Asian Lettuce Wraps - April Foodie Penpals

Check out the great items our April Foodie Penpal Molly K. sent us -- all the (non-perishable) makings for Asian Lettuce Wraps, with tips and instructions on how to make them. It was so very thoughtful, and it made for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner for the two of us during a very hectic work week.

We decided to make the wraps using ground pork along with the water chestnuts provided in our penpal package. Molly had asked ahead of time what we liked/disliked, and when Amy admitted to hating mushrooms (it's a texture thing more than a flavor thing), she sent the water chestnuts instead. It was the perfect substitution!

On his way home from work, Chris picked up a quart of pork fried rice so that we could make the wraps into a full meal. Then we started cooking. First we browned the pork then added the water chestnuts that we had chopped finely. (In other words, we followed the directions on the bottle of sauce!) 

The sauce, from Williams-Sonoma, had plenty of garlic and soy flavor, and glazed the pork wonderfully with a nice tanginess. 

We laid the lettuce out on a platter so each of us could make our own wraps, with the chopped peanuts and sweet chili sauce that Molly had sent us for garnishing. She also sent us some rice stick noodles, but we didn't feel the lettuce wraps needed them, so we are saving them for another Asian-themed dinner.

Thanks, Molly!

To find out more about Foodie Penpals, go here!

Pork and Chipotle Pozole

We are so done with winter, with the snow and sleet and rain and the bitter cold that chills you through and through. But winter doesn't seem to be done with us. Craving warmth, we made this delicious one-pot stew that heated us right up (a little too much heat, actually, but we'll get to that). It's called pozole, and, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, it's a traditional Mexican dish made with cacahuazintle corn (also known as hominy) and meat, and was originally only served on special occasions. The details about that include cannibalism so we won't go into that here so as not to ruin your appetite.

We were inspired by a variety of recipes we found online and made ours with pork. We weren't sure if we could find hominy, but we did find canned hominy in the Goya section at our usual grocery store, which, we are thrilled to say, seems to be stocking a much wider variety of products as of late. We had a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the pantry, and we used three of them to flavor the broth, and then decided next time we will only use two. Or maybe one. It was pretty spicy, so be forewarned. 

Other than that, we were delighted by the various flavors and textures in the stew, as we were with the easiness of making it. And as suspicious as that tin of Mexican oregano may look, it really is Mexican oregano and we suggest looking for it if you plan to make this spicy, zesty dish, because it really gave it an interesting flavor. 

Pork and Chipotle Pozole

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless pork sirloin chops, trimmed and cut into bite-sized cubes

1 onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-3 (to taste) canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (crushed)

2 tablespoons plus 2-3 cups water, divided

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 15-ounce can hominy, rinsed

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

juice of one lime

Suggested garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, tortilla strips, lime wedges

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions, garlic, chipotles, cumin, coriander and oregano and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir up all the browned bits from the pork, and cook until onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 of the remaining 3 cups of water, chicken broth, then whisk in the cornmeal. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Add hominy, then season with salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add the remaining 1 cup of water, depending on taste and consistency, do so here. Continue to simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Return pork to the pot and add lime juice. Cook until pork is warmed through, about 5 additional minutes. Serve in bowls and garnish each serving with cilantro, tortilla strips and a wedge of lime (also a glass of water if you used 3 of the chipotles!)

Italian Pork Chops served with Alexia Oven Reds and Garlic Spinach

Since you are one of A Couple in the Kitchen's readers, you know that we are pretty big on cooking from scratch. But sometimes the "busy-ness" of life just drags you down and all you need is good food fast. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, we received a coupon for a free Alexia Foods frozen food product (we chose their "Oven Reds"). We stopped at the market today, after a particularly busy day, to pick them up. Those, a package of on-sale pork chops, a bag of spinach, and a couple of pantry items is all we needed to make tonight's 25-minute meal (take that, Rachel Ray!), "Italian Pork Chops served with Alexia Oven Reds and Garlic Spinach."

We took a good look at the potatoes once we opened the package. They looked like what they claimed to be, which were wedges cut from "Columbia Basin" red potatoes, and seasoned with olive oil, parmesan cheese and roasted garlic. We could vaguely catch the scent of the cheese and garlic, but then again, they were still frozen at the time. We preheated the oven to 425, as directed, and spread them out in a baking pan. That part was done.

