Rosie Makes Pig Soup.

 

    It's cold, so I'm in the mood for soup.  Found about a third of a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so we're going with Pig Soup today.

 Rosie's Pig Soup 

2-3 cups worth cubed pork tenderloin, dusted with flour

1 - 2 TB each peanut oil and butter  

1 onion, chopped

1 32-oz. carton beef broth

1 10-oz can chopped tomatoes with chilies

1 14-.5 oz can diced tomatoes 

1 tsp thyme

1 TB oregano

1/2 tsp kosher salt

beurre manié, to thicken soup *See Rosie Note below

 1 cup cooked black beans

1 cup cooked white rice 

1 can baby corn ears 

chopped cilantro 

*Rosie Note - Beurre manié is French for "kneaded butter."  It's simply equal amounts softened butter and flour, worked by hand to form a paste.  Start with 2 TB butter and 2 TB flour.  Work it to incorporat the flour into the butter, then pull small bits of the paste and drop it into your low simmering soup, stirring to allow the butter to melt and evenly distribute the flour, thickening the soup. 

Cut the pork tenderloin into bite-sized cubes of meat.   

Give it a light dusting of flour.

In a medium pot, heat about a tablespoon of oil to about 425°.  Drop in a tablespoon of butter.  When the butter finishes sputtering, drop in the pork cubes, one at a time, not crowding the pot. Give it about 2 minutes on the first side, then turn the cubes and give a minute more on the flip side.  Remove from pot.  Work the next batch in, browning the cubes and setting aside.

 

 Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook about a minute, stirring.  Add in about 2 cups of the beef broth, scraping the goodie bits up from the bottom of the pan.  That's where the flavor is.

 

Add in a can of chopped tomatoes with chilies.  I had hot chilies, which I like, but you might want to try the mild if you prefer less heat.  Add the meat back to the pot.  Sprinkle in the seasonings, cover, and barely simmer over low heat for about an hour.

 

At this point, I taste-tested and realized those chilies were hotter than I thought.  So I added in the rest of the carton of beef broth and the can of plain diced tomatoes, no chilies. Bring back to a boil, reduce to low simmer.

 

 Now, if you want to thicken up your soup, try using the beurre manié. Stir in a bit of the paste and let the flour cook and the soup thicken up.  Whisk in more until you get the consistency you like.

 

The soup is perfectly fine and good to go right now, but I started looking around in my fridge to see what needed to be used up and I found a container of  white rice and a container of black beans that were "leftover" from some nachos I'd made the day before.  If you've been reading along, you know that I don't do "leftovers."  Rosie does "Moreovers."  

 

To wit:  

Now, I don’t like the term “leftovers” and I don’t refer to my second- or third- or fourth-time around meals as “leftovers.”  I knew  I needed another word that was more definitive and positive.  First, I thought of the word re-do's. But that implies it wasn't done right the first time around when it certainly was.  Then I considered do-overs. But, of course, that, too, has a negative connotation.   I've put a lot of thought into this trying to come up with just the right word which describes the process of what I do in the life chain of the produce and viande I prepare and serve and consume.   And my word is moreovers.  Think about it:  You've already produced and served a wonderful, satisfying, convivial repast.  So, what's next?   MORE is next.  When you say "Moreover," you're likely going to top what you previously said or did, put an exclamation point there, and/or put it in bold or italics. So, I don’t have leftovers.

I have MOREOVERS!

 

Added both the rice and the beans to the soup.  

And then I thought, "Wait!  Wait!  Let's throw in a can of baby corn too!"  So I did.  You could use a can of corn kernels, but I like the big corn flavor every now and then, not the corn in every spoonful. 

 

  Now, for the step-by-steps:

 

Cut pork into cubes.

Dust with flour.

 Sear the cubes.

 

Do batches at a time.  Do not crowd the pan.

Sauté the onions.

  

 

 

 Pour in the beef broth, scraping up from the bottom.

You want the goodie bits.  Flavor! 

 

    

Add in the tomatoes.

Pork goes in.

Rice and beans in

 

And the corn.

 

Serve with your favorite cornbread.

Cilantro, or parsley if you're not in the cilantro camp. 

Enjoy.

Rosie Celebrates Pi Day With ... PIE!

 Happy Pi Day to all.

 

Every March, I like to celebrate March 14, 3-14, or Pi Day, with a pie, and this year is no exception.  I want a pie that’s easy as pie, so for Pi Day, I’m going with a Cheesecake Pie.  Easier than a regular cheesecake, my Cheesecake Pie uses a pre-made pie crust instead of a graham cracker crust.  It’s baked in a shallow pie dish rather than a deeper spring-form pan and it doesn’t require a water bath.  It has fewer ingredients, it bakes quicker, and nothing is lost flavor-wise.  This cheesecake turns out silky smooth, decadently rich, and deliciously tangy from the addition of lemon zest.  For toppings, I have whipped cream that I piped on and both chocolate ganache and caramel sauce that I drizzled over top. 

 

Rosie’s Cheesecake Pie

1 pie crust, partially baked

 Rosie Note:  You can certainly make your own pie crust if you have a favorite recipe, but in the interest of time, I used a refrigerated crust.  I don’t recommend the frozen crusts as they tend to crack in the freezer.  I use the rolled-up, refrigerated crusts that come two to a box in the dairy section.

