Fast and easy tagliatelle with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and arugula May 21, 2013

I love pasta. I love especially love that it is fast and easy and everyone in my house eats it up. This recipe, from (surprise, surprise) Fine Cooking, is a nice departure from my usual go-to carbonara while still being super fast and easy. I think next time I will make it with half arugula and half spinach to satisfy my children (the arugula was a little bitter for them), but if you are into bitter greens, then don’t hold back because this is fantastic. Make it soon.

2 links (about 1/2 lb) hot (or sweet) Italian sausage, casings removed

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1/2 cup whipping cream (I think coffee cream would be sufficient if you are trying to lighten things up)

10 oz dried tagliatelle or fettucine

4 cups baby arugula (or spinach/arugula mixture)

1/2 cup freshly grated Grada Padano

1 big handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced

Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and fill a large pot with salted water, setting it on to boil. Add sausage to skillet and cook until browned, breaking up with a spoon into small pieces as you go. Make sure you have about a Tbsp of fat in the pan (you can top up with olive oil if needed), then add the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Add the peppers and cream and allow it to simmer over low heat for about 8 minutes. I added a little chicken broth here as well to stretch the sauce further, but its up to you.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, put back in pot and toss with sauce, arugula, basil and cheese until the arugula is slightly wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.

 

Enjoy!

Ky

Smoky and delicious Brined Pork Steaks (or Chops) May 13, 2013

I have to admit that I am a lazy BBQer (and clearly speller/wordsmith). The thing I love the most about BBQing is the ease and speed involved in putting a super tasty/healthy dinner on the table and I imagine I’m not alone on this one. So a recipe that involves brining your pork chops ahead of time doesn’t exactly sound like it fits the bill, but this was actually super simple and the results were the best BBQ’d pork steaks I’ve had in ages. I’ve been trying for years to recreate the pork steaks we used to get from a local butcher shop in my home town and keep failing, but I think I finally discovered their secret; it’s all in the brine. Plus, the brine takes about 2 minutes to throw together, then you go about your day until it’s time for the spice rub. I found that the 30 minutes the spice rub sits on the meat was the perfect amount of time to start the corn on the cob cooking and to throw together a salad, which meant that dinner took about 37 minutes to make, including the time it took to put the brine and the spice rub together. Not bad for a meal that my 4 year old was begging to have again two bites in.This recipe was read over the phone to me from my sister’s Fine Cooking Grilling magazine, so the instructions may not be exactly what they have, but the ingredients are the same and this is what I did, so it should work for you. Happy BBQ Season!

3-4 lbs pork chops or steaks (I used shoulder steaks)

Brine

1/4 cup each Kosher salt and dark brown sugar (if you don’t have kosher salt I would use about 2/3 of the amount indicated)

1 Tbsp molasses

1 cup ice

3 1/2 cups water

Stir together all brine ingredients except ice in a large bowl, mixing until dissolved, then add pork and ice. Put a plate on top to sink the pork into the brine and leave covered for 2-3 hours (no more than 3 for thick cut chops and no more than 2 for thin cut).

Transfer pork to paper towels to dry and mix up your spice rub.

Spice Rub

1/4 cup smoked paprika

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub generously all over pork and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to high. Scrape off excess spice rub then sear meat on grill. Turn to medium high and grill 3-5 minutes per side until just barely pink in the centre. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

 

Enjoy!

Ky

Venezuelan Pork Tenderloin with Passionfruit and Pink Peppercorns April 26, 2013

This was the only evidence left of this meal to photograph.  I can’t get enough of pork tenderloin – easy and quick to cook and always delicious, I am eager to add new pork tenderloin recipes to my regular rotation. This is now one of them!

The recipe comes directly from Gran Cocina Latina. The author was inspired by a Venezuelan chef who picks the pink peppercorns that grow wild around Caracas and mixes them with passion fruit juice to make a rich and buttery marinade for pork. I served the pork and juices over Israeli couscous with a salad on the side, which I would certainly do again. Rice or roasted baby potatoes (sweet potatoes, even) would also make a nice side – you just need something to soak up the extra juices.

Enjoy!
Katie

serves 6-8 (I used a 1 1/2 pound tenderloin and cut all the ingredients in half, which gave us 4 servings)

3 1/2 lbs boneless pork tenderloin
2 T pink peppercorns, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup passion fruit juice
3 T dark brown sugar (or panela, if you have it)
1/4 cup dark rum
3 T soy sauce
3 T honey
3 T worcestershire
5 allspice berries, freshly ground in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder
1 T dried rosemary
salt
2 T butter, cut into small pieces
optional: rosemary sprigs for garnish

Pat the meat dry and place in a roasting pan. In a food processor, combine the peppercorns with everything but the butter and rosemary sprigs – process to a puree. You will have about 1 1/4 cups. Rub 1/2 cup of the mixture on the pork, reserving the rest. Let the meat sit for at least 4 hours at room temperature (or in the fridge, if you’re nervous).

