Taiwanese Style Pork Chops

Taiwanese Style Pork Chops

serves 4

(Taiwan)

Ingredients

4 -  3/4 inch  thick,  bone-in pork chops or ¼-inch boneless pork chops

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon white wine

1/2 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder

vegetable oil

vegetable oil for frying

sweet potato powder (substitute cornstarch)

Preparation

1.  Prepare the pork chops by snipping the edges of the pork chops with a pair of kitchen shears in several place to keep them from curling up when fried.

2.  In a small mixing bowl combine  the soy sauce, wine, garlic, sugar, and five-spice powder.  When the marinade ingredients are thoroughly combined pour the marinade into a large, re-sealable plastic bag an place the pork chops into the bag, and seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.  Gently massage the pork chops to thoroughly coat them with the marinade. Refrigerate the marinating pork chops over night or at least 1 hour, turning the bag over every so often to insure all the pork chops remain in contact with the marinade.

3.  Heat enough vegetable oil in a large, heavy bottomed frying pan over medium high heat to fill it to a depth of about 1/2 inch.

4.  While the oil is heating, build a dredging station by placing enough sweet potato powder (alternatively cornstarch) onto a flat plate to  dredge the four pork chops.  Remove the marinated pork chops from re-sealable bag and dredge each of the pork chops on both sides  and carefully place them into the oil.  Fry the pork chops, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.

5.  Serve over white rice or accompanied by noodles.

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

serves 6

(China)

We first tasted this soup in  an Asian restaurant in Southern California, the restaurant had a different name for it but when my wife took her first taste she pronounced it "heavenly".  We developed this recipe from the restaurant's description of the dish.  Do not substitute anise for the star anise, the result will be disappointing.  As an alternative, if you don't have a slow cooking you can use a large pot adjusting the time appropriately.

                                                                                Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30  minutes

Total time: 3 hours  50 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 cloves fresh garlic,  peeled and micro-planed

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and micro-planed

2 pieces star anise*

1 head bok choy cabbage, roughly chopped

3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1.  Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise in a large pot over high heat.  Bring the liquid to a rolling boil.

2.  Place the pork shoulder to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.   Carefully pour the  boiling broth over the pork, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

3.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and roughly shred the it. 

4.  Return the shredded pork to the broth and add the bok choy; cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.  Break the noodles in half and place them in a deep dish or mixing bowl and pour about 4 cups of boiling water over them.  Allow the  noodles to sit in the water until they are al dente, about 10 minutes.

6.  Divide the cooked noodles among six soup bowls and ladle the desired amount of soup over the noodles, sprinkle with some of the cilantro and serve immediately accompanied by chop sticks, soup spoons, and additional cilantro.

* do not substitute 

Taiwanese Style Crispy Pork Chops

Taiwanese-Style Crispy Pork Chops

serves 4

(Taiwan)

The first time we tasted this meal was on our trip to Taiwan to meet our daughter-in-laws family.  Unlike American pork chops, these delicious breaded and fried scallopini are fragrant with the subtle taste of Chinese five spice supported by the taste of the Char Siu Sauce they are marinated in, the longer they are marinated the more fragrant they become.   These crispy pork chops don't really need a gravy but if you like you can add several tablespoons of the marinade (to your taste) to commercial pork or beef gravy and serve the five-spice flavour gravy as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

4  –  ¾ inch, boneless pork chops

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Taiwanese michiu wine (substitute Japanese Mirin)

1/8 teaspoon  white pepper

1/8 teaspoon  five-spice powder

1 teaspoon  Char Siu Sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce, DO NOT substitute American Barbecue sauce)

3-4 cloves garlic, micro-planed

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup sweet potato flour (acceptable substitutes are tapioca  or corn starch)

6 -8 tablespoons of cooking oil

Preparation

1.  One at a time, place each pork  chop in a large, re-sealable plastic bag and pound  the chop into a thin (1/2 to ¼ - inch thick) scallopini and set aside in the refrigerator.  

2.  When all the pork chops have been pounded, create a marinade by combining the soy sauce, the michiu wine, the white pepper, the five-spice, the barbeque sauce, and the micro-planed in a small mixing bowl.  Once the marinade has been created, pour it into a large, re-sealable plastic bag.  Place the pork chops into the bag and seal, squeezing out as much air as possible.  Allow the pork chops to marinate for several hours, turning the bag every so often, to allow all the flavours to develop.

3.  When the pork chops have marinated for several hours, build a breading station by placing the sweet potato starch, the beaten egg, and the Panko bread crumbs in three separate plates.  Bread each of the pounded pork chops  by first dredging each in the sweet potato flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the Panko bread crumbs.

4.  Once each of the pork chops have been breaded on both sides  heat enough vegetable oil to fill  a large, heavy bottomed frying pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch over medium high heat and fry the pork chops, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. 

5.  Serve accompanied by plain white rice, noodles, or a simple vegetable.

Pork Cordon Bleu

Pork Cordon Bleu

(America)

serves 4

This is an adaption of the traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu developed to use pork scallopini in place of the chicken.  The rolling technique may take a while to master but once you have it can be applied in a number of situations calling for "jelly rolls" of meat.  Use the best prosciutto and most flavourful Gruyere cheese as you can find, skimping on these key ingredients will produce less than satisfactory results using the best ingredients will produce a meal to remember!

