ArtWeek and Al Pastor

Des Moines' summer season of festivals is in full swing. This weekend Des Moines hosted it's 20th annual Arts Festival in Western Gateway Park. What started decades ago as Art in The Park near the Des Moines Art Center has grown and evolved into a huge festival with nearly two hundred artists from all over, features food and live music, and has been the recipient of a number of major awards including the Gold Grand Pinnacle Award for the past three consecutive years. It's hard to believe but more than two million people have visited the festival. I remember around the ten year anniversary the festival was usually held on the downtown bridges, but it quickly outgrew the limited space in that part of downtown and found it's current home in Western Gateway Park.

The same weekend as the downtown arts festival there is also an equally popular arts festival held at the State Fairgrounds called ArtFest Midwest. The Varied Industries Building on the fairgrounds is the scene and 250 regional artists display their works. It's a bit more casual than the downtown festival but just as exciting- and air conditioned! Besides being able to view, and purchase, art from local and regional artists, there are also a lot of activities for kids and a lot of tasty food choices as well, with many vendors who will also be there for the State Fair in August. There is a free shuttle bus to take visitors back and forth so you can catch both without having to drive and park. Pretty convenient.

You might wonder what this has to do with food...... there actually is a roundabout connection. The festival in Western Gateway Park is not only a showcase for artists from all across the country, it's also a preview of coming attractions for "fair food" and a great opportunity to try out some of the food trucks that are increasing in number every summer. Since the city loosened the restrictions allowing food trucks, it's been growing like a wildfire. This year downtown Des Moines, the Capitol complex, and many of the larger office parks regularly see food trucks parked and open for service during the lunch hour. People here are embracing this new way to try food you might not normally try. The city has come a long way from the early days of Mexican food trucks set up in odd locations, often out of the way from the action of downtown, and around office areas. It wasn't that long ago that truly was the only kind of food truck in the city, and although some of them looked a little sketchy, alot of people swore by them for authentic Mexican food at great prices. For a lot of us, it was an introduction to tacos like we'd never seen before.

Tacos al Pastor is becoming a very popular menu item in Latin restaurants and food trucks these days, and for good reason. The tender juicy pork takes on the sweet pineapple flavors and hint of spice from the peppers. You often see the pork cooked on rotisseries like the ones used for gyros, and carved off the pile of stacked pork cuts for each serving. It's fantastic and one of my favorite Mexican/Latin dishes. Of course at home, we don't have one of those fancy rotisseries and don't need to make that much pork at one time. That's where the pork chop comes in. As an Iowa girl I grew up loving a juicy Iowa pork chop as much as any other all American food and as an adult I appreciate the way pork lends itself to many different flavors and cuisines. In this simple version of al Pastor the chops are marinated in sweet pineapple and orange juices, warmed up with chili powder, cumin and chipotle pepper, with onion and garlic for kick. I grill these chops to get some good caramelization and grill marks from the sugars in the marinade. I had more marinade than I needed for my pork chops so I threw a couple chicken breasts in there as an experiment. I bet they will be just as delicious. I might even make a little bowl of pineapple, cilantro and jalapeno salsa to serve with the chops. This recipe is perfect for thick-cut Iowa chops.

Pork Chops Al Pastor

1 cup crushed pineapple with juice

zest and juice of one orange 

zest and juice of one lime

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2-3 chipotle chilies with a little adobo sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

6-8 inch thick pork chops, bone-in

In a blender or food processor, place the onion, garlic and chipotle peppers. Add some of the pineapple and puree the vegetables. Combine all other ingredients except chops and mix. 

Pour over chops in a large zip top bag and distribute over the chops. Allow the chops to marinate in the mixture for at least four hours.

When ready to cook, remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. 

Grill chops using a grill or grill pan to 145 degrees for pork. Since I threw a couple chicken breasts in the marinade those guys will cook to 165 degrees.

Check out those grill marks!

Serve chops with cilantro rice or some roasted potatoes and avocado tomato salad or grilled corn. I just love the combo of pineapple, citrus and a bit of heat from chilies and you know I am allllll about the Iowa pork. 

The chicken turned out delicious!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Grilling up some delicious !!

Chances are, when you think about Iowa the first thing you think about is pigs or corn. That's ok, Iowan's have a proud heritage rooted in agriculture and feeding the world. We are the home of the World Food Prize.  Iowa averages around forty million hogs a year, which amounts to about one-third of the nation's total hog production. That is A LOT of bacon! But we're not cooking bacon today, we are cooking up some pork chops!

