September 21 - Beer Braised Pork Chops

Beer braised pork chops is another easy yet delicious way of serving pork chops.

Pork chop is not a favorite meat cut for me. It tends to be hard than tender. When trying this dish, use the center cut with the bone in. It's all meat but really tender.

Rub the meat with salt and pepper then set aside for at least 15 minutes. In this way, the meat is tastier when browned.

Preparing the crispy fried apples and onions is a bit tricky and took much of the cooking effort. But the kids love the apples and the onions a lot that it was worth all the cooking hassle.

Beer Braised Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 pieces pork chops, bone in

2 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

1 bottle of beer

4 Gala apples, peeled, cored and each apple cut into 4 rings

1 large Vidalia sweet onion, cut into long strings

3 cups flour

4 eggs, whisked

3 cups bread crumbs

oil for deep frying

Cooking Time (1 hour)

Rub the meat with salt and pepper.

Heat the 4 tbsp olive oil in a large shallow pan.

Brown the pork chops, 5 minutes on each side.

Pour 1 bottle of beer in a large baking dish.

Place the chops in a single layer.

Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the meantime, prepare the crispy fried apples and onion.

Heat enough amount of oil in a deep fryer, about 2 inches deep.

Place the flour in one bowl.

Place the whisked eggs in another bowl.

Place the bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Dip each apple ring in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

Fry 4 apple rings at a time for about 4 minutes.

Fry the onion strings as well.

Once the meat is done, pour the drippings in a frying pan.

Add 4 tbsp of flour and whisk together to make the gravy.

September 20 - Classic Shepherd's Pie

I was looking for a classic Australian dish, and came across with Shepherd's Pie. For some reason, my husband did not like the Shepherd's Pie he tried in England.

But surprisingly he liked my version of Shepherd's Pie. And the kids loved it!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
6 large Yukon potatoes
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
3 large shallots, minced
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper
3 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup water


Cooking Time (110 minutes)
Boil the potatoes in a large casserole for an hour.
After 30 minutes, start cooking the meat.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok.
Add the shallots, celery, carrot and pepper and saute for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the ground beef and Worcestershire sauce together, taking out the lumps.
Add the ground meat in the pan.
Cook for about 15 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
In a small cup, whisk the flour and 1/2 cup water together.
Add the flour mixture to the meat.
Mix and cook for another 5 minutes.
Peel the potatoes.
Add 3 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup milk.
Mash the potatoes.
Place the meat in a large baking dish.
Top with mashed potato.
Brush the melted butter on top.
Bake the casserole for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then broil the casserole for 10 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

September 17 - Bitterballen

My husband is off to Netherlands and here I am trying out the bitterballen. Bitterballen is a Dutch typical appetizer that is prepared like croquettes but shaped like a ball. They were originally served with bittertje, a small glass of Dutch jenever, that's why is called "bitter ball".

The main thing he told me when preparing bitterballen is not to use ground meat. It is not a meatball. For this, I used beef chuck pot roast.

It is also a ragout, meaning you can use any leftover meat. Since I did not have any leftovers, I made my own boiled beef first before making the bitterballen.

It is typically served with mustard, or any dip of your liking.

Since I am serving bitterballen as church snacks, I increased the portions 4 times as much, about 70 pieces of bitterballen. If you are just serving to a small group, then 2 cups of shredded beef should be fine.

It is also good to prepare bitterballen ahead of time and store them in the freezer.



Bitterballen

Ingredients:
4 lbs beef chuck pot roast
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp peppercorn
1 cup or 2 sticks butter
4 cups flour
8 cups broth
4 packets unflavored gelatin (1 oz)
5 tbsp parsley flakes
2 tbsp nutmeg
juice from 1 fresh lemon

4 eggs, yolk and white separated
1 cup milk
bread crumbs
flour
oil for deep frying

Preparation Time (overnight)
Place the beef chuck pot roast in a big casserole.
Add the salt and peppercorn.
Add enough water to cover the meat, about 10 cups.
Let it cook in low heat for 4 hours until the meat is really tender.
Strain the broth and set aside.
Shred the beef using two forks.
Chop the shredded beef as well.
In a large pot, melt the butter in medium heat.
Add the flour and mix it to make a roux.
After 10 minutes, slowly add 8 cups of the beef broth.
Mix it thoroughly for 5 minutes.
Add the gelatin and mix it well.
Add the parsley, lemon and nutmeg.
Mix 8 cups of the shredded beef.
Mix it thoroughly for another 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat.
Add the egg yolks and milk.
Transfer the mixture in a large shallow pan.
Cool it in the refrigerator for 5 hours or overnight to make it firm.


Cooking Time (1 hour)
Heat enough oil in a deep fryer.
Place 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
Place the egg whites with 3 tbsp oil in another bowl.
Place 2 cups of bread crumbs in a third bowl.
Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, scoop enough mixture to make a 1.5 inch ball.
Dip it in the flour, then in the egg whites mixture, then in the bread crumbs.
Make at least 5 balls before frying them together in the deep fryer.
Fry them for at least 5 minutes.
Serve warm with mustard.

September 7 - African Meat Stew With Peanut Butter

African beef stew with peanut butter is popularly known as Maffe. It is a basic African stew with ground peanuts (or creamy peanut butter). You can pretty much use any meat, like pork, goat meat or chicken.

The sauce has a subtle sweet taste that the kids enjoyed. I used the Jif Chunky Peanut Butter so the soup has chunky bits of peanuts.

African Peanut Butter Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 Knorr beef bullion
1 cup Jif chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia (sweet) onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 lbs beef chuck, cut for stew
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 medium sized carrots, cut 1" thick
2 green bell pepper, cut in 1" squares
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves


Cooking Time (2 hours)
In a small pot, boil 2 cups of water and melt together the beef bullion and peanut butter.
Set aside.
In a large casserole, heat the olive oil in medium heat.
Saute the garlic and onion for 5 minutes.
Season the beef with salt and pepper.
Add the beef and cook for about 20 minutes, in high heat.
Note that since the beef will produce a lot of liquid, the beef will not get browned.
Add the peanut butter mixture.
Add the tomatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, thyme and bay leaves.
Mix well.
Simmer the stew for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Serve warm with white rice.

September 2 - Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. My kids are beginning to like it too, since I served the ratatouille for dinner.

My friends and I were served with sumptuous Vietnamese dishes with European flair when we had dinner at Le Colonial. We ordered Aubergines for appetizer. These are eggplants stuffed with crab and shrimp served with shallot frites and nuoc cham.

I would have loved to serve the same thing at home. But since my kids are not fond of crabs yet, I stuffed the aubergines with ground beef instead.

My husband enjoyed the dish, especially the shallot frites, that gave the kick to the dish.

Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Ingredients

6 European eggplants, halved

olive oil

salt and pepper

3 shallots, thinly sliced

2 lbs ground beef chuck

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

Cooking Time (75 minutes)

Lay the halved eggplants in a large baking pan.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of olive olive.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the shallot frites.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Fry the shallots for about 10 minutes, but be careful not to burn them.

Set the fried shallots in a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

After an hour, cook the ground beef.

The ground beef chuck will have enough fats so you do not need to add oil for cooking.

After 10 minutes, add the chopped garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully scoop the flesh out of each half eggplant.

Mix the eggplant flesh with the ground beef.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Fold in the fresh parsley and tomatoes.

When serving, place 3 tbsp of cooked ground beef in each half eggplant skin.

Serve with shallots frites.