Pork Chops with Plum Sauce

On October 17, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Reviews2 Comments

One of the things that we enjoy when we travel is tasting all of the different ways that places use seasonal fruit with wild game. Although pork isn’t game food like the elk, duck, or goose, it does stand up to bold flavors like the food that we find during our travels. This isn’t an Asian plum sauce, but an actual reduction made with this seasonal fruit. We chose to make this with thick-cut pork chops, but it could just as easily be done with a pork tenderloin as well. It is certainly the type of meal that can be served for a holiday or special occasion, but it also works for a weekday meal as well. As usual, this recipe serves two, but it can easily be increased for more.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Pork Chops – about 1 1/2 inches thick
1 cup Beef Stock
2 tsp Fresh Ginger – peeled and grated
1 Orange
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1/3 cup Honey
4 sprigs Fresh Mint
3 Plums – cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Dried Rosemary – chopped
2 tsp Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, remove the zest of the orange into wide strips. Squeeze the juice of the orange into a medium sauce pan and add the zest. Heat the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the vinegar, honey, and beef stock and whisk the ingredients together. Add the mint and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the plums and continue to cook until the plums are soft, adding the butter after about 10 minutes. Continue to cook for about another 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the mint, season with salt, and keep warm while the pork is cooked. Season both sides of the pork chops, which should be at room temperature, with the garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork chops in the skillet until browned and cooked to the desired doneness, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Place the pork chops onto plates and spoon sauce over the top. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Hearty Stew

On September 19, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn RecipesLeave a comment

No matter where you travel, you will likely find a local variation on a hearty stew with a mix of meat and vegetables. Stews are basically the same as soups where the solid ingredients outweigh the broth. One of the nice things about stews is that they are very economical as stewing meats are inexpensive and the meat and vegetables can be substituted for whatever is in season at the time. This meal uses ground beef as its base, but it would be equally delicious with beef, pork, or lamb chunks or you can leave out the meat completely to make it vegetarian. This particular stew is meant to be a little bit lighter, but if you wanted to make it even heartier, you could use beef stock and a thickener to create an almost gravy-like consistency. It is one of our Autumn, “go-to”, meals and we always enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Lean Ground Beef (or any other stew meat)
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 cups of Baby Carrots – quartered
3 Medium Potatoes – cubed
2 cups Green Beans – cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup Frozen Corn Kernels
1/2 Small Onion – diced
1 Stalk Celery – diced
3 Small Bay Leaves
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
5 cups Water (may need to be adjusted)
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with vegetable oil. Add the ground beef and start to brown. Add the celery and onion when the beef is halfway browned. Add water and bring to a simmer. Add remaining vegetables and seasonings, simmer until the vegetables are fork tender (approximately 45 minutes). Serve with your favorite fresh bread and butter.

Pot Roast with Dumplings

On September 12, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Recipes1 Comment

One of the meals that we had many different times in Europe was meat with some sort of dumpling. It would often be beef, but we also had it with pork, turkey, deer, and goose. We have enjoyed this recipe several times and it is easy to prepare and truly delicious. Rather than make our own dumplings, we use packaged biscuits which become soft and gooey when steamed. Because the biscuits are cooked in the same pot that the beef simmers in, they soak up a lot of flavor. This is definitely the type of dish that can be modified easily by adding different vegetables like onions or peppers, but we like the simplicity of the dish as we prepared it. Because it is slow cooked, the meat comes out fork tender and the sauce thickens up nicely, but if you want it thicker, you can certainly add some cornstarch to it.

INGREDIENTS

3 lb Chuck Roast
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
32 oz Package of Beef Stock
2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic – minced
8 Whole Cloves
1 tbsp Parsley – chopped fresh or dry
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 package of Refrigerated Biscuits
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a cast-iron Dutch oven with the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt, pepper, and the garlic powder. Brown the roast in the oil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and additional salt and pepper to the pot and stir to deglaze. Heat until it starts to simmer and then reduce the heat to low and cook slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the sauce has thickened slightly and the beef is tender. Arrange the biscuits over the roast, covering it completely, and sprinkle with the parsley. Put the lid on the Dutch oven, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pot periodically. Remove the meat and biscuits to create individual servings, covering the beef with the sauce.