Category Archives: Pork

Apple Cider Pork Chops (with Honeycrisp-Thyme Compote and Pumpkin Alfredo)

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“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”  George Eliot

It’s no secret that for me, it isn’t the right time of year until the leaves beneath my shoes crunch and I’ve made the transition from iced to hot coffee. There is something peaceful for me when I look around and see the vibrant colors of changing leaves and the scent of changing air perfumes every breath. Give me hoodie weather, and I’m the nicest person you’ll ever meet.

There are times I’m glad no one besides my fiance and my daughter are around to see how these food ideas come to fruition. What started as a great idea to brine a pork chop in apple cider, quickly spiraled out of control with making this Autumn on a plate. I wanted to take the very best things about the season and make them friends at the table.  For me, it’s all about pumpkin – put that word in front of anything and I’m liable to try just about anything. My mother and Alora don’t consider it fall until Honeycrisp Apples have hit the scene.

I don’t know anyone with a grudge against this time of year, but I bet your ass that if you know one, this dish will turn them around.

Together it seems like a lot to make for one meal but you can space it out. I did it all on a  lazy Sunday where I had nothing more to do than watch Netflix.

Honeycrisp Apple and Thyme Compote

  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Heavy pinch of salt and pepper
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved completely. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring every once in a while  until the onions and apple are tender. This was about 15 minutes for me.  Remove from heat and taste for seasonings.
Note: The mixture will thicken up even more as it cools.

 

Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 2 Tablespoons of water
  • 1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese
  • salt and black pepper

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Dump in the cream, pumpkin and water, whisking to combine. Stir in the nutmeg. Add the cheese a little at a time, whisking between additions. This helps things from getting gritty.

Taste and determine how much salt and pepper you need. Adjust as needed.

Apple Cider Brined Pork Chops

  • 2 Cups apple cider
  • 2 Cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig of fresh oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 1/2 lbs. boneless pork chops (Note: This was four chops for us. They were friggin’ huge! If yours are smaller, I’d cut the brine time as deemed necessary.)

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the pork chops. Heat over medium heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely. I recommend doing this in the refrigerator so it’s really cold.

Never ever put meat in a hot brine. It will start to cook the meat and that is just gross.

When the brine is cool, submerge the pork chops, put in the refrigerator and allow to sit for 12-24 hours.

To cook the pork chops, remove from the brine, rinse under cold water and pat dry. In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat.  When it is shimmering, sear the pork on all sides (about 2 minutes per side). Remove to a plate. They aren’t done yet. Add in a couple splashes of water or more apple cider to losen all the brown bits in the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium. Put the pork chops back in the skillet, cover with a lid and allow to continue cooking until the internal temperature of the chops is to your liking.

This is one of those instances where I’m not going to tell you what is right or wrong in regards to temperature. People get far too testy over things like this. Do your own independent research and do what tickles your pickle. Although please remember two things: once you remove meat from heat, it will continue to cook anywhere from five to ten degrees more and also,  since we brined these bad boys, they’re going to cook quicker than they will if we hadn’t brined them. 

To Serve:

This is up to you, hot pants. You can serve the Pumpkin Alfredo sauce as a topping or as the base of your dish. You can treat the compote like a topping or a condiment. Regardless, you will not be disappointed.

Happy Yay Summer is Over!

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Pork Burgers with Polish Toppings and Applesauce Mustard

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(pictured here with little bags of mini-pierogies in lieu of french fries)

Food inspires me. I assume it is much like an artist who sees flowers in full bloom and immediately needs to paint; or a musician who can find a song in the morning chirps of early rising birds.

It is never just an easy task to go to the market. Multi-colored heirloom tomatoes, cheeses of every color and texture, loaves of artesenal bread – all begging for a place in my belly and my brain explodes with ideas.

When you look at this picture, what do you see?

If you’re normal you probably see some chopped kielbasa, green peppers, and onions. Me? What did I see? I saw a burger. I saw this clear as day in my head:

I needed to make it happen.

I knew I wanted to give a nod to the traditional meal of sausage and sauerkraut (except without sauerkraut because sauerkraut is made from the intestines of Satan himself) but with a little tinkering.

My first thought was grinding kielbasa up - but my friend Dave from The Twitter made me reconsider the possible final texture of the burger. So I made these with ground pork, using similar seasonings found in sausage, but toned down to let the toppings shine.

Chopping kielbasa and vegetables for a paella led to this. While some wonderful people are out making a difference in the world, I’m sketching a burger that gives me an excuse to eat pierogies like french fries. Sigh.

Since this does have a few elements, feel free to make the toppings the night before, reheating before topping. You can also keep the applesauce mustard in the refrigerator until assembling the burgers.

