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Pork - The other
white meat
Intro
by Kathleen Gordon-Ross, senior eidtor
Recipes by Elspeth Grindstaff, special to Mormonchic.com
Every
time my sister-in-law comes home for a visit, we all flock
to the family homestead for an evening of family togetherness
and of course, dinner. At least one of the dishes served (if
not the entire meal) is from Elspeth's recipe box. Her recipe
box is much more 'sophisticated' than mine, so it is always
a treat to try her latest favorite. By 'sophisticated,' I
mean that she is not easily intimidated by recipes. She assures
me that everything she makes is fast and easy… but they
amazingly don't have that "I only took a few minutes"
look.
At one of our last gatherings Elspeth turned me into a lover
of eating and preparing pork. And after sampling her Pork
Roast with Apples I asked her to share with
me (and all of you), her favorite pork recipes. I promise
you will not be disappointed as you become a lover of the
other white meat!
These
recipes are wonderfully tasty, easy to prepare and good for
you. If you haven't already discovered the wonderful versatility
of Pork, or you're looking for new ways to spice up your families
favorite meat, here are a few great recipes to try.
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| 1/2
lb ground pork
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped bok choy
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
egg roll wrappers
oil
Cook pork and garlic in wok or skillet
for two to three minutes. Add vegetables, stir-fry
for two minutes more. Add remaining ingredients, cook
one minute more.
For each egg roll, place wrapper on counter with a
corner pointing toward you. Spoon about 1/4 cup pork
filling across and just below center of wrapper. Fold
bottom corner over filling, tucking it under on the
other side. Fold side corners over filling, forming
an envelope shape. Roll egg roll toward remaining
corner. Moisten top corner with water, press firmly
to seal.
Egg rolls may be fried in cooking oil for two to three
minutes. Or, to make a healthier version that tastes
almost exactly the same, place egg rolls on sprayed
cookie sheet, and spread oil over them with a pastry
brush. Cook in oven at high temperature until golden
brown.
To save time (and possibly a fingernail or two), buy
carrots already shredded from the supermarket salad
bar.
Recipe from Better Homes and
Gardens New Cook Book, 1996
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| COCONUT
RISOTTO with PORK SATÉ |
| Pork
Saté
1 cup coconut milk
6 tablespoons peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon honey
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/2 lb pork chops, cut into strips
Coconut
Risotto
4-1/2 cups chicken broth
3-1/2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-1/2 cups arborio rice
salt/pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Combine
ingredients for pork saté. Marinade pork in
1/3 sauce for a couple of hours or overnight. Combine
chicken broth and coconut milk.
In a large saucepan, sauté shallots in oil
until brown. Add rice and heat until white spots appear.
Add liquid, one ladleful at a time. It should take
20-25 minutes for the rice to absorb all the liquid.
Take the risotto off the stove while the risotto is
still a little runny, as it will continue to thicken
after being removed from the heat. Ten minutes before
risotto is done, broil pork, three minutes per side.
To serve, spoon reserved sauce over rice and pork.
Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
RC NOTE: Instant rice may be used instead of arborio.
It will absorb less liquid (and not taste quite as
good).
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|
5
lb boneless rolled pork roast
4 t cornstarch
Marinade
1-1/2 cup red wine
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 vinegar
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger
pepper
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4 green apples, cored and thinly sliced
4 T butter
cinnamon
Marinade
roast for a couple of hours or overnight. Drain meat,
reserving marinade. Roast at 325°F for 40 minutes
per pound, basting with marinade every hour or so.
Blend cornstarch with marinade, bring to a boil and
cook until thickened. With 15 minutes remaining, pour
marinade over meat. Baste two or three times.
Sauté sliced apples in butter with cinnamon.
Serve meat on top of apples.
This recipe may be halved.
RC
Note: You can substitute the red wine called for in
this recipe with grape juice, or whatever liquid you
normally use as a wine substitute.
Recipe from Beyond Parsley, 1996. |
|
4 boneless pork chops
1 can crushed pineapple
1 small bottle french dressing
salt/pepper
Sprinkle
salt and pepper on pork chops. Cover the bottom of
a pan with dressing. Heat. When dressing is hot, sear
the pork chops on both sides. Reduce heat to simmer.
Pour drained pineapple onto pork chops. Cover and
simmer about 20 minutes.
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1-1/4
teaspoon lemon-herb seasoning (May substitute
lemon pepper and some oregano and basil)
2-1/2 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon oil
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
4-5 boneless pork chops |
 |
Coat pork with flour and seasoning.
Cook in hot oil, three to four minutes per side. Remove
from skillet, but do not clean pan. Add vinegar and
broth. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
Spoon sauce over pork. Serve with Lemon Rice Pilaf
(see below).
Recipe from Southern Living Annual
Recipes, 2001. |
|
2 tablespoons margarine
3 celery ribs, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
3 cup hot cooked rice
2 tablespoons lemon peel
salt/pepper
Saute
celery and onion in margarine until tender. Stir in
rice and remaining ingredients, cook two minutes.
