Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens (15 page)

Black pepper, to taste

1
Preheat oven to 350°. Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Cut the goat cheese into fourths. Carefully lift the skin on each breast (just be careful not to remove the skin entirely. You want one side to remain attached) and insert a piece of goat cheese. Top the goat cheese with a slice of Prosciutto and 2 sage leaves, and press the skin back down.

2
Season the top and bottom of each breast with salt and pepper. Carefully lay the chicken pieces skin side down in the sauté pan. Allow the skin to brown for 3 minutes, then turn each breast.

3
Place the entire sauté pan into the oven and cook the chicken for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°. Check its temperature by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, which should be near the bone that attaches to the breast. Serve immediately alongside just about anything, with no disappointment, but I would recommend a tall, soft pile of the Mashed Magnificence (p. 174) for the breast to lean up against with the wing high in the air, and some braised purple kale tucked into the side.

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

Cutting through the savory outside crust reveals a moist apricot filling making this a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Serve it with Roasted Vegetables (p. 171) and Espagnole Sauce (p. 204) for a standing ovation from even a crappy audience.

¼ cup minced fresh thyme

¼ cup minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1 whole pork tenderloin, about a pound

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 pound dried apricots, quartered

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toss the thyme, rosemary, and sage together in a small bowl, set aside. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine the apricots with the minced garlic and parsley. Place the pork on the cutting board. Insert your bread knife into the short end of the tenderloin. Hold the pork steady with one hand lying flat on top of it, and carefully slice through the center of the pork lengthwise, creating a tunnel of sorts.

2
Stuff the garlicky apricot pieces into one end of the tenderloin tunnel until they start coming out the other side. Store any leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge, and it will stay good for a week. Completely cover the outside of the pork with the herb mixture.

3
Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat (any higher and you will burn your herbs) and add the olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, carefully place the tenderloin in the pan. Allow it to brown for 1 minute, and then turn it slightly. Repeat this until the tenderloin is brown all the way around, and then place it in the oven to finish cooking for 15 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°.

4
Carefully remove the tenderloin from the pan and place it on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Then cut the tenderloin into ¼-inch disks. Pile the Roasted Vegetables (p. 171) high in the center of four dinner plates. Lean and fan out five disks of pork against the veggies. Drizzle the Espagnole Sauce (p. 204) over the pork, and serve immediately.

Rum-Infused,
Carmelized Pork Chops

Serves 4

I like to use a thick cut, bone-in, French-trimmed pork chop. French trimmed means the butcher has already scraped the bone ends clean for you, making an attractive gourmet display. Now you don't have to French the pork chop yourself.

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon water

¼ cup rum

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 bone-in French-trimmed pork chops,

10 ounces each

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1 banana, cut into

¼-inch slices

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1
Preheat oven to 350°. In your 1-quart saucepot, whisk the sugar into the water until it is moist. Place this over medium heat and allow it to simmer. Once the bubbles have begun to get very large and the sugar turns a golden brown color, pull the pot away from the heat and pour in the rum. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and return the pot to cook down for about 10 minutes. Give it a good stir to make sure the caramel has come together (it should be thick and uniform at this point), and again remove it from the heat.

2
Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Season each side of all four pork chops with salt and pepper. Once the pan has begun to smoke, carefully lay each pork chop into the pan to brown for 5 minutes on this side. Then turn them over, and place the entire pan into the oven to cook for 12 minutes.

3
Take the pan out of the oven and place the chops onto a serving platter. Return the pan to a burner set to medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the slices of banana. Cook them for 2 minutes and then turn them over. Add the caramel sauce and heavy cream and again bring the sauce to a simmer. Keep the bananas intact by stirring gently around them.

4
Pour the sauce evenly over the pork chops, placing one banana slice on top of each chop, and serve immediately! Family style presentation is easy to plate and works well with a dramatic meal like this. With the pork chops plattered and ready to go, have another platter of roasted brussel sprouts and baby red potatoes (Roasted Vegetables p. 171) that you've sprinkled with red pepper flake to add a spicy contrast to the chop.