Ingredients

4 thin cut boneless pork chops, pounded into 1/8" thick scallopini

4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

1/2 pound Gruyere, grated

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and micro-planed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1.  Trim all fat from the edges of the boneless pork chops.  One at a time, place the trimmed pork chops in a 1 gallon zip closure plastic bag or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the pork into 1/8-inch thick scallopini. Continue until all the pork chops have been turn into scallopini.

2.  Working with one scallopini at a time and working on a clean, flat work surface lay out a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to accommodate the scallopini you are working with.  Place the scallopini on top of the sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of the prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the scallopini and sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the scallopini as well as possible (this will keep the cheese from "oozing out" as you fry) and, using the plastic wrap as an aid, roll the scallopini tightly in a jellyroll manner inside the plastic wrap as to create a "sausage" whose skin becomes the plastic wrap. Squeeze the "sausage" gently to seal and twist both ends of the wrap tightly. Repeat with until all the scallopini, prosciutto, and cheese have been used.

3.  Place the scallopini "sausages" in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to all the form to "set".

4.  In the meanwhile, create a breading station by seasoning the flour with the  salt and pepper on a dish, mixing the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter (the butter will help the crust brown) on another plate, and beat together the eggs in a bowl.

5.  Working with one scallopini "sausage" at a time, remove the plastic wrap, lightly dust the unwrapped "sausage" with flour, dip it into the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs and place the breaded "sausage" on the prepared cookie sheet; continue until all the "sausages" have been breaded.

6.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, when the foam subsided, fry each the sausages until they are golden browned on all sides and cooked through; 5 minutes.  As the "sausages" finish, remove them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. 

7.  Working with one "sausage" at a time, remove the drained "sausage" to a clean cutting board and cut the "sausage" into 1-inch thick pinwheels and arrange the pinwheels on a serving platter.  Serve immediately accompanied by Marsala Sauce, Madeira Sauce, or Peach Chutney and an appropriate vegetable.

Carne di Maiale Marsala

Carne di Maiale Marsala

(Pork Marsala)

4 servings

(Italy)

Veal has become more expensive and, in some areas, hard to get.  I developed this recipe so I could enjoy (mock) Veal Marsala without the expense.  If you follow the instructions for preparing the pork cutlets I think you'll agree it will take on the texture and subtle flavour of veal.

Ingredients

olive oil for frying

1 cup Marsala wine

2 tablespoons of butter

1 pound of mushroom, cleaned, stems intact and sliced

1 pound of thin cut pork cutlets (pork cutlets pounded to about 1/8-inch thick and soaked in milk for 1 hour)

 All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging the pounded pork or chicken

3/4 cup chicken broth

Preparation

1.  Heat the butter in a skillet over medium and sauté the mushrooms until tender and nicely coloured.  Set aside.

2.  Dredge the veal in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. 

3. Heat oil sufficient to sauté the chicken or pork in the skillet.  Add the chicken or pork and sauté for 1 minute per side. Remove to a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

4.  Add Marsala to the pan. Deglaze, then add chicken stock to the pan and let reduce and thicken.  If the sauce does not thicken add a 1:1 mixture of cornstarch and cold water (use 1 tablespoon each), stirring until it thickens. 

5.  When the sauce has begun to thicken, add the mushrooms and stir to mix in.

6.  Arrange the chicken or pork on a serving platter and pour the sauce and mushrooms over.  Serve immediately.

Crisp Carnitas Burritos

Crisp Carnitas Burritos

makes about 16 burritos

(America)

This is a real All-American Burrito . . . . All-American?  What could possibly be more All-American than Coke-Cola?  This adaption of Mexican carnitas uses coke as one of its main ingredients to create a truly delicious fried burrito.  Additionally, after removing the meat, adding lime juice, and thickening the remaining liquid with a corn starch slurry produces a great tasting dipping sauce.

 

Ingredients

for the carnitas:

 3-4 pound pork butt

2 tablespoons  vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 12-ounce  can of coke (not diet)

2 cups orange juice

2 tablespoons  brown sugar

2 cups salsa, homemade or commercial

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

freshly ground  black pepper, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

thickening slurry composed of 2 tablespoons corn starch mixed into 2 tablespoons of COLD water

for the burritos:

16 medium flour tortilla shells

16 wooden tooth picks

vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

the carnitas:

the carnitas:

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy frying pan  over medium-high heat. While it’s getting hot, rub the pork with salt and pepper.

2.  Gently place the pork in the hot oil and sear all sides until nicely browned.   Meanwhile in a large bowl  or large measuring cup combine the coke, the orange juice, the salsa, the cayenne, and the brown sugar and add it to a large slow cooker set to high.

3.  Remove the browned pork to the slow cooker containing the cooking liquid, cover and cook until the pork is literally falling apart when poked with a fork, about 2-3 hours.

