What's for dinner ?

[HD MM]

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin:

To start, I sliced a few garlic cloves into very thin pieces. (Similar to how Paulie in Goodfella's slices garlic.)[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oOmaVW9ekA"]Paulie slicing Garlic[/ame]

I then made slits with a knife in various locations of the meat and stuffed the garlic slices into the slits.

For the rub:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Take the wet rub and slather it on all sides of the meat.

Bake at 400°F until you reach an internal temperture of 150°F and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing, so the juices redistribute throughout the meat.

I forgot to take pictures of the finished product, but here is a photo of the pork before I put it in the oven....

 

[dfergie]

Porterhouse and a Baked Potato
Marinated the Porterhouse in a mix of Coor's Beer and Apple Cider Vinegar(more beer than vinegar) with my Rub poured generously into a quart sized baggie... steak was frozen so marinated till thawed...(3 hours or so)... Good stuff

 

[vampz26]

Porterhouse and a Baked Potato
Marinated the Porterhouse in a mix of Coor's Beer and Apple Cider Vinegar(more beer than vinegar) with my Rub poured generously into a quart sized baggie... steak was frozen so marinated till thawed...(3 hours or so)... Good stuff

I do like the 'beer steak'...I've done the same thing using just MGD and lemon pepper and salt. (sometimes throwing the occasional chile in the mix if I have a fresh one handy... )

Corned Beef on Saturday...as posted elsewhere...

This morning we carved our pumpkins for halloween. Toasted the seeds with garlic salt. And with the meat we scraped out of the pumpkin made a delicious French Pumpkin Soup, and 'Autumn Apple Pork Chops'.

Autumn Apple Chops

4 whole pork loin chops 3/4-inch think
1/2 sliced onion
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons butter

Season flour with a little salt and pepper; lightly flour pork chops and brown on on one side in butter in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Turn chops; stir in onion and apple juice; bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Thats the recipe as published, however I found myself cooking the pork chops twice as long than recommended here, just to get them done right. But I do recommend trying it. Its simple enough and very flavorful. Kids will like it too...

As for the pumpkin soup...its called 'Potage au Potiron', and I got the recipe from a book called 'twelve monthes of monastary soups'...

6 cups Water (more if necessary)
4 cups Pumpkin, peeled and cubed
2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Carrots, large thinly sliced
2 Onions, thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch Tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 quart Milk
1/3 cup Vegetable oil
½ cup Parsley, finely chopped

Pour the 6 cups of water into a large pot. Add the pumpkin with the potatoes and the carrot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, minced garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper and continue boiling for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for another 20 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender and then pour it back into the pot. Add the milk and the oil, stirring well, and over low heat bring the soup to a boil again. Simmer for about 10 minutes and serve immediately in well-heated soup bowls, garnishing each with a pinch of parsley. 6-8 servings

But based on experience, don't even think of transfering this much soup from pot to blender then back to pot. Its messy and just not worth the effort. (do the math, that almost a half gallon there BEFORE adding the milk!) I own an immersion blender...

Breville Cordless Immersion Blender | Williams-Sonoma

So that makes the task much simpler...it you like preparing soups, its a decent product to have...

 

[jrp]

Microwave popcorn and a bottle of Climbing Shiraz.

 

[jrp]

Birthday dinner of whole wheat spaghetti, ground venison browned with the sauce (store bought, unfortunately), and a bottle of Monmousseau, a Loire Valley crément.

 

[dfergie]

Lean Hamburger meat browned with mushroom slices and add mushroom soup then heat and server over wheat bread...

 

[dfergie]

Lunch...
4.5 lb roast
1 -14.5 oz. Can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 - 7 oz. Can Chunky Mushrooms
sprinkled my rub over roast, poured tomatoes over and added mushrooms... sprinkled Onion flakes over that and put in the small Crock Pot late last night... turned off a 9 am and put in fridge... just had some (sweet taste and good!)

 

[HD MM]

Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin With Caramelized Apples

This is another great dish to be served during the fall season.

Ingredients

• 2 (1/2-pound) pork tenderloins
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 medium Granny Smith apples, each peeled and cut into 16 wedges (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.
Trim fat from pork. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Combine mustard, 2 tablespoons syrup, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; brush over pork. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of pork. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

While pork is baking, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add apples, and saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Reduce heat to low, and add 4 tablespoons maple syrup. Simmer 10 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Cut pork crosswise into slices; spoon cooked apples over pork.

