Winner, Winner, Roast Pork Dinner

Winner, Winner, Roast Pork Dinner

One recipe that really grabbed my attention when I read Ruth’s book this past summer, was a recipe for an apple cider braised pork roast.

Ruth calls for a big bone in pork shoulder roast – and a recipe that feeds 6-8 people.

Now, for a household of two this might not be the best choice, however a pork tenderloin would be just about right!

Now to adjust the recipe to work for such a small cut of meat.

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Serves: 2 with leftovers!

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 1 onion, halved and then sliced in slivers
  • 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, sliced into slivers to insert into the pork
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1/2 cup Hard Cider (I used Angry Orchard)
  • 1-ounce Crown Royal Maple Whisky™
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

This is finished in the oven after browning the meat on the stove top, so I used my Staub™ all purpose pan.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Cut several slits in the pork loin and insert the garlic slivers. Salt and pepper the meat on all sides

Place the pan on the stove over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and the pork loin. Brown the meat on all sides and remove from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and sauté to soften a few minutes. Add the cider and the whisky stirring to loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add back the pork loins, cover and place in the oven.

Cook approximately 35-40 minutes, or until the pork has reached an internal temperature of 145° F.

(Cook’s note, in the last 15 minutes of cooking I added about a cup of halved Brussels Sprouts.)

I served this with a nice big dollop of oven roasted applesauce and it was fantastic! The meal and the applesauce! I had about 8 lbs of apples. I used minimal sugar and butter (1 1/2 tsp and 2 tbsp butter) and it turned out fantastically! I finished it with 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar.

I highly recommend both recipes!

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Tuesday’s with Ruth

Tuesday’s with Ruth

Leaves turning. Early fall farmers’ market. I’ll buy apples, pork, kale, squash, and spend the weekend dancing in the kitchen. Cant’ wait. ~ My Kitchen Year, Ruth Reichl

Last summer I was fortunate to have read Ruth Reichl’s book, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life. To say I loved it is an extreme understatement. And, inspired by Ruth – Tuesdays here at Casa del KatKnits are going to have a new focus.

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Each week I will share with you a recipe from her book, or a recipe inspired by her book. Because that was what really came through for me in My Kitchen Year – being inspired.

To kick it off this week is the perfect Ruth Reichl inspired fall supper:

Pumpkin Ravioli with Turkey Mascarpone Sauce

Now, if you want easy – this is it. I get my pumpkin raviolis from a small local market and they are so good and are only available in the fall. However, if you are inspired to make your own – please, by all means do!

Turkey Mascarpone Sauce:

  • 24 – 36 pumpkin ravioli (I used 6 raviolis per serving)
  • 1.5 pounds ground turkey (I used 93-7 Turkey)
  • 1.5 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 – 8-ounce container of mascarpone
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • 1 to 1.5 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves, minced (reserve 1 or two leaves for topping the pasta)
  • Grated parmesan cheese

Serves: 4-6

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to prepare the ravioli.

Brown the ground turkey, seasoning it with the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. When the turkey is almost browned, add in the fresh sage and cook for a minute, until it begins to soften a bit. Once the turkey has browned add in the mascarpone, stirring to combine. Add in the half and half and the grated nutmeg – stir to combine and simmer over low heat a few minutes to allow the flavors to come together.

While the turkey sauce simmers, cook the ravioli – following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Drain the ravioli well before dishing up and topping with the sauce.

Sprinkle the pasta with the reserved minced sage leaves and some grated parmesan cheese.

This is really such a super easy dinner to make. It is done in less than 30 minutes! I hope you enjoy! I would love to know if you try this!

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Reading, reading, and more reading

Reading, reading, and more reading

Reading has sort of overtaken my time recently, well because GOOD BOOKS! I finished listening to The Book Thief yesterday, but truly – I did not want it to end. What an incredibly poignant and moving story. I sobbed considerably in the last chapters, but still – I did not want it to end.

In an attempt to lift myself from the funk that finishing a book that I did not want to end, I started reading Ruth Reichl’s My Kitchen Year – and it was so delicious that I devoured it in one sitting. I borrowed it from the library, but I promise you, I will be buying it shortly. The recipes look simply incredible, and I think it will be a great thing to cook through the year with her. If you have not read it, you should!

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That makes my Summer Bingo Card looking pretty good! I am listening to David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, which will get me my first bingo! I started reading To Kill a Mockingbird on my Kindle last night, but I did not get very far. I have my squares all set, but one – and I am saving that for the very end. I will go down to my bookshelves and pick something fun for my final read. Now, will I get this done by the time that Labor Day rolls around, we shall see! I am also working through My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. It seems like it is not going to be 900 gazillion degrees out today nor is it raining, so I may be able to steal some time sitting under the pergola reading.

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On the knitting front, I am almost done with the first skein of yarn for Tales from the Isle of Purbeck and just over half way through the fourth chart. I have one chart to go, and I hope to have enough yarn to knit more than one repeat of it. I would like this to be a big, warm shawl (which it will be, but I’d like it bigger!) This is a fun pattern, and what can I say about Elsawool – this stuff is insanely soft. I have the woolen spun fingering weight dark brown Cormo. Light, fluffy, soft – and it is knitting into a fabric that is lovely. You cannot tell from the brown blob that it is right now, but this is going to be the thing to wrap myself in this fall and winter!

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Aside from that, I have been loving my Instant Pot – I made yogurt yesterday and oh.my.gosh. (Topped with homemade peach vanilla preserves it is divine!) And, last night I made beef with broccoli in no time at all (seriously, entire cooking time including resting time – less than 20 minutes). I love to cook, but sometimes standing in the kitchen at the end of the day does not send thrills of joy through my being.

Joining up with Ginny and her Yarn Along today, where you will find inspiration for knitting and reading!

What was the last book you read that you did not want to end?

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