07/28/14 recipe -Taste USA

Monday, July 28, 2014

Farmhouse Breakfast Sausage

How to make Farmhouse Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Sausages are basic to many cuisines, but especially German, Swiss, Dutch, French and Scandinavian. The taste of the sausages reflected the flavorings favored by each ethnic group.

Makes 2 pounds sausage.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh pork butt, coarsely ground
1-1/2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
1 teaspoon crumbled, dried, sage leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
About 2 ounces salted sausage casings (optional)

Method:
In a large bowl, blend pork, thyme, sage, salt, black pepper and red pepper.

Refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend. Shape into patties.

Cook in a heavy skillet over medium heat until cooked through, turning once.

For link sausages, purchase salted sausage casings from the meat market.

Soak in cold water to remove salt, then slip end of casing over faucet in kitchen sink. Run cold water through to flush out inside of casings. This is more easily done if casings are cut into 20- to 24-inch lengths.

Put meat mixture into a sausage-stuffing machine or into a large pastry bag with a 1/2- to 1-inch tip.

Slip casings over end of pastry tip and press meat into casings. If sausage is hard to press into casings, add water to meat mixture to soften it.

Note:
Sausage casings are available from the butcher; extra casings may be frozen.

Pork Chops with Lima Beans

How to make Pork Chops with Lima Beans Recipe - Except for game, pork is America's most traditional meat. The earliest settlers brought pigs with them, and they were let loose to fatten in the woods. Pork farmers have come a long way in breeding leaner, higher protein pork. For that reason, it is important not to overcook it or the meat will be dry.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 large pork chops
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each dried sage, salt and pepper
1/4 cup butter or vegetable shortening
1 (10-ounce) package frozen lima beans, partially thawed
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 chopped green onions

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

Wipe pork chops; set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, sage, salt and pepper. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

In a large heavy skillet, heat butter or shortening. Add pork chops. Brown over medium heat on both sides.

Put chops into a shallow baking dish. Top with lima beans and onions. Pour cider or juice into skillet in which chops were browned; scrape up drippings. Pour over chops in baking dish.

Bake 45 minutes; pour cream over. Bake 15 minutes longer. Top with chopped green onions. Serve hot.

Baked Stuffed Pork Chops

How to make Baked Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe - Today's pork is leaner and cooks quickly. It's best cooked using slow, even, moist cooking to bring out flavor and make it juicy.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
4 (1-1/2-inch-thick) pork loin chops
1/4 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cups soft bread crumbs
About 1 cup beef or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Chopped fresh parsley

Method:
Preheat oven to 325F (165C). With a sharp pointed knife, cut a slit in each pork chop for stuffing.

In a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet or stove-top casserole, heat 2 tablespoons butter. Add garlic, onion, celery and green pepper. Saute over low heat about 10
minutes or until soft. Mix with bread crumbs.

Add about 1/2 cup broth to moisten so mixture holds together. Add salt and black pepper.

Stuff each pork chop with onequarter of mixture. Close each chop with a wooden pick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour.

Melt remaining butter in skillet. Add stuffed chops. Brown quickly on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup broth. Cover with lid or foil.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until chops are cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Garlicky Country Style Pork Roast

How to make Garlicky Country Style Pork Roast Recipe - "Modern" pork is much leaner than it used to be and we have a wide range of prices you can pay for high-quality meat.

Makes 3 servings per pound.

Ingredients:
1 (5- to 8-pound) rolled pork loin or butt roast
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried leaf rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse kosher-style salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil

Method:
Place roast on a rack over a roasting pan. Combine garlic, pepper, rosemary, salt and oil.

Rub evenly all over roast. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of meat.

Place in oven and set at 350F (175C). Roast 1 to 2 hours or until thermometer registers 160F (70C) to 165F (75C).

Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

Notes:
Pork butt, which is actually a shoulder cut, is the least-expensive yet one of the tastiest cuts. The loin roasts, whether bone-in or bone-out are meatier with larger muscle structure, making carving nice slices easier. I prefer the rolled pork loin for this all-time favorite country-style pork roast, but the days before payday, I might settle for a butt cut on a supermarket special!

Philadelphia Scrapple

How to make Philadelphia Scrapple Recipe - The Pennsylvania Dutch call this Ponhaws. It was originally a thrifty way to use scraps of pork after hogs had been butchered.

Makes about 32 slices.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh pork shoulder
1-1/2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon dried leaf summer savory
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
Additional salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Method:
Place pork in a Dutch oven. Add water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until meat comes away from bone easily.

Remove meat. Strain broth; there should be about 4 cups broth. Shred meat. Return to Dutch oven with broth. Place over medium heat and slowly stir in cornmeal, keeping mixture smooth.

Add savory, thyme and more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Simmer 15 minutes or until cornmeal is cooked.

Press mixture into 2 (9" x 5") loaf pans. Refrigerate. To serve, cut into slices and fry in butter.

Notes:
Today, it can be an economical way to use the leftovers from a pork roast. Even though the recipe calls for fresh pork shoulder, you might roast a piece of pork shoulder 2 pounds larger than you plan to serve at a meal and use the remaining meat for making scrapple. The pork is mixed with cooked cornmeal, chilled in a loaf pan, then sliced and fried as desired.