A few different recipes I have tried lately

[peteteacher2001]

I have a ton of different pork products, never a bad thing, since I butchered a month or so ago. I know how I like my ribs, chops, and cuts like that but, it is the first time I have ever really had bulk ground pork, bacon, hocks, and ham steaks so I started searching and found these recipes to be very very good and very very simple. I thought of my fellow huddlers and figured I would pass these along.

 

Pete

 

Pasta w/ Caramelized onions, cabbage, and smoked ham

 

Ingredients

 

* 4 bacon slices

* Vegetable oil

* 2 pounds onions, thinly sliced

* 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds or fennel seeds

* 4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/4 small head)

* 1 1/2 cups diced smoked ham (such as Black Forest; about 8 ounces)

 

 

* 3/4 pound fusilli or rotini pasta

 

 

* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

* 1/2 cup (about) canned beef broth

 

Preparation

 

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towel and drain. Crumble bacon. Measure drippings from skillet; add enough vegetable oil to measure 1/4 cup and return mixture to skillet. Add onions and caraway seeds and sauté until onions are dark brown, about 25 minutes. Add cabbage and ham and sauté until cabbage wilts, about 8 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, cook pasta in heavy large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return pasta to same pot.

 

Add bacon, onion mixture, and cheese to pasta. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, adding broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry, about 4 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

 

 

Chicken w/ Bell Peppers and smoked ham

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken (I used chicken breasts skin on)

* 2 large red bell peppers, cut into strips (about 4 cups)

* 2 medium onions, halved, cut lengthwise into strips (about 3 cups)

* 2 cups diced smoked ham steak

* 1 teaspoon paprika hot or smoked, divided

* 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

* 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

Preparation

 

Heat oil in heavy wide pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to pot. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to bowl. Increase heat to high. Add next 3 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon paprika to drippings in pot; sauté until vegetables are soft and light brown, about 8 minutes. Return chicken to pot; add broth. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover; simmer until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parsley over; serve.

 

Corn soup with Potatoes and smoked ham hock

* 1/4 cup lard (I used EVOO)

* 1 1/2 cups diced smoked ham steak (about 8 ounces)

* 1 cup chopped white onion

* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

* 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

* 2 garlic cloves, chopped

* 2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears of corn) or 2 cups frozen corn kernels

* 1 10-ounce smoked ham hock

* 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 2 potatoes)

* 5 cups water (I also added a can of chicken stock)

 

Preparation

 

Melt lard in heavy large pot over high heat. Add ham steak, onion, both bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add corn and stir 5 minutes. Add ham hock and potato, then 5 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer partially covered 1 hour. Remove ham hock. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

 

A few things I did that made this taste even better, to me of course. I added a few cubes of my basil pesto and also took a few scoops of the larger chunks of potato and ham and pureed it in the blender and added it back to it. I also added some carrots as well. This was my favorite by FAR!!!!!!!! Have made it twice, once with the hamsteak and hocks and another with bacon pieces and the easter hambone which I left plenty of meat on.

 

FINALLY, I made this italian style sausage the other day for the draft and it went over fantastic. It's called Bandiera and boy o boy!

 

5.5 lbs of ground pork about 30/70 fat to meat ratio

1 cup mozzarella diced

2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup ice water

1/3 cup grated romano cheese

4 tsp salt

2 tsp coarse black pepper

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

3 tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp cure #1

 

1.Grind meat through fine grinder plate

2. dice mozzarella into corn kernel size pieces reserve and chill very well

3. chop sun dried tomatoes into pieces about the same size as cheese

4. add the sugar, spices, cure, water, and salt; work well into meat

5. add cheeses, tomatoes, and parsley; work well into meat

6. stuff into natural sausage casings.

 

Enough already!!!!!