Pork Tenderloin with Corn, Tomato & Goat (or Feta) Cheese Salad

Searing pork tenderloin until browned and then letting it finish cooking in the oven makes this an easy, (mostly) hands-off meal. We char fresh corn kernels in the same skillet we use to sear the pork before combining them with tomatoes, arugula, a lemony dressing, and tangy goat cheese. It's no secret that I despise goat cheese so I substituted a low-fat feta instead and it was so tasty!





2 (12 ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 ears cor,n kernels cut from cobs
8 ounces grate tomatoes,halved
2 ounces (2 cups) baby arugula
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Cook pork until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer pork to prepared wire rack. Roast until meat registers 140 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, whisk 2 tablespoons oil, scallions, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now empty skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl with dressing. Add tomatoes and arugula to bowl and toss to combine. Transfer salad to platter and sprinkle with goat cheese. Slice pork 1/2 inch think and serve with salad.

Mujaddara

Mujaddara, the rice and beans of the Middle East, is a hearty one-dish vegetarian rice and lentil pilaf containing large brown or green lentils and crispy fried onion strings. For the pilaf, we found that precooking the lentils and soaking the rice in hot water before combining them ensured that both components cooked evenly. We pare down the typically fussy process of batch-frying onions in several cups of oil to a single batch of onions fried in just 1 1/2 cups of oil. The trick: removing a good bit of the onions’ water before frying by tossing them with salt, microwaving them for 5 minutes, and drying them thoroughly.

Do not substitute smaller French lentils for the green or brown lentils. When preparing the Crispy Onions, be sure to reserve 3 tablespoons of the onion cooking oil for cooking the rice and lentils.

CRISPY ONIONS
It is crucial to thoroughly dry the microwaved onions after rinsing. The best way to accomplish this is to use a salad spinner. Reserve 3 tablespoons of oil when draining the onions to use in Rice and Lentils. Remaining oil may be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated up to 4 weeks.

2 pounds onions, halved and sliced into ¼-inch-thick pieces
2 tsp salt
1½ cups vegetable oil

Toss onions and salt together in a large bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Drain and then transfer to a salad spinner. Spin as much water as possible from the onions. Using paper towels and your hands, continue to squeeze as much water from the onions as possible. Heat vegetable oil on high in a Dutch oven until the oil begins to shimmer. Add onions and stir frequently until onions turn golden brown (25 – 30 minutes). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Remove onions from the Dutch oven with a slotted spoon, transferring them to the baking sheet in one even layer. 
Drain remaining oil through a fine mesh strainer, reserving it for latter.

YOGURT SAUCE
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt

Place yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer and set strainer over a large bowl. Strain for 1 hour.
Transferring yogurt to a medium bowl, whisk in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate while preparing the rest of the dish.

RICE & LENTILS
1¼ cups green or brown lentils, picked through for stones and rinsed
1¼ cups basmati rice
1 recipe Crispy Onions, plus 3 TBS reserved oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

Bring lentils, 4 cups water, and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook until lentils are tender (15 – 17 minutes). Drain and set aside. While the lentils are cooking, place rice in a medium bowl and cover by 2 inches with hot tap water (allow to stand for 15 minutes).

Using your hands, gently wish the rice to release excess starch. Carefully pour off water, leaving rice in bowl. Add cold tap water, swish, pour, and repeat until the water runs nearly clear. Drain rice through a fine-mesh strainer.

Heat reserved oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, ¼ tsp pepper, and cayenne in Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally until the rice begins to turn translucent (about 3 minutes).

Add 2¼ cups water, sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in lentils, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed (about 12 minutes). 

Remove Dutch oven from heat, fold a dishtowel in half, place over pot, replace lid and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff rice and lentils with fork. Stir in cilantro and half the onions. Serve with the remaining onions and yogurt sauce as a garnish.

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

To make shepherd’s pie using chicken instead of the traditional beef or lamb, we use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs that we cook and then shred. This is a little more work than using ground chicken, but the results are well worth it. To flavor the pie, we swap out beef broth for chicken broth and brighten it using lemon juice and fresh thyme. Instead of having to make mashed potatoes and pipe them on top, we simplify the traditional topping by using boiled, cubed potatoes and stirring in butter. Brushing this rustic topping with egg wash makes sure it browns well in the oven.

You will need a 10-inch ovensafe skillet for this recipe. You can use dry white wine in place of the sherry. Swanson Chicken Stock is our taste-test winner. Make sure to use russet potatoes here.

 

2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
6 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbs water

 

Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat to 375 degrees F.  

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in an oven safe 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in 2-3 batches, about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is well-borwned. Transfer to a plate and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet.

Return the skillet to heat and add the onions, carrots, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until they are just softening, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook an additional 30 seconds.  Stir in the sherry and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1-2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, skin-side up. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook until the chicken registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 12 to 14 minutes.  

Remove the skillet from heat and use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Once he chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with about 1 inch of water. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a strong simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes.  

Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.  Return the pot to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring gently, until all of the water has evaporated. This will only take about 1 minute or so. Remove from heat and gently stir in remaining 5 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

Whisk the cornstarch together with 3 tablespoons of water. Return the skillet with the broth and vegetables to the stovetop and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch  mixture, and cook until the thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the peas, lemon juice, and shredded chicken, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the potatoes over the entire surface of the filling. Brush the potatoes with the egg wash.  

Bake in the oven until the pie is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook until the potatoes are golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.