Country Pork 'n' Sauerkraut

This recipe came from a cookbook I picked up at Goodwill . . . Taste of Home Grandma's Favorites cookbook. Lots of mighty good looking recipes in that book. This recipe is very much like my other pork steak and sauerkraut recipe, but this one has a few more flavors in there to tempt the tastebuds. We like it even better than the other recipe. 

Adjust the ingredients to accommodate the amount of pork you purchase, and the sauerkraut (see note below).

Ahh . . . so many cookbooks . . . and so many recipes waiting to be tried.


2 lbs country-style pork ribs (I used pork steaks, and more of them)
1 med onion, cut in short slices
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 can (14 oz) sauerkraut, undrained*
1 cup applesauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper

In a Dutch oven, cook the pork and onionskin oil until the pork is browned and onions are tender. Remove from the heat.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the pork. Cover and bake @350º for 1½-2 hours. 

*I never use sauerkraut in a metal can, so I purchase it either in a bag or a jar which usually has higher contents. I just adjust the ingredients to accommodate the higher amount of sauerkraut. You really don't need exact amounts of anything.

Slow-Cooked Pork Roast with Gravy

I thickened the gravy and served it over the pork and mashed potatoes, or noodles. I used an 8-lb roast and cooked it for 8 hours. German Sauerkraut goes well with this.

3 to 4 lb bone-in pork roast

1 Tbsp canola oil

3/4 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 large yellow onion, sliced pole to pole

Sliced mushrooms, as many as you want

FOR THE GRAVY:

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c dry white wine

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master seasoning

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 chicken bouillon cubes*

1 beef bouillon, cube

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475°.

Pat roast dry with paper towels; place in bowl of slow cooker, which has been removed from the cooker (if non-removable, place roast in oven-proof pan.) Rub all sides of roast with oil.

In a small bowl, mix together salts, pepper and garlic powder; distribute evenly over all sides of roast. Place, uncovered, in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, to lightly brown; turn meat over to brown remaining side for additional 10-15 minutes.

While meat is browning, empty cans of soup into a medium-small bowl; gradually whisk wine, soy sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, and Worcestershire sauce into soup; stir in pressed/minced garlic, bouillon cubes & whole bay leaves.

Remove roast from oven and place in slow-cooker; scatter onions over roast. Pour soup and wine mixture over roast, making sure that bouillon cubes and bay leaves are down in the gravy mixture alongside roast, not on top.

Cover with lid and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours (depending on the size of roast), stirring sauce after the first 3 or 4 hours.

Remove bay leaves; serve roast with the gravy (especially good with mashed potatoes).

*I used mushroom bouillon cubes that I got in Italy. Not available in the States.

Sausage and Peppers

This is Frank Sinatra's recipe.

1  lb  Italian Sausage (mild or hot)
3  green peppers
3/4  cup  red wine
3  Tbs  olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Remove stems and seeds from peppers. Cut into large chunks.

In an ovenproof baking dish that can also be used on top of the stove, sauté peppers in oil until they begin to soften. Sprinkle with a little salt. Remove peppers from the dish and set aside.

Brown the sausages in the same dish. When browned, add red wine. Cover and bake sausages for 50 minutes @350°. Uncover; add green peppers and bake another 5 to 15 minutes. This can also be served as an appetizer.

Roast Pork and Sauerkraut with Normandy Sauce

I was in Nashville many years ago, having dinner in a nice restaurant. I ordered this dish off the menu, and just loved it. So I requested the recipe from the chef, and he sent it to me. I was so impressed, as many places won't give out any recipes. Like . . . what do they think you're going to do with them, except enjoy it at home, and remember their generosity.

Rolled boneless pork roast
Jar or a refrigerated package of sauerkraut (not canned), drained and rinsed
3/4  cup  apple juice
1/3  cup  brown sugar
4  shallots
1  cup  Applejack
1  cup white wine
3  Tbs  cornstarch, dissolved in water
1  red apple
1  yellow apple
Pinch of allspice or nutmeg
1  pint  heavy cream
3  Tbs  sugar

In an oblong Pyrex baking dish, combine sauerkraur, apple juice, and brown sugar. Put the pork roast in the center, with sauerkraut all around it. Bake uncovered, @325 degrees, until roast is done (about 2 hours). Stir kraut every once in awhile to keep it from drying out.

Meanwhile, prepare Normandy Sauce:
Saute shallots (or green onions) in small amount of margarine or butter, melted. Add Applejack and wine, sugar, and spices. Reduce until liquid is almost gone. Add heavy cream, and slowly bring it to a boil. Add cornstarch.
Stir constantly until thickened. Set aside. (If mixture fails to thicken, keep cooking it).

Just before serving, saute apples (peeled and sliced or diced). Pour sauce into pan and heat. Serve over slices of pork. This is great with mashed potatoes. Put some kraut on your potatoes instead of butter.

Rosey Glazed Pork

From my friend, Victory Grund, a heck of a good cook and cookbook author.

