What's cooking? part 4

iv. think about what an idiotic turn your life has taken

this step happens to me all the time, even when i'm not cooking

xpost don't be! you can't taste it at all and the texture is magical

I made cheater's jambalaya with Zatarain's rice and extra tomato and bell pepper, with chorizo and shrimp. Took less than 30 mins total, incl prep, and maybe I'm just hungry but it's really good.

Nothing wrong with that. I was really amused when I was in Louisiana and there was about half an aisle at the grocery store that was just zatarain's products.

Thawing a hunk of pork loin to make fruity braised pork chops this evening, but this time I'm going with cranberries instead of the usual apricots or peaches.

Ever used pomegranite syrup on pork loin? Nice combo.

Mr Veg is barbecuing a pork loin tonight using a new recipe that is a wet and dry rub combination --- something to do with a brown sugar tabasco something glaze that sounds ridiculously good

I haven't tried pomegranate syrup, but that does sound great.

Is that the same thing as grenadine?

Pomegranate syrup is also pomegranate molasses? It's tart and fruity, not too sweet usually ime. Available at Middle Eastern stores? V tasty with meats.

not the same as grenadine

That does sound good - better than grenadine braised pork certainly!

The cranberry pork chops turned out very nicely. Blenderized dried cranberries in chicken stock and also had whole dried ones in there with the onions + garlic, so it was a very fruity braising liquid. Don't do it if you don't like sweet main courses!

i'm gonna roast some bell peppers, red onions, zucch, and eggplant tonight, probably with just some lemon and a little smoked salt.

i've never really used eggplant before - do i need to do anything special to it?

I usually salt it to draw out the moisture and let it sit for 20 minutes or so before I cook with it; it browns up a lot nicer that way (just papertowel off the moisture)

Some people don't bother though...I think it takes out some of the bitterness, but they don't necessarily taste awful if you don't do it

good to know!

and if you don't have a lot of time for the salting, you can try putting a heavy plate on top; something about the extra weight helps the moisture come out a bit faster...you can get a lot out in 5 or 10 minutes that way

I use to make these a lot with them:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/stuffed_eggplant.html#

eggplant is my favorite vegetable but i think i am really bad at preparing it :(

this might be a stupid question but: is it better to put the lemon juice on the veggies before or after roasting? does it make any difference?

i put it on before a lot like when i am making lemony potatoes or greek vegetable marinade but it is a different taste. i think.

i can't figure out if it will make stuff NOT brown as much OR make the veg caramelize better???

stuff still browns but not appreciably better

This was probably the recipe I used for the pork loin and pomegranate, but I'm pretty sure I simplified it (no pistachios, and I don't remember using pom juice, maybe a diluted the pom molasses as a substitute). I still have the unused molasses (Indo_European brand these many years later.

Juicy Pork Loin with Pomegranate Sauce

Simple and festive, the juicy pork loin's dark sweet crust is
jeweled with ruby bits of shallot. Garnish with pomegranate
seeds and green pistachio. Serve with wild rice and spinach.

3 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white or red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chives, chopped
1 pork tenderloin
Handful chopped pistachios

Cook chopped shallots and rosemary in olive oil in a nonreactive
skillet until shallots are soft. Add wine and cook until most of
the wine has evaporated. Add chicken broth, pomegranate juice,
pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar) and honey and cook
slowly until almost syrupy and reduced to about 3/4 cup. Taste
and add salt if needed. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub pork
loin with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sear
lightly, turning once, in a non-reactive, ovenproof skillet.

Brush with sauce and bake, basting often, about 45 minutes, or
until an instant-read thermometer reads 155 degrees. Let rest 5
minutes. Pork will be slightly pink inside. On a board, slice on
the diagonal in 1/2-inch pieces. Pour any juices on the board into
the pan juices and spoon over servings. Garnish with pomegranate
seeds and chopped chives. Serves 3 to 4.

My veggies were kind of soggy and not charred at all - might try the same thing tonight but under the broiler instead?

What was your oven temp?

450

I wonder if overcrowded tray was a problem too - single layer but lots of overlapping, might have caused them to steam rather than roast

spread them out over two trays might do the trick

I just had an idea - chopping them up takes up more room, think I will just halve them and line tray with foil instead of parchment, this is how I char peppers for ratatouille

nothing exciting today. just cooking black beans to put in tacos - just beans, jack, and avocado. the star will be this Belizean habanero suace i've been sucking down lately. melinda's is the brand and the flavor and heat of the few of her's i've had are fantastic.

and as far as your question upthread abit just1n3 about lemon juice before or after roasting. to me it seems obvious that adding moisture is gonna cause steam. but also i generally (i know there has to be some exceptions i.e. marinating chicken with lemon/rosemary) only add citrus to a dish towards the end in order to have a pronounced lemony flavor

i should've checked before posting it's not melinda's, which is good, the one i mean to rave on about is Marie Sharp's.

yeah i think you're right - there was too much juice. they charred up much better the second time, when i cook them in big halves on foil, but then i ruined them again by tossing them with too much oil afterwards.

added liquid is a enemy for carmelisation of a veg (unless it's balsamic roasting which adds flavor depth and sugar to assist carmelization - the first exception that springs to mind). personally i'm partial to assertive flavors (such as fresh lemon in a dish) and cooking changes that

Spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking for the week. I can wholeheartedly recommend both of the following:

Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/7944232460_d833528bc6.jpg

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/09/baked-orzo-with-eggplant-and-mozzarella/

and

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/storage/quesofrescosoup1.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1347303617808

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/home/?currentPage=2

Yuuuuum

O,h I didn't realize the pics were so big. Sorry! Seriously though both of those dishes are amazingly good.

will make that soup if i can still get corn next week.

that orzo thing looks badass

x-post - Union Sq f's market had lots of corn yesterday.

yeah farmers market here still has a lot

VG - I seriously think that orzo thing is one of the best things I've ever cooked. It's kind of labor intensive with the chopping prep and sauteing and what not but for something with really simple ingredients it's outrageously good.

I'm definitely going to try it

lollin @ f's market for some reason

lol i guess it should have been fmrs' anyway since it's the market of many and not just one OH WELL

it looked like you were trying to depersonalize a post about a farmer's market we are both known to attend but did it in a really weird way!

Well, I was also trying to do that. ;)

hahaha

i like that. f's market. it could be a name of a store!

the source of the orzo must be concealed