Pork Tenderloin in Tomatillo Sauce

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Pork Tenderloin in Tomatillo Sauce

SERVES4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

For the tomatillo sauce:

  • 2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
  • 2 large jalapenos
  • 1 large onion, cut into wedges
  • 6 to 8 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • Handful of cilantro stems, leaves attached
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • Kosher salt

For the pork:

  • Bacon grease, lard, or vegetable oil, for browning (See Recipe Notes)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup Mexican-style beer
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

To serve:

  • Small corn or flour tortillas
  • Cooked rice
  • Cooked beans
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. For the tomatillo sauce, place an oven rack a few inches from the broiler. Place tomatillos, jalapenos, onion wedges, and garlic on a roasting pan and broil for 5-6 minutes until starting to char. Flip all of the ingredients to the other side and broil for another 5-6 minutes, until tomatillos are soft and blackened.
  2. Allow the vegetables to cool for about 20 minutes. Split the jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. (If a hotter sauce is desired, reserve some of the seeds to add to the blender.) Transfer the roasted vegetables and their juices to a blender. Blend until the ingredients are pureed but still a little chunky. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt and pulse a few more times. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.)
  3. For the pork, heat a few tablespoons bacon grease (or oil) in a large Dutch oven or braising dish over medium-high heat until sizzling. 
  4. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Add the pork cubes and gently toss to coat. Working in batches, add the pork to the hot grease and cook until browned, about 1 - 2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside, and continue with the remaining pork.
  5. Pour the beer into the hot skillet to de-glaze the pan and scrape up any leftover browned bits as the beer bubbles. Return the browned pork cubes to the skillet along with tomatillo sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes to allow flavors to marry. (This dish only gets better with time, so feel free to make a day or two in advance. When reheating, add a glug of chicken stock or water to thin if necessary.)
  6. Serve with warmed tortillas, rice, beans, cilantro, and lime wedges.

RECIPE NOTES

If using bacon grease: in the same Dutch oven or braising dish you will use for the pork, cook 4 pieces of thick-cut bacon at medium heat until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and discard or reserve for another use (such as adding to black beans).

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin in Tomatillo Sauce(placeholder)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Images: Nealey Dozier

Branzino Fish Recipe

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Lemon Soy Roasted Branzino

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This Lemon Soy Roasted Branzino is a twist on a dish I had with the family at an Italian restaurant in New York City. We dubbed it, quote: "the best non-Chinese fish dish we've ever had." Trust me, that's high praise. Branzino is a European, or Mediterranean sea bass, and it is often served whole,
Author: 
Recipe type: FIsh and Seafood
Cuisine: Chinese Fusion
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • juice and zest of ½ a lemon, plus 1 additional lemon (sliced into 9 rounds)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
  • three 16 oz. whole branzino, scaled, cleaned and gutted
  • salt
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, mix the butter with the soy sauce, juice/zest of ½ a lemon, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
  2. Season the branzino cavities with salt and stuff 3 lemon rounds and a sprig of thyme into each.
  3. In a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the branzino and cook over high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer the fish to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the butter mixture, season with more salt to taste and roast for 9 minutes. Finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
  4. Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve!

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Whole Grilled Bass with Olives, Onion, and Artichoke

by 
  • Difficulty: Easy |
  • Total Time: 1 hr |
  • Makes: 4 servings

Grilling a whole fish sounds intimidating, but it's actually easier than grilling fillets, which can fall apart on the grill and be tricky to flip. This sturdy whole fish is simply stuffed with aromatic oregano, thyme, and lemon and topped with a healthy, flavorful chopped "sauce" of grilled olives, onion, and artichokes. Serve some Lemon-Oregano Roasted Potatoes on the side.
Special equipment: You will need a pastry brush for this recipe.
Game plan: If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand so they don't burn on the grill.
_This dish was featured as part of our Grilled Toppings That Put Barbecue Sauce to Shame

INGREDIENTS

For the topping:

  • 6 (10-inch) metal or wooden skewers (soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to avoid burning on the grill)
  • 1 (14-ounce) jar marinated artichoke halves, drained
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into quarters and the layers separated
  • 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • Vegetable oil, for coating the grill, skewers, and lemon halves
  • 2 medium lemons
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the fish:

  • 1 (2- to 2-1/2-pound) cleaned and gutted whole striped bass, black sea bass, snapper, or barramundi (from a 3- to 3-1/2-pound whole uncleaned fish)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 7 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 5 medium fresh oregano sprigs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

For the topping:
  1. Heat an outdoor grill to medium high (about 375°F to 425°F).
  2. While the grill is heating, prepare the skewers: Thread an equal number of the artichokes onto 2 skewers. Thread an equal amount of onion onto 2 more skewers, leaving about 1/4 inch of space in between the pieces. Thread an equal number of the olives onto the remaining 2 skewers. Brush the skewers all over with vegetable oil; set aside. Slice the lemons in half, reserving one of the halves for the fish.
  3. When the grill is ready, rub the grill grates with a towel dipped in vegetable oil. Brush the cut sides of the remaining 3 lemon halves with oil. Place the lemons on the grill cut-side down, cover the grill, and cook until grill marks appear and the lemons are slightly softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet or large dish and set aside.
  4. Place all of the skewers on the grill, cover the grill, and cook, flipping once, until the olives are slightly shriveled and the artichokes have grill marks, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook the onions until they're slightly charred and softened, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to the baking sheet or large dish with the lemon halves and let cool slightly.
  5. When cool enough to handle, remove all of the olives, artichokes, and onions from the skewers, cut into medium dice, and transfer to a medium bowl. Squeeze the juice from 2 of the grilled lemon halves over the vegetables, add the oregano and thyme, and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Cut the remaining grilled lemon half into 4 pieces. Place the vegetable topping and the lemon pieces in a warm spot or cover with foil. Reduce the grill heat to medium (about 350°F to 400°F), and prepare the fish.
For the fish:
  1. Thinly slice the reserved, ungrilled lemon half. Rinse the inside and outside of the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season the inside of the fish with salt and pepper. Stuff the thyme and oregano sprigs and lemon slices inside. Rub the outside of the fish with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Rub the grill grates again with vegetable oil. Place the fish on the grill and cover the grill. Cook until the bottom half of the fish is opaque all the way through and the bottom skin is crispy, about 9 minutes. Using a pair of tongs to hold the fish closed, carefully flip the fish over using a flat spatula and cook until the second half is opaque all the way through and the skin is crispy, about 9 minutes more. Remove to a large serving dish and serve with the reserved topping and grilled lemon pieces.

