Asian-Style Caramelized Pork

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is one of the recipes I use when one of those yard-long pork loins from the warehouse store ends up in my kitchen. I shared it, and several others, with the gals in the economy-minded group I monitor. They are exploring and sharing less expensive ways to feed their families and our goal, as a group, was to come up with 5 meals that could be made from one pork loin. We actually ended up with 7, and over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of the them with you. While young children probably won't touch this, adults and older children really like pork cooked in this way. It is easy to make and is nearly foolproof, but the operative word here is nearly. When working with caramelized meat it is really easy to overcook it. I cut the pork used in this recipe into thin strips which cook very quickly. One minute they are succulent and tender, but the next they become chewable shoe leather. 'Nuff said. I'm not attributing this dish to a specific country because elements of it are shared by several Asian cuisines. I've also taken some Western shortcuts that will raise an eyebrow or two, but they are functional and make short work of this nice dish. I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Asian-Style Caramelized Pork...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 pound of pork – cut into thin 2 x 1/4-inch strips
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
1/4 cup water
1 medium jalapeno pepper – sliced thinly
Optional: Green onions for garnish

Directions:
1) Marinate pork strips in Combine fish sauce, lime juice and black pepper in a medium bowl. Add pork strips and toss to coat. Let sit for 1 hour.
2) Heat oil in a pan set over medium high heat. Add sugar, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and turns a darker brown. Remove pan from heat and stir in ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add pork and toss to coat.
3) Place pan back on heat. Stir-fry until meat has a dark golden color, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cover pan and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove cover and add water to pan. Cover pan and cook for another 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick. If not, remove pork and continue to cook sauce until it thickens. Return pork to pan and toss well to coat. Adjust seasoning. Stir in sliced jalapenos. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with green onions, if using. Serve with rice. Yield: 3 servings.








One Year Ago Today: Peanutty Ice-Box Cake
















Two Years Ago Today: Flower Pot Bread

Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely mix of ingredients captures the colors and flavors of summer in a bowl. The salad, packed with fresh vegetables that offer texture and flavor, is topped with a combination of feta cheese and basil that manages to keep a potentially boring mix of ingredients interesting. The brightness of the salad adds glorious color to a picnic table and its slight tang works really well with barbecued meat or chicken. The recipe was originally developed developed by Priscilla Yee for a Taste of Home competition. Her recipe is a keeper and I suspect your family will enjoy it as much as mine did. While I prefer the salad chilled, it can be served at room temperature and that makes it ideal for family outings. Our outing today took us to a local dam and fish hatchery where the little guys had their first "gone fishin" experience. It was a treasure of a day, matched by food that was nearly as good as the memories that were made. While there is no recipe for the memories, there is one for the salad. Here it is.

Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Priscilla Yee

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1) To make dressing, whisk lime juice, salt, pepper sauce and 4 teaspoons oil together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2) Using a large skillet, saute corn in reserved 1 teaspoon oil until tender. Transfer corn to a salad bowl.
3) Add tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and basil to sauteed corn. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate until chilled. until tender. Transfer to a salad bowl; add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving. Yield: 4 servings.








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Two Years Ago Today: Grilled Tomato Sandwich with Blue Cheese Spread








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Bean and Corn Salad - Chow and Chatter
Colorful Grilled Corn Salad - The Baking Beauties
Summer Corn Salad - 101 Cookbooks
Rainbow Corn Salad - The Heritage Cook
Laura's Corn Salad - Simple Daily Recipes

Tomatillo Chicken and Rice - Crock-Pot Cooking

The two winners of the Novica gift certificates have been chosen. Each of the 270 comments in the drawing received a sequential number at the time it was posted. The winners were chosen by a random number generator which selected the numbers 229 and 71. Congratulations to Aisling and Discovery Woman. I will be contacting you soon.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the perks of age is learning to cast away the things that aren't important. That helped this morning as I took a look around the house, assessed what I saw and declared an end to Christmas preparations. Basta! The day was crisp and clear and meant to be enjoyed. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. I had a wonderful day. I accomplished nothing of importance but had an awfully good time doing nothing at all. I walked some along the river, lunched with a friend and relished the luxury of a midday nap. Dinner, too, was stressless. It was a crock-pot creation that turned out well enough to share with you. If you are looking for a quick holiday meal, I think you'll enjoy this simple dinner which has a Southwestern flair. If you'd like to make your own tomatillo salsa, a recipe can be found here. The recipe for the chicken appears below.

