Pork Schnitzel

 

Schnitzel is typically veal or pork sliced and pounded thin. I often use pork tenderloin because it is lean and super tender and one tenderloin is perfect for two people. This schnitzel is made from pork loin chops. They were sliced and then butterflied and perfect for my house because there were two in the package. I pounded them very thin and created this thin, gigantic schnitzel that Big Pete loved.  (because he is BIG and loves anything made his size!) 

  

You will need:

 

• 2 pork loin chops – butterflied and pounded thin
• 5 crackers – your favourite kind
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• salt/pepper – 1/4 tsp each
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup flour
• vegetable or olive oil for frying
• lemon wedges for serving 

 

 

 

Step 1: Take your pork loin chops and remove the fat. (before or after pounding)  Place the chops in between two large sheets of plastic wrap. They will get at least triple in size. Pound until quite thin and gigantic in size!

 

 

Step 2: Prepare your breadcrumb mix. In a plastic bag add your favourite crackers (mine were a whole grain Dare cracker with seeds) bash the bag to crush the crackers into crumbs. 

 

 

Step 3: add the crackers, Italian seasoning, onion powder, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs to a plate. Mix with your hands to combine.

 

Step 4: in a bowl whisk egg and 1 tsp water.

 

Step 5: add flour, salt and pepper to another plate. Mix.

 

Step 6: take your gigantic pork schnitzel and pat in flour on both sides.

 

Step 7: add the floured pork to the egg wash and coat, then press into the breadcrumb mix and coat well on both sides.

 

 

Step 8: in a large pan heat oil (I use olive oil for almost everything except deep-frying which rarely happens and in that case I use Grapeseed oil) Pan fry the pork on a medium/high oil (not too high to avoid burning) until browned on both sided. These are so large you can only cook them one at a time.

 

 

 

 

Serve with wedges of  lemon and additional salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Pepper Sauce

 

Next time you are looking for something to toss your pasta with think of red peppers instead of tomato sauce. You can make this with all sweet red peppers or you can add a few hot red peppers to add just a bit of heat. I love it both ways.

 

You will need:

• 3 sweet peppers
• 1 head garlic
• 1 leek
• 1 small onion – chunked into large pieces
• 1 tomato
• 2 red chilies
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt – this sauce needs salt, don’t be worried.
• pepper to taste – if you add the chilies add the pepper to taste.
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

 

• 1 leek
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
• generous grating of fresh Parmesan
• salt/pepper to taste

 

 

 

Step 1: On a baking tray add 3 sweet peppers, head of garlic, 1 leek, 1 onion, 1 tomato and chilies if you want some added heat. Toss in olive oil to coat everything  and roast in 350 degree F oven for 30 – 40 minutes. You want the peppers to soften and the skin to blister for easy removal. Let cool until you can handle.

 

 

Step 2: remove skin from tomato and peppers. They should peel off easily. Remove garlic cloves from skin and add everything to a food processor. Puree until smooth.

 

 

Taste and adjust for salt. It likes lots.

 

 

Step 3: In this serving I just sautéed a leek in 2 tbsp olive oil and finished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a grating of Parmesan cheese.

 

 

I could eat pasta every day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dressed Flatbreads

 

Flatbread can have whatever you like on it and is really like a long pizza. I like to have it with a salad piled on top or some fresh herbs. It’s great as an appetizer if you are entertaining guests or just an awesome dinner.

What is not to like bread, cheese and other great stuff!

.

You will need:

 

Dough – makes 2 – 12 inch flatbreads

 

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups all-purpose or half whole wheat and half all-purpose – plus another 1/4 cup for kneading
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toppings

 

• 1 small onion – sliced and cooked on low in 2 tbsp olive oil for 20 minutes

• 1 tomato – chopped and cooked in 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, 1 clove garlic – cook 5 minutes until soft and some of the water cooks out. Let cool.

• 1 small chicken breast – cooked in 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic chopped. Cook 5 minutes and then chop in small pieces.

• 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese and Parmesan mix.

• aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling.

 

Step 1: in a bowl add warm water, yeast and olive oil. Wait a few minutes to see if yeast activates. If you see it start to rise to the top of the water proceed to step 2.

 

 

 

Step 2: add flour and salt and mix with a spoon until it becomes too stiff to continue mixing in the bowl. Empty contents all out on your counter and knead with the additional flour until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Let rise 2 hours until doubled in size in a plastic covered bowl.

 

 

Step 3: make toppings. To make carmelized onions add sliced onions to a pan with oil and cook on medium and then on low slowly for approximately 20-30 minutes until they brown and get sweet. Chop into smaller pieces once cooked.

 

 

 

Step 4: you can make a tomato sauce or use your favourite dip or sauce as a base. I chop a tomato and add a clove of garlic, some olive oil, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and cook a few minutes. If you want it spicy add some chili flakes. Once soft you can leave to cool or chop to make it smoother.

