Potato-Crusted Pork Schnitzel with Hot Pepper Mayonnaise

The recipe for tonight's dinner was found on the Food & Wine site. I was not sure the Hot Pepper Mayonnaise would be a hit but it was. The pork chops were perfectly cooked and perfectly moist. This is something I have a bit a problem with. I have a fear, it is a family thing, of serving undercooked pork.

For a side dish, we had mashed potatoes and sauteed Zucchini and Bok Choy.

This is my version of the Food & Wine Recipe for Potato-Crusted Pork Schnitzel with Hot Pepper Mayonnaise.

Ingredients-
1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons seeded minced cherry pepper

Kosher salt
Pepper

2 large eggs

1 cups dried potato flakes 

4 (4-ounce) boneless pork chops, lightly pounded to 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil



Method-
Combine mayonnaise and cherry pepper in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Beat eggs with a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Spread potato flakes in a separate shallow bowl. Season pork chops to taste with salt and pepper. Dip pork chops in egg, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge pork chops 
in potato flakes, pressing to help flakes adhere.
 
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high until butter melts. Working in batches, add pork to skillet, and cook until browned and crispy, about 2 minutes and 30 seconds per side. Transfer pork chops to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve the pork with the hot pepper mayonnaise.

Vegetable and Chicken Chow Mein

When I was little my Mom occasionally tried Chinese recipes. That is when the La Choy products starting showing up on the grocery shelves. My Mom's Chinese dinners were good but they always tasted Italian. Tonight's recipe is from Food & Wine and the flavors were not Italian. They were pretty close to take out. I had some leftover chicken from yesterday's roast chicken which I added to the dish. For veggies, I picked up some bok choy and my sister gave us some zucchini. I followed the recipe below, but of course, did not add garlic. This was a hit.


Vegetable Chow Mein, from Food & Wine (with my changes) -

Ingredients-
8 ounces yellow Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 medium bell pepper, seeded and sliced

Method-
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and water. Set aside.
 
Heat the oil over high heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic and onions are soft and fragrant.
 
Stir in carrot, zucchini and bell peppers. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
 
Add the noodles and sauce mixture. Toss everything together until combined and heated through about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Almost Classic Split Pea Soup

The other night we had ham steak for dinner. The steak was large for the 2 of us meaning there was enough leftover to be used in another meal. There was also a bone in the steak. Chris suggested Split Pea Soup. I was thinking a quiche, anything for the crust. I decided to go with the soup. I found a recipe for Classic Split Pea Soup on the Food and Wine site. Simple to make. I added the ham bone during the initial simmer and then added the cut up ham towards the end of the recipe.

Split Pea Soup usually has the consistency of wall paper paste. Or could be referred to as a stick to your bones soup. This recipe was not at all like that. It was a light consistency. It was perfect with toasted Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread!

My New Favorite Winter Dessert

When Blood Oranges are in season if I need to make a dessert for any occasion, book club or work celebration (3/16?), this is what I will make. A Flaky Blood Orange Tart.

I found this recipe in Food and Wine. It has been on my Just Desserts Pinterest board for a very long time.

I even broke my Lent fast of sweets to try this tonight. Perfect. The crust was flaky. The filling was sweet and tart. I loved it. I brought this for book club and I think everyone enjoyed it. I did not make the recommended Salted Caramel Sauce. I found Salted Caramel Gelato at Bishops!

I doubled the crust and used more Blood Oranges than the recipe calls for because I was not sure how many people would be at book club and God forbid I should have to serve small pieces!

I am pretty dedicated to my usual Pate Brise recipe for any pie and tart crusts. But I will use this crust recipe again. The dough was beautiful to work with. You do have to let the tart freeze over night so if you make this give yourself enough time. And another note - wear gloves when segmenting the Blood Oranges. My nails and cuticles are now blood orange!

Flaky Blood Orange Tart from Food and Wine (serves 6) -

Ingredients-
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 ounces each)
Salted Caramel Sauce, for serving

Method -
In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely. Serve with the Salted Caramel Sauce.

You can make this ahead of time. The unbaked tart can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Snow Day!

It's snowing. Winter Storm Anna. When it snows I bake bread. I started both of the breads I made yesterday. We all have our ways to prepare for a snow storm.

The Jim Lahey No Knead Bread was started yesterday morning. Click here for the recipe if you have not tried the No Knead Bread yet.

 

The Chocolate Babka recipe was started last night. I cut the recipe was cut in half. I did not want 2 large loaves of bread. This week I picked up to small loaf pans, thinking I could make 2 smaller loaves. It worked out nicely. The bread is really good. I did over bake it a bit but it retained the flaky quality. And the chocolate filling, well forgetaboutit! The recipe is from Food & Wine. Click here for the recipe. I had time today to check out the new Bon Appetit, the Bread Issue, and they have a Chocolate Babka recipe. I will have to try that one next.

Then there was dinner. I make a Crock Pot Chili. "Wow!' Yes that was a quote from Chris during dinner. It was the perfect dinner for a snowy day. I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven blog, I love the name of this blog!

Slow Cooker Chili from Gimme Some Oven -

Ingredients-
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped (*add more for extra smokyness and heat)
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (**see below for substitution ideas)
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 cup beer or beef broth
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
(Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips or strips, thinly-sliced green onions, sour
cream, salsa, etc.)

Method-
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the beef is completely browned, crumbling the beef with a spoon as it cooks. Drain about half of the excess fat. Then transfer the beef into the bottom of a slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.

Serve warm, with desired toppings.

And I made Homemade Cheez-Its from Food 52 to go with the Chili. You can not eat just one. At first I thought I put in too much salt but heck no! Perfect amount. Next time I will try adding some cayenne pepper.

Homemade Cheez-Its from Food 52-

Ingredients-
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
7 1/2 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) finely grated sharp cheddar
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Method-
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and cheese and pulse until very well combined. Add 2 tablespoons water and pulse until the dough is just wet enough to hold together when squeezed. Add up to 2 tablespoons more water if necessary.

Divide the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Press each half of dough into a flat square, wrap well, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Working with one square at a time, roll the dough out to a scant 1/8-inch thick. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3/4 inch-wide strips. Then cut the dough in the other direction to make 3/4-inch squares. Use the flat end of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each square. Freeze the dough until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Brush half a sheet with the egg white and sprinkle with salt. Use an offset spatula to gently break the egg washed dough apart and place the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed and set and browned on the bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. (Make sure to cook them well so that the finished crackers are crisp. Completely frozen dough may take a few extra minutes to bake.) Transfer the parchment with the bake crackers onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining frozen crackers. Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container.