This summer a very exciting opportunity came my way- a chance at a partnership with the Iowa Pork Producers. My assignment? Pick one of over 2,000 pork recipes from the website, prepare it, and then tell everyone about it. Included in the deal were some great gifts and coupons to pay for the pork. How's that for a great opportunity?

Cooking is such a passion of mine. It's an art form, a way to express myself in a way that is unique to me. It's a science. Recipes are formulas. Some work, some don't. It's a hobby. Canning, baking and recipe development are things I enjoy working on. And for some, it's a career. It was so hard for me to pick just one recipe. Just think how many different cuts of pork are available. Roasting, broiling, grilling, smoking- it took me three days to decide.

One recipe beckoned to me. It spoke to me. It said "Hey Monica........I have Riesling in my ingredients."  How can I say no to that? Riesling is my favorite wine of all wines. Maybe it's my German heritage. Whatever the case, I knew this recipe was the one. So off to collect the ingredients I went. Beautiful boneless pork loin chops, a little on the thick cut side, fit the bill perfectly. Fresh lemon, some beautiful organic vegetables to serve alongside, and a great bottle of German Riesling and I was ready to cook! 

A quick note about cooking with wine- always, always, always choose a wine you would drink, maybe even with the same meal. Don't go cheap because it's "just for cooking" and never EVER choose cooking wine. If you are taking the time to prepare a wonderful meal, don't ruin it with junky wine. I chose Barefoot Riesling because it's less sweet than others, great for cooking, and I actually enjoy drinking it- it's a good sipping wine.

So let's talk about the recipe. I chose Carolina Riesling Pork Chops

The ingredients are:

• 8 top loin pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper, coarsely ground
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups dry Riesling
• 3 TB fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

The method:

Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add half the chops. Brown chops quickly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add remaining oil and brown the remaining chops. Remove from skillet. 

Reduce heat to medium low, add garlic to skillet. Cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until tender and moist. 

Remove skillet from heat. Add Riesling and lemon juice to mushrooms, return skillet to heat. Return chops to pan, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, gently simmer on low heat for 30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Stir in cream. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened.

I served the pork chops with roasted potatoes and steamed fresh green beans. I also used some chopped fresh parsley when finishing the sauce. I found it easier to remove the chops when I added the cream- it was easier to stir the sauce. And of course, I served the remaining Riesling with dinner- it was perfect!

The pork chops were so tender and delicious. I'm so glad I chose a thicker cut, they didn't dry out during cooking and stayed juicy. The sauce was creamy and mushroomy and the Riesling added the perfect acidic element to tone down the richness of the cream. The garlic added the perfect touch and I chose baby portobello mushrooms because they have a bit of an earthy flavor, a little more depth than white mushrooms. The chopped fresh parsley was the bright herbal touch I wanted to achieve.

These days pork is a whole different meat than a generation ago. The old cooked-to-death dried up pork chops are a thing of the past. Leaner and healthier, today's pork should be cooked to 145 degrees and rested for 3 minutes before serving. This keeps the pork juicy and delicious. In this particular recipe the chops were so tender and so flavorful with the Riesling adding a nice fruity flavor to the sauce- not in a sweet way, but in a "winey" way. Pork goes perfect with mushrooms too. The mushrooms add an earthy note to the dish, and garlic- you can never go wrong with garlic!    

Now.......for the FUN part- the giveaway!!! The Iowa Pork Producers Association has put together a fun giveaway pack for me to send to one lucky reader. So fire up your grills, and get ready to cook something amazing.

The prize package includes:

• $50 in pork coupons
• A 3-piece grilling tool set
• A bottle of Iowa-made barbeque sauce
• "Pork. Be Inspired" grilling apron
• Meat Thermometer (to help you grill that pork to 145 degrees)

I'd like to give a BIG thank you to the Iowa Pork Producers for this wonderful partnership opportunity and for providing the pork for this recipe. I will be making many, many more recipes from the website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*****NOTE: Contest limited to US residents, please.

Original recipe can be found on the Iowa Pork Producers' Website by clicking here-  http://www.porkbeinspired.com/RecipeDetail/1563/Carolina_Riesling_Pork_Chops.aspx

Product Review: Perfect Iowa pork on the grill with some sass rubbed on

My good friend Gloria owns a business that sells an awesome variety of sauces, salsas and rubs, Carolina Sauce Company, and a few months ago she sent me several items to play with in the kitchen. I love trying out new products and playing with flavors. I love repurposing things as well, creating something totally different in the end. One of the items she sent me ended up on the shelf over the cold months of winter, no thanks to the nasty polar vortex that made so many of us miserable.

