Pork Recipes

Name: Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew
Yield: Yield: 4 generous servings, probably with some leftovers
Ingredients: 2 slices thick-cut bacon; 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (or 2 ½ lbs. bone-in); Salt & freshly ground pepper; 1 large yellow onion; 3 cloves garlic; 2 tsp. Marash or Aleppo pepper (or other deep flavored, medium-hot flaked pepper); 4 long sweet red peppers, such as lipstick or Jimmy Nardello, to make about 1 ½ cups cut pieces (if you use red bells, use only one!); 1 medium-large eggplant; 2 large tomatoes

Taco Tuesday Idea: Pulled Pork Tacos

October 4, 2016 By Joi Sigers

We have a long-running tradition that’s shared by a lot of people – Taco Tuesday. I love having “fixed” meal days because it makes one less day I have to think. The less thinking I have to do, the happier I am.

The fillings change (although we have traditional ground beef tacos more than any other – creatures of habit). One of my favorite tacos is a pulled pork taco – and you can use leftover pulled pork or grab some as take out from your favorite BBQ restaurant. Allowing your favorite restaurant to do the heavy lifting, so to speak, is just a brilliant and inspired thing to do.

In the picture at the top, I hadn’t added any toppings to the tacos yet. WHY I jumped the gun and took the picture before the tacos had finished dressing is beyond me. Knowing me like I do, I probably was distracted by…

My cats.
A baseball game.
Chocolate.

{Continued Below…}

Topping ideas for pulled pork tacos fall under the category of “your call!”

white corn
shredded lettuce
tomatoes
green onion
cilantro
salsa verde
thinly sliced radishes (shockingly good)
BBQ sauce
mild taco sauce
Mexican Crumbling cheese (perfect with cilantro)
jalapenos
coleslaw (Mmmmm!)
white cheese sauce
shredded cheese
etc etc etc

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Pork Tacos with Sliced Radishes and Cilantro

Pulled pork tacos are a beautifully economical way to use leftover pulled pork. If (like us) you regularly enjoy Taco Tuesdays, plan pulled pork on Monday and you’re set for Tuesday. It (of course) works the same with leftover chicken (which is also freaking fantastic with cilantro… radishes, not so much – save them for the pork!)

Boca crumbles, shrimp, refried beans, and cod are also great taco fillers.

I promise you, thinly sliced radishes on pulled pork tacos are both beautiful and delicious. Same with coleslaw (which, of course, you can also grab at the restaurant when you grab your pulled pork, if you’re so inclined).

Finally, A Word About Cilantro

While I play with a million and one fillings for tacos, a constant is cilantro. This is one of my absolute favorite herbs and the first plant that sees action in my herb bed each year.

I realize that some people (what’s with them, anyway?!?) don’t like cilantro – but for those of us who can’t get enough of it, we can rest assured that we’re doing our bodies (as well as our taste buds) good.

Cilantro is a good source of Thiamin and Zinc and is a “very good source” of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese (source).

BOOM!

As for health benefits of Cilantro…

lowers anxiety
improves sleep
lowers blood sugar levels
protects against cardiovascular disease
rids the body of heavy metals
source (plus even more benefits)

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew (Naturally Gluten Free)

May 26, 2016 By Joi Sigers

The uniquely creative and creatively unique recipe below is from Paulding & Co. Eggplant is one of those vegetables you either love or hate. Don’t let it know but I tend to fall in with the latter crow. However, when it’s in a stew, soup, or even pasta – where it’s more a co-star than the lead, I find it to be pretty darn good.

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew

May 26, 2016

by Joi Sigers

Category Gluten Free Pork Recipes Summertime Favorites

Persons

Ingredients

2 slices thick-cut bacon
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (or 2 ½ lbs. bone-in)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 large yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Marash or Aleppo pepper (or other deep flavored, medium-hot flaked pepper)
4 long sweet red peppers, such as lipstick or Jimmy Nardello, to make about 1 ½ cups cut pieces (if you use red bells, use only one!)
1 medium-large eggplant
2 large tomatoes

Instructions

Cut the bacon into lardons (small pieces). Trim and discard any large chunks of fat from the meat, without being too fastidious — you’ll have a chance to skim the stew later.
Cut the pork into 1 ½ “ cubes (it will shrink during cooking so don’t make the cubes smaller).
Halve, peel and dice the onion, peel and mince the garlic, and seed and dice the peppers. Remove the stem end of the eggplant, and cut into approximately one-inch dice. Cut an X in the base of the tomatoes, remove the stem, and either blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water to loosen the peels, or rest them on a burner, over open flame, turning with a tongs until the skin loosens. Skin, halve, and dice the tomatoes. If they are very seedy, you can first de-seed them but hold over a strainer on a bowl to do so, so you save the juices. Set each ingredient aside separately.
Render the bacon slowly in a heavy non-reactive 4-quart sauteuse pan (straight-sided pan with a cover, not too deep; if you don’t have one, an enameled cast-iron casserole, or a tri-ply large frying pan with a lid, will be fine). Cook the bacon until it is starting to crisp.
Season the pork cubes well with salt and pepper, and add to the rendered bacon and fat, making sure they are in one layer and not too crowded (or do two batches).
Turn the heat to HIGH and brown the pieces, without turning or moving them, until one side is nicely caramelized; stir the contents of the pan, making sure the meat has turned so the browned side is facing up, and continue over high heat until the second side is brown.
Add the onions, stir the pot and let cook 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and red peppers, and cook another minute or so; add the eggplant and tomatoes, including their juices, and stir well.
Add ½ cup water, cover the pan, and cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours, until the meat is tender.
Stir every ten minutes or so, and add a bit more water if needed to keep the contents from sticking.
Taste, re-season, skim extra fat from the sauce, and serve.
The dish goes well with any starch.

