Sausage Cassoulet

This Sausage Cassoulet is a variation of the one found in Mary Berry's Classic Home Cooking.

1 lb pork sausage
8 oz bacon, chopped
1 large onion
2 cans northern beans, rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cup chicken bone broth
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon  thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh white bread crumbs or grated cheddar cheese to top

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a dutch oven, over medium heat, brown the sausage and bacon.  Remove meat, turn to medium low and cook the onions until soft but not colored.  Return the meat and add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook in oven for 1 hour.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs or grated cheddar and continue cooking, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Tomato Jambalaya

Rice Cooker Coconut Rice (or regular cooked rice)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lb), cut into wedges*

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon flour

3/4 lb cooked, diced ham or smoked sausage

Prepare rice.  In large skillet over low heat, saute onion and pepper in oil until onion is translucent (about 10-15 minutes).  Add tomatoes and next 4 ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Whisk flour into water, gradually stir into mixture until thickened.  Stir in ham or sausage.  Serve over rice.

*If you don't have garden tomatoes, 2 14 oz cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes, pulsed a few times in the food processor, make a DELICIOUS jambalaya! But you could use any canned tomatoes.

Spicy Sweet Potato Hash

1/2 sweet onion, small dice
1 pound country sausage*
1 Tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper**

1 large sweet potato (or yam)***, peeled and grated

3 Tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

optional: top with a fried egg

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and onion until the onions are translucent and meat is fully cooked. Add the spices and cook for one minute. Add the yams, butter, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook until yams are tender, stirring occasionally. Top with a fried egg if desired.

Adding garden fresh cherry tomatoes during the last minute or two of cooking tastes great -- and a sprinkling of goat cheese.

* I actually prefer just a teaspoon of salt added to good quality ground pork (Duroc is a good brand) but if you have plain ground pork and wanted to season it, you can add the following per 1 lb of meat:

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp paprika

pinch ground cloves

**For less heat, use plain ground pork and just a dash of cayenne pepper. 

***I prefer the ones with bright orange flesh

Oven-Baked Pork Stew

1 1/2 lbs boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 Tablespoons fat

3 Tablespoons flour

2 16 ounce can tomatoes, blended

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup water

4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, large dice

1 large onion, cut into thin strips

1 green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 12 oz package frozen peas

In a large skillet brown meat, half at a time, in hot fat. Remove meat from skillet, reserving drippings. Stir flour into drippings. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, bouillon granules, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper sauce, and water. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. In a large casserole combine meat, sweet potatoes, onion, and green pepper. Stir in tomato mixture. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven about 1 1/2 hours or till meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Stir in peas. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Serves 6.

Pork Loin Roast

Pork Tenderloin (whole in the bag, mine is 2.89 lbs, two pieces)

Bacon Grease (or fat of your choice)

Salt and Pepper

2 cups chicken stock

Unsweetened Applesauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season all sides of tenderloin with salt and pepper. In a large cast iron skillet, heat bacon grease over medium high heat. Sear tenderloins on all sides. Pour chicken stock in skillet. Roast* in oven for 40-50 minutes. Remove from pan to a cutting board. Tent with tin foil and rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve with applesauce. Mmmmmmmmmm. :)

*If you don't have a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof skillet, remove tenderloin from pan and place in roasting pan before adding the chicken stock.

Pork Chops with Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

4 center-cut pork chops, boneless, about 1 1/4 inch thick

salt

pepper

2 Tablespoons grated onion

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter.  When the butter has melted, add pork chops and sear (there should be a good amount of color), about 3 minutes each side. 

Remove the pork chops from the pan, reduce heat to medium and add the onion.  Cook until softened, about 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup water, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Stir in stock and return chops to pan.  Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until chops are cooked through - 15-20 minutes (I like 15, Mat likes 20).

Remove pork chops to a warm platter and cover with tin foil to keep warm.  Over high heat, boil the pan juices to reduce by half, 3-4 minutes.  Add the heavy cream and continue to boil, stirring continually, until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.  Pour sauce into a gravy boat.  Serve.

This recipe is a simplified version of Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce by Simple Recipes.  I found that I needed longer cooking times than they did--maybe it's an elevation thing.  They have some great step-by-step pictures that may be helpful if you're going to try this recipe.

If you need to double this recipe, use two pans (I use my big skillet and my stockpot), then pour the drippings from one pan to the other to make the sauce.