Bacon wrapped maple pork tender loin

You might have noticed by now, that I really like to mix sweet flavors into my dishes and this is one more recipe that applies to this fact. A tender and juicy pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and glazed with maple syrup. Hmm... served with roasted sweet potatoes (recipe will follow tomorrow) and a fresh rocket leaf and endive salad. Be sure to plan in the time for brining - at least 8 hours.


click here for a printable version


Serves 4


For brining pork

• 4 cups   water
• 2,5 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp    maple syrup 
• 1/2 tso   crushed black peppercorns
• 1 sprig   fresh sage
• 1            garlic clove, smashed
• 1            bay leaf
• 1            pork tenderloin, (app. 600g), trimmed

For roasting pork

• 3           garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp  finely chopped fresh sage
• 3 tbsp  maple syrup 
• 200 g  bacon slices 
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 
  

Brine pork:

Combine all brining ingredients except pork tenderloin in a saucepan and heat over high heat, stirring, until salt is dissolved. Pour brine into a deep casserole dish; cool to room temperature, uncovered, about 2 hours.

Add pork to brine, making sure it is completely covered by brine, and marinate, covered and chilled, 8 to 24 hours.

Roast pork:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.

Pat pork dry (discard brine), then transfer to a roasting pan. Stir together garlic, sage, and 1 tablespoon syrup in a small bowl and rub all over pork. Lay bacon slices crosswise over loin, overlapping slightly, and tuck ends of bacon underneath loin.

Roast pork until thermometer registers 140°F/60°C, about 30 minutes. Stir together 1 tablespoon syrup and vinegar until combined. Brush vinegar mixture over bacon slices and continue to roast pork until thermometer registers 150°F/66°C, about 5 minutes more. If the bacon has not browned yet, turn on the oven grill on high until the bacon is crispy.  Remove from oven and let stand in pan 10-15 minutes. Transfer the tender loin to a cutting board and cut into 3 cm thick slices.

Stir the remaining tablespoon of syrup into the cooking juices. Serve the meat on preheated plates and drizzle with the sauce.

"Grünkohl"

It´s been a really busy week so far but at least I´ve managed - for the first time - to attend a gettogether of a small group of ladies from our school who meet once a month for a potluck-lunch. Everybody brings something they enjoy to prepare and I decided on a quite typical german dish (at least in the northern parts of Germany) for this time of the year, but in a much leaner version.

In North Germany it´s a tradition that people gather - when it´s really cold outside - for a Kohlfahrt - "cabbage walk".  They take long walks over the countryside warming themselves with "Korn" - a colorless spirit made from fermented rye and very popular in North Germany - on the way. The reward at the end of the walk - that usually takes you to a local pub - is this hearty plate of "Grünkohl" served traditionally with Kassler,  a variety of sausages, boiled or fried potatoes and lots of beer and  "Korn" . 

click here for a printable version

Here´s the "light" version of the Grünkohl:

500 g           fresh, cleaned and trimmed kale

  30 g           fresh ginger

    2             garlic cloves

    2             small onions

    2 tbsp      oil

400 g           kassler (salted smoked pork)

300 ml         broth

    1             lemon

    1             bunch  flat leaf parsley

Preparation:

Wash the kale thoroughly and tear into small pieces discarding the stems. Peel the ginger and cut into paper-thin slices. Cut the garlic into smallest dice and set half of it aside. Cut the onions into thin wedges.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add ginger, garlic and onions and sauté until translucent. Add the kale and stir well. Set the Kassler meat ontop, deglaze with the broth, cover and let simmer over low heat for 50 minutes.

Peel the lemon, cut the lemon peel into thin strips and then chop finely. Pluck the parsley leaves from the stems and cut finely. Mix together the lemon peel, parsley and the remaining garlic.

Cut the Kasseer in Slices and serve with the lemon-parsley Gremolata.

Good with mashed potatoes. In this case I just mash them roughly and add some olive oil, sea salt and a hint of freshly ground pepper.

Sweet and sour pork

click HERE for a printable version

I love chinese food. Or the idea we have of what chinese food tastes like. Doesn´t matter. Still love it. So I prepared an all family favorite today, sweet and sour pork.

