Smoked Pork Tenderloin

1 pork Tenderloin, trimmed of fat and skin
Paprika
Dijon mustard
½ apple, sliced
¼ yellow onion, sliced
1 cup beer (or chicken broth, or dry white wine)

Paste Spread:
4 cloves garlic
1 TBSP fresh rosemary
2 TBSP fresh thyme
S&P
1 TBSP olive oil

Add all the paste ingredients except the oil in a food processor and blend.  As you are blending add the olive oil to make a nice paste.

After trimming the tenderloin sprinkle both sides with paprika.  On the top side add the Dijon and spread it over the loin with a spatula.  Add the paste spread and spread with a spatula. 

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In a pan, lay the sliced onion then the apples and place the loin on top and add the beer.  Cook over indirect heat (~250°) for ~~~ hours until the meat reaches an internal temp of 160°.  Wrap in aluminum foil and rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve with zucchini fritters with sour cream.

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As of 7/25/21

Chicken (Madeira or Lemon) with Vegetables

Note, if you don’t like Madeira, substitute ½ lemon with lemon zest.

3 or 4 chicken thighs
1 shallot chopped
Pinch of paprika
Small bunch of fresh parsley
¼ large yellow onion – cut thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4oz. (1/2 container) white common mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed on counter
¼ cup Madeira wine (from Portugal) or 1/2 squeezed lemon and zest
3 TBSP cream (1 TBSP 45 calories)
½ cup chicken stock/broth
1 TBSP olive oil (1 TBSP 119 calories)
2 TBSP butter (1 TBSP 102 calories)
1 TBSP flour
S&P
Egg noodles

Persillade (pronounced persi-yad, it means parsley) – chop parsley and garlic together, set aside

Precook carrots and peas: In a little chicken broth add carrots, parsley stalks and parsley leaves and a little yellow onion.  Cook carrots until done turn off heat.  Strain and reserve the chicken broth.  Remove and separate the carrots and peas from everything else and set them aside.  Discard the rest.

Prepare chicken:  Trim the excess skin of the chicken.  Cut two slices in the chicken perpendicular to the bone.  Taken chicken shears and cut out both knuckles of the bone, olive oil the skin and add S&P.  Cook in a 450° oven center rack 45 minutes.  Remove and let cool. Strain the remaining fluid, should be ½ cup.

Prepare the sauce:  Add butter and olive oil mix.  Sauté the onions, shallots and mushrooms.  Add the Madeira wine or lemon and zest.  Add a pinch of paprika,  flour and salt and pepper.  Stir.  Add the cream and stir.  Add the vegetables.  Add the chicken stock.  Add the chicken and cook in 350° oven 15 minutes.  Pull from oven and add the Persillade and mix.  Serve over cooked egg noodles. 

As of 7/24/21

Beef Barley Soup

(Click on pic to enlarge)

There are two ways to do this. Cook it on the stove which requires a lot of steps or dump everything into a crock-pot and cook on medium all day. This is a great soup.

1 TBSP oil
1 Lb. beef button round (I actually used less than a pound)
½ onions chopped
1 clove garlic sliced into thin coins
1 TBSP tomato paste
4+ cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
¼ cup pearl or naked barley
¼ tsp. dried rosemary or thyme
S&P

On the stove in a Dutch oven brown the meat in oil.  Remove
Sauté the onion, carrots and celery
Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
Add the broth, garlic, cut the meat into spoon size squares and return the meat
In a cheese cloth pouch tie the bay leaf and the rosemary and add that to the pot
Add the tomato paste and stir in
Add the barley
Salt and pepper
Bring to a boil, reduce to slow simmer and cook for 1 hour or until the barley is completely cook.

Serve with a baguette.

As of 6/15/21

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Beef marinade:
1/2 pound of rib eye steak or flank/skirt steak (slightly frozen to cut thin)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon peanut oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup broth (chicken or beef)
2 TBSP light brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
3 TBSP soy sauce

Veggies:
Broccoli florets or asparagus
1/4 yellow onion cut on a mandolin
1 green onion cut on a slant
1 tsp ginger (cut on a micro-plane)
1 tsp garlic clove (cut on a micro-plane)

1 tsp sesame oil
1 TBSP peanut oil

1 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP cold tap water

In bowl mix the meat in the marinade.  Let sit at least 1 hour.
Make the sauce and set aside.
Mix the cornstarch and water set aside

On medium high, add the oil and on heat stir fry the meat until slightly brown. Remove and set aside

Turn the heat to medium. Add little more oil as needed and add the garlic and ginger stir about 1 minute. Add the onion, green onion and stir fry a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the Veggies and sitr fry several minutes. Add the sauce. Then add the cornstarch mix and stir fry several minutes. Cover on low.

Serve as is or over rice.

As of 10/31/2024

Pad Thai

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(Click on pic to enlarge)

Serves 2

4 OZ. of Thai noodles (Cooked)
2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 chicken thighs (boiled in 2 cups water for 20 minutes and de-boned, cut into cubes)
¼ red bell pepper or green bell pepper sliced thin
¼ yellow bell pepper sliced thin
3 scallions chopped
Fresh cilantro chopped for garnish
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup frozen broccoli
½ cup re-hydrated dried shiitake mushrooms
Lime slices optional
Fresh Thai Basil (from my garden) cut into thin strips with scissors.

Sauce
3 TBSP Vegan fish sauce (See Vegan Fish Sauce)
1 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP light brown sugar or Shaoxing Cooking Wine
1 TBSP Sriracha
2 TBSP creamy peanut butter or add whole peanuts to the dish or both (Most Pad Thai calls for whole peanuts)

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl with a small whisk.

In an iron Dutch oven add the oil and throw in all the veggies and stir fry 10 minutes on medium.  Toss in the chicken and remaining ingredients.  Add the sauce and mix. Heat until everything is hot and the chicken is cooked tenderly.

Serve over hot Thai noodles, add more Sriracha and cilantro.

Thai Noodles are found in most super markets.  All noodles including Italian cook exactly 12 minutes.

As of 7/3/21