Slow-Cooked Hungarian Pork Loin (serves 8-10)

Here was the situation the other night; I was without a car and the pantry was down to the dregs. When I say dregs, I am talking about what I call the last bits and pieces of what I think one would need to scrounge up some sort of dinner. I am pretty sick of hearing myself say this, but here we go again: if you have what you consider the bare necessities on hand in your kitchen you can always come up with something to put an evening meal together.

A dish that cooks itself!

Well, what did I have on hand in my pantry? What I didn’t have was anything green save for the rosemary plant I was nursing through the winter freeze on a sill in the kitchen, or anything quick cooking like eggs or a piece of chicken, fish or even any canned sardines (which I almost always have hidden somewhere – they are great with a bit of red sauce and pasta and pepper flakes in a pinch!).

Essential to this dish was another staple in my pantry, Paprika!

What I did have was a big hunk of pork (which I found in the freezer and set out to defrost; Lesson 1 – have a hunk of meat in the freezer at all times) along with three ingredients I deem essential  if you want to build something from nothing; garlic, onions and olive oil. These are things that last forever and even the saddest looking onion is worth saving. The other thing that comes to my rescue is a modest stash of spices, salts and a few select dried herbs and greens like good bay leaves and maybe a jar of Herbs de Provence, (I am not a fan of large collections of dried herbs and spices sitting on the counter in a big carousel, or neat jars in rows over the stove – most of this stuff shrivels up and looses flavor before you have a chance to use it – a few keys things stored in a dark cupboard is a much better idea and less wasteful).

Good dried bay leaves go a long way in a pinch (these are from the Laxmi company based in Mumbai, India – I love this company. They have great varieties of bulk spices and herbs, as well as oil seeds like sesame, and dried fruits, namely raisins)

The only thing in this ingredient list that wasn’t something that I normally have on hand in the winter were the plum tomatoes. They had been sitting in the kitchen for several days, leftover from a salsa that I didn’t end up making. I threw them into the dish just to use them up and they were perfect (and sort of substituted for my lack of a vegetable!). So, if you get a pantry in order filled with the things that appeal to you, there will be no panic if you find yourself a prisoner in your own home!

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You will need:

3 tbs olive oil

3 1/2 lbs pork loin, cut into big chunks

3 medium sweet onions, halved and sliced

4 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 celery ribs, sliced

4 or so sprigs fresh thyme

1 small spring fresh rosemary

1 tbs hot Hungarian paprika OR 1/2 smoked 1/2 hot OR 1/2 sweet 1/2 hot paprika (any combo will work)

4 or 5 Roma tomatoes, halved

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (OR good quality stock cube and 6 cups water – *If your stock cube is very mild, use two for full flavor)

Method:

Preheat oven 300*

1 – Season pork with good quality salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put saute pan on high heat and add the oil. When it is very hot sear the meat in batches on all sides. transfer to a deep casserole or straight-sided pan as you go.

sear pork loin

2 – Turn heat down to medium/low and add a little more oil if you need to. Add the onions, garlic and celery and saute for about 3 minutes before adding the fresh herbs. Continue to cook, stirring frequently for another 3 or so minutes.

Saute onions, celery and garlic

3 – Add the paprika and stir into the veggies. If you are using a stock cube add it now. Stir lightly for about a minute.

add spices

4 – Add the liquid (stock or water) and turn heat up to high. Add the meat and when the mixture comes to a boil add the halved tomatoes, halved side down (this helps keep the skin in tact!). taste a little of the juices and adjust salt and pepper to your taste .

Add broth, then pork loin

5 – Place in oven and cook for 3 hours or until meat is very tender.

cook for 3 hours or so and serve with whatever your heart desires!

Serve with whatever you like; rice, spaghetti, pici pasta, fresh crusty bread, and sautéed greens. The sauce is great with any of the above.

Roasted Pork Chops With Fennel – Dead Easy To Make (serves 6)

There is nothing easier than throwing a few chops in the oven for dinner, which is what I did last night. When you have the time to wait, there is nothing more succulent than slow-cooked meat with a few key flavors.

