Tom's Pork Chops in Beer

Tom worked in San Ramon for a few days at the beginning of November.  He stopped by to visit and prepared this melt-in-your-mouth pork chop dinner after a hard day at work.  A special flavor exists from searing the pork chops on the barbecue.

Ingredients:

4 thick-cut rib pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 bottle porter or other dark beer
2-3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped fresh dill or chives (optional)

Prepare the grill to sear the 4 chops 4 minutes per side.

Season the chops generously with the salt, pepper, dill, and dry mustard.

Heat the oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat, and caramelize the thinly sliced onions.

Now the fire burns hot on the barbecue so sear the chops, approximately 4 minutes per side.

When they looked well seared remove to a plate.

Arrange the chops on top of the onions.

Pour in the beer and vinegar, cover, and cook at a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the meat is quite tender.  

Transfer the chops to a platter and keep warm.

Add the remaining mustard to the pan, and reduce the sauce to a syrupy consistency.  

Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, and pour the sauce over the chops. Garnish with optional dill or chives.

Apple-Brined Smoked Rotisserie Turkey

No pictures, but this turned into a delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner.  If no rotisserie exists just do it on the grill turning occasionally.

Apple Brine:
8 cups apple juice or apple cider
1/2 bunch sage
1/2 bunch savory, marjoram, or tarragon
1/2 bunch thyme
6 bay leaves
1/2 cup coarse sea or kosher salt
2 T cracked pepper

Place all of the above in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stir until salt dissolves. Take off heat and cool to room temperature.

Next take a 9 to 14 pound turkey, remove the giblets and neck from inside the turkey and rinse the turkey in cold water. Place turkey in a brine bag, add the Apple Brine plus enough water to cover the turkey.  Seal tight and put into refrigerator for 24 hours.  The brine bag makes this meal more expensive as it costs around $10, at your local grocery store or on line, all the same.

After 24 hours remove turkey from brine, rinse in cold water, and pat dry.  Now stuff the cavity with the remaining one half bunches of herbs. Truss the turkey with string, brush the exterior with oil, place on the barbecue spit and then put over the fire.  Cook for two hours or until an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 degrees F.  Transfer the turkey to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Yummy Cauliflower Puree

This recipe started being served at a holiday meal and became just something everyone liked.  The ease of making this accounts for how often it might be served.

1  head cauliflower
2  T butter
fresh ground pepper
fresh ground nutmeg

Cut the cauliflower into florets, place in an appropriate container to cook on top of the stove or in the microwave oven.  Add enough water to cover if on stove top, or one quarter cup water for the microwave oven, cover container and cook until tender ( approximately 15 minutes on stove top, 8 minutes in microwave).  Drain and place in a food processor with the butter, puree.  One might use a food ricer or a chinois to puree the cauliflower then add the butter.  Season with the nutmeg and pepper. Enjoy!!

Back In The Out Box

After looking in the Box for exciting recipes, it became apparent that in the time of the Box most recipes contained many processed foods.  This begins the new Box for good, nutritional, delicious food.  Anyone who would like to add recipes may get access to this Box.

Shrimp and Grits

This recipe doesn't come from the Box, but people really like it.  Chip Demarest came to dinner last weekend just for Shrimp and Grits plus to celebrate his birthday.  The idea comes from Crook's Corner Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC.  This is the website address:  http://www.crookscorner.com/.

For the grits use the long cooking type and they cook for 3/4 hour.

4 cups boiling water
1 cup grits stirred slowing into the boiling water

Let simmer at the lowest heat stirring occasionally for 3/4 hour.

Then stir in one cube of butter, 3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese, and Tabasco Sauce to your taste.

Meanwhile, the Shrimp (the trick start -- the process about 15 minutes before grits finish cooking):

Fry 8 pieces of bacon cut into small pieces
Add two cups of sliced mushrooms and continue frying until brown
If needed add oil
Stir in 1 pound raw shrimp, one cup sliced green onions including tops, and 1 cup chopped parsley.
Cook until shrimp turn pink.  Sprinkle with the juice of a lemon and Tabasco Sauce to taste.

Serve immediately by spooning a quarter of the grits on each plate and then covering grits with a quarter of the shrimp mixture.

Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Toll House Cookies

Can you believe this, back comes the Box, with Honey Arata's "Oatmeal Toll House Cookies".  These make you only want to eat more, don't they look yummy?

The recipe follows with additional changes:

Sift together:

1 1/2  C flour
1 tsp      soda
1 tsp      salt

Cream together:

1 C        butter
3/4 C     brown sugar
3/4 C     white sugar

To the creamed mixture add in order:
2 unbeaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp hot water
mix thoroughly

Then add the flour mixture, mix well, and add:

(Here come the changes)
1 C broken nuts (changed with a cup of raisins)
1 C chocolate chips (changed with M&Ms)
2 C oatmeal

Drop from teaspoon onto baking pan.

Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees.