… there’s hair, and skin, and clothes that smell like smoke! I’ve had a charcoal smoker for years and use it every now and then. The reason I don’t use it more often (besides the need to immediately take a shower afterward to get rid of the “Smokey The Bear” smell) is because it seems like a lot of work to have to keep adding charcoal and keep the fire going all day long. But then, while in Payson at Barb’s earlier this week, I spotted an unassembled electric smoker in the garage and said, “Cool, and electric smoker!” To my delight, Barb said, “You can have it, it’s just been sitting there for four years.” I was so excited, I don’t think I said my usual, “Really, are you sure?”  So, Connor and I assembled it yesterday and I am putting it into service today to make smoked pulled pork. Thank you, Barb! ( I think that’s #5 – inside joke!)  xoxo

Smoked pulled pork barbeque may sound like strenuous work, but it’s not, it’s simply a gentle, slow cooking process that is ideal for outdoor smoking. It is time-consuming though, so be sure that you or another willing subject are around to tend to the smoking meat every hour for about 6 hours.

That may sound like a pain in the “you know what” but the actual hands-on time is minimal. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to set up the smoker, make the basting sauce and spice rub, prep the pork and get it on the grill rack. Then every hour you baste the meat and check the wood and add more if needed, which takes only a couple of minutes each time. And since the high temperature today in Scottsdale is 113 degrees… that is a very good thing indeed. As can see from the picture below – I keep an eye on the “smoke” from the inside where it is a lovely 76 degrees! The real work comes after the meat is fully cooked. The “pulling” takes some time, so grab a husband, a kid, or a willing friend and pull away.

Not surprisingly, I purchased my pork shoulder at Costco, which meant that the smallest piece they had was 15 pounds. It was actually 2 shoulders and I trimmed off about 1  3/4 pounds of fat, so each shoulder was just about right, coming in just over 6 pounds. Feel free to use your favorite purchased BBQ sauce, but I’m including the recipe for my favorite homemade sauce, courtesy of Tyler Florence – it is amazing! So if you have the time… actually we both know you have the time because you’re hanging around the house basting the pork, so I’ll rephrase that – if you are so inclined, give it a try! These would be the perfect main courser for next year’s July 4th BBQ!

Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Basting Sauce
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Spice Rub
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s “21 Seasoning Salute” or other multi-spice blend
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Pork and Smoker Setup
Smoking chips (I used hickory)
2 cups white wine (if desired, otherwise just use water)
6 pounds pork shoulder (butt)

Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Barbecue Sauce
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper

Assembly
10 buttered and toasted hamburger buns or other rolls of choice
Pickled red onions (from yesterday’s post)
-and/or-
Purchased coleslaw

Basting Sauce: Place all ingredients in a small pan and simmer until the sugar has melted. Pour into a glass measuring cup and set aside.

Spice Rub: Place all rub ingredients in a small bowl and blend

Pork and Smoker Setup: Prepare the smoker according to manufacturer’s directions. Soak the smoking chips in hot water for at least thirty minutes and then drain. Add chips to smoker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Fill the water pan with wine, water, 1 tablespoon spice rub and 1/4 cup basting liquid to the level directed by the manufacturer’s directions and place pan in smoker.

Brush the pork once over with the basting sauce and then rub in all of the spice rub. Place prepared pork on smoker grate and cover.

After one hour, use a long handled grill brush to baste the pork with the basting sauce. Repeat this on the hour for the next 5 hours. While the pork is smoking, make the barbecue sauce.

Tyler’s Ultimate Barbecue Sauce: Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors.

Finishing Pork: Use and instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat, it should be 190 degrees. Continue smoking and basting, if needed to reach that temperature, then remove the pork and leave to sit for 45 minutes covered in foil.

The pork is now ready for shredding so go to it with a couple of forks or if preferred, just use your hands. Place the shredded meat in a large bowl and toss with half of the barbecue sauce.

