Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cranberry Sauce!

Cranberries:  one of the very few truly native North American fruits.  Cranberries were first given to European settlers from Native Americans, who also taught them how to bake cranberries in breads or mashed with honey or maple syrup for sweetener.  These little round ruby berries are mostly grown in marshes and bogs in the northern region of the U.S. (Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Oregon, New Jersey and Washington).  They're great for including in a healthy lifestyle.

I'm always so happy when cranberries are in season and available in the marketplace (mid-September through November).  Finding a recipe to use cranberries was a natural choice for me for this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club theme.  Since it was my month to select a theme, "An Autumn Harvest", I knew that the entree recipe had to include cranberries.  Once again, the archives of Cooking Light did not fail in producing a delicious recipe.  Plus this recipe is super easy!

Please check out the host of this monthly food blog event, Val, and her wonderful blog "More Than Burnt Toast".   On her blog you will find the recipe line-up of all the food bloggers who join together (from Canada and the U.S.) every month with cooking/baking recipes from Cooking Light magazine:

Jerry baked a Pear Cake for dessert,
Val made Curried Butternut Squash and Potato Latkes with Apple Salsa,
MaryAnn prepared Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel, and
Sandi made a Roasted Acorn Squash with Corn Bread Stuffing.

Mouthwatering recipe titles, don't you think?

Every month the recipes are simply amazing!  I never knew that preparing healthy recipes could taste this good!

Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cranberry Sauce

For the Pork:

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Sauce:

1 1/2 cups whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation

To prepare pork, combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag.
Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 425°.
Remove pork from bag, discarding marinade.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
Add pork; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides.
Place pan in oven; cook at 425° for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
Cut pork into 1/4-inch slices; keep warm.
To prepare sauce, combine cranberry sauce and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
Serve sauce with pork.

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A Big Hug to You Plus A Sandwich Worth a 10 Year Wait!

Before I even 'talk food', I just want to extend a sincere, from-the-bottom-of-my-heart "thank you and grazie" to all of you (100's of bloggers and social network friends) who wrote to me to offer me your prayers and positive thoughts for the event that took place in my life.  Although the situation hasn't disappeared, my husband and I felt that blogging with my friends about our shared passion for cooking, gardening, and travel  . . . is really tremendous therapy for me.  I started to read your posts last week to see everything that you've been cooking up and I have to still say that you are all some of the best cooks on the planet!!  I will get right back to commenting very soon . . . promise!

So I'm at a point now where I'm ready to return to my community of friends!  I truly believe that all of your prayers and positive thoughts sent my way will be answered in the right way and at the right time!

OK . . . it's foodie time!

New York has it's famous pizza.
Chicago has it's deep-dish pizza and Chicago Vienna Beef hot dugs.
Buffalo, NY has hot wings.
Boston has it's beans.
New Orleans has muffalettas.
San Francisco has it's sour dough bread.
And the South has shrimp and grits and pimento cheese!
So how about the Midwest; what stands out besides corn on the cob, buttery corn-fed beef or the State Fair's butter cow sculpture?

Well, hold on and I'll tell you about something that few people outside of the Midwest know of . . . . and it was recently featured in Cook's Country (Cooks Illustrated) magazine.  It's the Breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwich.

This classic Midwestern sandwich even has it's own web-site created by a dedicated connoisseur:  Pursuing the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, a discussion/debate on the sandwich on Chowhound, plus a blog, ! The web-site also provides a list of numerous restaurants, diners, and eateries that serve this sandwich.  There is even a DEBATE over where the sandwich originated:  Was it Iowa, Illinois, or Indiana (the three "I" states in the Midwest)?

Well, I have no idea which state it originated from, but I know that there are more hogs in Iowa than there are people, so I'm voting for Iowa as the source . . . I'm just sayin'!  No offense to any of my friends and relatives in Illinois and Indiana!  Besides Iowa doesn't have any professional sports, so give it some credit for something besides Maytag Bleu Cheese and Amana appliances!

Many of you know that my roots are from the Midwest.  My parents' restaurant (Italian and American food) used to have these sammies on their menu and they sold as fast as hot dogs at a baseball game.  Every summer I had to have one when we'd stop at a roadside diner half-way through our 4-hour drive to Lake Okoboji in Iowa (up at the border of Minnesota).

It was a ritual !!

And this year, for the first time during one of my annual summer visits to Iowa, I brought back some super-sized pork tenderloins for this sandwich.  It's been a LONG time, maybe even 10 years since I've had one of these guys!

Now to make these huge sandwiches, there are a few rules to follow:

- It must be huge, twice the size as the bun, and hanging out all over.  "think outside the bun"  ha ha!
- It must be a tenderized piece of pork tenderloin and not some tough pork 'chop'.
- It must be served with mustard and pickles; other condiments are OK, but not necessary (lettuce, mayo, onions, tomatoes).