Daylight Come and Me
Want Pork Stew

Serves 10 to 12

Everything in this dish requires only a rough chop as opposed to a dice, making the preparation a snap, and if you utilize the leftover rice from the night before, it becomes a one-pot wonder.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ pounds boneless pork loin, cubed

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

30 ounces black beans, canned and rinsed

2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes (about 3 to 4)

1 cup chopped cherry or red peppers

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 plantain, sliced (don't substitute bananas, they won't hold up in this dish)

16 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock

6 cups cooked jasmine rice (p. 176)

Red pepper flakes, as needed

1
Place your 12-quart stockpot on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When it begins to smoke, add the pork to brown for 2 minutes while seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Then turn each piece to brown all over. Add the beans, vegetables, and spices to the pork and sauté for 5 minutes.

2
Toss the plantain slices into the pork mixture and then add the stock. Raise the temperature to high, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the plantains are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3
For individual servings, place 1 cup of cooked rice into the center of each bowl and then ladle the stew over the top. Garnish with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Cherry Cassis Lamb Skewers

Serves 10

This recipe employs prepared veal demi-glace, which you can find in the freezer section of your gourmet market. By dressing up the demi-glace with shallots, garlic, dried cherries, and crème de cassis, no one will ever guess the base of the sauce is store-bought.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup crème de cassis (black currant liquor)

½ cup dried cherries

1 cup prepared veal demi-glace

2 pounds lamb top round

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

36 wooden skewers,

6 inches long

1
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium-heat and add the butter. Once it is melted, add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until the garlic is soft and the shallots are translucent. Pour in the crème de cassis, raise the temperature to high, and allow it to reduce by half. Then stir in the dried cherries and the demi-glace and reduce to a simmer. Allow this to thicken while you make the skewers.

2
Using a very sharp chef's knife, slice your lamb into ¼-inch thick strips that are about 4-inches long by 1-inch wide. Season the lamb lightly with sea salt and black pepper. Tightly lay the seasoned strips in a single layer on a sheet tray. Place the sheet of lamb into the oven for 6 minutes or until golden brown, and remove them to cool slightly.

3
When cool enough to handle, weave each piece of lamb onto its own skewer. Taste your cassis sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then use a pastry brush to paint each skewer heavily with sauce. Serve immediately. These tasty morsels also make a great party appetizer.

Braised Short Ribs
Long on Taste

Serves 4

Hope your guests are ready to get their hands dirty! This finger-licking, one-pot wonder is the perfect gourmet dish for hungry company.

¼ cup olive oil

6 pounds English-style beef short ribs

Sea salt, as needed

Black pepper, as needed

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups large dice yellow onion

1 cup large dice carrot

1 cup large dice celery

¼ cup minced garlic

½ cup fresh brewed coffee

1 cup red wine

3 cups beef stock

8 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1
Preheat oven to 400°. Put a Dutch oven or braising pan on the stovetop, heat to medium-high heat, and add the olive oil.

2
Season the short ribs heavily with salt and pepper, then dredge each piece lightly in flour.

3
When the pan begins to smoke, lay one rib on its side into the oil. Let it brown for about 5 minutes, and then turn it slightly to begin browning the other side. Once it is dark on all sides, remove from the pan and begin again. Repeat this for all the ribs, and feel free to brown more than one at a time.

4
Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Move the vegetables around in the pan using your heat resistant spatula to make them cook more evenly. When they have begun to soften and caramelize slightly, add the garlic and coffee.

5
Allow this to cook together for 1 minute, then add the wine and bring it up to a simmer. Once it has reduced by half, add the beef stock and crushed tomatoes. Turn off the burner, and bury the ribs in the sauce. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the meat is peeling away from the bone.

6
Place the ribs on a serving platter, and season the sauce to your taste with salt and pepper. Pour just enough finished sauce over the ribs to cover, and serve immediately. Garnish with lots of freshly chopped parsley. The ultimate one-pot wonder, this dish is perfect served with Mashed Magnificence (p. 174) or Call the Po-Po on This Polenta (p. 177).