Bacon, You Have Been Replaced

Bacon, your days as THE flavor maker in just about everything might be coming to a close. Anyone who cooks knows the importance of using bacon- in soups, stews, sauces- cut into lardons or chopped, cooked until crisp and brown and added to the recipe at just the right moment, bacon can make the whole recipe. Can you imagine sweet and saucy baked beans without the crispy bacon and onions sweated in a little of the bacon fat? Of course not! That's a critical part of building the smoky savory flavors. Crisply cooked bacon makes beef stew so much richer and many soups just wouldn't be the same without it.

The Chef made a surprising choice today. After perusing the meat selections in the fridge he decided it would be a pasta day at The Little Lake House. It's a cool autumn day and a nice spicy red sauce over pasta is always a welcome comfort food. Meatballs versus meat sauce? Meat sauce wins out. The Chef has his secret recipe filed away in his memory and as he was working away he had a stroke of brilliance. Now, as we talked about, loads of cooks and chefs use bacon as an initial ingredient in making a memorable dish. Italian chefs have the same theory, but they tend to choose pancetta over bacon, as it isn't smoked and adds a different flavor. It just so happened that The Chef had a secret weapon tucked away in the fridge- a little leftover remnant of something delicious that he really didn't know what he was going to do with until it struck him- chop it up, saute it briefly and use to flavor that meaty red sauce.

What is this mystery ingredient? Capicola! You better believe it. That Italian deli standard, spicy and delicious, gets a whole new mission in the kitchen. There are as many versions of this ham-like dry cured meat as there are spellings. 

The Chef had been contemplating what to do with this end piece leftover chunk that wasn't enough for sandwiches, but too much to just throw away. In the name of science he cut the leftover hunk of capicola (left over from a big chunk that he had been slicing off for sandwiches at the restaurant) into small dice, tossed them in a Dutch oven with a little drizzle of olive oil and gave it a quick saute before adding the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and the remaining sauce ingredients and letting it simmer. The capicola infused the sauce with loads of warm spiciness and added just a subtle change in flavor. I knew something was different, but I couldn't figure out just what (he kept me guessing for quite a while). In the spirit of No Recipe Cooking I suggest you guys give this technique a try next time you're making red sauce, minestrone, or vegetable soup- you'll get an unexpected boost of flavor and hint of heat without overpowering your tastebuds. Delicioso!

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

Joe's Amazing Sunday Sauce

Something really wonderful happens in an Italian family's kitchen. Mama, gramma, nona, whatever she may be known as, often spends hours and hours laboring over a hot stove, chopping garlic and onions, mincing herbs, crushing tomatoes, stirring and stirring and stirring so her family can enjoy a giant platter of that amazing Italian tradition- Sunday Sauce.

Well we don't have an old Italian grandmother working in the kitchen, rather a tall, dark and handsome Italian chef !! But his version of Sunday Sauce........ ohhh yaa.......

Joe's Amazing Sunday Sauce

2-3 cups diced tomatoes (canned with juice)

1 cup tomato paste

3 cups water

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tb crushed dried basil

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

several grinds freshly cracked black pepper

about 1/4 lb pork- Joe used trimmings and odd pieces of pork loin roast

olive oil

Heat olive oil in large pot and brown the pork all over. Add garlic to pan and cook and stir a minute or so. 

Add all remaining ingredients, stir to combine well. Allow to simmer over low heat for at least 6 hours until pork is very tender and sauce is reduced. Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Some people use other meats in their sauce, and that's ok too. If you like meatballs, throw them in there. Or slice up some Italian sausage or crumble some in there (brown in a skillet first to remove excess fat). Each family has their own version of this sauce, as unique as the people in the family !

*Picture of Italian gramma cooking is courtesy of www.soyezlabienvenuechozmoi.blogspot.com. She is not our grandmother.

Call the FIRE DEPARTMENT !!!!! My mouth is on fire !!!

The first cool rainy fallish day of the season has inspired The Chef to do some creating in the kitchen, and since we have a nice collection of hot peppers.....that's where his imagination started it's creation !!

The Chef's Melt Your Face Off Pasta

In a small saute pan combine a good swirl of olive oil, 2 tb butter, one clove garlic, chopped, 2 banana peppers, one habanero pepper, one dried chipotle, crumbled, a good pinch of cayenne pepper flakes, dash of chili powder, big pinch of chives, salt, cracked black pepper, a dash of red wine vinegar, and  2 diced tomatoes (he also threw in a few cherry tomatoes but that's not necessary). Cook gently until the tomatoes "melt" and break down.

Cook pasta of your choice (he used spaghetti)- not a whole lot, just enough for 2 small servings. Drain and toss hot pasta with sauce and serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

This sauce was VERY VERY hot and spicy !!!! Serve it with a nice chunk of bread for swiping up the last bits of the spicy, buttery sauce. You won't regret it !!

Amazingly hot as this sauce was, it did not contain any ghost chiles or trinidad scoprions. We still have a healthy "fear" of these peppers and haven't quite figured out how we want to use them- I'm thinking a super super hot wing sauce or barbeque sauce. We did taste test a raw ghost chile and it was........not fun. We haven't tested the trinidads yet. Haven't worked up the courage.......but we will !! It's football season and that means HOT WING SEASON !!!