Monthly Archives: February 2016

Pork Tenderloin With Apples

Posted on by

Pork Was Made For Apples!

The sweet tart flavor of apples were made for the rich taste of pork so we often cook a pork tenderloin as a fast supper.  All you need is one saute pan to create this luxurious meat dish. Serve it with mashed potatoes and our Braised Red Cabbage for a German take on dinner.

pork tenderloin with braised Apples

Two Food Nuts Pork Loin with Sauteed Apples:

Pork Tenderloins come in all sizes but we choose one that will serve the two of us.  If you are making this for a family, you can generally feel comfortable serving 1/2 a small loin per person. If you have a bunch of hungry husbands and sons to feed as we do when our sons and grandsons are here for dinner, let us suggest buying the larger tenderloins and serving 1/2 to each person.

  • 1/2  Pork Tenderloin per person
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Herb de Provence per pork loin
  • 2-3 springs of fresh Thyme
  • butter and olive oil for frying (we like to use both for better browning of the meat.
  • 2 granny Smith or Macintosh apples per pork loan. Cut into slices and cored. (Peeled or not, its your choice)
  • 1/4 cup cold water or apple juice.

You need to remove the silver skin from pork tenderloin. removing silver skin Use a sharp knife to slide between the silver skin and the meat. 

Heat a large saute pan and when it’s hot, add the butter and oil. Once the butter is melted add the seasoned meat to brown on high heat.  Once the meat has browned all over, turn the heat to medium and add the sliced apples to the pan.  Add the water or apple juice. Toss in the fresh Thyme stems and cover the meat until the apples soften and the meat is tender. About 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the Pork Tenderloin.  Do not over cook. You want the apples to keep their texture and the meat to have the slightest pink blush when sliced.

pork tenderloin with braised ApplesMake it a perfect dinner with your favorite side dish.  Serve the apples surrounding the Pork Tenderloin.

Advertisement

Spicy Mango Salsa

Posted on by

Sweet Heat!

When we go to The Mandarin Restaurant, Elfie always goes for the Mango Salad.  She loves it so much that she used the idea of Mango and Chili to create a Spicy Salsa that’s great with meat or fish.  When rich food is complimented with something light and fruity the combination is always a hit. This salsa can be made ahead of time so its a cook’s friend when company is coming.  Around here, its just one of those things that finds its way to the table because we love it!

spicy mango salsa

Spicy Mango Salsa:

We use a mandolin to slice the fruit.

This is a tool that you will use a good deal so it might just be worth the investment.  When making onion soup, coleslaw, scalloped potatoes or anything else that requires a lot of slicing we have found the Mandoline to be easy to use and quick to clean afterward.

  • 1 ripe Mango, peeled and slicedmandoline
  • 1/4 of a sweet red onion, minced
  • 1 red chili pepper, seeds removed and minced
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • Grated peel and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp minced cilantro or parsley
  • Pinch of salt
  • a few drops of sesame oil if you have it

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside to allow the flavors to develop.

Serve with meat or fish!

 

Talapia with Mango Salsa

Posted on by

Spicy Mango Salsa Adds Interest to Talapia.

We probably don’t eat enough fish compared to those that live next to an ocean. Unless you live in a big city most of the fish you see in the grocery store was frozen before being sold to you. We’ve solved that problem by shopping at alternative markets. We have the good fortune of having some ethnic markets close to our home and they have a fresh fish counter.  Once you try Asian or Caribbean markets  you are going to find as we have, that the taste of fresh fish is far superior to anything sold in a regular supermarket.

talapia with mango salsa

TwoFoodNuts Talapia with Spicy Mango Salsa:

Serves 4

The Salsa:

 

We use a mandolin to slice the fruit.

mandolineThis is a tool that you will use a good deal so it might just be worth the investment.  When making onion soup, coleslaw, scalloped potatoes or anything else that requires a lot of slicing we have found the Mandoline to be easy to use and quick to clean afterward.

  • 1 ripe Mango, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 of a sweet red onion, minced
  • 1 red chili pepper, seeds removed and minced
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • Grated peel and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp minced cilantro or parsley
  • Pinch of salt
  • a few drops of sesame oil if you have it

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside to allow the flavors to develop while you prepare the fish and rice.  Look at those colors!                                                                                  spicy mango salsa

The Talapia

  • 4 Talapia fillets
  • 1/2 cup flour for dredging
  • salt and pepper
  • butter for frying
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp cold butter

Method:

  • Place the flour onto a plate or shallow bowl.
  • Add salt and pepper.
  • Stir to mix and dip fillets into the flour.
  • Once dredged heat the butter in a non-stick saute pan.
  • When the butter is melted cook the fillets on medium-high heat till lightly brown.
  • Turn and brown the second side. This takes just minutes.

Place a lemon slice on each fillet, pour the lemon juice in the pan and place the cold butter in the middle of the pan while you stir it into the lemon juice. This will make a glaze for the fish. The fish is cooked when it flakes with a fork and is lightly browned. Serve immediately!

talapia with spicy mango salsaIf it’s true that we eat with our eyes then get up to the table right now! Talapia is such a lovely mild fish and the salsa works perfectly to jazz it up. We love a rice pilaf when we eat fish. Tell us about your favorite fish recipe!

Nicoise Inspired Winter Salad

Posted on by

A Hearty, Fragrant, and Delicious Winter Salad.

