Tag: comfort food

Cheezy Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Balsamic Glaze

Posted on by Admin

Last night’s dinner was inspired by a bottle of raspberry flavoured balsamic vinegar that was gifted to me at Christmas time. (Thanks mom!) The combination of flavours in this dish is very pleasing. Sweet and sour is often paired with pork and for very good reason. I added some herbed Boursin cheese for additional flavour which I think works perfectly with this dish.

Grab your favourite lager and I trust you will enjoy this dish as much as I did!

 

What You Need:

Alberta pork loin
1 package Boursin cheese (I used garlic and fine herbs)
asparagus sprigs 6-8
Approx. 1/2 cup Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4-1/3 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
your favourite spice
salt

To Prepare:

Here is a good illustration on how to stuff a pork loin:
http://domesticfits.com/2012/02/08/how-to-roll-cut-and-stuff-pork-loin/

NOTE: You could easily add some fresh greens, parsley or onion to the cheese mixture, however I just kept it very simple.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow the steps from the link above to stuff the loin. Add olive oil to med sized fry pan. Brown pork on both sides and transfer to the oven. Cook for approximately 30-35 mins or until desired internal cooking temp is reached.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan add raspberry balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and water. Gently bring to a boil stirring continuously until slightly thickened. DO NOT BURN. Pour a little of the balsamic reduction to the pork and finish roasting.

Wash asparagus spears and prepare by breaking off the dry ends. Lightly cook in steamer or sauté in small fry pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Serve pork tenderloin over asparagus and pour on the remaining glaze. Enjoy!

Recipe: Garlicky Pork Ragu

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Roast Garlic pork ragu recipe

I’m not sure how it happened, but December is just around the corner. Even though we haven’t had nearly as much snow as we usually do by this time of year, that doesn’t mean it’s not feeling a little chilly outside.

This tomato ragu recipe incorporates big chunks of tender pork shoulder and red wine for a finished product that is not only comforting, but great on anything from rice or pasta to roasted root vegetables and mashed potatoes. It freezes well too, so if you’re a big batch cook, this one’s for you!

What you’ll need…

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 4lb bone-in pork shoulder (meat 1″ cubed, reserve bone)

2 cups red wine

1 yellow onion (halved and thinly sliced)

6 cloves garlic (minced)

6 cups canned crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons butter

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper (to taste)

8 cups cooked pasta of choice

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add cubed pork to the pot and, working in two batches, cook until browned on all sides.

Remove pork from pot and deglaze with a few splashes of red wine. Add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Return meat to pot along with the shoulder bone, remaining wine, tomatoes, butter and spices. Stir well to incorporate and once mixture comes to a simmer, reduce to low heat, cover and let cook for 2 hours or until pork is fork-tender, checking and stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours, remove lid, discard bone and spice sprigs, turn to medium heat and let cook for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, portion out pasta onto 6 plates or shallow bowls and top liberally with pork ragu. Enjoy!

Serves 6

Total cook time…2 hours, 30 minutes

Recipe: Creamy Potato, Leek and Sausage Soup

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Leek and Sausage soupEven though it’s almost halfway through the winter season, we’re not out of the woods just yet when it comes to snowy, chilly weather. A big batch of this rich, creamy soup will help warm you up in no-time when it’s not looking so lovely out there.

What you’ll need…

3 white potatoes (½” diced)

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 medium leeks (trimmed and thinly sliced)

1 cup thinly sliced farmer’s sausage

1 cup dry yellow split peas

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups heavy cream

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Place potatoes, broth and water in a large pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Let boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender in the pot) to puree until very smooth.

Add leeks, sausage, peas, mustard and spices to the pot. Once mixture starts to simmer, reduce to medium heat and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, add heavy cream to the pot, stir well and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…45 minutes

Recipe: Spaghetti with Porchetta Ragu

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Porchetta ragu recipe

I love pasta any time of the year, but during the winter is when I truly find comfort in a big plate of spaghetti. Living in downtown Calgary, I’m lucky enough to be within walking distance to a mix of grocery stores and meat shops that boast a great selection of cuts of pork as well as cured meats. The other day when I decided to suit up and trek through the snow in subzero temperatures for some ingredients (that whole “let’s try and be more active in January” thing, you know?) to make a simple. but make-you-feel-cozy ragu.

This recipe is great for a couple reasons. Firstly, it uses a good chunk of porchetta in an interesting way (i.e. not just shoved between slices of bread with salsa verde) and it also requires some red wine. A splash for the pan, a splash for me. That’s how you guys cook too, right? Right! Anyway, this recipe makes a decent amount of ragu, so make sure to invite some friends over for dinner!

What you’ll need…

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 yellow onions (halved and thinly sliced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

750 grams ground pork

2 1/4″ slices porchetta (thinly sliced)

1 cup red wine

1 cup pork broth

4 cups canned diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons good quality maple syrup

salt and pepper (to taste)

8 cups cooked spaghetti

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Once hot, add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add butter and once melted add the ground pork and let cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients to the pot with the exception of the spaghetti. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover and let cook for 45 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let sauce thicken slightly.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

To serve, portion out spaghetti into 6 large bowls and top generously with ragu. Eat and feel immediate comfort.

(note: garlic bread on the side for soaking up any leftover sauce is highly recommended!)

Serves 6

Total cook time…1 hour, 20 minutes