1                           pork tenderloin (app. 600 g)
                             ground szechuan pepper and salt (the szechuan pepper corns should be
                             slightly toasted in a dry pan in advance to enhance the taste)
1   teaspoon          ground, fresh ginger
1                           egg
2   tablespoons     Sake or chinese rice wine
1   tablespoon       regular chinese soy sauce
4-5 tablespoons    Corn starch (Maizena)

Oil for deepfrying



2     tablespoons  peanut oil
1     bunch           spring onions
1                         red and green bell pepper
10   cm               cucumber
2     slices            fresh pineapple
2     cm                freshly grated ginger
2                         garlic cloves cut into very thin slices
2     tablespoons  tomato paste
3     tablespoons  soy sauce
3     tablespoons rice vinegar
2     tablespoons mango chutney
250 ml               freshly squeezed orange juice
1     tablespoon  corn starch
                          salt, pepper, MSG (optional)


Clean the pork loin and cut it into 1 cm thick slices and those into strips.
Season with szechuan pepper and salt. Dissolve 2-3 tbsp cornstarch in the Sake and soy sauce. Slightly beat the egg and mix with the other ingredients of the marinade. Pour over the meet, stir and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut the bell peppers into 3x3 cm cubes, the spring onion into 3 cm long pieces, the pineapple into small segments and halve the cucumber and cut into thin slices.

In a little bowl mix tomato paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chutney. In a second bowl dissolve the corn starch with the orange juice.

Preheat the oven to 80°C. Heat the oil for deepfrying in a wok to medium-high heat (stick the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil, if some bubbles appear on the spoon, the oil has the right temperature).

Prepare a platter with some paper towels. Take a freezer bag and fill in the remaining cornstarch and the meat. Close and shake until the cornstarch is evenly spread around the meat pieces.

Fry the meat in portions until golden brown. Remove from the wok with a skimmer, place on the platter and put it in the oven to keep warm. Proceed until all the meat is fried.

Heat a little peanut oil in a second wok. Add the bell pepper and fry - stirring constantly - for one minute, add the spring onion and fry one more minute. Now add cucumber, ginger and garlic and fry for another minute.

Add the pineapple and the soy sauce mixture and finally the orange juice with the corn starch. Let thicken. Season with salt, pepper and MSG (if you like) and mix in the meat.

Serve immediately with rice.

©just-cook!

Little Schnitzel with swedish chanterelle and fresh Lingonberries

click HERE for a printable version

As a special treat for my dear hubby I´ve prepared little schnitzel of pork loin joined by very tasty swedish mushrooms and fresh lingonberries - both in high season at the moment and the markets - and the woods - are overflowing with both at the moment. Reason enough to savour them as often as possible!! Lingonberries can be substituted by cranberries (although I´m not sure if you can prepare them raw or not, sorry).

Serves 4:

1          pork tenderloin (appx. 700 g), cleaned

2 - 3    eggs

            salt, pepper

            flour

            breadcrumbs (PLEASE always make your own breadcrumbs with a couple of days old

                                   baguette. It´s worth the trouble!!)

            clarified butter

350 g   wild mushrooms (whatever you can find), cleaned and cut if necesarry

2          shallots, cut into fine dice

50 g     pancetta (or bacon), cut into small dice

20 g     butter

500 g   Lingonberries

80 g     Sugar

Mix the lingonberries with the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate.

Cut your nice tenderloin into 2 cm thick slices. Place each slice inbetwenn plastic wrap and thwack it carefully with a steak mallet until quite thin. Salt and pepper and pass through the flour. Tap off all the excess flour and pass through the beaten eggs and at last through the breadcrumbs. Place on a dish  an proceed the same way with the rest of the meet.

Preheat your oven to 100°C.

Heat the clarified butter (regular butter burns to easy) on medium high heat in an iron frying pan and fry the schnitzel one minute on each side until golden brown but don´t overcook. Otherwise they might get to dry. Do not hesitate to use sufficient clarified butter. Schnitzel have to "swim" in the pan. After frying let the excess fat drip off on paper towel. Set on a plate and keep warm in the oven.

Heat a second frying pan. Add the butter and once melted add the shallots, pancetta and mushrooms all at once and let them fry - stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.

Arrange on warm plates and serve with a green salad and maybe hash browns or fried potatoes.
©just-cook!

Medaillon of pork with Chanterelle

Today my son Lenny wanted to help me cook - actually he completely took over. So I contented myself with giving instructions and just watching him and it´s really fun to see with what enthusiasm he is "at work". I´m a bit reliefed to know that my family might get something warm to eat the next 10 days, since I won´t be here. Unfortunately I won´t have any access to the internet either so I can´t post anything until the first days of September.

click HERE for a printable version

Today we prepared one of my husbands favorites, medaillon of pork with Chanterelle.

