2023-11-07:  I basically tried to use the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo recipe from the Speedi recipe book that came with the Speedi.  The sausages turned black outside although, praise Heaven, they didn't have a burnt taste.  Next time instead of using the whole fifteen minutes on the sausage, I think I should put it on Speedi meals for 5 minutes, then add the sausage in and set it for 10 more minutes.

At Fry's today I spotted some "longaniza" sausage. Wow, Spanish sausage in an Arizona store. I've had a Portuguese equivalent, linguiça, once before in a diner in northern California. Time to try it again. I pulled out my Dutch oven. Poured in some olive oil. Sliced some onions, put that all over somewhat high heat for a while. Then I took the two sausages, poked them with fork to prevent explosions, and threw them in the same pan. Occasionally I stired the onions. When the first side of the sausages seemed to be browning, I rotated them. After the second side seemed sort of brown, I threw in an undrained 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes. Then I let it all cook uncovered for a while, and then a while longer till it seemed done.

Result: very tasty.

Things I have learned from this attempt:

The cast-iron Dutch oven in which I cooked the dish hadn't been used for very many months, probably eight or nine months. The result was that the coating tasted... well... kinda old. Next time I will scrub it out with hot water and soap, yes — I know that is a sin for cast iron, and then reseason it before using it to cook. The hint? Let your nose judge the quality of the seasoning.

My friend Jim recommend this recipe from paleogrubs. I like pork, but I rarely try new pork recipes. Jim, however, is an excellent cook. If he recommends something, it will not suck. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 (4-ounce) boneless pork chops
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt, divided
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 4 ounces sliced bacon, cut into bite size pieces

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Pound the chops lightly with a meat mallet. Sprinkle the chops with half of salt and half of black pepper.
3. In a large cast iron pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the pork to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the pork from the pan.
4. In the pan add the remaining olive oil, apple and onion wedges and bacon. Sprinkle with thyme and remaining salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes then arrange the pork chops over apples and onion and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper and serve with your favorite salad.

2016-02-07: I wanted to try this recipe, but when I went to the store I found pork chops that were unaccountably thick; three were almost two pounds. What the hell. Let's give it a try. I pounded them in ziploc bags with a small cast-iron frying pan that shedded rusty cast iron with every fifth whack. I browned them. Double checked their done-ness. Seemed okay. I decided to change their baking time in the oven to 15 minutes. Also forgot the thyme. I should mention that the bacon was butcher-cut apple-wood smoked bacon, not that skinny crap they sell in packages. I used Granny Smith apples, though I suspect that pippins would be better.

As the apples/onions/bacon were baking, I nearly swooned from the aroma. This probably will not suck.

Results

This recipe is definitely a repeater. The pork was tender and good. The apples tasty. The onions were okay, but I suspect they would have been better if I had used Vidalia sweets instead of standard yellow onions.

Next time around I might consider shredding the apples and onions instead of just cutting into wedges. That might make them a nicer topping, instead of a side, to the chops.

Ingredients

• 3 -4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 lb pork sausage
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 lb mushroom, sliced
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 16 ounces frozen cauliflower, cooked well and drained
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• paprika (optional)

Method

1. Brown the sausage with the celery, onion and mushrooms.
2. Stir the softened cream cheese into the sausage mixture until well blended.
3. Coarsely chop the cooked cauliflower.
4. Mix all ingredients and spread in a greased 9"x13" baking dish.
5. If desired, dust the top with paprika.
6. Bake, covered with foil, at 350º for about 30 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake until hot and bubbly and top is lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Attempt 1

This first try came out sub-mediocre. Instead of 4 cups of diced chicken I used two pounds of ground chicken. I didnt' have any foil, so I just cooked it for 35 minutes. My largest casserole dish is not quite 9x13, so I used it plus another dish. Next time I might want to try this version of the recipe.

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves ground garlic, minced
• 0.8 lb of pork chops
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground red pepper

Method

1. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Throw in mushrooms and garlic. Saute till the mushrooms are soft. Remove mushrooms to a bowl.
2. Brown pork shops in remaining butter. Remove. Cut into bite size pieces.
3. Add coconut milk to Dutch oven. Add spices. Bring to simmering. Add bell pepper. Bring to simmering. Add mushrooms. Bring to simmering.
4. Add pork. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, and another ten minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.

Result: very tasty. Definitely a repeater.

Notes for next time

To make the pork more tender, I think I would simmer it forty minutes covered and see if that made the difference.

I used this recipe for a reference. I might want to consider it again next time.

Makes 20-30 meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoons dry minced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated or (2 ounces)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl using your fingers. Mix until the meat no long feels slimy from the eggs. Shape in golf ball size meatballs and place on a large baking sheet with sides. Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are done all the way through. Rinse in a colander to remove any egg and cheese that has leaked out.

