Pork Chops and Gravy

I know its been a while since I posted anything to my Blog, so here is something new. One of my favorite dishes is pork chops smothered with gravy. Not any of that store bought, out of the jar, stuff but real home made gravy. This is an easy dish just takes a little assembly and time for cooking. Probably about 1 hr 15 min to 1 and 1/2 hrs. This makes the most tender pork chops you will ever eat and the taste is out of this world.

I started with good center cut pork chops about 1/2" thick. Thicker could be used with additional time in the oven. I dredged them in flour with my seasonings (season salt, onion powder, garlic, salt, and pepper). Just a dredge no other liquid. I wasnt building a breading for a thick crust. Brown them off on both sides in oil on the top of the stove. Once browned nicely but not completely done remove them and let them drain. Pour off the oil except for about 1/4 cup to make the gravy. In the oil mix in 1/4 cup of flour and cook until combined and starting to brown. Keep stiring it or it will burn. when it gets to a light golden brown add 1 cup of water and one cup of milk. I mix 2 cups of each in a 4 cup measuring cup and start with half of it. Once the liquid is added to the flour/oil mix also (called a roux) you have to keep stirring it bringing it to a boil. The mixture will start to thicken once it is boiling. As it cooks it may get to thick, if so add a little more liquid a little at a time stirring it in completely and allowing it to return to a boil. I use a slotted spatula to do my stiring with sitting it flat in the pan and lightly keep it moving. The way I tell when its getitng close to right is when I can lift the spatuala out of the gravy and it leaves a light coating on the spatula. To thin and it runs right off, to thick and it leaves a heavy thick coating.

Place the pork chops in a cassarole dish evenly spaced out. I had 4 porkchops they almost completely coverd the bottom of the dish. I cut up 1/2 onion and placed on top of them. Pour the gravy over the pork chops and cover with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven. Close the door and leave them alone for about 1 hour. Longer for thicker chops. At 1 hour take a fork and test to see how tender they are. I stick a fork in the center of my thickest peice and lightly twist. They should be very tender at this point and ready. Take them out of the oven and leave them covered on the counter for 10-15 min. They will continue to cook for a little longer even after they are removed from the oven. Serve with cream potatoes and other side of your choosing, or however you want to serve it. Doesnt get much better, dont forget a big glass of sweet tea.

Empanadas Mmmmm

I saw this recipe on Food Network and thought I could do this. I used bought pie crust and cut them into 6" rounds.

The stuffing is Chicken and Mozzerella Cheese.

I used 3 bonless skinless chicken breast halves cut into strips about 1/2" thick. Sauteed them with 1/2 onion fine diced and 2 cloves of diced garlic. Added a dash of salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika and 1/3 can of diced tomatoes drained. cooked this down until chicken is done and then let cool. After cool chicken was shredded up. Placed about 2tbsp of chicken mix in the center of the dough and topped with Mozzerella cheese. Folded over and crimped with fork to seal. Placed on baking sheet with baking mat on it. Melted about 2 tbsp margarine in small bowl and mixed in some powdered garlic and paprika. Used BBQ brush and brushed butter mixture on outside. Baked in preheated 375 degree oven for about 17-20 min until browned. Served with yellow rice. Awsome. Very easy and there is lots of different ways to stuff them.

Shrimp and Grits a trip to the Big Easy

When I drove a truck for a living I visited a lot of places across this great country we live in. Every different region has their own specific flavors and styles of cooking. One of my favorite areas is Southern Lousiana and the Cajun style of cooking. Here is a dish that comes straight out of Cajun Country, Shrimp and Grits. Now you can get Shrimp and Grits from a lot of other coastal areas of the south but nothing like the ones with a Cajun twist. Here is my version of this classic dish.

Grits made into cakes and browned. See below.

1 Bell Pepper

1 Med. Onion

1/2lb Andouille Sausage Med. Heat

1/2lb peeled and veined shrimp 40-50 ct. size

3 cloves of Garlic

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes

1/2 cup Dry White Wine

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, little more if you want to heat it up little less if you dont.