Preheat the oven to 350F. Roast the pork on the centre rack for 2 1/2 hours (far less if you’re doing a smaller tenderloin – maybe 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a 1.5lb tenderloin), or until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160F. Transfer the meat to a cutting board.

Place the pan over 2 burners on low heat and deglaze with the reserved peppercorn mixture. Bring to a bare simmer, then add the butter and swirl it into the sauce.

Slice the tenderloin into 1/4 inch thick rounds and serve garnished with pink peppercorns, rosemary sprigs and the sauce either on the side for pouring or drizzled over top.

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange April 14, 2013

Pasta is the ultimate treat-night meal to me. I gravitate to pastas that use simple ingredients and are light on the sauce, but big on flavour. Don’t get me wrong, I like a big bowl of saucy spaghetti and meatballs as much as the next person, but I most often seek out recipes that come together quickly and rely on one or two key ingredients to make the meal sing.

I came across this Bon Appetit recipe a couple years ago, bookmarked it, and finally made it last night. It sounds a bit unusual – the two key flavours are orange and prosciutto – but fear not, the result is a salty and ever-so-sweet pasta that tastes interesting rather than unusual.

My tips are this: (1) Go to your nearest Italian market and buy a great quality, egg based tagliatelle. It doesn’t need to be expensive – mine was $2. (2) Find a super ripe, fragrant orange. (3) You want to serve this as soon as it’s ready. Once you get to the last step, call your husband/wife/kids/guests to plant around the table and fill their plates the minute the pasta is done.

Did I mention this is really easy? There’s hardly any chopping, the sauce only cooks for about 5 minutes and all the ingredients are easily sourced. You can have dinner on the table in the time it takes to boil your pasta. Hope you love it!

Katie

serves 4

12 oz egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (fresh or dry will work, just get a great quality pasta)
2 T butter
2 oz prosciutto OR 3 stips of bacon, sliced/torn into small pieces
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup whipping cream
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt, add pasta and cook until 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto/bacon; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.
To the saute pan, add half the reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest and cream; bring to a boil. (Now it’s time to get everyone gathered around the table.) Add pasta and cook, stirring, until the sauce coats the pasta and the pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Working quickly, stir in cheese and taste – add more salt and pepper as desired. You can add more pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Divide among warm bowls and sprinkle with remaining orange zest.

Korean style pork medallions with Napa slaw February 27, 2013

This was last night’s supper; so good, so fast, so easy and everyone ate it (even the cabbage, which is a miracle around here). I really can’t ask for anything more. Plus it felt like good take out from a Korean or Vietnamese place, which my family usually won’t be talked into, so it was a treat for me. The recipe was found in Fine Cooking’s Make it Tonight cookbook, which I borrowed from the library and sadly had to return yesterday. I have yet to try a Fine Cooking recipe that isn’t both complexly delicious and a crowd pleaser. I plan on putting this one into the regular rotation of easy weeknight suppers, and you should consider the same!

 

1 large pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 lbs)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 lb Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup grated carrot

4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

4 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp coarse (Kosher) salt

Hot, steamed jasmine rice for serving

 

1. Slice the pork into 1/2″ thick medallions and place in a medium bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, garlic, ginger, 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil, and 2 tsp Sriracha (I cut this by about 1/2 tsp to avoid over spicing my kids and it was perfect, so if you like things really spicy, you may want to consider increasing the Sriracha). Add half a cup of this mixture to the pork medallions, stir well and set aside at room temperature for 1/2 hour or in the fridge for 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, stir together 1 Tbsp canola oil, salt and remaining rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and Sriracha. Toss with cabbage, carrots, and green onions. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving, tossing once more before dishing up.

4. Remove pork medallions from marinade, shaking off excess and discarding the marinade. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil over medium high heat until it shimmers. Arrange half the pork medallions in a single layer in pan and cook for 2 minutes a side (at which point the pork should be cooked through, but cut through a big one to make sure). Heat remaining oil and repeat with remaining medallions (I had a big pan and was able to do it all in one batch).

5. To serve place 1/2 cup or so of rice in the bottom of a big bowl, layer a cup or so of slaw and top with pork medallions. Drizzle reserved sauce overtop. Makes 4-6 rice bowls, depending on how hungry you are.

 

Enjoy!

Ky

This worked out to be about $2/serving, but if you have to go buy all of the ingredients it will feel like more; I had most of this in my house!