Now spring has sprung and it's time to start thinking about grilling and smoking again. That means meat rubs. Lots and lots of meat rubs. The Chef and I love grilling and smoking different meats, especially ribs and chicken, and we have tried loads of different rubs, including making up our own on occasion. Some have been good, some ok, some bad enough to ruin the meal, and others outstanding. Since we own a smoker and like playing with barbeque techniques we have some basic things we look for in a good rub- it must NOT be salty, must not be overly sugary- just enough to encourage good caramelization, and must have the right amount of heat. Good pepper flavor and HEAT but not just melt your face off heat. That's fine for some things but we want a flavor underneath the heat.

Awwww the smell of summer...... smoking a hunk of pig.

So Gloria included a package of Adams Ultimate Rubb in our goodie package. It's an "all purpose meat, fish and poultry rub (that) has become the favorite among great cooks everywhere." Sounds promising! It also says "spicy" on the package, so that's a good thing. The back of the package has some great suggested uses- sprinkle on meat of choice and let marinate for 30 minute to 2 hours. Put a little in baked beans; sprinkle lightly on salmon; vegetables; french fries; use one part rub to 4 parts flour for fish or chicken breading. Sounds like fantastic ideas!

How about some smokey, fall-off-the-bone ribs?

I open the cute brown package and there is an airtight bag containing the rub- I can already smell it and it smells delicious. I check the ingredients- everything I'm looking for is there, brown sugar (can't have meat rub without it), red pepper, garlic, onion, smokey flavors and a papaya extract. Of course I can't resist a quick taste test. It's delicious, with a nice sweet base and spicy, smoky undertones.

Now all we need is some meat! Decisions, decisions. Pork butt...... chicken...... turkey breast...... brisket? Ribs are awesome, a smoker full of wings makes me happy too. We have to make a decision at this point so we go with boneless pork "country style ribs" and head for home to get cooking. In Iowa, pork is big business. BIG business. From bacon to chops, Iowa is definitely pork country. In fact, there are more pigs in Iowa than humans with around 30 million hogs raised every year. That is one-third of the nation's total pork production, making Iowa the top pork producing state in the entire nation. Pretty BIG business!

Now if you are unfamiliar with "country style ribs" let's talk about that a little bit. These ribs are cut from the sirloin end of the pork loin, also known as the rib end. They have no bones. Most of the time you find them cut into individual pieces already. They are perfect for barbeque cooking or grilling, even roasting. They also lend well to rub-type seasonings because they have a lot of surface area to hold on to the flavors.  These are by far meatier than bone-in rib cuts and are meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. Unlike the old days of Grandma cooking the life out of the pork chops, today's pork is leaner and needs to be cooked to only 145 degrees with a few minutes rest time before serving. **TIP- when cooking meat it's important to keep it as juicy as possible, so always use tongs to turn meat, never use a fork. Poking holes in the meat causes the juices to run out, leaving you with a dried out piece of shoe leather.

Ok, so I've got my rub. I've got my country style ribs. I'm ready to get cooking. The package says the longer you leave the rub on, the better, so I'm going to do that FIRST and foremost and get the meat resting. Pork country style ribs are very lean so you probably won't have much extra fat to trim off. I am going to sprinkle the rub very liberally over the ribs and really get them covered nicely. Place on clean plate and wrap or place in a ziptop bag and refrigerate, until shortly before cooking- then allow meat to rest at room temperature for a short bit.

When I'm ready to cook (I'll be using the grill pan for these since.....sigh........we have not yet filled the tank on the grill and have zero charcoal around) I like to drizzle the meat with just a touch of olive oil. It helps to NOT stick to the grill and I think helps caramelize and brown the crust a little better. Always add meat to a hot grill (or pan) or you will be picking mutilated meat shreds that are stuck to the surface. Plus you wreck your lovely meat surface. Country style ribs are more like thick rectangles than pork chops so I will grill on all four sides, turning each side to the heat just ONCE, and cook until the internal temperature is 145 degrees. It doesn't take very long to cook, so have your sides ready to go before hand. I am going to saute some fresh green beans (like they do in Chinese restaurants) and make a very quick and simple French-style potato salad (with a vinaigrette instead of mayo). Since I don't have store-bought dijon for the dressing I am going to use some of my Jalapeno Pepper Ale Mustard in the dressing- I'll toss some cooked potatoes with chopped Vidalia onion and dressing, freshly ground pepper- simple and delicious.

The results are, as expected, fantastic. The pork was juicy and tender. The rub added the right amount of spice and just a kick of heat. The brown sugar caramelized the meat beautifully. The papaya added a hint of fruity sweetness I didn't expect after cooking. I even sauteed the green beans with a hit of the rub and got the same sweet spicy delicious almost glaze-like sauce with the beans. I HIGHLY recommend you try this product. In fact, if you visit the Carolina Sauce Company, you will find a huge assortment of sauces and rubs to try. We are hot sauce nuts and they even have sample-size bottles so you can test several kinds to find the perfect sauce for you.

