Steakhouse Meatloaf

Some days call for a quick dinner, others a light meal; but some days just call for comfort food. My idea of comfort food is a nice steak, but my wife is more of a meatloaf gal. This recipe combines the best of both worlds. Meatloaf flavored with steak seasoning and steak sauce. What could be better?!?

BBQ Meatballs

When I say I'm going to make meatballs, it usually gets my family's attention. Usually I make my Italian style meatballs with marinara sauce, but this weekend I decided to reach into my bag of tricks and replace the marinara sauce with a homemade barbecue sauce. Meatballs roasted in a hot oven, then finished in barbecue sauce. My eight year old son was a bit skeptical at first, but then he gave them the best compliment he could; he cleaned his plate.

Carnitas

Carnitas is on of my favorite dishes to order at a Mexican restaurant.  Now, when I say Mexican restaurant, I'm not talking about Taco Bell.  I'm talking about the small, one-of-a-kind places you can find spread along the southern border from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to San Diego.  I'm talking real, authentic Mexican food that tastes good.  If you've ever tried one of these places, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Carnitas (which means "little meats" in Spanish)  is basically just boneless pork shoulder that has been simmered until it is fall-apart tender and then roasted to produce a crispy outer layer.  Some people swear that the only thing that should go in the pan is pork, water, salt, and pepper.  Other people add all different kinds of spices and even some citrus in the form of oranges and/or orange juice.  I'm a middle-of-the-road type guy myself.  I like the simplicity of the pork, but with a little bit of added flavor meant to enhance the dish, not overpower it.

As with any good thing though, you will have to wait.  When I made this last weekend, I started it on the stove at around 1:45 PM.  I finally pulled the finished carnitas out of the oven at around 7:00 PM.  But let me tell you, the wait was definitely worth it.  I could have eaten these on a plate with just a side of rice and beans.  Instead I decided to go a step further and roll the meat up with some rice (I used my Chile Cilantro Rice), cheese, and onion in a flour tortilla shell.  It turned out to be one of the best burritos I have ever had.


Carnitas

4-5 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut pork loin into 6-8 large pieces.  Rub pork pieces with salt.  Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Sear pork, 3-4 pieces at a time, in oil until all sides are browned.  Remove pork and drain on paper towels.

Add 1 cup water to pan and stir in garlic powder, chile powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, bay leaf, and cinnamon.  Add pork back to pan and then add enough water to cover pork about 3/4 of the way (I used a total of about 2-1/2 cups myself).

Bring to a boil and then place Dutch oven, uncovered, in oven.  Braise pork for 3-1/2 hours, stirring hourly, or until pork is very tender.  Remove pan from oven and remove pork.  Allow pork to cool slightly and then break into smaller chunks.  Return pork to pan and pan to oven.  Cook another 1 to 1-1/2 half hours, uncovered, or until liquid is nearly gone and outer edges are lightly crunchy.

Ham w/Apples and Sweet Potatoes

I enjoy cooking with seasonal foods, and with fall setting in here in Nebraska, apples are in abundant supply.  This recipe uses the flavors of apples and another fall favorite, the sweet potato, to pair with glazed ham slices. The apples and sweet potatoes are placed in the bottom of the pan, then the ham is placed over the produce, and everything is topped off with an orange based glaze that goes well with everything.


Ham w/Apples and Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes (about 1-1/4 lbs each)
2 apples
1-1/2 lbs ham, cut in thick slices
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp orange marmalade or apricot preserves
1 tsp grates fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Peel and cut sweet potato into 1-inch chunks.  Place sweet potato in saucepan and add enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered for 15 minutes.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, make sauce by mixing together orange juice, cornstarch, soy sauce, marmalade or preserves, ginger, and garlic.  Bring to a boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat and cook 3 minutes, or until thickened.

Cut apples into eight wedges.  Remove core from each wedge and arrange apples and sweet potatoes in single layer in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.  Arrange ham slices over top of apples and sweet potatoes.  Pour sauce evenly over top of ham.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more.  Serve immediately.

Pork Tenderloin w/Pears and Onions

A couple years ago, a friend of mine told me he tried roasting pears and a pork loin together.  I thought the idea sounded good, so I decided to try it.  The first time I made it, it was fantastically mediocre.  The pears came out good, but the pork was overdone and dry.  So back to the drawing board.

