Cranberry Glazed Pork Skewers + Small Plate Giveaway

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the last of the Sponsored posts I've written on behalf of the National Pork Board. The board recently conducted a survey to identify food trends that are appealing to American cooks this holiday season. They found six recurring themes for their 2011 Pork's Perfect Paring's guide and asked cookbook author Jill Silverman Hough to develop a pork recipe to go with each of them. They also asked some members of the blogging community to provide recipes and holiday ideas for each of the themes they were highlighting. I focused my attention on the Smitten with Small Plates category and for the last three days I've featured pork dishes that work well as appetizers or small plate meals.

I think you'll all enjoy the recipes I'm featuring and the National Pork Board has a Small Plates gift set waiting for one of you. The gift set includes: $25 worth of pork coupons; Jill Silverman Hough cookbooks, including 100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with the Wines You Love and 100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with the Wines You Love; an instant-read digital thermometer; tapas-style small plates and decorative skewers for holiday appetizers. If you'd like a chance to win, simply comment on one, or all three, of the recipes that are part of this promotion. Everyone can enter up to three entries to the drawing. The winner, chosen by a random number drawing, will be announced on Saturday, December 17th. Good luck! While I have received a similar gift package, the opinions in this post are 100% mine.



I decided to use pork tenderloin for the last of the dishes I wanted to make for this promotion. Pork skewers make great finger food and I thought the tenderloin could be made more festive with a cranberry glaze that would add some sweetness and seasonal color to the dish. I also wanted to brighten the final flavor, so I finished the skewers with an orange and cilantro gremolata that worked especially well with the cranberry glaze. These skewers are very easy to make. I hope you will give them a try. Here's the recipe.




Cranberry Glazed Pork Skewers with Cilantro and Orange Gremolata...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Marinade and Sauce:
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, divided use
1/2 cup thick teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons Asian-style hot chili sauce (i.e. Sriracha)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon lime juice, divided use
Gremolata:
2 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Pork:
1 (12 to 16-oz.) pork tenderloin
24 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions:
1) Trim pork tenderloin and remove silver skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut tenderloin lengthwise into four long pieces each about 1/2 inch thick. Flatten slightly, then cut each strip in half lengthwise. Cut each long strip crosswise into three pieces, each of which will be 3-1/2 to 4-inches long. You should end up with 24 pieces of pork.
2) To make marinade and sauce: Place juice, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, teriyaki sauce, hot chili sauce, salt, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon lime juice in jar of an electric blender. Puree. Place 1/2 cup sauce, reserved 1/4 cup lime juice and pork in a medium bowl, turning pork strips to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place reserved 1 cup sauce in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until slightly thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.
3) To prepare gremolata: Finely chop reserved 2 tablespoons dried cranberries. Place cranberries, orange zest, garlic and cilantro in a small bowl. Toss to combine. Set aside.
4) To cook pork: Preheat oven broiler element. Thread 1 pork strip on each bamboo skewer and baste lightly with cranberry glaze. Place on a pan and broil skewers 6 inches from heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning and glazing once.
5) To serve: Sprinkle pork with gremolata and sea salt, if using. Transfer skewers to individual serving plates. Yield: About 24 skewers.

Cook's Note: Be sure to sprinkle each pork skewer with gremolata. It is a necessary component of this dish.








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Miniature Sausage Stuffed Peppers + Small Plate Giveaway

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of the National Pork Board. They recently conducted a survey to identify food trends that are appealing to American cooks this holiday season. They found six recurring themes for their 2011 Pork's Perfect Paring's guide and asked cookbook author Jill Silverman Hough to develop a pork recipe to go with each of them. They also asked some members of the blogging community to provide recipes and holiday ideas for each of the themes they were highlighting. I focused my attention on the Smitten with Small Plates category and for the next three days I'll be featuring pork dishes that work well as appetizers or small plate meals.

I think you'll all enjoy the recipes I'm featuring and the National Pork Board has a Small Plates gift set waiting for one of you. The gift set includes: $25 worth of pork coupons; Jill Silverman Hough cookbooks, including 100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with the Wines You Love and 100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with the Wines You Love; an instant-read digital thermometer; tapas-style small plates and decorative skewers for holiday appetizers. If you'd like a chance to win, simply comment on one, or all three, of the recipes that are part of this promotion. Everyone can enter up to three entries to the drawing The winner, chosen by a random number drawing, will be announced on Saturday, December 17th. Good luck! While I have received a similar gift package, the opinions in this post are 100% mine.

I was immediately drawn to the color and novelty of the miniature peppers in the market this past week. I purchased a bag of them with no particular plan or recipe in mind and brought them home to puzzle the use to which they would be put. My family loves peppers and they have an equal fondness for Sicilian sausage. I decided to combine the two and came up with the miniature stuffed peppers that are being featured today. I started with a very mild Italian sausage to which I added cheese, parsley, rice, garlic and some fennel. While it chilled, I removed the tops and seeds from the small peppers and brushed their exteriors with a really heady olive oil. Each of the peppers was stuffed with a tablespoon or so of the sausage mixture and placed in a lightly oiled pan for baking. These are very simple to make and you'll have no problems with them as long as you don't over-stuff the peppers. The filling will expand as the peppers bake and if there is too much stuffing they will crack. They can be made hours ahead of serving, then brought to room temperature and baked for about 20 minutes before being served on individual plates. They have some substance, so they can be can eaten with fingers or served with a fork. The number of finished peppers will depend on their size, but you'll have 24 to 36 peppers to serve your family or guests. Here's the recipe.

Miniature Sausage Stuffed Peppers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
36 miniature bell peppers
1 pound mild Italian or pork sausage
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds
1 large egg, beaten
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.
2) Cut tops from miniature peppers. Remove seeds and ribs and brush peppers with olive oil. Set aside.
3) Combine sausage, rice, cheese, parsley, garlic, fennel seeds and egg. Mix well. Fry a small patty of the mixture in a frying pan to check for seasoning. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
4) Stuff each peppers with about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture. Mound slightly, but do not pack or overstuff them. Place in prepared pan.
5) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until peppers can be pierced with a fork and the sausage is cooked through. Yield: 24 to 36 peppers.








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