Pork and Sauerkraut for New Years

Elegant Tenderloin Pinwheels

I grew up with my Mom's traditional pork chops and sauerkraut as our New Year's Day dinner. I just never thought much about it until I started getting objections to this menu. And so it is that although I have tried to just go ahead with making it on a couple of occasions, it was not well received (my husband would just pick off every tiny shred of sauerkraut that clung to the pork or the potatoes), I enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Mom would bake her pork chops in the oven, adding quartered, peeled potatoes to the pan, covered with foil. Once all this was cooked (in the case of the pork chops, way overcooked), she would empty a jar of sauerkraut into a colander, rinse it well, then scatter it over the pork and potatoes, then top with a little brown sugar, cover again and bake. 

So, while my husband has never been keen on the idea of sauerkraut, I know my son and his fiancé do love it. Hence my idea of creating a really stellar pork dish, one that wasn't overcooked, and then making the sauerkraut as a stand-alone dish, so those who do not love it (ahem!) could just skip it, while the rest of us enjoyed. 

My husband's teeth need some work at the moment, so I was looking for something soft; pork tenderloin would be the meat. Then, I recalled a recipe I had made a very long time ago, where the pork was butterflied out flat and filled with a mixture that included prunes (dried plums). I recalled that it was very good, but I wanted to jazz it up some. Recalling another recipe, one for a rolled and stuffed flank steak, where the filling was so amazingly flavorful (from my very old Creme de Colorado cookbook), I got out both these recipes to compare and see what parts of each stuffing recipe I liked best. 

Ingredients I absolutely wanted to include from between the two recipes were: prunes, bacon, spinach, parsley, Romano cheese and mushrooms. White bread crumbs were a part of both recipes, but I had some pumpernickel I wanted to use instead. Nut meal sounded good, and I opted for hazelnut meal. Somewhere I read lemon zest as a possibility for flavor with a pork stuffing. Caramelized onion and garlic were also good additions. For fresh herbs, thyme and sage were added to the list.

Elegant Tenderloin Pinwheels

I wanted to have the pork look pretty in a spiral when sliced, so it would be best to have both of (a package of) two pork tenderloins cut open and slightly overlapped to fill, roll, then tie them in place. There are different ways of cutting open pork tenderloins. One is to simply cut most of the way into the center, lengthwise, open flat and pound the heck out of them until of an even thickness. I hate this. It makes so very much noise, splatters meat, blood and bits everywhere and takes forever to truly get the meat flat. Somewhere online, someone butterflied this way but instead of pounding, cut into each thick section to create an unfolded piece of tenderloin. I don't see that as any easier. My preferred method is to use small cuts with a very sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, continuing parallel until the meat is mostly all one thickness and laid out flat. There are many, many places online showing this and the other methods in excruciating detail, so I do not believe it is needed to reproduce all that here. Whatever method is used, it is good to have the thickness small, about 1/4 to 5/8-inch thick. 

While this seems an extraordinarily long recipe, if broken up into the do ahead parts and finalized on the day of serving, it is very doable. The final result of this experiment was a chorus of groans of pleasure at the table, so I accomplshed my goal. Here is what I did:

Elegant Tenderloin Pinwheels for Dinner

Elegant Tenderloin Pinwheels

Served 8 - 10

STUFFING:
5 ounces bacon, cut small and fried crisp
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1 medium onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt, divided
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon fat
3 tablespoons dry Sherry or Bourbon
6 cloves garlic, minced
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¾ pound fresh mushrooms (I used 'Baby Bella'), sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 - 3 tablespoons Sherry
½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves½½
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¾ cup finely shredded Romano cheese
½ cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1½ cups fresh baby spinach, in fine chiffonade
7 - 8 soft, pitted prunes, cut in small pieces
¾ cup fresh pumpernickel crumbs (or other bread crumbs as preferred)
½ cup hazelnut meal
- zest of one lemon