 

 

 

 

Step 5: take chicken and add olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar and cook in a small pan. Let cool and chop into chunks.

 

 

 

 

Step 6: if you like sausage chop it up and cook with some hot pepper jelly until most of the water cooks out.

 

 

Step 7: once the dough has doubled divide into 2 and flatten out on parchment paper with your hands. There is oil on the dough so it is easy to spread without using a rolling pin.

 

Step 8:  grate some cheeses – try something different!

 

Step 9: Top your flatbreads.

 

 

this one is on whole wheat crust. I have used a white bean dip as the base instead of tomato sauce.

 

 

Bake in a 475 degree F oven for 5-7 minutes. Serve as is or top with a salad.

 

 

 

Top with a fresh salad and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar or good olive oil. YUM.

 

 

 

 

Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets

 

 

I thought it would be fun to have chicken nuggets for a change and of course I would never buy store-bought so I wondered how I could make these more adult. I added some crackers to the breading along with some spices and found they jazzed them up quite nicely. I created a dip by mixing equal parts mustard, honey and hot pepper jelly and found they completed my grown up kid’s meal. Big Pete loved them and ate his whole meal so he got to have dessert and stay up an extra hour later!

 

You will need:

 

 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3-4 tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce – which is a medium heat sauce
• 1 egg
• 4 cracker or a handful of corn chips
• 1 cup regular breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (if you don’t have any use all regular breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning – mine has hot chili flakes if yours doesn’t add some
• salt/pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• olive oil to come almost to halfway up chicken nuggets

Sauces

• mustard and honey and hot pepper jelly (all equal parts mixed)
• honey
• bar-b-q sauce

 

 

Step 1: slice and cube your chicken.

 

 

Step 2: add cubed chicken, buttermilk and hot sauce to a bowl. Marinate 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

 

 

 

Step 3: in a food processor add a few of your favourite crackers, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and process until mixed and fine.

 

 

Step 4: prepare standard breading station. One bowl with 2 eggs whisked. One bowl with flour  and one bowl with breadcrumb mix.

 

 

Step 5: drain and pat your chicken on paper towels to remove most of the buttermilk. Dip chicken chunks into flour first until coated. Once coated in flour add to egg mix and finally add chunks to breadcrumb mix. Press breadcrumbs onto chicken nuggets to get a nice coating.

 

 

Step 6: once breaded place on a plate or tray so they do not touch each other. Heat oil in a deep pot or pan. I add only enough oil to come to halfway up chicken pieces. Once oil is hot enough add a few pieces at a time and cook on the first side and then flip to cook on the other side. I like my chicken to be nicely browned. Continue until all pieces are cooked. Once they come out of the oil sprinkle immediately with salt and pepper.

 

 

 

I prepared a grown up mustard sauce by adding equal parts mustard, honey and hot pepper jelly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a Greek dip great for accompanying Souvlaki or other grilled meats. It is also excellent as a low-fat spread for sandwiches or dipping crudities.

You will need:

• 1 small individual container of plain Greek Yogurt mine is 170 grams
• 1 mini cucumber grated and then squeezed in paper towel to remove most of the water. If you don’t have a mini cucumber use 1/2 cup of grated English/hothouse cucumber
• 1 clove garlic – crushed
• 1/2 lemon zest and juice
• 1 tbsp fresh flat/Italian parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp dried dill (of course you can use fresh!)
• salt/pepper to taste

Step 1: add yogurt to a small bowl. Grate cucumber on a box grater and roll in paper towel and then squeeze to remove most of the water. Add garlic to the yogurt.

Step 2: add lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, mint, dill and pressed cucumber. Mix and  add salt and pepper to taste. If you have fresh mint and dill even better.

Finish with a drizzle of your best Greek olive oil and get the souvlaki!!

Turkey Koftas and Tzatziki

Koftas are a street food common in many countries from the Middle East to Asia. They are made with everything from lamb to beef or fish and chicken. I have made mine with ground turkey. Grilled quickly and served with a salad and some Tzatziki (pronounced Tzad-Zeeky not Taz-eeky) they made the perfect lunch today. This recipe is prefect for 2 people but can easily be increased for a larger crowd.

You will need:

• 1/2 lb. ground turkey (if you can get a mix of dark and white it will stay moist more than breast meat alone)
• 2 cloves garlic – crushed
• 1 small onion – grated
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro- chopped fine
• 1 tbsp fresh Italian/flat parsley – chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• olive oil to drizzle and coat for grilling

Tzatziki recipe follows

Step 1: place turkey in a bowl. Add crushed garlic and grate 1 small onion into bowl.

Step 2: chop fresh cilantro and parsley and add to bowl.

Step 3: add all spices and mix well.

