First Greens of the Season

 Sometimes food makes me happy. Especially when it comes from the garden. 

Especially when gardening here in New Mexico is such a challenge, what with the cold nights, the extremely hot days, the poor soil, the drought, the squirrels, the insects. Did I mention the blistering sun?

Today I was able to gather a good bunch of assorted greens: Swiss chard, kale, and spinach. This was all a substitute for my usual escarole. With a little variation, the Italian bean and pork hock minestra was excellent. 

At the last minute I decided that homemade potato gnocchi would go well with the soup. 

And, yes, it made me happy. 

Spinach, Swiss chard, kale. Extra virgin olive oil, garlic, peperoncini (hot pepper). cooked together. Pork hock, boiled. Cannellini beans, ceci (garbanzo beans), black pepper. Simmer for a couple of hours or more.

Potato gnocchi.

Serve together. Be Happy.

My Version of Chili Con Carne

This is easy comfort food for a winter day.

Pork loin, olive oil, garlic, diced onion, diced jalapenos or chili peppers, hot pepper flakes, chili powder, oregano, canned beans, crushed tomatoes. (I use canned beans because no matter what - soaking overnight, not putting in salt, using baking soda, dry beans will NOT COOK for me. Is it the Cochiti water?)

Saute the veggies and meat in olive oil, add tomatoes and spices and beans and simmer for a couple of hours, more or less.

Serve with a good bread or over rice.

Chili Con Leftovers

I made another non-traditional chili tonight. About the only thing it has in common with chili is the chili powder and beans, and even then I didn't have the right beans.

Two nights ago I grilled some pork loin cutlets, very lean but seasoned and grilled to perfection, not dry but juicy. I also grilled some zucchini and some jalapenos and Portuguese hot peppers with evoo, garlic, black pepper. Last night we had corn on the cob leftover.

Sweet Corn off the Cob, Beans, Parsley, Basil,
Chili Powder, Roasted Hot Peppers,
Pork, Tomato Sauce

Into the crock pot went two medium size cans of tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce - just the plain tomato sauce) four pork loin chops cut into very small pieces, three medium size cans of beans (black beans and great northern and small white - that's all I had on hand) two ears of corn, kernels only, five or six jalapenos and Portuguese hots, roasted and peeled, and a whole zucchini which I first diced and sautéed with an onion and garlic and green pepper and a good handful of green beans from the garden that I cut up - all sautéed in evoo till tender. A few spoons of chili powder, parsley, basil, NO salt as the canned beans have some salt.

Sauteing some Zucchini, Onion, Green Beans,
Green Pepper,  Garlic, EVOO

The chili cooked all afternoon. We added a little shredded cheddar (not as much as I used to because I'm limiting my fat intake).

It had just the right amount of heat for me, a little hotter would be good too; I will say it was really tasty.

Dinner's Ready!

The Chili Con Leftovers with Cheddar and Bread

Not Quite Vegetarian Chili

I've always loved vegetables but now I am trying to lose weight so more veggies the better.  But chili without meat...I'm not quite there yet.

For tonight's dish, I used a couple of pork chops diced up a lot smaller than bite size; 

2-3 cloves garlic, 

and diced: 

2 small onions, 

1 green pepper, 

6 jalapeno peppers, 

1 cup celery, 

1 zucchini;

2 tbsp olive oil, 

3/4 cup red wine, 

salt, pepper, chili powder, brown sugar and 

3 cans of beans (not pictured) - kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans ( more or different - as you like)

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (not pictured).

 Saute the garlic and the meat in a tablespoon of olive oil; add salt and pepper; add red wine and cook for a few minutes;  remove the meat and juices;

saute the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few minutes;

add the green pepper, jalapeno pepper, saute a few minutes; 

 add the celery and the zucchini; saute until heated through, a few minutes; add salt.

return the meat to the pot, add the tomato and beans;
add a tablespoon brown sugar and chili powder to taste

I realized I had a piece of grilled rib eye steak left over from the other night so I cut it up fine and added it to the chili...why not?

Serve with grated cheddar, jack or other cheese of your choice.  Salad and wine and homemade bread completed tonight's dinner.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Veggies

I had some leftover pork roast in the fridge and one of the best things to do with left over pork other than making tomato sauce is serving it up with stir fried veggies.

Get some white rice going on the stovetop - you know how to do that.

Heat up the left over pork in a skillet, maybe add a splash of soy sauce.

Here we have the cut up pork, onion, mushroom, green pepper, broccoli, celery, snow peas and bean sprouts.  Heat up a wok, throw in some some oil and garlic, toss in the veggies and stir it up.  A few dashes of soy sauce to season it up.  Heat through, but don't over cook - the veggies should be hot but crisp.

Serve it all together - pork, rice and veggies.  Nice.

Pork Roast With a Future

Tonight I made a pork roast - an inexpensive shoulder roast - and it was deliciously garlicky with roasted potatoes, carrots and onions and red wine.  Salt and pepper.  Get the garlic inside the roast by making slits all over the roast and filling with a clove of garlic or chopped garlic.  

Serve with the pan roasted veggies and a side of sweet potato.  Bread rolls to soak up the juices.  

But the destiny of this roast pork is to become the main meat flavoring for tomorrows tomato sauce.  Among Rhode Island Italian Americans and perhaps others in the Northeast, "gravy" is a term synonymous with tomato meat sauce.  It makes some sense because all those good juices, the "gravy" gets added to the sauce along with the leftover pork, some Italian sausage, and meatballs.  More on that tomorrow.  

For now, Dinner's Ready!

Not the meatiest roast, but enough for two and definitely a great addition to tomorrow's tomato sauce.

Rachel Ray, Eat Your Heart Out

Pork Chops with Onions and Wine, 

Microwave Red Potatoes, 

Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples 

- for two. 

 This expedient meal was ready and on the table in less than 25 minutes.  OK, the garlic was already chopped and in the freezer.  You'll need two skillets and a microwave safe bowl.  Start your burners.  In one skillet drizzle a little olive oil and add some chopped garlic, about a clove or two for the chops; in the other skillet 2 tablespoons of butter for the cabbage.  Shred a half of a small head of cabbage or a third of a large one and add the cabbage to the skillet with the now melted butter.  Move the cabbage around, keep an eye on it; it should wilt and not burn.

Slice and add a couple of small onions to the oil and garlic and saute until the onions start to wilt and get a little brown.  Meanwhile wash three or five Red Potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch slices.  Place them in the bowl, drizzle with oil, place a pat of butter on top, salt and pepper, cover with plastic wrap.  Place in microwave set for six minutes.

Put three pork chops (one and a half each or one for the dog) in the skillet with the garlic and onions which you have to move to make room for the meat.  Keep the heat on.  Add salt and pepper.

Peel and slice an apple and add to the cabbage; add a good tablespoon of brown sugar and a sprinkle of vinegar.  Add a little water - 1/4 cup should do.  Keep stirring and lower the heat and cover.  Cook for a few minutes and turn off the heat.

Turn over the chops, let them cook another minute or so, then add 1/4 cup of red wine.  OK, the wine has been open for more than 72 hours or whatever.  Like I care.  Wine snob, I'm not.  The bottle will be served at the table too, even if we opened it two weeks ago.  Cover and simmer for another couple of minutes.

Check the potatoes...they may need another 2 minutes in the nuker.  I think that does it.

Yell, "Dinner's ready."