MEAT:
2 pork tenderloins (about 2.5 lbs. total)
½ teaspoon salt
chicken or beef stock for pan
1 medium onion, sliced

PAN SAUCE:
4 tablespoons Bourbon (or Sherry)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ cup red currant jelly
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup sour cream

Make ahead (1 to 3 days in advance if needed): Begin the stuffing by frying the bacon and draining on paper toweling. Once cooled, place into a medium sized container with lid. Set aside. If using bacon grease, leave a tablespoon worth in the skillet and add in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté on medium to medium high, stirring often until the liquid has mostly gone, then add in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the minced garlic and stir constantly, lowering the heat if needed so as not to burn, until the onions are nicely browned. Add in the Sherry or Bourbon and cook quickly until completely evaporated. Pour the contents into a bowl to cool, then add to the container with the bacon.

Add to the same skillet the butter and olive oil and add the mushrooms, sautéing until all the liquid has cooked out and evaporated. Add in the remaining quarter teaspoon salt and continue cooking, stirring, until the mushrooms are browned. Do not stop cooking the mushrooms as soon as their liquid evaporates or they will be flabby and still leach liquid into the stuffing mixture.  Add in the thyme leaves and the Sherry and cook until the Sherry is completely evaporated. Add the mushrooms to the same plate where the onions cooled; once cool, add to the bacon and onion mixture and refrigerate.

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Grate the Romano cheese and place in another container with lid. Add to the cheese the chopped parsley, spinach chiffonade, prunes, pumpernickel crumbs, hazelnut meal and lemon zest. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate if needed for up to 2 days.

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ON THE DAY:

Remove any silver skin from the tenderloins. Taking one tenderloin at a time, using a very sharp knife with the blade set parallel to the cutting board and about a quarter to a half-inch from the board, begin slicing into the length of the meat.  As it opens, continue to slice in at the same height along the length, using small cuts if needed, until the tenderloin is completely opened flat. Set the tenderloin aside and repeat with the other tenderloin. (Some ideas, with video or pictures, on how to open and flatten the pork tenderloins are here, and here.)

Combine together all of the two containers of prepared stuffing ingredients into one bowl and toss repeatedly until all the ingredients are well and evenly distributed. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Measure out 7 or 8 lengths of cotton kitchen twine, long enough to go around the rolled tenderloin and tie, and set them nearby. 

Place the two tenderloins spread out, slightly overlapping, with one narrow end pointing the opposite direction from the other. This offsets the fact that each sort of come to a point, and makes the whole a more uniform shape to roll. Place the stuffing mixture onto the meat, spreading and patting evenly, leaving about an inch bare all around the perimeter. Neatly roll the meat, carefully lifting while rolling to keep the stuffing from oozing out. Once rolled, slide one piece of cotton twine under the roll and tie at the center, tightly. Repeat this about every 2 to 3 inches. Trin the ends of the twine to no more than a half inch long. 

Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add some olive oil to the an. Carefully brown the meat on all sides. Once browned, set the meat into the prepared 9 x 13 pan. (Leave the skillet as is, to deglaze and make a sauce, later.) Pour some stock around the meat, to no more than a third of the way up the sides of the meat. Add in some of the onion, then cover with foil and bake the meat for 50 to 70 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 155 to 160 degrees. Remove from oven and leave covered. 

Meanwhile, with the skillet on a burner, deglaze the pan with Bourbon or Sherry, stirring with a plastic spoon or spatula until all the browned bits are mixed in. Add in the garlic and jelly, stirring until dissolved. Stir in the butter until emulsified, then add in the sour cream and mix, off heat, until combined. 

Slice the meat across the roll, into 3/4 to 1-inch thick slices. Leave the twine in place to keep the rolls from unraveling (it is easy to remove at table). Set the slices slightly overlapping on a platter and pour the pan sauce down the center of the meat.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Creating a New Appetizer for a Wine Tasting

Smoky Beef & Currant Empanadas

At each year's event to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen, there is an auction held for a wine tasting for 20 to 25 people, to be held in the winning bidder's home - with appetizers by A Harmony of Flavors (that's me!). This year, the people that won the auction are holding their wine and food tasting on August 4th, so it's right around the corner.

