Archives for April 2014

Beefy Lamb Meatball Goodness

April 30, 2014 by Dan Leave a Comment

Meatballs with tomato sauce

Yep, another meatball recipe – they’re just so darn good! And perfectly sized to take to work the next day for lunch. So let’s get to it:

Meatballs

1 lb Ground Sirloin
1 lb Ground Lamb
2 cups Cooked Long Grain Rice (I used brown basmati rice)
2 Eggs
2 sprigs Rosemary, chopped
2 sprigs Oregano, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 14.5oz can peeled, chopped Tomatoes

Sauce

5 8oz cans Tomato Sauce
1 sprig Rosemary, chopped
1 sprig Oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon good Balsamic Vinegar
4 tablespoons Honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You’ll need two baking dishes (I used a 9” x 13” and a 9” x 9”)

Combine the ground meat, rice, eggs, chopped rosemary and oregano, grated cheese, canned tomatoes (with the juice) salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together gently using your hands until the ingredients are well mixed.

Form the meat mixture into 2 to 2 ½ inch balls. You should end up with 12 to 14 meatballs. Place the meatballs into your baking dishes so they aren’t crammed together. Place in the oven and back for 30 minutes or until they start to brown on top.

While the meatballs are cooking, make your sauce. Combine the tomato sauce, chopped herbs, balsamic vinegar and honey in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the baking soda a teaspoon at a time. (This will neutralize the acid in the tomato sauce.) Stir in gently. Once it has stopped foaming, add the second teaspoon and mix it in. Once the sauce is hot, taste and add salt and pepper. Turn down to low and let simmer.

Once the meatballs have started to brown, spoon about half your sauce over the meatballs and return them to the oven. Cook another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees.

Serve with the remaining sauce and side dishes of your choice. (We served ours with rice and a vegetable.)

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Smoked Pork Tenderloin Roulade

April 23, 2014 by Dan Leave a Comment

Bacon Wrapped Smoked Pork Tenderloin Roulade

This week’s recipe is a scrumptious porky-extravaganza – pork wrapped in bacon. Seriously, we’ve got “major” amounts of bacon here. Oh and there’s cheese, tangy goat cheese in the middle. Did you see the smoke ring? This is one tasty treat. Let’s get cookin’!

2 to 2 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
1 lb bacon (I prefer thick cut)
1 firm cooking apple (Granny Smiths are good)
4 to 6 oz. soft white goat cheese, at room temperature
Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper

Useful smoker tip: Be sure to prepare the wood for your smoker by soaking it in water over night.

Light the fire in your smoker so it can come to temperature while you work on the rest of the food preparations.

Cut the apple into thin slices, the thinner the better.

The pork tenderloin usually comes with two pieces in a vacuum packed package. You will take both pieces and cut them so they can be laid out flat. Do this by cutting lengthwise down the tenderloin, pulling it open and taking another cut, etc. until it has rolled out into a flat piece. (see images)

Now, lay out the two pieces of tenderloin so they roughly make a rectangle. Spread the goat cheese on the meet as shown, then lay out the apple slices as I’ve demonstrated, covering the meat completely. Sprinkle the apple with cinnamon. Add a slice of bacon on the side towards you, this is where you will start rolling up the pork loin to make the roulade.

Carefully roll up your tenderloin and temporarily tie to keep it from unrolling. This is just to hold it in place while we do the next step.

Now lay out your bacon as shown and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tenderloin on the bacon and begin wrapping the bacon slices around the tenderloin. Use a toothpick to hold the bacon in place. Remove your ties as you go, you don’t want to have someone cut into their dinner and find the string under the bacon. Wrap the entire tenderloin in bacon slices.

Once the tenderloin is wrapped up, get your kitchen twine and start tying your roulade so it will stay rolled up during cooking. A few loops of twine around the tenderloin at even intervals along its length will do fine.

Place the tenderloin in your smoker and smoke until an internal temperature of about 155 degrees is reached. (Mine took a little over 2 ½ hours). Remove the tenderloin from the smoker and carefully wrap in heavy foil, being careful not to puncture the foil with the tooth picks. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.