Now, fire up those grills, people! It's grilling season!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Grillin' and chillin' in Wine Country

Oh, did you think I meant Napa? Or California Wine Country? Oh heck no- Iowa Wine Country! I suppose a lot of people don't realize that Iowa has become one of the wine-producing hot spots in the nation, with more than 300 vineyards and over 100 wineries currently producing in the state. In fact, Iowa is divided into five separate "wine trails" that cover the entire state and make for some awesome day-tripping. Some of the wineries make wines exclusively from grapes grown in their own vineyards, while others import juice or grapes from other regions and make some of the wines most people are familiar with, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Iowa, being in zone 5 for agriculture, requires grapevines that can withstand cold temperatures for the long months of winter. Most of the familiar vines cannot, so growers here raise vines such as Edelweiss, Chardonel, Frontenac, St. Croix, and many others. Some closely mimic their warmer climate cousins, and some have unique flavors and aromas all their own. Touring a vineyard and winery in Iowa is fun! I've toured wineries that were little more than a garage with a few fermenting tanks to an elegant Italian villa setting in the middle of a downtown business district. Each Iowa winery is distinctive and has their very own niche.

Cooking with wine is very rewarding. By integrating the flavors in your glass into your food you are immersing yourself in the wine experience as much as possible, and adding depth and character to whatever you are preparing. I love a good steak marinated in rich red wine and herbs. The wine adds such a delicious fruitiness to the meat, residual sugars help to add to the caramelization on the grill, and nothing beats adding herbs for a punch of flavor. Herbs allow you to have a lot more flexibility in the flavors of your food too- some are more earthy and hearty, like sage and rosemary, while others, like thyme or chives, bring a fresh "green" flavor.

Today we are grilling up some steak kebabs. I'm a big fan of kebabs because they are quick to cook on the grill, keeping the meat juicy and tender, and when you add vegetables to the skewers you can make a little steak go a lot farther. Veggies are another great way to customize your meal. Cook only what you like! In this case, we're grilling, so if you wanted to add potatoes, say baby new potatoes, you might want to precook them a little before threading into the skewer. I like to stick with things that cook at about the same length of time- summer squash, onions, mushrooms, peppers. Cherry tomatoes work well also. Asparagus on the grill is phenomenal. Use what's fresh and what's in season.

Iowa Wine Country Steak Kebabs

top sirloin steak- allow about 4-6 ounces per person/serving

fresh vegetable of your choice- I used zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, mushrooms and           onion

1 cup Pinot Noir

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more

herbs of choice- I used Herbes de Provence for this batch 

salt, pepper

crushed or minced garlic, usually 3-4 cloves will do

Cut steak into generous cubes- I like 2 inch cubes- they don't overcook and they are easier to thread onto the skewers. Place in large zip close bag and all everything except the vegetables. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible. Smoosh and massage the bag to distribute the wine and seasonings evenly. Place on plate or tray in fridge for 2-4 hours, or as long as overnight. I used Pinot Noir in my marinade, but any big bold red will work- Cabernet is awesome, Chianti is a little "spicier", Merlot is also very good. Use whatever red wine you like but stick with a drier wine- this is not the place for a red Moscato.

Meanwhile soak skewers in water to prevent burning, or use metal ones. Clean and cut the vegetables into pieces about 2 inches like the steak cubes. Using separate skewers for the vegetables, thread them onto skewers as you like, alternating bites or make skewers of all the same vegetable. Sometimes this way works better when you are using veggies like baby potatoes that may need several more minutes. Drizzle with additional olive oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove meat from marinade. You can pat dry lightly with a paper towel but don't rinse off the meat. Thread the cubes onto the skewers. Drizzle or brush with a little bit of additional oil to prevent sticking on the grill. 

Cook skewers until desired doneness. To serve, you can either let each person have a skewer of each or you can remove everything, discard the skewers and serve in bowls/platters- whatever works best for you. I find that if some people like their meat more rare than others, it's best to leave them on skewers and separate. 

If you're wondering what the heck is the deal with the four mini
skewers on the top rack- we have furkids,  and they are spoiled!

Most importantly, please serve the wine you cook with alongside the meal. Never ever ever buy "cooking wine"- you should never cook with something you aren't willing to drink. If you don't want to drink it right now, save it and make spritzers or sangria, or freeze the wine for future cooking (old ice trays are great for this). It's ok to use an inexpensive wine, as long as it's also something you are willing to drink. 

Enjoy!