Assembly: Spread the toasted buns lightly with barbecue sauce and pile the bottom sides high with the pulled pork. Spoon on a large spoonful of pickled onions and/or coleslaw and top with the top half of the toasted buns. Dig in! …I’m off to take a quick shower  :-)

Serves 10

Today is the last day of spring break… I am sad. Connor has been home all week and that has been wonderful. And after five days in Mexico, Marissa arrived home on Friday to spend the weekend with us, which always puts a smile on my face. But today, that is over… Marissa is getting ready to pack up her car and drive back down to Tucson for her last semester at UA and then I’ll drive Connor up to Flagstaff to finish off his freshman year. For the sendoff we invited my dad over for Sunday Brunch. Nothing like eating outside in March on a gorgeous sunny but mild Arizona day! Today I’m sharing our frittata recipe… tomorrow the breakfast potatoes that accompanied it.

Grandpa’s Frittata

1 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper; cored, seeded and chopped
1 long green (Anaheim or Hatch) chili; cored, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup low-fat milk or fat-free half and half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté sausage, onion, and pepper and chili, breaking up the sausage and cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the sausage mixture.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well combined, add the drained sausage mixture.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet, add eggs. Let eggs cook, lifting edges to let uncooked eggs run underneath. When eggs are firm and nearly set, top with cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted and center is done, about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut into wedges to serve.

Serves 6 to 8

So, before we get to today’s recipe – how about that picture above? Those are just 3 of about a dozen cool cocktail napkins I have which have fun riddles for parties to work out. When using them, it is best to have guests try and solve them before too many beverages are consumed –  just a helpful little FYI.  Study them and leave me a comment if you figure out all three! (And just in case the top one isn’t completely visible – it reads, “52 C in a D +2 J’s”). Plus if you are a fan of the Les Petites Gourmettes Fan page on facebook, you already know something special, so put on your thinking caps and comment as soon as possible!

Last night I had two of my very best friends, Peggy and Anne, over for a little happy hour to celebrate Peggy’s upcoming birthday, which is actually on February 26th. Happy Birthday, Peggy-Sue! Now that all of our kids are teenagers (and beyond, in Marissa’s case!) – we just don’t get together as often as we used to or anywhere near as often as we would like. So when we do – men and children, be forewarned -watch out! As the aforementioned kids know, all too well, we love to be together! I made these spicy little empanadas, crab cakes (that recipe to be posted tomorrow), and grapefruit-cranberry martinis … love you girls! (and even with all the love I have for you both – you may not comment on the riddles – although I would still love to get a comment of any other sort!) xoxo

Mini Chorizo-Chipotle Chicken Empanadas

Dough
2  1/4 cups flour
1  1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder (optional)
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup Spanish chorizo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced oregano
1 cup finely minced cooked chicken
1 finely minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
Egg wash made with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Dough: Place flour, salt, and chile powder into the bowl of a food processor and blend with a few pulses. Add in small butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (pea-size) butter lumps. (as pictured below)

Add the egg and vinegar and pulse of couple times. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the mixture almost begins to come together, but do not allow it to form a ball. Test to see that dough will hold together by grabbing a handful and squeeze. You can see the piece I tested on the right below.

Empty out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to bring dough together and form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, enclosed in the plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. (Although you will be rolling out little circles, by forming the dough into a rectangle, it is easier to divide into 24 equally pieces than it would be if you formed it into the usual flat disk)

While dough is chilling, make filling: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, bell peppers, salt, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until peppers are very soft, about 8 minutes. Add chorizo and stir to break up, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, blend together minced chicken and chipotle. Add to skillet and stir to blend. Cool filling to room temperature.

Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a pastry scraper or knife to divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Working with 4 pieces at a time, form each into a small flat disk, rounding out the corners by squeezing them in. Keep the remaining pieces covered in the plastic wrap to prevent drying. Roll out the 4 disks on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into 3 1/2-inch rounds.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling onto center of each round and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp with the tines of a fork. Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet. Make 20 more empanadas in same manner, arranging on 2 baking sheets.

