Thursday, February 18, 2010

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SHALLOT/WINE REDUCTION

This recipe sounds fancy, but it's really quite simple. The pork tenderloins can be found pre-packaged, usuallly by Hormel; they come in a "log" shape. Look for the unflavored variety for this recipe. You can grill the pork instead of roasting in oven if you prefer, but be careful not to overcook it. Make the sauce while the pork is cooking so that the pork will not have to sit long after cooking.
My husband came up with this one. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sweet white wine, such as Moscato or Chenin Blanc
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbls butter
2 tbls half-and-half (optional; can omit for a thinner sauce)

To cook pork:
Preheat oven to 375˚. Cut "log" of pork in half crosswise. (If necessary, hold pork together w/toothpicks or kitchen twine to maintain rounded shape.) Trim pork of fat, and pat dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt & black pepper as desired. Roast pork, raised on a small rack, until internal temperature reaches 155˚ - 160˚ (approximately 20 minutes, but go by temperature rather than time). Meat should be opaque and slightly pink in center. Do not overcook pork; it will be cooked more by end of recipe. Slice tenderloin into medallions, about
1 - 11/2" thick. Set aside & keep warm.
Meanwhile, to make sauce:
Melt butter in medium-sized skillet over med-low heat. Saute shallots until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, and increase heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a high simmer & cook until sauce is reduced by about half. Add wine & repeat process: Bring to boil, then lower heat & reduce by half again. Add half-and-half, & stir over low heat until heated through. Remove sauce to small bowl & keep warm, leaving a bit of sauce coating the skillet. Deglaze pan by stirring over low heat until sauce dries up a bit & leaves crusty bits in the pan.
Final assembly:
Brown pork medallions in deglazed pan (in batches, if necessary) for about 30 seconds per side. Pork should absorb bits of sauce from pan. Quickly place medallions on serving plates & drizzle with reserved sauce. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

SPINACH, FETA, AND TOMATO QUICHE

6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
3 Tbls. olive oil
11/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Filling
10 oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed, all liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Quiche batter:
2 eggs
1 cup low fat or fat free milk
pinch ground nutmeg

preheat oven to 350
To make crust, coat 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
Lay 1 phyllo sheet on work surface and brush all over with oil.
Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds.
Top with second phyllo sheet,brush with oil.
Repeat until you have used all 6 phyllo sheets. Press into pie pan; trim with scissors.
To make filling: Stir together spinach and onion. Sprinkle feta cheese over crust. Top with spinach mixture. Arrange tomatoes on top.
To make Quiche batter: Whisk together all ingrediants in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour Quiche batter over filling into crust. Set Quiche on baking sheet and bake until top is brown and center is set. It took about 35 min.
You can make this Quiche bigger by adding 1/2 cup more milk for every egg you add to the filling. Also add any veggies that sound good to you.
I have also used fresh spinach and sun dried tomatoes and half feta and half blue cheese . Enjoy !!!

Monday, February 8, 2010

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

What better recipe to post during cold & flu season?! This is a delicious soup recipe, and it's really easy. The only time-consuming part is chopping the vegetables. You could always use pre-chopped frozen vegetables to speed things up, and any variety of veggies will do. I really love to include lots of mushroom and carrots, and about a cup of frozen corn. I've also made it with spinach, broccoli, shredded cabbage, cauliflower, and/or zucchini. For the noodles, try the frozen variety--they are very doughy and much tastier than the dried noodle variety. Look at the cooking time on the bag of noodles--buy the ones that cook in about 5 minutes. (If you get the ones that take 20-30 minutes to cook, your chicken & veggies will probably be overcooked, and the noodles absorb so much of the liquid that you will lose a lot of the rich broth.)

1/2 tbls butter
1/2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 box (32 oz) + 1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cans water
2 tbls chicken broth base or bouillon granules
3-4 cups veggies, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbls dried, or 1/2 cup fresh, parsley
2 tbls dried basil
dash tarragon
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups (measure uncooked) frozen noodles, such as Reames or Aunt Vi's brand

Heat butter and olive oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add broth, water, and chicken base. Heat to boiling, stirring well to dissolve chicken base. Add veggies and all remaining ingredients, except chicken and noodles. Return mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered at a low boil 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is opaque. Add noodles, and return to a boil. Reduce to a low boil again. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are done, approximately 5 minutes (check noodles package for correct cooking time).
This soup reheats nicely, and it is even better the 2nd day.

Vegetarian Option:
Omit chicken, and serve as Vegetable Soup

This makes a large pot of soup. I've never actually counted the servings, but I'm guessing it would make about 8 main-dish servings, or about 16 cups.