Two things I planned to make, just because they are scrumptious, and because they easily pair with certain types of wine, are my Smoky Beef & Currant Empanadas and Chicken & Raisin Samosas.  The Empanadas were originally served with an Argentine Malbec, but they will also pair nicely with a

Chicken & Raisin Samosas

full bodied Cabernet, which will likely be served at this upcoming home wine tasting. The Chicken and Raisin Samosas originally paired with a Conundrum White, which was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Semillon and Muscat Canelli. With or without the chicken (some at this upcoming wine tasting may be vegetarian, so I try to have something for everyone), they will pair with Chardonnay or possibly a Sauvignon Blanc, if it's not too much on the tart side. 

Spanakopita Cups for Sauvignon Blanc

So, I had something to go with a strong red and something to go with a rounder, buttery white like Chardonnay. Next, I thought about the more austere whites, like Sauvignon Blanc and opted to use the Spanakopita Cups, since spinach and Feta cheese are both things that will pair with that white wine. My original Spanakopita recipe is for the spinach/feta mixture to be rolled, flag-like, in phyllo dough. In

Spanakopita Cups

order to simplify while still using phyllo, I used frozen phyllo cups. Making the filling mixture just the same, I then filled two packages worth (30 in all) of phyllo cups with the mixture, then set the cups onto a baking sheet in the center of a preheated 375-degree oven for about 12 minutes, until the filling is set and the phyllo cups are golden. Click the link for my Spanakopita Cups.

But then, what could I make to pair with a softer red, like a Pinot Noir or maybe a fruity Zinfandel or Merlot? I never know what wines the wine representative will bring to these tastings, so I try and prepare for most possible options. I thought about blackberries, because I had just bought a bunch of them, and thinking maybe making something like a chutney of sorts would go nicely with pork. But then, what to do with the pork? 

Hoisin Pork with Blackberry Chutney

Many years ago, for an impromptu wine tasting I held for family, my sister brought a pork tenderloin, that her husband would grill just before we sat down to taste and pair. I asked, since the pork was supremely tasty, just what was the marinade? She said she was almost embarrassed to say it, but all she did was dump a small jar of Hoisin sauce onto the tenderloin and marinate for 24 hours. At another time, she commented that she had started the marinating with Hoisin, but then didn't get to use it right away, so it marinated for at least 2 days. And - it was even better! Grilling will take a little while, depending on how thick or large your pork tenderloin might be. When I made it a few days ago, I also tied cotton twine around the tenderloin, in order for it to stay as round as possible, so the slices would be nice and round. It took about 25 minutes to grill it to doneness.

Hoisin Pork with Blackberry Chutney

Hoisin Pork with Blackberry Chutney

pork tenderloin(s)
1 jar Hoisin sauce
Baguette, sliced thinly
olive oil, for brushing
Blackberry Chutney, recipe below
Chevre cheese, optional

Marinate the pork tenderloin in Hoisin Sauce for 2 days, then grill it. Once grilled to at least 155 degrees, tent it with foil for 10 minutes, then slice it thinly, getting something like 25 to 30 usable slices (I'm making 2 tenderloins for the event). Slice a baguette thinly and set the slices in a single layer, close together on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with olive oil, then broil just until they start to look toasted. Set a slice of tenderloin on each piece of baguette, and then top with a small dollop of Blackberry Chutney. For an alternate method, whip together 2 tablespoons of the Blackberry Chutney with 2 ounces of Chevre cheese, until smooth. This mixture can be used instead of the chutney on its own, or alternately make some with each, for a pretty presentation.

