Cumin Crusted Pork Tacos

Is anyone else guilty of this…You have a shelf full of cookbooks, and yet you always turn to the internet for recipe ideas?  Yeah, me too.

I decided it was time for that to come to an end this week.  I closed my eyes and pointed to a random cookbook and decided I’d make at least two meals from that cookbook this week.  The winning book?  Cooking Light’s Weeknight Meals cookbook.  Awesome!  Tasty, healthy and quick.  I’m all for that!

This recipe is really great.  I made a few tweaks (we made guac earlier today so we put that on the tacos instead of the avocado/onion/cilantro toppings individually and it worked well).  The pork is super-moist and the toppings compliment each other perfectly.

Christopher is very excited that there are lots of leftovers so he can eat them all week while I”m in class (speaking of class – we finish cakes tomorrow – tune in later this week for a wrap-up on the cakes course).

INGREDIENTS
Pork:
2t. Ground cumin
1t. Granulated garlic
1t. Paprika
1/2t. Salt
1/4t. Black pepper
2 (1-pound) Pork tenderloins, trimmed
1T. Olive oil

Salsa:
2C. Frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1C. Cubed peeled avocado
1/2C. Diced red onion
1/3C. Chopped fresh cilantro
2T. Fresh lime juice
1/2t. Salt
2 (15-ounce) cans Black beans, rinsed and drained

Remaining ingredients:
2C. Sour cream (we use Tofutti soy sour cream)
1T. Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
Corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare pork, combine first 5 ingredients.  Rub cumin mixture over pork.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides.  Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°.

Remove pork from oven; let stand 5 minutes.  Cut pork across grain into thin slices.

To prepare salsa, combine corn and next 7 ingredients (through beans).

Combine sour cream and chipotle in a blender; process until smooth.

Wrap tortillas, a few at a time, in a damp paper towel.  Microwave at high 20 seconds.  Place pork onto tortilla, top with salsa and sour cream mixture.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “These are awesome!”

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Traditional Katsudon

I had never heard of Katsudon before Hubs sent me the link below and asked if we could have this for dinner this week.  It sounded delicious, so of course I said sure!

I learned from Wikipedia that katsudon is a popular Japanese food – a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, and condiments.  It has become a modern ritual tradition for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam. This is because “katsu” is a homophone of the verb katsu, meaning “to win” or “to be victorious”.

Now, I don’t need to be victorious tomorrow, but maybe we’ll win something – note to self: buy a PowerBall ticket.  🙂

The dish was delicious, but I would have liked a few changes.  The original recipe has 2.5T. of sugar, I thought it was to sweet, so I cut it down in the recipe below.  The recipe I used also had you adding the pork to the simmering liquid for 5 minutes.  I think it defeated the purpose of having panko on the outside in the first place – it got kinda soggy.  So, I think keeping the pork out of the liquid will be best.

I will definitely be making this again, but with the changes noted below.

Adapted from wellmaxwell.

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless pork chops, pounded thin
2T. Vegetable oil
1 Yellow onion, sliced in long pieces
Dashi broth (2T. bonito flakes and 1T. dried seaweed steeped in 2C. water)
4T. Soy sauce
4T. Mirin
1.5T. Sugar
2C. Spinach
2 Eggs, beaten used at the end
1 Egg, beaten for breading
Panko crumbs
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
With a meat mallet, pound the pork chops until they are about 1/2″ thin (my local grocery had super-thick chops this week, so I bought one and just cut it in half lengthwise).  Season with salt and pepper on each side.

Ready 3 bowls – one for flour, one for egg and one for panko.  Coat each piece in flour, then place it in egg, then move it to the panko and coat well.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat with vegetable oil. Place coated pork into the skillet and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and place on a plate.  Cover with foil to keep warm.

In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil, place bonito flakes and seaweed into the water and let it boil for 5 mins until the flavors have been released. Strain, and save the broth.

Wash out the skillet previously used for the pork.  Add soy sauce, mirin, 1/2-3/4C. dashi broth and sugar. Add onions, cover and cook over medium heat for 5 mins or until the onions are tender.

Remove the lid and place spinach and egg on top of the sauce.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs are done cooking.

Cut the pork chops into slender pieces.

To assemble, place rice in the bottom of your bowl, top with sliced pork and the spinach mixture.  Ladle on extra sauce and enjoy!

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – “I agree with Bella’s thoughts above and think it’ll be much better next time with the changes she made.”

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Momofuku Pork Buns

Hi Everyone.  Christopher here again – and you know what that means!  Another Momofuku recipe!

These pork buns were one of the reasons I bought this cookbook in the first place and really couldn’t wait to make them!  They definitely lived up to my expectations!  The buns were warm and fluffy, the pork had a wonderfully crunchy coating with the delicious, juicy pork belly inside and the quick pickles added a great crunch and some acidity to the buns.

Make these today!