2 or 4  pork tenderloins (at room temp)
1/2  tsp  each,  salt, garlic salt, and chili powder

Combine spices and rub on meat. Roast on a greased baking rack @325 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, in a pan combine the following and bring to a boil:

3/4  cup  apple or currant jelly
3/4  cup  ketchup
5  tsp  red wine vinegar
1/2  tsp  chili powder

Brush liberally over baked pork. Bake for 15 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice thin; drizzle with remaining glaze.

Pork Tenderloin in Brown Sauce

2  lbs  pork tenderloin, cut into 1" slices
Salt and pepper to taste
3  Tbs  oil
2  Tbs  each,  chopped celery and onion
1  (4 oz)  can  mushrooms, with liquid
1  sm  can  chicken broth
1  Tbs  Worcestershire sauce
1/2  cup red wine

Pound meat slices in flour to make tender. Pan fry slowly in oil until well browned. Remove meat from skillet. Saute the chopped vegetables until amber in color. Add mushrooms and liquid, chicken broth, Worcestershire, and wine.

In a 3 qt, or larger sidh, arrange meat slices. Pour sauce over meat. Cover and bake @350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Serves 6.

Absolutely the Best Ribs Ever

These ribs just fall off the bone. They are so tender. This recipe came from a recipe site on the internet, I think it was Taste of Home.

Take a broiler pan and fill the bottom section of the broiler pan with water about half full. On the top section (the part with the slits in it) lay out your ribs. You may add a rub or sauce at this time or leave them plain. Cover the pan with foil and fold edges under to seal in the steam as they cook.

Place in oven at 300° for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Be extremely careful when removing from the oven, as the bottom pan can easily spill out. OUCH!

Remove foil carefully as steam will be very hot. Now all the grease is down in the bottom pan with the water and the ribs are completely cooked and tender. All you need to do is finish them up on the grill or under the broiler with sauce.

For Grilling: 

Place ribs on grill and coat with favorite bbq sauce. Grill on each side just a few minutes until crispy.

For Broiler: 

Add bbq sauce and broil for a few minutes on each side. Watch closely because sugar in the bbq sauce will burn quickly.

Texas Cowboy Skillet (Sausage)

4  cups  cooked grits
1-1/2  sticks  butter, melted
1/4  cup  half & half
2  cups  Co-Jack cheese, grated
1/2  lb  hot sausage, cooked, crumbled
1/2  can  (14 oz)   Mexicorn, drained
1/2  cup  yellow hominy
6  whole  canned mild green chilies
6  finger size pieces  Monterey jack cheese
Salt and pepper
Salsa, for serving (optional)

Combine grits, butter, half & half, 1 cup of the co-jack cheese, sausage, corn, hominy, salt and pepper. Pour into a 10 inch cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet.

Cut a seam in each chili; stuff with 1 piece of Monterey Jack cheese. Place chilies on top of grits mixture, in a spoke-like fashion, with the end tips in the center of the spoke. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of Co-Jack cheese.

Bake @350° until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Baked Pork Chops

This is another recipe I have made for years.


6 - 8  bone-in pork chops
2  cups  cooked rice
1 or 2  red or green bell peppers
1  can  tomato soup

Brown chops on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper. Core and thick-slice the bell peppers into rings (you need one ring per pork chop.) Put the browned pork chops into an oblong baking dish.

Top each chop with a bell pepper slice. Heap the inside of the pepper ring with the cooked rice. Spoon tomato soup concentrate over the top of the rice.

Cover with foil and bake @325° for 45 minutes.

Pork Steaks and Sauerkraut

Serve with a large bowl of mashed potatoes.


3  pork steaks
1  large  jar  sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1/2  cup  applesauce
1/4  cup  brown sugar

Place the pork steaks in a Dutch oven or a large, deep, heavy skillet. Add about 1 cup water plus a small amount of salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hours. Add the sauerkraut, applesauce and brown sugar. Cover and simmer for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until the roast is tender and falling apart.

This can also be roasted in the oven, in a covered roasting pan. Set the oven at 350º for about 2 hours, and then lower temperature to 300º after adding the sauerkraut. 
Roast an additional 1-1/2 hours.

It's also a good crock pot meal. Just sear the pork steaks in oil, in a frying pan before roasting.  Then add everything at once and cook for about 6 or 7 hours on low.

Old Fashioned Pork Roast

This yummy, fork tender roast takes an amazing 7 hours to bake. You must bake it a day ahead and chill so it will slice nicely. If you don’t, it will just fall apart. Uses a less expensive cut of meat
beautifully.


