Pork (or chicken) Paprikash

1 LB Pork leftover roast, chops, tenderloin (or chicken)
6-8 Strips of bacon (about 1/2 LB)
2 Bell Peppers (red, red and green) chopped coarsely
2 onions chopped 
1 C mushrooms, quartered
4-6 Garlic cloves chopped coarsely
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
2 C Chicken broth

1 TBS flour
3 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
0.5-1 tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika
0.5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
1-2 TBS sour cream per serving

If the Pork is leftover:

Saute the bacon until crispy 
Add onions Saute until translucent, deglaze with chicken stock
saute garlic
add mushrooms, peppers, flour, spices  
stir, 2-3 minutes
add tomatoes and pork
simmer until warmed through.

Serve over hot egg noodles with a generous topping of sour cream.
-or-
turn off heat and blend in sour cream, to desired color/creaminess.

Using fresh Pork (or chicken) dredge the meat in the flour and 1/2 the paprika, and brown in the bacon fat, before adding the onions.

Meatloaf Revisited

I finally revisited the namesake dish, and have a few observations.

1.5 LB Meatloaf mix or a combo of Beef/Pork
1 C Soft Breadcrumbs (definitely makes a difference)
1/2 med onion chopped fine  (1/2 - 1 C)
1 Egg
2 garlic cloves cut lg.
4-5 TBS BBQ sauce
2 TBS Milk
1 TBS Whole grain mustard
1 TBS Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Top with strips of Bacon if available.

Preheat Oven.
Mix in Bowl, Place in Loaf Pan Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Soft breadcrumbs are better than broken crackers which are better than commercial breadcrumbs.
The quantity of sauce here 8 TBS = 1/2 cup did not over power the flavor of the meat.  I often add too much mustard/BBQ sauce.  Add another TBS.
MISSING: Wocestershire Sauce and Steak Sauce!
No milk flavor. I like a little hint of milk, but I am beginning to think that it is not right for these flavors.

Gravy 
I also meant to take 2 TBS of raw meat and brown / crisp it in a pan to make a base for gravy.  Since I forgot to do that I will try it with the leftover grease and some cooked meat.

meat
pepper / paprika
grease
onions
mushrooms
flour
deglaze with broth
thicken

Oven Roasted Herb Pork Loin

2 - 3 LB pork loin roast
handful fresh rosemary
handful fresh thyme
TBS grey poupon country style grained mustard
1 elephant garlic clove (abt 3-5 regular cloves)
fresh ground pepper
2 TBS Olive oil

1/2 C white wine
2 tbs flour + 1/2 c water mixed (shaken) in jar
2-4 TBS mustard
pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400

rub roast in olive oil
chop rosemary and thyme rub on roast
cut garlic into slivers and slit meat, insert slivers into slits
sprinkle roast with ground pepper
roast 30 minutes fat side down
flip and roast to 146
remove roast and tent for 15 min. before slicing

deglaze pan (iron skillet) with white wine
add water/flour mix wisking
add mustard
add pepper

wisk until simmering and serve

Carolina Style BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork.

I prefer Carolina style, with it's vinegary tartness and sweetness on pulled pork. It complements, rather than overpowers the pork. Oh yeah, I like kraut to cause I'm part kraut. Und kann Deutsche sprechen. Stimmt.
Anyway, I always thought that flavor was in the cooking, and only just realized ...
(duh) the flavor is in the sauce. So today I did this:

1 C Prepared brown mustard (mostly Guldens)
3/4 C Cider Vinegar
1/2 C White Granulated Sugar
1/2 C Pork crock pot juice (see below)
2 TBS chili powder
1-2 TBS Ground black Pepper
1 TBS Hot Szeged Hungarian Paprika >not regular sweet<
You can also use another ground hot pepper in smaller quantities

1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Combine all except the last 2 ingredients, simmer for 30 minutes.
stir in the last 2, heat for 10 more minutes.

Which is a mod from this:
http://bbq.about.com/od/barbecuesaucerecipes/r/blb00114.htm

but... It was too sweet, and not tangy enough. Ergo batch #2 will be:
Fresher vinegar. I don't know how old my vinegar is. Probably beyond vintage.
Brown sugar not white.
Called for 1/2 C white AND 1/4 brown. less than 1/2 C light brown next.

Oh and Crock Pot Pork Juice...

Boneless Pork Loin, abt 5 LBS
1 Can Progresso French Onion Soup (18.5 oz 524g)
1 med onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
fresh basil, torn
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp HOT Szeged Hungarian Paprika
1/2 tsp salt
(I'm not a big sodium fan, there's plenty in the soup, and you can always add at the table)

Place the onion slices on the bottom of a crock pot
lay garlic, basil on top.
place the pork on top
pour in the soup
sprinkle with seasonings
Low for 8-12 hours.
shred with forks, using bubba style.
*** reserve leftover juice for sauce - see above ***

serve on hamburger buns with sauce - see above.

