Pork Fried Rice

Week 7 of my CSA came with a great bonus - eggs and pork! For the last several weeks, my CSA has been sold out of their eggs. This week I was able to get two dozen eggs from free range, organically fed, Montessori educated chickens. They are a thing of beauty.

The other great bonus is a local farmer will now offer pork, poultry and goat products (soap, lotion, cheese) every week at our CSA pickup. This week, I picked up some goat cheese, pork ribs and pork chops.

It is so nice to see all the produce and now have options for meat so I can go home and just throw a meal together, like this one:

I used the carrots, bok choy, pork, onion, garlic and eggs in this dish and it was yummy. So yummy I was mad there was only enough left overs for one day and that went to The Good Husband.

I used brown rice in this dish, hence the reason the photo is so brown. I also need to start making and freezing bags of rice since brown rice takes so long to cook. We would have been able to eat a whole lot sooner, if I had premade rice.

Another tip with making stir fry is to have all the ingredients chopped, measured and ready to go since the cooking time is so fast. There is no time to cut the carrots while the pork cooks. So have everything ready to go and just dump in the wok.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound pork chops, cubed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2-3 small carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 heads baby bok choy, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
~Heat half the oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly and stir-fry onion and ginger for 30 seconds. Add carrots and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add bok choy and peas and cook for another few minutes. Add the cooked rice and cook until heated through.

~Make a well in the center of the wok and add the rest of the oil. Add the beaten eggs and stir until eggs are scrambled. Once the eggs are cooked, stir to combine them in the rest of the dish.

recipe modified from this one

BBQ Pork and Coleslaw

This is another recipe The Good Husband saw and wanted to try. So far he has been pretty good about picking out winners.

We had this right after Halloween, when the weather was just started to hint at the coming winter and we were longing for something that reminded us of warmer days.

This dish was both easy and tasty. The BBQ pulled pork was easy enough to make. It was the coleslaw that really made this dish. I failed making coleslaw before, so this was a huge improvement.

I normally don't like my foods to touch, so I was also shocked at how much I liked it considering I would never allow my coleslaw to touch my sandwich on my plate normally.

I did modify the original recipe as well. The original called for BBQ chicken, but we had pork chops in the fridge that needed to be used. I also didn't make them "sliders" since 1.) I hate how the term is used too often and incorrectly in the food world and 2.) I like the big kaiser buns.

Ingredients:
Slaw
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice (from a jar of pickles)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) package shredded cole slaw mix

Pork
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 cups roughly shredded pork
Kaiser buns

Instructions:
~For coleslaw, whisk all ingredients together, except coleslaw mix, in a large bowl. Add coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

~For shredded pork, cook pork in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or until fork tender. Shred. Combine barbecue sauce, vinegar and pork and stir to combine.

~To serve, place pork on bun bottoms, spoon coleslaw on top, top with remaining bun and serve.

recipe modified from: Relish Magazine

Surf N Turf Meatballs

I was cruising through my cookbooks before heading out to the store last weekend and I ran across this Rachel Ray recipe. I had made it before and it was pretty good, so I thought I would give it another go. The recipe called for lime and cilantro so I quickly found 3 other recipes that used on or the other or both (posts to follow).

I will add that a funny thing I am noticing about pregnancy now is that my taste buds are kind of on the fritz right. I remembered these being really good the first time I made them. I liked the balance between the crab (I used imitation because I am both cheap and lazy) and the pork and there is a strong Asian flavor in the sauce and meatball itself. The soy in the meatball also creates a sort of caramelized crust on the outside.

This time something seemed....off. I know it wasn't the recipe or the ingredients so I will blame it on the pregnancy hormones and say that this is a great recipe otherwise.

I will note however, that just a meatball and sauce got a little old after a while. I think the next time I make this, I will use the meat mixture as the base of a dumpling.
Ingredients:
4 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped, divided
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup tamari, plus 3 tablespoons, dark soy, I used regular soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, a big handful
2 limes, zest and juice
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails removed, I used imitation crab meat
1 pound ground pork
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons water

Directions:
~In the bowl of a food processor combine the scallions, half of the ginger – grated or minced, half of the chopped chile pepper, garlic, 3 tablespoons tamari, cilantro and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl and then continue to process 1 minute or until finely ground. Add the shrimp and pork, process until the shrimp are ground into small pieces and the mixture is well combined but not so fine that it becomes a paste, about 1 minute. Roll the shrimp and pork mixture into to 24 balls, about the size of a large walnut. If you dip your hands in water before rolling the mixture the rolling goes a little easier.

~Preheat a large nonstick skillet with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the balls and don't move them until they are brown on 1 side, about 2 minutes. Turn the balls and continue to cook, browning on all sides until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

~While the balls are cooking make the spicy lime dipping sauce: in a bowl combine the remaining ginger, chili pepper, 1/2 cup tamari, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, honey and 3 tablespoons (a splash) of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if you find it to be too salty, add another drizzle of honey.

~Platter the shrimp and pork balls with a bowl of the spicy lime dipping sauce and toothpicks.

recipe by: Rachel Ray

BBQ Pork Steaks

Nothing says winter like BBQ?

While not the first thing you think of when you think of winter, I was getting a little bored with our same old routine of beef steak and 'taters. The local meat market had some beautiful pork steaks on sale for cheap and I decided the best way to serve them was to coat them in a spice rub and then slather them in BBQ.

Now, I am not from the South or Texas and while I have been to both St. Louis and Kansas, I am not sure if this would be considered "real" BBQ by true fans. I didn't cook it on a smoker and it didn't take hours to prepare but for a Good Wife in a Midwest kitchen, this is the kind of BBQ I create.

The Good Wife Spice Rub
Ingredients:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 large pork steaks
1-2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce, I used KC Masterpiece Mesquite BBQ

Directions:
~Combine the first ten ingredients for the spice rub and generously coat the pork steaks on all sides.

~Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the pork steaks for 20 minutes, turning once.

~Remove the steaks and coat with the BBQ sauce. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Bacon and Roasted Potatoes (Meat and 'Taters)

I get a little tired of having beef steaks all the time and pork tenderloin is a nice break from the ordinary. We used to buy pork tenderloin medallions already seasoned from a local butcher, but we haven't been in a while and I saw some tenderloin on sale at the store and thought it would be great for dinner.Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions

Directions
4 pork tenderloin medallions, about 1 inch thick
4 pieces of bacon, I used thick cut apple wood smoked bacon
1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning, I use Riley's All Purpose Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Instructions
~Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

~Wrap the tenderloins with the bacon and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle one side of the medallions with salt, pepper and the all purpose seasoning.

~Heat a 10 inch skillet (I use cast iron) on medium high heat until hot and it starts to smoke lightly.

~Add one tablespoon of oil (I use canola) to the pan and add the medallions, seasoned side down. Once the medallions are in the pan, take the time to season the other side. Sear each side of the medallions for 1 to 2 minutes.

~Transfer the skillet to the oven and finish cooking for 20 minutes or until the juices run clear or a meat thermometer registers 140.

~Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.



Roasted Potatoes

Directions
4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
Olive and canola oil
1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning, I use Riley's All Purpose Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Instructions
~Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

~ Wash and scrub the potatoes, removing any eyes. Cube.

~In a medium mixing bowl, combine canola oil (a little over 1/4 cup) with a splash of olive oil. Add the seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

~Spread the potatoes out on to a cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes, turning once about halfway through cooking.

recipe by: The Good Wife