Dish | Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples

The recipe on the cover of Bon Appétit's recent October issue caught my attention the second I spotted it peaking out from the never ending pile of mail that sits by our door. I mean, a Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples... c'mon!!! I'm pretty sure I stood at the bottom of my stairs and read the entire magazine before making my way to my apartment. How can it not catch your eye?! I don't typically enjoy many pork dishes - besides bacon - and even I couldn't keep this dish off my mind. For the past 6 weeks I have been trying to find the right time to make a meal this special. So yesterday, a random Sunday, finally felt like the perfect time to get over my fear of making a pork loin and I am so happy I did. I am confident in saying that this is one of the best things I have ever made, and minus a few minor adjustments, I owe it all to Bon Appétit!

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED PORK LOIN WITH ROASTED APPLES  |  Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit October 2011

Filling:
1 cup oyster mushrooms, chopped
3/4 cup Fuji apples, chopped
1 pound kale, bottom stems trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons rye bourbon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork

Pork:
1 (trimmed) 2 1/2–3 pound pork loin
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
5 sprigs rosemary
4 medium Fuji apples, halved
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry hard cider
1/2 cup low-salt chicken stock

For filling:
1  |  Place mushrooms and apples in separate small bowls. Meanwhile, blanch kale in boiling salted water just until wilted, about 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer kale to a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate until cool. Remove any large, tough ribs.

2  |  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary; cook for 1 minute. Add bourbon and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely. Add ground pork and stir to combine well.

For pork:
1  |  To butterfly, put pork loin on a work surface with short end facing you. Holding a long, thin sharp knife parallel to work surface and beginning along one long side, cut 1/2" above underside of roast. Continue slicing inward, pulling back the meat with your free hand and unrolling the roast like a carpet, until the entire loin is flat. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound to an even thickness.

2  |  Uncover pork. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place kale leaves on top of loin in an even layer, overlapping as needed and leaving a 1" border. Spread filling on top of kale. Roll pork into a tight cylinder. Wrap one layer of prosciutto around roast. Tie roast securely with kitchen twine in 1" intervals. Tuck rosemary sprigs under twine, spacing apart. DO AHEAD: Pork roast can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before continuing.

3  |  Preheat oven to 400°F. Place apples in a roasting pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in a large skillet. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes total, then set on top of apples in pan. Add cider and 1/2 cup water to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Pour mixture into roasting pan. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loin registers 140°F (it will be cooked medium but still slightly pink), about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let roast rest for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Dish | Stuffed Baked Apples + Autumn Pizzas

I am on a roll with all of this seasonal cooking lately! Ryan and I had a perfect day on Sunday: a trip to the hardware store, sandwiches at Hazel's Kitchen, redecorating our bathroom, and a final stop at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for a few Autumn inspired recipes I have been wanting to try.

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH NUTS, HONEY & GINGER

1/3 cup almonds, toasted, chopped
1/3 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 1/4 teaspoons ginger zest
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chilled butter
4 large Fuji apples
1/4 cup apple juice
Vanilla Greek yogurt

1  |  Toast almonds and pecans over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes; allow to cool before chopping. Combine nuts, brown sugar, honey, orange and ginger zest in small bowl. Mix in whipping cream. Let sit until sugar dissolves and filling thickens, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

2  |  Preheat oven to 350°F. Using small sharp knife and starting at side of apple at center point, cut around each apple to make slit in skin to prevent bursting. Using small end of melon baller, scoop out core and all seeds to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Place apples upright in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon filling into hollow of each apple. Mound remaining filling on top of each apple. Pour apple juice around apples. I added a tablespoon of fresh orange juice too. Butter large sheet of foil. Loosely tent dish with foil, buttered side down.

3  |  Bake apples until barely tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until apples are very tender and sauce is bubbling thickly, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer apples and sauce to bowls. Serve with yogurt.

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Some of you might remember a post I did about pizzas back in May (please refer to that post for directions). Pizza is a fun thing to make at home because it allows you to use whatever ingredients you want to experiment with. For this particular round of Autumn inspired pizzas, I went with a Caramelized Onion, Wild Mushroom & Rosemary Pizza with White Wine Sauce and Mozzarella + a Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage Pizza with Fontina. Sorry I'm not doing a full post about these guys, I just felt like sharing.

Dish | New York Steak with Mushrooms & Red Wine Sauce + Crusted Butternut Squash

In my last post, I mentioned my love of all things Autumn. We so rarely eat red meat at our house but with the start of the new season and Ryan being consumed by school already, I thought it would be nice to relax and have one of those special occasion kind of nights, just for us.

