Pork With Mushrooms And Two Corn Grits Recipes

CAJUN PULLED PORK AND GRITS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning and pork and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and the pork is warmed through, about 2 minutes.
• Push the pork mixture to one side of the skillet and add the tomato paste to the other side. Cook, stirring, until dark red, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and simmer, stirring everything together, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
• Meanwhile, bring 3 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the scallions.
• Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the pork mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with more hot sauce.

PORK GRILLADES AND GRITS

Steps:

• Lightly pound pork slices with a mallet. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning, and then dust in flour. Heat oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven and brown pork on both sides, in batches, for about 2 minutes per side. After browning, reserve. When pork has all been browned, discard excess oil.
• Heat chicken fat or butter over medium heat in Dutch oven and slowly whisk in 3 cups flour to make a roux the consistency of wet sand. Brown roux, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes. Add onions, peppers, celery, garlic, Herbs de Provence, bay leaves and crushed tomatoes, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add stock and salt, stir, and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 30 minutes. Return pork to Dutch oven and simmer over medium low heat for 2 hours, until meat is very tender.
• While pork is cooking, bring a gallon of water to boil in a large pot and whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, whisking often to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to low and cook grits for 1 1/2 hours more, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, fold in butter, and season with salt.
• Season pork to taste and serve over grits.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown pork in butter. Transfer meat to an ungreased shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; set aside. In the pan drippings, saute the onion, mushrooms and celery until tender. Combine flour and broth until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over meat. Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 160°-170°. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with rice or noodles if desired.

CREAMY GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
• When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half's seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
• In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
• To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.

PORK WITH MUSHROOMS AND TWO CORN GRITS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add corn kernels and saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Remove corn from pan. Add water and salt and bring to a boil; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until thick, stirring often. Stir in corn, chives, sugar and pepper.
• While grits are cooking, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add half of pork and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from skillet; repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining pork.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat; add mushrooms and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Add broth and next 4 ingredients, stirring to loosen particles from the bottom of skillet. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, stirring until blended. Add cornstarch mixture to skillet and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Return pork to skillet; serve pork mixture over Two-Corn Grits.