Occasionally, we'll get inspired to share a specific recipe…either something we love and make on a regular basis or something new we tried and found worthy.
In some cases, we have created these recipes, in others, it's something we've made for so long, we've forgotten where it came from originally. Where we have a specific source for the recipe, we'll share it.
**********
Fabulous Dry-rubbed Ribs - grill or oven
One Rack of Pork Ribs
Package of Breakfast Sausage seasoning (dry spice mixture - butcher shops have it) or any pork seasoning you like (generally has some sage in it)
One Lemon, cut in half
Liberally rub the ribs with the dry seasoning and let stand about an hour
Place ribs on grill or on baking sheet in the oven.
(When grilling, use a cover - indirect heat grills work best, but if you use charcoal, avoid flameups if you can.)
Roast with one side up for 20 minutes, turn
Roast with other side up for 20 minutes, turn
Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon over the side you just turned up (liberally)
Roast for 10 minutes, turn
Squeeze the juice from the other half lemon over the side you just turned up
Roast for 10 minutes.
Remove and cut between ribs into pieces. Serve hot, but they're great leftover (cold or warm), too.
May be eaten with barbecue sauce, but for those of you like me who don't like ribs soaked in red sauce, these are fabulous just as they are.
**********
Pork Loin with Orange Glaze
The best "white meat" pork is found in the loin, with very little fat - good news for those of us who like to eat but are trying to "eat smart."
5 pound boneless pork loin, rolled and tied (not net-wrapped)
3 cloves garlic, sliced into quarters
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (if fresh, use more)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. pepper
Heat oven to 325°F. Mix salt, thyme, ginger, and pepper in a cup or bowl. Cut slits in roast and insert a piece of garlic and a little of the spice mixture in each. Rub any remaining spice mixture over the roast; insert a meat thermometer into thickest area of meat. Place in an uncovered roasting pan and roast for approximately 3 hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 170°F. After pork has roasted 2 hours, baste it frequently with the glaze (see below). When roast is done, heat remaining glaze and serve with the pork.
Glaze:
1 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs. prepared mustard
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsps. grated orange peel
In a medium saucepan, combine flour, cornstarch, and sugar. Add orange juice gradually, stirring to prevent lumps, then add remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat and whisk until smooth and thick. Baste loin with glaze.
**********
Mushroom & Andouille Sausage Soup
For our retail pork offering, we had some sausage processed as "andouille", which is used a lot in spicy southern cooking, especially Cajun/Creole. We wanted to try some of it ourselves, so went searching for recipes calling for andouille sausage.
This recipe comes from this link for Southern Food and made a great "chilly, rainy night" supper for us.
This is a delicious creamy mushroom soup with a little cheese and chunks of andouille sausage. Feel free to use another variety of smoked sausage in this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 to 16 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, mashed and finely minced
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces shredded mild Cheddar cheese
dash ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt, to taste
chives, parsley, or sliced green onion tops, for garnish
Preparation:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the sliced sausage in the oil over medium heat. Transfer sausage to a plate and add mushrooms to the drippings left in the pot. If needed, add a little more oil. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned. Add the green onions and garlic; saute for 1 minute longer. Pour mushroom mixture, with any liquids, into a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in flour until blended and bubbly. Stir in the broth and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cream and cheese, stirring until melted. Add the sausage and mushroom mixture back to the pot. Stir and add nutmeg and pepper. Taste and add salt, as needed. Heat through.
Serve with more green onion, snipped chives, or chopped parsley for garnish. Serves 6.
Serve with more green onion, snipped chives, or chopped parsley for garnish. Serves 6.