Mr. Lesley Cooks

I Get An Idea

It's not often that a real stroke of genius hits, but I got bopped by one just yesterday.  I kind of like my hair short like it is, and I was wondering if maybe I should let my beard grow and it could be the same length as my hair and both hair and beard could be cut at once and how efficient that would be.  It's not that I'm lazy or anything or that I hate to shave exactly.  It just seemed like a good thing to do, helping Lesley and all.

I casually mentioned this to Lesley who gave me this look.  I had seen that look before.  All she said was, "NO!".  I got the message.

Now this idea I had was nothing like my mom's idea about the ginger cookies.  She suggested that I should make some for the visitors she is expecting later on today.  She said that she would have to eat some, too, since it would make her guests feel more welcome.  Hah!  I know she just wanted some cookies.  And I was being selfless because I could see how it would help Lesley when she cut my hair.  You see....don't you?  I was just thinking of others, as I always do.

Last week, we ate at Alejandro's Mexican Grill and I got Carnitas.  Holey Moley!! Where has this been all my life?

Carnitas

4-5-pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
water
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 head of garlic, cut in half
White and black pepper to taste

Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt.  Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches.  Once all the pork is browned, remove the pieces from the pot and pour in about a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3 submerged in liquid. Add remaining ingredients. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3 hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.

Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, about 2-inches (7 cm), discarding any obvious big chunks of fat. Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized. It will depend on how much liquid the pork gave off, and how crackly you want the pieces to be.

Tom

Compliments

I am posting some compliments I have received lately.


From the tattooist in Portland:

Your skin is in good condition for someone not so young.


From my mom:

Let your hair grow.  You look ugly.


From Lesley:

I am but your servant, boss.



Guess which one I made up?


While you are guessing, check out this recipe.

Caramelized Onion Pork Chops

 
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 (4 ounce) pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
3 onions, cut into strips
1 cup low salt chicken broth
 
Sprinkle chops with seasoning to taste. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown pork chops on each side. Add the onions and broth to the pan.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn chops over, and add remaining salt and pepper.   Cover and cook 20 minutes.  Remove pork chops and continue cooking uncovered until broth evaporates and onions turn light to medium brown. Serve with onions on top of chops.
 
Tom

Playing Hooky

When I was in the second grade I figured that I had gone to school long enough.  Why it had been more than a year.  I needed a vacation!  So instead of going to school that day I just hung out in the garage.  I thought it was more fun than any class I had ever been in. 

It turns out that my grandma saw me.  We lived next door to her.  Ma told my mother, so when Mom got home from work, she made me write a letter of apology to my teacher.  I had to hand it in the next day and bring home a note from the teacher so my mom would be sure she got the news.

I never played hooky again, but I was sick a lot after that, particularly in high school.  It was amazing how much better I got after my mother went to work and I was alone.

Pork Chili with Tomatoes 

3 pounds poblano chilies (about 12 large)

7 1/2 pounds pork butt country-style strips, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 cups coarsely chopped onions
12 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons ground cumin
10 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice


Char chilies over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed chilies. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Place pork in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add flour and toss to coat. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large wide pot over high heat. Working in batches and adding more oil as needed, cook pork until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to large bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to same pot and stir until tender, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and cumin; stir 2 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pot; add stock, chilies and tomatoes with juices and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until chili thickens and meat is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 12 servings

Tom

I am a Hero Again

Monday night I fixed a bodacious dinner for Lesley.  I just boiled the Silver Queen corn in a big pot of salted water for about 5 minutes then served it with pepper and a lot of melted butter.  The yellow squash I boiled in a little water with a chopped up onion for about 10 minutes.  I cooked the onion for about 5 minutes before I put the squash in.  I salted and peppered it and put in half a stick of butter.

Here are the recipes for the other two boppers.  Make sure you look at the picture at the bottom.

Loin of Pork Braised in Cream

1 (3-5 pound) boneless pork loin
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsps butter
16 pearl onions
1 cup celery, diced
8 whole garlic cloves
2 cups mixed wild mushrooms
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sage leaves, chopped
1 tsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pimento, diced

Using a pairing knife, cut 6 (1-inch deep by 3/4 inch wide) slits evenly across top of the loin. Place an equal amount of minced garlic in each slit then a small amount of salt and pepper. Follow with a pinch of chopped sage. Season the loin well with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy-bottom Dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Brown pork on all sides. Remove loin from pot and set aside. Sauté onions, celery and garlic cloves, stirring 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté 3 minutes longer. Return the pork to pot. Add milk, cream, remaining sage, basil and thyme. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook gently for 2 hours, turning pork every 30 minutes. Loin should be fork-tender at this point. Uncover casserole, remove loin and keep warm. Add pimentos and continue to cook cream until sauce-like consistency is achieved. Adjust seasonings if necessary. When ready to serve, slice loin, place decoratively on a serving platter and top with sage cream. NOTE: If cream is boiled too rapidly while cooking the loin, cream may separate, so be careful.

