Kiwi-marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Kiwi and Fig Sauce
And this little figgy piggy screamed “kiwi, kiwi, kiwi” all the way home!
This semi-exotic fruit lends a clean, tart flavor to savory dishes.
Category: Meat
Kiwi-marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Kiwi and Fig Sauce
And this little figgy piggy screamed “kiwi, kiwi, kiwi” all the way home!
This semi-exotic fruit lends a clean, tart flavor to savory dishes.
Porcini and Pinot Noir Pot Roast
Some would say that pot roast is ordinary fare suitable only for family dining. Nonsense I say – with good presentation, a beautifully plattered pot roast dressed up with it’s accompanying vegetables and sauce should delight even the most discriminating diner. After all, this baby sits on a lofty pot roast plateau by virtue of including porcini mushrooms and a Willamette Valley Pino Noir in the sauce.
Pulled Pork Asian Barbecue Sandwiches with Asian Slaw
You don’t have to fire up the grill for great barbecue baby back pork ribs or pulled pork barbecue. It will take longer, but you can just sear the meat in a pan and then plop it in the crock pot (a.k.a slow cooker), add the barbecue sauce and let it slow cook for most of the day. You’ll be surprised at the results. And while we’re on the subject, I just can’t understand why anybody would by barbecue sauce. It’s just so easy to make and it’s so much fun to improvise.
Pork Fat Rules! Here’s an easy way to render pork fat, complete with video
There are occasions when you’re cooking that nothing can surpass rendered pork fat. You’ll be amazed at how much more flavorful your hash browns are, or any potato for that matter, when cooked in pork fat. Or how robust your sauteed green beans will be. Or delectable your collard greens. Or how flaky your pie crust will be. Or how rich your quail or pheasant will taste when seared in pork fat. Instead of buying commercially available lard bricks at the store, I prefer to render pork fat myself. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to do, and how long it can keep in the refrigerator in a mason jar.
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Tomato Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
This dish combines two ingredients that are among my favorites: pork tenderloin and pineapple. Pork tenderloin is one of those unappreciated cuts of meat. And too bad too. It’s easy to cook, lean and low in fat plus it doesn’t take long to cook. Pineapple is one of those fruits that’s commonly used in cooking in Asian foods, but not so much with American dishes. And too bad for that, too. It has the perfect balance of sweet and tart and lends itself to sweet and sour dishes. Plus you don’t have to mess with a fresh pineapple if you don’t want to deal with the rather complicated process of peeling and prepping the fruit — you can just use canned pineapple.
Saltimbocca alla Romana alla Oregona
Traditional Saltimbocca alla Romana or Vitelo Saltimbocca, as it is occasionally dubbed, is a scaloppine of veal pounded thin with a thin slice of prosciutto and sage leaves. It is often sautéed in butter and then served with a pan sauce of stock and wine such as Marsala. It is also made with chicken, turkey or pork with equal success.
Saltimbocca is a contraction of i salta in bocca which means “it jumps in the mouth”. If we could be time-traveling flies-on-the-wall and go back a few centuries to the restaurant where saltimbocca alla Romana began, we’d probable hear some hungry Italian calling to the waiter, “Hey Guido, bringa me somma dat dish dat jumps ina my mouth!”
Bourbon Barbecued Pork Baby Back Ribs
Being an ex-Texan, I believe that barbecue affectionados can be divided into two camps: Those who prefer rub and those who prefer sauce. The methods are similar in that they impart sweet and salty flavors to the meat. They part ways in their methods. Rubs are dry. Sauces are, well, wet. I’m a saucy kinda guy. Whenever I’m craving barbecue, I’m always amazed when I’m at the grocery store and see people plying the grocery store aisle for barbecue sauce. Why? It’s so incredibly easy to make. And it’s also incredibly easy to make it uniquely yours by adding your favorite spices and seasonings. Heck, even liquor. (Hickup). Here’s an easy and tasty one for you to try and adapt to make your own.
Surf ‘n’ Turf Reinvented: Basil and Garlic Tri-Tip and Curry Marinated Shrimp
For most of my life Surf and Turf has had a negative connotation. Perhaps it’s because I strongly associate it with the ’70s and all that decade represented. Conspicuous consumption. Excess. Gaudiness. Lincoln Towncars a block long. Scotch and gentlemen’s clubs (not the naughty kind; I’m thinking supper clubs for the exclusive). Leveraged buyouts. You get the idea. Michael Douglas in “Wall Street.” Wandering the aisle of the grocery store and pondering what to serve my family for dinner, I was craving beef. But I also had to deal with the reality that Mom doesn’t eat beef. So I thought of grilling some shrimp and, since I had to fire up the grill, what would it hurt to throw on some beef as well? But I decided that reason should rule. No New York steak or even fillet mignon. I settled on a few pieces of tri-tip steaks for Charles and me.
