Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellata

Recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

Onion Marmellata

¼ cup olive oil

4 large onions thinly sliced

¼ cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)

Pork Chops

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 to 6 boneless, center-cut pork chops

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

To make the onion marmellata, place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes, then add the remaining marmellata ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should have a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.

Once the marmellata is simmering, season the pork chops: Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and peppers in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. When hot, grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes per side depending on their thickness or 9 to 10 minutes for well done. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Roasted Vegetable Meat Loaf with Balsamic Glaze

Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano
1/2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Glaze:

1 cup ketchup

1 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, peppers, onion and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until almost soft, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the eggs and herbs in a large bowl. Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 cup of the ketchup and 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar and the vegetables and mix until just combined. Mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For the glaze, whisk together the remaining ketchup and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl then brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake the meatloaf for approximately 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. 

If making in the stack cooker, mix chopped veggies, salt, pepper & olive oil into the 3L part of the stack cooker. Cook uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or more.

Once mixture is cooked and cooled, mix in with remaining ingredients, but only add Put colander in the 1.75L casserole with the cone.put the meat all around. Put the cover on, in the open setting.

Cook for 15 min on 80% power. Then mix the ketchup & balsamic vinegar to make a glaze and pour on top of the meatloaf and cook for an additional 10 minutes at 80% power.

Limoncello

This recipe is courtesy of my mom's cousin, Gina, in Italy.

  

Peels of 5 lemons                                            (maybe add 2 more lemon peels)

1 bottle (750 ml) 94% pure alcohol                 (I use 1.14L bottle)

400 g sugar                                                     (600g if putting 1.14L alcohol)

1 bottle (750 ml) boiled water                         (1.14L)

2/3 bottle cold water (or more for weaker limoncello)

Peel 5 lemons (no pulp) and place in a jar with a lid. Add 750 ml alcohol. Seal tight and let stand 48 hours.

Boil 1 bottle (750 ml) water. Put water in a jar with 400 g sugar and shake until sugar is dissolved. Add this mixture to the alcohol and lemon mixture. You may need to change to a pot if jar is not big enough. Mix properly and then drain mixture with sieve to get lemon peels out. Put lemon peels in one of the jars. Add some of the cold water. Shake until water turns yellow. Remove lemon peels. Add alcohol mixture. Add the remaining cold water to lemon peels and shake again until water yellows. This gets all the alcohol out of the peels. Remove peels. Add to alcohol mixture. Mix. Filter liquid into bottles by using a sieve and a coffee filter. Store in freezer.