Category Archives: pork

Cranberry Glazed Ham

I started entertaining over the Christmas holidays, when I moved into my first apartment. I had moved from my parents home on Long Island and into a small apartment in Queens. That first year,  I had a small Christmas party so that my parents could come and pick up all the Christmas presents and drive them back to Long Island so I didn’t have to carry them home on the train. So I started in a very small way something that has become an elaborate tradition. I was not a very accomplished cook and I didn’t have alot of extra cash, so the menu was simple and economic – baked ham,deviled eggs, mimosas and cookies. It was an easy brunch and everyone had a great time and I’ve been entertaining for the holidays ever since. I still like to make  a baked ham, it’s easy , delicious and looks like alot more effort than it really is. This cranberry glazed ham is one of my favorites – whether it’s for Christmas Day, Christmas Eve or any other Holiday meal you have a lot of guests to feed. It’s great for get togethers with children accompanied with macaroni and cheese or for adults served with cornbread and cranberries, like the recipe below. I find that most guests are excited to see a festive holiday baked ham on the table. Start your own holiday traditions using this recipe, it’s a perfect one to prepare!
From by the bay wishing you the berriest Christmas memories!
Maryann
blog ham

 

Cranberry Glazed Ham

Serves 12 Dinner

Serves 18 Buffet

1 6-7 lbs fully cooked spiral-cut bone in half smoked ham

4 oz cranberry jelly

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup dijon mustard

¼ cup cranberry juice

1 tablespoon bourbon

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

Directions

Preheat over to 350F. Place ham in an aluminum foil lined baking pan. In a bowl combine remaining ingredients and whisk together, Brush on to the ham and between the slices. Bake for one hour, until the ham is fully heated. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Great Balls of Fire- Memphis Style Dry-Rub and Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Besides loving to cook , I’m a big fan of rock and roll. One day while strolling the bargain aisle of Barnes and Noble, I found the perfect book ” Are You Hungry Tonight? Elvis’ Favorite Recipes” complied by Brenda Arlene Butler. I couldn’t believe my luck finding a cook book that combines two passions of mine. This book sits proudly in my cookbook library. The book is filled with southern home cooking recipes, including barbecue. Memphis ,the home of rockabilly, is also the home of great barbecue. Memphis style barbecue uses combinations of both dry rubs and sauces. I’ve worked on creating one of each. During the summer, there are lots of occasions for grilling. I  like to keep some dry rub prepared and stored in a jar ready to use at a moment’s notice. If it’s a big holiday weekend, I just make some of the barbecue sauce and keep it in a jar in the fridge ready to season meats or use a a base to make baked beans with a kick or  as sauce to make a pizza. Both are really simple to make and worth the extra effort for some really great barbecue.  Try these recipes and then kick back, with music recorded at Sun Studio with a rib and napkin in hand!

From by the bay wishing you Rockin food memories!
Maryann
blog memphis ribs

Great Balls of Fire- Memphis Style  Dry-Rub

2 tablespoons smoky paprika

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½  teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

( at the time of use 1 tablespoon white vinegar)

 

To make the rub combine all dry ingredients well and store in a covered jar. When ready to use add a little white vinegar, if using all the rub add 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

To make ribs: 

Use 4 pounds of slab baby back ribs. To prepare the ribs, remove the thin papery skin from the back of each rack of ribs. Wash and pat dry. In a bowl mix all the rub ingredients together .  Rub ½ of the mixture all over the ribs on both sides and place in a shallow roasting pan. Keep the remaining rub for later. 

Place ribs in a 450 oven for 30 minutes. Continue baking in a 350 oven for about 2 more hours. Half way through take the drippings and mix with remaining rub and baste the ribs with the mixture.  When done transfer the ribs to a cutting board and cut into pieces. Serve with your favorite  barbecue sauce. 

 
Rockin Blue Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
Makes 2 cups
 

1 1/2 cups Jack Daniel’s Black Label or Bourbon

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons dark molasses

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce


 Pour 1 cup of whiskey into a saucepan. Bring the saucepan to a boil and reduce the liquid to about 2 tablespoons. Don’t let the alcohol flame. 

 Add 1/2 cup of the whiskey and the other ingredients. Simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes and reduce it by about 1/3. Use it immediately or bottle it and keep it in the refrigerator for a month or more.

