Champignon Schnitzel

Mushroom Pork Cutlets
Champignon Schnitzel

Okay, the Austrian’s rule in the types of Schnitzel.  These are Pork Schnitzel (Cutlets) in Mushroom Sauce and are very good as well.  I found the recipe in one of my Austrian cookbooks.  I have translated it from German.  Thankfully my scale will give me the metric measurements.  These Schnitzel are pork, pounded thin, salted, dredged in flour on one side, browned in a pan with a little butter on both sides.  Placed in a casserole to be kept warm in the oven and then served with a mushroom sauce and parsley.  My husband was happy to have some German food again as I have not made any for a while.

Champignon Schnitzel

Austrian Pork Cutlets in Mushroom Sauce

Serves 4

Adapted from an Austrian Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 4 pork cutlets, pounded thin (or 8 if they are small)
• salt
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 4 cups sliced white button mushrooms, (or Cremini mushrooms)
• For the sauce:
• water
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 bundle parsley, finely minced

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Pound the cutlets with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is about 1/8 inch.  Sprinkle the cutlets with salt.  Dredge them in the flour, but only on one side.  Melt about 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Brown the cutlets on both sides and remove them to a baking dish.  Pour about half a cup of water in the skillet and use a whisk to remove the browned bits.  Pour the pan sauce over the cutlets in the baking dish and put in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat the procedure with remaining cutlets.

Melt about 1 Tbsp of butter in the skillet and cook the mushrooms until they are browned.  Add about 1 cup of water to the mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Make a paste with the remaining flour and butter, mashing them in a small bowl with a fork.  Add to the mushrooms and water.  Simmer until the sauce has reduced by about half and is not as watery.  Add the minced parsley to the sauce and pour the mushroom sauce over the cutlets that are being kept warm in the oven.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the cutlets are tender.

Serve with a side of pasta, crusty French Bread and a vegetable.  Another great very Austrian side would be Semmelknoedel (Austrian Bread Dumplings).

Source:  Thea: Einfach Kochen Kochbuch Nr 11 Seite 59

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Stuffed Peppers

Pinterest strikes again.  That site is dangerous I tell you.  My husband especially loves stuffed peppers.  I came across a recipe that used ground beef as well as sausage.  It sounded good.  And I made them with a few adaptations. The original recipe can be found here.

Sad story, the first time I started to make them, I discovered that the store had sold me some sausage that had expired last month!   The meat smelled “off” – as I started cooking it – my family appreciates that I quickly changed my menu for that day!!  The store were kind enough to give me my money back on that item, but made not apologies for selling it in the first place, nor did I feel that they cared if I ever bought another thing at their store, so I will not be buying my meat there again (EVER). Why is customer service so hard to find nowadays? I find plenty of customer dis-service.  Thanks for letting me rant!

Stuffed Peppers

Serves 6 adapted from http://www.dearcrissy.com

Ingredients:

• 1 package mild Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 6 large bell peppers (I like to use red or orange or yellow ones)
• olive oil, to drizzle over the peppers before cooking

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 375 F.

In a large skillet, brown the sausage, ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, and onion over medium high heat.  Add the garlic the last few minutes of cooking.  Drain off any excess fat. Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked rice, 1/2 cup cheddar, diced tomatoes, parsley, remaining salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Wash the peppers and split them lengthwise.  Remove the stem, seed and white ribs from the peppers.  Place the peppers in a casserole.  Fill the peppers with the meat filling until full.  Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese.  Drizzle the peppers with a little olive oil.  Cover the casserole with foil.  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 375 F.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This would also be great with heated up Queso if you wish.

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Crockpot Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Orange Sauce

I recently watched America’s Test Kitchen’s episode of crock-pot recipes.  Their slow cooked pork tenderloin really caught my eye.  I made it and it is quite delicious.  The classic tastes of pork and cranberry really work together.  It is an easy recipe too, sometimes the recipes that America’s Test Kitchen’s put out are a little fussy- this one is not! I doubled the recipe because I wanted to share some with a friend.