INGREDIENTS
For the buns
1T. plus 1t. Active dry yeast
1 1/2C. Water (about 110 degrees)
4 1/4C. Bread flour
6T. Sugar
3T. Nonfat dry milk powder
1T. Kosher salt
Rounded 1/2t. Baking powder
1/2t. Baking soda
1/3C. Rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening at room temperature

For the pork
1 3lb. Slab skinless pork belly
1/4C. Kosher salt
1/4C. Sugar

For the quick-pickled cucumbers
2 Kirby cucumbers, cut into 1/8″ disks
1T. Sugar
1T. Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
To make the buns
Combine yeast and water in bowl of stand mixer outfitted with the dough hook.  Add flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and fat.  Mix on lowest speed for 8-10 minutes.  Put dough ball into a well-oiled bowl and place in a warm place to rise – about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Punch dough down (lightly) and turn out onto work surface.  Divide dough in half.  Then divide each half into 5 pieces.  Gently roll the pieces into logs and cut each log into 5 pieces – making 50 pieces total.  Roll each piece into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 30 minutes.

Cut out fifty 4-inch squares of parchment paper.

Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand and use a rolling pin to roll it into a 4-inch oval.  Lay a greased chopstick across the middle and fold over.  Pull out the chopstick and place bun on a square of parchment.  Finish all 50 buns, re-cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest 30-45 minutes.

Steam buns, a few at a time for 10 minutes each batch.  Allow to cool slightly before using.  Or, cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months.

To make the pork
Mix together salt and sugar and coat all sides of pork belly in a 9×13 baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours (but no longer than 24).

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Discard any liquid that has accumulated in the dish.  Place belly in oven , fat side up, for 1 hour, basting halfway through.

Turn oven down to 250 degrees and cook another 1hr 15 minutes.  Rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

To make the quick-pickled cucumbers
Combine the cucumbers with the sugar and salt in a small bowl.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Taste.  If the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them into a colander, rinse off, dry then taste again.  Add more sugar or salt as needed.  Serve or refrigerate up to 4 hours.  (Ours were too sweet, so we added a bit of salt.  That was perfect.)

Wife Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “Holy yum Batman!”

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Char Siu Pork

I’ve come to a tough conclusion – I do not like hoisin sauce.  I know…it’s so sad!  I’ve tried it a few separate times and each time I just don’t love the flavor.

I debated whether or not to post this, but since Christopher really enjoyed the dish, I decided to go ahead and post.  Just because I’m strange and don’t like it doesn’t mean that others won’t love it.

I found this recipe on Cate’s World Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
2lbs. Pork butt or loin

4t. Soy sauce

1/3C. Honey

1/4t. Salt

4t. Oyster sauce

1T. Chinese rice wine

4t. Hoisin sauce

1/8t. Ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cut the pork into slices about 1/2″ to 1″ thick. Prick all over both sides with a fork.

Line a roasting pan with foil.  Place the pork in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour over the meat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 2 to 4 hours.

Heat the oven to 450 F.  Place the roasting pan on a rack in the middle and roast for about 25 minutes (turning and basting every 5 to 6 minutes). If the sauce dries out, add some boiling water to the pan.

Remove from the pan to cool slightly.  Serve over rice.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “A touch too sweet, but I love pork!”

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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions

This week pork tenderloins were on sale at our local grocery store.  Score!  I had some bacon in the house that I needed to use up – that’s where this dish was born.

This pork was wonderful and so easy!  And…let’s face it…everything is better with bacon.  We are absolutely going to be making this again soon.

INGREDIENTS
1 1lb. Pork Tenderloin
6 Strips of Bacon
Black Pepper
Granulated Garlic

DIRECTIONS
Slice pork tenderloin into medallions approximately 1.5″ thick.

Wrap each medallion with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Sprinkle each piece with fresh cracked black pepper and granulated garlic.

Grill until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.  Rest 5 minutes and serve.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – Very good, wish the bacon was crispier.

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A Housewarming Party! Crock Pot Pulled Pork & Italian Pasta Salad

Today we hosted a housewarming party.  All of our family and friends came over to see our new house.  It was so much fun!

On the menu was crock pot pulled pork sandwiches, Italian pasta salad, green salad, watermelon slices, brownies, orange cream cake and banana nut cake.  We had SO much food!  Everything was delicious.  Below are the pulled pork and pasta salad recipes.  The pasta salad is my own creation, the pork was inspired by the Beantown Baker – with a few tweaks of my own.

– –

Crock pot Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS:
1 6-8lb. Pork Shoulder

Spice Rub:
2T. Ground Black Pepper
2t. Cayenne Pepper
2T. Chili Powder
1T. Hot Mexican Chili Powder
2T. Ground Cumin
2T. Brown Sugar
1T. Dried Italian Seasoning
4T. Paprika
1 T. Sea Salt
1T. Garlic Salt
1T. Table Sugar
1/4C Water
Barbecue sauce (amount will vary depending on how ‘wet’ you like your pulled pork)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all spices in a large Pyrex dish.  Add pork to the dish and roll around to coat, making sure to coat all sides.