So here's a great recipe for you:

Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

For the breading:

Use even amounts of each of the following (start with one cup each):
Flour
Super-fine crushed saltine crackers
Panko bread crumbs or white cornmeal
Depending upon how many tenderloins that you are breading, just make up more breading if you need to.

For the wet batter:

1 cup whole milk (some use buttermilk)
2 jumbo eggs
minced garlic or garlic powder (to taste, I just sprinkle it all over the milk/eggs)
couple shakes of paprika (some use cayenne pepper)
Also depending upon how many tenderloins that you are marinating, just make up more batter if you need to.

Prepare the wet batter.
Pour into a ceramic/glass baking pan.
Place the pork tenderloins in the wet batter.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator OVERNIGHT --- this really makes them tender, tender!

The next day:

Prepare the dry breading mixture in a large cake pan or something similar because these are BIG and need the space for the breading process.

Remove tenderloins from the marinade and place in the dry breading, lightly pressing down so that the breading gets into all of the crevices of the tenderized pork.
Gently flip over and repeat.

Now if you really want the real deal:  Dip the breaded tenderloins ONCE AGAIN in the marinade and then double-dip them again in the breading!!  It may be messy, but it will really be BREADED thickly!

Heat canola oil to 350 degrees.  The oil MUST be hot.
Deep fry in a deep cast iron pan (I use my Le Crueset) or in a deep fryer (which I don't have).
Fry for 3 minutes.
Serve hot.
Salt to taste.
Place on buns with pickles and mustard.
Enjoy this Midwestern treat!

This bad boy was so big, that Mr. M. and P. (meat and potatoes) split it with me!

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Mediterranean Prosciutto, Red Pepper, and Pesto Panini!

As peppers continue to ripen in the garden and the heat of August lingers on, it seemed wise to simply make another sandwich.  The only heat involved when making sandwiches the Italian way is inside a panini grill.  There's no heat from a stove or oven and there's no outdoor 90+ degree heat to swelter in next to a grill!  I am truly a whimp when it comes to high heat without a swimming pool!

Last week I was inspired by the open-faced Ratatouille Sandwich prepared by Jessica of Kitchen Belleicious.  We're both firm believers of recommending that you adjust recipes to make them more to your preferences.

Isn't that part of the fun of cooking?  And that's exactly what I did with this sandwich.

First of all, I am a very strange Italian in that I don't care for eggplant.  It's just all moosh to me!  Mr. M. and P. won't touch eggplant either, so we were in synchronized culinary unison on that ingredient to substitute.  But similar to Jessica's sammie, I stayed true to using Mediterranean flavors:  homemade pesto, prosciutto, roasted red peppers, and Italian Fontina cheese.  I also added sliced pepperoncini to give the sandwiches an extra kick!  I had a marvelous Tomato Focaccia bread on hand which made the sandwiches irresistible!  After layering everything, I sprinkled the top with freshly minced oregano picked from the herb garden.

In a previous post, I roasted red peppers and yet in another post I marinated red peppers in a balsamic-olive oil-caper mixture.  Since the peppers stay fresh in the frig for a week or two, I had a few left over to use in this sandwich.  Bill and I always look for ways to use up everything that we've previously made so nothing is wasted.

As the sandwich sizzled inside the panini grill, the aroma from the melting cheese, pesto and balsamic vinegar was intoxicating!  We couldn't wait to bite in and savor.  The flavors are once again powerful and wonderful.  This is not your ordinary bland sandwich.

Above:  Pesto on the top left, beautiful fresh prosciutto on the right.  

Marinating roasted red peppers on the lower left and the sandwich grilling in the panini press on the lower right.  

Just before grilling and pressing, the sandwich looks huge!

Prosciutto, Red Pepper, and Pesto Panini
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Pre-heat a panini grill to high.
Focaccia bread - use your favorite flavor combination; cut into sandwich sizes and then slice each horizontally in half.
Layer the bottom half with basil pesto.
Layer next with thinly sliced red onions.
Layer next with the roasted red peppers.
At this point, add some capers if you don't have the original marinade.
Layer next with the Fontina cheese (grated or sliced).
Layer next, sliced Italian pepperoncini.
Pile on 3 to 4 thin slices of prosciutto.
Sprinkle with minced oregano.
Cover with the top half of the foccacia.
Place the sandwich on a hot panini grill.
Slowly press down the top of the panini grill.
Grill on high for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

After grilling on the panini press, everything blends together for a toasty treat!

Our beautiful "Mowee" checking out the peppers from the garden.

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Pork Medallions & Spicy Pomegranate Blueberry Reduction Sauce!

