Archives for the 'low carb, low cal' Category
Pork tenderloin with roasted beets and salsify
A quick and easy dinner is just what a Monday night calls for. My favorite way to cook pork tenderloin is in an obscenely hot oven (500°) for about 10 minutes or until the internal temp in the thickest part is 140°. But that requires either a clean oven or the doors and windows wide open to let the smoke out of the house. Since it was raining/snowing/sleeting I decided to forgo my favorite method, instead I cut the tenderloin into medallions and sautéd it in some olive oil. I finished them off with a huge splash of lemon juice and then plated them with some of the pan juices dribbled across the top.
Salsify is also known as oyster plant apparently because someone, somewhere thought that it tasted like an oyster. Well I didn’t get that flavor note but it did taste vaguely nutty and sort of reminded me of a sunchoke. It’s a difficult root to peel because it’s tough and the white sap that exuded as I peeled and chopped was sticky and difficult to get off my hands. It’s also necessary to drop the peeled root in acidulated water immediately or it will turn brown.
Once I got the salsify peeled and chopped I gave it a spin around the bowl with some good olive oil and then I tossed it with some dijon mustard, lemon juice, and yuzu honey. The beets were tossed in that mix too. I roasted the two roots in a 425° oven for about 20 minutes and they came out tender and sweet yet with a tiny bite from the mustard. I’ve been cooking beets like this for years and we’ve always loved them but the recent addition of the yuzu honey has been genius even if I do saw so myself. Even though the salsify was fun to try, I doubt that I’ll be in a hurry to use it again. It’s sappiness and extra steps made it more work than it was worth…at least flavor-wise.
Do you seek out new products to try? What has been your favorite find? For me it’s anything with Yuzu in it.
Be my baby bok choy
Remember those green beans I put in the freezer last summer? The technique of freezing them fresh without blanching them first was absolute perfection. But alas, those beans are gone and I’m in need of something green. I grabbed some bok choy at the Co-op and it was flavorful and delicious…stir-fried with garlic, tons of ginger, a dash each of rice wine, soy sauce, and chili oil.
What are you eating for vegetables?
Salmon en papillote
Cooking fish en papillote…oh excuse me…in parchment paper…is a classic, french method. Like so many other classic methods it has been widely written about on the internets, so I’m not going to drone on and on about it other than to say, if you haven’t tried this yet, you should. It’s easy, fun, and foolproof…even for me. The reason it’s classic is that it works so well. You don’t have to worry about flipping a piece of fish, or think about whether you need to start it skin side down or up (I can never, ever, remember that one).
Cooking in parchment paper allows you to make a little nest for your fish. You can arrange, fuss, season, and generally feel pretty damn good about what you’re doing. Then you fold the paper, slide it in a hot oven, and eat a beautiful dinner 20 minutes later. Yes, technically there is a specific folding technique one is supposed to execute…but perhaps that was relevant before staplers were invented…I’ve always invited office products into my kitchen and this is certainly a most appropriate use of a stapler.
So here’s my recipe…no words…because you know, a picture says…
There is only one thing to remember, build your parchement pack on the cookie sheet you’ll bake it on…otherwise you’ll have to move it.
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