Two Dinners

Here are two recipes I made a while back that were well received in this house.

For this first one, the original recipe called for boneless country-style pork ribs, but all I could find that day was tenderloin, which worked out fine. I served it with white rice and broccoli.

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1½ pounds pork tenderloin (See note above; I cut it into a few big chunks.)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and ginger and set aside.

Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook the pork until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Add the hoisin mixture and cook, turning the meat a few times, until the sauce is thickened and the meat is done, 3–5 minutes.

*  *  *

This chicken recipe worked out well except that I wished I'd made the bread cubes smaller and let them crisp up more. I don't keep poultry seasoning in the house, so I used a mixture of dried sage, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary.

Stuffing-Topped Chicken

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
¾ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
5 slices country bread, cut into ¼-inch cubes 
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (See note above.)
1½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided use
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch piece
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided use
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ cups quartered mushrooms (6 ounces)
⅓ cup dry white wine

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add celery and shallot; cook, stirring, until the shallot begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add bread and poultry seasoning; cook, stirring, until the celery has softened and the bread begins to crisp, 2–3 minutes. Transfer the stuffing to a medium bowl and toss with ¼ cup broth; set aside. Wipe out the pan.

Toss chicken with 2 tablespoons flour, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the remaining 1¼ cups broth with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken (shaking off any excess flour) and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high; add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes more. Spoon the reserved stuffing over the chicken mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the stuffing begins to crisp, about 4 minutes.

Comments

[Wendy]

I do think your recipe-writing skills are well-honed, and I appreciate that. A poorly-explained recipe is an irritating thing. Just today I made something that called for "2 sprigs rosemary." What, pray, is the standard measure for a "sprig"? So thank you.

[Karen]

What irks me more than anything is a recipe calling for simply "1 package of x" -- what if I'm shopping at Costco?

[Sharon]

I just tried the pork recipe and used the country-style ribs. A big hit in my house!