KC202009 Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cocoa Spice Rub

When the ancient Myans began using chocolate 2,600 years ago they didn’t have the luxury of creamy Swiss milk or the ingenious idea of the Spanish to add sugar. Instead they mixed the powder of the ground seeds into hot water spiked with spicy chilies and fragrant herbs to create a frothy drink. This Cocoa spice rub is inspired by those amazing Myans who first discovered the wonders of chocolate.

To make the spice rub I first mix together dark cocoa powder about three or so tablespoons. I then add about a teaspoon or so each of, fresh ground pepper, ground coriander, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground cumin. I also add about a tablespoon of cinnamon and at least two teaspoons of sea salt. I mix them all together well in a bowl.



I use two boneless pork tenderloins about two pounds a piece. I make sure to remove all the silver skin as this does not cook off and becomes chewy when cooked. I like to leave the fat on pork tenderloin as it is a very lean cut of meat and will need the little bit of fat it has on it for optimum flavor.



I coat each tenderloin with the cocoa spice rub and let it rest for about fifteen minutes at room temperature.



In a very hot cast iron skillet I warm about two tablespoons of olive oil and sear the pork tenderloin for about two minutes on each side. I then place the cast iron skillet with the pork tenderloin in a 450 degree preheated oven for about ten to fifteen minutes. I like my pork tenderloin to be slightly pink on the inside. It is safe to cook pork to medium as pork is now raised on corn and no longer feed scraps. I let the pork rest for another five minutes before cutting into it. This pork is best served sliced thin. I like to side it with wild rice pilaf, rosemary potatoes, or roasted asparagus.



This pork tenderloin makes great leftovers. I like to make sandwiches with it using mayonnaise on homemade whole wheat bread with swiss cheese. The leftover spice rub will keep in an airtight container for about a month.

KC192009 Orange Cupcakes

My aunt had a bake sale last Monday to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. She raised $216. I donated 48 orange cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting. Well give or take few for “tasting”.



To make the cupcakes I started with organic yellow cake mix. Once I mixed together all the ingredients on the cake mix box instructions I then added the zest of one orange and half the juice of a fresh squeezed orange. I mixed the batter again to incorporate the new ingredients. The batter is thinner than normal because of the juice but it bakes up just the same.



I then poured the batter into cupcake pans lined with cupcake papers. I filled each cup about half way to the top. I baked the cupcakes according to the directions on the box. I let the cupcakes cool on wire racks for about an hour before making the cream cheese frosting.



To make the frosting I beat one package of cream cheese for each 24 batch of cupcakes using the paddle attachment on my kitchen aid. The cream cheese needs to be softened significantly. I always forget to leave the cream cheese out the night before so to remedy this I just leave the package on the stove top while the oven is warming and the cupcakes are baking. Once the cream cheese was beaten smooth I added the zest and juice of one orange. I bet it again until smooth adding about a half a cup or so of sugar. You can add a little more or less depending on your sweet tooth. The frosting had a slightly thicker consistency than royal icing.



I placed one small spoonful of frosting at the center of each cooled cupcake and made a circle with the back of the spoon moving outwards towards the edge of the cupcake. Because I’m pretty impatient when it comes to cake, I’ve never been very good at frosting. They tasted awesome even though they weren’t the best looking cupcakes.

KC182009 Pasta Salad

My summer garden is overflowing with fresh vegetables. One of my favorite things to make with the summer surplus is pasta salad. I like using tri color spiral pasta, sliced grape tomatoes, julienned red and yellow gypsy peppers, sliced cucumber, green olives stuffed with pimento, and chopped green onions.



To make the salad I first cooked the pasta until al dente. While the pasta cooked I cut the vegetables and tossed them in a large bowl with olive oil, champagne vinegar, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Sometimes I like to add a little dried Italian seasoning.



Once the pasta was cooked I drained it in a metal colander and ran it under cold water from the faucet. I also added about a cup of ice to help stop the pasta from cooking. I used a metal colander to better transfer away the heat.

Once the pasta had cooled I tossed it in a large bowl with olive oil, champagne vinegar, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once the pasta was completely coated I tossed it together with the already dressed vegetables. I dress the vegetables separate from the pasta to be sure every thing is coated evenly.

This pasta salad is usually eaten within a matter of days but it will last in the refrigerator for a little over a week. Be sure to cover it and stir it well before each serving.

KC172009 Pasta w/ Ricotta, Caramelized Onions, and Sautéed Green Beans

The other night for dinner I made elbo pasta with ricotta, caramelized onions, and sautéed green beans.

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, I chopped half of a large sweet Vidalia onion and sautéed it in a large skillet with olive oil on medium/ high heat until golden, about fifteen minutes.



To the skillet I added about a cup of green beans cut into bite size pieces that I had blanched earlier. I sautéed the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes.



I then added the cooked pasta and about half cup of the pasta water to the skillet with the green beans and onions. Keeping the burning on low heat I added about half cup of ricotta, 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper, 1/4 cup torn fresh basil, and salt to taste. I stirred the skillet constantly until all the ingredients were fully incorporated, about a minute or two. I removed the skillet from the heat and garnished with parmesan cheese.



I got the idea for this dish from a recipe I found in a magazine. The magazine called for sugar snap peas and lemon zest but I used green beans and lemon pepper instead. I had just harvest a bunch of green beans from the garden. While I was at the store picking up the ricotta and onion I forgot to grab a lemon and didn’t realize this until I was almost done cooking so I just used lemon pepper instead.