Back to the Blackberry Chutney

I wasn't totally sure how the Hoisin marinated tenderloin would go with a blackberry chutney, but I figured I'd never know till I tried, so I went ahead and made the chutney. And it was mighty good! It would be good on pork of any kind. When preparing to create the recipe, I thought about the flavor profile I wanted: tart, with the blackberries, tart apple and vinegar, a little bit of sweet with some currants and palm sugar, rosemary and juniper for an herbaceous note, some serrano chilies and black pepper for heat. Sounded good to me, so I started preparing. And it was superb!

The apple I used was cooked with the skin and seeds left in. This is to help release pectin into the mixture so the chutney would set up thick. It is really best if you own a food mill to puree this mixture, as it can be quite tedious trying to pass this through a strainer.

Blackberry Chutney

Blackberry Chutney

Makes about 1 cup

1¼ cups fresh blackberries (133 g / 4.7 ounces)
¼ Granny Smith Apple, skin & seeds intact

Cook these first two ingredients with a tiny amount of water to get them started, until they are very soft and tender, 20 or so minutes. Pass the mixture through a food mill, preferably, to remove most seeds and the apple skin and seeds. Discard the seeds and skins and set the puree aside until needed.

1 teaspoon olive oil
½ medium red onion (123 g / 4.35 ounces), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely minced rosemary leaves
5 juniper berries
1 small Serrano chili, minced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon currants (or raisins, chopped)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until very soft and translucent. Add the palm sugar, wine vinegar, rosemary, juniper berries (in cheesecloth for easy removal later), Serrano chili, black pepper, and currants. Stir to dissolve sugar and blend flavors. Add the pureed fruit to the saucepan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir in for another 2 minutes. Pour into a clean glass jar and seal tightly. Keep refrigerated until needed. Should keep for at least a week or so.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Easy Stir-Fry

Vegetable Stir-Fry, closeup

I have been making a stir-fry of sorts for a lot of years. It changes with vegetable availability; both seasonal and just what I have on hand at any given moment. It can be as simple as onion, garlic, ginger, celery, carrot, green pepper and peas - to the additions of bok choy, bean sprouts, frozen peas, snow or sugar snap peas, cabbage or Napa cabbage, squash, green beans, lemongrass, and the list continues. One of the reasons I love to make this stir fry is that I love vegetables. Another reason is that, for whatever reason, though my husband dislikes things like cabbages, carrot or squash, I can put them in this stir-fry and he loves it. I have even sneaked a little broccoli (a true hatred, alongside fresh tomato or large chunks of tomato in anything). When I use bok choy, I slice the white parts on an angle, similarly to the celery. I finely chiffonade the greens and add them at the end. 

What I love best is that there are a lot of vegetables with little calorie count, so I get the bulk that  makes me feel full, with a lot less calories than in most normal meals.

You may wonder about meat. I usually do add meat - either chicken or pork. The way I make it is to use either a pork tenderloin or pork chops, meat cut off of any bone or fat, or chicken breasts. It is best if the meat is only partially thawed, as it makes cutting into thin strips far easier. I slice the meat across the grain, thinly, and then again, into thin strips a little wider than matchsticks. It's hard to get the meat quite that small, and it isn't necessary. Once I have the thin pieces of meat, I prep some fresh garlic and ginger by mincing very finely. I set a nonstick fry pan on relatively high heat, add in some olive oil or coconut oil and add the meat. I stir-fry the meat tossing quickly, until it starts to brown. I toss in the ginger and garlic (about 2 - 3 tablespoons, minced all together). This gets tossed quickly until very fragrant, and then I sprinkle on some soy sauce or Shoyu. Once the soy sauce is evaporated (doesn't take long), I remove the pan from the heat and drizzle on a little Asian dark sesame oil. Once the vegetable part of the stir fry is done, I add the meat and mix it in. Easy. 

Vegetable Stir-Fry

This method of preparing the meat is also something I do when making a more substantial luncheon salad, usually for guests. I love salad, and prefer to toss in just about anything I can find. The meat just makes it heartier. Another thing I have done is to use a rotisserie chicken from the store - just shred and add to the vegetable part of the stir fry.

