Mother's Day and Moqueca con Pollo

Beef, beef, beef. We've had a lot lately, with all those wonderful Jones Creek Beef roasts. And I still have two more to cook for you. But She Who Must Be Obeyed, and her Mum, declared a mini-moratorium for Mother's Day.

They wanted a pork tenderloin, with roasted parsnips and potatoes, and fried Brussels sprouts. So that's what they got. Plus some lovely Meyer Lemon Curd and Mango Jam tartlets for dessert.

Roasted Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We got a really nice 8 lb pork tenderloin from Costco for less than the cost of 8 lbs of chicken, along with a big bag of dried apricots to make the stuffing. I had some Craisins already, and chopped up an apple to go with about a dozen chopped apricots. They were all

put in a container along with marsala wine, a mini bottle of vodka, a shot of Triple Sec, and allowed to soak over night.

Mother's Day I sliced the pork tenderloin open like a giant French loaf, leaving a hinge on one side. After draining the fruit, I dusted the inside of the loin with Sazon Complete tm, and then ladled in the alcohol-soaked fruit. I folded the top down and tied the roast about every 3 inches, from end to end.

Placing the roast on a non-stick foil covered baking tray, I set the oven to 325F and dusted the roast with Everglades Seasoning tm  and Smoked Paprika. This much pork tenderloin cooks to medium rare in 8-11 minutes per pound at that temperature, so after pre-heat I slid the roast in the hot box and set the timer for 90 minutes.  Then I began prepping the other dishes.

Potatoes and parsnips were peeled, cut into pieces, and roasted in their own pan the same oven. Sally wants to remind you readers that it's Good Thing to par-cook those root veggies before roasting them! Brussels sprouts were halved, drizzled with oil and dusted with Cavender's Greek Seasoning tm before frying them on the griddle.

Tender and juicy, this stuffed pork tenderloin is easy to make!

Sally's Mum went home with enough roast and leftover veg for several meals, Sally has several day's worth of lunches, and I'll be eating pork all week at the boat!

Lemon Curd Tartlets

A couple months ago we harvested the first couple of Meyer lemons from a tree we planted last summer. I turned those lemons into a nice jar of Meyer Lemon Curd, using the Microwave Curd recipe that I detailed here late last year, and stored it in the fridge. Mother's Day seemed like the perfect place to use our yellow treasure, so I looked around for something lemony to do for dessert.

I found a six pack of graham cracker crust mini-tart shells, which just called out to be filled with lemon curd. They were on the shelf at my megamart, next to the larger graham cracker and chocolate cookie pie crusts which are so good for fruit pies.

There wasn't quite enough curd to fill six tarts, but we happened to have a jar of commercial mango jam in the fridge, that filled the other two (the end two on the right, below). I topped the tarts with fresh raspberries and blueberries which aren't tropical, but they sure are tasty.

Moqueca con Pollo

When I made Moqueca, the fabulous Brazilian fish stew, with cod a couple weeks back, both Sally and I remarked that the basic bell pepper/onion/citrus juice/coconut milk "gravy" would probably taste pretty good with chicken instead of fish. Or as Emeril used to say "...you could put that on a car bumper and it would be good". 

To test the idea, last Friday night I made "Moqueca con Pollo". Exactly the same recipe as I posted before, except I pre-cooked a couple chicken breasts about 3/4 done, then added the vegetation. I sauteed the veggies soft, then cut the chicken into pieces and added the citrus, coconut milk and cilantro. Another 15 minutes cooking allowed the flavors to all come together.  

I served the Moqueca con Pollo with Cumin Rice.  This was just as good as the original, and another great thing to do with chicken. I may have a Kilted Cook dinner for eight next week, and this would be the perfect main dish for that event.

Next week, Sous Vide Mojo Chuck Roast compliments of Jones Creek Beef!