4.  Remove the meat to a clean work surface and, when it is cool enough to handled,  shred it in a similar fashion to the way you would for pulled pork.

5.   Remove the liquid to a large sauce  pan over high heat, stir in the lime juice and bring to a boil.  When the sauce comes to a boil stir in the thickening slurry and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.  Correct seasoning with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

6.   Remove the pan from the stove and transfer 3/4 of the thickened sauce to a serving dish, lower the heat to low and return the sauce pan containing the remaining 1/4 of the sauce to the heat, add the meat and stir to thoroughly coat the meat.  Turn off the burner under the pan.

constructing and frying the burritos:

1.  Working with one tortilla shell at a time, place a tortilla shell in front of you, spread about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the carnitas evenly over the surface of the shell and,  beginning at side closest to you, tightly roll the shell (jelly roll style) away from you until it is fully rolled up, push one toothpick through the roll pinning the loose end in place.   Continue until all the shells and carnitas are used up.

2.  Heat about 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat until the ripple stage.

3.  Add 1 or 2 of the burritos to the hot oil and fry for about a minute on each side until each burrito is golden and crispy.  Remove the fried burritos to a paper towel lined dish to absorb excess oil.

4.  Serve the burritos immediately accompanied by the thickened  sauce and guacamole  for dunking.

constructing and frying the burritos:

1.  Working with one tortilla shell at a time, place a tortilla shell in front of you, spread about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the carnitas evenly over the surface of the shell and,  beginning at side closest to you, tightly roll the shell (jelly roll style) away from you until it is fully rolled up, push one toothpick through the roll pinning the loose end in place.   Continue until all the shells and carnitas are used up.

2.  Heat about 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat until the ripple stage.  

3.  Add 1 or 2 of the burritos to the hot oil and fry for about a minute on each side until each burrito is golden and crispy.  Remove the fried burritos to a paper towel lined dish to absorb excess oil.

4.  Serve the burritos immediately accompanied by the thickened  sauce and guacamole  for dunking.

Roasted Red Pepper and Pork Scallopini Rolls

Roasted Red Pepper and Pork Scallopini Rolls

serves 2

(America)

Ingredients

6 - 1/4" thick thin sliced boneless pork chops

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 to 1/2  cup grated Asiago Cheese

12 large fresh basil leaves

6 large pieces of roasted red peppers (see recipe)

Course Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 toothpicks

Preparation

1.  Trim fat from the edges of each chop.  One at a time place each chop flat into a heavy,  1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag and pound with a food mallet into  a 1/8-inch thick scallopini.

2.  One at a time, lay each scallopini (longest side away from you) on a clean flat work surface, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and layer with, first, one of the roasted pepper slices (placed lengthwise away from you) then 2 basil  leaves and finally sprinkle with a generous amount of Asiago cheese over the roasted pepper.  Pat the Asiago cheese gently to flatten  it out.

3.  Beginning at the end closest to you carefully roll the layered scallopini, jelly roll style, away from you securing the seam formed with a toothpick.  Continue until all the scallopini, basil leaves, roasted peppers, and Asiago cheese are used up.

4.  In a sauté pan over medium heat heat the oil and butter to the point at which the butter foam subsides.  Add the scallopini rolls (without crowding) and sauté until the rolls are nicely browned.  Serve immediately garnished with chopped Italian parsley and accompanied by sliced potatoes or creamy risotta. 

Jaeger Schnitzel

Jaeger Schnitzel 

serves 4

(Germany)

This is a nod to Jo's German heritage, Jaeger Schnitzel is traditionally made from pork, accompanied by a creamy mushroom Jaeger sauce. A none traditional version can also be made using skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

Ingredients

4 boneless pork fillets (about 1/2 pounds each)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup of cooked ham slices, cut into about 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 bunch Italian flat-leaved parsley, chopped

1/2 cup sherry wine

6 ounces of beef broth

4 ounces of cream

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

Coarsely ground Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1.  Preheat the oven to 200°F.

2.  One at a time, place the fillets in a 1 gallon re-sealabel plastic bag and pound the fillet to 1/4-inch thick.  Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper.

3.  In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil until fairly hot and fry the Schnitzel on both sides until brown and cooked through, do not crowd the fillet or they will not brown. Remove the fried schnitzel to an oven proof dish lined with paper towels and place the dish in the pre-heated oven to keep them warm.

4.  In the same pan, fry the finely chopped onion and mushrooms for a few of minutes until the onions are softened and translucent and mushrooms begin to brown slightly.  Remove the onions and mushrooms to a plate and pour out any remaining oil.

5.  Return the sauté pan to the heat and deglaze the pan with the sherry.  Reduce the heat to medium low and add the beef  broth, cut-up ham, and cream. Stir to combine and heat the sauce through but do not allow the sauce to boil, boiling will cause the sauce to "break".

6.  Remove the sauce from the heat and add the chopped parsley, correct seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.

7.  Remove the warm schnitzel from the oven to a serving platter and serve with the sauce in a separate bowl.




Next week's post: Spaghetti e Salsa di Granchio (Spaghetti with Crab Sauce)