by Kathy Douglas | Mar 31, 2020 | Entrees
Sous vide makes this pork chop dinner so easy, plus brining makes the pork extra juicy and searing after sous vide gives the pork an extra tasty exterior. We served it with some easy oven-roasted potatoes and kale. The mushroom sauce comes together quickly while the pork cooks.
Brine
INGREDIENTS
Pork rib chops, 4 chops, 1-1/2 inches thick each
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, crushed
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the brining solution by dissolving the kosher salt and sugar in 1 quart of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour into a food-safe storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 cups ice to cool. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, then put the chops into the cooled brine, cover, and refrigerate 4 hours or up to overnight. When ready to cook, remove the chops from the brine and discard the brining liquid. Rinse the chops in cold water. Pat dry.
Sous Vide Pork Chops
INSTRUCTIONS
Brined bone-in pork rib chops
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil, plus more for the Sous vide bags
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
INGREDIENTS
Preheat a sous vide immersion circulator to 140 degrees. Place the chops in sous vide bags and drizzle each with olive oil. Seal bags and place in the water bath for one hour.
To Finish: Remove pork from the water bath bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Heat a large heavy cast iron or sauté pan until very hot over high heat. Add grapeseed oil and butter then, working in batches, lay the pork chops in the skillet in a single layer, pressing down with a set of tongs. Cook until the crust is deep brown and very crisp, about 45 seconds.
Flip pork chops, add 1 tablespoon butter, along with garlic, and shallots. Spoon butter over pork chops as they cook. Continue cooking until the second side is browned, about 45 seconds longer. Serve with the mushroom sauce.
Mushroom Cream Sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated fontina
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large skillet oven over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned about 5-6 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated.
Add the heavy cream, thyme, and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in fontina until melted. Serve with the pork chops topped with fresh parsley.
Oven Roasted Potatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
1 tablespoon sage leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss together the sage, zest, and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and butter and season with pepper. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the salt mixture, adding enough to taste. Serve immediately.
by Kathy Douglas | Mar 16, 2020 | Entrees
Whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day or you just want a comforting dish – these easy cabbage rolls are the perfect choice. Savoy cabbage leaves stuffed with seasoned beef, pork, & rice and baked with a delicious sauerkraut mixture topped with tomatoes.
INGREDIENTS
Coarse salt
1 large head Savoy cabbage, about 2 to 3 pounds
2 cups prepared sauerkraut, drained
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
12 ounces ground beef
12 ounces ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup diced, canned tomatoes, drained
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage head, and cook until outer leaves are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel outer layer of leaves, and drain. Return remaining cabbage to water, and repeat until all leaves are cooked and removed. Pat each leaf dry with paper towels. Select a dozen of the largest light-green leaves and set aside. Chop the remaining leaves and combine with the sauerkraut and brown sugar. Add to the bottom of a large shallow baking dish.
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Combine the beef, pork, rice, onion, garlic and parsley, with 1 tablespoon salt. Working with 1 leaf at a time, trim the thick part of rib with a paring knife, leaving leaf intact. Arrange about ½ cup filling in center of each leaf. Fold stem end of cabbage over filling. Fold in sides of cabbage. Carefully roll cabbage over to form a package, overlapping ends to seal. Place each one, seam side down, in the baking dish over the sauerkraut mixture.
Sprinkle the tomatoes over the cabbage. Cover with a lid or foil and bake until cooked through and cabbage is tender, about 1 hour. Serves 6.
by Kathy Douglas | Mar 9, 2020 | Entrees
Perfect for warmer weather, this light pasta dish is full of homemade fresh pasta topped with roasted squash, tomatoes, freshly shaved Parmesan cheese, parsley, and fresh rosemary.
INGREDIENTS
3-4 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more
16 ounces fresh rigatoni or penne pasta
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
¼ cup sliced shallots
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Thinly sliced Parmesan shavings for garnish.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Toss the squash in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour out onto a sheet tray and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Following the package directions, cook the fresh pasta. Drain and set aside.
Put the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, anchovy, shallots, tomato paste and rosemary and cook for about a minute; add tomatoes and cook until they begin to pop. Add the cooked squash and cook for 2-4 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the sauce and pasta, and serve, garnished with fresh parsley and Parmesan shavings.
by Kathy Douglas | Mar 2, 2020 | Entrees
Along with deeply delicious Asian flavors, this sous vide duck breast is the perfect combination – juicy and succulent inside with a savory crunch skin outside. The recipe includes honey butter spiralized turnips and a delicious pan-seared purple sesame kale, all served over some extra Asian sauce for dipping.
Asian Spiced Duck Breast
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 small red chili, sliced very thin
1 star anise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
2 duck breasts, skin scored
INSTRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, combine, soy, hoisin, sugar, vinegar, chili, star anise, garlic, ginger, and Chinese five spice. Simmer until combined; remove and set aside.
Slice hatch marks in the fat on the top of duck breasts without cutting through to the skin. Over medium high, sear the fat until browned and mostly rendered out. Add to a sous vide bag with the sauce and seal. Following the directions that came with your immersion circulator, cook the duck breast at 135˚ for 2 hours.
When the cooking is complete, remove duck breasts from their bag and reserve the liquid. Over high heat in a sauté pan, brown the fat again until crisp for 2-3 minutes. Cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, strain reserved bag liquid into a sauce pan and simmer to reduce and thicken. Brush the reduction over the duck fat, slice, and serve with the extra sauce.
Sesame Kale
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces of kale
1 tablespoon grape seed or canola oil
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the kale thoroughly to remove all grit. Discard the tough ribs, and coarsely chop the kale leaves.
In a large heavy sauté, heat the grape seed or canola oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, cooking for about 1 minute to release the aromas. Add the kale and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until the leaves have softened a bit but the kale retains its shape. Sprinkle with the sesame oil salt, sauté for another minute then top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot with the duck.
Spiralized Turnips
INGREDIENTS
1 pound spiralized turnips
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. In a saucepan, melt the honey and butter whisking together. Add the turnips to a large bowl and drizzle over the honey butter; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and pour out onto the parchment lined sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Serve hot with the duck.
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