My pork tenderloin looked like it was one large piece, but it was two smaller pieces, I tied them together, but this is optional, I think it would be fine with a few smaller ones.  The meat falls apart in this preparation.  I will be making it again.

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Serves 10-12 Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 packages pork tenderloin (unseasoned)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 strips of orange peel (peeled with vegetable peeler avoiding the white pith)
• 4 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Preparation:

Pat the pork tenderloin and season with salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.  Brown the seasoned pork tenderloin on all sides for about 10-15 minutes total.

In the crock-pot, add the cranberry sauce, dried cranberries, orange juice, cinnamon and orange peel.  Stir to combine.  Add the browned pork to the crock-pot. Cover with a lid and cook on low for 4 hours.  Remove the pork tenderloin to a platter and cover with foil.  Pour the cranberry-orange sauce into a skillet and add a slurry of water and cornstarch to thicken the sauce.

Serve with rice and carrots or other vegetable to round out the meal.

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Pineapple Salsa for Pork Tenderloin

I love to serve the pineapple salsa with Pork Tenderloin.  I buy the already seasoned Pork (Mesquite, or Lemon Flavors are both very good) and add the salsa.  Cook the pork according to package directions or: (425F for 35-40 minutes for pork tenderloin or until the thermometer reads 160F). Allow the pork to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the following salsa:

Pineapple Salsa:

• 1 (15 oz) can Pineapple tidbits, drained, or 2 cups fresh
• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp dry pepper flakes

Directions:

Combine the pineapple, red bell pepper, green onion, brown sugar, and dry pepper flakes.  Stir to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.  Serve with pork tenderloin.

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Savory Pork Roast

On the topic of crock pot meals… here is another recipe from the current “Fix-It and Forget-It” Magazine that is available until 4/12.  It called to me because it sounded very German!  Pork and Sauerkraut with caraway is a classic German combination! This one is easy to make and very yummy indeed.  Be sure to drain the Sauerkraut, but don’t rinse it – it will add flavor to the roast.  After removing the pork and sauerkraut, the sauce is thickened in the end with a slurry of cornstarch.

I will make this again.  I served it with wide egg noodles and peas.  I used a pork shoulder roast, but you could use one that is less fatty.  The good thing about pork shoulder is that it really falls apart after long cooking times without being overly dry. Another change I made, was seasoning the pork with salt and pepper before browning it.  It added a touch I think that was needed.

Savory Pork Roast

adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It Magazine (2012 issue) p 29

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb pork roast (boneless is preferred, but bone in pork shoulder works as well)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 1 jar Sauerkraut, drained (I liked Nathan’s New York Style Kosher)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 3/4 cup water

Thickeners:

• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water

Instructions:

Season your pork roast with salt and pepper on all sides and heat a large pot over medium high heat.  Add vegetable oil to the pot and then proceed browning the pork roast on all sides, turning the roast about every 4 or 5 minutes.

Once the roast is nicely browned on all sides, place it into your crock pot.  Sprinkle the minced garlic over the top of the roast and top with sliced onions, drained sauerkraut (but not rinsed) and caraway seeds.  Pour the water around the outside of the roast.  Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.

Remove the cooked pork and sauerkraut to a large platter and strain the cooking liquids.  Place just the liquids back into your crock pot.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir to combine.  Add the cornstarch slurry into the cooking liquid.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally.  Serve the gravy with the meat.

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Sausage Gravy

Wake up sleepy head!  Biscuits and Gravy will get them up and out of bed!

I found this recipe on my all time favorite site (allrecipes).  The recipe was posted by Bob Evans.  It is a restaurant chain on the East Coast that serves incredible breakfasts. I tweaked the recipe here and there.