This is a basic recipe. Feel free to embellish however you might prefer.

Vegetable Stir-Fry

Asian (Dark) Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon oil or coconut oil
1 - 2 large onions, sliced in wedges
1 juicy lemon or lime, or 2 tablespoons vinegar
1 bell pepper, cut in long strips
2 - 3 large stalks celery, cut thinly at an angle
2 cups very thinly sliced cabbage
1 large carrot, grated (large holed grater - or julienne)
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chunk of fresh ginger, about equal to the amount of garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas, OR
1½ cups sugar snap peas or snow peas
3 - 4 tablespoons soy sauce or Shoyu
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably unhulled, raw
2 tablespoons Asian Dark Sesame Oil
¾ cup cashews of choice (I use raw), optional
cilantro, for garnish
cooked rice, for serving

Heat to medium high a very large skillet. Add in the oil or coconut oil, then add the onions. Toss the onions frequently, until they begin to just barely turn color. Add in some vinegar or the juice of one juicy lemon or lime. This seems to help the onions taste better and gives a little zip to the flavor. Continue cooking until the juice or vinegar evaporates. Add in the bell pepper, celery and cabbage and toss for a few minutes until wilted. [In general, add any vegetables that take longer to cook to your desired doneness, first.]

Now add in the garlic and ginger and toss well, until it becomes fragrant. Add in the shredded carrot, sesame seeds and cashews. Drizzle on the Asian dark sesame oil and toss to combine.

Serve over a bed of white or brown rice, rice noodles, or other oriental style noodle.

This makes 4 very hefty portions. It takes about 1 hour, start to finish, if making the meat to add in; otherwise about 45 minutes.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Pork - that Magical Meat

I love pork. I guess if you eat meat, and pork is not kept off your menu for religious or vegetarian purposes, it is a favorite of most. Bacon makes everything taste good. My sister-in-law quipped once that "Bacon could even make cardboard taste good." I'm not sure I would go quite that far, but I expect you know what I mean.

There are so many parts of the animal that are usable, though I usually stick to the more common ones. Bacon, of course, pork loin roasts, pork tenderloins, pork chops, pork ribs, other pork roasts, ham. Once in a while I will cook something like a boneless pork shoulder roast to use in things like a barbecue for summer sandwiches. Pork Barbecue is one of my more favorite things to serve on a bun. The terminology is different in some places. My mother-in-law called what I would term Sloppy Joes, "barbecue". But when I say Pork Barbecue, I mean the wonderfully tender shredded pork roast with barbecue sauce. Yum!

I have made pork barbecue occasionally for many years, though I never thought to set down a "recipe" as such. I rectified that lately, and put the recipe on my website. I used my own Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce recipe for the sauce, and it is just insanely good. Still, any preferred barbecue sauce will work. In past, I have used a regular red barbecue sauce alone, or used a combination of a red sauce combined with a honey-mustard variety. Whatever your preference, it will be good, I am sure. It is a simple meal to prepare. The only messy part comes when you have to remove all the fat from the cooked roast and shred the meat. Obviously, a pork shoulder roast is fatty, and will cook down a fair bit. I just place it into a pot with water nearly to cover and add in some salt, bay leaves, pepper. Sometimes I add an onion, sometimes not. I allow the roast to cook, covered for up to 3 hours, or until it is falling-apart-tender. Remove from the cooking water and let it cool. Breaking it up a bit will speed the cooling process. Then remove fat and shred the meat and you are almost done with no real work involved.

Pork Barbecue

Pork Barbecue

Serves about 6 - 8

3 - 3½ pound boneless pork shoulder
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 large onion, chopped
3 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce, or other barbecue sauce

Place the pork roast into a pot large enough to accommodate without crowding. Add water to almost cover, then add in the salt, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook slowly for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the pork falls apart easily. Remove the meat to a plate until cool enough to handle.

