Braised Pork - Comfort Food 101

I have been trying to perfect a good braised pork recipe for a while now, and I think I may have done it.  Whether served over rice, mashed potatoes or pasta (egg noodles, penne, etc.) this is comfort food at its best - and it's pretty damn easy, just takes a long time in the oven...

BEST BRAISED PORK EVER!

Serves: 4 with leftovers
Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
4 fresh thyme stems, 4 fresh oregano stems tied w/a string.  Or use ~1 tsp. dried leaves of each.
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms.  Transfer the pork to a plate.

2. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it.  Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor.  Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half.

3. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, herb stems, and bay leaves.  Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork.  Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours.  I suggest stirring everything after 1 ½ hrs. to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom of the Dutch oven.

4. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve over your choice of rice, pasta (egg noodles, penne, etc.), or tasty mashed potatoes.

Way Too Easy Lasagna?...

Another easy mid week meal...

SKILLET RAVIOLI LASAGNA WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE

This 'Way Too Easy' lasagna is genius: You start with simmering marinara in a skillet, add ravioli and cooked sausage, and top it off with cheese for a melty one-pot meal.
Serves:  4 with leftovers
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
Mrs. Dash, Garlic Powder and Italian Herb Seasoning
2 ½ c. marinara
½ c. liquid - water, white wine, chicken stock
1 lb. cheese ravioli
1 1/2 c. ricotta
1 large egg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. shredded mozzarella
½ c. shredded parmesan
DIRECTIONS
1- Heat broiler. In a cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned and no longer pink, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes, throw in additional seasoning and cook for 1-2 min. (Drain fat, if desired.)  Add marinara and liquid to pan and bring to a simmer. Add ravioli and let simmer until ravioli is tender and sauce slightly thickens, 10-13 minutes.
2- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta and egg and season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture all over the ravioli, make holes in the dish and plop some in, and let cook 3 minutes.
3- Sprinkle mozzarella and parm all over, then transfer skillet to oven and broil until cheese is golden, 3 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Easy Chicken and Pasta

I have been trying to add some new things to my repertoire because I have been cooking the same damn thing over and over - Spaghetti, Tacos, Grilled Chicken, etc.  So, to add some variety I decided to look on Pintrest (that's right, I have been somewhat convinced by Julie and the girls that there is some value to that phenomenon.
So, in the spirit of branching out, I'm going to try a few things that sound good.  Of course, they will have my spin on them but let's see how it goes...

CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA WITH SPINACH AND TOMATOES IN GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

Prep Time: 20 minutes/Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast or tenders.  For a quicker recipe, use a rotisserie chicken or previously grilled.
1 tsp. Lawry’s Season Salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
5 medium tomatoes, chopped in large cubes or 1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes.
1 cup cooked spinach (1 box frozen, cooked per directions)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
6 bacon strips, COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
1 1/3 cups Half & Half
1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
10 oz. penne pasta cooked per directions
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
2.To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, half of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything.
3. Add Half & Half and bring to boil. Only after Half & Half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 2-3 minutes. Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.
4. In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
5. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Add remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat) and chicken. Season with more salt if necessary. Be careful not to over-stir and break up the pasta. To serve, top the pasta grated Parmesan cheese.

This turned out pretty damn good, if I do say so for my damn self!  The recipe makes about 4 good servings with enough for left overs.