Roasted Pork Chops With Fennel (with basmati rice)

My inspiration was my sister June who called me the other day while she was rummaging in her cupboards for dinner ideas. We have these conversations a lot (even though she is in Ireland) and as she was listing what she had in her fridge she announced she had 2 fennel bulbs languishing in the vegetable drawer….(She text me later from her supermarket saying she had decided on Caribbean Style Chicken!”)

Anyway, that made me think of the lovely flavor of fennel with its liquorish-y sweetness, so I grabbed one when at the supermarket yesterday and it was the highlight of my pork chop dinner. This dinner is easy, inexpensive and a major crowd-pleaser. It tasted especially comforting last night as the snow came down in quiet torrents.

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You will need:

3 large pork loin Chops (loin end, sirloin) (medium thickness)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 to 6 tbs olive oil

1 medium/large sweet onion, large dice

2 celery ribs, including leaves, sliced

2 carrots, peeled & thickly sliced

1 large fennel bulb, thickly sliced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

1 tbs ground coriander

1 veggie or chicken stock cube

1 cup white or red wine

7 cups water

1 cup freshly chopped cilantro (if you don’t have this ingredient, don’t worry)

*If you are serving this with rice: use 2 cups raw rice for stove top method and 3 cups with rice cup measure if using rice cooker*

Method:

Preheat oven 400*

1 – Generously season chops on both sides with sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put big casserole pot or deep saute pan on high heat and add 3 tbs of oil. When it is very hot, add 2 or 3 of the chops (depending on the size of your pan) in an even, un-crowded layer. Sear on both side until browned. Transfer to a plate as you go. Continue adding oil and chops until all six have been browned.

Sear chops

2 – Turn heat down and add the onion, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for two minutes before adding the sliced fennel bulb and carrots. Continue to saute for another 5 or so minutes.

Saute veggies

3 – Add the coriander, broken bouillon cube and chipotle pepper with adobo sauce and mix into the veggies.

Add seasonings

4 – Add the wine and turn up heat and bring to a slight bubble. Cook for about 2 or 3 minutes before adding the rest of the liquid (7 cups water). Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.

Add liquids

5 – Add the chops, cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Add chops

6 – Remove from oven and stir in the chopped cilantro. Cover with lid and let pot sit for five minutes before serving.

Roasted Pork Chops With Fennel

Serve on its own with a salad, or with a starch such as rice, pasta, bread or boiled and buttered potatoes.

Rich Chipotle Pork Stew For A Crowd! (serves up to 12)

This goes to the top of my list of “favorite things to do with pork!” I was completely surprised at how throwing a stew together out of desperation to use up a hefty pork shoulder resulted in this heavenly pot of smoky, juicy, tenderness. If you love nothing better than a stew to warm you and the whole family up when the chill in the air is biting, then this is your next dinner idea.

A rich, smoky and unctuous pork dish that will warm the cockles of your heart

A couple of other reasons I ended up with this combination of ingredients is that over the holidays I bought a couple of extra special vegetables that got overlooked in the cooking madness that was my life for a solid week, and only surfaced when the din of my kitchen returned to its quiet hum. If you love the flavor of celery as I do, you will love the ugly vegetable pictured below!

Celeriac or simply; celery root

It is the root of a variety of celery, and has a robust and deeply satisfying earthy quality that is addictive. It can be used as I used it, in a stew or soup, or can be mashed like a potato or made into a velvety puree. So, don’t let its knobbly, and wiry brown-haired appearance put you off: peel it and carry on!

fresh cilantro

I also had an abundance of fresh zesty cilantro to use up and a can of opened chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see note below) in the fridge that needed to be used or would go to waste. This combination of flavors would turn this pork into something bordering on what I think of as Mexican flavors, and that was fine by me.

This can be cooked the day before and simply reheated on low on your stove top. This makes it a great dinner party dish and leaves you very free to have fun with your guests.

