Weekly Winner: Teriyaki Times Ten!

Everybody likes Teriyaki, right? Salty, sticky, sweet with just a hint of spice (if done right)… what’s not to like? Nothing. But what if you could amp all that goodness up several notches? Wouldn’t that be better? And to top that, why not use pork. Hey! Now that I think about it, why isn’t there any teriyaki pork recipes? You see teriyaki salmon, chicken… heck, even tofu! Why doesn’t pork get to play at the teriyaki pool party??

These are the questions that used to keep me up at night. But not anymore. Now that I’ve found Japanese Ginger Pork I may never do teriyaki-anything again. This luscious goodness comes from Milk Street Magazine and is, in a word, awesome.

Japanese Ginger Pork

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp sake

1 Tbsp white miso

1-1/2 Tbsp finely grated ginger

1-1/4 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed

2 Tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil

2 tsp white sugar

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

Cooked Japanese-style short grain rice, to serve

Procedure:

• In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, miso and ginger. Cut the pork tenderloin in half crosswise, making the tail-end half slightly larger, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Place 2 pieces of pork between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, gently pound each piece to an even 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat with the 2 remaining pieces. Add the cutlets to the soy mixture and turn to coat; marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Remove the cutlets from the marinade, letting the excess drain back into the bowl; reserve the marinade. Pat the cutlets dry with paper towers. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add 2 cutlets in a single layer and cook undisturbed until well browned. Using tongs, flip each piece and continue to cook until the second sides are well-browned. Transfer to a large plate, then wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining oil and cutlets.
• Return the skillet to medium-high and add the reserved marinade, sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the mixture thickens and a spoon drawn through it leaves a 1- to 2-second trail, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions, then add the pork and any accumulated juices. Cook stirring gently, until the scallions are wilted and the pork is heated through, about 1 minute. Serve with the rice.

Weekly Winner: Puffy, Pepper-Filled Perfection

This is usually the time for football parties, holiday brunches, yadda-yadda-yadda. Well, not so much these days. But that doesn’t mean I was about to let New Year’s Day go by without some sort of festive brunch dish – even if it was just hubby and I watching the bowl game extravaganza.

This Two-Pepper Chile Rellenos Casserole was incredibly easy to put together and came out of the oven drop-dead gorgeous! We devoured it. Light as a cloud with just the right amount of heat to keep it interesting. The recipe comes from Food and Family magazine. I’ll be making this all winter long for the two of us. Eventually, when we are able to actually entertain and have people in our home again, this dish will be a prominent feature on the buffet table!

Two-Pepper Chile Rellenos Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 large poblano peppers (about 1 lb)

2 jars (12 oz each) roasted red peppers, well drained, patted dry

1 pkg (8oz) Mexican-Style shredded Cheese

8 eggs, separated

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Procedure:

Heat broiler. Place poblano chiles in single layer on rack of broiler pan or on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray. roil, 4 inches from heat for 10 minutes or until skins are covered with black blisters, turning occasionally. Place hot chiles in bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard skins and seeds from chiles, set chiles aside.

Heat oven to 375F. Place roasted red peppers in even layer on bottom of 13×9 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 the shredded cheese. Tope with poblano chiles and remaining shredded cheese.

Beat egg whites in large bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add egg yolks; beat on low speed just until blended. Stir in parmesan.

Pour over ingredients in baking dish, spread to cover peppers evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and casserole is heated through.