To serve, remove the string and slice.

Bacon Wrapped Smoked Pork Tenderloin Roulade in the Smoker

Roasted Cornish Game Hens

April 16, 2014 by Ginger 1 Comment

Cornish Game Hens

Perhaps today’s post will encourage you to think “outside the chicken coop” to the Cornish Game Hen. Admittedly, this is not a wild game bird, there’s only a 50-50 chance it’s an actual hen and to be perfectly honest it’s a hybrid chicken! Nevertheless, let’s take a trip down a culinary country lane and whip together this delicious roasted bird:

2 to 4 Cornish Game Hens

1 pound soft, white goat cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Seasoning:
1 tablespoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Olive oil
tooth picks
kitchen twine

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and clean the game hens and pat dry with paper towels. Pay extra attention to the cavity if you are opposed to any bits of organ meat.

To make the stuffing: combine the goat cheese, cranberries, rosemary, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Blend gently with a fork.

The seasoning for the game hens is made by combining the seasoned salt, paprika and cinnamon in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingers.

Stuff the body cavity of each game hen with the cheese mixture. Fill them completely. There should be enough stuffing for 4 game hens. Once the game hens are stuffed, use the toothpicks to hold the body cavity closed and tie the legs together with the kitchen twine. You can use the twine to help hold the cavity closed as well. Turn the wingtips behind the bird so they won’t burn while it is cooking. Gently coat the game hens with olive oil and liberally sprinkle with the seasoning-salt mixture.

Place the game hens, breast up, on a cooking rack and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer in the middle of the stuffing reads 165 degrees. Let the game hens rest for about 15 minutes and serve.

If the game hens are very small, you can serve one per person. If they are larger, cut them in half and serve half a game hen per person.

Note: When handling poultry, be sure to wash your hands often and discard any partially used ingredients that might have been touched after you have touched the poultry without washing. Be sure to thoroughly wash your cutting boards and any utensils used with the raw poulty. We use a clorox solution for extra peace of mind.

Ginger Soy Salmon

April 9, 2014 by Dan Leave a Comment

Ginger Soy Salmon

Is your mouth watering yet? Do you see those wonderfully caramelized areas on this piece of salmon? OMG it is so delicious – and so easy to do! Keep the steaks in the freezer and try out this marvelous salmon recipe:

2 to 4 servings of salmon fillet (be sure to pick good quality salmon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take an oven safe skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium high on your stove top.

While the skillet is heating, skin your salmon (if it isn’t already) and cut it into serving sized pieces. Lightly salt and pepper the salmon.

Please the salmon, skin side down in the skillet and cook until browned (this will take only a few minutes.)

While the salmon is cooking, combine the soy sauce honey and ginger in a small sauce pan and heat just enough to get the honey to mix into the soy sauce.

Once the fish is browned on one side, spoon some of the sauce over each piece of salmon and then place the skillet into the oven and cook at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes or until cooked through. (Unless your salmon is very thick, 5 minutes should be plenty.)

Carefully remove the salmon from the skillet and serve browned side up. Spoon a little more of the sauce over the salmon – and drool no more, just dig in!

Chicken Stir Fry

April 2, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Chicken Stir Fry

Instead of heading out to your local chinese fast food establishment, kick back at home with this quick and easy stir fry recipe. Not only will your tastebuds be happy, your wallet will be too!

1 lb boneless chicken
1 clove garlic, minced (add more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce (We have a recipe here)
1 15 oz can peaches in juice
1/4 cup juice from peaches
1/4 pound chinese peas
cashews

1. Over medium heat – heat a skillet with a little oil in it. When hot add the garlic followed by the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

2. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the teriyaki sauce, the juice from the peaches and the grated ginger. Let simmer until thickened.

3. Bring the temperature back up to medium high and add the chinese peas. Cook until the peas are just getting soft (this only takes a few minutes). Add the peaches and cook only until the peaches are warmed through. Remove from the heat and serve over rice. Top with a few cashews. (Makes 3 to 4 servings)

Yes, it’s that easy!