  

We allowed the potatoes to cook for 10 minutes and then started to prepare the rest of the meal. First, we seasoned some plain breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning (you could skip this step by using Italian-style breadcrumbs). We placed those in one shallow bowl; in another, some flour; in a third, an egg beaten with a little water. Into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, then into our heated cast-iron pan went our chops. Three minutes on each side, then into the oven with the whole pan. There were five minutes of cooking time left.

Now, for the greens. We heated some olive oil in a saute pan, added most of our bag of spinach, and crushed a clove of garlic into the pan. By the time the pork and potatoes were done, so was our spinach, and all that was left to do was plate the meal. Everything was done at the same time, and all of it done in 25 minutes (the suggested time for cooking the potatoes), from start to finish.

Our verdict on the potatoes? They are pretty good, particularly for a quick-and-easy frozen food product. We do have a couple of criticisms, however. First, we would have liked them to be crisper on the outside (which may be possible with longer cooking time). And second, they were a little bland, so more cheese and garlic flavor would improve the taste. Still, we applaud Alexia for putting out a tasty, all-natural (yes, we recognized AND could pronounce each ingredient) potato product that makes a busy day that much easier.

Italian Pork Chops served with Alexia Oven Reds and Garlic Spinach

Ingredients:

1 bag Alexia Oven Reds

2 pork chops

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 bag spinach

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 425. Spread the potatoes in one layer on a baking sheet and cook according to package directions. Relax for 10 minutes, because you deserve it and because the rest of the meal only takes 15 minutes to cook. Season pork chops with salt and pepper; set aside. Lay out three shallow bowls. In one, mix together the breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning. In another, place the flour. In the third, beat together the egg and water. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron pan over high heat. Dip each side of each pork chop first in the flour, then in the egg wash, then in the breadcrumbs. Carefully lay the pork chops in the hot pan. Sear for 3 minutes on each side, then place the entire pan in the oven. Heat a saute pan with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the desired amount of spinach and minced garlic. Toss over heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove potatoes and pork chops from oven and serve with spinach.

Disclaimer: Through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, we received a coupon to try one Alexia frozen food product for free. The recipe in this post, all opinions, and the photos, are our own.

Help Make A Couple in the Kitchen America's Next Pork Crock-Stars!

We were notified today that we are contestants in America’s Next Pork Crock-Stars!

But we need YOUR help to win.

Please vote for our recipe by following the voting directions* below. You can vote once per day per email address through Halloween. Have more than one email address? Vote more than once!!! And forward to your friends!

Thank you for your support!

*Voting Directions:

• Go to this website
• Scroll down to the bottom
• Choose “Chris and Amy White Inspired Pork Chops” in the drop-down menu
• Enter your email address
• Repeat if possible, for each of your email addresses, daily until October 31^st

To see the recipe, go here.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Sugar and Spice on Pork Belly is Nice

We have been a little bit obsessed by pork belly since we went to a food festival and tasted a teensy-weensy bite of a pork belly dish created by the chefs at Craftsteak. That was almost two years ago, but the memory has stuck with us so much that every time we see pork belly on a menu, we order it, and we watch anything on Food Network or Cooking Channel that even mentions pork belly.

What is pork belly? Pork belly is a boneless cut of fresh pork derived from the belly of a pig. It is a very fatty cut of meat in fact, but when it is cooked correctly, that fat is rendered down and melts into the most delicious thing you've ever tasted. (In our opinion, anyway.)

When we watched that long-ago demonstration by the chefs at Craftsteak, we jotted down notes on what to do. Looking back, they were almost indecipherable, but we decided to go with the flow and attempt our own version of pork belly based on theirs. How bad could it be? It's bacon, for goodness' sake! The most trouble we had was finding the stuff! It was difficult, but finally, we spotted a pound of it at a Portuguese butcher shop in Ludlow, Massachusetts. We (of course) bought it, and our plan was set into motion.

The elusive pork belly

The goal in our minds was to give the pork a sweet and spicy flavor. With that in mind, we rubbed it with a mixture of brown sugar, salt and Chinese five-spice powder. We wrapped it in cheesecloth and enclosed it in a zipper-bag (having squeezed the air out) in the fridge, allowing it to "marinate" in the rub for five days.

Rubbed and ready for wrapping

Into the refrigerator for five days it goes

Afer that, we rinsed and dried it off, then browned it in a frying pan, cured it in a 275-degree oven, allowed it to cool, and browned it once again before serving.