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My husband is the best guinea pig to try all of these new recipes that I prepare for the foodie blogger groups that I participate in.  I mean this man is truly a trooper extraordinaire!  Today for the monthly Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, he really graduated with high marks from his normal steak and baked potato repertoire of food preferences!  I knew that this would deviate from his comfort zone, so I really focused on how he would react and what he would say about this recipe.  Here's how it went:

"The reduction sauce is really different and not what I expected."  OK, that doesn't sound very positve, but a few bites later, he said, "I'm getting used to this sauce and it's actually really good!"  He ate the whole thing, no left-overs!  Yes, at first glance of the name of this recipe, one would wonder how a FRUIT SAUCE on pork would taste!  Even I have never had something like this dish!  On top of it's incredible flavor, it only takes eleven (11) minutes . . . fifteen (15) minutes at the max to cook your pork more thoroughly.  No lie!  My kind of working gal recipe!

But as the theme decision-maker for the month, I chose 'Berries' for the month's focus and needed to select the entree.  All I can say is that the editors of Cooking Light were right on target when they rated this pork recipe as 5-star, outstanding and worthy of a special occasion!  It truly was superb with the "smokiness of the chipotle chiles that complement the sweetness of pomegranate and blueberry juices in this tender entree!"  You really have to try this recipe!  YUMM-O!

Now you're probably wondering why we (my husband and I) paired this with something as simple as yellow sweet corn.  Well, first of all, we felt that something buttery and mild would complement the spicy/fruitiness of the tangy berry/chipotle reduction sauce.  And secondly, hey, we're from Iowa, and we KNOW what makes pigs nice and juicy and fat:  CORN!  Plain and simple, the two, pork and corn, are a marriage made in heaven or I should say on the farms!

I do recommend a few adjustments for the next time that I make this (and I will certainly make this again!):  double and possibly triple the amount of chipotle chiles in the reduction sauce; and increase the amount of garlic powder (as you know, that is just me).   Even my husband, my best critic, agreed with both future changes.

I'll provide the rest of the recipes that the rest of the 'gang' cooked up in their kitchens at the bottom of this post, so please check them out and also add a linked up post over on Val's "More Than Burnt Toast" blog, who kindly hosts this monthly cooking event from her home in Canada!

Pork Medallions with Spicy Pomegranate-Blueberry Reduction Sauce
from "Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast"

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch round slices (I used two 1" thickly cut, boneless Iowa 'corn-fed' pork chops from the tenderloin).
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup frozen pomegranate-blueberry juice concentrate (such as Old Orchard), undiluted
1 1/2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
fresh blueberries (for garnish, which was my little addition for some color and interest to the entree).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
While pan heats, pound pork slices slightly with the heel of your hand or a meat mallet.  I DID NOT DO THIS SINCE WE PREFER THICK CUT BONELESS PORK LOIN CHOPS and that is what I used.
Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Coat both the pan and the pork with cooking spray.
Cook pork 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness (this will take more time with the one inch thick chops that I used); do not overcook.
Remove pork from pan and place in an oven-proof baking dish and put in a heated oven to stay warm while the sauce is cooking on the stove.
Add 1/4 cup water to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Stir in juice concentrate and chipotle chiles.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly syrupy.
Return pork and juices to pan, turning pork to coat.
Serve pork with sauce.
Garnish with blueberries (my little addition!)

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La Grande Lasagna di Carnevale!

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Today marks the first day of Carnevale in Italy, the two week famous celebration before Ash Wednesday (March 9th) and the season of Lent.  For this occasion I am re-posting the classic lasagna recipe for this event:  La Grande Lasagna di Carnevale.  I am re-posting it from it's original post date of:  January 30, 2010.  Rather than re-post all of the numerous steps (yes, this lasagna takes all afternoon to prepare), I'm going to simply give you the link (click here for Lasagna di Carnavale) to go to for the full recipe, procedure, and photos.

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This is one of the most traditional recipes prepared for the Italian Carnevale celebration. Now, I do have my own lasagna recipe that my family cherishes . . . and there are numerous types of lasagna recipes in cookbooks and online.  Yet after reading several recipes that I found in my cookbooks for this Lasagna di Carnavale, I still made several of my own personal adjustments to the recipe.

Yes, it may take almost an entire afternoon to make this lasagna recipe, but it is totally worth the time and effort. The recipe is quite extra-ordinary from my own lasagna recipe with Bolognese sauce because it has the following extras in the recipe that take this lasagna over the top:

• meatballs with prosciutto are added
• each layer has chopped prosciutto and Genoa salami included
• the Bolognese sauce has red wine included

Each of these additions contributes to a very intense marriage of flavors. The added strong flavors really take it to the WOW factor level. I just cannot describe how delicious this lasagna is!

So if you've got the time, go for it! This lasagna certainly lives up to its name of "La Grande"!

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The bubbling cheese on top that invites everyone to dig in!
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This recipe's uniqueness comes from the inclusion of meatballs and chopped prosciutto and salami into the layering of the lasagna dish.  Quite decadent!