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Celery Seeds

1 tsp thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the grits, I used 5 min. quick grits made per the directions on the package. Added 1/2 cup Motzerella Cheese graed and 1 stick of butter. Spread the grits in a pan to about 1" thickness. let them cool and set up. When ready, just prior to serving slice them into about 4"x4" squares and then cut diagonally across the square to make a triangle. Add some oil to bottom of skillet and pan fry the triangles until browned on each side and hot all the way through.

Now for the Shrimp and Andouille. Dice up Bell Pepper and Onion and sautee in a little oil in the bottom of a 2 qt. pot. Dice the Sausage and add into the pot and let it cook for a few min. Once Onions and Peppers are softened add the chopped up Garlic, the can of Tomatoes and the wine, bring these back to a boil. Add the spices and reduce to a simmer stirring occaisionally for about 2 hrs. Cover for the first 1 1/2 hr and then finish with it uncovered. Add the shrimp a few min before ready to serve. Shrimp cook quick and will get tough if over cooked. I used already cooked and peeled shrimp so they didnt need but about 3-4 min to heat all the way through. If using uncooked shrimp then maybe 5-6 min.

Serve over the grit cakes. Awsome is all I can say about this dish.

Ribs of love

Here is s rack of ribs I cooked tonight. They are gonna be good at work tomorrow. Oven cooked but awsome, fall off the bone, tender. They are easy. Start with a good quality rack of ribs, good fat in the meat (it will cook out and help keep them moist). Coat them liberally with a spicce rub, I like Byrons Butt Rub. Wrap them with aluminum foil (not to tight just snug) place them on a cooking sheet and put them in a 300 degree oven for about 2.5 hrs. After they have been in for 2.5 hrs. open the tops of the foil up but dont remove them from the foil just open it up completely. Put on your BBQ Sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Let them go for another 30 min to an hour opened up. Then I like to turn on the broiler over them for a few min letting them brown on top a little. Awsome.

Nanny's Salmon Croquets

When I was growing up I used to stay the summers with my Grandparents on lake Martin near Alexander City Al. one of my all time favorite things my Grandmother used to make was Slamon Croquets. Not to be confused with Salmon Patties. Croquets are thick and fluffy not flat like patties. Nanny had a special technique to get them just right. After she mixed them up she would scoop out a good rounded tablespoon full of the batter and place it in here hand. It would be formed in to a ball and then with her fingers bent slightly she would press down on the top of the ball forming it into a triangle. Dropping them into hot grease in a skillet about 1/2 in. of oil in skillet. As they browned in one side she would flip them over to the next side, browning on all three sides. My hands are to big and I cant get the same triangle shape like hers but she taught my to make them the way she did. I can get them close but not exactly like hers. They still take me back to a time long gone but not forgotten. She has been gone for a while now and still miss her but she is still alive and well in my memory when I make the Salmon Croquets she made for me growing up.

1 can of Double Q Salmon, picked clean.

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup of flour

1/3 cup of corn meal

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1/4 cup milk added in a little at a time

Mix everything in a bowl adding the milk to the mix last until its a slightly dry dough that sticks together to form. If its to wet then add a little more corn meal or flour. Scoop out a rounded tablespoon full and drop into you hand. Form into a ball and press into a triangle shape by bending your hand at the knuckle and keeping your fingers straight and closed together, then press in top with your other hand. Drop them into about a half inch of hot oil in a skillet, cast iron if you have it. Brown them on all three sides. Really good served with home made mashed potatoes and gravy, Buscuits, fresh tomatoes and sliced onion. It doesnt get much better.

Bistro Style Beef Stew

I got a great recipe from a web site, http://www.911cheferic.com/ It is a great recipe. Probably the best Beef stew I have ever had. His description is that of a stew that you would find in the small bistros of France. Wasnt that difficult to make, just pay attention to your steps and watch while sauteing the aromatics and not let them burn. I made a few slight changes from his recipe due to not having certain items. Here is my version.

2 lbs stew beef, I used approx. 2 lbs sirloin steak I found on sale.

