Grilled Pork with Peaches Recipe

Last week I found a used copy of "Seven Fires - grilling the Argentine way" by Francis Mallmann on Alibris.com for only $15. This recipe for Grilled pork with peaches is adapted from one that appears in this book. If you like to barbecue, you should check out Mallmann's book because it describes several simple, rustic methods of grilling that are popular in Argentina.

Ingredients:
pork tenderloin
3 peaches
3 tbsp butter, cut into 4 pieces
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
3 sprigs fresh (or 2 tbsp) rosemary, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Recommended Equipment:
cast iron skillet
charcoal or gas grill

Preparation:

1. Butterfly the tenderloin so that it is an even thickness about 1 and 1/2 inches thick.
2. Season the pork with salt and pepper.
3. Marinade the pork in the olive oil, rosemary, and garlic in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
4. Light the grill.
5. Grease skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil.
6. When the coals start to turn white, put the skillet on the grill and let it get very hot - medium to medium high temperature.
   
7. While the skillet is getting hot, cut each of the peaches in half and remove the pit. Do not remove the skin from the peaches.
8. When the skillet is hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle, place the pork on the skillet and then place the peaches on the sides of the pork along with the slices of butter. After the peaches have cooked for 5 minutes, remove them from the skillet and set them aside. Let the pork continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork.
   
9. Flip the pork and cook on the other side for 8 to 10 minutes.
   
10. Remove pork from the skillet and serve with peaches.

Looking for a wine to go with this dish? Try this one: Gascón Malbec

Argentina [ print this recipe ]

Texas Straw Hat

Texas Straw Hat is a dish that is an old favorite of mine and was served up in the dorm cafeterias at The Ohio State University. Unlike most of the slop that they served in the dorms in those days, Texas Straw Hat actually tasted great. It is very similar to a taco salad in most respects. The original recipe calls for ground beef but ground turkey works just as well. The key is to use the freshest vegetables that you can get. Other than that, it is really easy and quick to make. Go Bucks!!!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
taco seasoning mix

cheddar cheese
medium white onion, diced
taco sauce
sour creme
Fritos
shredded iceberg lettuce
salsa - I used Frontera Grill's Chipotle Salsa
Pinto or black beans (optional)
Tobasco sauce (optional)

Preparation:

1. Brown the ground turkey and the onion in a skillet with the taco seasoning according to the instructions.
   
2. Shred the iceberg lettuce and dice the tomatoes and onions.
3. Assemble each Texas Straw Hat from bottom to top as follows: Fritos, lettuce, turkey, onion, cheddar cheese, tomato, salsa, and sour creme.

United States Ohio

Medialuna Recipe

Medialunas are Argentine crescent rolls. They are light and sweet and can be served with any meal.

This recipe makes about 20 to 25 medialuna rolls. I found that if you store them in an airtight container, they stayed fresh for about a week.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tspn sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast, 1 tspn sugar, and 1 tbsp flour. Add 1/3 cup warm water and stir well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and allow yeast to ferment in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter, and 1/2 cup warm water. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add flour, salt, and yeast mixture to the large mixing bowl. Mix until all of the ingredients have combined. Add a little more flour, if necessary, so that dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn dough out of bowl onto a floured surface and knead until dough is soft and smooth.
5. Form a round loaf and place in a bowl. Cover with a dry towel and let dough rest in a warm place for about an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
7. Divide dough into three parts and roll out each part to form a large rectangle. From each rectangle, cut triangles (about 10cm by 12 cm).
8. Roll each triangle up to form a crescent.
9. Set crescents on a greased baking sheet.
10. Brush crescents with egg yolk.
11. Bake medialunas for 12 - 15 minutes.
    

Argentina [ print this recipe ]

Hank Ryan

My wife and I invented the Hank Ryan while watching Sleepless in Seattle last summer. It was the middle of peach season and we were trying to use up some left over Georgia peaches. Give it a try this summer.

Recommended Equipment:
blender

Ingredients:
3 peaches, chopped
1 shot rum
1 shot Cointreau
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1 can condensed milk
handful of ice

Preparation:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender. Mix until smooth. Add additional ice if necessary for desired consistency. Should be similar to a milkshake.

