2 October, 20149 October, 2017

Making peace with fall and a Pumpkin-Free Autumn Recipe

While everyone can’t wait to talk about the crisp air and turning leaves, I’m quietly questioning why everyone seem to love this season. Although I have much to celebrate in the fall (anniversary, hubby’s birthday, Halloween and Thanksgiving) I seem to never really embrace it. With fall come super mutating viruses, crazy weather (even in SoCal), allergies, football, college football and the inevitable…winter! Treat or trick is fun for the kids and extra fat for me because I have no will power. Everything will soon die. No more flowers, no green…all will be red, brown and dead!!!!! It’ll be dark outside. Not a thing to wear because the weather won’t decide what to be; hot, cold, rainy, dry, frosty, windy????

Should I even mention the PUMPKIN everything? As much as I love the pumpkin coffee, pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie, pumpkin décor, pumpkin patches…it is just WAY too much pumpkin. Cooks act as if they will loose their minds if they don’t cram as much pumpkin in their recipes before the end of the season. How many people actually bother to cook with real pumpkin? It taste grosser than canned pumpkin to me.

How do I make peace with fall?

Since I can’t stop fall from coming and I can’t keep the world in perpetual, blissful summer, I’m going to embrace it (with moderation). I’ll grow fall vegetables in my garden, take daily antihistaminic, get the flu shot, buy new boots and scarves that match my tank tops, and think outside the pumpkin.

Because no food blog venting should be posted without a recipe, here is what I made today (sans pumpkin) for tonight’s dinner.

Roasted Maple Pork Loin Stuffed with Apple and Blueberries

THE DEAL: Costco had an instant rebate on Pork Loin ($2.80) yesterday on a package of 2. Each pack has 2 loins. I used 1 pack/2 loins for this recipe (I’ll freeze the extra pack.) In addition, apples are in season and on sale everywhere.

For the stuffing you will need: 1 apple (diced); 1/2 cup of blueberries; 3 diced shallots or 1 small purple onion; fresh rosemary; 2 tbsp bread crumbs; 1 1/2 tsp olive oil; salt and pepper to taste.

On a medium fry pan heat the olive oil. Brown the shallots until translucent. Add apples and cook for about 3 minutes. Add blueberries, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until the bread crumbs absorb the juices. Reserve.

Butterfly each loin (I could not spare more than 3 minutes butterflying the loins, so there you have it. Not pretty but works. A reminder that this shit is real!!!!!!!Real cooking!!!!) Season all sides with salt and pepper (be generous but reasonable).

You could use the “Saran warp and meat hammer” technique (aka pound it until thin) to make it flatter and easier to roll. I had limited time and wanted to get dinner done as quick as possible, so I topped one loin with the stuffing and made a “sandwich”. Then I simply tied the loins together (no tying skills required). Placed the “sandwich” in a roast pan/pyrex lined with shredded napa cabbage (To add flavor and retain moist. This step is totally optional.) Season again with some salt and pepper and finished with 1/2 of maple syrup over the top.

Place a piece of foil over the loin (don’t cover the whole pan, just the loin to keep it moist) and roast for 45 minutes at 360-370F. Discard the foil and roast for additional 15 minutes.

I haven’t decided yet what to serve the roasted pork loin with. I know Farro will be a great side, but the kids can’t take it. I’ll probably make a quick couscous right about before dinner time. The whole family loves the roasted garlic and herbs couscous from Near East. It takes literally 5 minutes to make and 2 minutes to disappear from our plates.

23 January, 2011

Quick sometimes is not easy

I’m still trying to find a balance between my new job and my old job as a stay-at-home Mom. Keeping up with the house chores, homework, kids schedules, food shopping and meal preparation is not easy when you have to work. I figured out that grocery shopping and cooking do not go with the adjectives QUICK or EASY.

I went to the 99c Store to find birthday paraphernalia for my son’s party and I was surprised to find beautiful Pasilla chiles from Mexico. They were probably full of unpronounceable pesticides, but I overlooked the cons and turned them into filling for delicious 20-minute tamales.

Along with the chiles came Organic Earthbound spring mix salad, Brazilian Bauducco cookies I grew up eating and some Valentine’s decorations. Each only 99 dealicious cents!

Last week I tried my new ceramic fondue pot from Crate and Barrel. It’s beautiful and it works! It was the first time the kids had fondue – what’s not to like about dipping little bites of food in cheese sauce?

On the ‘trying new things’ note, I made Farro for the first time last Friday. After overcooking it, I decided to make Farro risotto instead of salad and it turned out ok. Added roasted apples, fennel, Gruyere cheese and plain greek yogurt. Far from fabulous, but definitely good. Served with orange glazed pork chops and blood orange tequila sauce.

5 August, 2010

Week 2: Thursday

I’m going to try this dish with the kids tonight, so it’s a very mild and sweet Chili Verde version. I’m not a big fan of pork (I can’t remember the last time I cooked a pork dish) but my husband loves it. So, this one is specially for you B-.

Before I jump to the recipe I want to document something two things on this post:

Why do I love my pressure cooker?

I can cook with less fat when using a pressure cooker. The dishes retain more nutrients than with traditional cooking methods and it cooks faster. Pressure cooking retains and intensifies flavors, melding them more quickly, while the pressure produced tenderizes tougher cuts of meat and softens beans, improving textures and flavors. Also, if you have a good quality pressure cooker you can save energy, saving precious resources. Therefore, it’s eco-friendly too! I come from a big “pressure cook” cooking culture. If you’re from Brazil you know what I’m talking about. It took me 13 years to get one and I couldn’t be happier. I have a 5 qt Kuhn Riko Duromatic and if you ever consider buying a pressure cook consider this one, it’s worth the bucks.

Why do I love adding Molasses to almost all my dishes?

I learned more about Molasses when my kid was sick and going through a lot of nutritional challenges. Molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. It contains significant amounts of iron, calcium, potassium and other essential minerals. I use any organic kind of blackstrap molasses and 1 a 16 oz. bottle could last almost 6 months in my pantry.

Green Chili Pork

2 to 3 pounds of Pork Sirloin Roast (put the meat in a Ziplock and marinate it in the morning with 2 tbsp of salt and the juice of 2 lemons)

Start by pure the following ingredients with a blender, hand-mixer or food processor:

2 green bell peppers (organic if possible)

1 chili Passilla

2 green onions

2 large cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

1 handful of fresh cilantro

On a 5qt pressure cook OR regular pan add 1 tbsp olive oil. While heating it, cut the port in 4 inches cubes. Brown the meat and remove (I ended up with a lot of liquid, so I let it evaporate before removing the pork). On the same pan saute the pure for about 8 minutes or until it dries off (the goal here is to let some of the water evaporate and have a concentrated chunky paste). Add the following ingredients to the paste:

2 tsp of dry cumin

2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of chili powder (I used mild)

1 tbsp of blackstrap molasses

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth if you’re using a pressure cooker

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth if you using a conventional pan

(you can use just water if you don’t have chicken broth available)

1 large potato cut in 4 inches cube (optional)

Let it simmer covered for 40-60 minutes if you’re using a conventional pan. If you’re using a pressure cooker let it cook for 15 minutes.

I just finished cooking it and it turned out really delicious and mild. I think the kids’ll enjoy it but I’ll keep the tortillas handy for some last minute quesadillas just in case. Pork sirloin is a very lean cut and it seems perfect for a hearty non-greasy chili. I can’t wait to serve it to my “familia” tonight.