Pork

Simply Delicious, Smothered Pork Chops

March 6, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Smothered Pork Chops is a true southern dish that I grew up eating. These pork chops are tender and melt in your mouth. I guess you would call this recipe soul food! Serve them with rice or mashed potatoes and you have the perfect main course.

I like to serve the Smothered Pork Chops with my Roasted Garlic
Cauliflower Mash: https://the2spoons.com/love-this-roasted-garlic-cauliflower-mash/

Simply Delicious Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops

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Prep Time 20

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine african american, American, Southern, texas

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

4 center cut pork chops
2 cups all purpose flour, more if needed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
additional spices you may like are garlic powder, onion powder, cajun seasoning. Add the amount to your liking
3 large eggs
1 tbsp water
oil for frying the pork chops

For the Gravy

2 heaping tablespoons flour
4-6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Knorr Beef Bullion or Better than Bullion
water as needed

Instructions

Whisk the eggs and water together. Add the flour to a dish and the salt and pepper and any additional seasonings you may want.
Place each pork chop in the dry mixture, pressing down to allow the flour to adhere to the pork chop. Dip the chop in the egg mixture, making sure all is covered. Place the pork chop back into the flour mixture, coating on both sides, pressing down to form the crust better. Place the pork chops on a rack or sheet pan.
Heat a pan with enough oil to fry your pork chops, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch, to 350 degrees. Add them to the pan. When they have browned on the first side, flip over and continue to brown the other side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a rack to drain. They may not be done and that's ok because we are going to slow cook them.
After you have removed the pork chops from the pan, drain all the oil from the skillet, leaving about 6 tablespoons. Add the sliced onions and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the flour to the pan and combine with a spoon or whisk scraping up the bottom of the pan to get all the goodness. Start adding water to the pan, a little at a time until you have a thickened gravy, but still a little loose because it is going to continue to thicken. Add the beef bullion, or broth and combine.
After you have combined the beef bullion or stock and it comes back up to a simmer, place your pork chops back into the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chops. Reduce them to a simmer and place a lid on them, slightly tilted.
Check the pork chops periodically testing for tenderness and scraping the bottom of the pan. Check for salt and pepper.
When you have reached the desired tenderness they are ready to serve. I serve over mashed potatoes or rice. Grits would be great too. Enjoy!

Keyword comfort food, pork chops, smothered pork chops, southern food

Check this link our for other meats popular for smothering: https://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/smothered-cooking.html

Swedish Meatballs

December 31, 2018 by Becky Spoon

I remember growing up there were always Swedish Meatballs at holidays, party’s, in a crockpot with maybe some toothpicks for dishing them out or a ladle to load onto your plate! I loved them and still do!

Don’t get me wrong, we thought they were delicious and they were, but this recipe doesn’t include soups, or sour cream, it has added lemon juice, fresh herbs, a gravy made from scratch and they are delicious served over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles, not just that pot luck must have!

Swedish Meatballs are the perfect comfort food in my opinion. Serve them as a main course or on a cracker as an appetizer, or with a crusty baguette to sop up the gravy! If you still need a quick recipe for your New Year’s Eve gathering tonight….this is easy, economical and ingredients are easy to find. Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

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Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup yellow onion, grated
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil for frying the meatballs

For the Gravy

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, grated onion, salt, pepper, garlic, panko and eggs until combined.
Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into small balls. .
In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ of the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides.
When all of the meatballs are browned, pour off any excess grease in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef broth to the pan a little at a time.
Whisk the gravy until the broth is all incorporated. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk a few more times. Slowly add the cream.
Once the gravy begins to simmer add the meatballs back into the pan.
Simmer until the gravy has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through.
Serve warm over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or on a appetizer tray on crackers as a single bite.

Keyword swedish, meatballs, swedishmeatballs

New Mexico Red Chile Tamales

December 23, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Little packages of masa, red chile sauce, slow cooked seasoned pork… just a few ingredients for a tamale.

Mexican food is a favorite cuisine in Texas to have at Christmas and that includes tamales. We love them! The other Spoon of the 2 Spoon’s really loves the pork tamales, I consider him an expert at how tamales should taste 😃 and he says these are delicious!

Making tamales does take a little practice, but after you get the hang of it, they come together quickly.

I find getting all of my ingredients before me speeds up the process whether making them alone or with others.

I steam them in an Asian bamboo dumpling steamer that I place over a pot of boiling water, but you can use a large pot with a little water in the bottom, a grate or steamer basket to set them above the water and stack them lengthwise in the pot.

