Cooking June 8 - Pork Roulade and Vegetarian Lentil and Wild Rice Dish

Cooking Demo June 8, 2013

I was shopping for this weeks demo and spied some thin pork chops and thought that a roulade   would be a nice change.  I was very pleased with this dish.  The mint leaves along with the lemon balm really gave a terrific taste to the sauce.  Enjoy!

Pork Roulade with Apricots

10 Thin pork chops

½ cup chopped Mozzarella cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ lb Shitake mushrooms chopped

8 Dried apricots chopped

5 basil leaves chopped

3 T fresh Greek oregano chopped

1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley

8 fresh Lemon balm leaves chopped

4 Spearmint leaves chopped

juice of 1 Lemon

¼ t Lemon rind grated

1Green onion bulb and greens chopped

1 cup Apricot Mustard Glaze

3/4 cup heavy cream

Olive Oil

Add the chesses to a bowl and mix until combined.  Add the chopped apricots and herbs and mix.  Lay the chop flat and cover with the cheese and herb mixture.  Roll and secure with toothpicks.  Brown in oil turning to make sure all sides have been seared.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the apricot mustard glaze, lemon juice and rind and green onion to the pan stir until it starts bubbling then slowly add the cream.  Add the pork roulade back to the pan and coat the meat with the sauce.  Cook covered on a low flame until the meat is done.

Vegetarian Lentil and Wild Rice

1 cup Red lentils

¼ cup Wild rice

Mushroom essence broth

½ lb Shitake mushrooms

1 small head Red cabbage

Six leaves of Chinese cabbage

4T Sesame seeds toasted

1 T Pink peppercorns

2T Brown mustard seeds

Snow peas

2 Green onions

Red onion

3T Roasted Pumpkin seed oil

½ package Bacon Horseradish dip mix

Boil the lentils in mushroom essence until done.  In a separate pan, boil the wild rice until soft.  This will take a while so start it first.

In a pan, add the sesame seeds, peppercorns, brown mustard seeds and toast the seeds until they pop.  Add the cabbages, snow peas, green onion and red onion.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until done.  Toss the wild rice and lentils together and add roasted pumpkin seed oil. Combine the vegetables and lentil mix together.  Sprinkle the Bacon Horseradish dip mix and stir until well mixed.  Serve with Nasturtiums as garnish.

Tropical Chicken

I am always looking for new ideas for my Saturday cooking.  I have even gone so far that a jot them down when they come to me in my iPhone.  I have been successful in coming up with ideas at any place or time.  So much so, my friends think I am a texting bug.  Here is a recipe of a brainstorm idea that come from thinking about my Dad.  He loved fried banana sandwiches.  I then thought that I could blend that taste with some tropical notes.  Here is the recipe I came up with.

Chicken Breaded with Dried Banana Chips and bread crumbs in a Curried Mango and Coconut Sauce

Chicken Breasts Panko bread crumbs
Dried banana chips chopped small
Shredded coconut
 1/2 t Ground mustard seeds
4 large Fresh Shitake Mushrooms
Flour
1 Egg
1/2 c Coconut milk unsweetened
Curried Mango Sauce from Stonewall Kitchen
Onion
Olive oil
Fresh bananas
S &  1/2 t Pink peppercorns ground

 

Cut the chicken breasts into 4x4 inch pieces.  Put 1 cup dried banana chips in a blender and add 1 cup panko bread crumbs,  Mix until finely chopped.  Dip the chicken in flour, egg wash, panko and banana chips  to coat. Brown in olive oil. Then set aside.

Sauté’ onions, mushrooms, ground mustard seed and ground pink peppercorns. Add ½cup coconut milk and ½ c Curried mango sauce to the pan and stir until it starts to bubble.  Add the chicken and cook on a low flame until chicken is cooked through.  Slice length wise then fry the fresh bananas in oil until caramelized.  Serve a piece on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with coconut and garnish with flowers. (optional)

Wonderfully Rich and Flavorful Roasted Red Pepper and Red Wine Sauce

Last nights dishes were fabulous if I say so myself.  I wanted to do something different this week and came up with a winner.  The sauce for the beef was full of flavor and richness.  I could also be used on a London Broil, or some other cut of beef.  Due to the richness of the sauce, I don't think it would pair well with chicken.  I wanted something to serve with the beef that was different and came up with the idea for a savory bread pudding.  When I was shopping for the pudding I was looking for a crusty bread then I saw the dark rich pumpernickel bread and knew that was what I needed to use.  I didn't take the pictures last night but someone else has them.  As soon as I get copies, I will add them to this posting.