Green Beans With Pork and Oyster Sauce
One of my favorite dishes from my childhood in Thailand and Singapore is green beans stir-fried with ground up or fatty chunks of pork, a little oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. It’s simply delicious. I have no idea why you never see it on a menu here in the U.S. Maybe it’s considered too banal for the American palate. I just love it. The marriage of sweet crunchy beans with savory pork and oyster and hoisin sauces. Go ahead, give it a shot. And find out what you’ve been missing. It makes a delicious companion to another stir-fried dish like chicken with cashew nuts or chicken with mangoes.
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Pinot Noir Pear and Ginger Compote
Pork tenderloin is one of those easy-to-cook lean cuts of meat that benefits from being served with a sauce, dressing, or fruit compote. One of Oregon’s signature fruit crops is pear, and a pear compote pairs perfectly with pork, especially if it’s been cooked with pinot noir, another signature Oregon product!
Everybody ♥’s Monte’s Ham
Behold - the perfect ham for Easter, Christmas, and buffet parties. The sight of this beauty will dazzle your guests and, even better, they will probably tell you that it’s the best glazed ham they have ever eaten And they’ll be right. What’s in it for you? A glorious vision of a showstopping carnivore’s masterpiece to anchor your buffet, beaucoup praise, ample food for a fairly large gathering and, when all is said and done, a substantial bone with lovely bits of surviving ham to grace a soup of your choice.
Thai Tacos
Tacos have become such a part of mainstream American cuisine that on the West Coast other ethnic groups have begun topping the ubiquitous corn tortilla with their cultural culinary specialties. Forget the fish taco, ground beef taco, or shredded beef taco. Their time has come and gone. In Los Angeles and Seattle you can find Vietnamese and Korean food-truck chefs who are creating the latest taco sensations: Korean barbecue and Kimchi tacos, Bulgogi tacos, Vietnamese lemongrass chicken tacos. I mean, when you see a dozen kinds of tacos available in the neighborhood supermarket, and Taco Bells show up in China, what would you expect, right? The taco is ripe for a cultural hijacking. And so this native Thai decided that the time was ripe for….ta da…a Thai taco.
Best Steak Salad This Side of the Pacific Rim — With Lime and Lemongrass Dressing
The secret ingredient to our version of steak salad is marinating the meat in some dried galangal root powder (available at any Asian grocery store) and a touch of oil an hour or two before cooking. The galangal will enhance the flavor of the steak and take away some of that “beefy smell” that turns some people off. Plus, while you’re searing the steak, it will add an other-worldy aroma to the beef.
Cider-braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and Chipotle-glazed Apples, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Kale
From conception to eating for approval, this meal was destined for inclusion in Savor the Taste of Oregon. At first bite, Vic and I agreed it will be a delightfully homey addition to our upcoming book. Unfortunately for you, that means that this is a teaser, asking you to hold on patiently for the publication […]
Open-face Buffalo Stew Sandwich — It’s Boffo!
The weather in the Mid-Willamette Valley has turned cool and wet again. It’s the perfect weather to light a fire in the fireplace, turn on some relaxing music and cozy up to a serving of hot stew and a glass of pinot noir.
Pork Hocks Slow-braised in Sweet Dark Soy Sauce and Star Anise
I’m convinced that there are spices that can make you high. I can be roaming the streets of Portland, Vancouver, B.C., Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and my hair will start to vibrate and stand on end when I get that first whiff of star anise in the air. My heartbeat quickens. My sweat glands go into overdrive. I start blinking uncontrollably, as my mind disconnects from my body and my feet start searching for the source of the heavenly aroma. Pungent, sweet, savory. Like licorice but more intoxicating. It’s a key ingredient in one of my favorite Thai dishes of ethnic Chinese origins, a stew of hard-boiled eggs, sweet dark soy sauce and pork hocks, that is flavored with star anise and cinnamon.
Peach Kalua Pork with Sage, Coriander and Cumin Seeds
Peaches are one of those fruits that always signal summer to me. I love their sweet, juicy, robust and aromatic honeysuckle flavor when you bite into them, and their slightly tart aftertaste that leaves your taste buds tingling for more. They’re like a fuzzy globe of sunshine, captured in sweet perfection, and their tart ending is almost like a signal that summer is about to end. They make a perfect companion for Kalua-style roasted pork that takes on a Middle Eastern flair with chopped sage, ground coriander and cumin seeds.