 Prepare the crust:   I’m going to bake the crust before filling to give it time to firm up and get lightly browned, since the filling doesn’t need to bake that long.  Heat the oven to 350°.   Let the crust come to room temperature, then unroll it and place in a 9-inch pie dish.  Crimp the edges decoratively and fork the bottom so it doesn’t puff up when you bake it.  I use strips of foil around the crimped edges to keep it from over-browning, or you could use an adjustable pie crust shield if you have one.  Place crust in a 350° oven.  Bake for 10 minutes, then brush beaten egg white on the crust, rotate the crust, and bake another 8 minutes or so, until bottom is golden brown.  The egg wash helps seal the dough so when the filling bakes you don’t have a soggy bottom.

 Prepare the filling:

 Reduce oven heat to 325°.

Have all ingredients at room temperature.

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened

½ cup sour cream

½ cup sugar

2 TB brown sugar

1 TB pure, NEVER artificial, vanilla extract

Zest of ½ lemon

1 TB lemon juice

2 eggs

Beat cream cheese and sour cream at medium speed, scraping down sides to ensure you don’t have a lumpy batter.  When well-combined, gradually beat in sugars.  Add in vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Reduce speed to low and drop in eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined, still scraping down sides.  Don’t overbeat the eggs or you’ll get too much air in the batter, resulting in the cheesecake deflating and cracking when it comes out of the oven.

 Still keeping the edges covered, bake at 325° for about 40 minutes, rotating pan after 20 minutes.  You want to protect that crust from burning while you wait for the filling to fully set.  If top of cheesecake seems to be browning too much, cover with foil.  The cheesecake is done when the edges are set and there’s still a slight jiggle in the center.  If you have a thermometer probe, the cheesecake is done at an internal temperature of 150°.

 Remove from oven and let cool completely on rack.  Refrigerate until fully chilled, preferably overnight.

 

 I always like to decorate my cheesecakes a bit so I’m making whipped cream to pipe around the edges and chocolate ganache and caramel to drizzle on individual slices.

    Whipped Cream

 1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup sugar

2-3 Tsp pure vanilla extract

 Whenever you’re whipping cream, have the cream, bowl, and beaters cold.  I always set a glass bowl with the beaters in the freezer for about an hour before using.  The fat in the cream traps the air bubbles that make your whipped cream light and fluffy.  When the cream, bowl, and beaters are cold, the fat remains more solid, firm, and stable which helps trap and stabilize the air bubbles as they’re whipped.  If the fat globules get warm, they start to melt, releasing air, yielding lower volume and a runny and slightly oily texture.  Having a chilled bowl and beaters for whipping cold cream significantly improves volume, texture, and stability. 

 Start whipping cream at medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually whip in sugar until you have stiff peaks, then add in the vanilla.  Stop at the firm peak stage.  Over-whipping cream will give you butter.

 For piping, I use a zip-lock bag with a corner tip cut off.  I have a set of decorative tips that I push into the clipped corner, but it’s not necessary.  Spoon the whipped cream into the bag and pipe onto your cheesecake.

  Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate ganache is a uniquely versatile mixture of equal amounts, by weight, of chocolate and cream.

 4 oz. heavy cream

4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate morsels (Or you can cut a bar into bits.)

 Heat the cream until just simmering around the edges.  Remove from heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  I always use a glass bowl for ganache.  A plastic bowl could melt or leave you with a dull or grainy ganache. Also, be sure the bowl is absolutely dry.  When chocolate comes into contact with even a drop of water, it will seize up, becoming gritty and grainy.  Always use a good quality chocolate like Ghirardelli.  (Generic brands are NOT acceptable.)  Let sit for a few minutes, then slowly stir with a spoon or small rubber spatula until smooth.  The ganache is ready now for drizzling on top of your cheesecake slices.

 Serving suggestions:  If you like, you can take strawberries and dip into the chocolate and refrigerate until set.  Delicious!  Whenever I make brownies, I always frost them with a chocolate ganache.  Simply pour it over the brownies while both ganache and brownies are still warm.  Spread with an offset spatula. The ganache will thicken up as it cools.

  In addition to the chocolate ganache, I don’t think one can go wrong with caramel sauce drizzled over the cheesecake.  Like they say, go big or go home.  With a good caramel sauce recipe tucked under one’s belt, you can elevate any dessert, whether it be cake or ice cream, with a rich, complex, nutty, buttery, and sweet flavor.  

 Serving suggestion:  You will have caramel left over and I recommend dipping apple slices in the caramel for a delightful snack.

Caramel Sauce

 1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

6 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces

½ cup heavy cream

2-3 tsps pure vanilla extract

Pinch salt

 Pour sugar and water into a heavy bottomed pot so it’s combined and sits in an even, flat layer. Avoid it going up the sides of the pot.  Turn heat to medium-low and cook, not stirring, until sugar dissolves and turns from cloudy to clear.  Allow the mixture to bubble and cook until it begins to thicken and turns a deep gold honey-like color.  This took me about 10 minutes.

  One caveat here:  Keep a watchful eye on the pot so the mixture does not burn.  Depending on the heat, the weather, and the pot you’re using, the sauce can take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes to thicken and turn that beautiful amber color.  This is not something you can walk away from, so watch it carefully. 

 Also note if the sugar forms clumps around the sides of the pot. If so, use a spatula to gently push down the sides to prevent crystallization.

 When the melted sugar reaches that lovely, golden color, carefully drop in the butter pats and whisk until completely melted.  Be careful as caramel will bubble up here.

 Remove from heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking until it’s all incorporated.

Whisk in the vanilla and salt. 

Let cool in pot for about 10 minutes and it’s ready to use.  Drizzle over top of cheesecake slices.

  Pour the remaining caramel into a glass jar and store in refrigerator.  It will thicken up, but to reuse, simply reheat.

  

Happy Pi Day.

  Enjoy.