Pork Tenderloin Medallions Pan-fried in Browned Butter

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I have never found pork tenderloin to be terribly exciting so I tried pan-frying them instead and I must admit, pan-frying at med-high heat for just a few minutes made all the difference. The flavor was amazing and at the risk of overstating, I thought that I was eating mini filet mignon. 

1 lb. Pork Tenderloin (not pork loin) 

4 tbsp vegetable oil 

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Clove garlic peeled but left whole

Salt

Pepper

Remove the silver skin from a 1 lb pork tenderloin

Salt and pepper the tenderloin. See note.

Cut 2 inch thick medallions and then salt and pepper again the ends. See note.

Note: Don't salt if you are using salted butter. 

In a metal skillet, add the oil and butter and turn the burner to med-high. 

Turn on your exhaust fan and remember to use a splatter screen. Got it Rita? :)   

When the melted butter turns brown add in the medallions

When the medallions are brown as shown in the pic above, turn over 

When the second side is well-browned, turn the medallions on their sides to brown Note: I did not do this step, sure wish that I had.

When an instant-read digital thermometer registers an internal temp of 140 degrees remove the medallions to a plate.

Prepare your serving plates with pre-heated side dishes and pour any of the accumulated juices on the plated medallions. 

Enjoy! 

Perfectly Baked Russet Potatoes

The other day I was thinking what information was on the internet about baking a potato so I did a Google search that returned 179,000,000 hits. Wow, that's a bunch so it's clear that there some unanswered questions or simply way too many opinions.

This is how I make mine:

Buy a potato that is consistently proportioned

Don't buy potatoes that have exposed eyes or imperfections in the skin that you would not eat

Do not pierce the skin with a fork as some folks recommend

Do not wrap in foil

Set your oven temp to 425 degrees with the rack in the center position

Use a veggie brush and clean the potato under running water

Dry the potato with a paper towel and place in a glass baking dish, I use a Pyrex pie plate

Brush vegetable oil onto the skin of the potato - a Tbsp should do

Sprinkle the skin well with a coarse salt if you have it or use table salt

Insert the probe of a corded digital temperature lengthwise until the tip is in the middle of the potato

Place the dish in the oven and set the alarm on the thermometer to 210 degrees

When the alarm sounds your potato is perfectly cooked. You can eat it right away or reduce the heat in the oven to "warm"

When ready, remove the potato from the oven but don't cut the potato until you are ready to add your condiments

Note: The use of the thermometer is paramount otherwise you are just guessing when it will be perfectly cooked.

Do yourself a huge favor and make sure that the butter and/or sour cream, bacon, cheese (all if using) are at room temp as there is nothing worse than eating a cold baked potato.

The steak was served over this fantastic homemade steak sauce, just click here. 

Soft-Shell Crabs in a Meunière Sauce with Capers

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soft-shell crabs

1/2 cup milk

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4  tablespoons "unsalted" butter, divided

1 5/8-inch slice of lemon

1 Tbsp Capers per crab

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Place the crabs in a bowl of milk. Season the flour with the salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour.

In a wide skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Place the other two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Melt the butter in the pot and continue to gently cook it until the butter solids turn golden brown. Add in the capers and lemon slice and remove from the heat.

Place the crabs in the skillet with the butter and sauté until golden brown, turning once, about 2-3 minutes per side. Arrange on a platter, and pour the lemony butter sauce over the crabs. Garnish with parsley and/or extra lemon wedges.

Easy Roast Chicken with Pan Gravy Recipe

One of the easiest meals to prepare is roasted chicken with homemade gravy.

What you'll need:

1 Whole Chicken

1/2 Small onion

2 Small carrots

Seasoning salt or plain salt

Pepper

1 Tbsp and 1 tsp dried Rosemary leaves

Chicken stock

Flour

1 Tbsp butter

Butchers twine

Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Season the cavity generously with seasoning salt, pepper and 1 tsp rosemary and stuff with the onion and carrot.

Season the outside of the entire bird with the seasoning salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the rosemary. Then truss the chicken with butcher's twine.

Put the chicken in a roasting pan and insert a corded digital thermometer into the thickest part of the breast making sure not to let the tip of the probe touch any bone.

Put the chicken into a preheated 375 degree oven and cook until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

Remove from the oven. Place the bird on a cutting board to rest - the internal temp will naturally rise to 165. If there are accumulated juices in the cavity pour into the roasting pan.

On medium-low heat, add a 1/4 cup flour to the fat in the pan and stir until blended. Add some chicken stock (or water), or additional flour and stir until you have reached the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings for taste and then add a 1 Tbsp of cold butter, stir until melted.

Carve the bird and pour the gravy on the chicken (or under it as shown) and your side dish which could be rice, mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles.

Enjoy!

Note: If you want chicken breast to be juicy the two things that you must do, first is to truss the chicken and use a corded digital thermometer as instructed above.

Tortilla Soup Recipe

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Onion Mixture:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic (sliced)
2 jalapenos (sliced)
1 teaspoon cumin
Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 white corn tortillas (torn into pieces)

4 cups chicken stock

1.5 Lb cooked chicken meat shredded

Juice of ½ lime

Hot sauce to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and begin to sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add in the garlic and jalapenos and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.  Add in the cumin, season with salt and pepper and cook for a minute more.

Combine the prepared onion mixture, half of the fire roasted tomatoes, the torn tortillas and a 1 cup of the chicken stock to a blender starting on low and slowly increasing the speed until pureed.

In a Dutch oven over medium high heat the pureed mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then pour in the rest of the chicken stock and tomatoes and stir.

Add in the shredded chicken and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  

Add in the juice of half a lime and some hot sauce to taste.

GARNISH- Fried tortilla strips, cilantro, avocado and queso fresco

For the fried tortilla strips:

5 white corn tortillas (cut into strips)

Heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a shallow heavy bottomed pan.  Add in tortilla strips and fry for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Potato and Ham Soup

   7 cups peeled and large diced potatoes

     2/3 cup diced celery

   2/3 cup finely chopped onion

  1.5 cups diced cooked ham

   6.5 cups water

  2 tablespoons chicken base 

 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste   

2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

10 tablespoons butter

10 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 4 cups milk

1.  Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

2.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook stirring constantly until thick. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

3.  Stir the milk mixture into the pot containing the potatoes and ham. Cook until heated through. Serve immediately.

Moroccan Soup

If you're tired of the same old vegetable beef soup and want something different then give this flavorful Moroccan soup a try...you won't be disappointed.  

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 pound beef chuck roast meat, or lamb meat (shoulder or leg), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 cups beef broth

2 small turnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, leaves included, thinly sliced

Pinch of saffron threads, (Optional)

12 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus more leaves for garnish

8 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish

1 large zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 ounces angel hair pasta broken into small pieces (about 1/2 cup), or orzo

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and turmeric; stir to coat. Add meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth (or water), tomatoes and their juice, turnips, carrots, celery and saffron. Tie parsley and cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

  Stir in zucchini and cook, covered, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook until soft, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta. Discard the parsley and cilantro sprigs. Season with salt (start with 1 teaspoon) and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley and/or cilantro leaves, if desired.