 

[HD MM]

HD MM's Lasagna Supremeo


Ingredients:

• Lasagna uncooked noodles
• Roll of Bob Evans Italian Sausage
• Ricotta
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Marinara sauce (homemade)
• Mural of Flavor seasoning from Penzys Spices

Directions:

• Start by cooking noodles until al dente. (Follow instructions on box)
• Brown the sausage, drain and set aside.
• In the desired lasagna pan, spread some marinara on the bottom so the noodles don't stick.
• Once the noodles are done, make a layer of noodles in the pan.
• Spread a layer of ricotta, sauce, sausage, mozzarella and season with the mural of flavor.
• Repeat above step until you create layers all the way to the top.
• On the last layer, I like to use the parmigiano-reggiano instead of the ricotta.
• Make sure to press down on each complete layer to ensure an even cook. This will also ensure the sliced finished pieces will hold together better.
• Cover with foil and cook at 350°F for apx. 1 hour. Uncover for an additional 15 minutes or until the top layer of cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling in the middle.
• Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

See attached photos. I included 1 after each step and 1 for the final product before baking. I forgot to take a picture of the finshed cooked lazagna as I was too hungry after taking it out of the oven! :

 

[dfergie]

Chicken Wings... (too windy to smoke them)

5 lbs. Chicken Wings
1 individual package Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
1 " " of Apple Oatmeal
1 " " of Cinnamon Oatmeal
Flour
My Rub
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Mixed the above and am frying the wings in peanut oil...

 

[dfergie]

Wow...Crusty and sweet but good... next time I chicken fry steak will modify this recipe for it...

 

[dfergie]

Actually lunch and cooking now...
Green Chile Enchiladas:
1 - lb Lean Hamburger meat
2 - Hatch Green Chiles
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 - 7 oz can Herdez Salsa Verde (Hot)
1 - 7 oz can Mushroom Chunks
1 - 10.5 oz can Mushroom Soup
Corn Tortillas

Brown Hamburger meat with Mushrooms,
Bring Mushroom soup and Salsa Verde to a simmer and put tortillas in 1 at a time to heat, then place 1 in a pie pan top with meat and spoon Mushroom soup, Salsa mix over, add another tortilla and add meat and top with cheese. Pour more of the sauce mix over and place pie pan in pre-heated oven until cheese is melted...
Serves 2 or 3...

 

[dfergie]

Leftover Fried Chicken (frozen originally for work)
10.6 oz can Mushroom Soup
7 oz can Chunky Mushrooms
Put Chicken in Crockpot, cover with Mushrooms and Mushroom Soup... cover and heat on low until bubbling...
Works good with Chicken Fried Steak also...

 

[HD MM]

Shrimp & Andouille Gumbo

With fall in full bloom and the winter season lurking, I wanted to make a nice warm dish this Sunday that sticks to your bones. I had shrimp and a pack of spicy andouille sausages frozen, so I figured a Gumbo would be the perfect way to use them up. The only think I needed was File Powder to finish it off. Luckily, we have a Penzys Spices store right down the street from us. They always seem to have the uncommon spices that I can't seem to find at the local stores.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces vegetable oil
• 4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds raw, whole, head-on medium-sized (30-50) shrimp
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and browned
• 1 tablespoon file powder (powdered sassafras leaves)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
• While the roux is baking, de-head, peel and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and set in the refrigerator. Place the heads and shells in a 4-quart saucepan along with the 2 quarts of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced to 1-quart. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a container, discarding the solids.
• Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Gradually add the shrimp broth while whisking continually. Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and sausage and stir to combine. Add the file powder while stirring constantly. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over rice.

Thoughts

First off, I'm not from the South and making a Gumbo in Cleveland, Ohio is the equivalent of a southerner trying to perfect a fine Italian dish. But, God damn, this Gumbo turned out well! Especially for the first time ever making. The Gumbo contained the perfect balance of heat from the spicy sausages and cayenne mixed with the perfect balance of seafood flavor from the shrimp and homemade shrimp stock. Making a roux in the oven was also a first. Although a little hesitant, it worked out well.

In summary, this recipe is super easy to make and doesn't take much effort at all. I will definitely be adding this to one of my favorites and plan on making it again.


This post would be useless without pictures:

 

[stimpson]

Now that looks awsome. I'm printing this one out.

 

[vampz26]

Left over beef brisket from the game yesterday...picked up some bakery buns and am thinking about having myself a sandwich.

 

[vampz26]

A light dinner for me today...

Krakus polish ham right from the deli, domestic swiss, and fresh romaine lettuce wrapped in a flour tortilla with a little ranch dressing...

(yes, the wife got a little concerned about my cholesterol after eating so much of that beef brisket!)

 

[Rey]

that looks great HD MM!

 

[vampz26]

that looks great HD MM!

You know...I think HD MM's skill in photography is about equal to his skill as a chef!

About three times now I attempted to document my creations in images and for some reason...well...

I'll talk the wife into taking the pic next time...

 

[HD MM]

Thanks for the compliments guys!