Lightly brush empanadas with egg wash. (may be made ahead at this point and either refrigerated for up to one day or frozen on baking sheets, then transferred to freezer zip-lock bags for up to 1 month.)

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24

When I wrote about how we were out at the Queen Creek Olive Mill on Valentine’s Day, I failed to mention that we made a stop at The Pork Shop, which is just down the road. You wouldn’t think that a little shop that sells only pork products would be packed on Valentine’s Day at 1PM, but there was barely room to turn around- or as my dad says, “It was so crowded, you didn’t have room to change your mind.” So, of course we were caught up in the frenzy, and bought just tons of stuff; brown sugar cured bacon, pepper cured bacon (both sliced to order), brats, maple syrup sausage, jalapeno-cream cheese summer sausage, and these huge pork chops! During the summer, I mentioned The Pork Shop in a post, but at that time they did not have a website, now they do, so please be sure to check it out HERE.

I went back through the “tags” on the site to see if I had ever talked about celery root, also known as celeriac, and was shocked to find that I haven’t! Shocked, because I adore celery root and use it often. It actually is a type of celery, but is grown as a root vegetable rather than for its stalks and leaves. Unlike most other root vegetables, celery root is relatively low in starch. And unlike potatoes, which are stored at room temperature, celery root needs to be refrigerated and loosely wrapped in plastic where it will last for a couple of weeks. It is used raw (shredded or julienned in a classic Celery Root Salad), braised, boiled, baked, roasted, or even grilled.

As you can see, the outer surface is ugly and knarly and should be thinly sliced off with a knife instead of a vegetable peeler. It is fantastic added along with potato chunks for mashed potatoes or thinly sliced and added in for a potato-celery root gratin. I once enjoyed the hollow stalk of the plant used as a straw in Bloody Mary at a high-end resort brunch, but I have no idea where to purchase the stalks.

Parmesan Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Celery Root

2 thick pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf

2 whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 medium celery root, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced around the core
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 small plum or cocktail tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chops dry with paper towels and generously season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, when hot add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and butter. Sear the seasoned chops on both sides, until nicely browned, then transfer pork to an 8-inch baking dish. Do not clean out skillet. Add the white wine and bay leaf to the baking dish and place in the preheated oven. Bake the chops for 20 minutes, add tomato halves to pan and return to oven for another 10 minutes.

While the pork chops are baking; in the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and stir-fry the celery root and apple slices over medium-high heat until lightly browned all over. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and continue cooking over very low heat for 5 minutes to caramelize. Remove the whole cloves and cinnamon stick, season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove pork chops from oven and set change temperature to broil. Remove the bay leaf and sprinkle the cheese over the top of each chop; baste with the pan juices, then broil for a few minutes to brown the top.

To serve, divided the caramelized celery root-apple mixture between two dinner plates and lay the chops at an angle on top, garnish with the braised tomato halves and fresh parsley.

Serves 2 (recipe can easily be doubled or tripled)

Today I’m driving up to Flagstaff to deliver Connor back to NAU to finish his freshman year. I can not begin to believe it is already half over! So last night, the four of us had what will be our last family dinner all together for quite a few months. Dave had been craving ribs and since we haven’t had anything but traditional “American” or southwest foods recently, regular old barbecue was out of the question, Asian flavors fit the bill.

An couple ingredients you may or may not be familiar with are Chinese five-spice powder and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Chinese five-spice is a mixture of ground spices (cassia cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Szechwan peppercorns, and either ginger or fennel) that combine the five primary flavors of Chinese cuisine: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy (or pungent). This follows along with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food. Works perfectly with my philosophy in food too; that it tastes great!

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (also known as “Rooster Sauce”) is a must have for your pantry and is one of your best friends in the kitchen. There is really no need for me to wax poetic about it’s attributes and qualities, since there is a fabulous article in this month’s issue of Bon Appétit, which will inform you more than you may ever need to know about “Rooster Sauce”. Click this LINK to read the article and see a bottle, so you know what to look for at the grocery store.