6  lb  boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt)
3  cloves   garlic, minced
2  tsp  freshly cracked pepper
1-1/2  tsp  salt
1  Tbs  chopped fresh rosemary
1  Tbs  chopped fresh sage
(If using dried herbs, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon each)
1  Tbs  fennel seeds, roughly chopped
4  large  red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
2  Tbs  vegetable oil, if needed
2  cups  apple cider
1/2  cup  apple jelly
4  Tbs  cider vinegar

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Preheat to 300°. Trim outer fat from pork, leaving just a thin layer. Combine garlic, pepper, salt, rosemary, sage, and fennel. Tie the pork roast with butcher’s twine in a uniform shape, wrapping the short side of meat in three places; the length
with just one wrap of twine. Pull it snuggly, as the meat will shrink. Rub with herb mixture. Transfer to roasting pan and cook uncovered, 3 hours.

Remove from oven and scatter the onion wedges around the meat, tossing onions to coat with pan dripping's. (If roast has not produced any juices, toss the onions in oil.)

Continue to roast the meat another 3½-4 hours until a skewer inserted in the center meets no resistance. (Check the pan juices every hour to make sure they have not evaporated. If necessary, add 2 cups of water to pan and stir browned bits into water.)

Transfer meat to a large baking dish. Put onions in a bowl. Pour dripping's into a measuring glass. Add enough water to measure 3 cups. (You may wish to add a little Gravy Master or a beef bouillon cube, to intensify the flavor with this much water added. I have doubled the sauce amounts from the original recipe, so the pan dripping's will be a little short to flavor
this amount). Cool for 30 minutes  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove meat from refrigerator 2 hours before serving. One hour before serving, preheat oven to 300°. Cut meat into ¼” slices, overlapping in baking dish. Spoon fat layer off dripping's and discard fat. Put dripping's and onions into a large saucepan. Add apple cider, jelly, and vinegar. Bring to boil over med-high heat; then reduce to a simmer. Spoon ½ cup over meat slices. 
Cover with foil. Bake until very hot, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, continue reducing sauce until dark and thickened, about 15 minutes. Reheat this again just before serving. Spoon mixture over pork slices on each serving, or pass for use at the table.

Autumn Chicken with Dijon Cider Sauce (or Pork Chops)

This would also be great with boneless pork chops.


Sauce:
2  cups  apple cider (or juice)
1-1/2  cups  milk
2  Tbs  cornstarch
2  Tbs  Dijon mustard
1/4  tsp  salt
1/4  tsp  black pepper
1/8  tsp  ground red pepper


Apples:
2  Tbs  butter
2  large  apples, unpeeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings


Chicken:
3  Tbs  butter
1/3  cup  flour
3/4  tsp  salt
1/2  tsp  ground black pepper
6  boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1  Tbs  dry sherry or apple cider

To make sauce, bring cider to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Transfer to a cup and let cool. In same saucepan, add all but 2 Tbs of the milk. In a cup dissolve cornstarch the in the 2 reserved tablespoons of milk; add to pan. Stir in mustard, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Stir in cooled reduced cider. Cook and stir until bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make apples, preheat oven to 200°. Melt butter in large skillet. Add apples and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes per side or just until tender. Transfer to oven safe platter and put in oven to keep warm. Leave butter in skillet, adding the 3 Tbs additional butter for cooking the
chicken.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness (put between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a mallet). Dredge in flour mixture and shake off any excess flour mixture. Place chicken in skillet that has the butter in it. Cook over medium high 5
minutes or so, per side. Transfer to apple platter and keep warm in oven.

Add sherry or apple cider to skillet; deglaze. Try to scrape all the brown bits up if you can. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Add cider sauce and cook until heated through. Place chicken and apples on plates and top with cider sauce.

Roast Pork Tuscany

This is a very moist roast.


4  lbs  pork loin
2  sprigs  fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp. dried
4  cloves  garlic, slivered
Salt and pepper to taste

Make several incisions in pork. Insert garlic slivers into cut. Rub meat with garlic and rosemary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast uncovered, @450° for 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and roast another hour or so, until it registers just under 160° on meat thermometer inserted in center.

Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let sit for 25-30 minutes before slicing (this is very important).

Fall-Apart Tender Slow Roast Pork

This may also be prepared in a slow cooker (such as a Crockpot) set on high for 30 minutes, then reduced to low for the day or overnight.


1  4-pound  pork butt roast
1/4  cup  Worcestershire sauce
3/4  cup  light brown sugar
1  cup   apple juice
1/2  tsp  salt

Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange shelf slightly below center.
Place pork roast in a casserole that is just large enough to hold it and that has a lid. Sprinkle pork on all sides with the Worcestershire sauce. Press brown sugar on top and sides of the pork roast. Pour apple juice down the side to the bottom of the casserole and not over the meat. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 200°. Roast for about 5 hours without opening the oven. Remove. If meat does not pull apart easily, cover and return to oven and roast 30 minutes more. Check again, and if meat is still not at the pull-apart stage, roast 30 minutes more. Depending on your oven, the roast might take as long as 7 hours to
reach the pull-apart stage. Pull meat apart and remove the bone. Stir in the salt. Do not omit the salt, which is vital to the taste of the dish.

I like to pour the juices into a pan, removing the grease. Bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water. Pour over shredded pork and serve as an open-faced sandwich.