You will need for 4 servings

1                  pork tenderloin (700 g)

250 g           chanterelle

2                  shallots, in fine dice

40 g             bacon, in fine dice

20 g             dehydrated porcini, soaking in 200 ml hot water

2 twigs         fresh thyme

                   salt, pepper, concentrated chanterelle or porcini stock (if you have)

                   flour

                   oil and butter

250 ml        heavy cream

                  some fresh parsley, chopped 

250 g          fettucine

• Clean the chanterelle with a brush. If possible do not wash them with water. Heat a frying pan and add some oil and a little butter. Fry the shallots and the bacon for 2 minutes and then add the chanterelle and fry on high heat for 2-3 more minutes. Take out of the pan and keep warm in the oven at 100°C.

• Clean the tenderloin and cut it into 12 medaillons. Season with salt and pepper and cover slightly with flour. Fry in oil and a little butter until golden brown on both sides. Be careful not to leave them in the pan to long, they get dry too fast. 1-2 minutes on each side is enough. Set them on a plate and leave them in the oven as well.
• Add the finely cut porcini to the pan and after 1 minute add the soaking water from the porcini and the thyme twigs. Let the liquid reduce until there´s only a couple of tablespoons of liquid left. Add the liquid cream and let cook for a couple of minutes until the cream is a little thickened. Now season with salt, pepper and a little concentrated stock. Take out the thyme twigs and combine the sauce with the meat and the chanterelle. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Cook the fettucine as indicated on the package and serve.

©just-cook!

What do you think about

                                                                       my napkins??

An all american dinner - homage to "Kansas" in Buenos Aires where they have THE BEST RIBS!!

print HERE for a printable version



Since the majority of people in this house are kids for the moment I will stick to more or less "childfriendly" food this week. No experiments or toplofty creations :D

One of our summer favorites definitely are baby back barbecued ribs with cole slaw and a loaded oven baked potato. I could die for that. A fingerlicking experience...

You will need for 6 eaters:

Baby back ribs:

6    racks of baby back ribs

2    bottles of  Barbecue Sauce (of

      course you can  make your

      own but I´m on the easy side

      today), we prefer a Hickory

      smoke-brown sugar sauce. 

      One that I really like is from

      "Sweet Baby Ray´s"

     Salt

• Pre-cook the spareribs in slightly salted water for 30 minutes or set them on a backing rack, cover them with aluminum foil and bake them in the oven - turning them every 20 minutes - for 1,5 hours
• In the mean time prepare your fire on the grill.
• Paint your spareribs - once on the ready fire - every couple of minutes on both sides for at least 3-4 times. Make sure the heat is not to high since they burn easily (as you can see on the picture - a moment of non-attention is enough)

Cole Slaw:

I´m sure there must be like a million cole slaw recepis out there. My recipe is the following:

1               medium sized white cabbage (if you can
                 lay a hand on sweetheart cabbage - the
                 pointed one - even better)
2               carrots
4               spring onions
1               bunch chives
200 g        heavy cream
200 g        mayonaise
2               lemons (the juice)
                 sugar syrup, amount depending on your likes (sugar cooked with the same
                 amount of water, keeps forever and you can use ist also for preparing cocktails)
                 salt, freshly ground white pepper

optional you can add some tiny, crispy bacon bits to the salad (add these just before serving)

• cut the cabbage and the carrots thinly with help of the food processor. The spring onions I cut with a knife in thin slices.
• For the dressing mix all the ingredients to your taste and pour over the cabbage. Toss in the carrots and spring onions. Mix well and leave in the fridge for some hours.
• Before serving check the taste once more and add salt and white pepper if necessary. Cut the chives with a scissor and sprinkle over the salad as well as the bacon if desired.

Baked potatoes:

6           baking potatoes
             butter
             sour cream
             grated cheese
             chives or spring ognions cut in thin slices
             bacon bits
             coarse Salt (Fleur de sel)
             freshly ground black pepper

• Wash the potatoes, pinch them several times with a fork sprinkle them with coarse sea salt and bake them in the oven at 180 C° for about 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the size).
• Make a cross cut on top of the potato, push it open and add all the toppings you´d like.
  ©just-cook!

Dinner was good

                                                                                    in the picture my cousins son