Plus this recipe works into our “easy-breezy” category, just be sure to plan ahead, 12 to 24 hours ahead, to allow the ribs to marinate and soak up all the great Asian flavors.

Asian-Style Baby Back Ribs

3 to 4 pound rack baby back pork ribs
1/2  cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon chili sauce (preferably, Sriracha)
1/2-inch piece peeled ginger root, mashed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 handful fresh cilantro stems and leaves
1 whole star anise

Place all of the ingredients, except for the ribs, in a gallon-size zip-lock bag, seal the bag and mix well, by “massaging” the ingredients together through the bag.

Cut the rack of ribs into individual ribs and add the ribs to the bag, reseal and lay flat the bag on a baking sheet, (just in case it springs a leak!) place baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and marinate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the bag over, every 6 to 8 hours, or so,

Remove ribs from refrigerator about an hour before grilling. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.  Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap or foil, pull the ribs from the marinate and lay on the baking sheet.

Place the ribs on grill racks with at least a couple inches space between each rib. (Discard the plastic wrap or foil, now you have a clean baking sheet to lay the finished ribs on, without fear of cross-contamination). Grill the ribs for about 10 to 12 minutes on one side and then turn over and grill another 10 minutes or until the ribs are lightly charred, caramelized, and cooked through.

Serves 4

Say the word “casserole” and you will generally get one of two typical responses… a huge smile filled with excitment from the person who knows that something hearty, filling, and tasty is about to come their way… or a turned up nose and rolling eyes from the person who envisions a sticky, gooey, mess of food about to be forced upon them.

Because of that second reaction, I was tempted to call this dish a “Bake” instead of a “Casserole”.  I even searched through online thesauruses looking for an alternate name, but call it what you may, it’s a casserole.  And exactly what is that?  A casserole is an ovenproof dish sometimes with a tightly fitting lid, made from earthenware, glass or metal. The word ‘casserole’ also refers to the mixture of food itself which is prepared in the oven in this dish. The word is derived from the Old French word casse and the Latin word cattia meaning a “frying pan or saucepan.” As often happens, the name of the cooking utensil was used for the name of the dish.

So, if the word if derived from a French word, then how does it end up sounding so pedestrian? Maybe it is because, when some of us were growing up, the contents in the casserole dish were often called “surprise”, as in Turkey Surprise, or even worse, Spam Surprise; almost a guarantee that this would not be a happy or delicious “surprise” at all!

As with many casseroles, this one is made using leftover meat, pork from Christmas dinner, to be exact. Feel free to use another leftover meat, such as chicken or beef in place of the pork. Additional vegetables can be used as well; bell peppers, green beans, kidney beans, or whatever you have on hand or dream up. I used a mix of three different “green” salsas to get my 3 cups needed, do the same if you have a mix of jars in your refrigerator.  I hope the only surprise you receive upon making and tasting this casserole, is that it makes your taste-buds sing!

Tortilla, Tomatillo, and Pork Casserole

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed off, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium yellow crookneck squash, ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups leftover pork, beef, or poultry, cut into matchstick size pieces or shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
3 cups (24 ounces) tomatillo salsa
1 cup low-fat sour cream
Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish

from pork crown roast to a casserole

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. In a large heavy skillet heat the oil over medium heat until hot.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and both kinds of squash and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes.