My second attempt at this dish was much better.  I decided to use pork tenderloin instead of pork loin, and I added the onions and rosemary this time.  I started the pears first, then added the tenderloin and the onions to the pan after the pears were already partially cooked.  Everything finished cooking at the same time and the pork and pears were both cooked just right.

The final addition to the dish was the sauce.  The sauce is a cooked pear sauce with half-and-half and chopped rosemary added to it.  I never actually intended to make a sauce for this dish.  I miscounted the number of pears I bought, so I used the two extra ones I had to make the sauce.  If you prefer to leave the sauce off, the dish will taste excellent anyway.  I have included the sauce recipe at the bottom of the post.


Pork Tenderloin w/Pears and Onions

3 lbs boneless pork tenderloin
6 red pears
10 oz pearl or cappellini onions
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Peel pears.  Cut pears in half and use a melon baller to remove the core.  Using melon baller, scrape out fibrous portion that runs from core up to stem.  Heat butter and oil together in large oven proof skillet over medium high heat until butter is melted.  Add pears, flat side down, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.  Season tenderloin with salt and pepper.  Add tenderloin to skillet and sear on all sides.

Meanwhile, bring small pan with two cups of water to a boil.  Drop whole onions into water and return to boil.  Let boil 3 minutes.  Drain well.  When cooled enough to handle, slice bottoms off of onions and squeeze to remove peel (onions should pop right out).  Add onions to skillet, toss to coat with oil.  Place skillet in oven.  Roast, uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until tenderloin reaches 155 degrees F.  Sprinkle rosemary over top of pork and pears and roast 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before slicing.  Top with Pear-Brandy sauce if desired (see below).

Pear-Brandy Sauce
1 Tbsp butter
2 red pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup brandy
1/3 cup chicken broth or pear nectar
1/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add pears; cook until lightly browned, stirring often.  Add brandy and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until pears fall apart, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add half-and-half and rosemary; cook an additional 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Old School Meatloaf

The year was 1977 and Meatloaf was king.  No, I'm not talking about the rock opera star, I'm talking about the tasty hunk of meat topped with tomato sauce baking in the oven.  That's right, meatloaf.  Growing up, my mother and grandmother both made meatloaf at least once every two weeks.  Why?  It was cheap, easy, tasted good, and made plenty of leftovers for lunches to take to school or work.

However, in the modern world of fast food and even faster lives, no one takes the time to make the classic dishes we grew up on.  The classic dinner of meatloaf, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and rolls has been replaced by the trip through the drive-thru.  (Would you like to Super-size that combo?  You will get six Monopoly pieces instead of four.)  Well, I say forget that.  In the same time it takes to decide on a place to go, drive there, order, and get back; you can have a tasty meatloaf in the oven baking.  And once it's in the oven, the hard part is over.  Throw in a few potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil and you have will have meatloaf and baked potatoes in an hour.  Just heat up a vegetable (I decided to splurge and make a baked vegetable casserole too) and you have a full meal that will take you back to your childhood.  So crank up the oven, mix up some meatloaf, gather the kids together to watch a couple episodes of The Wonder Years (now  available on Netflix), and relive the glory days of your childhood.  Or Kevin's.

Classic Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 eggs
2 packets instant oats (1 oz each)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp mustard


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place beef, turkey, sausage, onion, green pepper, eggs, oats, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper in large mixing bowl.  Using hands, mix all ingredients together until well blended.  (This step is a lot easier if you let the meats set at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to mixing.)

Shape meat mixture into loaf shape and place in 7x11 or 9x13 inch baking dish.  Add 1/2 cup water to pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until temperature registers 155 degrees on instant read thermometer.  Drain grease from pan.

Stir together ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in small bowl.  Pour over top of meatloaf and bake 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Fried Steak

Tonight's dinner was a throwback to the five years I spent living in Texas.  In Texas, steak is king, and chicken fried steak is served at nearly every roadside diner and restaurant in the state.  Every restaurant claims that their chicken fried steak is the best, but the easy way to tell the quality is by counting the trucks parked outside.  Any less than four pickups and you will not be getting a very good meal.  Some restaurants are famous for their chicken fried steak.  One such restaurant in Wichita Falls has a 64-ounce chicken fried steak dinner challenge.  Eat the 4 16-ounce steak smothered in gravy, with sides of mashed potatoes, greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread in an hour and you get it all for free.