Layering the meatballs on top of the noodles, sauce, and cheeses.

Layering the chopped prosciutto and salami on top of the first layer of noodles, sauce, cheeses and meatballs.
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Once again, the complete recipe, procedure, and more photos are from my post on January 30, 2010.

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Also from my original post ~ ~ an explanation of Carnevale:

"Carnevale, which is Italy's version of Mardi Gras, is a two-week period of festivities before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the spiritual renewal period of Lent, the 40 days before the Holy Day of Easter. The name Carnevale means to 'remove meat' -- carne levare, which is the Lenten tradition. This is because Carnevale used to take place only on the night before Ash Wednesday, but it slowly extended to two weeks in duration.

In Venice, Italy, a very old, historical and traditional festival begins that dates back to 1296, that is also a celebration of winter transitioning into springtime.

In Northern Italy where my relatives still live, it is quite cold, especially up in the mountains where the cold winds blow down from the Alps and Appenine mountains. Similar to our northern American winters, there is very little sunshine during the often frozen temperatures. Brrrr, it just sounds way too cold for me.  So in combination with celebrating prior to the Lenten fast, Italians, who are known for their intense and passionate love of life, have Carnevale!

Anyone can participate in the festivities, no matter what his or her background is, in which elaborate masks and costumes are worn in the public squares, parties and balls. Daily and nightly events take place and include all types of merriment: street performances everywhere, along with extravagant costume balls, masquerades, parties, sumptuous dinners, parades with spectacular floats, music, gondola parades, and games for children. Beautiful fireworks conclude the festivities on the final evening.

There are Carnevale celebrations throughout Italy, however, the largest and most elaborate of all the festivals take place in Venice, Verona (the oldest), Viareggio, and Cento.  So during this festive time of year in Italy, I felt it most appropriate to focus on and share a traditional Italian recipe that is prepared, enjoyed, and passed down from generation to generation:  La Grande Lasagna di Carnevale from Naples, and Calzone."



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Italian Sausage, Peppers & Mushrooms on Garlic Buttered, Toasted Buns

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Italian comfort food!  Italian street food!  That's what mouthwatering Sausage, Peppers and Onions is all about.   Although this Italian hoagie/submarine style sandwich is often associated with people pushing street carts in Italy, it was in family-owned Italian taverns in the Midwest where my family introduced these mouth-watering, sloppy, often messy to handle with spill-down-your-face-with sauce sandwiches.  Actually, I serve these with a fork and knife to cut into instead because I can't handle being a messy eater.
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Whenever I make these, hubby comes into the kitchen and declares "What smells so good?"  It's the garlic, darlin', it's the garlic!  This is so aromatic bubbling on the stove!  The sweet peppers balance out the spiciness of the sausages and tomatoes; plus the buttery mushrooms, garlic and basil, and a splash of Marsala just bring this dish to a perfect melody of flavors.  Top that off with the garlic buttered bread . . . well, you cannot go wrong.  So completely comforting.
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You can serve this a variety of ways:  by itself, ladled over creamy polenta, or as I have here (as part of our Super Bowl spread), on toasted, garlic-buttered hoagie buns!  Mmmmm!  Perfect-o!

Italian Sausage and Peppers with Mushrooms and Onions
(very adapted from Giada de Laurentiis' recipe on Food Network)


6 - 8 links of sweet, mild Italian sausages (or if you can find it, Italian turkey sausage)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 - 10 cloves of garlic, sliced into slivers, not minced or pressed
1 lb. crimini or baby portabello mushrooms, cleaned with a cloth, stem ends trimmed, and sliced
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and then sliced
2 green peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2" wide strips
2 red peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2 " wide strips
1 yellow pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2" wide strips
1  8 - 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (to thicken the sauce; add more if you like it much thicker)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional)
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
Italian submarine/hoagie buns
butter
garlic powder


Poke the sausages all over with a fork.  
In a large, deep, heavy skillet, pour in the extra virgin olive oil, heat on medium heat.
Place the sausages in and cook until fairly brown.
Add the garlic to the sausages when they are not fully cooked, but fairly golden brown, so that the garlic does not burn from cooking too long.
Place the sausages into a large (13 x 9") baking dish, draining the oil to stay in the skillet.
Place the sausages in a pre-heated 400 degree oven to stay warm while cooking the peppers and onions.
Add the sliced onions to the hot left-over olive oil in the skillet.
Cook onions until browned and caramelized, but still crunchy, 6 minutes.
Add mushrooms to the cooked onions until browned and caramelized, 6 minutes.
Add the cooked onions and mushrooms to the sausages in the oven, draining the oil from them to be left in the skillet to saute' the peppers.
Add more olive oil to the pan if there is not enough.
Add all of the peppers and saute' 6 minutes; keep them at a nice level of crunchiness, not wilted or soft.
Remove the sausages, onion, and mushrooms from the oven.
Add the peppers to the sausage, onions, and mushrooms to the sausage mixture.
Add the oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; blend well
Add tomato sauce and wine at this point and carefully blend together.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Return to the 400 degree oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.