Add the corn and cook until just tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the pork. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread 1 cup of the tomatillo salsa in the bottom of the dish. Arrange 6 of the corn tortillas in the dish, overlapping the edges. Cover with half of the squash-pork mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, and 1 cup of the salsa. Repeat the layering process with the remaining 6 tortillas, the remaining squash-pork mixture, and cheese, and 1 cup of salsa. (May be made up to 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated)

Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and spread the 1 cup sour cream over the top of the hot casserole, return to oven, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before spooning onto dinner plates.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serves 8

For Christmas I make one big dinner on Christmas Eve for my mother and our family and then another big dinner on Christmas day for my dad and our family – yes, my parents are divorced, so multiple big dinners are a must.  Like many of you, there are many different “family” dinners that take place over the season. Thankfully, (at least for this time of year) my in-laws don’t live in town (Illinois) so we don’t have to go from one house to another to another for all that family time! All those big dinners produce a lot of leftovers. One of those nights, I generally serve a crown pork roast, which leaves plenty of leftovers. But if you serve, turkey, or beef, or ham, whatever; use that cooked leftover meat for this dish! After all the traditional Christmas recipes, Asian stir-fry is a perfect change of pace for any palate!

Here it is December 15th and my garden is still producing herbs and cherry tomatoes. We’ve had a couple nights of freeze, but the garden is still holding on, gotta love Arizona!

I also love using broccoli in stir-fry, but not only the florets. The stems are wonderful too, don’t discard them! Cut off the florets, then peel the stems and cut into matchsticks. The stems are crispy and delicious!

When stir-frying, be sure to prep all the various components and set them right next to the stove. Stir-frying happens quickly and having everything ready and at hand is more than important, it is a necessity!

Leftover Pork Stir-Fry

Sauce
1/3 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil
1 heaping tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Chinese chili sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
Grated zest of 1 lime

10 ounces cooked pork sliced into match-stick size pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)

Seasoning
1 heaping tablespoon peeled and minced fresh gingerroot
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno

Hard Vegetables
1 medium stem broccoli, florets and stalks cut into matchsticks
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into matchsticks
8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts

Soft Vegetables
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal

1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl
Peanut or canola oil for stir-frying
1 cup peanuts
4 cups cooked Jasmine, brown, or Basmati rice

In a medium bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients. Add the pork to the bowl and immediately lift out the pork and place in a strainer, set strainer in bowl over sauce to drain. Set bowl next to the stove.

Place the Seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set next to the stove.

Place all the hard vegetables on one plate or bowl and the soft vegetables on another plate or bowl and set next to the stove.

Set the bowl with the cornstarch/water mixture next to the stove.

Stir-Fry: Place a wok or a large sauté pan over the highest heat.  Once the wok is very hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the center and tilt the wok or pan to coat the bottom and sides with oil. When the oil just beings to smoke, add the Seasoning mix to the wok, sauté for only a couple seconds, then add the hard vegetables and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, stirring the vegetables around the wok to cook evenly.  Transfer mixture to the same plate or bowl which they came.

Return wok to heat add another tablespoon oil and add the pork and soft vegetables and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, return hard vegetables to wok and heat through for about 1 minute.

Make a well in the center of the wok and add the sauce; bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir the cornstarch mixture into center of wok, add the peanuts and stir for about 1 minute to thicken and heat through. Remove from heat and serve immediately with cooked rice.

Serves 4

Piping on the mashed potato-squash topping.

Shepherd’s pie, also known as cottage pie, just screams “Autumn!”  This version with its sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and maple flavor puts it over the top.  The entire dish can be made a day ahead, just leave off the sprinkling of paprika until immediately before putting in oven, cover and refrigerate and add about 15 minutes to the baking time.

This recipe can easily be switched out to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.  Just omit the sweet Italian sausage. Then once the maple breakfast sausage is browned, stir in 1 pound shredded or chopped turkey meat and proceed with recipe. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or squash – mash them altogether to make 3 to 4 cups and use that for the topping, in place of or in addition to, the roasted and mashed potatoes and squash in the recipe. And if you have leftover vegetables such as corn, green beans, cauliflower, etc. substitute for or add them to the corn, broccoli, and red peppers… you get the idea – be creative!

Autumn Shepherd’s Pie

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
8-ounces maple sausage breakfast links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups peeled and chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup fat-free half and half
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
5 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Butter an 8 x 12 x 2-inch casserole or baking dish.