Biscuits and Gravy

adapted from Bob Evans recipe on allrecipes.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sausage
• 2 Tbsp butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and black pepper to taste

additional ingredients:

• 8 prepared biscuits
• 8 fried eggs

Instructions:

Bake biscuits (I used the Bisquick Mix and used the recipe on the box).

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the sausage, crumbling the sausage as you cook it until it is no longer pink.  Move the sausage to the side of the pan and tilt the pan to let the drippings flow to the other side.  Add the flour and about 1/2 tsp of salt to the drippings (oh this is BAD!  But I feel a tingle! I should really not be eating this, but oh it is sooo good for you –oops tasty!)  Stir the flour into the drippings and combine until there is no raw flour left.  I actually added 2 Tbsp of butter to the drippings so the flour was not clumpy.  Heat the milk up in the microwave.  I find it combines better adding a warm liquid.  Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture and whisk it into the pan.  Add the sausage back in.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.  Bring the gravy to a boil and allow to thicken.  If it becomes too thick you can thin it out with additional milk.

To serve, split a biscuit in half  Top with a fried egg and ladle sausage over the egg, replace the top of the biscuit and ladle more gravy over the dish.  Soon you will have all sorts of creatures (children) crawling out of the woodwork to eat breakfast (big ones too).

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Italian Sausage over Pasta

Quite a few years ago, we had dinner with some friends and they made a wonderful sausage dish that can easily adapted to what you have in your fridge.  It works really well with peppers, onions, zucchini, but also could go with mushrooms or eggplant.  Feel free to change it to suit your own family’s tastes.  It looks lovely over tri-color Rotini Pasta.

Italian Sausage over Pasta

Serves 6

• 1 (12 oz) box tri-color Rotini Pasta, or other pasta
• cooking oil
• 6 mild Italian Sausage links
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper (yellow, or orange or red) sliced thinly
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced into coins
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Heat a large non stick skillet, over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and brown the Italian sausages, turning from time to time to brown until cooked through.  Remove the sausages and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the skillet if needed.  Saute the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are cooked to your liking.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Heat through.

To serve: Top the pasta with cooked sausage and ladle the vegetable tomato sauce over the sausage and pasta.  Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

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Thick-Cut Pork Tenderloin Medallions

This recipe is from one of my favorite recipe books: The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001/2010. It is a great resource for seasoned cooks and new cooks alike.  I had purchased some pork tenderloin (lemon garlic seasoned pork tenderloin) and wanted a speedy way to prepare it for dinner on Sunday evening.

I love the sweet of the Maple Syrup paired with the balsamic vinegar in the sauce.  The mustard gives it a nice tangy flavor as well.  Great with potatoes too.

Thick-Cut Pork Tenderloin Medallions

The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001/2010

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen (p 137) and served it with a Maple Mustard Sauce- to follow (also from America’s Test Kitchen p 138)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloin, trimmed of the silver skin and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (I used a seasoned pork tenderloin and patted it dry)
• Kosher salt
• pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation:

Open the package of pork tenderloin, remove the silver skin along the edge with a sharp knife.  Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels and cut them into 1 1/2 inch medallions. Season each side with some Kosher salt and pepper.

Preheat a 12 inch heavy duty (not non stick) skillet with 2 Tbsp oil over medium high heat and until the oil is shimmering, but not smoking.  Add the pork to the skillet cut side down and allow to brown for 3 to 5 minutes.  Turn the medallions with tongs to brown the opposite side for the same amount of time.  Turn and brown the sides of the pork for about 2-3 minutes before rotating to another side.  The internal temperature of the pork should be 140-145F.

Remove the pork medallions to a nice platter and cover with foil to keep warm and rest.  Next prepare the pan sauce:

Maple Mustard Sauce

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp prepared mustard (whole grain if you have on hand)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pour off any remaining fat from the skillet (there will be browned bits from the pork – leave that it will add flavor to the sauce), add the vegetable oil and cook the onion slices over medium heat until slightly browned and softened.  Add the chicken broth and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits.  Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half.  Reduce heat and add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Pour over the cooked pork medallions and serve immediately.