While baking, melt a stick of butter.
Add garlic powder to the melted butter to your preference level, about a Tablespoon.
Blend well.
With a pastry brush, thoroughly and heavily brush on the garlic butter on both sides of the hoagie/submarine buns.
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After the sausage, peppers, and onions are done baking, turn on the BROILER.
Place the buns under the broiler for about 2 - 3 minutes and watch them so they do not burn!  
When golden brown, remove from the oven.
Place a sausage on each bun and smother with the peppers, mushrooms, and onions!

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After the sausages are nicely browned, add the garlic to cook, but do not burn.

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Straight out of the oven and smelling like Italy . . . now this is comfort food!

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The only dish missing from this photo is the chili.  But this was just far too much food for 4 people and there were plenty of left-overs!

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Favorite Spicy Hot Chili For The Super Bowl!

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I haven't made chili this winter yet, so what could be more appropriate and suitable than a hot bowl of spicy hot home-made chili to eat while sitting in front of the tube watching The Super Bowl tonight?  Oh yes, there are other items on the party menu that I will post about later, but since it's February and winter, my hubby really begged for this chili.  The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is a spring-like 55 degrees, so it's not as though we needed some chili to warm up our innards, but rather to just keep with football game tradition!  This chili recipe is a combination of a variety of recipes that I have married together throughout the years.  It is though, fairly spicy in heat and includes three varieties of beans plus some corn.  We just love it and I hope that you enjoy it too.
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Favorite Spicy Hot Chili

4 Tbsp. olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, minced through a garlic press
2 - 3 cups finely chopped celery, including the leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 - 3 cans dark red kidney beans, drained, and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained
2 lbs. ground pork
4 - 5 lbs. ground lean ground round
1/2 can chopped jalapeno peppers . . . or better yet, 1/2 of one chopped fresh jalapeno pepper with seeds removed ~ ~ note that using the fresh option increases the level of heat (spiciness).
1/2 cup chili powder
1/3 cup cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 28-oz. cans peeled, whole or diced Italian tomatoes
3 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 28-oz.  can tomato sauce
4 cups water
Louisiana Hot Sauce - - generously sprinkle as much as you like (and we like our chili HOT!)
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Garnish:  
Sour cream
Finely shredded 4-cheese Mexican cheese blend
Chopped green onion stems
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Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan.
Add the garlic, chopped onion, celery, and green pepper to saute'.
Add the pork and beef.  Cook while constantly stirring and breaking down the chunks of meat, cooking until the meat is browned nicely.
Add all of the spices and stir until well blended.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
Add the kidney beans.
Add the corn (really this is optional).
Add the jalapenos (use the amount you prefer for heat level).
Heat up the spiciness by adding Louisiana Hot Sauce, about 5 shots to begin with.
Adjust seasonings by adding more where desired, especially the cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes!
Cook on low heat for about an hour to allow all of the flavors to blend, adding more water if the chili becomes to thick.  Add a little water at a time until your preference of thickness is reached.
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Garnish with sour cream, Mexican cheese, and chopped green onion stems.
Serve with fresh cornbread and/or tortilla chips.
Also have small bowls of sour cream and Mexican cheese to pass around to your guests.
** This chili freezes very nicely too, since this is a big batch of chili!
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A Perfect Pork Tenderloin Roast from a Classic Cookbook!

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My passion for cooking began in 1978, when a beautiful woman in St. Louis, Missouri introduced me to Bon Appetit magazine and The Good Cook, a cookbook mail-order club.  From this cookbook club, I ordered my very first cookbook!   My collection of cookbooks grew to nearly 500 books since then, many of which I have given away as gifts to my adult kids to start their own collections.

Considered a true classic today in the culinary literature, I chose The New York Times Cook Book, written by the late Craig Claiborne in 1961!   Today in original form with dust cover this cookbook sells for around $70.00 as a collectible.  At the time that I bought it in 1978, I had no idea that it would someday be considered so important in the culinary world.  

This cookbook is the source for this incredibly savory, and delicious roast pork tenderloin.  If you have this book in your collection and/or library, you can find the recipe on page 132.  The pork sizzles in a lemony, olive oil, garlic and herbal sauce that blends wonderfully into the pork while roasting!  I've never made a better pork roast and I don't think that I ever will.  This recipe is extremely easy to prepare and it is quite simply . . . perfect in taste!

