Pork | The Humble Onion

Pork Posole

August 29, 2019

We are back in the swing of the school year, and I’ve been scouring my cookbooks and the internet to find new dinner ideas. My criteria has been dishes that are easy, delicious and feed a crowd. And I guess I’ve also been looking for things that are a little different, something we’ve never tasted before.

This Pork Posole checks all the boxes. When you find a dish that has SO much flavor, and is so simple and easy, and is a little bit different than anything you’ve had before, you have to share it. The amazing flavor comes from three things: the salsa verde…

the hominy…it was a little hard to find for me so I bought six cans from Amazon and I am very excited to have the makings for more posole in my pantry. Amazon Prime for lyfe. (Seriously, what did moms of little kids do before it existed?)

…and the addition of 3 cups of tortilla chips at the end. It sounds so weird but then you realize that the corn chips dissolve and when they do, they thicken this dish and add salt and fat that makes you crave more. It’s loaded with veggies that help to balance this decadence though, right?

I was a little worried that the fresh poblano pepper would make it too spicy, but my normally picky nine year old loved this dish along with my big kids.

My six year old did not love it though and ate what we always serve the kids who think something is too spicy: a cheese roll up. This is the name we give a tortilla sprinkled with shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese, rolled up and microwaved for 30 seconds with some avocado. (Just looking out for you mommas out there.)

This dish has got to be one of the best bowls of stew/soup I’ve ever had. I’ve seen a lot of posole recipes around using chicken instead, and you could easily swap the pork for the chicken here. But the pork was so flavorful and satisfying I highly recommend trying it. There are a lot of crock pot versions too, but I think sautéing the veggies adds so much flavor and once you’ve done that you might as well just let it simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.

The salsa verde and the lime make this taste so fresh, but at its heart this is comfort food and perfect for fall. I hope you get to try it and fall in love with it like we did.

Happy Eating,

xoxo Katie

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 1/2 pounds lean, boneless pork loin, 1/2-inch diced

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)

1/3 cup small-diced poblano pepper

2 Holland yellow or orange bell peppers, seeded and 3/4-inch diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade, simmering

1 (12-ounce) jar medium salsa verde

2 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups yellow corn tortilla chips, plus extra for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lime wedges, sliced or diced avocado, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, grated Cheddar, and sour cream, for serving

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium (11-inch) pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium-high heat. Add the pork and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer the pork and any liquid to a bowl and set aside. (Don’t worry about crowding the pan here). Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the pot, add the onions, and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the poblano and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chili powder, and oregano and cook for one minute. Return the pork and its juices to the pot.
Add the chicken stock and salsa verde and bring to a simmer. Stir in the hominy, black beans, corn chips, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 teaspoon salt, depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock and the chips.
To serve, ladle the posole into large soup bowls. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and top with avocado, scallions, radishes, tortilla chips, Cheddar, and sour cream. Serve hot.

Recipe from Ina Garten can be found here on Foodnetwork.com

Breaded Pork Chops

December 9, 2013

IT’S WINTER!

Rob and I got to sneak away with the baby after Thanksgiving and ski at the mountain with the most snow (Sunday River in Maine) and I can’t believe how good it felt after missing last season. This photo is from last year and I cannot wait to ski with these people!! Rob is so great at getting us to the top of the hill and I am so thankful.

I think this might be my favorite season to cook in. The cold and snow make us all hibernate so that there is more time to savor ingredients and each other. You know, the stuff that makes life worth living.

And guess what Santa brought a month early?

A freezer full of meat!

This year, in addition to the half cow we buy from Vermont Natural Beef , cousin Ben raised us a pig (and even smoked the ham & bacon) so the cow is sharing space with half of a pig. It feels like Christmas whenever I go in there: beef tenderloin, brisket, prime rib, chuck, mountains of grass fed beef for the best burgers, pork chops, ground pork for Asian Lettuce Wraps, short ribs. Sigh…..

The ham we will cook for Christmas Eve, the tenderloin for Christmas, and the rib roast is always saved for Easter. Having your holidays already mapped out and in your freezer means that our white chest freezer really is my own personal treasure chest. It is especially convenient when we go up to the ski condo: crock pot + beef + skiing + beer = my nirvana.

It has been about two weeks since we got the cow and so far, I have made Beef Stroganoff, steak, meat loaf, burgers, the Asian wraps and these lovely pork chops:

This was a personal mission for me – my husband did not love pork chops growing up, so I am determined to find a way to cook them that he likes. This was a step in the right direction, he said he ‘liked’ them. I have ten more pork chops in the freezer to perfect until he says he loves them, but I will share with you this first version because I loved them.

The best part is the Dijon mustard mixed with the eggs – this is such a genius idea I don’t know why I never thought of it before. It keeps the meat moist and flavorful and would be fantastic with chicken or veal so I will be trying this again.

And baking the pork chops means there is no pan fry splatter to clean up at all, no oil, no mess.