Serve them with your favorite salsa, guacamole, queso, with rice or beans, however you desire but you will love these!

New Mexico Red Chile Tamales

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

For the filling

3-4 cups Pork Butt Roast (See below)
1 cup New Mexico Red Chile (See below)

For the Masa Dough

2 cups Mesca Tamal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup lard or shortening
3-4 tbsp New Mexico Red Chile Sauce
1 1/2 cup broth from the pork butt roast, water, or chicken broth, warmed

Instructions

For the Filling

Chop the cooled pork butt roast into small pieces. Add the red chile and combine. I add jalapeno which is optional.

For the Masa Dough

Combine the Mesca Tamal or Masa with the salt and baking powder.
Add the lard, the warmed broth, the red chile sauce and combine with the dry ingredients. You want a soft dough that will be easy to spread.

For building the tamales

Place corn husk in a bowl of water to soften.
Remove a husk from the water, pat a little dry with a paper towel and spread about 1/4 cup of the dough, starting from the broad end and working down, leaving about 2 inches at the bottom that you will fold over to seal the tamales later. I use my hands to press the dough down.
Add a tablespoon or two of the filling to the dough.
Take one side of the corn husk and press over the filling, leaving the masa on the filling.
Do the same on the other side, then take one side of the husk and place over the filling, tucking in and rolling. When rolled, fold that bottom portion over to form a little package. It takes a little, but you will get the hang of it.
Layer the tamales in a steamer basket, like I have, or you can get a large pot, add a little water to the bottom, maybe an inch or so, add a steamer plate or basket and stand up the tamales in the pot until full.
Heat the water to a simmer, put a lid on the steamer or pot and cook for about 1 1/2 hour. Remove and enjoy with your favorite topping!

Keyword mexican, tacos, redchile, hatch, beef, tamales

Pork Butt Roast

I love a roasted pork butt roast. It is great as a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots and a pan dripping gravy, or in this case I’m using it for posole, tacos, and tamales.

So simple and so good!

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 6-8 lb pork butt roast
salt and pepper
granulated garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously salt, pepper and add granulated garlic to all sides of the roast. Place the roast in a roasting pan fat side up, slightly scoring the fat so the spices will penetrate. Place in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the fat has browned on top. Turn the oven to 325, cover with plastic wrap and foil and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 195-200. Since I’m using this pork in tamales and other dishes, I want it to be falling off the bone tender.
When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes reserving the broth and drippings. Use in your favorite recipes.
****If you are cooking this pork butt for pozole I think cooking it in a crockpot is best because you want all the delicious broth. To do that brown the roast on all sides, add a generous portion of salt and pepper on all sides and lots of garlic. Place in crock pot with chicken stock or water to 2/3 cover the roast. Cook on low or high whichever you prefer. When finished remove the roast and reserve the drippings.

Keyword pork, roast

New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

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Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

For the chile pods

25 Dried Red chile pods with stems and seeds removed
Water to cover the chile pods

For the Purée to make the final sauce

1/2 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Mexican oregano, crushed
1 Tsp Granulated garlic
Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Chile pods

Wash and remove stems and seeds from New Mexico dried chile pods.
Cover the chile pods with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool a little.
Transfer the chile pods and water to a food processor and purée until smooth. Pour the mixture into a colander and strain seperating the pulp from the skin.
To finish the sauce. In a sauce pan add the strained chile and the spices. Heat and simmer a few minutes adding water if too thick and checking for salt.
Use in your favorite recipes like enchiladas, posole, on pork, tacos….It is so good!

Pork Butt Roast

December 18, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Pork Butt Roast

I love a roasted pork butt roast. It is great as a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots and a pan dripping gravy, or in this case I’m using it for posole, tacos, and tamales.

So simple and so good!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 6-8 lb pork butt roast
salt and pepper
granulated garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously salt, pepper and add granulated garlic to all sides of the roast. Place the roast in a roasting pan fat side up, slightly scoring the fat so the spices will penetrate. Place in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the fat has browned on top. Turn the oven to 325, cover with plastic wrap and foil and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 195-200. Since I’m using this pork in tamales and other dishes, I want it to be falling off the bone tender.
When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes reserving the broth and drippings. Use in your favorite recipes.
****If you are cooking this pork butt for pozole I think cooking it in a crockpot is best because you want all the delicious broth. To do that brown the roast on all sides, add a generous portion of salt and pepper on all sides and lots of garlic. Place in crock pot with chicken stock or water to 2/3 cover the roast. Cook on low or high whichever you prefer. When finished remove the roast and reserve the drippings.

Keyword pork, roast