Roast Pork Tenderloin 

(slightly adapted from The New York Times Cookbook, Craig Claiborne, 1961)

Ingredients:

1 4-lb pork tenderloin

(Double or triple the following, I do this every time so that there is an Au Jus to drizzle on top of each guest's entree!  If you use the amounts below, there is hardly any juice left in the pan to pass around)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. thyme (not in powdered form)

2 cloves garlic, minced through a garlic press (rather than one clove indicated in the recipe)

I ALSO generously sprinkle all sides of the tenderloin with:

Accent

Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning

Nature's Seasoning

I add a combination of the previous 3 seasonings on all meat and fish entrees that I cook.

Procedure:

Puncture the tenderloin with large, gaping holes/gashes on all four sides (for the sauce to penetrate into the meat and not just glaze it on the surface).

Generously sprinkle the tenderloin with the 3 commercial seasonings above (Accent, Mrs. Dash, and Nature's Seasoning).

Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme and garlic together in a small bowl (again don't forget to double or triple the ingredients).

Pour the sauce over the entire seasoned pork tenderloin, with fatty side facing up in a baking pan.

Bake, uncovered, and roast for 2 to 2-1/2 hours at 350 degrees or 45 minutes per pound or 185 internal degrees on a meat thermometer.

Enjoy this delight pork roast!

Served with my mother's classic garlic and rosemary roast potatoes!

My Mother's Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes

Idaho Russet Potatoes (Here she used 8 small potatoes), cut into 1" wedges.

Olive oil

Freshly cut rosemary, removed from the stem and chopped

Freshly minced garlic cloves, about 4 large.

Toss the potatoes in the olive oil.

Sprinkle the rosemary and garlic all over the potatoes.

Toss well.

Place in a glass baking pan in a 375 degree oven and roast for 45 minutes to one hour until golden brown and tender when pierced with a fork.

The roast, juice, potatoes, and a croissant perfectly plated and smelling so incredible!

A close-up shot to show off the beautiful bronze glaze of the sauce with the herbs and spices all over!

One last close up of Mom's Roast Potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, and garlic finish!

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Roasting in the Cold Weather: Roast Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

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Although I have the most kick-butt-can-never-go-wrong-everyone-loves pork tenderloin recipe from the late Craig Claiborne's "Classic New York Times", circa 1970's somewhere-in-time cookbook, I decided to take on another roast pork tenderloin recipe from Giada de Laurentiis for the "I Heart Cooking Clubs" weekly theme.  The theme was "Roasting" and if there is one food that I love to roast, it is a pork tenderloin.  Thank Heaven, that Giada had a recipe for Roast Pork Tenderloin in her extensive repertoire!  And it was widely praised among the family tonight!
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Despite my personal preferences belief that the balsamic/roasted garlic sauce should be slightly tempered down a notch, my family raved about this.  The pork was cooked to perfection, soft and succulent, and with a dip of the pork into the sauce, it was simply divine.  My father is on a restricted soft food diet while he recovers from his health 'challenges' and he ate every bit of his slice of pork and devoured the mashed potatoes that I prepared as a side dish for this Giada entree'!
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So here's the recipe directly from the cookbook "Giada at Home":

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Begin with preparing the roasted garlic:

Roasted Garlic
2 full heads of garlic, cut in half
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt
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Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1 4-1/2 pound boneless pork tenderloin
Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb salt-free seasoning (I use this all the time in place of salt that is listed in recipes)

Vinaigrette
Roasted garlic (from above)
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped (this is twice the amount indicated in the recipe)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I'd reduce this amount to 1/3 cup the next time, it was very potent)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar (I used 2 packets of Splenda) this is necessary to take the bite out of the Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

For the Roasted Garlic
.Cut the heads of garlic in half cross-wise.
Place the garlic halves on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Drizzle them with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt.
Fold the foil up and around the garlic halves, making sure that the garlic stays upright.
Seal the foil into an airtight package around the garlic halves.
Roast until the garlic cloves are golden and soft, about 45 minutes (not 60 minutes as indicated or they will turn BROWN).
Keep the garlic halves in the foil and cool slightly.

For the Pork Tenderloin
Thirty minutes after the garlic has started roasting, place the pork in a medium, heavy roasting pan.
Season the tenderloin on all sides (with seasoning of choice).
Roast the pork along with the garlic until an instant-read meat thermometer reads 150 degrees (slightly warmer than what the original recipes calls for because there was still plenty of pinkish-red sections in the pork), for about 40 more minutes, 70 minutes maximum.
Remove the roasted pork tenderloin from the oven and form a tent of aluminum foil over the pork.
Let rest for 15 minutes.

For the Vinaigrette
Open the garlic packets and squeeze the the roasted garlic cloves into a blender, squeezing the base of each garlic half.
Add the parsley and balsamic vinegar.
Pulse until well blended.
Drizzle or pour the olive oil into the blender and blend well again.
Add the sugar or sugar substitute, salt, pepper, and two Tbsp. of water.
Blend until well mixed.

Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the pork tenderloin.
Slice into desired thickness of slices.
Pass around the remaining vinaigrette in a small 'gravy' type dish.