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You will need:

4 lb pork shoulder (if it has a bone, you can ask the meat-counter guys to de-bone it. Even the lowliest of supermarkets will do this, so don’t be afraid to ask!). Cut pork into large bite-sized chunks

1/4 cup olive oil (more if needed)

2 medium/large sweet onions, large dice or halved and sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 parsnips, peeled & sliced

3 carrots, peeled & sliced

1 celery root (celeriac), peeled & diced

3 or 4 large white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 chipotle pepper with 2 tbs adobo sauce (see note below), chopped

1 1/4 cups red wine

6 1/2 cups chicken broth OR good quality bouillon cube & 6 1/2 cups water)

2 tsp sea-salt

freshly ground black pepper

*chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeno peppers and are usually paired with a smoky marinade sauce called adobo. You can find it in the ethnic or international section of your grocery store. They are a canned good item and will say something like “chipotle peppers in adobo” Whatever you do not use can be stored in a lidded container for several weeks in the refrigerator. I have many more recipes using this pepper so type Chipotle into the search box to the right and continue to enjoy whats left in the can!*

Method:

Preheat oven 450*

1 – Prep all ingredients as instructed above, including the meat.

Prep ingredients

2 – Dry pork chunks and season with the salt and several grinds of black pepper. Put big saute pan or heavy casserole on high heat and add 2 tbs oil. When it is smoky hot, add some of the meat, making sure NOT to crowd your pan. Do not touch for 2 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Remove to a plate and set aside. Continue until all of the meat has been browned, adding more oil as needed.

brown pork in hot pan

3 – Turn heat down to low/medium and add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 4 or so minutes, stirring occasionally.

saute onions & garlic

4 – Add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes, then add the parsnips, carrots and celeriac. Give everything a good stir.

add mushrooms, then root veggies

5 – Cook until veggie start to brown and then add the cilantro and chipotle peppers with adobo sauce.

cook for about 8 minutes

6 – Turn heat up and add the red wine. Bring to a boil and cook on high for about 2 minutes.

add wine

7 – Add the stock (or bouillon and water) and bring to a boil. Add the pork and bring back to a boil. Turn off heat. Cover with lid and place in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and greens

When you remove the stew form the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. I served it with rice and sautéed spinach leaves.

Rich Chipotle pork Stew

Red Pork Pot Roast (serves 6)

 This was the perfect weekend dinner. All I did was throw a big piece of pork in the oven with some key flavors, and we ended up feasting on this glorious dish last night.

Lovely weekend dinner

I did not put it in the oven in time to cook it at a slow braise for a long time, so, I cranked the heat and took my chances.

It came out tasting like I had left it cooking all day, with fall apart meat, syrupy, smoky broth, and sweet tasting vegetables.

This is a meal that would work if a whole crowd of people descend upon you. You can cook it in advance, add a few things like nice crusty bread, and a salad, then host a party where you actually attend!

Maybe something to think about with the various Holidays fast-approaching?

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You will need: 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Pork Roast (I used the butt end, about 4 lbs), 2 medium onions, quartered, 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 or 3 medium carrots, thickly sliced, 1 tsp hot paprika, 1 tbs smoked paprika, 2 tsp coarse sea-salt, 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, 2 tbs all-purpose flour, 3 cups chicken broth OR 1 good quality chicken or veggie bouillon cube & 3 cups of water ( I used the cube & water)

Preheat 450*

sear meat

1 – Season pork with salt and pepper. Put a large saute pan or heavy casserole on high heat and add oil. When it is very hot, sear the pork on all sides until browned. Transfer to a heavy casserole (or plate, if you used your casserole to sear, and will be using it to saute the veggies).

saute veggies

2 – Turn heat down to medium and add the onions and carrots to the oil (add more oil if necessary). Saute for about 6 minutes, then add the rosemary, and cook for another 2 minutes.

add spices, then flour

3 – Add the crumbled bouillon (if using), and paprika, and give everything a stir. Add the flour and stir until incorporated.

add liquid

4 – Add the liquid and turn heat up and bring liquid to a slight bubble. Add the parsley. Turn off heat.

ready for the oven

5 – Transfer the contents of the pan to the pork in the casserole dish (or add the pork to the liquid if you used your casserole for the entire operation). Place in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Take out of oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before removing meat to a cutting board.

one and a half hours later

To serve; slice meat and serve with lots of broth and veggies. you can also serve something along with it, such as rice, pasta, bread or salad greens.

take a look at that tender pork & dreamy onions

Spicy Pork Chop Stew (serves 6)

  Everyone was still talking about a chicken dish I had cooked with paprika a few days earlier, so I just reinvented it with pork chops. I was feeling lazy and not in the mood for doing much more than sauteing a few choice ingredients and sticking it all into the oven.