Napa Memories – Celebrating the Grape Harvest with Food

Blog nappa grapes

 

 

It’s end of September and time for the grape harvest and crush. It’s time to celebrate the harvest especially for wine lovers. But there is way to engage those who don’t have a passion for wine and still celebrate the harvest, simply cook with grapes.  I find that outside a fruit salad it’s not often you find grapes in your food. When I was a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue , I had the good fortune to work in Florence several times a year.  No matter what time of the year I went, I was always looking forward to some seasonal food that would be available. It’s how I would bench mark my trips. Each morning I would walk from the hotel to the buying office. Along the way,  I would pass many pasticceria shops and in the fall they would all have grape schiacciata. Many days when I arrived to the office, I would be asking about how to prepare something from dinner the previous evening or did they have a recipe for something I had just seen in the pasticceria shop. My first recipe is a verison of the grape schiacciata shared with me from one of those trips. Another recipe  is a twist on a another classic dish from Tuscany called salisicca all’ uva – sausage and grapes. Instead of pan frying , I am roasting them in the oven along with onion, rosemary, thyme and balsamic vinegar. Terrific for dinner with mashed potatoes or for breakfast along with some great country bread. Give these recipes a try and celebrate!

From by the bay, wishing you grape filled food memories! Maryann blog grape bread Grape Breakfast Schiacciata

Serves 8

 

Dough

3 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 package instant yeast

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon fine sugar, plus extra for topping

1 ¼ cup warm water (110F)

2 tablespoons olive oil,

Cooking oil spray for bowl and baking sheet

Topping

1 cup red grapes, halfed

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Mix the flour, yeast and 1 tablespoon salt in a food processor. With motor running add warm water to make a soft dough that forms a ball. If the dough is a little too sticky add a little more flour, too dry add a little water. Process another minute until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and shape into a ball. Cover with a damp towel leave to rise at room temperature for an hour. The dough should be double in size. Punch the dough down. Take a non stick rimmed cooking sheet 9” x 13”. Spray sheet lightly with cooking oil and spread dough out to the size of the pan. Cover with damp dishtowel and let rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat over to 425 degrees F. Make bread topping by combining all ingredients. Take a brush and spread the oil from fruit mixture all over the top them add the fruit, pressing into the dough. Finally, sprinkle additional sugar on the top of the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a board to serve either hot or at room temperature.

blog roast grape sausage

Roasted Sausages and Grapes  with Herbs Serves 4 1 1/2 pounds sweet sausage 3 cups seedless red seedless grapes 1 bay leave 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar seas salt and freshly ground pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a baking dish add the sausage , grapes and garlic in a a baking dish in a single layer. Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leave , then drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Season with salt and pepper. Toss all together and then place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove baking dish  and turn sausages and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes, until the sausages are browned and cooked and grapes and onions so soft. Remove from oven and serve  with bread or mashed potatoes.

Cooking with Red Hot Chili Peppers

blog hot peppers
 

The other day I ran into a friend Eva who offered me some hot chili peppers from her garden. She and her husband Al had a large harvest of hot peppers, too many for them to use. I , of course, jumped at the chance to spend a weekend cooking and experimenting with an ingredient. When the peppers arrived, I was thrilled to have a big bowl of color in my kitchen: all that red, green, orange and yellow. The first thing I quickly tried was a red chili mayonnaise that I planned to use with grilled shrimp as a main course or appetizer. I also thought that the red chili mayonnaise would be terrific to make panini’s  -a fun twist on a ham and cheese. My next recipe I decided to adapt my grandmother’s beef goulash recipe and make a pork goulash, using cubes of pork with peppers  and onions for a fiery dish. This meal started with a crostini of toasted bread and fresh ricotta cheese, topped with fresh chopped red chilis, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with some coarse sea salt. I wish I had  a bowl of chili peppers in my kitchen every weekend and you will too when you try some of these recipes. 