United States

Oregon Breakfast Bake

I learned how to make the Oregon Breakfast Bake when I was going to graduate school at Oregon State. Since then I've made this dish countless times because it is another easy and quick recipe. This recipe for Oregon Breakfast Bake serves about 6 people. However, if you don't go through it all in one sitting, it still tastes great the following day if you keep it refrigerated.

Ingredients:
1/2 loaf of French bread
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
3 tbsp butter
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 green onions, diced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tspn pepper
6 - 8 slices Genoa salami
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Lightly oil a baking dish.
2. Cut French bread into small pieces and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
3. Drizzle melted butter over the bread.
4. Cover the bread with the Swiss and Monterrey Jack cheese.
5. In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, wine, green onions, Dijon mustard, and pepper.
6. Pour mixture over the cheese in the baking dish.
7. Top with the slices of salami.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   
9. Preheat oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Put baking dish in oven and bake for 1 hour.
11. Remove foil and cover the top with sour cream and Parmesan cheese.
12. Bake for an additional 10 minutes (without the foil).
13. Let cool for about 5 minutes then serve.
    

United States Oregon

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Tomato and watermelon salads are best in the summertime when tomatoes are ripe and in season. This salad is easy to prepare and only takes a few minutes to make. You can prepare the dressing in advance and keep it refrigerated to use throughout the week.

Ingredients (salad):
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 seedless watermelon
mint leaves

Ingredients (dressing):
1 lime
1/3 cup sugar
1 tspn crushed red pepper flakes
1 tspn fresh ginger, grated

Preparation (dressing):

1. grate the zest from the outside of the lime into a saucepan.
2. squeeze the juice from the lime into the saucepan.
3. add the red pepper flakes, sugar, and ginger to the saucepan along with 1/2 cup of cold water.
4. heat the mixture over medium heat stirring it occasionally.
5. after mixture starts to boil for about 3 minutes, remove saucepan from the heat and let the dressing cool.
   

Preparation (salad):

1. layer 1 slice of tomato on 1 slice of watermelon for each salad.
2. repeat step #1.
3. garnish with mint.
4. drizzle dressing over each salad.
   

United States

Sugar Crêpes Recipe

Sugar Crêpes are a great choice for a quick breakfast. The batter is quick and easy to make. The key to making great sugar crêpes is a good non-stick skillet and fresh ingredients for toppings. Sugar crêpes originated in France and are sold on the streets in Paris. With a little practice, your crêpes will taste just as good.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tspn salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
+ toppings of your choice. I used sliced bananas and confection sugar.

Preparation:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and the eggs.
2. Next, add the water and the milk.
   
3. Stir until all of the ingredients have combined and the batter is smooth.
4. Lightly grease a skillet with butter over medium heat. Use about 1/4 tbsp for each crêpe.
5. Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of crêpe batter to the skillet and whisk it in a circular motion so that the batter covers most of the pan's surface evenly.
6. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes until golden brown.
   

France

Farofa Recipe

The first time that I tried farofa was in Rio de Janeiro at a cliff side restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The texture is unlike most foods found in North America in that it is between granular and powdery. Farofa is a popular side dish in Brazil and is often served as a complement to beans.

Farofa's main ingredient is manioc flour. Manioc is also known as cassava or yuca and can be found in most Latin or African markets. It has a long shelf life as long as you keep it in an air-tight container. It also has an interesting history in how it came to be popular with the indigenous people of Brazil and also how it later came to be loved by the Portuguese colonists as well. If you would like to learn more about it and other aspects of Brazil, check out A death in Brazil, by Peter Robb.

You can find many varieties of this dish in Brazil depending on what ingredients are abundant in that particular region and also depending on the time of year. As such, you can always make some form of farofa depending on what ingredients you have on hand at the time.

Ingredients:
1/4 pound bacon
4 tbsp butter
1 tspn palm oil (optional)
1 cup manioc flour
5 large black olives, chopped
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 of yellow onion, diced
1/4 of green pepper, diced
1/4 of red pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
parsley, stems removed and chopped

Preparation:

1. Add bacon to skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Discard 3/4 of bacon fat.
2. Add butter and palm oil to skillet over medium heat to melt the butter.
3. Add onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add red and green peppers to the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add manioc flour to the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the black olives, hard boiled egg, parsley, and crispy bacon to the skillet.
7. Stir all of ingredients together and reduce heat to low until you are ready to serve.
   