Typically this Nicoise Salad (pronounced neez-wahz) is served in summer in France, but we love the flavors so much that we use it as a winter salad too. We love that you can build a hearty salad that satisfies the need for more filling food in Winter while offering lots of vegetables and protein without meat. If you look in the fridge and pantry you’ll typically find most of the ingredients on hand, so why not give it a try. We’re having it for our Sunday supper along side some crunchy breaded shrimp. This salad normally includes canned tuna but we don’t always follow the rules 🙂

Salad nicoise

The TwoFoodNuts version of Nicoise Salad:

Serves 2-3 as a main dish or 6 as a sidedish

The Dressing:

  • 3/4 cup Olive oil
  • Grated peel of 1 Lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp white Balsamic or white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2 minced or grated garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup finely minced flat leaf Italian parsley or Basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Place everything into a small mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate. The mustard will help thicken the dressing.  Set aside.

The Salad:

  • 12-14 Baby potatoes halved
  • 12 Kalamata Olives or olives of your choice
  • 12 cherry tomatoes halved
  • 6 Gerkins or baby dill pickles
  • 1/4 sweet onion, thinly slices and added to tomatoes
  • 20 green beans, stem end removed
  • 2 slices of bacon, chopped and fried till crisp (optional for vegetarian versions)
  • 4 eggs soft boiled
  • drain 1 can of oil packed Tuna if you wish to keep the salad traditional
  • a few lettuce leaves to place the ingredients on at plating.

Begin by setting all the ingredients into separate bowls. This will help when you’re ready to dress the components to assemble the finished salad.  

nicoise ingredients

Preparing the cooked ingredients:

  • To cook the potatoes and green beans, use a steamer.
  • Steam them individually until just tender. Steaming keeps them from becoming water-logged.
  • Fry the bacon till crisp and drain on paper towel.
  • Boil the eggs by covering them with cold water, bring to a boil, cover and turn off heat for 5 minutes.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, place them in their bowl and spoon over a few tablespoons of the dressing to coat the potatoes well. Do the same with the beans. Dressing them when they are hot helps them absorb the delicious dressing! Dress the tomatoes and onions the same way. Just a bit of dressing on the ingredients flavors without making them soggy.

Salad nicoise

Get out a pretty platter and begin adding everything so it looks appetizing. You can mix it all up or place the ingredients into their own section.  We  like to use lettuce leaves as a base and build the salad from there. Serve with crusty bread and a side dish as we did or simply use the tuna for a full meal.

salad nicoise plate

Cook’s Tip: Make this salad your own by changing up the potatoes to little red ones, or using white kidney beans in place of green beans, serve with a piece of grilled salmon and try chunks of Feta with the dressing.  You name it, you can substitute it and still get a fabulous winter salad.

 

 

Pork Loin Roast With Stuffing

Posted on by

Sunday Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

At our house the Sunday Roast is seldom beef.  We prefer a Pork Loin Roast . It’s always tender and juicy and the cost is so much less than Prime Rib of Beef.

Our version of this Pork Loin Roast includes a stuffing that adds tremendous flavor and creates an extra special dish.   This is our go-to Roast for company too and we think once you try it you’ll adopt the recipe.

Stuffed Pork Loin Dinner

This Stuffed Pork Loin Roast requires minimal butchering skills on your part.  Take your time and use a very sharp knife to obtain the result you need.  You will be cutting the meat in such a way as to create a flat surface to lay the stuffing on. Then you will tie the roast once again before cooking it.  So here goes. We are providing a series of photos to demonstrate how easily this is done.

TwoFoodNuts Stuffed Pork Loin Roast:

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 400F degrees. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and line a baking pan with parchment paper. There is almost no clean-up if the pan is lined!

Pork Loin Roast

Start with the bones facing down on the board and allow the knife to slide along them to begin.

Butterfly the pork loin

Your goal is to cut through the thick part of the loin to create a flat surface. You are essentially unrolling the loin with your knife.

butchering pork loin

Try to keep the thickness fairly consistent as your cut.

Pork Loin butterflied

Once the meat has been cut all the way through you’re ready to stuff it. This cut of meat is now called “Butterflied”

stuffing the pork loinSeason the meat with salt and pepper. Then spread the stuffing evenly over the open loin. Do not put stuffing within 1 inch of the end of the meat and within 2 inches of the bones or it just squeezes out when you roll it. Roll it up gently.

The Stuffing:

You can use your own stuffing recipe here. You can do bread with herbs and chopped apples, or you can do as we do and use a ready made turkey stuffing and add dried cranberries. We like the taste of “Stove Top Stuffing and its so easy to prepare. You decide what you want to stuff with.

Pork Loin with Stuffing

Once you have rolled the loin up, using white kitchen twine, tie it to hold it together. If you have never tied meat as the butcher does, then just bring the string under the roast and tie a knot between each of the bones. We do this technique often so we use the butcher method. It doesn’t matter how it’s done just as long as it holds the roast for cooking.

pork loin roast tied

The stuffed Pork Loin Roast is ready to roast.  Place it in the 400F degree oven and allow to cook at this temperature for the first hour. Then turn to 350F for the remaining time.  This will give you a nice crisp exterior and a juicy succulent interior. Cooking time will depend on the size of the Pork Loin Roast. We use a meat thermometer to be sure the roast is fully cooked to 160F degrees internal temperature.  The Government of Canada has excellent food safety information about cooking and storing meat. Read it here!

Stuffed Pork Loin Dinner

All that’s left is the eating! Enjoy your stuffed Pork Loin Roast with all your favorite accompaniments! Today we served potatoes with butter and parsley as well as a Winter side salad of Broccoli, Kale and Brussels Sprouts. A little Cranberry sauce completes the Stuffed Pork Loin Roast!