Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

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Ginger Pork Stir Fry

Stir-fries are one of my favorite options for a weeknight meals. Healthy, quick, and flavorful – I usually find myself adding one to our menu weekly. They’re also great for a “clean out the fridge” kind of night. I had close to a whole pork tenderloin leftover that I used for this dish. I was worried that the pork would be overcooked after stir-frying. But, it was just as tender and juicy as it was the first night we enjoyed it.

But, if you didn’t have a cooked pork tenderloin hanging around (which, you totally should make that recipe. It’s pretty much amazing) – you could of course slice it thin, and then cook in the wok before the veggies. I added broccoli, red pepper, and water chestnuts for a crunchy kick. But mushrooms, carrots, or snow peas would be other great additions. That’s why I love stir-fries – they are pretty much good with anything you throw at it!

Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

3/4 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 red pepper, diced
1 can water chestnuts, drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 scallions, chopped

For the sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp hoison sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin (or dry sherry)

Combine soy sauce, veggie oil, garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, and scallions in a Ziploc bag. Add pork to bag and toss to coat. Let marinade 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the veggies and sauce.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of ice and 2 cups of water. Toss broccoli florets into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, and place in the ice bath to set the color and stop the cooking process. Drain, and place florets on a clean kitchen towel to dry.

Drain the excess marinade from the pork. Place your sauce, vegetables and pork near the stove.

Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced pork; stir slowly until almost opaque; about 1 minute. Transfer to plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Heat the pan over high heat; 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and add the vegetables, starting with the red peppers – then the broccoli and water chestnuts. Stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Add the pork and sauce and stir until the sauce is thickens, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Serve over rice and garnish with sliced scallions.

Source: adapted from Food Network Magazine, March 2010

Sausage Gravy & Biscuits

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Sausage Gravy & Biscuits

I think Biscuits & Gravy is one of the most comforting of comfort foods. It’s one of the first dishes I started making for breakfast, and even dinner, when first learning to cook. Even when making biscuits from scratch, it’s a meal that comes together quickly. Using simple ingredients, to boot. That seems to be a common thread among my favorite comfort foods.

I always make this for breakfast on those Sunday mornings when the last thing I feel like doing is making breakfast, due to one too many margaritas the night before. And it always makes things right with the world, and my stomach. In the past, I always used canned biscuits, and there’s no shame in that. But, if you have a little bit of time – try making them from scratch. This is a fabulous recipe that I’ve made time and time again, and they always turn out perfect. And, you’ll be beaming with pride – I promise!

I wish I could have made these for Jon this morning for breakfast. With the 49ers loss, he could have used this kind of breakfast to start his day. This one is sure to lift a man’s spirits. But, it was a great game and I say we should still hold up our heads high. Next year, boys! Hopefully a nice steak dinner tonight will help to ease his pain. Now, to see Maryland get painted purple. Congrats to the family in Baltimore!

Sausage Gravy & Biscuits

12 ounces bulk pork sausage (1 tube)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
kosher salt
ground black pepper
Buttermilk biscuits

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Add the flour to the skillet along with the sausage, and cook for 2 minutes to brown up the flour a bit. Slowly ppour the milk into the skillet, stirring constantly, and bring the gravy to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt with pepper. Split the biscuits in half and divide them among plates. Top each biscuit with some of the gravy and serve immediately.

Lumpia

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LumpiaI have many good memories associated with lumpia and football. A family friend always made them for the Super Bowl party we went to, year after year, and everyone always loved them. They were out of the kitchen as soon as they came out of the fryer!

Most of the ingredients are fairly easy to come by, even for a country mouse like myself. You may have a hard time finding spring roll wrappers. I know I did, for years. Until finally I realized that we have an Asian market here in Salisbury. Subconciously, I knew it was there. But, I’d always avoided it because the mini-strip mall that they call home looks kind of skeezy. A month or so ago, I finally ventured in, and am kicking myself for not going in sooner. Everything was clean, and well organized – and ingredients that I’d been searching years to find (black vinegar! good fish sauce!) were on the shelves in abundance. Was so happy to see that they had spring roll wrappers, so I purchased a couple packages to stick in the freezer. Then came home and set out to try making my own lumpia!

They come together fairly quickly, as you don’t pre-cook the filling. Just make sure to chop the carrots and cabbage very finely – as this helps to lighten the texture of the ground pork. Also, keep in mind that lumpia should be a good deal smaller than an egg roll – because they’re almost exclusively meat, as opposed to shredded vegetables. It’s easy to find yourself wanting to put more filling in before you roll them up – but, resist that urge. About one fingers width and length is the amount of filling you want in each roll.

If you’re still looking for Super Bowl munchie ideas, definitely consider this one. They can be fried in advance, then kept warm in the oven for an hour or so – without having the crispiness of the roll suffer.  Which leaves you plenty of time to mix up some Hurricanes before your guests arrive! Also, GO NINERS!

Lumpia

1 lb ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup carrots, finely minced
1 cup cabbage, finely minced
1/2 cup green onions, finely minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
30 spring roll (or lumpia) wrappers

In a large bowl combine ground pork, garlic, carrots, cabbage, green onions, and ginger. Using clean hands, mix to combine.

To wrap the lumpia, place 3 teaspoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven to 350 degrees. Place 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for about 5 minutes, turning often, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels that are placed on top on a cooling rack. Serve immediately with sweet chili or soy sauce.

Source: inspired by our family friend, CJ

BLT Carbonara

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BLT CarbonaraI feel like we’ve been crazy busy lately – it’s always something on our schedules one weekend or another. Poor Jon just got to brew beer for the first time in two months last week! Plus, we’d all been sick for pretty much the entire month of January. Stomach bugs? Check. Coughing up lungs? Check. Faucets for noses? Check.

This has been the first week this month where we’ve all felt good, and I’ve been playing catch-up with house chores that kind of got put by the way-side while I was sick myself, or playing nurse maid. Seriously, where does all this laundry come from? I’d swear I live in a house with 5 teenage girls the way these boys go through clothes! Anyways, with all the housework, I wasn’t feeling cooking dinner the other night. But, I wasn’t feeling anything out either. So, I mustered up some energy and went to the kitchen to make this quick pasta. A few ingredients, and a little bit of time – and you’ve got yourself one terrific and satisfying meal.

If you’re worried about using raw eggs in your pasta – hear me out. It’s not really raw eggs, because the eggs cook (more or less) in the pan with the hot pasta. It transforms into a thick and luxurious sauce that can’t be achieved with any substitutions. If you’re that worried about it, let it cook on the heat for a little bit longer than 2 minutes. But, there really isn’t anything to worry about – you don’t think anything about licking brownie batter off the spatula when you’re done baking, do you?

The original recipe just calls for bacon and tomatoes, but I happened to have a half a bag of baby spinach hanging out in the fridge that I needed to use – and thought that a green leafy component would make it a BLT, which is always a fun twist. I served it with simple green salads and focaccia bread.

BLT Carbonara

2 whole eggs
1/3 cup heavy creamy
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
12 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine
Fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups baby spinach leaves
16 ounces spaghetti

Whisk together the eggs, cream and Parmesan together in a bowl. In a large non stick pan, fry the bacon until crisp and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Remove all but one tablespoon of the bacon grease; add the onion, tomatoes, and garlic and sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine; stir in the parsley, salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and tomatoes. Add the baby spinach. Pour cream mixture into the spaghetti, and toss over low heat for one to two minutes using tongs. If it seems a little dry, add a splash of the reserved cooking water from the pasta. Serve in warm bowls, top with bacon and serve with additional Parmesan.

Source: adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy