Category Archives: Pork

Not that I condone eating meat products but all of my kids do so occasionally I find myself cooking it, much against my will

Pulled Pork Tamale Pie

I make Pulled Pork quite often and end up with tonnes of left over Pulled Pork; there are only so many Pulled Pork Sandwiches Luke can consume! I was delighted when this recipe for Easy as Tamale Pie from Kitchen Meets Girl came through Ay Sontespli’s Kitchen !
I used to make a Tamale Pie from a recipe that I found in one of those Canadian Living Mini Cookbooks that, for a limited time, you used to be able to get when you filled up at Petro Can…I have long since lost the cookbook, to my dismay;  I have tried a few times to make Tamale Pie from memory which meh, sort of worked?  Anyway, I do think my problem has been solved with the discovery of this recipe.

Pulled Pork Tamale Pie
Pulled Pork Tamale Pie

3 ounces Butter, melted
1 cup Cornmeal
3/4 cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk*

1 (440ml) can Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Epicure’s Poco Picante Salsa  Mix
1 1/2 teaspoons each: Oregano, Basil, Parsley
1 teaspoon ground Cumin

2 cups shredded pork
1 Tablespoon Epicure’s Poco Picante Salsa Mix

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese or Tex Mex Cheese
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Green Onions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Lightly grease a 9″x9″ pan; set aside.
In a large bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In another bowl whisk together eggs, buttermilk and melted butter.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, the batter may be lumpy.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes.

While cornbread is baking, combine tomato sauce, Epicure’s Poco Picante Mix, oregano, basil, parsley and cumin together in a small bowl or large measuring cup; set aside.
In another small mixing bowl combine shredded pork with Epicure’s Poco Picante Mix; set aside.

Remove cornbread from oven after 20 minutes; it won’t be quite set in the centre….that’s okay.
With a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cornbread.
Pour tomato sauce mixture over crust.
Evenly spread shredded pork over tomato sauce topped crust.
Top with shredded cheese; cover with foil and return to oven for an additionally 20 – 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and cornbread is cooked through. (test by inserting clean knife in the middle, it should come out without goopy cornmeal on the end of the knife)
Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, top with chopped cilantro or chopped green onions and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with Tossed Green Salad, Guacamole and Sour Cream

* if you don’t have Buttermilk on hand, pour 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice into a measuring cup then add enough milk to measure 1 1/2 cups; let sit for 10 minutes.

Serves 6

Pork Chop with Cranberries

I honestly don’t remember how I came across this recipe? What could I possibly have been googling? Well, I had pork chops in the fridge, that I know for sure. But cranberries? It must have been a fluke that I had some tucked away in the freezer? It went over well with the meat eaters and it smelled pretty good while it was cooking. At any rate, I found this recipe for Pork Chop Saute with Cranberries over at Eating Well. Head over there for a peek at all their great recipes!
Easy enough to pull together for a meal on a busy week night.

pork chops with cranberries
Pork Chops with Cranberries

1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon Pepper, divided
4 boneless Pork Loin Chops (1 – 1 1/4 lb), trimmed of fat
2/3 cup Cranberry or Orange Juice
2 1/2 – 3 Tablespoons Honey
2 teaspoons Canola Oil
1 small Onion, sliced
1 cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed, coarsely chopped

Mix thyme and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with thyme mixture.
Stir until well blended the cranberry juice and honey in a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the pork chops and cook until browned on both sides, 2 – 3 minutes on each side.
Push the chops to one side of the pan, add onion to the empty half of the pan and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 1 – 2 minutes.
Pour half the juice mixture into the pan.
Add cranberries.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, turning the chops occasionally, until cooked through 2 – 4 minutes.
Transfer the chops to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add the remaining juice mixture to the pan.
Increase heat to high and cook until the mixture reduces to form a syrupy sauce, about 2 minutes.
Season with remaining salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce over the chops.

Serve with Pan Fried Potatoes, or Steamed Rice and Steamed Broccoli

 

Serves 4

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Fall off the bone Pork Chops. ’nuff said. I found the recipe on Yummly for Slow Cooker Pork Chops but found it lacking in flavour…going on a guess here because I have not eaten meat in over thirty years but the recipe just screamed out for some sort of seasoning and herbs. This is what I did to enhance the flavours.

Slow cooker pork chops
Super tender Slow Cooker Pork Chops

6 bone in Pork Chops (about 2 lbs)
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 can  (300ml) can each Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried Sage
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon Celery Salt
Fresh ground Pepper

In a small bowl combine the soups, dried sage and rosemary, celery salt and freshly ground pepper; set aside.
Place a layer of pork chops in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Top with 1/2 of: sliced apple, chopped onion, crushed garlic.
Add remaining layer of pork chops.
Top with remaining apple, chopped onion and crushed garlic.
Pour soup mixture over all.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 – 9 hours or until the pork is fork-tender.
Serve with Steamed Rice.

Serves 6

Perogies with Creamy Bacon Sauce

Perogies with Creamy Bacon Sauce
Perogies with Creamy Bacon Sauce

So funny! Just finished doing the dishes after throwing together an easy, peasy, super quick Perogy thing that we do and I no sooner sat down when I received a text from my daughter, “Remember that perogy sauce that Aunty Sabine used to make? With bacon and white sauce, I think. Do you have the recipe? Have a craving.”
Now I don’t really remember exactly how Aunty Sabine used to make it but I remember the basics; admittedly, I don’t make it all that often …probably because, well, for a few years there we lived in Australia and you can’t get perogies over there. Yes, yes, I could have made them from scratch but the one and only time I ever did that, they didn’t turn out ….at all! Floury, goopey mess, is what they were. So I leave perogy making to the experts: Potato and Cheddar or Potato and Onion for myself and I am sure my family would love the Bacon ones!
Now Aunty Sabine used back bacon, and I have a few times but more often than not I had regular bacon on hand  and that works just as well. Tonight I even subbed in sliced ham!
Alright, without further ado….

1/2 lb Bacon, chopped (or Back Bacon or Sliced Ham)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 – 2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vinegar

Perogies, cooked according to package directions

In a deep skillet, fry bacon.
Once bacon is half cooked, add in onion and garlic and continue cooking until bacon is slightly crispy.
Pour in whipping cream; add vinegar and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium – low until reduced and slightly thickened.
Serve over prepared Perogies.