Cover with saran wrap and let sit overnight (or longer if you like).

Add pork and 1/4C. water to the crock pot and set to low.  Cook 10-12 hours.

Remove all liquid and shred pork with 2 forks.

Add BBQ sauce to the shredded pork until it is as wet as you’d like it – I probably used about 2-3C.

Serve on buns of your choice.

– –

Italian Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2lbs. Tri-Color Rotini Pasta
1 Bottle, Italian Dressing
Raw veggies of your choice (I used broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, yellow peppers, carrots and red onion)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

Cut veggies and add to pasta in a large bowl.

Cover with dressing (I used about 3/4 bottle) and set in the fridge.  Of course you can eat this right away, but it is better if it sets overnight.

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Pork Shoulder Pernil with Cilantro-Citrus Adobo

Tyler Florence is one of my favorite Food Network chefs.  I’ve never made a recipe of his that I didn’t like.  Here’s another one to add to the list.  This pork recipe is fabulous!  Crispy skin, super tender meat and great flavor.  Definitely not a weeknight meal, but excellent for a weekend or a special family gathering.  YUM!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Boneless Pork Shoulder (about 4 pounds), skin on
4 Garlic Cloves, smashed
1 Handful Fresh Oregano
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro (plus chopped cilantro, for garnish)
1t Ground Cumin
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Limes, juiced, plus wedges for serving
2 Oranges, juiced
1C  Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:
Place the pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack insert, and using a sharp knife, score the surface of the meat with small slits.

Prepare the adobo: In a food processor, add the garlic, oregano, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Add lime juice and orange juice.  Drizzle in olive oil and pulse until you have a nice puree.

Rub the marinade all over the pork, being sure to get into the incisions so the salt can penetrate the meat and pull out the moisture – this will help form a crust on the outside when cooked.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Roast the pork for 3 hours, uncovered, until the skin is crispy-brown.

Let the meat rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing, covered lightly with aluminum foil.

Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with cilantro.

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Garlic Lemon Pork Loin

I had a pork loin laying around the house that I needed to use.  I knew I wanted it garlicky, so I Googled “Garlic Pork” and found this recipe here.  My pork loin was only 1lb, so I cut all the ingredients in half.  YUM!  This was delish!  We’ll definitely be making it again soon.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lb Pork Loin roast
1 Head of garlic, pressed (I used 5 cloves)
1T. Kosher salt
1t. Freshly ground black pepper
2t. Chopped rosemary (I didn’t have any so I used parsley)
2 Lemons, juiced
4T. Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the pork loin and marinade at least 4 hours (or overnight) in a large Ziploc bag.

When ready, place roast and marinade in an oven safe dish and bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 155 (our 1lb loin was ready in 45 minutes).

When done, remove the roast from the pan and let rest 5 minutes.

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Chicken Fried Ribs

Yet another great find from this month’s Gourmet Magazine.  These ribs are super-crispy, not at all greasy and stay moist and juicy on the inside.  I definitely recommend giving this one a try!  (We didn’t make the mustard sauce, but I’m going to include it anyway).

INGREDIENTS
For ribs
About 6 cups vegetable oil
2 racks baby back ribs (about 1 lb each), cut into ribs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

For mustard sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Kirby cucumber, coarsely grated
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 200 degrees (to keep ribs warm while cooking in batches)

Heat 3/4 inch oil to 325°F in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

Meanwhile, season ribs with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Put flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dredge ribs in flour, then coat with egg, letting excess drip off, and panko.

Fry ribs in batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer first batch to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. (Return oil to 325°F between batches.)

Make sauce while ribs fry:  Stir together sauce ingredients. Serve ribs with sauce.

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Pork and Chive Dumplings

While searching through this month’s Gourmet Magazine, my husband came across this recipe for dumplings.  It looked so good that we just had to try it.  So, after a trip to our local Asian food market we whipped these up.  They were really tasty!  I might cut back on the ginger next time.  Other than that, they were perfect!

 

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound fatty ground pork
1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese chile-garlic sauce (preferably Huy Fong brand)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of white pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems
3 tablespoons finely chopped flowering chives, flat Chinese chives (garlic chives), or scallions
24 to 30 round dumpling wrappers (preferably with egg)

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients (except cilantro stems, chives, and wrappers) in a large bowl, then stir in cilantro stems and chives. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice to keep chilled while forming dumplings.

Place a slightly rounded teaspoon of filling in center of a wrapper and moisten area around filling with water. Fold in half to form a crescent and press to seal. Moisten one corner and bring corners together, pressing them, to form a tortellini-shaped dumpling. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Cook dumplings in a large pot of gently simmering water until pork is just cooked, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a platter.

  Finished -on draining rack.
These are good in soup, or alone with soy.

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