This recipe was adapted from a version in Smitten Kitchen that included browning your own bread crumbs. (I liked it with the panko and it was faster, so I will wait until I have more time for that version but go for it if you love your own bread crumbs.) But the idea to brine the chops for a half hour before meant that they were SO super moist and flavorful, I highly recommend this easy step.

I served them with roasted butternut squash, apples, onions and sage which the kiddos loved and went so well with the pork.

I can’t wait to share with you some of the other recipes I am going to try with all these amazing cuts (Red Wine Beef Stew with Horseradish Sour Cream anyone…). In the meantime if you have any favorite pork or beef recipes please send them my way I would love to hear about them!

Happy Eating, Katie

Breaded Pork Chops (printer version here):

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

4 cups panko

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup flour

3 large egg whites

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Arrange 3 plates/trays for breading with the flour, egg mixed with Dijon, and panko mixed with parsley. Sprinkle salt & pepper on the pork then dip into the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. Cook for 20-25 minutes, then let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Crock Pot Pork Ribs

February 6, 2013

The grilling season is a long way off, and after feeling the warmth of Florida sun last week on our trip to Disney, it feels like even spring is taking foorreeeeverrrrr. (No doubt my impatience is even more acute waiting for baby and not being able to ski.) But I do have some sunshine to share with you:

Ribs you can make in your crock pot!

These are not just ANY ribs though. They are smothered in one of the best secrets in my recipe box.

Eileen’s BBQ Sauce.

When I was first married, there were a few things I craved that my mom (aka Eileen) made, and this was one of them. It is such a perfectly balanced sweet/acidic/tangy combination that it makes you dream about it in your sleep. My mom makes the sauce when she cooks ribs in the oven and the sauce becomes thicker, which is yummy, and if you want to know how she does this I tacked it on at the end. But I was craving more then the skinny ribs with sticky sauce. I wanted fall-off-the-bone-meaty pork ribs. So I decided to try them in the crock pot, and I used country style ribs instead of a rack of ribs.

Turns out they were heavenly. Think pot roast tender.

Even more sunshine for you: this dish is super easy. First you make the sauce. I should warn you that I constantly doctor these ingredients to suit my taste. I am looking for the ZING factor on my tounge, but as I mentioned it is best when balanced with the sweet. So play around a little. These amounts should get you close. And don’t stop at ribs – this sauce is good on chicken, smothered over meatballs, pulled pork, a cardboard box…

Eileen’s BBQ Sauce:

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 c. ketchup

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. water

Directions:

Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Sautee onions and celery for 5 min, until tender. Then add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine. Be sure to season to taste, then bring to a boil and then let simmer for 10 min. if using in the crock pot, 30-45 min if using in oven or on grill.

Crock Pot Ribs:

Take 3 pounds country style pork ribs and lay in bottom of crock pot, cutting to fit if necessary. Season with salt & pepper. Pour 1 batch of BBQ Sauce over, set on low heat and cook for 3-4 hours.

Oven Ribs:

If you prefer stickier ribs, select not country style but babyback ribs (or any ‘rack’ of ribs with the word back in the title). Remove white membrane off back, then set oven to broil and broil in oven for 10 minutes each side. Then set oven to 300 degrees. Lay the ribs on large piece of foil, baste generously with BBQ on each side, seal up the ribs in foil, then cook for 2 hours. Baste again generously with the sauce and cook uncovered (remove top foil) for 1 hour more until sauce is nice and thick. (If you have any sauce left over you can serve on the side, yum!)

Serve with a Corona or Margarita and pretend it is summer. (Virgin Margaritas work for me until baby Curtis comes and I can have the real thing!)

New School Year Dinner

August 31, 2012

Hiya! Happy New School Year!

If you are a mom you know that brings the relief of structure, and the confines of it too. Like a well-oiled machine, our home and kitchens need to be set up to handle the daily grind that is around the corner. Maybe it is the life-long habit of new school clothes and supplies, but fall brings on the feeling of newness in every area. I love it. The past week has me organizing our mud room, our pantry, drawers and of course, closets, in anticipation of the busy early mornings and quick family dinners.

I have also found a ton of wisdom from other moms on various blogs. My new favorite site is Like Mother Like Daughter. This mom shares her lifetime of insights from feeding a family of nine. She makes biscuits out of a little left over squash, has posts like Make Dinner Every Night and Like It, and Make Menus, Really. She shined a light on the very loose meal planning I do, and suggests that families start by making a master list of meals they like, and when you meal plan, pull from that list.

I love this idea, and am going to make my families master list this weekend. I am inspired to add a few new ones to it and I hope you are too! This meal will DEFINITELY be on the list:

Pork Chops with Balsamic Honey Glaze, and Butternut Squash with Sage and Blue Cheese

I just made this last week when I found this easy recipe for butternut squash as a savory side (or a full meal if you are so inspired!). Literally, just chop and roast this gorgeous orange vegetable, add cheese and you have a silky, luxuriously rich vegetable at your table. And since it goes well with pork, I made boneless pork chops with Giada’s Agrodolche Glaze for pork chops. This glaze is heaven and is one of those flavor combinations that you keep remembering because it is so good!

