Tag: Alberta Pulse Growers

Recipe: Pork Schnitzel Benedict with Crispy Split Pea and Lentil Cakes

Posted on by Sharman

Pork Schnitzel Benedict

When chef Doreen Prei shares a brunch recipe it is sure to be anything but basic. As part of Taste Alberta‘s virtual Holiday Kitchen Party, chef Prei took inspiration from her German heritage and her love of local Alberta ingredients for a decadent brunch dish – Pork Schnitzel Benedict. Imagine a pork schnitzel served atop crispy split pea and lentil cakes, topped with a poached egg and hollandaise, and accompanied with a little spoonful of the cranberry and Brussels sprout relish. There are several components to this dish, which which can be made in advance, but all the steps are simple enough if you ensure you have all your ingredients on hand.

Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients:

  • 2 slices of pork loin, pounded very thin (either you can use parchment paper or cling film)
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs (sieve the left-over breadcrumbs and store in container and
  • keep in the freezer for your next recipe)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Canola oil for frying

Directions:

  1. Place a slice of pork loin either on parchment paper or cling film and cover with the
    parchment paper or cling film. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the pork very gently. It
    should not be ripped just pounded as thin as possible. Season with salt and pepper on
    both sides.
  2. Use 3 plates, one for the flour, one for the beaten egg, one for the panko. Toss the
    pounded pork loin into the flour first, then in the egg and at last through the panko.
    Make sure it’s well tossed on all sides through all these different layers.
  3. Heat up a non-stick pan to medium heat. Once hot, add the canola oil and quickly fry the
    pork schnitzel on both sides in the hot oil. The cooking time is fast, 2-3 minutes on each
    side. Place them on a paper towel and serve on top of the split pea and lentil cake. Top
    with the poached egg and hollandaise. Add a little spoonful of the cranberry and Brussels
    sprout relish.

Crispy Split Pea and Lentil Cakes
Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cooked lentils
  • ¾ cup cooked split peas
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 sprigs of green onions, cut small in rings
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ green chili, chopped fine (optional)
  • canola oil for frying

Directions:

  1.  Add lentils in a pot with salted water and cook until soft. Cool down for at least 15
    minutes and smash lightly with a fork.
  2.  Add Split peas in a pot of salted water and cook until soft. Cool down for at least 15
    minutes and smash with a fork.
  3.  In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Add flour slowly at the end.
  4.  Heat up a non-stick frying pan to a medium heat and cover with canola oil on the pan is
    hot. Use a heaped tablespoon for each cake and fry until golden on each side.

Cranberry and Brussels Sprout Relish
Ingredients

  • 200 g frozen or fresh cranberries
  • 4 oranges, squeezed
  • 1 lemon
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • sugar to taste
  • salt
  • 5 heads of Brussels sprouts, washed, cleaned and shredded fine
  • Cranberry Pear Vinegar to taste (from Evoolution)

Directions:

  1.  Heat up a frying pan at medium heat. Once hot add 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
  2. Add the onions and cook until caramelized. Season the onions with salt
  3. Add the cranberries and dust these ingredients with sugar and season with salt.
  4. Add half of the orange juice and turn the heat to low. Constantly stir and cook until the
    cranberries are falling apart.Add a little bit of lemon juice, the cranberry pear vinegar and stir in the shredded Brussels sprouts and adjust the sweetness. You might want to add more sugar, orange juice or salt.

Poached Eggs
Ingredients:

  • 200 ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 l water

Directions:

  1. Bring a small pot, deep enough to poach the eggs in, with 1 l of water and the vinegar to
    a boil. Turn the heat down to medium so that the water doesn’t boil anymore.
  2. Crack the eggs and place each egg in a small bowl or ramekin. Once the water simmers,
    take a whisk and whisk the water really fast. Drop the eggs in the rotating water. This
    will allow them to keep their shape without the egg white dropping down flat to the
    surface of your pot.
  3.  Allow the eggs to cook for at least 3 minutes. Take a ladle and check their consistency. Cook to desired liking (soft-hard).

Recipe: Chorizo and White Bean Crostini

Posted on by Sharman
Chorizo and White Bean Crostini

Many of Alberta’s pork farmers are also Alberta Pulse Growers – growing dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas across the province. Pulses are the dry edible seeds of pod plants in the legume family and include dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. In addition to being nutritious (high in protein and fibre and low in fat), pulses also pair perfectly with pork.

Canned pulses offer an affordable and quick way to add instant nutrients to your meal prep. This recipe for Chorizo and White Bean Crostini makes for a quick appetizer or side dish; a dose of fibre never tasted so good.

Visit a local butcher to pick up some freshly made, Alberta pork chorizo sausage.

What you’ll need…

  • 2 chorizo sausages, uncooked – removed from sausage casing and crumbled
  • 1 large can (17 oz) of white/cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 baguette, or small crusty bread loaf, cut into 1 cm slice on an angle
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp of canola oil, divided
  • 1 tsp of lemon juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • green onions or fresh chives, chopped – optional as garnish

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly brush 3 Tbsp of oil on both sides of sliced bread. Place on a baking sheet.
  2. Bake five – seven minutes; flip crostini over. Bake five to seven more minutes or until desired browning is achieved. Remove from oven.
  3. Place half of the beans in a blender or food processor with 1 Tbsp of oil, garlic clove, and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
  4. In a large pan, cook chorizo over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the meat until thoroughly cooked and separated, approximately five- seven minutes. When sausage meat is cooked, remove pan from heat.
  5. To the pan add the beans, bean puree, and mix to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Top each crostini with chorizo and bean mixture, and garnish with chopped green onions, chives, or herb of choice.

Recipe: Green bean, Chickpea & Blue Cheese Bacon Salad

Posted on by Sharman


Have you heard about the half cup habit challenge? Following 2016’s International year of pulses campaign, the pulse industry is trying to continue to inspire us to introduce more fiber-packed pulses to our diet with a four-week challenge to eat ½ cup of pulses three times per week.

Alberta Pulse Growers represents 6,000 growers of field pea, dry bean, lentil, chickpea, faba bean and soybean in Alberta, several of those farmers also raise Alberta Pork.

Pulses aren’t just good for the soil, they are also good for our bodies. Pulses are packed with protein, fiber and essential nutrients to help you maintain a healthy weight and improve overall well being. Pulses also pair particularly well with pork.

Inspired by the #halfcuphabit, I made a simple summer salad combining just a few ingredients – including some Gull Valley Greenhouses cherry tomatoes and some peppery bacon I has just picked up from one of Edmonton’s newest charcuterie shops – Porc Sale. Don’t you just love when you can eat bacon and enjoy a healthy salad.

 

Green bean, Chickpea & Blue Cheese Bacon Salad

What you’ll need…

2 lbs green beans, stem end trimmed

1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

2 tbsp of sherry vinegar

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

 

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until beans are cool to the touch.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large sauté pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan.

Turn off the heat and add the beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and vinegar. Stir to combine.

Plate salad and top with blue cheese. Enjoy!