pork

Choosing a Cut That's High on the Hog- Braised Pork Sirloin

26 Sep 2011
Braised Pork Sirloin with Tomatoes, White Beans & Sage

OMG. I have a simple and satisfying meal. It perfectly bridges the season between summer and autumn. Braised Pork Sirloin with Tomatoes, White Beans & Sage. Sounds delicious and seasonal, right? But it also offers me an opportunity to discuss something I have not talked about in almost three years of writing this blog. Which is shocking to me. I mean how can there be any virgin territory in three years of blogging.

And I don't mean pork. This ex-virgin has been porked. In fact the word pork appears in 141 posts. That's is out of almost 700 posts. That's a pretty strong pork ratio. Oink. Oink! Wink, Wink!

No the subject I seem to have missed is talking about the myriad of pork cuts. Which is a bit shocking. I mean I have read Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. I have even eaten nose and tail. My last post was jowl. But truth be told. Snout thru jowl to tail is fun information. But I suspect lots of us could use a bit of briefing on the more common cuts of the pig.

Seems like a good idea, but here I am three paragraphs into this post and I realize there is no freakin' way. There are just too many cuts of pork. I can't possibly discuss them all without you wanting to butcher me! Take ribs. Pork back ribs = pork backribs = pork country back bones = pork loin back ribs = pork ribs for barbecue = Canadian pork back ribs. These are all just different names for pork baby back ribs. All those names and I am not even including spare ribs!!

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Braised Pork Sirloin with Tomatoes, White Beans & Sage

braised pork with tomatoes and white beans
By jgreghenry Published September 26, 2011
Prep time: 45
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 0 salt & pepper, as needed
  • 2 pork sirloin steaks, about 1.5" thick
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled & sliced
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 1 lb whole cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 cn white beans, drained & rinsed
  • 2 T sage leaves, sliced, plus more for garnish
  • 1 c chicken broth, or as needed

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. Season the pork sirloin steaks well with salt and pepper. Sear them in the skillet on both sides until well browned. Transfer to a platter, and keep warm.

Reduce skillet heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic slices; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and continue cooking until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to pop, about 6 minutes. Stir in the white beans and sage leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return the pork chops to the skillet, adding enough broth to come about 1/4 of the way up the side of the skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove cover, adjust seasoning, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or to desired doneness.

Remove meat from skillet and let it rest about 4 minutes. Reduce the liquid in the beans, tomatoes and onions if desired. Pour the bean mixture onto a serving platter, topping it with the pork sirloins. Garnish with additional chopped sage and serve warm.

Notes:

Substitutes: pork tenderloin (slice medallions from it) or pork sirloin chop

Jump into our Pool Party- The Table Set Video

02 Sep 2011
The Table Set Pod Cast has a Pool Party

Maybe you were having root canal surgery, maybe you live on a deserted island, or maybe you're just crazy. But in case you missed it The Table Set had a Pool Party and you were invited.

But if you were busy advising President Obama about the gridlock crisis in Washington and just could not get away, I have good news. There's a video. Of course there is. And you can watch right here right now.

The Table Set is a podcast produced by the Home Fries Podcast Network and is available for download on iTunes. I co-host with Andy (@windattack) and Nathan (The Chocolate of Meats). We talk about parties. Your parties, our parties– parties we’ve been to. Parties we’d like to throw. Parties you want. Parties you need.

But to prove we're as much business as we are bluster, we figured we better throw an actual party. We decided on a Pool Party because it was the subject of our first episode and well, it's summer. An après-ski event just seemed wrong! See– more proof we know what we're talking about.

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Authentic Cuban Sandwich

Authentic Cuban Sandwich
By jgreghenry Published May 18, 2011
Prep time: 5
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 0.333333 of a cuban bread loaf, about 7 inches long (not baguette)
  • 0 yellow mustard to taste (never mayo)
  • 3 thin slices ham
  • 3 thin slices roast pork shoulder
  • 3 thin slices swiss cheese
  • 3 thin sliced rounds of dill pickle
  • 1 newspaper, because cuban-americans take the news seriously

Directions

Cut off the butt ends of the bread then split in half lengthwise, creating a top and bottom. Spread a thin layer of yellow mustard on the inside of the top half. Line the bottom half with the ham, pork, cheese and pickles (in that order). Place the top on the bottom. Then press the layers together a bit. The bread might crack on the outside and that's just fine. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat, Then spray it lightly with cooking spray or use a paper towel to barely coat it with canola oil. Place the sandwich in the pan or on the griddle. Then lightly spray, or brush the top of sandwich with canola oil. Add a heavy weight on top (such as a cast iron skillet) and press the sandwich flat. Don't be afraid to push hard. This is vital to get the crackly crust and juicy interior. Cook the sandwich for about 2 or 3 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt and the bread is toasted. Flip the sandwich and repeat. You may alternatively use a sandwich press and then there is not need to flip it. Cut the sandwich in half crosswise. Serve immediately.

Notes:

makes 1 sandwiches Source: Cuban Delight Restaurant- St. Petersburg Florida

Default Pasta: Egg Noodle Fettuccine & Meatball Lasagna

04 Feb 2011
baked fettuccine from sippity sup

Lasagna. You know what that is right? So you don't mind if I fiddle about some with this classic Italian-style comfort food do you? Egg Noodle Fettuccine & Meatball Lasagna. After all what's lasagna if not pasta, right? And when it comes to pasta at my house, it commonly makes its appearance in what I like to call default pasta.

I present default pasta here at Sippity Sup quite often, so I know you know what that is too. But quickly, just in case, default pasta is an easy flavorful way to make dinner with whatever ingredients you have on hand. There are a few basic rules however. If you need to review these CLICK over to my original post featuring default pasta.

Because today I want to talk about the ingredients I had on hand and why I chose them for this deconstructed lasagna recipe.

One of the "perks" of blogging is– I get stuff sent to me. Things people want me to try. Quite often it's food. That makes sense right? Some of these products get a little nod or mention from me here on Sippity Sup. But I am a little stingy with my nods and mentions, so most of these things end up in the pantry waiting to catch my attention. It doesn't mean they are not good products. It just means I am a picky bastard who refuses to sell my blog for a box of nuts...

Well on this particular default pasta night. I really had very slim pickings in the fresh food department. I was also having friends in for dinner and they have a 6 yo. Now I don't coddle children. In my house, kids eat what the adults eat. But that doesn't mean I won't try and accommodate the menu to appeal to kids as well as adults. What is it that both kids and adults crave? Lasagna of course!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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