I served it with green beans and parsley potatoes.

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Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs

My house is filled with the aroma of baby back ribs.. it has been driving my family crazy since 3 pm still hours from dinner time.  I made these little beauties and served them with baked potato and fresh green beans.

Becky’s Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs

Serves 6

• 2 slabs of baby back ribs (quality ones!)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper and garlic flakes
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar BBQ sauce

Preparation:

Cut the baby back ribs into sections.  I cut them with 2-4 bones that way the ones with smaller appetites had smaller pieces to choose from.  I seasoned the meaty part with a sprinkling of kosher salt.  I have a pepper mill that has pepper and garlic in it.  I seasoned the ribs with a few grinds of the mill.  I packed 3-4 sections in a long strip of foil and wrapped the foil around the ribs and placed them on a cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining rib sections.  I had three packages of foil wrapped ribs next to each other one one cookie sheet.

Bake in a 350 F preheated oven.  After one hour reduce the heat to 275 and continue baking for 2 more hours.  I turned the heat up to 350 again so I could bake my potatoes at the same time and baked them for 1 1/2 hours until the potatoes were cooked through. (See below how I prepare my baked potatoes)

I removed the finished potatoes to a serving platter and allowed them to cool a bit.  I opened the packets of ribs, but left the ribs in the foil.  I poured some barbecue sauce on them.   I set the oven to broil (high heat) and placed the rack about 6 inches from the elements.  I broiled the ribs for about 10 minutes.  Now they were ready!

My husband really liked this preparation of the ribs.  I like to throw them in the crock pot, but they do tend to get a little soggy in that method of preparation.  I have to agree with him (the smell of the ribs would be just as strong in a crock pot).

Baked Potatoes

Serves 5

• 5 baked potatoes, scrubbed and left damp

Sprinkle the potatoes with kosher salt and wrap in foil.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 or 1 hour at 400.

Serve with butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits if desired.

 

 

 

 

Black Bean and Sausage Burritos

Here is a recipe for Black Bean and Sausage Burritos that my husband is especially fond of.  I found it initially in a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook Great Cooking for Two and have changed it up a little to personalize it for our family.  It is easy to assemble, but takes a little preparation.

Black Bean and Sausage Burritos

adapted from Great Cooking for 2 Cookbook

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 12 oz Italian Sweet Sausage, skins removed and crumbled
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Green or Red Pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1  3/4 cups Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded (divided use), or cheddar cheese if desired
• 4 oz can diced green chilies, drained
• 8-10 (medium) Flour Tortillas
• 1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained (you may need more if you are making 10 burritos)
• 1/2 cup mild or medium salsa

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Wrap the flour tortillas in foil.

For the filling: n a large skillet, cook the Italian sausage, onion, green or red pepper until the sausage is browned and the onion is tender.  Drain the excess fat.  Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute or so.  Stir in the ricotta cheese,  3/4 cups of the pepper Jack cheese (or cheddar), and drained green chilies.  Stir until combined and set aside.

When the oven has come to temperature, heat the flour tortillas for 10-15 minutes to soften them.

Use a fork to mash the black beans in a separate bowl.  Stir in the salsa.

Unwrap the heated tortillas and spread about 2 Tbsp of the black beans down the center of each tortilla within 2 inches of the edge. Spoon 1/2 cup of the sausage cheese filling on top of the bean paste.  Sprinkle with about 2-3 Tbsp of cheese over the filling.  Fold the ends of the tortilla over the filling and then the sides.  Either skewer them with toothpicks, or wrap them in foil to secure the burrito.  Place in a baking dish. Bake the burritos at 350 F for 15-25 minutes or until hot.  Remove toothpicks/foil.  Serve with salsa and Spanish Rice.  Serving Size: 2 Burritos.

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