For this ultra taste filled entree, I chose to serve a more balanced, mild, freshly home-made and heavily buttered mashed potatoes, sprinkled-with-paprika side dish - - which proved to be simply PERFECT to soak up the roasted garlic-balsamic vinaigrette.  I do hope you enjoy this if you choose to prepare this someday!  A special thanks is extended to Giada, especially on behalf of my father, whom my mother and I are having so much difficulty finding 'soft' and yet delicious foods to prepare for him.  He truly did eat one whole slice of this soft and tender pork plus a full scoop of my mashed potatoes with total pleasure! And that is tremendous progress after what he's been through (health-wise) this winter!

There is nothing special about these mashed potatoes:  just prepare your favorite recipe, add some chives (fresh is best, but expensive and hard to find in January), then simply add some good butter to melt all over the potatoes, and sprinkle on some pretty red paprika - - truly that's all I do!  Just make sure that you prepare your mashed potatoes with milk and/or whipping cream and not (ugh) water for the best 'wowza' results from your guests.  This way of preparing potatoes is so nice nestled beside the roast tenderloin from which you can simply dip them into the Balsamic-Roasted Garlic Sauce or drizzle a little bit of the sauce on top of the buttered mashed potatoes.  Either way that you prefer to prepare or serve them, this is pure Italian comfort food for this oh-so-cold month of January ~ ~ no matter where you live!

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Incredibly Good, Low Cal Pork Chops w/ Mustard Cream Sauce & Roasted Potatoes

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As promised, here is my first 'heathier' entree and side dish for 2011 that I said that I would share with you.  It is slightly adapted from one of my favorite healthy cookbooks, Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light.  I'm a spoiled cook and diner . . . I like, I enjoy, I savour good, delicious food.  Period.  Delicious food is part of my life and always has been; it's one of the greatest parts of my Italian heritage.  So if I'm going to get healthier, the food that I put on the tip of my tongue and into my body had better be darn good!  Or it will never, ever cross my lips again.  This has always been my biggest obstacle to taking off some pounds and getting healthier.
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So my search for tasty, yummy, good recipes that are low-cal, low-fat, or even low-carb continues on.  Here's a winner.  Even my perfect cook mother raised her eyebrows in disbelief at dinner tonight.  Even my skinny, can-eat-anything husband wanted more!  That's spells a STAR in this family.  And here it is for you to try, to tweak, or even to throw out if you like (but I doubt that you'll choose the latter option)!
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One last plus:  This was prepared in less than a half hour . . . so move over Rachel Ray, this recipe is super fast and that's a big issue for a woman who works and commutes a long distance!
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Tip:  Get the potatoes in the oven and then begin preparing the pork chops in order to make this in 30 minutes.


Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce

4 (4-oz) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (1" thick)
generous sprinkling of Mrs. Dash original blend (I omitted the salt and added Mrs. Dash instead)
Cooking spray (preferably olive oil-based)
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (we liked it more on the lighter mustard-y side)
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter replacement (such as "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter")
Chopped parsley for garnish

Sprinkle both sides of pork with Mrs. Dash salt-substitute.
Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium-high heat.
Add pork to the skillet, and cook for 5 minutes on EACH side or until lightly browned and done.
Transfer the pork chops to a serving plate and place in warm oven.
Add the chicken broth to the pan, scraping browned bits from the pan to loosen them.
Stir in half-and-half, mustard, lemon juice and butter replacement. Taste and tweak to your taste preferences.
Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thick.
Remove pork chops from the oven and place on plates.
Spoon sauce over pork and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish.


Roasted Potato Wedges

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Combine potatoes and oil in a medium bowl, tossing to coat potatoes thoroughly.
Combine panko and cheese in a large zip-top bag; add potatoes and shake to coat them well.
Place potatoes on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray; discarding remaining breadcrumb mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and crispy.
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An Italian Cheese Log Plus A Chicken Cheese Log

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My mother bought a sweet little Christmas cookbook in the hospital gift shop where my father had surgery a few weeks ago (Simply Christmas Cookbook, 2009).  So many of the recipes sound delicious, yet extremely easy and simple.  So my mother, with the help of Ashleigh (my niece) chose to prepare a few cheese logs for all of us to nibble on.  I haven't seen cheese balls or logs as appetizers or snack options in several years, so it was nice to have them again.  These are truly very good and much better than your average everyday cheese ball or log, so if you're watching your calories, then just have a slice or two, and no more!  Sounds difficult, but if I can do it, so can anyone.  Plus these make great gifts!
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Pepperoni Cheese Log
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4 (3 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 (8 oz) package pepperoni, chopped
Chopped pimento-stuffed green olives (for garnish and color)
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In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and pepperoni; mix well.
Form the mixture into a log.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours for the flavors to marry and blend.
Garnish with chopped green olives.
Serve cold with crackers.
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Chicken Cheese Log

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix
1 (5 oz) can of chunk white chicken, drained OR use the same amount of leftover chicken from making chicken broth (shredded).  We make chicken broth (brodo) every holiday for the Tortellini in Brodo and have a lot of left over cooked chicken.
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and chicken.
Form the mixture into a log.
On a piece of wax paper, spread out the chopped pecans.
Roll the log in the pecans until it is completely coated.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. 