Spicy Pork Stew

It so happens that is all I needed to do. It was amazing.

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You will need: 6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 6 rib end loin pork chops, 1 red onion, diced, 1 large red pepper, large dice, 1 cup baby carrots, 4 ribs bok choy, including,leaves, sliced & leaves chopped, 1 cup of freshly chopped parsley leaves,  1 vegetable or chicken bouillon cube, 1 1/2 tbs smoked paprika, 1 tsp hot paprika, 3 tbs all-purpose flour, 6 cups water, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp sea-salt, freshly cracked black pepper.

Preheat oven 400*

1 – Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Put big pan on high heat and add 3 tbs oil. When it gets hot, add three of the chops and sear on both side (2 minutes per side approx). Transfer to a plate and continue with the rest of the chops, adding more oil as you go.

2 – Turn heat down to medium and add onions, carrots, bok choy ribs (not leaves) and peppers. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the paprika, crumbled bouillon cube and flour. Mix into the veggies for 1 minutes until fully incorporated.

3 – Add the parsley, bok choy leaves and water. Bring to a simmer and add the chops and cream. Stir and cover. Place in oven for 1 hour.

* While pork is in the oven, cook some rice or pasta to go with your dish (or nothing at all works too!)

 Take dish out of oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving with whatever you like (bread, rice, pasta or a salad).

Pork Stew with Summer-y Feel (serves 6)

 For the first time in a long time I actually prepped dinner earlier, and was under absolutely zero pressure when I arrived home to deal with dinner at about 7pm! I knew I would be away all day, and had the nightmarish thought of kids and husband gnawing on whatever they could lay their hands on while I cooked dinner in a complete panic. I changed that scenario by buying a big piece of pork that needed plenty of time in a slow oven to coax out all it had to offer.

fresh local veggies for my pork stew.

I got started on this dinner in the early AM and turned the oven off as I left my house. This dish is embarrassingly easy to make, and, the reason for its success was due to the fantastic local produce, and the slow-roasting in the oven. Even though I made this on a weekday, I suggest it as a wonderful weekend dinner, when you have tons to do, but still want something lovely to eat at a reasonable hour.

I cooked some rice to go with it, and it was the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

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You will need: 4 lb Pork pot roast, thickly sliced (it may say slow-roast on the packaging – also can be a little over, or, a little under 4 lbs), 4 tbs olive oil, 2 carrots, thickly sliced, 6 red storage onions, (you can find these at the farmer’s market in the summertime or use 3 or 4 very small sweet onions, cut in half, if necessary), 3 big garlic cloves, sliced, 3 or 4 long sweet peppers (or 2 regular red peppers, cut into 8 pieces each), 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional), 4 cups chicken or veggie broth, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning meat.

* If you are planning on cooking rice with this dish, plan on putting it on to cook about 35 minutes before serving, or, cook it earlier and reheat on lowest heat in a covered pot for about 15 minutes. This dish would also be good with boiled potatoes, or pasta of some kind. Check cooking times, and synchronize accordingly.

Preheat oven to 300*

1 – Season your sliced pork with salt and pepper. Put big saute pan on high heat and add 2 tbs oil. When it is very hot, add some of the pork (I had room for 3 slices) and sear on both sides until browned (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Do not crowd the pan or the meat will not brown! Continue to add oil and sear pork until it is all done, transferring to a plate as you go.

sear pork slices

2 – Turn heat down to low/medium and add the onions, garlic and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

saute onions, carrots & garlic

3 – Add the rest of the veggies and herbs and continue to saute for another 3 minutes.

add peppers & herbs.

4 – Add the smoked paprika and stir until incorporated. Add the liquids and the pork and turn heat up to high. When everything comes to a boil, turn heat off. Put tinfoil over the top of pan and seal tightly around the edges. Cover with lid and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Do not open oven door during this time as it will tamper with the outcome of your dish.

add liquids & pork.

5 – Turn off heat, and leave pork in the oven for another hour (you can leave it up to 3 hours). Take out of oven and taste stew for addition of salt and pepper, and adjust according to your liking.

Ready to serve.

Serve over a bed of rice, giving everyone a nice portion of meat and vegetables.

I served the pork stew with rice, and it was yummy.