Serve with sauce from balsamic pork chops.
Recipe from Southern Living Annual
Recipes, 2001. |
|
Cut |
Refrigerator
(36 - 40° F) |
Freezer
(at 0°F) |
| Roasts,
Steaks, Chops |
2
to 4 days |
3
to 6 months |
| Ground
Pork |
1
to 2 days |
1
to 3 months |
| Sausage
(fresh) |
7
days |
2
months |
| Pork
Variety Meats |
1
to 2 days |
3
to 4 months |
|
|
Pork
Facts
- Pork
is now leaner than it used to be. The pork industry has
improved its products so much over the past 30 years that
today's pork has less fat, and is lower in calories and
cholesterol than ever before.
- Pork,
on average, is 31% lower in fat and 29% lower in saturated
fat than it was a decade ago.
- In
addition, it is a good source of many essential vitamins
and minerals.
- Pork
provides high quality protein, and is a primary source of
other essential nutrients like vitamin B1 (thiamin).
- Pork
is an excellent source of vitamins B2, B6, B12, iron and
zinc.
Tips For Selecting
Low Fat Pork
By following
these simple tips you can get cuts of pork which have as little
as 3 grams of fat per serving.
- Control
portion size: 3 ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
- Use
low-fat preparation techniques: boil, grill, roast on a
rack, or stir-fry in minimal fat. Do not overcook lean pork:
Cook until 160° F. or until slightly pink.
- Marinate
lean pork cuts for extra flavor.
- Use
non-fat, low-sodium herbs and spices to season instead of
high-fat sauces.
- Choose
pieces with little to no external fat and trim any external
fat before cooking.
- Select
pieces with the least fat marbling (This is the fat within
the muscle).
- Select
pieces with no fat seams or a single muscle cut. Fat is
contained between different cuts.
- Look
for nutritional information on the package or located at
the meat counter. Some cuts naturally have more fat than
others.
The Pork You Buy
Pork
Chops and Steaks
In the past, pork was mainly sold as bone-in pork chops, but
we are seeing an increasing trend toward labeling pork chops
as pork top loin steaks and pork boneless breakfast steak.
Pork chops can come from differing sections of the loin and
therefore have different names. The tenderest of the pork
chops are from the center of the loin. From the center section
come the loin chops and the rib chops. The loin chops are
similar to the T-bone beef steak in that they have a t-shaped
bone and have a portion of the tenderloin on one side of the
bone. The chops from the shoulder end of the loin are called
pork loin blade chops or pork loin rib end chops (sometimes
called blade steaks). And the chops from the sirloin end of
the loin are called bone-in pork sirloin chops or pork end
cut chops. Pork steaks can be cut from the shoulder but they
can be a bit on the fatty side, but are very flavorful and
tender.
Pork Roasts
Like beef, pork has a tenderloin, which makes an excellent
roast and is also great cooked on the grill. Other pork roasts
include the boneless crown roast, top loin roast, center cut
roast, sirloin roast and pork shoulder butt roast.
Pork
Ribs
Pork ribs are favorites for many people, and each area of
the country has its preference. In some parts of the US, the
spare rib is king, while in other parts the back rib is king.
Back ribs, or baby back ribs, originate from the blade (shoulder)
and center section of the loin. Back ribs generally have at
least 8 ribs to a rack and are often referred to by weight
- generally the smaller the better and the more expensive.
- 1-1/2
and down ribs
(1-1/2 pounds or less)
- 1-1/2-1-3/4
and down
- 1-3/4
-2-1/4 and
- 2-1/4
and up
Spare
ribs are the ribs from the belly section and are also referred
to by weight, however spareribs usually have at least 11 ribs
to the rack. Weight for spareribs range from 3 pound and down:
- 3-1/2
- 3-3/4
- 4
and down
- 4
to 5 and down
- 5
and up
Ribs
in recent years are getting heavier as the hogs have gotten
larger and more lean.
St. Louis style ribs are spareribs with the brisket bone trimmed
off. Many people prefer their ribs trimmed in this style,
as they prefer the meat on this portion of the ribs.
Rib tips are the small meaty breast rib pieces that have been
cut from the ribs during the trimming process. The best rib
tips are full tips cut from the spare rib when producing the
St. Louis rib.
Country style ribs are prepared from the blade end of the
loin.
Hams
Fresh hams come from the leg portion and can come either bone
in or boneless. When most people think of ham, they think
of processed ham. Hams can be processed in an old fashioned
smoking process where the ham is hung in mesh netting and
allowed maximum exposure to hickory smoke during cooking.
Alternatively, hams can be dry-cured with salt and aged to
give them a distinctive flavor. These hams require soaking
in water and pre-cooking in liquid before baking.
History
of the
Other White Meat
Campaign
Visit
the National Pork Boards
website for the history of the Other
White Meat Campaign, lots of nutritional information about
Pork as well as additional Pork recipes. |