Brasil [ print this recipe for Farofa ]

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Garlic Mashed Potatoes is another simple recipe that complements many different entrees and takes little time and effort to prepare.

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, peeled
3 tbsp butter
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk


Preparation:

1. Cut each potato into 4 equal sized pieces
2. Bring pot of water to a boil over medium high heat.
   
3. Add potatoes to the pot and boil until fork tender about 1 hour.
   
4. Drain water from pot.
5. Add butter, salt pepper, and garlic.
6. Mash all of the ingredients together.
7. Slowly stir in the milk to get the consistency that you prefer.

United States

Apple Sauce Recipe

This is another easy recipe that you can make in about a half an hour. It can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is really good with Dutch Babies.

Ingredients:
3 apples, peeled (I used Jonagold)
1 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tspn cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Peel and core the apples and cut each apple into 8 equal sized pieces
2. In a pot over medium - low heat, add the apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon
3. Partially cover pot with lid
4. As apples begin to soften, stir and crush them with a wooden spoon.
5. After about 30 to 40 minutes, the apple mixture should have a smooth consistency.
6. Serve hot or cold

Germany

Pasta Carbonara

This is a relatively modern dish from Italy. It became popular around 1945 during the allied occupation. Like the Cafe Americano, it is an adaptation of Italian cusine to suit the American palate. Sometimes called pasta with ham and eggs, this dish can be modified many different ways depending on what vegetables and meat that you have on hand.

Basically, you construct a vegetable sauce and then combine it with the pasta and a cream sauce. It's very easy to make and you don't need to add any spices.

Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, diced
5 green onions, diced
1 handful parsley, chopped, stems removed
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Pasta - I used whole wheat Penne
1/4 pound of bacon

Preparation:

1. In a small mixing bowl, add the whipping cream, the white of the egg, and the Parmesan cheese. Mix these ingredients together and set aside. Retain the egg yolk to use later.
2. In a large pot over medium - high, heat water for the pasta. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
   
3. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. Discard 3/4 of the fat that remains in the skillet.
   
4. With the skillet still over medium heat, add the tomatoes, green onions, and parsley.
5. After the tomatoes have cooked down, add the frozen peas to the vegetable mixture and cook for another 7 minutes. Then remove skillet from heat.
6. Strain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Put egg yolk on pasta and stir the pasta so that the noodles are covered in yolk.
7. Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl and stir into the pasta.
8. Add the Parmesan sauce to the bowl and stir into the pasta.
9. Add the crispy bacon to the bowl and stir into the pasta.
   

Italy

Torrijas Recipe

Torrijas are very similar to French toast. The main difference is that you first infuse milk with a cinnamon, citrus flavor. Then the bread is soaked in this milk before being coated with egg and then fried. So Torrijas require a couple of extra steps to prepare but it's worth it. Torrijas have the great taste of French toast with a little added complexity in flavor.

Ingredients:
6 thick slices of sour dough bread
2 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 lemon rind
2 tbsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil (for frying)

topping
confection (powdered) sugar
cinnamon
maple syrup
fruit

Preparation:

1. Add milk, cinnamon stick, and lemon rind to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool.
2. Put slices of bread in a pan and pour enough milk mixture over the slices so that they can soak up some excess milk.
3. Pour some olive oil in a skillet. Place over medium heat.
4. In a separate dish, add the beaten eggs.
5. Coat 2 of the slices of bread with egg and add them to the skillet.
6. Cook until golden brown on both sides and then set aside.
7. Top Torrijas with confection sugar, cinnamon, fruit and/or maple syrup.
   

Spain

Toffee Apple Dip

Our friend Sabina introduced us to this recipe a couple of months ago. Toffee Apple Dip is a simple recipe that you can even make with the kids. It is a sweet, creamy mixture that goes great with apples or other fresh fruit.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. package of crushed Heath Bar
1 8oz. package of cream cheese, soft
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tspn pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preparation:

1. Mix together all of the ingredients until well blended.
2. Serve immediately.

Note: You can also refrigerate this dip up to 5 days.

United States