Tuscan Pork Short Ribs

I’m a huge fan of Snake River Farms beef, so decided to try their Pork Short Ribs and they are outstanding! It’s been really, really hot in Austin and hasn’t felt like fall at all. This weekend it finally dropped to the upper 70s and we had some rain so  I decided to make this lovely strew.  It was perfection!

INGREDIENTS

2 lb pork short ribs

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup chianti

1 white onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 32. Oz can crushed tomato

1 cup chianti

3 cups beef broth

2 sprigs rosemary - chopped

2 bay leaf

3 tbs fig balsamic vinegar

1 ths Worcestershire 

Sear the ribs until caramelized in a Dutch oven- set aside. Add a glug of olive oil and soften tie carrot, celery and onion about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and sautée a minute. Add herbs, wine and beef stock plus the can of tomatoes. Nestle the ribs in the sauce, cover and cook 5 hours in 220 degree oven until meltingly tender. Serve with pasta, polenta or mashed potatoes. Check out my video on Instagram! 

Bee Cave "Original Recipe" Chicken & Pork Poppers

It's a rainy Memorial Day and while normally we'd be sitting poolside throwing something on the grill, we are forced indoors due to much needed rain and grey skies. It gives one pause to think of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Granted, everyone likes a day off to sleep in and let loose, but the significance of the day weighs heavy on the mind. I was named after my great uncle who was killed by vicious Germans in the Ardennes Forest during WWI. He was only 27 years old but apparently a brave and kind young man who's life was cut short fighting for what was right and good. I'm proud to carry his name.

Since we are indoors and may have a few friends over later, we decided to make some small bites. As a girl I loved Kentucky Fried Chicken like no one's business (except for my grandmother's recipe which was like no other). The original KFC recipe was so tasty and back then they weren't using these freakish lab chickens (so cruel) and harmful GMO stuff. Apparently they did use MSG, and since I'm allergic to it, I'm better off having not enjoyed KFC since the late 80s. These little meatball poppers have a taste surprisingly similar to the KFC original recipe and are delicious little morsels that also freeze quite well.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 pounds ground chicken thighs
1.5 pounds ground pork (the pork adds a nice richness)
1 small yellow onion
1 small bunch of parsley
2 organic eggs
4 spring onions- light green parts only
2 tbs onion powder
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs paprika
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste
1.5 tbs chicken soup base
1 tsp celery salt
a few pinches of dried sage

In a food processor finely chop onions, parsley and eggs. Add mixture to meat with the seasonings and blend well. Form into meatballs and deep fry in grapeseed or peanut oil preheated to 350 degrees for about 4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve on skewers or toothpicks for easy finer food. Goes great with Ranch, honey mustard or tzaziki sauce for dipping.

 

BBQ Pulled Pork on the Big Green Egg

We had the good fortune of enjoying quite possibly the best pulled pork EVER that our friend Patrick made over labor day weekend. We served it with my rendition of Thomas Keller's Bean and Fig salad. Luckily he took some pictures as I thought it was definitely blog worthy and had to share. His BBQ sauce is like a nice little marriage of Carolina and Texas BBQ. Slightly tangy yet sweet (and loaded with bacon flavor). So good! Here's how he did it...

He researched some methods and found a terrific blog HERE that he used to prepare the pork shoulder.

For the Rub he used:
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup granulated brown sugar
1tbs granulated garlic
1 tbs onion powder
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs fresh black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs dried thyme
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp nutmeg

Pat rubbed down the pork shoulder with rub, slathered with mustard and rubbed it down with more rub and let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours. He smoked the pork shoulder on the Big Green Egg fat side down on indirect heat at 220 degrees for about 14 hours or until internal temp reads 195 and the bark was crusty and the meat meltingly tender. Place a pan with apple cider vinegar and water underneath to keep it moist and catch the fat drippings. Fill a spray bottle with apple cider vinegar and worchester sauce and spritz the pork every couple of hours. When it's done wrap it in foil and store it in a cooler for a few hours to let it rest, then pull the meat and serve with the sauce (recipe below).

 Ready to smoke!

Pat modified this recipe from Food Network and it was fantastic.

Bacon fat rendered from 1/2 pound of bacon plus 2 tablespoons butter
1.5 cups finely diced onions
2 diced fresh jalapenos
2 1/4 teaspoons sweet paprika
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1.2 teaspoon black pepper
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1.5 cups water
3/4 cups vinegar
6 tablespoons turbinado sugar

In a medium non stick pan set over medium high heat add bacon fat, butter and onions, jalapenos and cook until onions are tender. Add garlic, spices and cook about 2 more minutes, then add tomato paste and stir about 2 minutes or until it begins to brown. add water, vinegar and sugar and stir until melted. Drop in 2 ham hocks, cover and simmer on very low about 40 minutes. Can be reserved for a week in the fridge.
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Panko Crusted Oven "Fried" Pork Chop with Wasabi Smashers

My Daddy used to make the most sinfully delish fried porkchops. Such a treat- even though my delicate and slender mother wasn't really a fan, Daddy and I could tuck into a couple with no problem. Of course that's when I had a metabolism. Hubs decided he wanted some porkchops, so I thought, "Why not try to make Daddy's a wee bit healthier??" I decided to try "frying" them in the oven and they turned out sinfully delish without the guilt! I was super excited to find Ian's Panko crumbs are now available gluten free and I find the crumbs taste exactly like wheat crumbs. Score!