For the Most Complicated Difficult Spread You’ve Ever Made for a Burger:

  • 1/4 cup of grainy mustard
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons of applesauce

Mix the mustard and applesauce together and set aside until ready to use. Wipe your brow and collapse in exhaustion.

Toppings:

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 Tablespoon bacon fat
  • 4 cups shredded red cabbage
  • 3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • salt and pepper

In a large pan, melt the butter and bacon fat together. Add in the cabbage and toss with the fat to coat evenly. Cook over low heat for 8 minutes stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt gently. Measure out the vinegars and dump in the pan, along with the sugar, tossing to coat.

Allow the cabbage to simmer on the stove over low heat for about half an hour until soft. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, also readjusting your sugar and vinegar if necessary.

If storing over night, place in a storage container until ready to reheat. Otherwise, keep the cabbage in the pan for topping the burgers, heating through if needed before using.

Beer Buttered Caramelized Onions and Green Peppers:

  • 1 Tablespoon of butter
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large yellow or white onions, sliced thinly
  • 1 small green pepper, sliced very thinly
  • 1/4 cup of German beer (I used Dunkel)

While cooking the cabbage, melt the butter into the olive oil in a separate pan over medium low heat. Add the onions and peppers, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and caramelized, which will take about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat up to medium and add the beer and cook until the beer has reduced and mostly evaporated.

If storing over night, place in a storage container until ready to reheat. Otherwise, keep the onions in the pan for topping the burgers, heating through if needed before using.

For the Pork Burgers:

  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 Tablespoon apple sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worchestire Sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Few drops of hot sauce (optional)
  • Few drops of liquid smoke (optional – but delicious as I do not have a smoker)
  • Cheese for serving if desired (and it was)
  • 4 twister rolls/pretzel rolls/burger buns

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands. Do not over mix or the burgers will be tough. Form the meat into four patties, not too thick.

I also did a mini test patty in my skillet just to test the flavors before cooking all of the patties.

Because it is so hot, I did these indoors in a skillet over-medium high heat. Feel free to use your grill! Cook them for 6-8 minutes per side until they were no longer pink inside. Right before the patties are done top them with cheese, if using, and cover the pan with a lid to gently melt the cheese.

To Serve:

Put a schmear of your applesauce mustard on each side of the bun. Top with your burger pattie, top with the onions and peppers, then the sweet and sour cabbage. Top with the other end of the bun and dive head first into glory.

 




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Posole!

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To be honest, once I learned to cook, I have been in silent competition with my mother. Growing up, she was the best I knew; everyone always wanted her to bring stuff to parties and whatever she made was the first to go. My mom can make a garden salad taste like heaven – how, I have no idea.

Once I had a little family of my own and I fully grasped the concept of a whisk, a wooden spoon and a spatula - it was on.  I moved last year and now have the luxury of her being about 6 blocks away. This has made it very convenient for the both us to innocently drop by plates to eachother. “Here, try this.” Isn’t that sweet, you know, mother and daughter having each other taste their hand-crafted noms? Pfffft, like there’s no hidden agenda.

I recently just discovered these photos of my one-up-ya move a few months back. Mama had called me and said she was trying to recreate the recipe to the Posole recipe at one of our local Mexican restaurants but it just wasn’t working. She gave me the jist – and I ran with it.

Posole is a hearty soup with pork, hominy and a metric ton of delicious flavor, and yet so simple to make. Then you get to customize each bowl with a plethora of toppings. This is not a traditional recipe.  Not to mention I use my *gulp* crock pot. (If you didn’t know that crock pots cause me great anxiety, they do. Unattended electronics, nothankyouverymuch.)

Grab yo’ crock pot party people! Serve to children with unbrushed hair!

By the way, this makes about 6 servings. If that’s a little much, don’t worry – the leftovers are even better.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 lb pork roast
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups hominy
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

For Toppings (try a few, or try them all!)

  • Sliced radishes
  • Lime Wedges
  • Cilantro
  • Shredded lettuce or cabbage
  • Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Chopped Corn Tortillas
  • Diced onion
  • Pico de Gallo

In your slow cooker, place the roast inside, and cover with broth and water.  Toss the hominy, onion, garlic, and spices inside. Do not add the cilantro. Sprinkle everything with a little salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours.

When the 8 hours has passed, shred the pork with two forks inside the slow cooker. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.

The next time I make this, I might try to stir in some masa, or take a cup or two of soup out and blend it to thicken it up for winter.

Have a favorite Posole recipe? Send it on over!

Posole

Wishing you warmth in these cold months!

Adryon




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