Place sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and gold potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Maintain oven temperature.

Place sweet and gold potatoes and squash in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher, or hand mixer, or process through a food mill. Add butter, cream cheese, and syrup and stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook both sausages in large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with a spatula, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl; reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings from skillet. Place 1 tablespoon of drippings back into skillet; add onions, garlic and rosemary and sauté over medium-high heat until onions are tender and golden, about 7 minutes. Add onion mixture to sausage.

Add remaining tablespoon drippings to same skillet add broccoli and bell peppers, sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add to bowl with sausage, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Allow to cool to room temperature. Then stir in corn, half and half, egg, parsley, and pepper sauce.

Transfer sausage mixture to buttered baking dish.  Place potato mixture in a pastry bag and pipe over sausage mixture. Alternately, potato mixture my be spooned over sausage; then smooth the top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through and potatoes begin to lightly crisp and brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

When my kids were little, like a lot of kids, they would ask for “basghetti”  for dinner all the time.  I would brown up some ground beef, onion, and garlic then season the meat mixture and add a couple cans of tomatoes, then toss in cooked spaghetti noodles and call it a day.  As they got older, they would request it with meatballs. Being a good Irish girl, I wasn’t exactly an expert at Italian meatballs, so I would try to brown the ground beef orbs in a frying pan. Inevitably the result was a broken up mess of over or undercooked meat that did not resemble balls of any sort. Finally I got wise and decided to bake them instead, and voila, perfect meatballs! Over the years, I’ve perfected the recipe to it’s current state and my grown kids still ask for it by its name – ” can we have basghetti, please!” We have house-guests this week, one of them is a darling 4 1/2-year old named Zada.  Zada is the daughter of my long-time (24+ years) friend, Nancy, more on Nancy and Zada in the days to come.

Spaghetti with Sicilian Meatballs

Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced onion
1 red bell pepper; cored, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
5 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided

Meatballs
2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely minced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons dried oregano, crushed
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 pound spaghetti

Sauce: Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat.  Add onion and bell pepper, sauté until onion is golden, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic, stir 1 minute.  Add tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, wine and 3 tablespoons of the basil; bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; simmer until sauce thickens, about 45 minutes.  Mix in remaining 2 tablespoons basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

sausage mix on right, seasoning mix on right, about ready to come together

Meatballs: While sauce is simmering, prepare the meatballs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray foil with Pam.  Mix crumbs and milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.  Mix in Parmesan, onion, basil, parsley, egg, garlic, black and red peppers.  Add sausage, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes.

ready for to bake in oven

Using hands, blend well.  Wet hands with cold water, form meat into 1-inch balls.  As they are formed, place on prepared baking sheet.  Bake until meatballs are light brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Add meatballs to sauce and simmer gently.

Yum, do these ever smell good!

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, or al dente.  Drain.

Mound pasta on a serving dish. Spoon sauce over spaghetti and serve.

Serves 8

I was at Costco the other day (what’s new?) and was shopping for the “Tucson Roommate Dinner” when I spotted a new item – a huge roll of pancetta.  It was just too gorgeous and I couldn’t resist.  Now I have to think of dishes to make with my 2 pounds! Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured with salt, pepper, and other spices. It is dried for about three months, but is not usually smoked. It comes from the pork belly only instead of the sides and belly of the pig, as American bacon does. It is sold in either thin slices or in a roll. Each region of Italy produces its own type of pancetta and in Corsica it is considered a regional flavor. Since I really don’t want to have pancetta for dinner every night for two weeks, I will be freezing the excess. To do so, I will cut it into 1/2-inch pieces (each about 4 ounces) wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil, place all pieces in a freezer zip-lock; label with the contents and date, and freeze.