First I brined the pork chops for three hours- this really makes them stay nice and tender and flavorful.

BRINE:
4 thin cut bone in porkchops (I bought Berkshire breed- so tender!)
3 cups buttermilk
1 tbs sea salt
1 tbs garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp sugar

                             Throw it all in a ziploc bag and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Then, remove the chops from the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes to warm them up a bit to avoid the crust over cooking and the meat under cooking.

Set up a dredging station- 1 bowl with two beaten eggs and a dash of buttermilk and another bowl with the panko crumbs.

Dip each pork chop first in eggs, then in panko and then place them on an oiled cooling rack set over a cookie sheet with foil. Spray the chops well with cooking spray.

Place them in an oven preheated to 415 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown and the pork is 165 degrees. We broiled them for about a minute to really crunch them up before letting them rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Done!

Meanwhile...  boil 2 peeled and chopped russet potatoes*** for about 25 minutes until fork tender. With a strainer, lift the potatoes from the water and put them in a bowl with 1/4 cup skim milk, 1 tbs wasabi (I like it really spicy- so adjust to taste), 1 tbs smart balance butter substitute, and salt to taste. Place the bowl over the pot you cooked the potatoes in to keep them warm and smash them by hand with a fork. These are rustic potatoes, and I know wasabi mashers are soooo 1995, but they are fab with the panko pork chops. I served them with green peas- I love peas. And my mother would only allow me to eat them "properly" and that was to balance them on the back of my fork ever so delicately. I always feel guilty if I just scoop them ;-) So balancing peas continues to this day.

*** My trainer suggested a healthier version than starchy potatoes- Steam 2 cups of cauliflower for 20 minutes and make them just like the mashed potatoes. Genius!! Thanks James :-)

Tuscan Ragu of Pork Shoulder

This being Texas, most people use a pork shoulder for BBQ or carnitas tacos, but we decided to put an Italian twist on your basic pork shoulder. We adapted this recipe from the Ragu Cinghiale Bruschetta served at Siena restaurant here in Austin. While the restaurant prepares it with wild boar (a common ingredient in Tuscany and Texas actually), my butcher talked me into purchasing an 8 pound pork shoulder last weekend. So we decided to make a Tuscan ragu with the behemoth hunk of meat and now have plenty of leftovers packed securely in the freezer. I think the outcome tastes remarkably similar to the dish at Siena and it was worth the trouble to make. Because there was a little bit of trouble, and I'm here to share with you how we made it all work out.

I bought a pressure cooker last year and absolutely love how it can make a dish that usually takes hours in the oven in about an hour or less. So we thought, "why not make our ragu in the pressure cooker??" Great idea, but after an hour and a half, we were left with a greasy mess. After 15 minutes of draining fat carefully with a shallow spoon, picking out the fat bits and manicuring the meat, we put it back into a dutch oven with the rest of the bottle of wine and 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, added another clove of chopped garlic and placed it in the oven for another hour. It turned out beautifully!! This tastes great over pasta (I enjoyed mine over some gluten free fusilli), grilled bread, polenta, on pizza or wrapped and baked in pastry for "Italian" emapanadas. It's so versatile!

INGREDIENTS
7-8 pound bone in Pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
1 bottle of Tuscan Sangiovese (we actually used a blend of sangiovese, merlot and cab)
1 28 oz can of peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 small jar of tomato paste
2 tbs aged balsamic vinegar
10 cloves of minced garlic
1 large carrot, cut into small dice
1 large white onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 tbs dried oregano
3 tbs dried basil
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs onion powder
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 tbs sea salt or more to taste

PREPARATION
In a large skillet with 1 tbs olive oil, we browned the roast on all sides until carmelized and golden brown, about 15 minutes total.

Meanwhile in my pressure cooker with the lid off, we made a "sofrito". This is the key to adding a depth of flavor to the base of the ragu and basically you just carmelize the onion, carrot and celery until soft in about a tablespoon of olive oil, about 15 minutes on medium heat.

 Herbed up and just about ready to pressure cook

We added the pork to the pot, the herbs (only half the parsley- save the rest to stir in just before serving),  garlic, half the wine bottle, tomatoes (not the paste) and the garlic. Covered it and cooked about 1.5 hours.

 This Monte Antico wine was fabulous! Only cook with what you'd drink!

This is where things got messy. Pork shoulder is pretty fatty, so when I opened the lid, I was greeted with an oily mess. In my mind I had pictured myself opening the lid to find the ragu perfectly tender, not greasy and ready to serve. Don't discount using the pressure cooker if you are crushed for time, but realize it will still need to be doctored after. I was so annoyed that I didn't have time to take a picture, though I wish I had. A few choice words later and after skimming and manicuring the meat, I put it in a Dutch Oven, added the paste, about 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar, the rest of the wine. In hind sight, I think it's better to just cook the whole thing low and slow in just wine, sofrito and herbs until softened (about 3 hours), manicure it and then add the tomato sauce, paste and balsamic plus more wine, maybe even a bit more fresh garlic to add another layer of brightness,  and simmer for about 6 hours in the oven at 200 degrees. NOTE: it tastes even better the next day so is a great pre-prep meal for a dinner party.

This recipe made about 8 cups total.

Here we served it on rustic bread cut 1 inche thick, drizzled with olive oil and grilled in a panini press.You need a thick slice to hold the juices and ragu.