Sweet Italian Sausage Pretzel Sliders

October 2, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most delicious things. I made a pot of Tortellini soup yesterday and wanted something a little different than garlic bread to accompany it. I had a package of DELICIOUS Sister Schubert’s Soft Pretzel Rolls in the freezer and a package of Sweet Italian Sausage in the refrigerator. As for cheese, I ALWAYS have a great variety of cheeses on hand because I’m something of a cheese fanatic.

I baked the rolls according to the directions on the package, crumbled up and fried the Italian Sausage (hot Italian Sausage would also be delicious – if you can handle the heat), and put the two together with a shredded Italian cheese blend.

They were phenomenal, disappeared quickly, and left us all wishing I’d doubled the recipe.

These little cuties would be great for tailgating or gameday snacks. If you were to drizzle little thin lines with sour cream, mayo, or even a thin icing you could even make passable footballs (see what I did there?).

++++ You’ll have left over sausage, even if you PACK the sliders like I did. We just threw the leftover crumbles into our soup. Refrigerating leftover Italian sausage and throwing it into omelets or scrambled eggs the next morning is also a delicious option.

Simply Suppers: Comfort Foods Recipes You’ll Flip Your Skillet For

September 12, 2010 By Joi Sigers

I was recently sent a copy of Simply Suppers: Comfort Food You Can Get on the Table in No Time Flat by Jennifer Chandler to review. The first things to pop into my recipe-obsessive mind were:

This is comfort food at its delicious best.
The food photography is exceptional.
These recipes fit every occasion imaginable.
I’d better get started today, because I intend to make every recipe in the collection.

Author Jennifer Chandler graduated at the top of her class with Le Grand Diplome and a Mention Tres Bien in Pastry from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Suffice to say, she knows her way around the culinary world. As the mother of two girls, she also knows a thing or two about making delicious food that your family wants to eat. There’s simply no way that one-two combo can be beaten.

Jennifer Chandler is also the author of another outstanding cookbook, Simply Salads: More than 100 Delicious Creative Recipes Made from Prepackaged Greens and a Few Easy-to-Find Ingredients.

Simply Suppers, literally, has a recipe for every occasion:

Comforting, beautiful suppers you like to hit your loved ones with when they come home each night.
Tailgating food for taking TO games or for bringing games TO you.
Super special meals for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, anniversaries…
Hot Cocoa Chocolate Pudding for making the world a better place.

One of the things I love the most about Simply Suppers: Comfort Food You Can Get on the Table in No Time Flat is the fact that these are spectacular, beautiful recipes that still manage to feature simple, easy-to-find ingredients. Success! No scouring the entire region for foods I’ve never even heard of or searching for hours for substitutes for foods I can’t possibly find.

Hate that.

Some of the outstanding recipes in Simply Suppers include:

Crock Pot Beef Stew
Corn Chowder
Sauteed Spaghetti Squash
Double-Decker Peach Cobbler (be still my heart)
Baked Rigatoni with Sausage Meatballs and Spinach
Potatoes Au Gratin
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Jambalaya
Chicken Pot Pie
Roast Chicken with Pan Gravy (You should see the picture!)
Yellow Squash Casserole
Cheddar-Pecan Green Bean Casserole (Knock their socks off this Thanksgiving)
Smothered Pork Chops (recipe below)
Many, many more!

With entrees, side dishes, and unforgettable desserts, Simply Suppers will become one of your favorite cookbooks. You know, the kind you keep nearby at all times and return to again and again.

Below is one of the recipes form Simply Suppers. Try it. Love it. And, whatever you do, grab a copy of this cookbook as soon as possible – it’s simply perfect.

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe from Simply Suppers

4 thinly sliced center-cut pork chops (about 1-1/4 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 can (10-3/4 ounce) cream of celery soup
1 can water

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and generously season with salt and pepper. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pan. Sear the meat until nicely browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a plate and reserve.

Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the soup and water, and stir to combine. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed. Serve the pork chops hot with the sauce ladled on top.

Serves 4.

COOKING TIP: You can use either bone-in or boneless pork chops for this recipe.

The recipe, above, is on page 71 of Simply Suppers and is just one of the many, many wonderful recipes you’ll flip for. This 256 page cookbook is a must-have and would make a PERFECT gift for new brides, new grooms, or frankly anyone who wants to cook great food for those they love.

When I was looking for a recipe to include in the post, the Smothered Pork Chops recipe stood out. Then I noticed the caption under the recipe title and it all made sense: The author wrote “This delicious, old-fashioned recipe is from my dear mom. Slow cooking turns tough pork chops into a fork tender treat.”

It seems like our best recipes always come form the same person we came from! Mom. It’s kind of what puts the comfort in comfort food.

You’re going to love this cookbook: Simply Suppers: Comfort Food You Can Get on the Table in No Time Flat

Taco Tuesday Idea: Pulled Pork Tacos

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew (Naturally Gluten Free)

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew

Ingredients

Instructions

Tags

Sweet Italian Sausage Pretzel Sliders

Simply Suppers: Comfort Foods Recipes You’ll Flip Your Skillet For

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe from Simply Suppers

T-fal… As Good as Good Gets

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Pork Recipes

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew

Ingredients

Instructions

Tags

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe from Simply Suppers

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T-fal… As Good as Good Gets

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