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In the kitchen cooking up some love:  my daughter, Lauren, Ashleigh (standing on a step stool), my sister, Kelly, and my mother, Retha.  Each of them is spreading more holiday cheer with their Christmas hats!  Kelly has a mistletoe hanging over her forehead on her little hat!

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Pots of Bolognese Sauce Simmering While Grading Exams

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Now that my parents are here for a few months, the kitchen has been in full gear with constant cooking of large amounts of food to freeze.  Yesterday, Mom made homemade 'brodo' while I was at work, otherwise known as chicken broth.  This will be used for 'tortellini in brodo' that we traditionally prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  And today, while I was home grading my students' exams and papers, my mother made two gigantic pots of our family's Bolognese sauce.  Some Italian-Americans call this 'ragu', while others say "Sunday gravy", but we have always simply called it spaghetti sauce!  Well, no matter what one chooses to call this classic recipe, my entire family could not live without it's incredible taste!  This truly is my husband's favorite thing to put in his mouth and devour!

One tall pot cooks on the stove for a few hours, while a shorter, but super wide pot of sauce stews on the other side.  The perforated pizza pan under the pot is placed there to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pot . . . even if the stove is set on low temperatures, you don't ever want this to burn, or the whole batch will be ruined.

Mmmm . . . the whole house is filled with the smell of Italian mama love!

I'd mentioned a few weeks ago about this time of year (nearing the end of Fall Semester) and needing to pay more time and attention to my responsibilities at the office, rather than blogging.  So here's just one of the stacks of papers and exams that I was reading and grading while Mom worked hard, but happily, in the kitchen.  She loves to cook and do all of this for her kids, and we are so fortunate and grateful!

Click on "Read More" below my signature to read the rest of this post.

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Gorgonzola Stuffed Fresh Figs with Honey Drizzle, Lidia Bastianich & More Fig Antipasti

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Briefly in 'autumno', particularly in the month of October, mother nature brings forth the autumnal treat of delicate and sweet figs, also known as 'settembrini'.  Although fig trees bear their fruit twice a year, it is the later harvest that is the sweetest and the most tender.  For centuries since the days of the Romans, Italians have enjoyed their figs and have mastered numerous mouthwatering methods for preparing them!  The classic combination is to pair up something savory to compliment the sweetness of the figs.  For example, as antipasto, there is the simplicity of wrapping a very thing slice of prosciutto around a fig (which I am thrilled that Lidia Bastianich recommended to me through a direct comment on Facebook! I was so impressed with her humility to respond to my inquiry to her!).  I watch her show, Lidia's Italy, every week for her incredibly authentic Italian recipes and her trips that she takes her viewers on in Italy.  Her show is a wonderful production!

I have not been able to find a local producer of figs in the Carolina's, most of them being brought in from California.  Once picked from the tree, figs have a very short shelf life and that may be one of the reasons that they are so difficult to find.  Also, most people are not familiar with the taste of fresh figs due to their lack of availability, so some markets refuse to carry them due to how fast figs spoil when consumers don't purchase them.  So if you are fortunate enough to find these in your local market, buy a pint or two, but use up in just a few days because they will spoil very quickly.  The variety that I prefer to use are the darker, Black Mission Figs, which seem to have a kiss of purple-blue in the skin.  There is also a variety known as Brown Turkey, and they are appropriately named due to their brown color.

Gorgonzola Stuffed Fresh Figs with Honey Drizzle

Black Mission Figs, sliced in fourths, stopping just before the bottom, do not slice through entirely.

Gorgonzola "Sweet" (not "Piccante") Cheese

Local Fresh Honey

Gently open the sliced figs.

Spoon in the soft Gorgonzola.

Drizzle with fresh, local honey

Enjoy!

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Another classic and divine antipasto/appetizer that Lidia Bastianich wrote to me about is to simply take a very thin slice of prosciutto and wrap it around various sizes and slices of figs, with or without the addition of Gorgonzola ~ ~ which is my preference.  I love the savory zing that the Gorgonzola adds to balance the sweetness of the figs.  These are heavenly!  Grazie Lidia, for taking the time to write to me!

And lastly, another way to serve this antipasto is to add a very thin slice of Genoa salami in addition to the prosciutto and Gorgonzola.  This time the cheese is sprinkled around the figs and each guest can scoop up the cheese if preferred.

Gorgonzola Stuffed Figs With Honey Drizzle

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