Category: Pork

Chilies in Walnut Sauce (Chili en Nogada)

Chile en Nogada

A stunning flavor packed entre that tastes good and looks good. There were no leftovers.

Ingredients

Filling

1 onion chopped

5 garlic cloves minced

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 pound ground turkey breast/ chicken*

2 pears diced

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

5 T cilantro chopped

2 T currants

2 T blanched almonds minced

Chilies

6 poblano chilies

Sauce

1/2 C walnut halves

3/4 C milk

1/2 C creme fraiche

1/4 C feta

1 T sugar

Directions

Walnut Sauce

Place walnuts in bowl of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Discard water and peel brown skin from the nuts. Place walnuts in small bowl cover with milk and soak for  4-6 hours

Drain the walnuts and reserve couple tablespoons of soaking milk. Place nuts in blender and add creme fraiche, Feta, reserved milk and sugar. Blend and refrigerate

Roast peppers

Place on foil lined baking sheet. Broil turning them once until skin blackened and place in covered bowl for 5-10 minutes. Remove as much blackened skin as possible and make a lengthwise slit and remove seeds and membrane. Set aside.

Filling

In large skill bring olive oil up to heat and add onions and cook for couple minutes and the add garlic. Cook until garlic fragrant. A meat and cook until brown. add tomatoes, cilantro, and pear and cook 10 minutes until mixture is thick. Add currants and almonds

Topping

1/2 C pomegranate seeds

Assemble

Place chilies on serving tray. Add stuffing without tearing the chili. Cover them with Walnut sauce and dress with pomegranate seeds.

Serve with a Mexican rice and a simple tomato avacado salad.

Notes

*Beef or pork can be substituted in place of turkey. We used chicken or turkey instead of pork, did not use all fruit, and did not deep fry them.

This is an adapted version of Chili en Nogada. I had the original recipe in Mexico City and it was one of my favorite dinners.

 

Richard’s Pork Tenderloin and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

Brine

1 quart of water

1/3 C Kosher salt

1/4 C brown sugar

1 garlic clove smashed

2 bruised rosemary stems

1 t sage leaves

2 pound pork tenderloin

Recipe

Brined tenderloins 

1 C brown rice

1 onion fine sliced

1 can of beef consommé

1 1/2 C water

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350º Serves 4

Mix brine ingredients and pour into gallon resealable  bag. Add pork tenderloins that have fat and silver removed. Brine in refrigerator for two hours.

Add rice and sliced onions to 9 inch square dish or large loaf pan then add consommé plus water.  Remove tenderloin from brine, dry and season  with salt and pepper.  Place on top of rice.

Cover and seal dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 1 hour. Serve with steamed broccoli.

Note:

My friend was going to law school and I was a financially struggling undergrad. He occasionally fed me. His favorite to share was his Granny’s pork tenderloin rice casserole. Not fancy but easy and tasty.

Pork Tenderloin with Sage

Ingredients

2  pork tenderloins fat and silver removed

4 garlic cloves minced

4 T minced sage

Pinch of lavender salt*

3 T olive oil

Lavender salt and pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350º Serves 6

Butterfly pork tenderloins. Add garlic, sage, and lavender salt in small bowl and mix. Divide mixture between two tenderloins and spread on opened sides then refold back together. Tie the individual butterflied tenderloins together with  butchers string about every two inches. Fold the thin end back on itself before completing the tieing. The thin end will cook too fast and dry out if this is not done.

Wrap  the tenderloins in plastic wrap and marinate 4 hours to over night. Remove the wrap and season with lavender salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in oven safe skillet. Add pork tenderloins to skillet and sear about three minutes per side on high heat. Once seared transfer to oven and bake until thickest part reads 145º F or about 15 minutes.

Remove and cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Place on serving platter and pour jus over the tenderloins and cut into medallions. 

Serve with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower potato mash. Arugula salad with pecans, chopped dried apricots, and blue cheese vinagarette dressing goes well with this.

Note:

* Rosemary salt can be substituted.

Pork Loin Chops with Farro

Ingredients

4 boneless pork loin chops

Lavender salt and pepper

2 T olive oil

1 onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1  t red pepper flakes

1/2 t thyme

1/4 t oregano

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup red wine

1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes  with basil chopped

Salt and pepper

1 cup semi-pearled farro

3 cup chicken broth

2 garlic cloves peeled

1 t salt

Garlic salt

2 t chopped thyme

Directions

Farro

Wash farro and drain.  In large sauce pan add 3 cup chicken broth,farro, garlic cloves, and salt. Bring to boil and turn down heat to simmer. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes. Drain remove garlic cloves; season with garlic salt and thyme. Serve as side with pork dish.

Pork Loin Chops

Heat olive oil in large fry pan at medium high heat. Season both sides of chops with lavender salt and pepper. Place in fry pan and cook about 3-4 minutes per side. Measure internal temperature and remove and tent chops when they reach 145º. Add chopped onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and cook about  2 minutes stirring constantly.  Add red wine and scrape  meat bits from bottom of skillet. Add tomatoes and cook  10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaves add pork chops and drippings back into skillet. Coat chop in sauce and cook 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve with farro as the side.

* Lavender salt can be purchased from vendors such as “the girl and the fig” on line or there are recipes on line to make it at home. Martha Stewart for example has a recipe on her web site.