Mustard Herbed Pork Tenderloin

2.5- 3 LBS pork tenderloins pack
2 TBS whole grain Mustard (Grey Poupon)
1 TBS Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 TBS dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
1.5 Tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 375
Place pork in crinkled aluminum foil "bowl" in pyrex baking dish
splash with wine
mix other ingredients
spread over all sides of tenderloin

Bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes or until internal temp = 155 degrees
remove from oven let sit for 10 minutes and carve.
Use pan (foil) drippings to make a gravy

Serve with Ten Minute Mushrooms, Mustard Potato Salad* and Knox Asparagus*


* Recipies to follow

Pork Tenderloin (small)

375 for about 35 min. to 160 degrees - Will continue to cook when removed
In a foil lined baking dish

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbs soy sauce
1" grated ginger
1 garlic clove per loin
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBS orange marmalade

How I think this should work:
mix all ingredients except marmalade
marinate for 1/2 hour or more
>> if unable to marinate, pierce meat with fork
place in foil lined baking dish, coat up side with marmalade

bake at 375 for 35 - 45 minutes until thermometer reads 160.
remove from oven let stand for 10 minutes before carving

Grill - wrap in foil cook to 150, then remove foil and sear.

Chili Leftovers 12 25 2009

1 can Hunts diced tomatoes
1 can Hunts diced tomatoes with mild chili peppers
1 can corn
1 can frijoles negro
1 can frijoles roja / pinto
1 LB leftover meat - pork roast
2 cloves garlic
1/2 - 1 diced onion
2-3 TBS Chili powder
2 TBS Cumin
1 Tsp Hot Hongarian Paprika
1 Tsp Oregeno
1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp Coriander

Crockpot until hungry.

I think that's everything I threw in the pot Christmas morning at 3 a.m. after configuring net books for the boys.

Pork Roast 1

2-4 lb Pork Roast
1 Tsp ea. Garlic Powder, Paprika, thyme
2 Tbs Dried Onion
1/2 tsp ea. salt, pepper
mix spices
1/2 - 1 cup white wine
Place pork in baking pan, pour wine over pork, rub with spices

roast @ 350 until 161 apparently about 1 3/4 - 2 hr

I'm trying to roast with potatoes and carrots - raise to 395 for last 1/2 hour.

Pull roast, let sit for 10 minutes before carving,
pull carrots but continue roasting potatoes for 10-15 min.

Experiments in Crockpot Pulled Pork

1 2-4 lb Pork Loin
1 Med Onion Sliced thick
1 tsp McCormick Szechuan Pepper Blend
3/4 Tsp brown Sugar
dash of black pepper
3 tsp cider vinegar

1-2 cups H2O 1/2 pork

onions on the bottom of crockpot
place roast on onions
coat roast in spices
fill crockpot with water 1/2 with vinegar

Low 10 hours

Kielbasa and Holy Thursday

Today, I took the boys to Delaware Provision Company, makers of the best Kielbasa in Delaware (say mmm Garlic). I was afraid that once they saw how sausage is made, they would become vegetarians. Declan is 8 and Liam is 6.

The guy who runs (owns?) the place, Scotty, is originally from Scotland, and has a bit of an accent. We were fortunate to get there around 2, and the line was only a few people. I've stood in line for up to an hour before, around Christmas. Damn that's some good Kielbasa.

It took me over 1/2 an hour to get my order filled, because I shop for my office. Today it was 18 lbs fresh, 8 lbs smoked and 8 LBS kraut, split oddly, 1+3 2+2 2+1, among 10 people. These are my repeat customers. So Scotty invited the boys over to help him make the Kielbasa, and they were fascinated. They got to run the "meat spigot" injecting fresh ground seasoned pork into the casing, while Scotty deftly controlled the casing. Two other boys came in and ran the spigot too. Declan and Liam were fascinated, and kept asking to run it again. Scotty invited both to come back and work for him when they're 17. Liam is already planning on it.

I chatted with Scotty for a bit, while he was apprenticing my sons, and found out he had Irish breakfast sausage too. Made today, with lamb, 'tis his own recipe now, it tis. (smacking my lips.) It's not on the menu, you have to know to ask the Scot, who makes the Polish sausage, for the Irish links. Begin the bag-piping polka now...

So the boys thought the trip to the sausage factory was awesome, and we've begun another family tradition. And they love the Kielbasa, except when they bite into a whole peppercorn.

Basic Meatloaf Recipes

Three purposes: 1) Archive Recipes 2) Access them from any computer (cooking at friends) 3) Allow friends to experiment and improve. mmm....

Basic Meatloaf
1.5 LBS meat
1 Med. onion chopped fine (hide from kids)
1/2 cup sauce (Ketchup is trad. I like BBQ sauce)
1 Egg (Lg?)
salt / pepper / garlic / paprika to taste
1 cup Breadcrumbs (I make my own by crushing Ritz(r) crackers)
mix in a bowl with your hands - (you already washed them, right?)

should have consistency of meatloaf. Add more "sauce" or milk if not moist enough.

in a caserole dish
350 DEG. for 1.25 hours


This one orig. called for 2/3 C. Milk. It was too milky, so I cut it back.
1 LB meat (meatloaf mix or leaner beef - not 80%)
1/3 cup milk
1/4 C. ketchup
1/2 Cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion (again fine - see above)
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 egg

cook as above.