Pork Lo Mein
Just thought I’d share another recipe for cooked pork. Seems like a lot of us have leftovers. This one uses pasta and Asian flavors for a simple dish that is ready in no time at all. Tastes pretty good, too.
Pork Lo Mein
1 onion, chopped
2 T. oil
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. green peas- you could also use green beans
2 c. diced cooked pork
8 oz. angel hair pasta -I use a very fine noodle I get at the Asian market
soy sauce to taste
Hoisen sauce or oyster sauce to taste- you could also use stir-fry sauce
sesame oil
chopped green onions
Heat water for pasta. Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until browned. Add water chestnuts and cook 1 minute longer. While onion is cooking, cook pasta. Add peas to onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the pork and heat through. Drain pasta and toss into pork mixture. Season with soy sauce and what ever Asian sauce you have on hand. Drizzle with sesame oil and top with green onions. Serves 4.
Coffee and Spice Rubbed Pork Roast
Since so many people are making a pork roast of some sort for the New Year, I thought I would re-post this recipe. I’ve had several requests for it in the last few days.
It is really good- with a rich blend of spices and coffee. The spice rub would be great on lamb or beef. The rub can also be used on pork chops or ribs.
I am thinking of trying it on duck soon. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!
Coffee and Spice Rub
¼ c. ground coffee
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. paprika
2 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger
1 t. allspice
½ t. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Store in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. Rub can be used on roasts or on chops, steaks and smaller cuts of meat. If using on chops that are being pan fried watch carefully as the sugar in the recipe could burn.
To use the rub: several hours before cooking, or even the day before, place the roast in a shallow pan and sprinkle heavily with the rub. Use your hands to spread it evenly and cover completely. Place plastic wrap on clean surface and transfer roast to the wrap. Fold plastic wrap to cover roast , using more plastic wrap as needed so meat is sealed well. Return to fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight. When ready to cook, bring roast out and allow to stand 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and place roast in a roasting pan on a wire rack.
For the pork roast allow about 20 minutes per pound. Larger roasts need a little less time per pound. You want an internal temp of 145. Check with a thermometer, to be sure. You don’t want to overcook the pork. When the roast is finished- remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes, or a little longer, before slicing.
City Chicken
If you never had City Chicken, you don’t know what you are missing. Meat on a stick- always a good thing. But not just meat on a stick- breaded meat on a stick! If you like breaded pork chops, you should love City Chicken.
This is a dish I grew up with. When my Mom made City Chicken, I knew dinner was going to be special.
There is no chicken in the dish at all. Odd, but well, I didn’t name the dish, I just like eating it.
City Chicken is normally made with chunks of pork- or chunks of pork and veal- skewered on wooden sticks. I used pork. After skewering, the meat is dipped in seasoned flour, egg wash and then bread crumbs- or cracker crumbs.
You can just bake them, or brown in a little oil first, before baking- for a crispier coating. They also can be cooked in an air fryer or convection oven.
I didn’t have my Mom’s recipe, so I recreated it as I remembered it. So here is my recipe. A tasty dish, and also a trip down memory lane.
City Chicken
2 lbs. boneless pork – I use Western style ribs or pork loin
½ c. sherry – not cooking sherry
2 T. soy sauce
¾ c. flour
Salt and pepper
3 eggs
½ c. milk or half and half
2 T. chopped parsley
Hot sauce
½ t. garlic powder
1-2 c. bread crumbs
2 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
½ t. dried thyme
Oil
6 –inch Wooden sticks or skewers
Cube pork into 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and add the sherry and soy sauce. Stir to combine, cover bowl and place in fridge. You can do this a couple of hours ahead or even a day ahead. You might not really need to do this step, but I like the flavor of the sherry, so I chose to marinade my pork in it before breading. Your choice, completely.
Take pork and skewer it onto wooden sticks. I used skewers that were a little thicker than what I normally use. Since they were long, I cut them in half before using. I ended up with 9.
Place flour in a bag with salt and pepper to taste. Add one pork skewer at a time to the flour, shaking to coat evenly. Place floured pork skewers on a tray. Once finished, combine eggs with the milk, parsley, hot sauce, garlic powder and a little more salt and pepper. Place bread crumbs in a bag with the basil, oregano and thyme. Shake to combine. Dip each floured skewer into the egg mixture, remove from egg mix and allow excess to drip off a little. Then place in the bag of bread crumbs, shaking to coat evenly. Repeat until all the city chicken is breaded.
Now I know I already asked you to wait to marinade the pork in the beginning. I am going to ask you to wait again. If you fry up the city chicken right away, the breading is likely to fall off. If you bread the city chicken early in the day- then leave it in the fridge at least a couple of hours before cooking it, the breading will stay on much better. I actually marinade a day ahead, in the morning. Then I bread them in the evening the night before. But even breading them a couple of hours before makes a big difference. Just keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
When ready to cook them- I know you were giving up hope we would ever get to this step- heat oil in a large skillet. You don’t need much oil- a few tablespoons, at most. Brown the city chicken on all sides in the hot oil. Transfer them to a baking dish, as you finish browning them. Place in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Don’t bake them too long- you don’t want them to dry out. Pork has to reach a minimum internal temp of 145 F. Serves 6.