Rinsed and starting to brown

Hot out of the oven

Was it as good as Craftsteak's? Heck, no. But we're teachers, not award-winning celebrity chefs. With that in mind, was it good? Heck, yeah, it was. With flavors of sweet, salty, and spicy on the tongue, and crispy-on-the-outside/melted-on-the-inside pork fat, one or two bites was all you needed, but it left you wanting more. We'll be experimenting with pork belly very soon, well, as soon as we can find some again!

Sugar and Spice Pork Belly

Ingredients:

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 pound pork belly

oil for frying

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt and five-spice. Score the skin of the pork belly, then rub all of the spice mixture over the entire piece of pork belly. Wrap tightly in cheesecloth and seal in an zip-bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 3-5 days. Remove pork belly from bag and cheesecloth, rinse off spice mixture., and dry. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and brown the pork belly on all sides. Wrap the pork belly in aluminum foil and cure in oven set at 275 degrees for 2 1/2-3 hours. When ready to serve, heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, brown on all sides, and make sure the fat is cooked through. Enjoy in small doses,as a snack or appetizer.

Quick Cuban Pork with Spicy Black Beans

Amy writes:

I remember the first time I tried Cuban pork. Chris was living in Hartford at the time and we were dating. I used to drive down I-91 from Chicopee to visit, and our dates usually revolved around food (shocking, isn't it?). There was a restaurant across from the Trinity College campus called Timothy's that was in walkable distance from Chris's apartment. It was a quaint, charming place beloved by locals, particularly the college crowd, and we went there often. It was there that I fell in love with Cuban pork the first time I had it. The second time? Not so much, see, that was one of the problems with Timothy's - inconsistency. I wanted the Cuban pork to be exactly like the first time, and it never was...ever again. It disappointed me every time, and so I finally stopped ordering it and tried other things whenever we went there, but I never forgot that Cuban pork.

And last week I found myself thinking about it, once again. Timothy's has since closed, so it's not like we could even try it there, and we couldn't think of a place nearby that serves it. Not that it mattered. I was determined to recreate the dish in my own kitchen. Unfortunately, my lack of patience got the best of me this time. I wanted Cuban pork and I wanted it right then. We did not allow enough time for marinating, and we browned the pork on the stovetop rather than roasting it; therefore it was a bit dry. But it was a decent first attempt, flavorful and well-seasoned, and worked well for a quick weeknight dinner. What we did is below if you'd like to try it. But don't worry...we'll keep at it. The perfect Cuban pork will come to us. Let us know if you have any tips or suggestions.

Quick Cuban Pork

Ingredients:

1 1/2-pound boneless pork tenderloin

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the pork tenderloin into strips lengthwise, then place in a large plastic bag. Place remaining ingredients (except olive oil) in plastic bag and marinate for two hours. Remove pork strips and discard remaining marinade. Put a large cast iron pan over high heat and brown the pork strips on all sides; remove from pan and place onto a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the cooked pork. Reheat the pan and add the olive oil. Add shredded pork to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes until meat is dark brown and slightly crispy. Serve with black beans (recipe below).

 

Strips of pork
(left)

Shredded pork
(right)

Spicy Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 15.5-ounce can black beans

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Slow-Cooker Pork with Apples and Onions

Another storm. Another snow day. (Not that we're complaining). A perfect day for a slow-cooked meal, so we give you pork with apples and onions. This recipe is almost too simple - layer the ingredients in the slow cooker and leave it alone for 3 hours. Then eat it. Amazing! And it made the house smell like apples! We served it with chunky mashed potatoes. Let it snow!

Ingredients:

1 Braeburn apple, peeled and sliced

2 pork sirloin chops, cut in half

salt and pepper to taste

1 Cortland apple, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons Red Monkey Stone Ground Spicy Mustard (you could use plain ground mustard, but this one adds a nice kick)

6 pearl onions, peeled

4 cippolini onions, peeled

1 1/2 cups apple cider

1 sprig fresh rosemary

In a 3-quart slow-cooker, layer the ingredients in the order they are listed. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, allowing the slow-cooker to do all the work while you browse A Couple in the Kitchen. Enjoy!!!

Pieces of pork layered between apple slices then seasoned

Thrown in some onions

Apple cider adds extra apple flavor

Pork loves rosemary