Chicken fried steak gets its start as a tough piece of cheap round steak.  It is first tenderized, then breaded and fried in a manner similar to chicken, and finally topped with a gravy made in the same pan as the steak was fried in.  The steak comes out tender with a crispy coating, and the gravy complements it perfectly.  Served along side a pile of loaded mashed potatoes, some green beans and bacon, and steamed carrots with parsley; this meal is a huge plate of comfort food just waiting to satisfy the hungriest of appetites.


Chicken Fried Steak

1 1/4 lbs cubed steak or round steak, tenderized, cut into four pieces
2 eggs
1 cup + 2 Tbsp milk, divided
2/3 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 cup chicken broth
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In shallow bowl or pan, beat eggs and 2 Tbsp milk together.  In separate bowl or pan, stir together flour and seasoned salt.  Dredge steaks in flour, dip in egg mixture, and then back in flour.  Let sit on plate for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking (this will help with making sure the coating stays on the steaks during cooking).




Heat heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat for at least five minutes (an iron skillet works great here).  Add enough oil to just cover bottom of skillet.  Fry steaks 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through, adding more oil to pan as necessary.

When steaks are finished, remove from pan and place in 200 degree oven to keep warm while preparing gravy.  Add enough oil to pan to make about 2 Tbsp dripping in bottom of pan.  Add 4 Tbsp flour (you can use the leftover flour from step 1) and whisk until combined.  Cook 1 minute.  Add chicken broth to pan, stirring constantly.  Add 1 cup milk to pan and continue stirring 3 to 4 minutes until gravy comes to a boil and thickens up.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top steaks with gravy to serve.



Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I did.

Herb-Stuffed Pork Chops

After a long day at work, I walked out to my car and found it covered by almost an inch of snow.  And of course, it was still snowing.  As soon as I got into the car and turned the radio on, I heard the weather forecast for the weekend.  That's right, more snow for the Omaha area on Saturday, followed by rain on Sunday.  So much for firing up the grill this weekend. 

On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store.  I had no clue what I was going to fix, but I knew I wanted something hearty.  As I was browsing the meat counter, I saw boneless butterflied pork chops on sale and I was sold.  Pork chops, potatoes, and a vegetable.  Nice warm comfort food for a cold winter night.

I decided to go with my Herb-Stuffed Pork Chops, Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cheddar, and some oven roasted asparagus (which happens to be one of my wife's favorites and was also well priced).  The pork chops are a versatile dish and the flavors can be changed by using different herbs each time.  The recipe calls for two tablespoons of fresh herbs, and you can use any combination you like.  Tonight, I decided to go with rosemary (one of my favorite herbs) and marjoram.  You could also use parsley, sage, thyme, basil, or oregano.  If you do not have access to fresh herbs, you can also use dried, just cut back to a total of two teaspoons instead. 

One additional note, I start this dish on top of the stove and then finish it in the oven.  I use a stainless steel skillet with no plastic parts, so it can go straight fom the stovetop to the oven.  You can also use a Dutch oven; or start the dish in a skillet and then transfer it a baking pan to finish it.  If you use two seperate pans, you will want to add the wine to the skillet to heat it, then transfer it along with the pork chops to the baking dish.  So here is my Herb-Stuffed Pork Chop Recipe.....

Ingredients
3 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus additional for stuffing as needed
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 lbs boneless butterflied pork chops, trimmed
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups white wine or sherry
Juice of half a lemon



Figure 1



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and saute about 8 minutes or until golden brown.  Add garlic and cook for 45 seconds.  Add butter and herbs and stir until butter is melted.  Stir in bread crumbs and remove from heat.  If stuffing mix looks a little dry, add additional olive oil, a little at a time, until moistened.  Stuffing should look like figure 1. 

Figure 2

Open pork chops and spread about one tablespoon of stuffing mix onto one side of each chop.  Fold each chop over and dredge in flour.  Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in skillet or oven-proof pan over medium high heat.  Add chops and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned (see figure 2).  Be careful flipping them over, they are fairly fragile at this point.  Add wine or sherry and bring to a boil.  Cover pan with foil and place in oven (if using two pans, transfer to second pan and cover).  Bake for one hour or until tender.  Remove from oven, uncover.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Serve.