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Posts Tagged ‘pork’

Panko Crusted Pork Loin

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

It’s been a long time since I have been in the kitchen. The first thing I did when I got back into it was this Panko Crusted Pork Loin (then I took another hiatus). I love keeping pork loin around. I buy a very large piece when it goes on sale and usually cut it into four smaller pieces and freeze them. It is so unbelievably cost effective to do it this way. I know some people are against freezing meat and only like to use it fresh but when I am not one of those people. I have no problem freezing any meat and using it later. It also benefits my wallet because it allows me to buy in bulk on occasion. Anyway, I also find pork loin looks pretty impressive yet it is really easy to cook so I like to keep it around. This recipe looks great of a plate and only calls for a minimal amount of ingredients. It does take a little time to cook but it is worth it. Enjoy!

1 3-4 pound boneless pork loin, trimmed (I like to leave a little fat around the edges because pork fat rules! but you don’t have to if you don’t want to)

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons Whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Olive oil

3 Garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Season the pork loin on all sides with salt and pepper. Spread the whole-grain mustard over the top of the pork loin. Set on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the panko breadcrumbs and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil and mix together until the breadcrumbs are coated. You may need more or less olive oil depending on the brand of panko you use, some are drier then others.

Coat the pork loin in the panko breadcrumbs putting most the breadcrumbs on the top where the mustard is so it will adhere. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered. After 15 minutes cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake for 1 hour or until the meat internally reaches 155 degrees F.

Allow to rest before slicing. Enjoy!

Tags: crusted pork loin, dinner, entree, main dish, panko crust, panko crusted pork loin, pork, pork loin
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Bolognese

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

I realized last weekend that I have never tried to make Bolognese Sauce also know as meat sauce to me when I was growing up. My mother would make it on a fairly regular basis but I still don’t know why I have never tried to make it on my own. This recipe isn’t my mothers. My mom’s was more of a tomato sauce with meat and sometimes sausage. She would have never dared to put carrots and celery in her sauce. She actually never knew why people did that. So this recipe goes against my mother’s judgment and I used celery and carrots. It came out really well and one day I will make it the same as my mother’s and share that recipe with you too. Enjoy!

3 tablespoons butter

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot, minced

1 celery stalk, minced

1 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt

Pepper

3 pounds of meatball mix (beef, veal and pork mix)

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup water, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

Pasta, cooked

In a large saute pan melt the butter and olive oil together. Add in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium low heat until the vegetables have softened.

Add in the meat mixture. Stir to combine. Cook until the meat has browned.

Add in the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add in wine. Cover and cook on low for an hour to an hour and a half (until the flavors are developed and the meat tender). Check on it every so often and add more water if the liquid levels get low. Once cooked add in the basil and stir to combine.

Serve over your favorite pasta. I used whole wheat spaghetti here but I also love it with shells. Enjoy!

Tags: beef, bolognese, bolognese sauce, dinner, entree, italian, meat sauce, pasta, pasta sauce, pork, sauce, veal
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Roasted Pork Loin with Spaetzle

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Every year for Tom’s Birthday or when my Dad comes in to town my we end up at local German restaurant. Why do I may mention Tom’s Birthday now since his in October? It is because this week is all about celebrations. Well at least today and Wednesday will definitely be because, Wednesday is the 1 year anniversary of Great Eats with Petes. To celebrate I wanted to share with you a recipe we usually have to celebrate a time in our life.

I also have the pleasure of having my little sister from my sorority currently living in Germany. She was being an awesome little sister when she brought me back some spaetzle from Germany on one of her recent trips back to the states. So I decided to make one of those classic German recipes that we get at our local restaurant. The spaetzle was different then what I make from scratch but just as good. So I say give German food a try and try out this yummy recipe. Enjoy!

