Smothered pork chops

Updated from americantestkitchen.com

Serves 4

Make sure to use low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe; regular chicken broth can result in an over seasoned sauce. Serve smothered chops with a starch to soak up the rich gravy. Simple egg noodles were the test kitchen favorite, but rice or mashed potatoes also taste great.

INGREDIENTS

3 ounces bacon (about 3 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Vegetable oil

4 bone-in, rib-end pork chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick

Ground black pepper

2 medium yellow onions, halved pole-to-pole and sliced thin (about 3 1/2 cups)

Table salt

2 tablespoons water

2 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Fry bacon in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in saucepan (you should have 2 tablespoons bacon fat; if not, supplement with vegetable oil). Reduce heat to medium-low and gradually whisk flour into fat until smooth. Cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is light brown, about the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth in slow, steady stream; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally; cover and set aside off heat.
   2. Heat 1-tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, dry pork chops with paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2-teaspoon pepper. Brown chops in single layer until deep golden on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chops to large plate and set aside.
   3. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon oil, onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and water to now-empty skillet. Using wooden spoon, scrape browned bits on pan bottom and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Return chops to skillet in single layer, covering chops with onions. Pour in warm sauce and any juices collected from pork; add bay leaves. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until pork is tender and paring knife inserted into chops meets very little resistance, about 30 minutes.
   4. Transfer chops to warmed serving platter and tent with foil. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer sauce rapidly, stirring frequently, until thickened to gravy-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves, stir in parsley, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Cover chops with sauce, sprinkle with reserved bacon, and serve immediately.

Dirty Rice w/ Andouille Sausage

updated from foodtv.com

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice
4 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound Andouille Sausage, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Make the rice, in a medium saucepan, combine the rice and chicken stock (3 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until all the stock is absorbed into the rice, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup chicken stock and cayenne. Cook until the stock has reduced a little. Add the cooked rice and parsley and stir thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Roasted Shrimp Tacos w/ Mango-Avocado Salsa

From the Kitchn.com

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

For the salsa:

1 ripe mango

1 ripe avocado

1-2 jalapeños, depending on how spicy you like your salsa

1 lime

Salt and pepper

For the shrimp:

1 pound medium-sized (17-21 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

To serve:

6-inch corn or flour tortillas

Cotija cheese, crumbled

Extra lime wedges

Chopped cilantro

Hot sauce

To prepare the salsa, dice the mango and the avocado, and mix together in a bowl. (For further instructions: How to Dice a Mango) If your mango is very ripe, it may break down as you stir it; this is fine.

Trim the tops off the jalapeños and then slice them down their length. Scoop out and discard the seeds and white pith. Cut the jalapeños cross-wise into very thin slices. Combine the jalapeños with the mangos and avocados.

Squeeze the lime juice over the salsa and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Set the salsa aside until serving.

To prepare the shrimp, heat the oven to 400°F with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the shrimp on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 6-8 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

While the shrimp are roasting, arrange an area for assembling the tacos. Wrap the tortillas in foil and let them heat in the oven for a few minutes in the oven alongside the shrimp. Set out bowls of salsa, crumbled cotija cheese, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro alongside the hot sauces. When the shrimp have finished roasting, transfer them to a serving platter. Assemble and eat the tacos while the shrimp is still warm from the oven

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

HEJ: cook the following on Sunday and still eating it. A couple of notes, I left out pearl onions since Felicia and I did not want the oniony taste. Do not add any salt or pepper while cooking. Such seasoning you can add to individual bowls.

From the episode: Dutch Oven Classics

Serves 6 to 8

Use a good-quality, medium-bodied wine, such as Pinot Noir, for this stew. Try to find beef that is well marbled with white veins of fat. Meat that is too lean will come out slightly dry. Four pounds of blade steaks, trimmed of gristle and silver skin, can be substituted for the chuck-eye roast. While the blade steak will yield slightly thinner pieces after trimming, it should still be cut into 11/2-inch pieces. Look for salt pork that is roughly 75 percent lean. The stew can be cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat it gently before serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

4 anchovy fillets , finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (see note and step by step below)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (hej: only use 2nd tablespoon if needed)

1 large onion , halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

4 medium carrots , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups red wine (see note)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 ounces salt pork , rinsed of excess salt (see note)

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes , scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces (hej: about 5 small to medium potatoes)

1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions , thawed

2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)

1/2 cup water

1 cup frozen peas , thawed

Table salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in a small bowl; press with back of fork to form a paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

3. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

4. Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and salt pork. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

5. Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

6. Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.

7. Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

Easy Turkey Chili with Kale

Easy Turkey Chili with Kale

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings

4 strips of bacon, chopped

1-1 1/2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey (preferably dark meat)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 cups low sodium chicken broth, plus more to taste

1/2 bunch (4-5 ounces) kale, stems removed and leaves chopped into ribbons

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Over medium heat, cook bacon until well rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towel. Eat bacon while your cooking. Add the turkey, season with some of the salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the turkey apart into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. If you have some fat left in the pan, drain off all but 1 tablespoon; if you don't have any fat left, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, season with some of the salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and remaining salt and pepper to the onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring to combine the paste with the spices. Add the diced tomatoes and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat and 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Add the kale, beans, and corn and continue cooking until the kale has softened and tastes tender, but is still bright green, about 10 more minutes. Taste the chili — add more broth for a soupier chili and add more sugar or spices to taste. Leftovers can be kept refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months.