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BOOKS & SPOONS RECIPE FOR AUTUMN PORK WITH BEANS AND VEGGIES

27/10/2017

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Pork goes well with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes go well with kidney beans. Kidney beans go well with peppers. Peppers goes well with salsa. Beans go well with pork. Salsa goes well with pork... 
Someone asked me how is my thought process as I am cooking or planning a meal. Well, it is like a puzzle where I start to pair ingredients with each other and see how the beautiful picture forms and different tastes are playing harmony with each other. 
This post is not what I had scheduled for today, but I am breaking the lineup, and taking a little sideroad this week. This meal so delicious, and one of those meals that the leftovers are just about better than the first time serving because the flavors had time to infuse and intensify. It is a simple dish, ready in 30 minutes, and had some seriously layered flavors there. 

First I hit the slices of spiced up pork file in a very hot pan, searing them on both sides. I had dusted the pork slices with chilli powder, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. 
I sautéed some sweet mini peppers with spring onion in the pan with the pork and added a cup of hot salsa I had ready-made previously and was left over. To that, I added some thinly sliced carrots, sliced sweet potatoes, and two cups of rinsed, hydrated kidney beans. When everything was in the pan, I poured vegetable stock so that it just about covered the goods in the pan, and then let it slowly low simmer on the stovetop until the veggies were done and tender. At the end, I added some thinly sliced apples to the pan, and let them get a bit soft while setting the table and getting ready to enjoy the meal.
That's it. You can serve this as a soup, and cut all the sweet potato into small cubes, and use small cut pieces of pork, or you can serve it as the cooking broth is the sauce and drizzle it on top of the food. It is tasty either way, with a nice heat coming from the salsa and the chilli powdered pork. 
I hope you all have a great weekend, I will be back to the regular-scheduled program next week. 
Till next time
~ Cheers!
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AUTUMN PORK WITH BEANS AND VEGGIES

  • 4 slices of pork file
  • 4 sweet mini peppers, thinly sliced / 2 bell peppers if not available
  • 3 spring onion, cut small
  • 1 cup of hot salsa
  • 1 tetra kidney beans, rinsed
  • 3 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced (cooks faster when thin)
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced
  • 1 sour apple, thinly sliced
  • 1 liter / 1 quart vegetable stock, or as needed
  • chili powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  1. Sear the spiced pork on a very hot pan. Use a drop of olive oil if needed
  2. Add sliced peppers, onion, and salsa and sauté the ingredients for 2 minutes
  3. Add the slices of carrots, sweet potatoes, and beans and pour the vegetable stock over the ingredient so that they are just covered. 
  4. Low simmer until the vegetables are tender and ready to eat, about 20 minutes (if thinly sliced)
  5. Add the thin slices of apples and let them simmer while setting the table.
  6. Serve with some freshly cut parsley, if wanted. 
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Books  & Spoons Recipe for CHICKEN & VEGETABLE NOODLE SOUP

20/10/2017

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"Baby, It's cold outside..." Yes, the polar nights are just about here. The daylight hours are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, even when it is a sunny day, the air is cold and biting. We haven't had snow yet, as I type this post, but it seems like any day now we are going to have that, nearly magical, first snow. 
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For many of us living up north, comfort food is the thing we go for at this time of the year. As long as the comfort food is part of a well-balanced diet, that is just fine. "Everything is allowed in moderation" is a great goal to keep in mind. 

I am all about soups this time of the year, and the more veggies the soup has, the better. Chicken noodle soup has as many recipes as there are cooks in the kitchen. I add some cabbage to it, to make it more filling. I also added some sweet peas, broccoli, and spring onions, with the traditional carrots and celery, for the flavor and color. The chicken breasts I used was from a day-before roasted chicken dinner, where I on purpose roasted a whole chicken just to use the legs and save the breasts for the soup. 
I cooked the soup in a vegetable broth, with whole black peppers that I removed afterward. A couple drops of hot sauce would have given it a nice kick! 
Do you have a favorite chicken noodle soup recipe, or do you attack a soup duty as a chance to clean the fridge?!
I hope you are staying warm, healthy, and happy!
Until next time
~ Cheers! 
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CHICKEN & VEGETABLE NOODLE SOUP

  • Half a head of cabbage, shredded
  • 4 carrots, sliced or shredded
  • 2 strings of celery, thinly cut
  • 1 cup of broccoli florets
  • 1 cup of sweet peas
  • 1 bushel of spring onion, thinly cut
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
  • Vegetable broth, about 1 liter/1 quart
  • black peppers, whole, in a teabag 
  • hot sauce, added at service if desired
  1. Saute all the cut and prepared vegetable in the soup pot with a dash of olive oil. 
  2. Add the cut chicken into the vegetable mix
  3. Pour the vegetable broth on top of the vegetable, just enough to barely cover them all
  4. Cook until vegetable are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes
  5. Add the noodles and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the noodles are done 
  6. Remove the teabag of black peppers from the soup 
  7. Serve with the hot sauce on the side
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Books & Spoons Recipe for THE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE WITH MOZZARELLA

13/10/2017

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I have been on a hunt for a new, delicious, looking-good-on-a-serving-table type of a breakfast casserole that has no onions or peppers and still tastes great. Hah. That turned out to be a tall order, and I have tried so many recipes by now, played with seasoning and herbs, and cheese because everything is better with cheese.... 
I have had some tasty concoctions and here is one of my favorites so far. 
It has it all - olives, tomatoes, ham, cheese, thyme, mozzarella - and could be made as a savory pie as well for an evening with the family and friends. It has color, it has flavor, it has a great texture, I liked the pie shell on the bottom of the pan giving it form after taken off the pan. The mozzarella inside of it was good, but not necessary. Also, remember that the mozzarella will get hard if you overbake it even if the rest of the casserole makes it fine. 
If you want to take the whole casserole off the pan for the serving, I recommend a parchment paper under the pie crust to make it easier to remove from the pan.

