Pork Chops

Sometimes I'm inspired by things found in the garden. Today, I picked up some fresh thyme and oregano to use with pork chops. And the excitement that the first tomato of the season is almost ready to pick inspired a fresh tomato sauce.  

Thinly sliced pork browned in a saucepan with olive oil and butter. Remove and set aside.  Add two large shallots roughly chopped, a tablespoon of minced garlic. Then add 3 cups of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 red bell pepper, a splash or two of red wine vinegar, a dash or three of Portuguese piri piri sauce, thyme, oregano, capers and add the pork chops back to the sauce. Simmer until done.  

Happy Eats!  

Stuffed Pork Loin

Oh my goodness, this is one de-lish dish!  

To make the stuffing cook one diced onion with about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the onions begin to soften, add about 10 ounces of homemade Portuguese chorizo. Brown chorizo and remove from heat and let it cool.  Add cheese and parsley.  

Remove fat from a pork loin and slice open so that it can be stuffed and rolled jelly-roll style.  Layer the stuffing and roll tying with butcher's string.  

Mix olive oil, salt, parsley, paprika and chilli powder and rub the pork loin.  

Roast in a 350° F oven until the internal temperature reaches 150° F.  Enjoy!  Left-overs are delicious when thinly sliced for sandwiches.  

Untraditional, Yes!

This weekend we're celebrating Thanksgiving and I'm thankful that there is no turkey on the menu. Oh and I'm thankful for my family too.   

On the menu there was stuffed pork loin, mushroom gravy, roasted red and sweet potatoes with red onions and rosemary, green peas, caesar salad and gluten-free pumpkin pie from Lorenzo's. At Lorenzo's I was able to find gluten-free pumpernickel bread for the stuffing. They ran out by the time I got there but there was a mini-loaf that they let me have that worked out to be the perfect amount. Thank you!  

While the food was in the oven, there was time to set the table.

No croutons left over for the salad, de-lish non-the-less.  

Cheesey fall themed decorations for a simple centre piece.  

So thankful for so much. 

Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating this weekend.   

One of My Favourites: Curried Pork Tenderloin with Curried Blueberry Sauce

Ground Cumin

Curry Powder

Turmeric

Fresh Ginger

Cardamon

Butter

Olive Oil

Sliced Mushrooms

Organic fresh Blueberries

Butter

Curry Powder

Paint the plate with the blueberry sauce, layer with sauteed mushrooms and top with pork tenderloin that has first been seared and then finished off in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Serve with stir fried baby bok choy, yellow bell peppers and zucchini.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is one of my favourite comfort food on a cool rainy summer day. The meatballs were taken out of the freezer this morning. They are not store bought. These are homemade meatballs.

gluten free bread crumbs soaked in milk for about ten minutes and then add:

ground pork

lean ground beef

eggs

seasonings

fresh basil

shaved parmesan cheese

Mix altogether and form meatballs. Bake in the oven but until half way done. Cool and freeze until ready to use.  

When meatballs have defrosted they are ready to finish in sauce. I like to use the homemade red pepper sauce but store bought sauce will work too. Add to a sauce pan the sauce and about 5 tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Gently place the meatballs in the sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs are simmering away in the sauce cook your gluten free pasta. 

I like my pasta to be cooked al dente and I avoid white rice based pasta. I find that they fall apart easily and don't give me that al dente texture. I do like TruRoots Ancient Grains Pasta the best but it is hard to find their spaghetti in these parts. You can order it online but beware of shipping costs outside of the United States. When I can't find TruRoots' spaghetti I'll opt for an organic corn spaghetti from Europe (European countries don't use GMO corn).  

When the spaghetti has reached the desired doneness drain and add to the sauce and meatballs. Give it a gentle toss and serve. I don't sprinkle my pasta with cheese, it is already in the meatballs!

  

Trying to Connect with my Portuguese Background...

I'm not Portuguese, I'm the furtherest thing from it, I am a hyphen. My parents are Portuguese. They left the scenic island of Azores for the isolated prairie landscape. Growing up in the Canadian prairies, there wasn't a Portuguese culture to absorb. There were many years growing up before other Portuguese people started to settle in our prairie city.

I was born and raised in a French Canadian community as an outsider. I grew up feeling like an outsider of the Portuguese, Canadian and French communities of my past. I am a hyphen.



However, I do feel connected to the Portuguese side of the hyphen through food.

A symbol of this is when I am blessed with the pleasure to help my parents make sausage. It is an experience that is filled with stories about my grandparents who I have never met and what it was like growing up in the old country. Sausage making is a project where all available hands are appreciated. It is a lot of work and a lot of fun.

There is an African proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the same can be said with making sausage, it takes a village and lots of love to make homemade sausage. It is love of family and good food that makes one sit for hours to stuff sausages by hand.

Sonia Nolasco wrote a beautiful piece, Chouriço:  Connecting the New and Old World through Smoked Sausage, and captures what sausage making means to the Portuguese culture. I recommend the culinary trip into this wonderful tradition. Nolasco even shares her family recipe (close to our family recipe, but we use red wine).

Pot Luck!

Later this afternoon I'm getting together with my brothers, I guess you can say for a pre-New Year's fete of sorts. It is a pot-luck do and I'm bringing Southwestern Pulled Pork that I prepared in the slow cooker.  One of my brothers will be bringing the buns.  I wonder if he'll remember to pick me up a gluten-free bun?

Anyway, here is how it all came together:  

1 teaspoon of olive oil

2 large onions, diced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

8 shallots, minced

2 tablespoons of chilli powder

a good grind of the pepper mill

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups of chilli sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

couple of splashes of liquid smoke

couple of splashes of worcestershire sauce 

In a skillet heat the oil and saute the onions for a few minutes until they start to get soft.  Add the shallots and cook for another minute before adding the freshly minced garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so.  Season with chilli powder and black pepper.  Add the chilli sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, reduce and let it simmer for five minutes.  

Place boneless pork loin in the slow cooker, pour sauce over the pork, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.  Shred the pork using two forks, and let it soak up the juices while resting on the warm control.  

Serve with gluten-free buns.