Southern Style Green Beans

1-1/2 lbs fresh green beans with ends trimmed
1 large hunk of smoked ham hocks. (about 1/2 pound)
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup bacon fat (one of the staffs of life)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Put bacon fat in a pot and over medium heat sauté the onions until a tiny bit brown. Add hocks and cover with water.  Boil hocks about an hour, remove and cut meat away. Discard any fat and return meat and bone to the pot.

Add green beans and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil , then lower heat and cook about 30-45 minutes.

Taste and add salt and peppers as needed.   REMEMBER TO TAKE OUT THE BONE.

Tom

Uncle Leo

I remember my uncle Leo telling me that he mentioned to Aunt Inez right after they were married that maybe one day she could quit work.  According to his story, Aunt Inez went in the next day and gave her notice.  Aunt Inez says this is not so, and their daughter, Cousin Sue, remembers that Aunt Inez would always elbow Uncle Leo pretty hard whenever he told this one.

Uncle Leo had a reputation of being thrifty.  He was in a meeting one day where folks were discussing trash pickup.  Uncle Leo said he didn't need it since he used everything.  This may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.  I was with him when he paid Aunt Inez what he thought was a pretty good compliment.  I remember she was standing beside him when he said, "Up until about five years ago Inez had as good a figure as any woman."  I often wondered why she let him live after that.  It must have been love.

Without a doubt my least favorite memory of Aunt Inez and Uncle Leo was the time I fell into their grease trap.  If you don't know what a grease trap is, count your blessings.

I fixed Lesley a decent dinner tonight and have even taken pictures. 

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH MAPLE GLAZE

2 12- to 14-ounce pork tenderloins
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Rub pork tenderloins all over with crumbled dried sage and dried thyme leaves; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and bubbling. Add pork tenderloins and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes.  Put the skillet in a preheated 350 oven and cook until thermometer inserted into pork registers 150°F. Transfer pork to platter; cover to keep warm.

Whisk 5 tablespoons maple syrup, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon water to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet; add maple syrup mixture and turn pork in glaze just until coated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer pork to cutting board. Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup into glaze. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange pork slices on plates. Spoon glaze over pork and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Cajun Cabbage

 
Kosher salt
1 large head cabbage, coarse outer leaves, core, and ribs removed, cut into 1-inch dice
8 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
3 cups thinly sliced white onions
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the cabbage and blanch for 5 minutes.  While the water is coming to a boil and the cabbage is cooking, put the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and sage and cook, stirring, until the onion is wilted but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the drained blanched cabbage and cook for 10 more minutes, or until done. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 more minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and serve.

In my latest attempt at health cooking, I reduced the bacon to three slices.  It still tasted good.

Tom

More Pig

For the last 10 years or so, we have gone to Nags Head, NC for a week at the beach.  We usually go with some of our friends.  One of them, Jim, loves everything bacon.  The first time we fixed this recipe for Jim, he decided he needed to fix this himself.  He went out and bought a special pan just for this.  Unfortunately, the pan was too big for his small oven. 

Pig Candy

 

 

Coat 1-1/2 lbs uncooked thick sliced bacon with dark brown sugar on both sides.  Put cooling racks on 2 cookie sheets and place the bacon slices on the racks.  They should not quite touch each other.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so until done.  Remove from rack and put in plate.

Tom

You Just Can't Beat Pig

I can't believe I have not posted any pork recipes.  My grandma used to call it "poke". 

We found this recipe several years ago online somewhere, and have fixed it successfully many times.  One of the least successful times was when we had a house full of folks and I was cooking a much larger version of this in one of those portable ovens that sit on the counter and didn't realize that the circuit breaker had been tripped until I opened the lid to take it out.  Even then it was good...finally.

 

ROAST PORK LOIN WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

　

4 large garlic cloves, pressed

4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed

Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil. Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl. Rub garlic mixture all over pork. Place pork, fat side down, in prepared roasting pan. Roast pork 30 minutes. Turn roast fat side up. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 155°F, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan; set over low heat to keep warm. Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on platter. Pour pan juices over. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Serves 8.

What a good way to cook a pork roast!

 

Tom