Pork with Plum Chutney
I had very ripe plums and wanted to use them in a savory dish rather than a dessert. We had made a pear chutney in cooking class a few days before, so that gave me the idea of using the plums in a chutney. I had some pork loin defrosted and I thought they would work well together. I was not disappointed.
I started by pitting and chopping up the plums. They were very ripe. I say in the recipe it was 2 cups, but let’s say a generous 2 cups. You can be off a little bit here. A few more plums aren’t going the hurt anything. I threw everything in a pot and let it cook until the mixture thickened. After it was finished I added a little honey because it seemed too tart. Trust your taste here for how much sweetening it needs.
Here is the recipe for the chutney and for the pork.
Plum Chutney
2 c. pitted chopped plums
1 small onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
1 t. cinnamon
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
Combine all ingredients, except the seasonings in a medium saucepan and s= cook over medium heat until thickened. This took about 20 minutes, maybe a bit longer. As the mixture gets thicker, stir more often to prevent sticking. I added the honey later as the chutney seemed too tart when it was finished. That is partly based on how sweet the fruit is and your personal taste. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge for weeks. Great on pork, duck and chicken or served with cheese and crackers as an appetizer.
Pork with Plum Chutney
1 lb. boneless pork, cubed
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. sherry, not cooking sherry
1 T. soy sauce
Oil
Additional cornstarch for dredging
Salt and pepper
About ¾ c. plum chutney
Place cubed pork in a small bowl and combine with the cornstarch, sherry and oil. Chill several hours, if possible. Heat oil in skillet. Dredge the pork in cornstarch and sauté until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and spoon any excess oil out of the pan. Add the chutney and simmer until heated through. Serves 3-4.
Herb Crusted Pork Chops with Pomegranate Glaze
Since so many people are cooking pork for the New Year, I thought I would share this recipe for pork chops. I made this recipe the other night and was so happy with the way the pork chops tasted. It was really pretty simple. The key to cooking pork is not to overcook it. These were lean pork chops and they could have dried out easily.
You don’t want pork to be raw, but it can be a little link in the middle. This one was juicy and very tender, too. I used pomegranate jelly to give it a sweetness. If you don’t have pomegranate jelly, you could use cherry jelly instead. Either would work nicely.
The Tuscan Seasoning I used is my own blend. The recipe for that follows. You can use it in all sorts of dishes. I love adding it to soups, or combining it with olive oil and dipping bread into it.
Herb Crusted Pork Chops with Pomegranate Glaze
pork chops – allow 1 large chop per person
salt- I used pink salt
Tuscan seasoning- recipe follows
Pomegranate jelly- 2 Tablespoons for each pork chop
Heat skillet over medium high heat. While pan heats up, sprinkle each pork chop with salt and the Tuscan seasoning. Rub seasoning mix all over the chops to cover well. Place chops in skillet and cook until nice and golden on one side before turning. Continue cooking until chop is golden on both sides. The pork chops I was cooking were about an inch thick. I kept them over a medium heat- so it would cook through without burning. I prefer my pork just a little pink in the middle. Feel free to cook your chops longer, until meat gets to the doneness level you prefer.
Once the chops are close to done, spoon the jelly into the skillet. As the jelly melts, spoon it over the chops. Remove the chops to rest a few minutes before serving. Continue cooking the jelly in the pan until thickened and a little syrupy. Spoon over the chops before serving.
Tuscan Seasoning
½ c. dried basil
½ c. dried oregano
½ c. dried marjoram
3 T. dried minced onion
2 T. dried minced garlic
2 T. dried rosemary
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. crushed red pepper
Use this blend in tomato sauce or other Italian dishes. Also, you can add to vinegar and oil with a little salt, if desired, to make a quick salad dressing.
Orange Glazed Pork Roast
We made this is class last night. It’s a wonderful and easy way to make your next pork roast special. The secret is a pretty simple glaze of orange juice, brown sugar and spices. The result is a roast with a slightly sweet flavor and lovely aroma. While the recipe calls for a pork loin I used a sirloin pork roast and it was really good.
Orange Glazed Roasted Pork Loin
4½ to 5 lb. loin of pork (10 chops)
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper
1-cup orange juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan. Insert thermometer; do not let it touch bone. Rub in the salt and pepper Roast for 35 minutes to the pound, or until it reaches 145 degrees. In a small saucepan, mix the orange juice, sugar, ginger & cloves. Simmer for 30 minutes. Brush this glaze at least twice over the pork while it is roasting.