Recipe Review from 3/5/2018

I just realized I never hit "publish" on this post...drat and bother!  

Uneventful week all in all.  A big snowstorm barely missed us (yay!), but we did have some very impressive sustained winds coming off the Lake.  And speaking of our Lake, the ice breaker was out mid-week doing ice breaking stuff in preparation for the shipping season re-opening.   Best sign of spring, when the first ships of the year arrive! 

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftovers   (S)
Sun (L) out       (S)  Pizza
Mon (yoga) Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Tues - soup
Wed - Pork and potatoes sheet pan supper
Thurs (yoga)  leftover soup
Fri - leftover pork

Lunches - leftover Tuscan Soup, leftover Chicken wild rice soup

Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Ckng Lght, March 2018) 

I simplified this dish a bit by using shredded chicken I already had on hand in the freezer - so I completely skipped Step 1.   In doing so, this became a chop and plop recipe, where all I needed to do was chop the veggies and plop in the pot.   Once veggies are prepped, this does come together very quickly, and I had time to clean-up the counter and do dishes while everything was simmering. 

I'm still a bit undecided about the celery root and green beans - the celery root really didn't contribute much flavor once the dish was finished.   With that little admission said, if I were to make this again, I might do regular celery and green beans; the green beans do add a nice splash of color to an otherwise somewhat colorless dish. 

And yeah, I think I would make this again. 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (8-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

8 ounces sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 2 large shallots)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided

1 cup uncooked Minnesota wild rice

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped peeled celery root

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup green beans, cut into 1-in. pieces (I used a partial bag of frozen green beans)

1/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Step 1

Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until foamy. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Step 2

Add mushrooms, shallots, and thyme to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often, until slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add sherry; cook until reduced by about half, about 1 minute.

Step 3

Whisk together flour and 1 cup stock; stir into sherry mixture. Add remaining 5 cups stock, rice, carrot, celery root, and salt. Cover and increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 40 minutes. Add chicken and green beans; simmer until beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add cream and pepper.

Step 4

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle evenly with oil, and sprinkle with cheese.

Roasted Pork with Apples and Potatoes  (Ckng Lght, March 2018)  gluten free

First off - a meat thermometer is a must.   The recipe called for cooking to 140*, but my multi-meat thermometer recommended 175* and I'm glad I used that instead.  175* was perfectly done for my cut of meat, and that included a 10 minute rest period.

This is a hands-on dish as you add the ingredients in stages.  Pork goes in first, then the potatoes and apple, then the green beans or in my case asparagus.  I did skip the drizzle glaze at the end as I was cooking on aluminum foil and not directly on my pan for ease clean-up.  What I did do was splash everything with some cider vinegar. 

I really enjoyed this dish; a teeny bit putsy, but clean-up was a snap.  A nice melding of savory (rosemary) and sweet (apple) with the potatoes adding just the right amount of filler.  I would make this again, and I would

1 (1-lb.) pork tenderloin, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2-in. wedges
1 large Braeburn apple, sliced (about 10 oz.)
6 ounces haricots verts (French green beans), trimmed   (I used asparagus)
3 tablespoons unsalted chicken stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Step 1

Preheat oven to 500°F. Place a rimmed baking sheet in oven (do not remove pan while oven preheats).

Step 2

Rub pork with 1 tablespoon oil, 2 1/2 teaspoons thyme, 2 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove pan from oven; add pork, and return to oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 450°F. Bake pork 5 minutes.

Step 3

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, remaining 2 teaspoons rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, potatoes, and apple in a bowl; toss to coat.

Step 4

Remove pan from oven; add potato mixture to pan with pork. Bake at 450°F until a thermometer inserted in pork registers 140°F (175*), 11 to 13 minutes. Remove pork from pan; place on a cutting board. Add green beans to pan with potato mixture. Bake at 450°F until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 5

Place potato mixture on a platter. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, stock, butter, and vinegar to hot pan. Scrape browned bits loose with a wooden spoon, and stir until butter is melted. Cut pork into 12 slices; arrange over vegetables. Drizzle stock mixture over pork.