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I Need Chunks of Potatoes

May 17, 2013

The Ranting Chef Cheese, Lunch, Pork, Soup, Vegetable , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

Texture is such a component of cooking that very often is underrated.

When I last made potato soup I had just received my immersion blender for Christmas. As the soup was cooking I happily put the blender in the pot and with a quick flick of the switch it was on. I ran it for 10-20 seconds and when I was done, I had perfectly pureed soup. It was just so easy.

Then I went to eat it. Something was missing. In my mind when I am eating potato soup, I need chunks of potatoes. Not big chunks, but I need some never less. The taste was the same but the texture was off.

This time, with a different recipe, I kept texture in mind.

Photo Jan 26, 11 29 36 AM

This was a nice hearty soup.

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Somehow the scallions didn’t make the picture.

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Skinned and diced. Ready for the microwave.

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Building the soup. I put in about 2/3 of the potatoes and then used my immersion blender. This thickened the soup and spread the potato flavor. I then added the other 1/3 to have the chunky texture.

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I added some bacon bits into the soup. Probably about 1/2 cup.

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And added cheese, scallions and bacon bits at the end.

Loaded Potato Soup

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Makes: 12

Ingredients:

  • 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Bacon bits
  • Sliced scallions
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place cubed potatoes into a glass dish, and cook in the microwave oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until soft.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

3. Stir in the potatoes and onion, and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the sour cream and Cheddar cheese until melted and well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with cheese, scallions and bacon on top.

Nutritional Info:

NutritionAmount Per Serving (12 total) Calories 338 cal 17% Fat 16.6 g 26% Carbs 37.6 g 12% Protein 10.7 g 21% Cholesterol 47 mg 16% Sodium 202 mg 8% See More Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/13083/recipeloaded-potato-soup-i

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Innovation in the Kitchen

May 16, 2013

The Ranting Chef Baking, Beef, Cheese, Lunch, Pork , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Some inventions are related to great need while others are inspiration in the middle of the night. This one was brought about by a minor annoyance.

I host a chili cook-off every year and my wife came up with a great idea several years ago to turn our upright freezer into a drink cooler for the party. It is in the area of the party, holds enough cans and bottles to serve the 40 or so attendees and keeps them cold. We just need to occasionally turn it on low and then turn it off after things are ice cold, so the drinks don’t become…uh…ice.

As a result of using the freezer this way, we need to move all frozen items into the freezer that is part of our refrigerator. Leading up to the party I’ll strive to use up as much as I can that is frozen, but there is always quite a bit we have to cram into the freezer compartment. Once everything is moved we defrost the freezer, dry it out and load it up with beverages.

This year I did not do a very good job of using up frozen items and when it came time to move the items, the freezer compartment was completely full. During the following couple of days whenever I would need something from the freezer, it often meant moving 4-5 items to get to what I wanted. After the third or fourth time of moving a frozen pie crust, a bag of meatballs, a box of puff pastry and a little bag of tomato paste (every recipe only needs 1 tablespoon but the smallest can is 6oz, so I’ve started freezing the remainder), I decided to make something so I wouldn’t have to touch them any more.

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Meatball pie! It did not retain the pie shape when put on the plate, but tasted really good.

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I added carrots, onion, green pepper, spaghetti sauce and cheese.

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Dice and saute the veggies.

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Meanwhile heat up the meatballs with some sauce and the paste. I thought the paste would help thicken things and hold the “pie” together a bit better than the sauce alone.

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Add it all together.

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Put it into the pie crust.

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Cover with cheese.

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Lay the puff pastry over it and trim.

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After baking.

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It was very good. My eldest son wants me to make it again. But that means I’d have to touch those items again!

TIME TO EAT!!!!

May 12, 2013

The Ranting Chef Low Carb, Pork , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

We have a dinner bell at my house. Well, actually, the dinner bell is me. I am also the lunch bell. As I cook almost all the meals since I’ve started the blog, I have to call the family to the table when I am ready for them. I typically will get everything to the table and dish out any item that I need to take pictures for the blog to my plate. I then take a minimum of two “complete” pictures and bellow at the top of my lungs, “TIME TO EAT!”