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The more the flavor in the cheese, the more flavor in the casserole. You can have a little blue cheese drizzled into the mix as well if you are a fan of it. 
Lots of options out there, it is just trying and tasting, and baking and sampling to find the perfection that suits your style.

What is your favorite savory pie or breakfast casserole dish? How have you resolved any allergy issues? Do you always make them without meat to respect the possible vegetarians in the group? Please let me know in the comment section, I am curious to hear your thoughts. 
It is 72 days till Christmas, I am sure I will find one recipe that will be 'the perfect breakfast casserole' for my needs. 
Till next time
~ Cheers! 
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BREAKFAST CASSEROLE 

  • 1 PIE CRUST
  • 8 EGGS 
  • 100 ML / 3 OZ CREAM
  • 200G  / 7 OZ CHEESE, GRATED (Stronger the flavour, better the taste)
  • THYME
  • OLIVES
  • HAM, CHOPPED
  • CHERRY TOMATOES
  • SALT + PEPPER
  1. Roll out the pie crust dough, and set carefully on the pan, cut extra dough off. Make sure the dough is left rather thick so it can hold the form after baking and taken off the pan
  2. Put the mozzarellas into the pan with the pie crust
  3. Mix the eggs and cream well together, adding a dash of salt, pepper, and thyme
  4. Add the grated cheese into the egg custard mix
  5. Pour the egg custard mix over the mozzarella balls
  6. Add ham, olives, and cherry tomatoes
  7. Bake in the oven (180 C/350F) for about 30 minutes until the custard has set.
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Books & Spoons Recipe for PECAN BOURBON PORK CHOPS

6/10/2017

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Once again I wish I could share the scent of the dish with you. While this meal was slow cooking in the oven, my home was filled with the most enticing aromas that you might be able to imagine by just from the ingredients - pecans, bourbon, pork, rosemary, maple syrup... Ah! 

The great thing about the recipe is that you most likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry. Truly, a recipe that utilizes what we often have as stable ingredients at home. 

I choose to slow cook the pork chops in the oven with the marinade for a couple of hours. I used pork chops with the bone attached to get that greatly enhanced flavor the bones bring to the slow-cooked dishes. Of course, if you have a slow-cooker, you can set the meat and marinade in it and let it slowly simmer all day if you have the opportunity for it. 

Another way to use the recipe is to lightly bread boneless slices of salted and peppered pork filets with flour, quickly brown them on both sides in a piping hot pan, pour the liquid marinade on top of the meat, and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes, covered, until the pork is done and the flour in the pork has thickened the marinade into a sauce consistency. 
So you have the slow-cooked meal choice or the meal ready in 35 minutes version using the same, mouth-watering sauce with the pork. There is even more variety to the dish if you use chicken, breast or thighs, either cooking slowly in the oven or quick and easy on the pan. I also think that the marinade would work with slices of tofu in the pan if a vegetarian meal is what you are looking for.
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My choice of side dishes with the pork was sweet potato purée and a mixed baby green salad. I like to use the sweet potato purée instead of mashed potatoes because I purée them with just a tiny amount of salted cooking liquid and add freshly ground black pepper. I love the taste of the sweet potato and the nutrients of it. Also, compared to mashed potatoes, fewer calories, if that's something you want to be aware of. 
It was so delicious all together, giving me a spark to look forward to the season to come, and the lovely autumn flavors, colors, and aromas! 
I hope you enjoy it, until next time
~ Cheers!
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PECAN BOURBON PORK CHOPS

For 4  pork chops:

  • 3 Tbsp of bourbon (or whiskey if you don't have bourbon)
  • 1 cup of vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup of chopped pecans
  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
  • 1/4 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
  1. Take the pork chops off the fridge and let them come to the room temperature while mixing the marinade.
  2. Mix the ingredients of the marinade
  3. Salt and pepper the pork chops slightly
  4. Set them flat into an oven dish and pour the marinade mix on top of them
  5. Set in the oven (140 C / 280 F) and let them cook until the pork is tender and is ready to fall off the bone. 
  6. Serve with your choice of side dishes 
If you don't like to have a large bottle of bourbon or whiskey at your house, or don't want to invest in a whole bottle for a couple of tablespoons you need for cooking, most liquor stores sell tiny, shot size, bottles of a variety of alcohol, that is very handy for baking and cooking. These tiny bottles are often located close to the cashier. All the alcohol will be cooked away from the marinade, and the dish is safe to serve for the whole family. 
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