Once meat has cooled, remove all fat and discard, then shred the meat, cutting across the grain to make some strands shorter and more easy to eat. Set aside. In a large skillet, fry the onion until golden brown. Add the garlic and fry for a couple minutes more. Add in the meat and the BBQ sauce; toss to combine and heat through.



Pork Chops with Sage & Currant Jam

Pork chops are a favorite standby. I make them in various ways. One of my favorite go-to-recipes for pork chops is to place the chops into a cold skillet and bring up to fairly high heat. Brown that first side and while it is browning, sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper and then use either fresh sage or rosemary. Chop the herb of choice very finely and sprinkle that all over, along with some minced garlic. Once the first side is browned, flip the pork chops and repeat with the seasonings. Once the second side is browned, place about a tablespoon of Marion Blackberry Jam, or currant jelly on top of each chop. Cover and simmer for about a half hour. The jam/jelly will have made a wonderful sauce around the meat and given great flavor. These are a particular favorite with my husband and his sister. Recently, when I made some "Champagne Pink" Currant Dehydrator Jam, while the jam was too tart for serving on toast, it was fantastic on these pork chops.

I make pork tenderloins all summer long on the grill. I love using the marinade for either chicken or pork tenderloins. I usually clean any fat and silver skin off the tenderloins, then cut them on a bias across the grain into three pieces. They are then about the size of a chicken breast. This marinade is so exceptionally good on either chicken or pork. The meat is great after a half hour of marinating, but can easily be left overnight if it is a time crunch. This is the recipe:

Pork (Chicken or Turkey) in Indian Spices

Pork in Indian Spices

1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloins (or boneless chicken or turkey breasts)
 
MARINADE:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons coriander seed, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cardamom, ground
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a zip top bag or other container. Prepare meat: For pork tenderloins, trim any silver skin and slice the tenderloin diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces. If using chicken breasts, leave whole if small. If large, cut them lengthwise into two pieces. For turkey breasts, cut them lengthwise into 2 pieces each. Place the meat of choice into the marinade and allow at least 1/2 hour of marinating time, turning often so all sides of the meat are in contact with the marinade.

Once the meat is marinated, remove from marinade and grill to desired doneness. It is wonderful with a side of rice. 


I could go on and on, but all this is making me hungry! I hope some of these ideas will give you new avenues to explore.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Three Recipes made an Excellent Dinner

Pork Tenderloin in Dukkah Seasoning

Continuing on with trying out foods and pairings, since I have so many wines fresh in my memory, last evening I recreated 2 recent recipes, but with an addition. I had made Pork Tenderloin in Dukkah Seasoning a couple of weeks back for some friends. An inspired pairing with the Rioja wine I served. Ever since that night, I have been thinking of making the pork again, since it was so very good, and I didn't get to taste much of it. I made aioli from scratch and served little medallions of the pork on thin slices of baguette with the aioli. 

This is a recipe made from scratch. You will need a strong arm and a whisk, or make this with an immersion blender or regular blender. The consistency is just beautiful and the flavor is just divine. Add the parsley or not, as desired. Parsley helps counteract "garlic breath", so you decide. The little bit of vinegar helps counteract the garlic effects also.

Aioli

Aioli on Baguette Slices

Makes about 1 cup

2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoon white vinegar, optional
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, optional
1½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup olive oil

In a little bowl combine the teaspoon of vinegar with the garlic. Allow to stand for a couple of minutes (this takes the sharp bite from the garlic). In a blender, or container for immersion blender, place the egg yolks. Add the parsley and blend to combine. Add in the lemon juice and the garlic with the vinegar and the salt. Blend to combine. With the blender running, drizzle very slowly the olive oil. DO not allow the olive oil to pool, but keeping it always blended in. It may take some time to incorporate all the olive oil. Once incorporated, you should have a beautiful, silky green/gold aioli mixture, as seen above. The trick is incorporating the olive oil properly, which allows the emulsion to take place. Taste for salt; if it needs more, start with ¼ teaspoon. Add pepper if desired. 