KC162009 Steak w/parsley sauce and steak and couscous salad

The other night for dinner I made steaks. To top it, I made a parsley sauce inspired by a dish I had at an Argentinean restaurant in Chicago years ago on my birthday. I served it with steamed brown rice and green beans from the garden sautéed with mushrooms and grape tomatoes. I also made a quick green salad with red plums, almonds, and blue cheese, dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.



The steak was dressed with Worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning and seared in a very hot cast iron skillet for about three minutes on each side. It was then put into a 450 degree preheated oven for about five minutes to cook to medium rare.



I blanched the green beans in boiling water for just a minute until they turned bright green. I strained them dousing with cold water and ice to stop them from cooking. While these strained I sautéed the mushrooms with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms lost most of their water I added the sliced grape tomatoes and sautéed until lightly caramelized after which I added the green beans. I added a little bit more salt and pepper and sautéed all the ingredients while the steak cooked in the oven.









For the sauce I picked fresh parsley from my garden along with Hungarian hot peppers, a sprig each of thyme, oregano, and young leeks. I blended all the chopped ingredients in a food processor pouring in a tablespoon or two of olive oil as it blended. I then added a handful of raw pine nuts, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and blended until incorporated. Once the steak was out of the oven I let it rest while I quickly warmed the sauce on the stove top over medium/ low heat. I served the sauce spooned over the steak.





I sauce went perfectly with the steak and surprisingly well mixed with the rice. It had a bright green flavor and the olive oil and parmesan gave it a creamy rich texture.

The next day for lunch I used the left over green bean mix, one left over steak, and the rest of the sauce to make a warm couscous salad. I used chicken broth instead of water for added flavor. I quickly warmed the sauce, green bean mix, and steak on the stove top. I sliced the steak as thin as possible and tossed all the warmed ingredients into the couscous. I added parmesan and stirred thoroughly to incorporate. I sliced a cucumber from the garden and used it as a garnish.

KC152009

Yesterday for lunch I made turkey salad with fresh celery grown in my garden, chopped walnuts, and fresh black cherries. I dressed the salad with light mayonnaise and a splash of açaí and pomegranate red wine vinegar. I used a canned white turkey, making sure to crush up the chunks using a wooden spoon before adding the other ingredients. I used just the stalks of the celery, freezing the rest to use in soups and stocks later. I chopped the walnuts coarsely with my sharp chef’s knife. I cut the cherries in half and removed the pits and then coarsely chopped them. I used the darkest cherries in the bunch because they have the most flavor and their pits are easiest to remove.

For the dressing I added about a cup of mayonnaise and a slash of vinegar, stirring until everything was incorporated. I then added salt and pepper to taste. I like to use coarse sea salt for salads because of its texture. Sea salt doesn’t blend into the background; every crystal bursts with flavor and then melts on the tongue bringing out the rest of the flavors in the salad as it mellows.

I served the turkey salad on whole wheat toast with a slice of aged Swiss cheese. For another turkey salad idea, follow this link.

For dinner last night I made chicken breast stuffed with swiss cheese topped with tarragon sauce and served with roasted Yukon gold potatoes and pan fried zucchini from the garden.

I pounded the chicken out flat and placed a small piece of swiss cheese in the center. I then rolled the chicken breast and secured it with toothpicks. I seasoned it with salt and pepper. I seared the chicken in a very hot cast iron skillet for about two minutes on each side. Turning off the heat, I added about a cup and a half of beef broth and tossed in a whole spring of fresh tarragon and oregano. I also added a couple of young leek sprouts coarsely chopped. The leeks in my garden are still quite small but the scent and flavor are still very strong. It gave the sauce a lovely garlic and onion flavor. I put the skillet in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Once the chicken was out of the oven I let it rest while I cooked down the sauce remaining in the skillet by about half. After the sauce had reduced I added a bit of flour and butter to thicken the sauce and give it a nice shine.

For the zucchini I first cut it into medallions and coated with flour. I then dipped it in egg and coated them in Italian style bread crumbs. I pan fried the zucchini in a then layer of canola oil on medium high heat until golden brown, flipping over once with a fork. I heated the oil too much and the first few medallions I put in burned within a mater of seconds. I had to turn off the heat and wait for the oil to cool down before continuing.

The potatoes were coated in olive oil and seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper and baked for about 40 minutes at 450 degrees.

KC142009 Blue Cheese Burgers

This weekend I made blue cheese burgers with sautéed mushrooms. I sautéed some radish greens from the garden with olive oil, salt and pepper. I also served some curly fries on the side.
For the burgers I used ground sirloin. I formed it into patties slightly bigger than I wanted the burger to be because the meat will shrink during cooking. I used my thumb to make deep indents in the burger. I stuffed blue cheese into the indents and closed them back up by folding the meat back over. I seasoned the patties with Montreal steak seasoning and worshire sauce. I used the store bought brand of seasoning but have found some good copycat versions online.





I got my cast iron skillet VERY hot and added a bit of olive oil spray to the pan. I cooked the burgers on each side for about 2 to 3 minutes and then finished in a preheated 450 degree oven for about another 5 minutes for medium burgers.



Once the burger came out of the oven I let them rest for about 5 minutes while I sautéed the mushrooms in the same skillet that the burgers cooked in. I added a little salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms lost most of their water I added about a tablespoon of red wine for some added extra flavor and cooked until most of the alcohol was gone.



While the burgers cooked in the oven, I quickly sautéed the greens in olive oil and salt and pepper. The greens were a little bitter for my taste. But if you like bitter greens I strongly recommend radish greens.



The fries were the store bought frozen kind that I baked in the oven while I cooked a prepared the rest of the meal.

The blue cheese melted perfectly in the middle of the burger and gave it a rich creamy flavor. I topped the burgers with mayonnaise and A1 sauce.