1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c olive oil

1 med. onion chopped, I had a red onion so that is what I used.

3 Carrots peeled and chopped, I had a pkg of sliced carrots that was a little more than 3 carrots.

1 head of garlic peeled

1c dry red wine

6c Beef stock. Orig. recipe called for 4 cups I wanted a little more liquid.

2 Bay leaves

1Tbsp dried Thyme

1 Tbsp dried Coriander, Orig. recipe called for Marjoram but I didnt have this

1 Tbsp dried Celery seeds, Thought it would be good in it so I added it, not in Orig recipe.

1lb mushrooms

Orig. Recipe called for 8 oz. sugar snap peas but I didnt have these either. I bet they would be good in it though.

Cut meat into approx. 1 in pcs. Toss in the flour to coat. Heat oil in bottom of 6.5 qt. dutch oven. Brown meat in 2 batches and remove from pan. Put Onions and garlic cloves in oil and saute until translucent (not browned) Add wine and deglaze bottom of pot getting all the little browned bits to turn loose. Add the beef stock, return the beef to pot, add mushrooms, the dried herbs and the carrots. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Let it cook for about 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally. If you want a little bite to your carrots add them after cooking for about an hour instead of at the beggining. I like my carrots soft so I added them early on.

I served this over a bed of Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. These were easy to make and were a great addition to the stew. I took a head of garlic and coated it in olive oil then wrapped it in alum. foil. Placed it in a 300 degree oven for about 3 min. until soft to touch. removed and let cool. After cool cut the end off and squeeze out the soft flesh. Its amazing how sweet the roasted garlic gets. Peel 6-8 potatoes and cube. Put them into a pot of boiling water until soft, about 20 min. Drain and put them back into the empty pot you cooked them in. The residual heat in the pot will disipate any water left on them. Add 2-3 Tbsp butter and a splash of milk. Mash with a potato masher or you could use a mixer. If the mashed potatoes are to dry add a little more milk and mix in well. Add the garlic a little at a time and taste to get the amount you like. I used about 1/2 the garlic I had roasted. I mixed the remainder in a part of a small bottle of olive oil for later use as garlic infused olive oil.

If you like beef stew give this one a try. It is absolutely wonderful.

Arancini Italian Appetizer

I found a recipe for an appetizer called Arancini its an italian rice ball. The name Arancini is Italian meaning little Orange. It is made from Saffron rice stuffed with cheese and ham then dredged in italian bread crumbs and fried. They are very tasty and fairly easy to make. I think the recipe I used can be improved upon by adding in some other spices or maybe some Onions finly chopped. I also think the ham woul be better if it were diced into small peices and mixed into the rice instead of being a solid peice folded into the center. That way you would get the ham flavor in every bite. This is a work in progress. I think they would be great with some type of dipping sauce. Maybe a Tziki sauce (not sure of spelling) or a sauce made from berrys that is a little tart such as black berry or raspberry.

Here is the recipe I followed.

1 10 oz. pckg of yellow saffron rice

1 cup Riccota cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded

1"x1" pcs of cooked ham about 1/4" thick, enough for 1 pcs per square

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

Oil for frying (deep fry)

Prepare Rice as specified on pckg. After cooking rice mix in the riccota cheese and then spread on a baking sheet to about 1/2" thick layer. Cover with plastic and let cool. Once cooled cut into 3"x3" square pcs., a 9x15 baking sheet will make 15 pcs. Place ham in center of each square. Place a good pinch of the Mozzarella on top of the ham. Now for the messy part. Use a spatula and pick up each square and place in hand. Carefully form each square into a ball. they will be a little amaller than a baseball. After each peice has been made into a ball mix the eggs and milk together. Dip each peice into the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs. Heat oil in large boiler to 325 degrees. Drop in 4 at a time and cook until browned. Roll them around to keep the bottoms from getting to dark. Remove with spyder or slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels or cooling rack over towels.

I think next time I make them I am going to playaround with some other ingredients. They deffinitly need salt and pepper to taste added to recipe. Who knows we will see what next time brings.