Okay, that part was easy, because I had everything I needed. I thawed the pork and got it marinating in Hoisin sauce. In the meantime, I was thinking about biscuit recipes and I got an idea. I went ahead with it and mixed up the biscuits as I was thinking of it. The recipe was quite savory, and I thought these biscuits would go very well with the pork. Here is the recipe, which made 8 large biscuits:

Rosemary Parmesan Biscuits

Rosemary Parmesan Biscuits

¾ cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons shallot, finely minced (about 1 medium shallot)
½ cup Parmesan, finely grated
¼ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 stick cold, unsalted butter
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Coarse salt, for sprinkling

In a small bowl, combine the evaporated milk and vinegar; stir and set aside to thicken. (Buttermilk may be substituted for this step). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together the first 5 ingredients into a medium bowl. Alternatively, place ingredients into bowl and whisk to combine. Add in the next 5 ingredients and whisk together. Grate the stick of butter with a large holed grater, into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter with the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add in the thickened milk and toss with a fork to combine. Once mixture begins to come together, gather the dough into a ball. If the dry ingredients are not coming together add up to 2 tablespoons more milk. Do not make the mixture too soft.

Turn out onto a floured surface and flatten the dough. Fold it over and flatten again, and repeat about 5 more times. This gives the finished biscuits beautiful layers. Pat out the dough to about ¾ inch thick and cut biscuits with a 3 inch cutter. Set onto a lightly greased baking sheet, well apart. Brush tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, until risen and browned.

The Final Product

While roasting the pork tenderloin (about 25 minutes at 450 degrees), I made a new batch of Aioli. This time I didn't have any parsley on hand, so I made it without. I am also in the process of packing up the house to move soon, and had packed up my immersion blender. Since I made the aioli with that little blender last time, it was the first place I went. Alas, it was no longer in its place. So, for the first time, I made a mayonnaise by hand with a whisk. It went far faster than I had expected and was quite simple. Likely it was because the recipe is very small, but the results were as silky smooth and beautifully yellow as last time, minus the parsley. Once the biscuits were done, we sat down to eat, and that combination of the pork with the Dukkah seasonings, the Parmesan Rosemary Biscuits and Aioli was just like heaven.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Wine Tasting, Rating and Pairing Foods

Life is getting hectic. My husband and I hosted a little wine tasting last evening for a couple of friends. We will be a part of a big "Wine Renaissance 2013" event this coming weekend with all proceeds to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen Area. Our little wine tasting last evening was a bit of a primer to show our sponsor what tasting and rating wines is all about.

Delightful Rioja

We have hosted a few wine tastings over the last few years, helping people to try new wines, both alone and then with a food paired for that wine. This helps people to better distinguish what about a wine they like, and if it is one they like alone, or if it is better with food. Using a rating sheet to mark down all pertinent descriptors is another way to learn more about a wine and ones likes or dislikes. I put together some wine rating sheets years ago, but have continued to refine them as time passes and more ideas come up.

Asparagus Appetizers for
White Graves Bordeaux wine

I have an ability to "taste" foods in my mind when reading a recipe, and it serves me very well also when trying to pair foods with wines. I will be making some little appetizer foods to pair with the wines for the Wine Renaissance event next weekend, and that should keep me busy all week long. (Add to that we are moving in a little over a month and I have a huge household to pack up.)

For last night's little wine tasting I served a white Graves from Bordeaux, one I had never tried before, along with three I'd had before, though not recently. Knowing about the styles of a wine helps when pairing foods. I knew that the Graves would be quite dry and minerally, and those kinds generally pair well with something like asparagus. Asparagus can be tricky  to pair with a wine, but these little asparagus appetizers went extremely well, making a slightly austere wine taste more rounded and buttery.


