Meals this Week
I haven't done this for a while now, so it seems like this is a good time. And you can see how much pork we ended up buying. Next week, maybe there will be more moderation.
Saturday 4/4
Posole (Judson)
Posole is an ancient Mexican stew using posole, which is a hatey type of corn, and pork. I'm not really sure what all was in it other than those two ingredients, but it was delicious and made a great lunch Monday.
Sunday 4/5
Spicy orange beef, stir-fried sugar-snap peas, white rice (Megan)
I used left-over braised beef from a dish last week for this one. I basically followed Bittman's recipe (a deviation from his basil beef stir-fried dish) from How to Cook Everything. I cooked the rice using my favorite method for white rice. In a saucepan, combine 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water plus a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Stir slightly. Reduce heat to low, cover, and wait 15-20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water. Judson ended up cooking the peas per my instructions. They were stir-fried in a little oil until they were crisp-tender and brown in places. Then they were tossed with a little sesame oil and a little soy sauce. The meal was good, especially after my long run, but I think I'd add more orange juice and a bit more orange zest next time, and I might use fish sauce instead of soy sauce for the beef. Using leftovers for the meat worked perfectly.
Monday 4/6
Pork chops, braised red cabbage with apples, farmer's potatoes (Megan)
For the cabbage, I sauteed a sliced Granny Smith apple with some chopped onions in about a tbsp of butter for around 2 minutes. Then I added about 3/4 of a pound of sliced red cabbage and 1/4 cup water and cooked for about five minutes, until the cabbage had started to wilt. I seasoned this mixture with plenty of salt and pepper, and then I added about 1/4 cup of cider vinegar (I think--I started with about 1/6 and added more later because it needed more acidity), 1 tbsp sugar, and one bay leaf. I reduced the heat to low and let it cook about 20 more minutes.
For the potatoes, I used some sort of local gold, waxy variety (like butter potatoes or Yukon golds). For the two of us, I prepared 4 small potatoes (probably about 1.5 normal potatoes). I cut the potatoes into roughly 1/2" cubes and parboiled them for a few minutes in salted water, just until they were approaching edible. Then I drained them. Meanwhile, I had chopped 1/2 onion and cut two strips of bacon from The Piggery into 1" pieces. Later, I chopped 3 small cloves of garlic. After I drained the potatoes, I left them in the colander and returned the pot to the stove. I cooked the bacon over medium heat until it was crispy and rendered all of its delicious pork fat. Then Judson took over for me because I was working on the pork, and he was starving. But he followed my directions. He added the onions and browned them, and then added the garlic. When the garlic started to turn a golden color, he added the potatoes and continued cooking until they were done and starting to brown. We added a little of the pork chop drippings because the potatoes seemed like they needed a little lubrication.
I got my pork chops out of the fridge when I started all my prep so they'd be closer to room temperature when I started cooking. These pork chops were from The Piggery. They were a little on the small side, about 8 oz each, including the bone and a thick layer of fat, but they were gorgeous and about an inch or more thick. Anyhow, I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper. I heated my cast iron skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds and then added some olive oil and waited for the oil to smell hot. Then, I browned the chops until they were nice and crusty on each side. I jabbed a thermometer into the meaty portion of one, reduced the heat to low, covered the thing with some aluminum foil (probe thermometers are not always accommodating of lids) and let it go. Another option would be to finish the chops in the oven, but Judson had used it to roast some beets for tomorrow, and I wasn't really thinking clearly. Anyhow, when the chops were about 5 deg. from done, I removed them from the heat. I made a quick sauce for the pork using the drippings, some dijon mustard, some sherry vinegar, and some water.
The meal was delicious. I wish I had made more cabbage.
Tuesday 4/7
Linguine carbonara, roasted beet salad (Judson)
Carbonara always seems to mean a very cream-laden dish in this country, but traditionally, there's no cream involved. You basically make a sauce from bacon, egg, and parmesan.
Wednesday 4/8
Spinach salad (Judson)
I'm not sure what he has in mind, but I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of bacon.
Thursday 4/9
Curried lentils, brown rice, fruit (Megan)
I couldn't really think of a good vegetable accompaniment, so I'm going to serve plenty of fruit for dessert. I haven't worked through all the details yet. But I do know that I will be baking the rice, a la Alton Brown, because that method is tasty and has never failed me.
Friday 4/10
Mystery night!
