Rosemary-crusted Pork Tenderlon with Red Wine Reduction Sauce

My seasoning included one teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper, half teaspoon each of paprika and chili powder. Mix together all these spices and rub thoroughly onto the meat. The pork is about 350 grams and about two inches thick. Then roll the pork on rosemary leaves. Make sure that most of it is covered by the herb. Leave in the fridge overnight.

You can prepare the sauce ahead of time. Simply sautee 8-10 pieces of shallots in two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over low fire. Cook until the shallots are soft. Pour in 1.5 cup of red wine (I used Penfolds cabernet sauvignon, but definitely you can use any red wine your prefer) and 1.5 cup chicken stock. Simmer over very low fire until it is reduced into half. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Here's how we cook the meat. Remove the pork from the fridge and keep at room temperature. Once ready, coat a nonstick pan with olive oil, about two tablespoons. Once hot, fry one side of the pork over low-medium fire. Cover the pan. Cook each side for about three to four minutes. You can pinch the meat with your thumb to know if the center is still raw. If it feels very soft, it's still uncooked.

Once cooked, cover the meat with foil and let it rest for about 7-10 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat diagonally to make appear the pieces larger. Pour the warm wine sauce over it before serving.

Happy eating!

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Not Your Ordinary Menudo

It's my first Filipino dish here on the blog!

I have cooked sinigang, tinola, kare-kare, adobo, afritada and pochero several times, and I can write about them with my eyes closed.  So I challenged myself and menudo is a first for me.  I know it's popular and common among  households so I put a little twist into it; adding unusual ingredients and making a few spins.

Start working on the dish by marinating 1kg of pork, cut into small bite-size pieces, with 1/2 cup of Sprite (oh, yes!) and 3 tablespoons of spanish paprika.  Add a few dashes of nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, mix well, and cover for at least 30 minutes.

In a large casserole, saute 4 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 large minced onion.  Add the pork (save the marinate) and cook until the meat turns brown.  Add the marinate and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated.  Pour in 3/4 cup red wine and simmer again over low fire, reducing the wine to about 1/4 cup.  Add 1/2kg of pork liver cut into small cubes and 1/4 kg of sliced hotdogs.  Keep mixing and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Pour 500 grams of tomato sauce, add 1.5 cups each of diced potato and carrot.  Continue simmering until the veggies are soft but not breakable.  Add 1/4 cup raisins, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into short strips, and about 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Mix and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Your menudo is now ready.  Serve with rice.

Happy eating!

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Grilled Porkchop with Mango Salsa

The preparations and procedures involved in the making of this dish are very basic, but your palate will thank you for the scrumptious taste.  In less than 15 minutes, I'm sure you can do this anytime, in any occasion.

First, let us prepare the rub. Mix together one large clove of crushed garlic, one teaspoonful of paprika, less than half a teaspoon of nutmeg and chili powder, salt and pepper, two teaspoons of lemon juice and few dashes of dried thyme.  Use this for two pieces of porkchop, bone in, about half an inch thick.

For the salsa, combine one medium diced tomato with 1/4 cup diced ripe sweet mango, one tablespoon of chopped celery stalk, 1/4 cup diced onion, one tablespoon lemon juice, a few dashes of cider and salt and pepper. You may add at least 1/4 cup of chili for that "kick".

Simply grill the pork until cooked and serve with the salsa on top.

Happy eating!

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Sweet Pork Loin with Beer Pineapple Sauce

I've tried using alcoholic beverage in some of my dishes. But I've always limited myself to wine. So now I thought of trying beer. And what better protein to pair it with than pork!

Filipinos love these two. When there's pork, there's beer. So then I decided to put them together in one simple dish.

First you have to soak two teaspoons of annatto (achuete) in 1/4 cup warm water. Let it stay there until the water cools. Once ready, pour it in a container, mixing two heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, one teaspoon whole black peppercorns, two small bay leaves, one teaspoon crushed garlic, tarragon and salt. Marinate two pork loins (about 400 grams, not thicker than half inch, skin removed) in this mixture for not less than 24 hours.

After 24 hours...

Drain the liquid from all the spices keeping the marinade aside. Coat a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium fire. Fry each side of the pork for about two minutes or until cook. Set aside and let rest.

Sauté 1/4 cup of minced white onion in two tablespoons butter. Cook the onion well. Pour in the marinade, increase the fire and quickly boil for three minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup each of pineapple juice and beer. Simmer for five more minutes. Then strain the mixture from solids. Once done, simmer the mixture again until thick.

Slice the pork into about half an inch and then pour the sauce.

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