Step 4: form into 3-4 logs and press meat around skewers. Drizzle with olive oil and heat grill.

Step 5: grill on medium heat you can also squeeze some lemon juice over them while cooking.

Serve with mixed green salad and tzatziki.

Tzatziki

• 1 small individual container of plain Greek yogurt (170 grams)
• 1 mini cucumber- grated and squeezed in paper towel to remove water = 1/2 cup English/hothouse cucumber once grated.
• 1 clove garlic- crushed
• 1/2 lemon -zested and juiced
• 1 tbsp fresh flat/Italian parsley – chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp dried dill (you can certainly use fresh herbs!)
• salt/pepper to taste
• best quality olive oil to drizzle

grate on box grater and squeeze in paper towels to remove most of water

Finish with a good drizzle of your best Greek olive oil!

Lemon Garlic Bean Dip

 

This dip is made with the Mediterranean flavours of garlic, olive oil, parsley, celery and lemon. Easy to prepare in a food processor and a nice change from hummus. It is made with canned cannellini beans instead of chick peas/garbanzo beans. Serve with a drizzle of your best olive oil and more fresh lemon or makes a great spread on sandwiches.

You will need:

 

• 1  small can cannellini beans (28 oz)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• big handful of fresh Italian/flat parsley (I don’t even know why they sell curly parsley!)
• handful of tender light coloured celery leaves
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 lemon juiced & 1/2 to squeeze on top

 

 

Step 1: rinse cannellini beans and place in food processor.

 

Step 2: take olive oil and 4 of the 6 cloves garlic and heat on medium/low heat for 5 minutes. This will infuse the oil and soften the garlic. Do not burn. Set aside.

 

 

Step 3: place salt, pepper, parsley, celery leaves in food processor along with beans and pulse 10 seconds. Add garlic oil and remaining 2 cloves of  raw garlic along with vinegar and 1/2 lemon juiced. Pulse 15-20 seconds or until smooth. You may need to scrape bowl with a spatula once.

 

 

Serve with a good drizzle of your best olive oil and the additional half lemon. Serve with chips, flat bread or crackers. This makes a great spread for sandwiches too!

 

Buttermilk Biscuits

 

These are magnificent fluffy, buttery biscuits any Southerner would be proud of. They are beautifully layered like a good croissant with butter that I add frozen. These are so much better than any store-bought biscuits and take almost the same time to make. You have to try these once and I promise you will be hooked on making your own.

Biscuits always remind me of my friends Miss Kim and Miss Caroline who at one time actually questioned whether they should continue our friendship when I told them I didn’t understand the whole “biscuits and gravy” thing. Luckily, we got beyond the incident and still remain friends. I have since discovered the beauty of a well made sausage gravy however, I still have to admit I prefer the warm biscuit with butter and jam. We can of course always blame my preference on the fact that I am Canadian and I don’t know any better.

I do hope my favorite Southern Belles will be proud of my biscuit recipe and think it would make any sausage gravy proud to be poured over!

 

You will need:

 

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick frozen unsalted butter = 1/2 cup/4 tbsp
• 1 cup stirred buttermilk
• few tbsp milk or cream to brush tops

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

 

Step 1: sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.

Step 2: grate frozen butter into dry ingredients. I just used a box grater.

Step 3: add buttermilk and stir with hands or wooden spoon for 5 seconds, no more! This dough requires that you mix it as briefly as possible to create nice big fluffy biscuits.

Step 4: pour shaggy contents out onto counter or board and knead 6-8 times just enough to pull all ingredients together. Pat down dough to form a rough rectangle and fold dough in half. Pat down gently again and fold over once more. The folding helps to create the layers of butter and flour that are flaky just like making puff pastry.

Step 5: pat into a dough approximately 1 inch thick and cut into squares (you waste nothing this way) or cut out with a biscuit cutter or glass. Makes 6-7 large biscuits. Brush tops with milk or cream.

Step 6: place on parchment lined baking pan. Bake in 425 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. Mine baked for exactly 15 and came out with a touch of browning on the top and a nice browned bottom.

Serve with butter, double cream which is sometimes called clotted cream, jam or of course sausage gravy. Be prepared to be dazzled and eat them warm for best dramatic effect!

 

Step 1: sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.

 

Step 2: grate frozen butter into dry ingredients. I just used a box grater.

Step 3: add buttermilk and stir with hands or wooden spoon for 5 seconds, no more! This dough requires that you mix it as briefly as possible to create nice big fluffy biscuits.

Step 4: pour shaggy contents out onto counter or board and knead 6-8 times just enough to pull all ingredients together. Pat down dough to form a rough rectangle and fold dough in half. Pat down gently again and fold over once more. The folding helps to create the layers of butter and flour that are flaky just like making puff pastry.

Step 5: pat into a dough approximately 1 inch thick and cut into squares (you waste nothing this way) or cut out with a biscuit cutter or glass. Makes 6-7 large biscuits. Brush tops with milk or cream.

