Mmm. Meat.

Today's creations were heavily meat-focused. I totally caved to the impulse-buy phenomenon of grabbing the pretty cooking magazine on my way through the checkout line yesterday, and, determined to justify my purchase, made two of the recipes today. The magazine was the Cook's Illustrated Soups and Stews issue, and both of the recipes I made were very tasty.

It was another cold day in Phoenix, which is probably why I gravitated to the meaty recipes first. I did adapt the recipes to make them a little leaner, but I don't think they suffered in taste. I've reproduced the recipes below as I made them.

Enjoy.

Menu:
Russian-Style Beef and Cabbage Soup
Carne Adovada

Russian-Style Beef and Cabbage Soup
adapted from Cook's Illustrated Soups and Stews 2011

Serves 6

3/4 lb lean beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 c beef broth
4 c chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 small head savoy cabbage, cored and shredded
1/2 c sauerkraut, rinsed
dried dill
sour cream, for serving (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the beef. Stir until mostly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in carrots, cabbage, and sauerkraut. Cover partially and simmer another 30 minutes.
5. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the soup into bowls and garnish with dill and sour cream.




Carne Adovada
adapted from Cook's Illustrated Soups and Stews 2011

The original recipe called for boneless pork butt roast, but I used tenderloin to make it leaner. The tenderloin worked perfectly and was fork-tender after the braise.

serves 6

1/2 c brewed coffee, hot
1/4 c raisins
1/3 c chili powder (I used 4 dried ancho chiles and pulverized them in the blender)
3 T flour
1 tsp oregano, dried
3 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp dried chipotle chile powder, or more to taste
1 T tomato paste
2 c chicken broth
cilantro and limes for garnish
corn tortillas for serving

1. Combine coffee and raisins in a small bowl and let sit until raisins have plumped, about 5 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the pork, about 5 minutes. Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.
3. Remove the pork to a bowl.
4. Add the onions and garlic to the juices in the pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile powders, flour, and oregano. Stir in the remaining tsp of oil.
5. Stir in the broth and raisin-coffee mixture. In a blender or using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth.
6. Add the pork back to the sauce in the pot and bring to a simmer.
7. Heat the oven to 325F.
8. Cover the pot and braise in the oven for about two hours, stirring halfway through to make sure it has not gotten too dry.
9. Serve with cilantro, limes, and tortillas.

113F, 3% humidity

That's right, 3%. That's why they call it a Dry Heat. Perfect grilling weather! We don't even have to light the grill! We just throw slabs of meat out on the pavement for a few minutes.


No, just kidding, I actually lit the grill. I like having grill marks on my chops, and that's really hard to do on concrete.


Tonight's dinner for Elaine is brought to you by Mark Bittman. Both the main dish and the salad were adapted from his leaden tome, How To Cook Everything.

The salad was lovely, and I far prefer almonds to peanuts, so I would repeat that. Baby arugula is peppery and holds up really well to the spicy dressing. This was a perfect foil to the slightly sweet honeyed pork.


I'm rediscovering pork tenderloin lately. It's super-lean, fast-cooking, doesn't need much prep, and stores easily (it's tube-shaped and slides neatly into the freezer). It also makes great leftovers. Pretty much any recipe that calls for chicken can be made with pork, and vice versa.

Menu:
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Cumin
Tender Greens with Peanuts and Tomatoes
Grilled corn on the cob
Steamed broccoli
Grilled pineapple slices

Tender Greens with Peanuts and Tomatoes
How To Cook Everything

2 servings

2 c coarsely chopped young, tender arugula, dandelion, mizuna, romaine lettuce, or other greens (trimmed, washed, and dried) (I used baby arugula and did not chop it)
1 1/2 tsp peanut oil (I used 1 tsp dark sesame oil)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 c roasted peanuts, with or without salt (I used 2 T roasted, unsalted slivered almonds and a few grinds of the salt shaker)
1/2 cup cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped ripe tomatoes (Feh! Who does all that to a tomato? Just chop it up and throw it in.)
juice of half a lime

1. Place the chopped greens in a bowl.
2. Place the peanut oil in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cook, stirring, until the chili powder darkens, 30-60 seconds. Add the peanuts, toss, and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Add salt if necessary.
3. Toss together the greens, peanuts, and tomatoes. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Sprinkle the lime juice over all and serve.


Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Cumin
adapted from How to Cook Everything

1 lb pork tenderloin
juice of half an orange
2 T honey
1 T orange juice
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Prepare the grill.
2. Squeeze the juice from half an orange over the tenderloin and let marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, combine the honey, 1 T orange juice, cumin, and garlic powder and mix well. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle the tenderloin with salt and pepper and sear over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per side. Baste the tenderloin with the honey mixture and cook about 3-5 additional minutes per side or until cooked through to your liking. Watch carefully to avoid burning the rub, as honey will char easily.
5. Remove from grill and rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
(This recipe originally called for chicken breasts rubbed with olive oil. I did not find that the tenderloin needed oil at all, nor do I think chicken would. I bet this would be really tasty on chicken thighs, too. Also, you can substitute sherry, white wine, or water for the orange juice in the basting mixture.)

Grilled corn and pineapple have become summer staples around here lately. They're both very tasty, very easy, and not too bad for you.

Corn: After the meat is grilled (or while it's on the grill), arrange the husked corn over the coals and grill, turning about every 3 minutes, until the kernels start to brown.

Pineapple: Place sliced pineapple over the hot coals and cook about 5 minutes per side until char marks appear to your liking. This caramelizes the sugars deliciously. Alternatively, eat it raw. It's great either way.

For an easy dessert, serve grilled pineapple over vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or minced fresh basil macerated with sugar. This also works well with grilled peaches.

Sparkle sez: I can has tenderloin? Or corn, I'm not picky...