NEW YORK STEAK WITH MUSHROOM & RED WINE SAUCE

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Assorted mushrooms, cut into large pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 New York steaks
2 minced garlic cloves
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1  |  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2  |  Melt 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add steak, garlic, and rosemary to skillet. Cook about 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board. Let rest while preparing sauce.

3  |  Discard garlic and rosemary from skillet. Add wine; cook, stirring up bits, until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock; bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in mushrooms and 1 tablespoon tarragon. Season with salt and pepper.

4  |  Spoon mushroom mixture onto plates. Serve steak over mushrooms.

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CRUSTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH  |  Recipe inspired by Sprouted Kitchen/Plenty by Yotam Otteleghi

1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs.)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1  |  Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel the squash; Slice it in half length wise and discard the seeds. Cut into 1/4” slices.

2  |  On a baking tray, pile the squash, drizzle the olive oil and the nutmeg and toss everything to coat evenly. All should have a thin coat of oil, amount may vary based on size of the squash. Spread them out in a single layer on the baking tray. In a food processor pulse together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic, both herbs, a few pinches of salt and a lot of fresh black pepper.

3 |  Sprinkle the topping on the squash. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the tops are browned and the squash is cooked.

Dish | Kebabs with Cilantro-Lime Marinade

We had a BBQ at the house the other night. It was a great bunch of friends, a whole lot of wine, and way too many kebabs! Those who came early got a taste of the sirloin kebabs which I unfortunately did not photograph. I also made my new favorite dish of the summer... Roasted Corn with Manchego & Lime. It's so ridiculously delicious and really complimented the marinade I used on the kebabs. It was an all around success considering we used a propane camping grill on the back deck of our 3rd story flat with little to no light and a good 10 people to feed.

CILANTRO-LIME MARINADE

2/3 cup lime juice, from about 6 limes
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons ginger
1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes

1  |  Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl.

KEBABS  |  Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit August 2005

2 pounds chicken, cut into  1 1/2-inch cubes
2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 large peaches with skin, halved, pitted, quartered and cut into 8 sections
24 pearl onions, peeled
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, cut into squares
24 cremini (brown) mushrooms
2 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch rounds

1  |  Place chicken and steak in separate medium glass bowls. Add 3/4 cup marinade to each and toss until coated. Chill for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.You can use left over marinade for basting.

2  |  Alternate chicken cubes, tomato halves, peach wedges, and pearl onions on skewers. Alternate steak cubes, bell pepper squares, mushrooms, and zucchini rounds on skewers.

3  |  Prepare barbecue and set at medium-high heat. Grill kebabs until slightly charred and cooked as desired, turning occasionally and basting with remaining marinade, about 8 minutes for chicken and 10 minutes for steak. Transfer kebabs to platter. 

Dish | Mac & Cheese

I have been meaning to post this for awhile. One of my all time favorite dishes is Mac & Cheese. I grew up eating the classic Kraft Mac & Cheese, but occasionally - mostly holidays - my grandmother would make classic homemade Macaroni & Cheese. Whenever I see recipes in cookbooks, magazines or on websites of this classic American dish, I like to take notes and jot down anything that catches my eye. Over the past few years and through many rounds of experimenting in the kitchen I have finally come to a recipe that I consider all my own.

MAC & CHEESE  |  Recipe inspired by my grandmother.

6 tablespoons butter, divided by 1/2
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound cremini (brown) mushrooms, stems removed
1 red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk
2 cups grated smoked gouda cheese
2 cups grated fontina cheese, divided by 1/2
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces cavatappi pasta
1 cup breadcrumbs

1  |  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, sauté until translucent, roughly 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, mushrooms, red pepper, then flour. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook and whisk occasionally until mixture begins to boil, roughly 5 minutes. Add 2 cups coarsely grated gouda and 1 cup fontina. Stir until cheeses melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne, nutmeg and cumin. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

2  |  Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil water in large pot over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Stir macaroni into warm cheese sauce. Place half of macaroni in dish; smooth top. Top with remaining 1 cup fontina cheese. Top with remaining macaroni mixture; spread evenly.

3  |  Melt 3 tablespoons butter. Place breadcrumbs in medium bowl. Pour butter over; toss. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over mac & cheese. Bake mac & cheese until breadcrumbs are golden and edges are bubbling, roughly 30-40 minutes.