Step 6: place on parchment lined baking pan. Bake in 425 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. Mine baked for exactly 15 and came out with a touch of browning on the top and a nice browned bottom.

 

Serve with butter, double cream which is sometimes called clotted cream, jam or of course sausage gravy. Be prepared to be dazzled and eat them warm for best dramatic effect!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

 

This is a bold and tasty gumbo made with chicken thighs and smoked sausage served over rice. Brings me back to New Orleans on a cold evening.

 

You will need:

 

• 200 gr smoked sausage like Andouille (pronounced On Dewy) or a smoked sausage with garlic and lots of black pepper.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4-6 chicken thighs – cleaned of fat and chopped into cubes
• 3 cloves garlic -chopped fine
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp if you like it hotter)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 small green pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 litre or approx half a box of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
• 1 heaped tsp file powder (you might have to find this in a speciality store-I bought mine in New Orleans)

 

Step 1: chop all your ingredients. Slice Andouille sausage or if you cannot find it use a smoked sausage with lots of garlic and black pepper for a similar flavour. Chop onions, celery, parsley, chicken thighs, green pepper, garlic.

Step 2: add all your spices to a small bowl. Add paprika (I used smoked sweet but, you can use hot if you prefer), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and fried oregano.

Step 3: saute your sliced sausage in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until slightly browned. Remove to a plate or tray.

Step 4:  add your spices to the chicken thighs tossing to  coat. Add chopped onions and chicken thighs to the same pan you cooked the sausage in. Cook  about 10 minutes scraping up all the browned bits to clean the pan. You can also add a few tbsp of water if the pan is too dry or feels like it is browning too much. This moisture will steam and help remove most of the fond (browned burnt bits)on the bottom.

Step 5: add chopped peppers, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate or tray.

Step 6: prepare roux which will thicken your sauce. Add flour and olive oil to the same pan and cook slowly on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked and the mixture is darker in colour. You can cook until the colour is quite dark for more flavour. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

Step 7: add back your sausage, chicken and vegetables.

Step 8: add your broth and stir well. Cook on low for 1 1/2 hours stirring every once in a while to make sure it is not too thick. If necessary add more broth.

Step 9: just before serving add file powder (fee-lay powder) and chopped parsley and serve over rice or mix in the rice for a dirty rice feel.

 

Step 1: chop all your ingredients. Slice Andouille sausage or if you cannot find it use a smoked sausage with lots of garlic and black pepper for a similar flavour. Chop onions, celery, parsley, chicken thighs, green pepper, garlic.

 

 

Step 2: add all your spices to a small bowl. Add paprika (I used smoked sweet but, you can use hot if you prefer), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and dried oregano.

 

 

Step 3: saute your sliced sausage in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until slightly browned. Remove to a plate.

 

 

Step 4:  add your spices to the chicken thighs tossing to  coat. Add chopped onions and chicken thighs to the same pan you cooked the sausage in. Cook  about 10 minutes scraping up all the browned bits to clean the pan. You can also add a few tbsp of water if the pan is too dry or feels like it is browning too much. This moisture will steam and help remove most of the fond (browned burnt bits)on the bottom.

 

Step 5: add chopped peppers, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate or tray.

 

 

 

Step 6: prepare roux which will thicken your sauce. Add flour and olive oil and cook slowly on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked and the mixture is darker in colour. You can cook until the colour is quite dark for more flavour. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

 

 

Step 7: add back your sausage, chicken and vegetables.

 

 

Step 8: add your broth and stir well. Cook on low for 1 1/2 hours stirring every once in a while to make sure it is not too thick. If necessary add more broth.

 

 

Step 9: just before serving add file powder (fee-lay powder) and chopped parsley and serve over rice or mix in the rice for a dirty rice feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey Salad

 

Ground Turkey cooked and served topping a salad is not only fast but, packed full of flavour and perfect on a busy night.

 

You will need:

 

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 fresh red chili
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1/2 cup young broccoli (sometimes called broccolette)

Salad

• romaine lettuce
• 1 cup jicama (pronounced HEE- KA-MA) chopped into sticks
• 1 cup English cucumbers – cut into sticks
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt/pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

Step 1: in a hot saute pan add turkey and olive oil. Cook well until all the water has evaporated and the meat starts to brown in oil.

 

Step 2: in a food processor add onion, garlic, chili, spring onion and process until finely minced.

 

Step 3: slice young broccoli.

 

Step 4: once meat is browned add vegetables and broccoli and all remaining seasonings. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, cumin and lime juice. Cook a few minutes until broccoli is done but still crunchy.

 

 

Step 5: prepare salad and dress with oil and vinegar right as you are ready to serve.

 

 

 

Top with turkey and broccoli and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts if you like.