Savory Samosas
I remember living in Singapore as a child and how distinct the culture there was, with influences from the British, Malaysians, ethnic Chinese and Indians. Even though English was the official language, people who lived there spoke many languages. And the ambience was so vibrant…along with the food. One of my favorite foods was Indian: Tandoori, samosas, curries. That memory of Singapore made me crave Indian food. So when it came time to figure out what I was going to make for dinner, samosas came to mind.
Phuket Pork — Bathed in Coconut Milk and Curry, Wrapped with Banana Leaves and Slow-roasted Over Coals
If a kalua piggy went to Phuket for a vacation, I figure he’d end up soaked in coconut milk, curry, and then surrounded by chunks of onion and pineapple before being wrapped in banana leaves and taken for a walk over hot coals. Forget digging a hole in your back yard to do this. No need to ruin the landscape. I’ve figured out how to do this in a Weber kettle charcoal grill. The lawn and roses get to live another day! Serve with a Thai satay-style peanut sauce to top it off.
Buffalo — A Tasty and Healthier Alternative to Beef
Until we moved to Salem, I had never seen buffalo meat for sale at markets. But ever since we moved here, I’ve been curious because I’ve always associated buffalo with the West. And it turns out that you can easily find buffalo meat here at Lifesource, an organic food store, and at Salem’s Saturday Market. […]
Guava-glazed Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Habañero Orange Mojo
A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village was created to inspire creativity in our greatest natural resource, the ever-present “next generation”. When Executive Director Pam Vorachek asked if we would donate a dinner for their silent auction, saying yes was easy. Here’s an account along with the recipe for a stellar Grilled Pork Tenderloin à la Rodriguez with Guava Glaze and Orange Habañero Mojo.
Recipes That Go Bump in the Night - Quick Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
It’s 3:00 in the morning, my eyes spring open and my brow furls. “Did I double, triple or quadruple the fish sauce in that recipe?” The question flashes through my mind like a nightmare fueled by too much pizza with “the works” plus double onions, anchovies, jalapeños and pineapple.
Pan-seared Pork with Willamette Valley Vineyards Quinta Reserva Port-Style Pinot Noir Sauce
Recently we opened a bottle of Willamette Valley Vineyards Quinta Reserva Port-Style Pinot Noir and I’ve been mulling it over in my mind ever since, to figure out a way to use it in cooking. There are a lot of recipes that call for a touch of Port. Most pair them with meat somehow. Since our household eschews beef, I was fancying pork married with a sauce using some of that Quinta Reserva. Here’s a delicious way to use a Port-style wine with pork.
A Fond Memory of Steamy Bangkok: Larb
One of my favorite memories of Bangkok prompts me to ask my mother to often make Larb for us for dinner. Larb is a Thai dish that can be made from ground beef, ground pork, or if you have to be healthy — ground chicken or turkey. It is quickly cooked and then seasoned with fish sauce and lime juice and dressed with roasted ground rice and ground red chillis, chopped cilantro and chopped scallions.
Pork and Apple Cider Stew
Pork and apples make a perfect marriage. When stewed or baked with apples, the pork takes on the wonderful flavors of apples – sweet, but somewhere lurking in the background is that familiar tart flavor that’s a pleasant surprise.
Forever Roasted Pork with Chipotle Glazed Apples and a Knockout Winter Salad with Maple Dressing
Vic gave me a copy of The Tra Vigne Cookbook from the Napa Valley restaurant of the same name some years ago. Two recipes captured me immediately — Forever Roasted Pork, and Mozzarella Martinis. The pork recipe can be made any time of the year, but the Mozzarella Martinis are best left to when the very best vine-ripened tomatoes are available. Check back in late summer for Mozzarella Martinis — they’re not what you think.
Pranee’s Nua Pad Prik — Beef with Peppers
Pranee doesn’t eat meat (meat=beef to her; pork, poultry and seafood are still on her “A list”) but occasionally renders up some beef dish for her hungry sons. Not long ago, she surprised me with her Beef with Peppers. She noticed the tears and sweaty scalp all the way through my enjoyment while asking, “Too spicy?” “No,” I wheezed, “just right.” Tears and reactions such as perspiring aren’t always synonymous with sadness or discomfort. Sometimes wonderfully spicy food will just shoot you straight into an endorphin high.
