. The result is tender, juicy, falling off the bone meat flavored with the most yummy sauce.
I served the chili with corn bread, guacamole and Spanish rice. It was a big hit with everyone, especially since it wasn’t too spicy.
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Mexican Chili Enchiladas-Great way to use leftovers…
I loved making these enchiladas- what a great way to use up my leftovers. I feel like a champion when I come up with a completely different preparation to use up stuff in the fridge.
I had the Mexican pork chili in the fridge and wasn’t in the mood to cook a whole new meal. I always have all kinds of tortillas and cheeses in the fridge. So, I immediately thought of enchiladas. I had enough to make 3 to 4 enchiladas which was perfect for my husband and I. A big salad with the enchiladas was perfect for a healthy, delicious dinner.
I separated the meat from the sauce and then shredded the pork with my fingers. I then placed the sauce in a flat platter so I can dip the tortillas in there to make them soft and pliable. I stuffed the tortillas, placed them in a shallow platter and then topped the whole thing with a mixture of Mexican cheeses- how easy was that!
This method can be used for any kind of leftover. Even if your leftover has no sauce, you can use a jar of your favorite salsa or tomato sauce and bake your enchiladas to perfection.
Dinner was delicious and didn’t look like old, boring leftovers…
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Easy Meatball Lasagna
There is a constant argument in my house about serving red sauce with any pasta meal. While I like red sauce, I like variety more- so I end up experimenting with different kinds of sauces or sometimes no sauce at all. My husband is not too happy when the pasta is served without a sauce.
This dish is a compromise since it has the red and white sauce. I had the leftover meatballs from the previous day and I felt quite adventurous. I sliced the meatballs and sauteed them in a little oil and kept them aside. I wanted to make a lasagna with the left over marinara sauce in the fridge. I didn’t have any ricotta cheese- I decided to substitute a bechamel sauce instead. To give the sauce a little body and texture, I sauteed some onions before adding the all purpose flour and creamy fontina cheese. Fontina cheese is a must ingredient in my fridge. It is mild and nutty and melts really well on anything.
I layered the no-cook lasagna noodles (another ingredient found in my pantry) with the two sauces and the meatballs. I topped it all with some shredded cheese and stuck it in the oven. I was very excited to taste this experiment. I was hoping my daughter and husband will feel the same excitement when they taste it- and they did. They both loved it! I was extremely happy and very proud of myself.
It is easy to come up with ideas for left overs if your pantry and fridge are well-stocked. With lasagnas, sky is the limit- you can add as much or as little- as long as the ingredients are good and fresh.
I served it with a salad and a Merlot.
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Chorizo Rice and Beans
People get very happy when I come up with one-pot meals! This dish came about after I watched a cooking show where the host was making a black bean soup with chorizo. I absolutely love chorizo and am always looking of ways to use it in different recipes. Chorizo reminds me of all the tapas bars we frequented in Barcelona and Madrid. I love the rich taste of garlic and paprika with a little spice in this delicious sausage. I usually buy chicken chorizo- it’s a bit healthier and is hard to tell the taste difference in a dish. We were in Boston for the weekend and stopped at a place called Wilson Farms. Its a wonderful place to buy fresh produce including yummy breads and meats. I saw the most beautiful looking fresh pork chorizo and I had to buy it. I thought of the black bean soup I had seen and decided to make a rice dish with it instead- like a paella but without the rest of the meats and seafood. I decided to use the roasted corn I love so much from Trader Joes and the black beans. It was a very simple dish to put together. I plan to make an avocado salad (recipe to follow) and serve a scrumptious red wine with the rice. My daughter was curious about the smell in the kitchen and decided to try it- another thumbs up from her!! I am looking forward to a very flavorful and delicious dinner.
- 1 pound fresh pork or chicken chorizo sausage, casing removed
- 1 medium onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and ground
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-can15 ounces black beans
- 1 cup frozen roasted corn
- Juice of one lime
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
- Salt to taste
In a blender, add the onion, garlic, cilantro and lemon juice. Blend till smooth. Keep aside.
In a wide frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the chorizo and break it down with a spatula. Saute on a medium high heat till the meat is golden brown. Add the onion mixture and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, paprika and salt. Mix well and add the black beans, roasted corn, limejuice and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the rice. Cook the rice on high heat until bubbles begin to form on the surface- about 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook partially covered for about 5 minutes or till most of the moisture is gone. Place the lid and lower the heat and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Check for seasonings.
Pork Loin with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Sour Cream Herb Sauce & Sauteed Mushrooms with Fresh Thyme
I love idea of making a nice dinner with a meat and two sides- but it is very difficult to do so in the middle of the week. So, I get some help from the super market- I usually get the Pork Loin or a rack of Lamb from Traders Joes. For this dinner, I had the Pork Loin and decided to make sauteed mushrooms and roasted potatoes. I wanted to utilize the dill I had in my fridge and saw a recipe with dill and buttermilk with the roasted potatoes- I also had a packet of fingerling potatoes (if you haven’t tried fingerling potatoes as yet, you really need to – they have a wonderful creamy and nutty flavor). It looked delicious and easy to make- so I put my own spin on it and cooked it- it was in fact delicious. I am thinking of using the dill sauce for other dishes as well- it was creamy but light, earthy yet extremely flavorful. The sauteed mushrooms are my favorite side dish to make. I love mushrooms and so do my daughter and husband. I made life easy and bought pre-sliced mushrooms from the super market- yes I cheated!! I love using thyme with mushrooms- both earthy flavors go really well together. Now, I usually drink a red wine with pork, but somehow I felt like having a white wine- so that’s what we did. It is great to pair the right wine with your meal but at the end of the day- it’s about what you want to drink!
Roasted Pork Loin
- 1 marinated pork loin- store bought and roasted according to directions
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Sour Cream Herb Sauce
- 1 pound fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Preheat oven at 350.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the potatoes. Add the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper; mix well. Cover the potatoes with another sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for another 15 minutes. Take out and mix the minced garlic. Cook for another 6-7 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
Sour Cream and Herb Sauce
- 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl and keep aside. Right before serving, mix the potatoes with the sauce.
Sauteed Mushrooms with Fresh Thyme
- 4 cups sliced Cremini mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat till they are nicely wilted and cooked down, for about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes, check for seasonings.