This recipe is pork with more pork. Pork tenderloin with little bits of pancetta inserted inside. The silver skin needs to removed from the tenderloin, if you need instruction, please see the Tip Index under pages, to the left.  The sauce uses a reduced beef broth.  Be careful when reducing the broth. It seems to take a long time at first, but once it is reduced by half, the next reduction of half again goes quickly.  When reducing a liquid like this, keep a glass measuring cup next to the stove and when you think you’re getting close to the correct amount, just pour the liquid from the pan into the measuring cup.  Keep checking every couple minutes near the end so you don’t go too far. If you happen to reduce it too much, just add water to correct.

Pancetta Studded Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine-Cherry Sauce

4 cups beef broth
1  1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, silver skin removed
3  ounce piece pancetta cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup peeled and finely minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup cherry preserves or jam
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

Bring the 4 cups beef broth to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan.  Boil until broth is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 23 to 25 minutes.  Watch carefully, it will take about 15 minutes for the broth to reduce to 2 cups, and after that, it goes quickly, so check often.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pat pork dry with paper towels and cut 1/2-inch-deep slits at 1-inch intervals all over tenderloins, then insert 1 piece of pancetta into each slit. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  Heat only 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking, then brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a small roasting pan, set aside skillet.

Roast pork in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into center registers 150 degrees, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and  let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 to 7 minutes.

Make sauce while meat stands, heat the skillet over medium-high heat, add remaining tablespoon oil and then sauté shallots and rosemary for 1 minute, add the garlic and continue to sauté until shallots are golden, another minute or two. Add red wine and deglaze pan by boiling and scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced by about one third.  Add reduced beef stock and cherry jam and simmer, whisking, until jam is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add butter, 1 bit at a time, whisking until incorporated, add in any meat juices that have accumulated on the roasting pan, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer meat to a cutting board and slice on a diagonal, serve with sauce.

Serves  4

Me at 2 years old

I finally took on a task that I’ve been putting off for months… OK, not months, years!  Scanning pictures that are “pre-digital” onto my computer. See, this is what happens when your kids leave you for college – you do things! I found this picture in the stack and just couldn’t resist posting it. I am two years old here, according to my mom’s writing on the back. With an apron on! Wow, who knew? Today’s tip has to do with fresh ginger root. It is something I don’t always have on hand but not something I’m willing to go to the store for if it’s the only thing I need. So I always buy a bit bigger piece than I’ll need, I peel the extra and slice it into “coins” about 1/2-inch thick. I have a jar in my fridge the I keep the ginger coins in that is filled with Sherry. That way whenever you need fresh ginger and don’t have it in the produce drawer, just pull out a coin or two, mince it up and you’re ready to go!  When working with pork tenderloin, you must alway trim away the silver skin. Silver skin is a layer of white connective tissue or membrane that you find on pork tenderloin and a variety of other tender meats.  It is tough as rubber and needs to be removed before cooking.  It is not difficult to do; cut it off in then strips, angling a sharp paring knife against the membrane, not the meat, then slide your knife along the silver skin, pulling back tightly on it and continue to do so until the loin is clean. See picture below.

Pomegranate-Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup peeled and minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger root
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
1 tablespoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh pomegranate arils (seeds) and rosemary sprigs for garnish, if desired

tenderloin in back has been trimmed, front piece - in process

Trim silver skin from tenderloins, season well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat, when hot, add oil and sear pork on all sides until evenly browned. Remove pork to a plate and set aside.

shallots, rosemary, and gingerroot added to pan

Add shallots, rosemary, ginger root, and chicken stock to hot skillet, use a spatula to stir and deglaze by loosening up the browned bits in the pan.

after chicken broth is added- pan is deglazed "scraped clean"

Once the pan is “clean” and the shallots are soften, add the wine and pomegranate juice, turn heat to high. Boil for 2 minutes, reducing the liquid. Add the pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar, the honey mustard, and chipotle.

about to cover pan and turn off heat

While still boiling, return pork and any juices accumulated on the plate to skillet. Cover skillet and turn of the heat. Allow pork to cook slowing in turned off pan for 15 minutes. Uncover pan and turn over tenderloins, turn heat to high and as soon as liquid begins to boil, cover pan and turn off heat again, this time for 8 minutes. Remove lid and insert and instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, the temperature should be between 150-155 degrees, if not recover and test again in 3 or 4 minutes.