Olive Oil

2 pound boneless pork loin

Salt

Pepper

6 slices of bacon

1 Onion thinly sliced

1 tablespoon of water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat approx 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan large enough to fit the pork loin. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper. Sear the pork loin on all sides, until each side is golden brown. Place in oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the pork reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Make the spatezle from scratch or boil according to the directions on the bag. Meanwhile, slice the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Fry up the bacon until crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Leave approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and discard any extra bacon grease. Add onions to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium low heat until the onions are translucent. Add in a tablespoon of water and allow to evaporate. Add cooked spatezle to the pan and the bacon. Mix to combine.

Slice up the pork and serve with the spaetzle. Enjoy!

Tags: bacon, boneless pork loin, dinner, entree, german, onions, pork, pork loin, roasted pork loin, spaetzle
Posted in Recipes | 4 Comments »

Stuffed Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Smoked Mozzarella

Friday, January 28th, 2011

This recipe was inspired by my best friend Nicole (yes we have the same name and many other things in common). She texted me the other night while I was in cake class saying “I have chicken, spinach and mushrooms. What can I make?” The first thing that came to mind was stuffed chicken breasts using the spinach and mushrooms. I couldn’t give her a full recipe then because I was too busy learning how to make flowers out of frosting (I suck at making an Easter Lily but rock at Daffodils). I had these beautiful pork chops in the freezer but no spinach so I made this recipe based on Nicole’s request with some adaptations. Now she has a recipe for the next time she feels inspired to cook. I hope it inspires you all to cook as well. Enjoy!

Olive Oil

8 oz white mushrooms, sliced

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 bone in center cut pork chops

4 slices of smoked mozzarella

Salt

Pepper

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large oven proof pan that will fit 4 pork chops heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add in mushrooms. When they begin to brown add in shallots. When the mushrooms are almost fully cooked and the shallots are translucent add in garlic. Cook for 1 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. Cut a slit into each of the pork chops, creating a pocket. Place a piece of mozzarella in each of the pork chops. Then stuff each pocket with the mushrooms. Close the pockets using toothpicks. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in the pan you used for the mushrooms. Add in the pork chops. Brown on both sides (about 3 minutes on each side). Add in white wine, chicken stock and any remaining mushroom filling. Place pan in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Until pork chops internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Remember to remove the toothpicks. Drizzle pan juices over the pork. Serve and Enjoy!

Tags: dinner, entree, mushrooms, pork, pork chops, smoked mozzarella, stuffed pork chops
Posted in Recipes | 9 Comments »

Asian Inspired Baby Back Ribs

Monday, January 24th, 2011

This past weekend we decided to redo the living room. We bought a new couch and entertainment center. We needed a new book case and I didn’t like the options where we bought the rest of the furniture. This meant a trek to Ikea. I decided to try out the new Ikea in Brooklyn and was quite successful. I was not only successful in purchasing a new book case but also props for some food photography. Ikea is like a food blogger’s heaven. They have so many different options and all their prices can’t be beat. The plate and place-mat came from my trip to Ikea.

Well since I trekked all the way to Red Hook, Brooklyn to go shopping I couldn’t go without checking out the Fairway. My boyfriend’s brother always raves about the place but we do not have one in Queens. I called my boyfriend’s Mom to come with me since she wanted to check it out too. We were quite overwhelmed but the maze of aisles but we came out with some good finds. The meat, produce, cheese, seafood and tons of other options are another can fulfill any food blogger’s dreams. They have everything you can imagine and it all looks so good. I had to restrain myself. I did though get these beautiful baby back ribs and came up with this recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Enjoy!

1 slab of baby back ribs

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon siracha sauce (more or less depending on how much spice you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season both sides of the rack of ribs with salt and pepper. Cover in alumminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook in oven for an hour.

In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients. After the ribs have cooked for an hour remove them from the oven and baste the ribs on both sides with the sauce (I use a pastry/paint brush). Place back in the oven and continue to baste the ribs for the next 30 minutes. Watch them carefully so the sauce does not burn (baste with more sauce to prevent burning) unless, you like them charred. Cut the ribs in between the bones.