Tomatillo Chicken with Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups tomatillo salsa
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2-in. pieces
1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained
1 can (15-oz.) hominy, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5-oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
3 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1) Mix all ingredients except cilantro in a 4 to 5-quart slow cooker.
2) Cover and cook on high 3 to 3-1/2 hours until chicken is cooked through.
3) Stir in cilantro; serve over rice with lime wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja - The Perfect Pantry
Slow Cooker Mulligatawny - The Ungourmet
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches - Jane Deere
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - Never Enough Thyme
Slow Cooker Pork Chops - The Hungry Housewife
Crock-Pot Chili - Taste and Tell

Shrimp and Corn with Fresh Basil

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I hope there are no secret rules or pledges associated with Meatless Monday. I'm going to proceed on the assumption that fish and shellfish are fair game for use by those participating in the challenge. I'll be working with shellfish today. I live in an area where frozen Alaskan shrimp are cheap and plentiful. While they're not suitable for all applications, the shrimp are perfect for budget family meals. Today's recipe takes all-American ingredients and uses a simple Asian stir-fry technique to make a wonderful family meal. This is a five ingredient recipe that actually works. Bob is always dubious about these really easy meals. I made this for his lunch today and got a high five for my efforts. While I used thawed, frozen corn to make the dish, it will be even better when fresh local corn can be used. I've adapted this recipe from one that appeared in Gourmet magazine a decade ago. I think those of you who try this, will love it. Here's the recipe that garnered me a "...this is really good!" Bon appétit.

Shrimp and Corn with Fresh Basil...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted for Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 cups sweet corn, thawed if frozen
1 pound shelled large shrimp
1 bunch green onions (white and tender green), chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté or stir-fry corn and shrimp, stirring, until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in scallions and basil and season with salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Camarones a la Mexicana - One Perfect Bite
Brined Shrimp with Jalapeno and Garlic - One Perfect Bite
Shrimp Omelet from the Pearl River Delta - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory

Corn and Edamame Succotash - Outdoor Wednesday

...and for Outdoor Wednesday, covered bridges.



More covered bridges of Lane County Oregon can be seen here.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Sufferin' succotash!" I loved it as a child when it was made with lima beans and I love it now when it's made with edamame. American Indians taught the colonists how to make this dish. We can be pretty certain that they didn't use lima beans in those early versions because the beans, brought here by Europeans from South America, weren't native to North America. They did, however, have other types of beans at their disposal and they used used what was locally available. Over time, other regional additions were made to the mixture. Purists, and I happen to be one of them, insist the dish should be made only with corn, shell beans, butter and cream. Unfortunately, it had been so ineptly prepared and served, that millions remember it as the bad joke that sat in a cafeteria steam table throughout much of the 20th century. Efforts to improve its flavor led to the addition of other vegetables and it became a hodepodge of waring elements. We owe the green movement and its push for simplicity for restoring the dish to its original elements. The only trick to preparing succotash is to make sure the vegetables are cooked, but still retain a bit of crispness. Undercooked they are like rabbit pellets and overcooked they are like mush. The use of edamame has taken a nice dish and made it really special. This is the kind of supper that I make for my self when Bob is traveling. It's very easy to do and quite delicious. Here's the recipe.

Edamame and Corn Succotash...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups cooked corn kernels
1-1/2 cups shelled, cooked edamame
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Optional garnish: diced red bell pepper or finely chopped parsley

Directions:
Place butter in a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Add corn, edamame and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is warmed through. Do not let the mixture boil. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with bell pepper or parsley if using. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Brown Buttered corn with Basil - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Golden Corn and Potato Mash - One Perfect Bite

This is being linked to:
Outdoor Wednesday - A Southern Daydreamer

Caramelized Corn Chowder

If you're looking for a new twist to an old favorite you'll love this caramelized version of corn chowder. While the recipe calls for frying corn until it begins to caramelize, the chowder was really named to grab your attention - I didn't think something called fried corn chowder would faze you. If you're still with me, it's wonderful by the cup as a Thanksgiving starter. It's better still by the bowlful on a damp winter night. It's easy to do and truly delicious, so build a fire, light the candles, uncork the wine and enjoy some chowder Oregon-style.

Caramelized Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
6 slices slab bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken stock
4 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups fresh corn (see cook's note regarding frozen corn)
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: chopped basil or parsley

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a 5 to 6-quart stockpot. Add bacon and cook until bacon is brown and crisp. Transfer to paper toweling. Set aside.
2) Add onion to pan and cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Blend in flour and cook until it begins to brown. Whisk in stock. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add cream, hot pepper sauce to taste and basil. Keep warm.
3) Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet. Add the corn and sugar; stir to distribute sugar. Cook, without stirring, until underside is brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until reverse side is brown, about 4 minutes longer.
4) Add corn and reserved bacon to soup. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil. Yield: 6 generous servings.

Cook's Note: Thawed frozen corn may be used if patted dry.