Saturday, October 13, 2018


Momo Dinner

Monday, October 8, 2018


What We Ate Today

Saturday, June 2, 2018













-Renu

Ian Knauer's Sticky Balsamic Ribs

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Author Notes: Ribs that ditch the low-and-slow doctrine and make you popular anyway, first published in July 2009 in Gourmet Magazine. Knauer's bake-then-grill tactic isn't new for home-cooked ribs -- but we're usually told to keep it low and slow. Instead, Knauer goes for fast and reckless. But the ribs are well-marinated and steamed, so they come out inexplicably tender, yet sturdy enough to hold up to flipping on the grill. 

Notes: 
- This recipe halves well. You'll only need one roasting pan, placed on the middle rack of your oven. 
- If you can only get larger ribs (4 racks), you will need more glaze; use 12 large garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary, 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. 
- Ribs can be roasted and glaze can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately (covered once cool). Bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before glazing and grilling. 
- Ribs can be broiled 3 to 4 inches from heat (instead of grilled) about 8 minutes. (less) —Genius Recipes
Serves: 8
For the ribs
  • 8 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 pounds baby back pork ribs
  • 1 cup water
For the glaze
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  1. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together with rosemary, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne, remaining tablespoon salt, and pepper. Rub evenly all over ribs and transfer to roasting pans, meaty side up. Marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours. Alternately, marinate in a zippered bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap.
  2. Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
  3. Pour 1/2 cup water into each roasting pan and tightly cover pans with foil. Roast ribs, switching position of pans halfway through, until meat is very tender, about 1 3/4 hours. Remove pans from oven and transfer ribs to a platter.
  4. Add 1 cup hot water to each roasting pan and scrape up brown bits. Skim off and discard fat, then transfer liquid to a 10-inch skillet. Add vinegar and brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes.
  5. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).
  6. Brush some of glaze onto both sides of racks of ribs. Grill, turning occasionally, until ribs are hot and grill marks appear, about 6 minutes.
  7. Brush ribs with more glaze and serve remaining glaze on the side.

What We Ate - May 26, 2018

Saturday, May 26, 2018















-Renu

Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yogurt

Thursday, April 19, 2018


Baarish by Gulzar

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Nasi Liwet Sunda ( Indonesian Aromatic Spiced and Coconut Rice)

Monday, January 22, 2018


Ingredients

  • 3 cups long grain white rice
  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil divided
  • 4 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
  • 100 gr salted mackerel (ikan asin) optional - cut or flake into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup stink / sator / sataw beans thaw if frozen
  • 6 whole red chili
  • 1 large lemongrass trim the skinny top and cut into half
  • 2 inch fresh galangal peeled
  • 4 fresh bay leaves or 6-8 dried ones
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves tear the edges to release flavor
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups coconut milk

Optional toppings / side dish:


Instructions

Wash the rice with clean running water until the water is clear. Completely drain off the water with a strainer if necessary to make sure no water is collecting in between the rice grain. Set aside

Cooking on stove-top:

Preheat 1 Tbsp of cooking oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with tight-fitting lid. Add shallots and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Add salted fish (if using) and stink beans, and whole red chili. Stir fry for another minute. Add lemongrass stalk, galangal, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves and stir fry again. Add rice grain, salt, and sugar. Stir to mix everything. Pour in the coconut milk and stir again. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Close the lid and cook for the next 20 minutes undisturbed. Remove from the heat after 20 minutes and wait for 10 minutes before opening the lid. After 10 minute, uncover the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. There should be some "crust" at the bottom of the pot, which is normal and in fact the local like this crispy crust (kerak nasi) at the bottom of the pot. You can discard the lemongrass stalks and other leaves

Cooking with rice cooker:

Preheat 1 Tbsp of cooking oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with tight-fitting lid. Add shallots and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Add salted fish (if using) and stink beans, and whole red chili. Stir fry for another minute. Add lemongrass stalk, galangal, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves and stir fry again. Add rice grain, salt, and sugar. Stir to mix everything. Pour in the coconut milk and stir again. Transfer to a rice cooker and cook like you would regular plain white rice or use the white rice setting if available. You can discard the lemongrass stalks and other leaves

While the rice is cooking:

Preheat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large non-stick skillet. Pan fry the dried anchovies until crispy. Add about 1/4 tsp of sugar will give it a really nice sweet taste but not overly sweet. Remove into an absorbent paper towel. In the same skillet pan fry the basil until crispy

Serving:

You can pile the toppings you prepare on top of the rice and let everyone get their own rice or served the toppings on the side






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