For the Butternut Squash, start with these ingredients (the sage is from my herb garden!):

That’s it! So easy. In fact I got it from another food blog that titled it ‘Relaxing’. Find it here.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage and Gorgonzola
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (about 1 lb)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 leaves of sage, finely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 400.
Toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Roast squash for 20 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle gorgonzola on top. The heat of the squash will melt gorgonzola. Serve.
While that was roasting away, I remade a version of pork chops that Giada De Laurentiis made a while back, and it is so good, I think I might make it again soon because I am hungry for it just thinking about it! I left out the red pepper flakes for my kids, but if you like a kick it is super good. This recipe is from the Food Network, and she called the glaze ‘agrodolce’, an Italian name meaning sweet and sour.

Pardon me while I geek out on you, but I was curious about this so I looked it up on Wikipedia. They write:

Agrodolce is a traditional sweet and sour sauce in Italian cuisine. Its name comes from “agro” (sour) and “dolce” (sweet). Agrodolce is made by reducing sour and sweet elements, traditionally vinegar and sugar. Sometimes, additional flavorings are added, such as wine, fruit, or evenchocolate. The sauce is thought to have been brought to Sicily by the Arabs. It can be high in fat, sodium, cholesterol and sugar, used for lamb, and served over rigatoni or wide noodles, such as pappardelle. Though the term “aigre-doux” could refer to any sweet and sour sauce in French cuisine, a gastrique is very similar to agrodolce.^[1]

If you want to find the Food Network link for easy printing you can find it here.

Pork:

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
4 (8-ounce) boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Glaze:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, pale green and white parts only, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pork: In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Add the pork to the pan and cook until cooked through. for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, honey, garlic, scallions, and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved. Simmer for 9 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the pork chops on a platter and drizzle with the glaze.

Please comment and let me know your favorites on your families master list! I am forever curious about other mainstays in the life of busy families!

Garlic Dijion Rosemary Crusted Pork Loin

July 1, 2012

It is that time of year when we head out to picnics, summer parties, and outdoor eating. Here are some of my favorite things to make and bring.

Garlic Dijion Rosemary Crusted Pork Loin

Even though this is a fall/winter type dish, I find I make it in the summer often. Recently I had a picnic to go to and the night before, I threw this in the oven then into the fridge. It was so easy to grab the next day, put into a plastic bag with a baguette and some dijion mustard.

1 pork tenderloin, 1-2 lbs.
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 T. rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 c. dijion mustard
salt & pepper (about 1 t. salt, 1/2 pepper)

Toss all ingredients after pork together, then coat over tenderloin. Cook at 425 for 20-25 min, testing for doneness as thicknesses vary.

Speaking of picnics, has anyone seen this at a summer party?

Watermelon Baskets: Is it summer without one of these??

If you have never made one they are very easy, just draw with a knife where you want the base and the handle to be, then cut and carve with a big spoon. You need a big bowl to catch all the watermelon remnants, then you make a fruit salad with cubes of some of the watermelon and your favorite summer fruit like strawberries, grapes, blueberries, etc.. Then dump it back in. Mint is a nice garnish as well.

Pomegranate Juice with Seltzer:

Super refreshing, and if you want to add tequila or vodka, be my guest! If not, it feels like a special drink even when you don’t want to drink.

Happy Summer!

Pork Souvlaki (3 ways)

June 2, 2012

Jamie Oliver calls this ‘wicked kebabs’. I call it heaven. Lemony, zingy, flavorful Pork Souvlaki is crazy good. I make it with this secret weapon:

I am not sure if you can find this in your local grocery store, but if so you must buy it!!! Basile’s Greek Style Pork Souvlaki Seasoning.

Marinating tender pork with this tangy, lemony greek flavoring is beyond delicious. I dream about it in my sleep. Then once you have the pork cubes ready, the uses of them are endless.

If you can find it, making pork souvlaki is as easy as marinating 2 lbs. of pork tenderloin with:

4 T. of Souvlaki seasoning
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup of olive oil

If you can’t find it, follow this recipe I got from allrecipes.com:

1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
skewers

Marinate for 2-3 hours, then cook the meat on the stovetop:

Then the uses for the meat are so yummy and easy!!

1. Gyros:

I also call them Greek Tacos because setting out the fixings is just like tacos. This is one of the best 10 min meals I know of, since it just involves opening these containers while the meat cooks:

Pita Bread
Olives
Tabouleh
Hummas
Feta
Tzatziki Sauce (yougurt with dill and cucumbers). For Ina Garten’s recipe for this click here
Cucumbers, Tomatos, Mint, Spinach, Romaine