Thursday, November 19, 2009

Porcini Porcine



It is not a great picture, but we were hungry and I didn’t have the willpower to take too many shots. Once, I saw a brief snippet of show in which the chef, pulverized dried porcini’s to make a crusted meat. I have been intrigued ever since, but just finally got around to trying it out.

I started with about a 2.5 pound pork loin and marinated it for 4 hours. The marinade was equal parts Dijon, white vinegar, and soy sauce (I used about ¼ c. each). Before I was ready to cook the meat, I turned the oven to 425 degrees. I coated the meat slightly with some oil (I used olive, but any would be fine). While allowing the oven to come up and preparing the curst, let meat sit at room temperature.

Start with 1/3 cup dried mushrooms (I used porcini) in the food processor. Pulse it to get a course meal like consistency. You will have some larger pieces in there, don’t worry about it.

Add to the processor

3 garlic cloves (less if you like less garlic)
¼ cup bread crumbs (I used Italian)
1 TBS onion salt

Pulse to combine. Roll loin in mushroom crust and place in a baking dish. Add any leftover mushroom to the bottom of the pan and sprinkle a bit of oil over (or you can deglaze with a bit of stock once the meat is done), it will form a nice gravy/sauce.

Cook covered for 15 minutes, then remove foil and cook for an additional 15 or until done (meat should feel firm to the touch).

Let stand for about 10 minutes and serve.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

They Put My Husband in Jail!!

I can’t believe it, he is a sweet guy and into the slammer they are putting him. They come pick him up tomorrow unless he can raise the funds to post bail.

I know this is not typical fodder for a food blog, but it is important so I am calling on my fellow foodies for support.

So I know what you are thinking, why would I help some sleaze the police threw into jail? Typically I would agree. However, he is my sleaze and it is all to support the MDA.

See the following link https://www.joinmda.org/westendva09/joelmccauley/ to find out more. If you have time watch the video, it is pretty cute.
I do want to encourage everyone, that if you don’t support this cause try, especially this year, to find one to support. With the economy, charitable contributions are really down this year and many are struggling, so try and do what you can J