Either we'll go out, or we'll gin something together with left-overs and/or eggs. =)
Saturday 4/4
Posole (Judson)
Posole is an ancient Mexican stew using posole, which is a hatey type of corn, and pork. I'm not really sure what all was in it other than those two ingredients, but it was delicious and made a great lunch Monday.
Sunday 4/5
Spicy orange beef, stir-fried sugar-snap peas, white rice (Megan)
I used left-over braised beef from a dish last week for this one. I basically followed Bittman's recipe (a deviation from his basil beef stir-fried dish) from How to Cook Everything. I cooked the rice using my favorite method for white rice. In a saucepan, combine 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water plus a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Stir slightly. Reduce heat to low, cover, and wait 15-20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water. Judson ended up cooking the peas per my instructions. They were stir-fried in a little oil until they were crisp-tender and brown in places. Then they were tossed with a little sesame oil and a little soy sauce. The meal was good, especially after my long run, but I think I'd add more orange juice and a bit more orange zest next time, and I might use fish sauce instead of soy sauce for the beef. Using leftovers for the meat worked perfectly.
Monday 4/6
Pork chops, braised red cabbage with apples, farmer's potatoes (Megan)
For the cabbage, I sauteed a sliced Granny Smith apple with some chopped onions in about a tbsp of butter for around 2 minutes. Then I added about 3/4 of a pound of sliced red cabbage and 1/4 cup water and cooked for about five minutes, until the cabbage had started to wilt. I seasoned this mixture with plenty of salt and pepper, and then I added about 1/4 cup of cider vinegar (I think--I started with about 1/6 and added more later because it needed more acidity), 1 tbsp sugar, and one bay leaf. I reduced the heat to low and let it cook about 20 more minutes.
For the potatoes, I used some sort of local gold, waxy variety (like butter potatoes or Yukon golds). For the two of us, I prepared 4 small potatoes (probably about 1.5 normal potatoes). I cut the potatoes into roughly 1/2" cubes and parboiled them for a few minutes in salted water, just until they were approaching edible. Then I drained them. Meanwhile, I had chopped 1/2 onion and cut two strips of bacon from The Piggery into 1" pieces. Later, I chopped 3 small cloves of garlic. After I drained the potatoes, I left them in the colander and returned the pot to the stove. I cooked the bacon over medium heat until it was crispy and rendered all of its delicious pork fat. Then Judson took over for me because I was working on the pork, and he was starving. But he followed my directions. He added the onions and browned them, and then added the garlic. When the garlic started to turn a golden color, he added the potatoes and continued cooking until they were done and starting to brown. We added a little of the pork chop drippings because the potatoes seemed like they needed a little lubrication.
I got my pork chops out of the fridge when I started all my prep so they'd be closer to room temperature when I started cooking. These pork chops were from The Piggery. They were a little on the small side, about 8 oz each, including the bone and a thick layer of fat, but they were gorgeous and about an inch or more thick. Anyhow, I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper. I heated my cast iron skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds and then added some olive oil and waited for the oil to smell hot. Then, I browned the chops until they were nice and crusty on each side. I jabbed a thermometer into the meaty portion of one, reduced the heat to low, covered the thing with some aluminum foil (probe thermometers are not always accommodating of lids) and let it go. Another option would be to finish the chops in the oven, but Judson had used it to roast some beets for tomorrow, and I wasn't really thinking clearly. Anyhow, when the chops were about 5 deg. from done, I removed them from the heat. I made a quick sauce for the pork using the drippings, some dijon mustard, some sherry vinegar, and some water.
The meal was delicious. I wish I had made more cabbage.
Tuesday 4/7
Linguine carbonara, roasted beet salad (Judson)
Carbonara always seems to mean a very cream-laden dish in this country, but traditionally, there's no cream involved. You basically make a sauce from bacon, egg, and parmesan.
Wednesday 4/8
Spinach salad (Judson)
I'm not sure what he has in mind, but I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of bacon.
Thursday 4/9
Curried lentils, brown rice, fruit (Megan)
I couldn't really think of a good vegetable accompaniment, so I'm going to serve plenty of fruit for dessert. I haven't worked through all the details yet. But I do know that I will be baking the rice, a la Alton Brown, because that method is tasty and has never failed me.
Friday 4/10
Mystery night!
Either we'll go out, or we'll gin something together with left-overs and/or eggs. =)
posted by megan at
10:49 PM
1 Comments:
In your honor I am having pork with a BBQ apple cranberry sauce for dinner tonight!.....YUM :)
By
Lynn Thompson, at 12:44 PM
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