Pork Tenderloin with Fig Chutney

I had never cooked with fresh figs before this week. AHO definitely keeps me on my culinary toes. After tasting one, I thought I'd like to make a chutney to go over a pork tenderloin. Here's what I came up with.









Pork Tenderloin with Fig Chutney
Serves 4-6

2 pork tenderloins (~1 1/2 pounds each)
2 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, diced
2 pints fresh Kadota figs, diced
2 tsp honey
zest of half a lemon
3/4 cup port
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
salt
pepper

Rub tenderloins with grill seasoning. Cook on a grill preheated to 425 degrees until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 162 degrees. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Meanwhile, melt butter with olive oil in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic and sweat until translucent. Raise the temperature to medium high and add figs. Stir often until the figs begin to release the juice (about 1 minute). Add the honey, zest, port, chicken stock, allspice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a heavy simmer and let reduce, stirring occasionally, until the chutney coats the back of a spoon (about 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove cinnamon stick before serving chutney over pork.

*If you don't have port wine, you can substitute with 3/4 of dry red wine, a splash of brandy and an extra teaspoon of honey.

Ode to Mom & Chocolate Cake

Even though I don't have a recipe for it and I didn't make it, I had to post of picture of the birthday cake that my mom made. If I were to write a recipe for it, it'd have to be called Chocolate Coma Cake. I think she used 8 or 9 different chocolates. It was the richest, heaviest, most fabulously decadent cake I've ever had. We had a party of 10, everyone had a large slice and we were still had more than half of the cake left! Everyone LOVED it. I think it will be a new family tradition, as long as mom can remember how to replicate it!

Butternut Squash

Nothing reminds me more of fall than pumpkin and butternut squash. And since we've gotten a few butternut squash in our AHO box over the last few weeks I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to the ways I've used them. First, I made butternut squash risotto. I was very excited when I found a recipe from Everyday Food that didn't require the squash to be cooked before hand. Here's how it turned out.















Another favorite of ours is butternut squash soup. I used one butternut squash and one acorn squash in this Everyday Food recipe. I also added a little sage and topped it with sour cream.

White Peach Mojitos

Mojitos are always a favorite for us in the summer. They're a refreshing poolside drink that summer fruits only make better. In this case I used white peaches and peach rum.

White Peach Mojitos
Yield: 2 glasses

1 lime, cut into wedges
1 small white peach, cut into wedges
14 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
5 oz. peach flavored rum
1 can club soda

Distribute lime wedges, peach wedges, mint and sugar evenly between two highball glasses. Muddle until fruit has released most of its juice and all the mint leaves are bruised. Fill the glasses with ice, add rum and top with club soda. Gently stir and serve.

Curry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

So I've neglected my blog a bit over the summer. As a result, the exact recipe for these wraps has been lost. But the method is simple and they're really made "to taste" and with whatever vegetables you have laying around. The inspiration for lettuce wraps came from the abundance of lettuce that we receive in our abundant harvest box (pun intended). Salads can get a bit boring after a while, so I needed another way to use up all the lettuce.

For these wraps, I sweat onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Then add green and red peppers, tomato, boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces), cumin, curry, salt and pepper. Saute until the chicken is cooked through. Add cooked couscous, adjust the seasoning and serve. This is a meal can be on the table in less than 20 minutes.

Grilled Pizza

We love pizza but I don't often make it from scratch. We usually either bake a frozen pizza or get carry out from one of our local shops. So I decided to be adventurous last weekend and try several "firsts" for me. My first homemade pizza dough, my first pizza sauce and my first time grilling a pizza. I'm happy to say it turned out great so here's how I did it.

Make the dough the day before from this King Arthur Flour recipe. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes then put it in the fridge for the next day. Take the dough out of the fridge about 45 minutes before grilling the pizza, roll it out and place it on a well floured pizza peel. Grill the dough for 4-5 minutes on a 400 degree grill with the lid closed. Flip the dough (this part is little tricky) then add the toppings quickly. I used pizza sauce from the recipe below, sauteed onions and mushrooms, pepperoni, hot sausage and lots of cheese. Close the lid and cook the pizza 5 minutes longer then I put mine under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese. Top with fresh basil and serve.

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 (4-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup hot water
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp chili sauce
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Salt and pepper

Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand several hours to let flavors blend.

The Perfect Grilled Steak

We love steak and we grill them at least once a week. And since I've gotten several requests for beef recipes, I thought I'd share my classic method for steak.

Take the steaks out of the fridge approximately a half an hour before you want to put them on the grill. This takes the chill off of them and helps them to cook more evenly. Brush the steaks with a neutral, high smoke point oil (like grape seed or vegetable oil) and liberally coat with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Preheat the grill on medium high heat, until it reaches ~450 degrees. Place the steaks on the grill and cook for 5-8 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the steak), rotating the steaks 90 degrees after 2-3 minutes on each side for traditional grill marks. I only flip my steaks one time. Over handled steaks lose more juices. I also never cut into a steak (or pierce it with a thermometer) to determine if it's done. I always gently press the steak with my finger and the texture will tell you how it's cooked. A medium well steak will feel like the firm but slightly squishy part of your palm. A rare steak is more on the squishy side and a well done steak is more firm. After removing the steaks from the grill, let them rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. And if you're really feeling fancy, put a dollop of compound butter on top of the steak before serving.

Compound Butter

4 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp roasted garlic
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp green onion or chives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Stir ingredients until well combined.