Pork loin riblets

Pork loin ribs, green bean dill salad, cheese tortellini, hash browns and walnut apple caramel pie

Smithfield Pork Loin riblets. ribs      oven to 250º  2 lbs.

Place meaty side up in shallow pan. Roast uncovered 1 to 1/2 hours.  Raise temperature to 375, brush with your favorite sauce.  Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until ribs are tender and sauce is nicely glazed.

Mustard glaze

1/2 C. water

1/2 C. vinegar

3 Tbsp. yellow mustard

3 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 Tbsp. Chili powder

1 Tbsp. Garlic pwdr

1 tsp. cayenne

POTATO CAKES

4 gold potatoes, peeled and shredded, soaked in a bowl of salty water, or frozen store bought hash brown

2 finely chopped green onions or your favorite herbs 

fresh grated nutmeg

salt, pepper to taste, be careful with the salt because we have soaked potato in salty water

1 big egG

1 cup of plain breadcrumbs

- Drain shredded potatoes, squeeze with paper towel if needed

- combine all the ingredients

- heat nonstick pan, add 1/2 inch of oil

- carefully spoon potato batter in the pan, one after another

- cook about 5 minute or until it turns brown, flip over and cook for another 5 minuteS

Green Bean with Dill Salad

1 lb. Green Beans, stem end trimmed

½ c. Red Onion, cut in thin slivers

2-3 Garlic cloves, smashed just to break and peeled 

½ c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 T. Fresh Dill, chopped

¼ t. Salt

¼ t. Freshly ground black pepper

3-4 T. Lemon Juice (one lemon)

Blanch beans in lightly salted boiling water just until tender crisp (3-4 minutes). Immediately cool in ice bath and then drain well and pat dry. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic cloves, dill and salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and coat the beans. 

Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-45 min. to allow garlic to perfume the oil, stir once or twice. Just before serving, remove the garlic and add the lemon juice, tossing to coat; correct seasonings to taste. 

Serve at room temperature.

spur of the moment meal

Shrimp was on sale and on a whim I also got some mussels and then figured  that I would need to cook them right away so I also got some corn and sausage. I already had potatoes.  The corn was a mistake. It was frozen and cooked up mushy.

I made Louisiana Killer Shrimp and steamed the mussels in dry white wine and butter. 

Louisiana Killer Shrimp  I add shrimp shells to the broth and simmer them with the liquid to increase the flavor, then strain them out before cooking the shrimp.      Servings: 4 to 6 

2 tablespoons rosemary

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon black pepper

5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 quarts chicken broth

3 ounces tomato paste

½ cup butter

1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled, tails on

1 loaf French bread, toasted

Crunch up the rosemary and thyme using fingers. Place all ingredients, except shrimp and french bread, in a large pot. Simmer this mixture for 2 ½ hours.

Five minutes before serving add shrimp and cook about 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp is done. Serve shrimp with broth and toasted French bread for sopping the broth.

cured smoked pork loin, fried rice, mushrooms and bread sticks with a Jacques Pepin dip.

This it the Pepin recipe for the dip:
Roasted rei peppers are sold at the deli counter. I transform them into a fast dip to enjoy with cocktails.

Cut enough roasted red bell pepper into 1-inch pieces to make one cou. Transfer to a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds or pumpkin seedt, 1/4 C. cream cheese, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth. Serve with crunchy breadsticks.

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What I did was roast two red bell peppers under the broiler, peel and chop them, run 2 tablespoons sesame seeds through a coffee grinder, add the rest of the ingredients to a small bowl and whiz them with a stick blender until smooth.

Raspberry Chocolate Torte

I just finished making this for Valentines Day but I bet it doesn't last that long.

Chocolate Raspberry Torte          12 servings

1 cup unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 eggs, separated and at room temperature

TOPPING

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

3 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, spray oil on the parchment and dust with flour. Over low heat, melt butter with chocolate. Remove from heat. Combine sugar with cocoa and whisk into chocolate. Whisk in sour cream, extract and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and fold into chocolate one third at a time. Turn mixture into cake pan, set it in a large roasting pan, and pour in enough hot water to go 1 inch up sides of cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes; the center will appear soft and the sides firm. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Refrigerate cake overnight.

The next day, remove cake from pan. Invert a plate on top, then flip pan over. Peel off parchment paper. Spread raspberry jam over top, then smother with raspberries. To make clean slices, use a knife warmed in hot water, then dried with a towel; clean knife and repeat for each slice.

(From “Angels in My Kitchen: Divine Dessert Recipes” by Caryl Westwood, Celestial Arts.)

Brisket with potatoes

Braised Brisket with gravy and potatoes were for dinner tonight

Chicken, bean, vegetable and tortellini soup

LUNCH

Cooked some mixed beans in water, poached chicken breasts in chicken stock. Cooked onion, baby bok choy, carrots, potato, zucchini in olive oil until softened.  Added can of diced tomatoes,  chicken, chicken stock, a little beef stock,  bay leaf, Parm. Reg. cheese rind, garlic, and simmered about an hour. Corrected for salt.  Added cheese tortellini, cooked 7-10 minutes, removed bay leaf, served with a sprinkle of parm cheese.