Pork Loin Roast

416.  Our Easter Dinner was delightful with memorable flavors and feels.  I decided to roast a top loin of pork for our 8 guests.  

Pork is always a challenge when you use the top loin portion due to the small amount of marbled fat.  But, my process did produce a beautifully flavorful result.

The herbs I chose were Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (sounds like a song;-) with 8 garlic cloves.

The butcher butterflied the piece for me and did a perfect job.

I chopped the herbs together and set them aside in a bowl.  Next I rubbed Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

into the meat and then the finely chopped garlic followed by the 2 /3rds of the herbs, salt and pepper.

Then rolling up and tying the roast, sprinkling the rest of the chopped herbs.   I cut it in half to fit into my roasting pan coated with oil.

I roasted at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then turned down the heat to 325 degrees till the meat registered 140 degrees, approximately an hour.

Once roasted, I saved the pan drippings and made a brown gravy with Kitchen Bouquet and cornstarch mixed with water.  The meat was a bit tough but the gravy added moisture to each bite.  

Notes to self would be to:  Pound meat with a tenderizer before adding flavorings.  This would help with the tenderness once roasted. And, to remove the covering from the roasting pan so the meat would brown or not cover at all.  

We all enjoyed ourselves and the meal was delicious

Simply put, it was a masterpiece!

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

~Michelangelo

Vegetable Chicken Bake

394.  This recipe is a Keto friendly version of lasagna, though, without the noodles.

 It is layered with vegetables and meat of your choice.
 I have used chicken, ground beef and Italian sausage crumbled and adapted them to the recipe.

And if pasta is welcome, it pairs perfectly with any type of pasta noodle.

"Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy."

~  Wolfgang Puck

Roast Leg of Lamb

360. This past Sunday we celebrated Easter with family and beautiful friends.  Our menu was so tasty and crossed several ethnic lines. But, each item complemented the other.

I started the meal with fresh vegetable Crudités where I made a Lemon Garlic Aioli, Herb Sour Cream Dip, Dijon Mustard and Chive Cheese Log.  We then enjoyed Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes and homemade Dill Dinner Rolls.  But the crowning item of the meal was the Roasted Leg of Lamb.  It was divine!!  I scoured my cookbooks and wanted to find something that was unique and a detour from our usual fare.  I found a recipe for this wonderful dish in the "A Return to Sunday Dinner" book by Russell Cronkhite (order here) It was in the menu "Agape: A Love Feast"

To save recipe just select, drag and drop onto desktop or select and print from smart phone.

Here was my process...My butcher made the butterfly process more like a book than fanning it out...but it was ok.  Next time I will butterfly it myself.

 
 I had fresh basil and mint in my herb garden as well as rosemary.  Fresh makes all the difference
although, next time I would chopped the basil and mint.  I found that when you sliced it the leaves would pull out in whole pieces.

 
 
The original recipe has you remove the roast after an hour and add potatoes.  I found that the potatoes didn't roast as crispy as they should have.  Note to self...roast the potatoes separately.

 This was such a lovely meal...the lamb was perfectly tender and everyone loved it.

"Christ comes to dinner not as just the unseen guest, but in the hearts of those we love."  

~ Russell Cronkhite

Bolognese

359.  Italian Meat Sauce is a favorite for me often called Bolognese.  It is a one dish wonder and always is satisfying.  Here is my Bolognese recipe

To save recipe select and drag to desktop and print as picture or print as a photo from mobile device.

There are many different Bolognese recipes out there.  Some call for bay leaf, carrots and celery, fennel, wine, prosciutto, cream, leeks, and the list trails on.  Truly, it is a recipe that varies from person to person.  You can place in your Bolognese whatever you want...to your liking.  So go ahead and experiment, try different recipes and see which one you like the best.

"Mangia Tutti Mangia!"

"If kids can learn how to make a simple Bolognese Sauce, they will never go hungry.  It's pretty easy to cook pasta, but a good sauce is way more useful.  ~ Emeril Lagasse

Curry Squash Soup

 353.  Our Farmers Market in town has beautiful homegrown, fresh produce on a weekly basis every Saturday morning.  This week I picked up lovely squash to make soup.
This recipe is similar to my Curry Butternut Squash Soup I made years ago.  I've made a few adjustments and I love the flavor.  Here is a recipe card for you:

                                          To save recipe select, drag and drop onto your desktop.  Print as a photo.

