Pork Medallions with Bulgur Pilaf

The nice thing about this dish is that it takes only minutes to make. The bad thing is that you have to eat it right away, as in before-you-can-take-a-picture right away. But it's tasty, quick and easy, so I made it again for lunch a few days later-- for blogging purposes only, of course. Now you have lots of pictures to enjoy.

For the pilaf, saute 1/2 onion, chopped, and 1c chopped mushrooms until onions are golden and mushrooms soft. Add 1c bulgur; saute 2 minutes. Add 2c chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 bunch kale, chopped, and stir well to combine. Cook until kale turns bright green (about a minute) and serve.

For the pork, slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch chunks. Pound lightly to even out. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

Brown in hot oil in a non-non-stick skillet about 1 minute/side. Set aside. Deglaze skillet with Marsala wine. Let boil slightly to reduce; stir in 1T butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over medallions. Serve!

Grilled Tofu with Spring Garlic

This is a light and tasty meal that can be modified depending on what kind of flavor you're looking for. I ate this over bulgur wheat; you can also serve it over a salad with grapefruit and arugula, for example.

You'll need:

firm tofu, cut into 1/4" slices
2T dark soy
2T pomegranate molasses
1 large spring garlic, sliced thinly
1/4c peanuts, slightly crushed

Mix the soy sauce, molasses, and garlic in a bowl. Add the sliced tofu and marinate 15 minutes. Heat a griddle pan or cast iron skillet and lay the drained tofu slices on pan in one layer; top with garlic slices. Cook about 2 minutes, until bottom is crispy; flip, letting the garlic hit the pan to cook briefly. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with crushed peanuts, and serve.

Spicy Breaded Chicken with Kale and Mushroom Ragout

This is tasty and (as an added bonus) almost painfully healthy-- omit the goat cheese from the ragout and there's really no fat at all. It's also easy and can be ready in less than an hour.

Spicy Breaded Chicken

You'll need:
chicken thighs
panko or bread crumbs
fresh thyme
optional marinade ingredients (see below)

Marinate: You don't have to do this, but I think if you can marinate chicken, you (generally) should. I used a simple yogurt marinade: nonfat yogurt, salt, pepper, and chili powder (I'm out of cayenne! but that would work too). I only marinated for a few hours; you can do overnight, but the flavor of this dish should really lie in the breading.

Make it: Pat the chicken dry. Dip in: flour (light coating); beaten egg (let drip); panko mixed with chopped thyme. Place chicken on lightly oiled baked sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges. In the meantime, make the veggie ragout.

Kale and Mushroom Ragout

You'll need:
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thickly (or any mushrooms, really. I think shiitakes have the most flavor for something like this)
2 large shallots, sliced
red pepper flakes
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4c dry madiera wine or vermouth
zest from 1 lemon
goat cheese-- I used Bucheron, an aged goat cheese (optional)

Saute the shallots, mushrooms, salt & red pepper flakes in 1T olive oil. When the mushrooms start to brown, add kale and garlic. Stir to combine; cook until kale wilts, then add wine. When wine evaporates, add grated zest of 1 lemon. Serve as a bed for the chicken, or dot with goat cheese and serve on the side with bulgar pilaf or another grain.

Mustard Encrusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts

You need:

1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed with a sharp knife
3T dijon mustard
fresh sage and thyme (or whatever herbs you want)
1 small shallot
dry bread crumbs

brussel sprouts
cooking apples (I used Jonas Gold)

a meat thermometer

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Clean brussel sprouts: remove end and slice in half. Toss with salt, pepper, and good olive oil. Place in roasting pan and put in oven while you prepare the pork.

3. Peel apples and cut into 1" dice. Set aside.

4. Salt and pepper tenderloin and sear on all sides in hot grapeseed oil. Let cool slightly.

5. Mix the mustard with minced shallot (about 1T), chopped sage, and thyme leaves.

6. Coat cooled tenderloin with mustard mixture and then bread crumbs.

7. Remove roasting pan from oven; mix apples with brussel sprouts, and push veggies to the sides. Place pork in center and return to oven. Cook about 20 minutes, until pork reaches 150 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes (temperature will raise to 155).

Serve with a grain-- I made a simple bulgar wheat pilaf.

Home sick and it's gross out Lunch

Bulgur risotto:

Melt butter and olive oil in skillet. Saute one large sliced shallot; when translucent, add 1c bulgur, and more butter if necessary. Saute about 5 min, until all the grains are buttered and toasty (make sure they don't clump together). Add about 1/2 c vermouth; when entirely absorbed, start adding chicken broth gradually, stirring. Only add more once it's all absorbed. I soaked some shiitake mushrooms and added the soaking liquid as well.

When risotto is almost cooked, add sliced mushrooms and whatever vegetables you have-- I added some chopped roasted swiss chard stems I cooked yesterday.

Remove from heat and add flaked fake crab, or whatever else you want (I really, really like fake crab. Most people don't.) Add pepper and (if you didn't put crab) grated cheese. Serve.

Light summer dinner...

Chicken in toasted rice: Toast 2T raw glutinous/sweet rice. Grind to a fine powder in a mortal and pestle. Slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts thinly across the grain; toss with fish sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Marinate 30 min. Stir-fry until lightly browned. Remove chicken and add rice powder to oil. Saute and push to the sides of the pan; add a little oil to the center and put chopped garlic, ginger, and sliced shallots in oil. When garlic starts to sweat, stir everything together and deglaze pan with 1/4c white wine, vermouth, or chicken broth. Add chicken, stir to coat, and warm through. Turn off heat and toss in sliced scallions and chopped thai basil.

Serve with bulgar pilaf and summer salad.

Salad: boil frozen or fresh corn kernels and edamame for about 5 minutes (they should still be slightly crunchy). Drain and toss with grated ginger, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and chile-garlic paste. Chill until ready to serve; add chopped parsley or cilantro before serving.

Quick Summer Dinner

Barbecue sausages (we got fresh pork-and-beef sausages from the farmer's market) and serve with bulgar pilaf-- saute onions, salt, and dried herbs in butter; when onions are translucent, add bulgar and saute; add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover to cook.

Kale salad with Oro Blanco grapefruit (remove all skin and membrane) and avocado-- let grapefruit juice lightly dress kale, add white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

no food in the house but an eggplant and some oldish mushrooms:

cut eggplant into small cubes. peel cloves from one head of garlic and smash slightly. cut spring onions in half. mix all with olive oil, salt, pepper, peppercorns (the 5-baie mix), and sprinkle dried thyme on top. roast in hot oven until eggplant is soft and brown, then add quartered tomatoes and roast until they start to disintegrate. saute shittake mushrooms in a pan with some olive oil and add roasted veggies. cook covered for 10 minutes, then add zest of 1 lemon and cook until tomato disappears. add water if necessary. add chopped cilantro, cook 30 seconds longer, and serve on top of bulgar wheat. would go well with poultry or fish.

dorade in roasted garlic cream sauce with bulgar pilaf

roast garlic with olive oil in oven.

slice spring onions and saute in a saucepan with butter until translucent. add bulgar, saute until coated with butter. add chicken broth (2 broth : 1 bulgar) and bring to a boil. cover and simmer until cooked.

mash roasted garlic and saute in butter with tarragon. add dry white wine and reduce to a thick creamy sauce. turn off heat and stir in creme fraiche (thick).

coat filet of dorade in salt, pepper, and flour and saute in olive oil with the skin side down. flip, saute until opaque, and serve with garlic sauce and bulgar.

i was out of lettuce so i made instead a salad of cherry tomatoes, avocado, and aged chevre.

drank chardonnay (used for cooking too)