pork chops with apples & pears

About 20 years ago, we opened a small restaurant called "The Heritage", it was based on our heritages. We served three different dishes per night one was Mexican, one German and the third we called "The Valley". The Valley recipes were from a cookbook we found which was comprised of recipes written by women from a local church in the 50's.  Using this cookbook as the base, I "Ingridized" the ones we chose to serve.
This recipe was originally pork chops & apples but, I added some ingredients to make it more like the filling used in stuffed pork ribs.

Begin by slicing the apple & pear, I slice them then cut the slices in half, this creates large chunks

put apple juice in a small pan over low heat to reduce

Put fruit in a bowl and mix with apple cider vinegar, ginger, brown sugar & raisins

Meanwhile, sear 4 pork chops( or however many will fit in your pan). To do this, start with an oven safe pan, add about 2 T oil and heat until you can see ripples in the oil, salt the pork chops and put in oil until it starts to brown then turn over and sear the other side.

Remove from heat, dump the apple mixture over the chops then pour the apple juice over the top. Spread the apples & pears over the pork chops evenly.

  Cover with a tight lid or tin foil if you don't have a lid that fits tight.

Place in oven and let it slow cook until the meat is so tender it falls apart.  I start with an hour then check every 1/2 an hour after that, it usually takes about 2-2 1/2 hours.

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli

To add an extra touch,  chop another 1/2 an apple & pear, and 1 t brown sugar and add  to the rice, then use apple juice for 1/2 the water to cook the rice in and cook following instructions.

frijoles (beans)

My husband tells me that growing up, they had beans with every meal.  Not the kind normally served as refried beans, that are a glop on your plate covered with melted cheese, but, the really delicious kind that are slow cooked and seasoned with salt & garlic. My mother in law taught me the key and I'm going to share it with you.

The easiest way to cook beans is over night in a crock pot, if you don't have one, no problem, cook them on your stove top on low to medium heat.  If you're going to cook them on the stove do it during the day so that you can keep an eye on them.

Start with 6 cups of pinto beans, check them over, sometimes there are small stones or small clumps of dirt in with the beans, wash them well,

before

 put them in the crock pot with salt & garlic, cover with enough water so there is around 2 inches of water above the  beans.

during, add water

Put the lid on the crock pot, turn it on medium, and go to bed. Or cook for 9-10 hours, stirring occasionally,
  as the beans cook, if you notice the water is low, just add more to cover the beans,

cooked

 you'll know they're done first of all by the smell, you'll notice a difference, they'll start to smell really, really good.  Secondly, smash a bean with a fork, if it's soft, they're done.

So, now comes the key to really great beans,  put some oil in a   frying pan and fry 3 cups of the beans.
For a delicious option: fry beans in bacon grease

When they're fried, a little toasty, smash them

stir in some of the broth from the pot of beans until it's soupy

then stir this back into the beans in the crock pot, taste then add a little more salt, if needed

Remember, it's easier to put more salt in then to take it out

Finished pot of beans

 

 

Now, serve these with anything, they're so good, or just enjoy a bowl of beans with some tortillas,

 add a little salsa if you like

 

 

 

 

Fajitas

Fajitas are always a good thing to order in a Mexican restaurant, especially if you're planning on sharing, but, there's nothing better then making a heaping griddle full of fajitas for my family.  When I was learning to make Mexican food, I would marinate the raw ingredients in Italian salad dressing (which don't get me wrong, works for a quick meal), but have since learned that with a little more preparation, I create a much more authentic meal.

OK, so true confession time, at the early stages of my marriage, I served my husband canned tamales, and I was so proud that I was able to serve Mexican food to my family.  To the credit of my husband, he ate every bit of it with a smile on his face.  That December, my mother in law, Anita, invited me over to make Tamales with all of the women WOW oh WOW, I was embarrassed when I remembered what I had served and vowed to never do that again!!  I will be making tamales later this month and will fill you all in.

So, let's make some Fajitas . . .
Begin by preparing all of the vegetable: slice bell pepper in strips, slice onion and seperate, grill  serrano or jalapeno peppers (it depends on how much heat you like, serranos are hotter)




Then chop garlic, an easy way to do this is to place the side of a large knife on garlic clove and smash it with your hand, after doing this it's easy to remove the peel and it does half of the chopping for you.  Then just dice the garlic finer.

Slice chicken about 1/4 inch thick,









 put the chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with salt & pepper add 1/3 of the chopped jalapenos & garlic and mix together (you can use your hands, it's easier) and set aside to marinade


Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a frying pan with oil and sauté bell peppers over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to soften.  Add onions and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. The veggies should still be crunchy. Remove from heat and set aside

In a separate pan or on a griddle put 3T  of oil and sauté garlic & onions for 1-2 minutes until they soften, then put the marinated  chicken in the pan and cook until it begins to brown on the outside and is still moist on the inside.

When the chicken is cooked add the peppers and onions and mix together.  Done!!

 

 

Serve in warm tortillas with sliced avocados and tomatoes

 

                                                  Optional: serve with a Margarita or beer :)

(In reality, is this really an option?)

