The Official OT Food Porn

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

MBW, what are the seasonings in the turkey burger? That sounds like a perfect dinner for us.

Plus:

Anyone have suggestions for fresh basil? I have boatloads, due to what I thought were dying plants which apparently I brought back to life, and five more purchased when I thought I had killed the other four. I have basil!! And, will continue to have basil all summer (yahoo!). Due to the social calendar, I cannot use it these next couple of weeks...

Can I make a pesto and freeze it?

Any ideas?

[mbw1024]

I use a lot of Penzey's spices so I used the Greek Seasoning and Lemon Pepper.

[waterguy]

Marcia
I make pesto then freeze in ice cube trays when is is hard I move to zip lock bag. then when I want pasta I just grab a couple of cubes and put into the warm pasta to melt
Tom

[jayseadee]

Mmmm. Burger looks good Mary Beth.

I've been making T-Burgers with wilted spinach and feta in the meat; I'll throw in some olives next time.

[liamsaunt]

I made this udon chicken lemongrass soup last night. It was really delicious and came together in about 20 minutes.


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4684031590/" title="chicken noodle soup with lemongrass by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/468 ... a70cb9.jpg" width="500" height="397" alt="chicken noodle soup with lemongrass"></a>


Recipe here:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/chic ... grass.aspx

[waterguy]

Did you use fresh udon if so where did you find them

[PA Girl]

That is one good looking burger!

I need pork help.

We just got half of a (some sort of heritage breed) pig and I don't know what to do with all the chops.

I don't eat pork aside from ribs and sausage as it seems to have an odd/tough texture to me.

Mr. PA, on the other hand, claims I have deprived him of pork for the past 17 years.

Hence, half the piggy in my freezer.

Anyone have good pork chop ideas? I am thinking maybe marinading the chops might help tenderize the meat.

[Xislandgirl]

I like to use Citrus with pork, so I brown the chops in a skillet then transfer to a baking dish.
Top with a mixture of OJ, brown sugar, dry mustard, organe jest, and some times cranberries.

I also make a yummy pulled pork in the crock pot with Cider vinegar and onions.

[waterguy]

Ok
Take the chops coat them in crushed saltines brown on each side put into roasting pan I have a glass one 9 x13 I do enough to put one layer pretty tight you could use a smaller pan if you are doing less add water till it is half way up the chops in the bigger pan I put 2 beef bullion cubes in the water cover with foil tightly bake at 300 for 2 to 2.5 hours remove the chops make gray out of the liquid.

[sailorgirl]

MBW, what are the seasonings in the turkey burger? That sounds like a perfect dinner for us.

Plus:

Anyone have suggestions for fresh basil? I have boatloads, due to what I thought were dying plants which apparently I brought back to life, and five more purchased when I thought I had killed the other four. I have basil!! And, will continue to have basil all summer (yahoo!). Due to the social calendar, I cannot use it these next couple of weeks...

Can I make a pesto and freeze it?

Any ideas?

Tomato Basil Tart. Marybeth's find. Ive made it a few times... its amazing. Works really well alos at the end of the summer with the farm stand tomatos. http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/3547

[California Girl]

I second the Tomato Basil Tart! I've made it many times now and I always get rave reviews!

I did some 1" pork chops the other day in my crock pot. I put the chops in, added 1 can of Mushroom Soup, a pkg. of Liption Onion Soup Mix, some Cruz Bay Grill Rub and a teeny bit of water. About 1/2 way through cooking I stirred it all up. Those chops just fell apart!

Here's another good recipe for pork. The sauce is to die for! I had some left-over sauce about a week ago (it keeps in the fridge really well!) and last night I put it over grilled chicken breasts marinated in St. John Spice's CBGR Citrus marinade. It was FANTASTIC!!

Blanchard's Reggae Pork from "Cook What You Love"

Prep time: 36 minutes (including 30 min. marinating time)
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Serves: 4

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 oz. guava jelly
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 1/4 cup rum, and the pineapple juice. Add the pork and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. While the pork is marinating, warm the guava jelly and the remaining 2 tablespoons of rum in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the pork form the marinade, pat until very dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Discard the marinade. In a large sauté pan, warm enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat. Heat the oil until it is hot but not smoking. Cook the pork, turning only once, for 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and lightly browned.

Drizzle the pork with the warm guava jelly and rum mixture and serve immediately.


I know Mary Beth used this recipe and grilled the whole tenderloin, and I used it with chops about a week ago (hence the left-over sauce). It’s really super good!! And I think you could use the marinade and sauce with just about anything!

[liamsaunt]

Tom those were dried udon noodles. I can get fresh ones at an Asian market near my office though.

I made a sauce last night that was super easy and looked pretty. Saute one onion or leek in a tsp. oil until soft. Add 3/4 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add one cup fresh peas and cook two minutes, or until tender. Add 2 tbsp. mint and salt and pepper to taste, blend in a blender until smooth. I served it with grilled lamb, roasted garlic risotto and sauteed summer squash.


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4692648265/" title="pea sauce with lamb by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/469 ... 8e25e5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pea sauce with lamb"></a>

[sailorgirl]

Tom those were dried udon noodles. I can get fresh ones at an Asian market near my office though.

I made a sauce last night that was super easy and looked pretty. Saute one onion or leek in a tsp. oil until soft. Add 3/4 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add one cup fresh peas and cook two minutes, or until tender. Add 2 tbsp. mint and salt and pepper to taste, blend in a blender until smooth. I served it with grilled lamb, roasted garlic risotto and sauteed summer squash.


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4692648265/" title="pea sauce with lamb by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/469 ... 8e25e5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pea sauce with lamb"></a>

A work of art... truly almost to pretty to eat.. but im sure your did

[Coden]

Liamsaunt - I agree with sailorgirl...that is a work of art and makes my mouth water!

[liamsaunt]

Last night I used my new plancha for the first time. It was fun, but a little dangerous. It gets super hot, and when I put the food on the smoke and steam was huge! I did shrimp, and then some bread. Here's the shrimp on a caesar salad:


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4732342655/" title="shrimp caesar salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1336/473 ... 45a2bd.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="shrimp caesar salad"></a>