Posts from the ‘Cooking Tips’ Category

Feb 16

I’m not a Chef, but… (Installment 4)

A Loin of Tender Pork

Pan seared Niman Ranch Pork Tenderloin with a Sriracha and honey pan sauce reduction served with sautéed green beans and baked sweet potato.

First thing is first, wrap a couple of sweet potatoes each in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees in the oven for a little more than an hour. I should have put them on a baking sheet, because the sugars and other juices from the potato leaked out, smoked up the oven, and it was a quite a mess.

Trim and skin the pork tenderloins of the silver skins and excess fat. This really isn’t necessary, but its not too difficult after a few tries. Kosher salt and pepper each side and allow them to come to room temperature. With a little bit of olive oil in the pan, I carefully had to fit all 12 inches of pork tenderloin in a 9 inch pan. Just take your time and sear top and bottom for about 5-7 minutes.

After searing each pork tenderloin, place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes depending on your preference of doneness. Allow to rest, covered with tin foil for 10 minutes.

Head back to the stove to start the sauce by deglazing the pan with 16 ounces of chicken stock and scraping all the burnt bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add about two table spoons each of Sriracha and honey and let it reduce by half. One of my dinner guests recommended that I should have let the sauce reduce more, but I was getting hungry, it was getting late, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.

Snap the ends off the green beans, and put them in a sauté pan with some lime juice, olive oil, Kosher salt and black pepper on medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes. I like my veg al dente. If you prefer yours a little softer, turn the heat a little lower and cook for a little longer.

Feb 9

I’m not a Chef, but… (Installment 3)

A Short Skirt Story

A good friend of mine claims to eat more fajitas than anyone he knows, and he’s probably right. I’m a firm believer in, “Fix a man a Fajita, feed him for a Day; Teach a man how to make a Fajita, and you’ll feed him for Life.” Proteins, carbs, and vegetables all in one bite? And I get to eat with my hands???

Slice and julienne your vegetables as pictured. I sautéed red, yellow and orange bell peppers, red onion, and poblanos in olive oil and lime juice with kosher salt and pepper. Saute for about 8 minutes or until desired doneness.

I cut the Skirt Steak into more manageable pieces to fit my stainless steel fry pan, allowed them to come up to room temperature, then kosher salted and black peppered each side. High, medium high heat on the pan with a little olive oil and butter (I used too much and had to drain some out, no big deal, just be careful), and sear each side for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the steak from the pan and allow to rest. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and scrape the burnt bits off the bottom using a wooden spoon.

Now it is time to build. I kept it simple with sour cream, some salsa from a jar and pre shredded cheese. Or get fancy with a Wasabi or Sriracha Sour cream, make your own salsa and have an assortment of shredded cheese, maybe add some frijoles or some crunch with some tortilla chips. More vegetables the better in my opinion. But, I’m terrible at rolling, and tucking and rolling. I let someone help me. Don’t forget the pan sauce.