This is a delicious soup and is so warm and satisfying.  It also freezes well and you get your turmeric fix as well *wink *wink.

"Only the pure in heart can make a good soup."  ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

"I live on good soup not on fine words."  ~ Moliere

Pan Roasted Chicken

 337.  Pan Oven Roasted Chicken is on the menu tonight.  It is simplistic and will always satisfy!
I chose to roast thighs because of their dark meat flavor and size.  I used bone-in chicken for flavor as well.
On a flat pan spray lightly with cooking spray or wipe olive oil over bottom and sides of pan.  Wash and pat chicken dry.  Place in the pan skin side up.  Sprinkle over the chicken coarse sea salt, pepper corn crushed and a whole garlic clove smashed.  From this point you could sprinkle over any flavor you prefer:  Paprika, dill, thyme, rosemary, parsley, herbs d'province, mixed italian herbs, sazon
Spanish seasoning.

Roast in a 350 degree oven for one hour.  Do not cover the pan.  The chicken will shrink as it bakes and will render fat.  Serve with any sides of your choosing or remove from pan, place in a bowl and then in the fridge till the next day.  Tear the chicken off the bone and place on a cold salad or make chicken salad.  It's delicious!

"Classics can be phenomenal when done right. A simple roast chicken dish could be the best thing you ever ate."
Author - Joe Bastianich

Marinated Cheese

331.  While searching for appetizers that were unique and tasty I came across this recipe for marinated cheese.  It can be served with toothpicks, crackers or crusty bread.  There are little bits of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes and pepper corns.  I like to make it several hours before serving for the flavors to develop.

I found the recipe in a Better Homes and Garden Magazine from 2006 while tossing old issues.  

The recipe is simple, easy to follow and has flavor plus!

 Save this link the next time you are making appetizers and surprise your company.  It brings a smile to your face and will come alive on your palette.

"The early bird may get the worm, 

but its the second mouse that gets the cheese." 

- Jeremy Paxman

Dill Pickles

 279.  Dill Pickles are the subject for the day.  This summer has been perfect for gardens with hot nights, humid air and weekly rainfall.  It has been delightful to watch the cucumbers climb and grow.  Daily I've been picking cucumbers from the vine.  So much so, I've decided to make Dill Pickles.  This is the uncooked method and relies on fermentation.

I did some research and found a great recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network.  You can find his recipe here:  Alton Brown's Dill Pickles

Dill Pickles

5 1/2 oz pickling salt, approximately 1/2 cup (may use Kosher Salt)
1 gallon filtered water
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, 4 to 6 inches long
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1 pinch red pepper flakes, (original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 large bunch dill

Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.

Rinse the cucumbers throughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
Wash and rinse throughly a large crock pot for pickling.

Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into 1-2 gallon crock.  

Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics.

Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover.

  Pour the remaining water into a 1- gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal.  Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine.  (I didn't need to do this step because my crock has a shoulder that holds the pickles down and keeps them from floating up.)

Set in a cool, dry place.

Check the crock after 3 days.  Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms.  If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.

The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days.  Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days skimming daily or as needed.  Store for up to 2 months in the frig, skimming as needed.  If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded. 

So, here is my process...
This is Day #1  Just after I poured the brine mixture over the cucumbers.

 Day #2  The smell is intoxicatingly delicious with the smell of garlic and dill.  The spices have bloomed and risen to the top.

 Day #3  The scum is beginning to form slightly on the top of the brine.  I have also started to notice tiny bubbles beginning to float to the surface.

I ran a knife across the top so you could see the white scum.

 Plastic wrap is perfect for collecting the scum.  I placed it on the surface of the brine and the scum collected onto the plastic.

Day #4 The scum has really developed and the pickles are becoming buoyant.

Day #5  The scum continues to form and the pickles are rising and falling in the brine.

Day #6  There are continual bubbles rising to the surface

At this point I am frustrated with Blogger!  

Day #7 The Bubbles have stopped rising to the top and the brine is completely still.  So, the day arrived to taste the
pickles!!  We sliced one and each took a bite.  Wow!!  They are delicious, just very spicy. I  checked the recipe and realized the red pepper flakes brought so much heat.  The directions to use 1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes is just too much, unless of course you like spicy pickles.

Delicious and ready for the fridge.

"I say grace.  I'm a big believer in grace.  I happen to believe in a God that made all the food and so I'm pretty grateful for that and I thank Him for that.  But I'm also thankful for the people that put the food on the table."

~Alton Brown