Garnish, "if desired"... I desired, just forgot before I snapped the picture

Remove meat to a cutting board, tent with foil. Return sauce to a simmer over medium heat and add cream, stir until heated through. Slice meat on a diagonal and serve with sauce drizzle on top and garnish, if desired.

Serves 6

Marissa went back to Tucson yesterday, so on Thursday night we had a quick and easy dinner consisting of Stuffed Pork Chops, Parmesan Asparagus, and Caprese Salad.  The thing I really love about this pork chop recipe is that it is so quick and versitable.  I keep boneless chops and some sort of sausage in my freezer at all times.  If it’s not hot Italian sausage, then it’s the sweet variety or chorizo.  Onions and garlic are always on hand.  And if I don’t have fennel, then celery or carrots are great substitutes.  No fresh rosemary?  No problem, use dried, just use half as much, as the dried herbs about twice as potent as fresh …as long as it hasn’t been in your cupboard for the last dozen years!

Dried spices and herbs do not spoil, but they do lose their strength.  A lot of cookbook writers and chefs tell you to purge your pantry once an herb or spice is about 6 months old. But the spice companies, including McCormick and Penzeys say differently. They tell you to keep and use the spices as long as they appear to have flavor.  And hey, they are the ones that would be raking in even more big bucks if we followed those writers and chefs, so I go along with them!  It certainly helps if you store them correctly though.  Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place.  And most of us are guilty of storing them too close to the oven or stovetop… that is not a “cool” place!  Spices retain their potency longer than you’d think — as long as 4 years for whole spices, 2 to 3 years for ground spices, and 1 to 3 years for herbs.  Whole spices such as peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin, and cardamon hold their flavor for many years. Whenever possible, whole spices are they way to go, and toasting those spices in a dry skillet will bring out the oils and therefore bring out even more and better flavor.  Invest $20 or so in an extra electric coffee grinder, dedicated just for spices, cause “cumin flavored coffee” – eeww!.  Don’t want the flavor of peppercorns in with your cinnamon?  In between spices, “clean” the grinder by grinding either dry white rice or a slice of fresh bread, then just toss out the rice/bread. Either one will take away the flavor of the previous spice.

Herbs lose their flavor faster than spices. Dried herbs that have no color and no or very little smell when crumbled in the palm of your hand are not going to do your dish any favors, but if they still have fragrance when crumbled in your hand, use them, taste the dish and add more, if needed. For a list of herbs and spices you should have on hand, go to Pantry Stocking on the “Tips” page or to the July 9, 2009 post.

Stuffed Pork Chops

6 ounces hot Italian sausage, without casing
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup finely diced fennel bulb
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
6 boneless pork chops, center cut
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 chipotle chili with adobo sauce, minced fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small sauté pan on high heat, brown Italian sausage and drain grease.  Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and fennel to pan and sauté until vegetables are soft and translucent. Add apples, garlic, and rosemary; sauté until apples are tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Make a 2-inch deep pocket into the pork chop, without cutting all the way through, and then season with salt and pepper on all sides.

Stuff each pork chop with stuffing mixture and then pan sear in hot oil, on each side, for 5 to 7 minutes in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Be sure you do not crowd the pan, leaving space between the chops. Sear in two batches if your pan is not large enough to hold all six chops. Place in preheat oven for 10 minutes and make glaze.

Glaze: In small saucepan, whisk all ingredients until blended, warm over low heat.

Remove from oven and brush lightly with glaze and return to oven until internal temperature of meat (not stuffing) registers 155 degree on an instant-read thermometer, about another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Generously brush hot glaze over cooked pork chops and serve.

Serves 6