 

 

 

Schnitzel

Whenever my mother made pork chops, they were pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then fried and served quickly. The way I like to make them sort of fits into several categories.   They're not Weiner Schnitzel because they're not veal, not Jager Schnitzel because there's no mushroom sauce. So, I'm sharing my Schnitzel recipe made the way I like it with caramelized onions. 

I also like to serve them several different ways.  Dinner is wonderful with spatzle or any noodles and asparagus or broccoli,Another way to enjoy schnitzel is for Breakfast, I prepare it the same way and  serve it with an over-easy egg and the onions on top - it's  simply delicious!! and then there's the leftovers, they make delicious sandwiches  (hot or cold) and yummy tacos.  For tacos, I slice the schnitzel and warm it in a hot pan, add a little butter or oil if needed, add in any leftover onions and serve in a warm corn tortilla with your favorite taco toppings.

To make Schnitzel begin with a pork cutlet,  place it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap (I use both) and pound thin with a meat mallet or skillet, or I use my rolling pin (tenderizing does two things, it tenderizes the meat and also makes it an even thickness so that it cooks evenly) Repeat with each cutlet and set aside.

 



Slice onions and cook over low heat in a separate pan with butter until they are limp and beginning to brown. Let these cook while you're preparing the meat. If the onions are done

before the meat is ready, remove them from heat and keep them warm until ready to serve

 Get 3 bowls ready with one with flour, one with beaten eggs and one with bread crumbs (I make my own bread crumbs by putting dry slices of bread in the food processor, this is from a bruschetta that dried out before we could eat it all )

after

before

I beat the eggs with a little water and salt & pepper, also, season the bread crumbs with salt & pepper

 

 

Dredge cutlet in flour, then dip in egg, the coat with bread crumbs, gently shake off any extra.

( tip: during the coating process, if you use one hand for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients, you won't end up with huge globs on the end of your fingers)

Fry immediately in hot oil over medium heat, schnitzel should swim in the oil so that it doesn't stick to the pan, when it is brown on each side ( it should take about 3 minutes),

 

 

 remove from pan and drain on paper towel to remove any excess oil.  Serve immediately with the caramelized onions on top

 

 

 

 

Hefeklosse

Hello,
So here I go . . . . .
I've been talking about blogging for a while and today is the day I  begin.
Welcome to my journey and I hope we all enjoy the trip.


Hefeklosse is one of my favorite dishes, my mom made them for us every fall when the plums were ripe.  I grew up only thinking of them as the plums from the tree in the back yard, I have since learned that they are Italian plums.  So, now I make hefeklosse twice a year, once when the plums are just ripe (because I've been waiting all year and can't wait any longer) and again when the plums are a little over ripe, when they're at the peak of their flavor.  You take a yummy plum and wrap it in a yeast dough, then when they're cooked, sprinkle it with sugar and pour browned butter over the top.  My mouth is watering just writing the description ANNNNNNND I just ate them last night for dinner.


Let's begin. . .

Mix sugar, yeast & warm water in a small bowl, set it aside to ferment while you're mixing the other ingredients

Next mix egg, butter, milk & salt, I put everything in a mixing bowl and mix with a pastry hook.  Add the fermented yeast mixture, once mixed, slowly add flour until you have a soft dough. (Side note:  I love my stand mixer!!  I think everyone who likes to cook should get a stand mixer & food processor.  I didn't get mine until I was into my 40's and I realized what I had been missing out on- just sayin).  Knead until the dough is smooth & elastic.  This is where the pastry hook comes in handy, I used to knead until my arms felt like they were going to fall off, then I'd let the dough rise and - well, it didn't, well not very well. 

When your dough is ready, cover it and let it rest

 

While the dough is resting, remove the seeds from the plums

 

 

Let the dough rise for about an hour, until double in size.  Divide the dough in half, then each portion in half again, then in half again, eight pieces in all.   On floured surface, flatten (one at a time) place a plum in the center, sprinkle with a little sugar, then pinch the ends together to seal. Use both hands and form a ball, then roll in flour and set aside.  Repeat the process with each piece of dough

 

OK - now we're ready to cook.  If you have a pot with a steamer you can use it or if you have a wide mouth pot, you can stretch a tea towel over the top and tie it with twine. ( Make sure ends don't hang down and catch on fire).

Put water in pot 1/3 - 1/2 full and bring to a boil (If you put the lid on the pot, the water boils faster)

Once the water in boiling, turn heat down to medium place hefeklosse ( in a single layer) on steamer or towel, cover pot with lid and steam approximately 20 minutes. Check after 20 minutes, they should be firm and not doughy. They may not all fit, if not just cook in two  batches. Remove from steamer and place on heated plate, keep them warm while the next batch cooks or eat the first batch while the second cooks.

While they're steaming, put 1 stick of butter in a pan, you need to brown the butter. Which means to melt it and then let the little particles in it turn brown, you'll know that it's done by the look and also by the wonderful aroma.

To serve:

 Place a Hefeklosse on plate and sprinkle with sugar, I use 1 -2 Tablespoons, adjust it to your taste, you can always add a little more once you've tasted it.

Next, pour some of the browned butter over the top

The next step is the best, cut it open and enjoy!!

 

 
 
 
 
I have to give my husband all of the credit for this optional next step

                                                 
Serve with a nice glass of  Red wine, his choice was Carmenere and I have to say, it was a nice addition