Petite Beef cubes in Roasted Red Pepper and Red Wine Sauce

1 ½ lbs lean beef bites

5 Fresh Shitake mushrooms (2-3inch)

3 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

1 pkg More Than Gourmet Red Wine sauce

1 16 oz jar of Roasted Red Peppers

2T Basil Pesto

Add the garlic to a pan and sauté until lightly brown.  Add the beef and cook until nicely browned and the juice is caramelized.  Add 2 oz red wine to the pan and reduce the wine to half it's original volume. Purée the roasted red peppers. Add 1 cup pureed roasted red peppers and one container red wine sauce and cook until it slightly thickens. Add the beef back in to the pan along with the sliced mushrooms and cook on low until the mushrooms are done.  Salt & pepper to taste.  This can be served over the bread pudding (recipe below) or noodles.

Savory Black bread Pudding with vegetables and red pepper and avocado puree

6 slices toasted Pumpernickel bread

3 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

1 ½ c milk

¾ c Romano cheese shredded

2T Basil Pesto

Chopped onion

Garlic

Shitake mushrooms chopped

Fresh spinach

3 small colorful sweet peppers chopped

¾ c Snow peas chopped

Shredded carrots chopped

1 granny smith apple chopped

1 cup pureed roasted red peppers

Sun-dried tomatoes

1 Haas Avocado

To a pan, add olive oil and onions, garlic, peppers, apple, snow peas and carrots.  Cook until tender then remove and set aside.  Add more olive oil to the pan and add the mushrooms, pesto and chopped spinach cook until slightly soft.  Cut the bread into ½ inch pieces and put into a greased  8 or 9 inch baking dish.  Add the vegetables and toss until the mixture is well distributed.

In a separate bowl add the eggs and whisk until mixed.  Add the milk, heavy cream and cheese.  Stir then pour the mixture over the bread and vegetables.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until all the moisture is absorbed.

Sauce

Puree the roasted red peppers and avocado in a food processor until smooth if it needs more moisture use the juice from the peppers. Add 2T basil pesto.  Add Salt & pepper to taste. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Pour over the warm Bread pudding.

Homemade Sausage and Chinese Mustard Greens

Although we only had a few people for the cooking this Saturday, I still made same amount of food that I do for a larger group.  I am glad I did because the meat was wonderful.  I don't like a lot of heat to my foods so my sausage is more on the savory side.  You could easily spice this up with a tablespoon or two of chipotle powder and it would still go well with the Apricot Glaze.

Homemade sausage meat on Crustini with apricot mustard glaze

1 lb ground pork

1t powdered sage

5 basil leaves chopped

½ bulb elephant garlic chopped

½ teaspoon Smoked sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

½ small onion chopped fine

½ teaspoon Fresh ground nutmeg

2 teaspoon Garam Marsala

Apricot Mustard Glaze from Stonewall Kitchens

1 loaf French bread cut and toasted as crustini

Add the garlic and herbs to a pan with 1T olive oil. Cook until they are soft but not browned.  Cool the mixture then add salt and pepper.  Add the mixture to the pork and mix well.  Form into small patties (size of a silver dollar).  Cook the patties until browned and cooked through.   Near the end of cooking time add the apricot mustard glaze.  Serve on Crustini.  Garnish with chopped sage leaves.

Chinese Mustard Greens and Spinach Braised in Butternut Squash Oil with

Bacon Horseradish Seasoning

7 leaves mustard greens

3 cups fresh spinach

½ bulb elephant garlic chopped

3T sliced greens from the top of the garlic bulb

3T Butternut Squash Oil

Chopped fresh sage

Chopped fresh basil

1 pkg Wind & Willow Bacon Horseradish Dip Mix

Chopped pecans

Add oil to pan on low heat.  Add the mustard greens, garlic and herbs to the pan stirring to coat the leaves Cook on medium heat until the greens are tender.  Add the spinach to the pan and cook until lightly soft.  Add more oil if needed.  Sprinkle 3 T of the powdered dip mix and sitr until completely mixed.  Serve with a pecan garnish on top,