Departures

Instead of using minced onion, I used onion powder. I forgot the parmesan. No rinsing was needed. These turned out great. They tasted good all by themselves, but I served them with "Cream sauce for meatballs," which was quite good.

2014-12-14: Just made the recipe a second time. Remembered the parmesan this time. Have to say it didn't seem to make much difference in the taste. Perhaps because I used cheapo parmesan in a can? In any case, the recipe can clearly be made without the parmesan.

Again I paired it with cream sauce for meatballs. That's okay, but it is not an ideal pairing with the Italian spices of the sausage.

I think it would be more interesting taste-wise to use instead of Italian sausage, standard farmer's sausage, and then mix in a cup of rehydrated cranberries or a cup of lingonberries. That would work better with the cream sauce.

2016-01-10: I made this again for the 4th or 5th time. It's definitely a go-to recipe now.

2020-04-01: I made these again. This time only used beef because Food City had no ground pork. Still very tasty.

2024-03-24: Made them in the Speedi on bake/roast at 350°F for 11 minutes. Didn't have parmesan, so I used feta instead. Had to cook them in two batches.

This is a recipe from "Special Mexican Dishes: easy and simple to prepare."

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork loin
• 24 dry red chiles
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup of water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp oregano

I'm always confused about what chiles to buy; there are so many. This time I was shopping at Food City and bought New Mexico chile entero from the bins.

Cut pork loin into thin strips 5 to 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide and about 3/8" thick. Place in a deep dish and set aside. Wash and clean the dry peppers, leaving a few seeds for spicy flavor. Place the clean chile peppers in a large pot and add enough hot water to cover all the chiles. Cover the pot and soak the chiles for 30 minutes. Save 2/3 cup of water to make chile pulp. Place following ingredients in a blender: drained chiles, garlic cloves, salt, water and vinegar. Blend mixture to form a pulp. Add oregano to the pulp and mix. Add this pulp mixture to the meat, soaking all the strips. Marinate overnight. Roast in preheated oven at 275°. Roast 35 minutes or until well done.

Final result? Well, I gotta say that although this stuff is edible, it doesn't make me want to make it again.

Today I'm trying a recipe found at SimplyRecipes.com.

The Rub:

• 4 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Scant pinch of ground cloves

The roast:

• 3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

1. Whisk together the rub ingredients in a small bowl.
2. If the roast is tied up with butcher string, untie it. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mix into the roast all over, reserving any leftover spice mix for later. Marinate in the rub at least one hour or overnight.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. (If you are using a slow cooker with a removable container that can be used on the stovetop, use that, otherwise use a separate pan.) Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides.
4. Place the roast in a slow cooker, and add any reserved spice rub. Cook on the low setting for 6 to 10 hours, until the pork is fall apart tender.
5. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Cut into large chunks. Then use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized shreds. Return the shreds to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the juice from the roast.

The other day I bought a pork loin at Fry's. The instructions on the back, IIRC, was to bake it at 350° for 90 minutes. I did so on a pyrex baking dish over a bed of onions. It turned out great. Tender, moist, tasty. I was astonished it could be so good. It affirmed the idea that pork is the easiest and most versatile meat.

Once again I'm returning to a recipe I found at Simply Recipes. Here's today's variation.

Ingredients

• Two 27-oz cans of El Mexicano canned whole tomatillos
• Garlic, 8 cloves
• Pork shoulder, 2 lbs
• Olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• Chicken stock, 2.5 cups
• One cup of diced, canned green chiles
• 1.5 tsp of oregano
• Salt, pepper

Procedure

1. Cut pork into chunks. Salt and pepper generously. Brown in small batches in Dutch oven with olive oil. Put aside.
2. Broil five unpeeled cloves of garlic. Remove from oven. Peel.
3. Put chopped onions and three cloves of raw garlic in frying pan. Fry till soft.
4. Drain the cans of tomatillos. Reserve the brine.
5. Put tomatillos through blender with broiled garlic. Pour into Dutch oven. Add meat, chicken stock, oregano and green chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so that it simmers/slow boils uncovered for three hours or until pork is fork tender.
6. As necessary, heat up remaining brine and add to Dutch to maintain liquid. If you cook only three hours, you probably won't need it. If longer, you might.

This is the first green chile experiment I've been really happy with. The secret, it appears, is in the canned tomatillos, which are in a spiced brine that gives a fruity savoriness to the recipe that using fresh tomatillos simply doesn't. The word "brine" is potentially deceptive. It has very little salt, although it tastes as though there is some vinegar in it.