 
From by the bay wishing you the hottest of food memories!
Maryann

 
Word of caution when cooking with chili peppers: I suggest using disposable latex gloves especially if you have sensitive skin, like I do. I also wear contacts and trust me you don’t want to place you fingers anywhere near your eyes after handling fiery peppers! The heat of the chili comes from the seeds and the membrane inside the pepper, so to control the amount of heat in your dish, I suggest removing all seeds and membranes.
 
blog more hot peppers
 
Red Chili Mayonnaise
1 cup store bought mayonnaise
3 small red chilies, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well. 
 
blog chili mayo
 
Chili Ham and Cheese Panini
Serves 1
2 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon red chili mayonnaise
3 slices virginia ham
2 slices gruyere cheese
2 slices dill pickle toppers
Heat panini press or skillet. Butter two slices of bread. Buttered sides are the outside of the sandwich. On one side of bread – not buttered spread the chili mayonnaise, add the ham , then cheese and pickles. Top with the other slice of bread , press down and then toast until cheese is melted and bread browned. Serve immediately.
 
blog hot chili peppers
 

Chili Pepper and Pork Goulash

Serves 4-6

 

3 pounds cubed pork stew meat

4 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 cups onions finely chopped

6 medium size assorted chili peppers without seeds and membranes, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 cups chicken stock

1 jar 12 ounces of roasted red and yellow sweet peppers

Zest of 1 lemon

 

Directions

 

Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a sealed plastic bag. Add pork cubes into bag and coated with flour mixture. In a large Dutch oven heat olive oil. Sauté floured pork cubes until browned. Remove browned meat into bowl and place aside. Add remaining olive oil to pan and sauté the onions with chili peppers until softened. Add the caraway seed, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté until fragrant about one minute. Add the tomatoe paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and stock , then add the meat and roasted peppers. Bring to a boil, then lower heat , cover and simmer until very tender, approximately 2  to 2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat add lemon zest and serve with noodles or rice. 

Marinated Pork Chops with Fresh Plum Sauce

On my grandparents farm on Long Island, they had a full orchard of fruits trees. I would help my grandfather with tending the orchard from pruning to netting the trees to hanging little wooden snakes to scare off the birds. One of our favorite crops were the italian plums. We would gather the plums and my grandmother would made her close friend Mitzi’s plum cake. This recipe is a wonderful yellow cake that envelopes the plums. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat. We would just feast on those tiny jewel like fruit! I’m also including one of my favorite barbecued pork chops recipes served with a wonderful plum sauce. Hope you enjoy this food as much as we all do here by the bay!
From by the bay wishing you the plummiest of food memories!
Maryann

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blog plum pork

Marinated Pork Chops with Fresh Plum Sauce

Serves 4

4 boneless ¾ inch think center cut pork chops

Marinade

¼ cup honey

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Place pork chops and all marinade ingredients into a sealed plastic bag and mix well. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours up to overnight. Remove from marinade and grill pork chops on a hot grill for approximately 8 minutes per side to be well done.

Fresh Plum and Merlot Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

6 Italian plums, stoned and chopped

2 tablespoons honey

½ cup merlot wine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and add shallots, sauté for 2 minutes until soft. Add the plums and simmer for 15 minutes, add honey, wine,  balsamic vinegar and ground ginger and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced in ½ and thickened. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve warm fresh plum sauce on top of the grilled pork chops.

Goat Milk Braised Pork Loin

 

This recipe is adapted from a meal I shared at a friend’s home outside of Florence many years ago. It started my love for the herb rosemary. I had never had meat braised in milk before and  as an inexperienced american it seemed odd to me, but it was so delicious. The milk creates a lovely gravy after braising. Over the years I have evolved the recipe by adding onions for another dimension of flavor and by trying goat milk . Although this dish works great with cow’s milk, I find the results with goat milk to be slightly sweeter and makes for a creamier gravy. This is probably a matter of personal preference.  Either way this is recipe that is simple to make and big on taste.

From by the bay, wishing you milky food memories,
Maryann

Goat Milk Braised Pork Loin

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 lb boneless pork loin roast

2 mediume vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 cups organic goat milk or cow’s milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
optional: garnish with gremolata – recipe below

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. In dutch oven heat butter and oil on stove until hot, add the pork loin and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and place to side. In same pot please add the onions and sauté until soft, add back the pork, add rosemary and milk. Cover and place into the oven for two hours, stirring occasionally. Let pork rest slice and serve with onion and milk gravy. Garnish with gremolata.

Gremolata

Ingredients
1/2 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions
In a bowl add parsley and minced garlic. Into this bowl finely zest the lemon. Add salt and mix. Refrigerate until ready to use. This can be used to compliment veal, pork or fish.