Pork Chops with Paprika Dill Sauce

Here's another from the family files. Mom says she doesn't remember this, but I remember eating it. It's a bit like stroganoff with pork.

Ingredients

Flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging
6 pork chops
2 T. butter or olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. chicken broth
1 t. paprika
1c. sour cream
1/2 t. dill weed

Directions

Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour and brown in a large frying pan with the butter or olive oil. Save 2 T of the flour. Remove chops and saute the onion and garlic until soft. De-glaze the pan with the chicken broth and add paprika, then add back chops and simmer on low for 45 minutes until chops are tender. Combine flour and sour cream. Remove the chops again and add sour cream mixture and dill weed. Cook until sauce just begins to simmer. Add chops and serve over noodles or rice.

Augustine's Beer and Tequila Carnitas from Eating Well

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These pork carnitas have a little more flair and much less fat than the traditional deep-fried versions common to Mexican cuisine. Beer and dark tequila give them a very special flavor. Use leftover carnitas to make burritos, sandwiches or quesadillas.

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READER'S COMMENT:

"This was outstanding! A good recipe for when you are in the mood to putter around the kitchen. Well worth the time. "

Makes: 10 servings
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

• 4 pounds bone-in pork shoulder (see Note)
• 2 cups diced white onion
• 4 poblano peppers, diced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
• 3 cups diced seeded tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 1 cup tequila, preferably Reposado (see Note)
• 2 12-ounce bottles dark Mexican beer, such as Negro Modelo
• 20 corn tortillas, warmed (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Trim enough fat from pork to yield about 1/3 cup diced (discard the rest). Cut pork into 1-inch cubes.
2. Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and add the pork fat. Cook, stirring, until there is a thin layer of fat covering the bottom and the bits left in the pot are brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add onion, poblanos, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the pork and cook, stirring frequently, until enough liquid has been released to almost cover the pork and vegetables, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to a thick paste, about 30 minutes.
4. Stir in tomatoes, return to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add tequila and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce coats the meat, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the beer and return to a lively simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, scraping up any browned bits near the end of the cooking time, 30 to 45 minutes more. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the carnitas to a serving platter and let guests assemble their own tacos with warm tortillas and taco garnishes as desired.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat, covered, in microwave or 325°F oven.

• Notes: Bone-in pork shoulder (“Boston butt” or “fresh pork butt”) can weigh upwards of 10 pounds, so you may have to ask your butcher to cut one down for this recipe.
• Golden-hued Reposado tequila has been aged in wooden barrels for a minimum of two months but no longer than 11 months. The flavor is more smooth and balanced than unaged (Blanco) or young (Joven) tequilas.
• Kitchen Tip: 2 ways to warm corn tortillas: 1. Microwave: Wrap stacks of up to 12 tortillas in barely damp paper towels; microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds. Wrap tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm. 2. Oven: Wrap stacks of 6 tortillas in foil; place in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm.

Nutrition

Per serving: 470 calories; 19 g fat ( 7 g sat , 9 g mono ); 85 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 5 g fiber; 308 mg sodium; 596 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (88% daily value), Zinc (34% dv), Potassium (17% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
Exchanges: 1 vegetables, 3 medium-fat meat, 1 fat

Jim Wright's Cheese Soup Recipe

This isn't my recipe, but it's so good I wanted to share it. 

Jim Wright is a blogger living in Alaska (http://www.stonekettle.com/).  I love his blog. Mostly because he calls it like it is and I agree with almost everything he writes. I am posting this with his permission.

 "All measurements are approximate (I tend to just sort of wing it when it comes to soups)

1 cup chopped carrot.
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
couple of chopped brown mushrooms.
couple of chopped garlic cloves.
(I chop the vegetables fine in a food processor)
Sweat vegetables in a little butter with a pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables, don't saute them, you want them softened not fried.

In a large saucepan, combine 1 bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and an equal amount of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

Add a couple tablespoons of flour to the vegetables, toss, cook another five minutes. Add the softened vegetables to the broth.

Add 1 bay leaf. Simmer for about twenty minutes.

Turn off the heat. Repeat, remove from heat.

Let cool for a couple of minutes.

Remove the bay leaf.

Then use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) and puree. You should end up with a smooth vegetable broth.

Leave off heat.

While stirring with a good wire whisk slowly add by small handfuls, 1 cup finely shredded Fontina, 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere, and 1 cup finely shredded extra sharp cheddar.

Continue to stir, add 1 cup heavy cream. Stir. Stir. Stir. Or the cream will break.

If the soup isn't smooth, use the immersion blender again until it is. It should be smooth and creamy at this point and not too thick. If it's too thick, add a little milk."

Caramelized Onion Relish

The trick to caramelizing onions is taking your time and low, consistent heat. I made this with Red Torpedo onions and it turned out amazing! (I know, the picture is kind of crappy, but it's what I have.)

4 onions, sliced thin
1/4 c. water
1/4c. brown sugar
4 T. balsamic vinegar
1 c. dry wine (red or white)
salt


In a heavy frying pan place onions, water and brown sugar. Cook over low to medium low heat, stirring constantly, until onions wilt and start to turn light brown. Most of the liquid should have cooked off. Add wine and balsamic vinegar. Cook, again stirring constantly, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.

Store in the fridge, or preserve using a hot-water bath and processing for 15 minutes.

Chard Pesto

I've discovered that you can make pesto out of about any leafy green vegetable (not sure about lettuce). Kale, chard and spinach all make wonderful pesto. The trick to pesto is processing long enough to make it the right consistency.

3 - 4 c. torn chard (I used the stems and all)
1/2 c. walnuts (or pine nuts or pecans)
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (I was out so I used Swiss and it turned out just fine)

1/3 c. olive oil

salt and pepper

Place chard into the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add walnuts, basil and garlic. Process until it forms a paste. Add cheese and olive oil and process until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stores in the fridge for about a week, longer in the freezer.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

I have an abundance of Red Torpedo onions I bought from a friend. They make the best caramelized onions, ever! This is a fairly labor intensive recipe on the front end. Make sure you keep the heat low, so as not to burn the onions. Here it is-


4 bone-in, chicken thighs (if you leave the skin on, try to get most of the fat off)
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 T olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy sauce pan heat oil over LOW heat, add onions and garlic and saute on low until onion become translucent. Add half the chicken stock into the onions. Allow the stock to boil down before you add the rest of the stock, stirring occasionally. Allow this to boil down. Add cider, brown sugar and hot sauce, reduce the mixture by half.

Place chicken thighs in a greased pan. Pour the onions over the chicken and bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. If onions start to burn, reduce heat to 350 until chicken is done.

Granpie's Corn Cassarole

The original name for this dish was "Squaw Corn."

It's time to retire that name...

It calls for canned corn, but I think this time of year, fresh sweet corn at Farmer's Market would work very nicely!

3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 T flour
salt, pepper
1/2 t. celery seed
1 can whole corn (or a couple of cups fresh off the cob)

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased pan at 350 for 1 hour.