One look at this pork loin, you’ll bellow that too!

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This just looks beautiful.

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A ver few ingredients.

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Such a simple recipe. Apply the seasoning to the loin and bake.

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Very appetizing!

Roast Pork with Lemon-Pepper Crust

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Makes: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse-ground sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients. Spread mixture evenly over pork.

3. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 155°. Remove pork from oven; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 160°.

carbo rating: 1

Source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001733375

No Seafood or Rice? Really?

May 7, 2013

The Ranting Chef Cajun, Low Carb, Pork, Recipes, Slow Cooker , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

I was skeptical about this recipe.

Jambalaya, in my mind, needs to have five basic ingredients: chopped tomatoes, shrimp or crawfish, sausage, Cajun seasonings and rice. This recipe was missing two of the five. I’ve often had it with ham in place of sausage or with chicken added, but never without seafood or rice.

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I liked how simple this recipe was so I decided to give it a go anyway.

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No seafood or rice here.

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Like many slow cooker recipes, you start off by browning the meat before putting it into the pot.

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Throw everything else in.

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I did end up serving it over white rice (I didn’t have a dirty rice mix on hand) and it was very good. Next time I might throw some shrimp in at the end and let them cook from the surrounding heat for five to ten minutes.

Crock Pork Jambalaya

Cook Time: 7 hrs | Makes: Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 pork chops, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1/2 pound turkey kielbasa, sliced
  • 1 14.5-oz.  can diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 1/2 medium green bell pepper, deribbed, deseeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 medium stalk celery, chopped

Directions:

In a skillet, heat olive oil; salt and pepper the pork chops and brown evenly on all sides. Place the browned pork at the bottom of the crock pot, then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Source: https://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ReplyToPostID=1930822

It’s Easier Not Being Green

May 3, 2013

The Ranting Chef German, Low Carb, Pork, Recipes , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

I waste more food now than ever before. I know I shouldn’t admit it, but I do.

When I was a young, newly married cook, I was very careful with fruits and vegetables. For instance when I needed to dice an onion, I would cut the ends off as close to the end as possible. I then would carefully peal just the outermost skin. If the next layer of skin was also too thin, I would carefully peel that layer too. I got every bit of edible onion out of that thing as possible. Fruit with bruises? As long as it wasn’t really bad, use it.

Today, as my bank account is not as tight, I find I am no longer as careful and often make decisions for pure quality or speed over waste. Back to the onion, I will often peel a thicker outer layer (in addition to the further out thinner layers) just to ensure I am not spending time finding each little broken piece of outer layer that doesn’t peel nicely. Fruit with bruises? I will now cut around it to ensure a high quality item or even toss it entirely (if there is little unbruised flesh left).

In the recipe below, I had a small head of cabbage but make the decision after cutting it all up to leave some on the cutting board versus putting it into the pan. Looking at my menu, I knew it would go bad before I used it, so into the trash it went.

I know I should focus more on using my food resources better, and perhaps that will change more in the future, but not today.

Photo Jan 01, 5 25 09 PM

Perfectly cooked pork with lovely looking cabbage.

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Very simple.

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In the oven.

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On the table.

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A nice hearty dish.

Pork Tenderloin With Red Cabbage and Applesauce

Prep Time: 35m | Cook Time: 35m | Makes: 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 cup applesauce

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the cabbage and ½ teaspoon salt to the skillet with the pork and toss to coat. Transfer to oven and cook until the pork is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pork and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

3. Add the vinegar and parsley to the cabbage and toss to combine. Serve with the pork and applesauce.

Nutritional Info:

Calories 314 Fat 13g Sat Fat 3g Cholesterol 98mg Sodium 453mg Protein 36g Carbohydrate 12g Sugar 8g Fiber 2g Iron 3mg Calcium 47mg

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/m/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pork-tenderloin-cabbage-applesauce-00100000086800/index.html?xid=dailyrecnews-10-02-2012

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