I paired a pork tenderloin, marinated in hoisin sauce and then rolled into Dukkah seasoning and roasted. The Dukkah had almonds and hazelnuts in it along with cumin and coriander and I just felt those flavors would go well with the Rioja wine I served next. I made aioli and spread that onto tiny rounds of bread and broiled the aioli to take the harsh edge of garlic off. One little medallion of the pork went on top. They went so nicely with the Rioja wine. While I served thin slices as an appetizer portion, they can equally well be sliced thicker and served as an entree:

Pork Medallions in Dukkah Seasoning

Pork Medallions in Dukkah Seasoning on bread with aioli:
served with a red Rioja wine

An inspired combination, simple to make, sliced thin and served on baguette slices, these are excellent with a red Rioja wine. Use Aioli to give the meat a little spark of garlic flavor.

Makes about 25 slices

1 pork tenderloin (1 - 1½ pounds)
¾ cup hoisin sauce
¾ cup Dukkah seasoning

Place pork, cleaned of fat or silver skin, into a zip-top bag and pour on the hoisin sauce. Marinate the meat in the hoisin, turning every few hours, for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Place the Dukkah seasoning onto a plate long enough to accommodate the length of the pork. First, using kitchen twine, tie the pork tenderloin in about 5 - 6 places along the length. This ensures the pork comes out in nicely rounded slices. Trim any excess twine. Roll the pork into the Dukkah, pressing so it adheres well. Set aside to rest for at least ½ hour. This drying time helps the Dukkah stay on. Place the roast onto a rack over a baking sheet with sides. Roast at 450 for approximately 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and tent the roast with foil. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

NOTES: Hoisin sauce will likely contain gluten. Seek out a gluten free hoisin sauce to make this gluten free. If the GF hoisin is not sticky enough for the Dukkah seasoning to adhere, you might mix just a little honey into the hoisin before marinating the meat.


For the third wine, a California Syrah, I made the same little beef rolls from flank steak that I had made before, and again the pairing was perfect. The last wine, a dessert Muscat from California, was a tougher pairing. It is hard to  make a dessert that is not too sweet. If the food is too sweet, the wine will taste sour. I decided to try and make some cookies that were heavy on nuts, as that will usually go well. My little cookies turned out great. I called them Saffron Almond Tea Wafers. They would be perfect with a nice cup of tea or coffee, but they were absolutely perfect for the Muscat dessert wine. 

Saffron Almond Tea Wafers:
paired with a sweet California Muscat wine

Saffron Almond Tea Wafers

Makes about 48 little 1½ x ¼-inch little cookies.

1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup almond "flour" (very finely ground almonds)
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cardamom, ground
½ teaspoon lemon zest, finely minced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
⅛ teaspoon saffron threads
2 teaspoons milk, heated
1 egg, lightly beaten

Coarse sugar: "Sparkling" Sugar, Turbinado, Demerara

Place the first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. If you own a mortar and pestle, place the saffron threads into the mortar and grind them to a fine powder. Otherwise, use fingers to powder the threads as well as possible. Add the hot milk to the saffron and set aside.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture in the bowl as for making pie, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine the saffron milk to the egg and beat with a fork to combine, then add to the mixture in the bowl and toss together to form a cohesive dough. Cut two pieces of plastic wrap about 12 inches long. Divide the dough into two sections and roll each into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Set a log of dough onto the edge of one of the pieces of plastic wrap and roll the dough into the wrap, tuck edges under. Repeat with second piece of dough. Refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. On a large plate, pour about ⅓-cup of the coarse sugar. Remove one log of dough from its wrapper and roll it, pressing gently, into the sugar to thoroughly coat the edges. Slice the log into ¼-inch thick slices and lay them onto a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Repeat with the second log of dough. Bake the cookies for about 6 to 8 minutes, until they are completely set and the edges just begin to show color. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.

Last night went perfectly and our guest enjoyed the wines and food pairings so that was a success. Now I am geared for next week's event and all the foods to prepare over the course of this week. I am going to invent recipes for all of the 6 wines I will showcase, so recipes will be turning up either here soon.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.