Chinese-Style Pork Chops with 3 Mushrooms

5 T Peanut oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 slices fresh ginger
6 pork chops, 1/2" thick
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 C chicken broth
1/4 lb mixed chanterelle & shitakes, stem & slice
3 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 T oyster sauce
1 T hoisin sauce

In a 12" skillet, heat 4 T peanut oil until medium hot.  Add garlic clove and ginger slices.  Saute 30 seconds, or until they release flavor but do not brown.  Discard garlic and ginger, reserving flavored oil.  Saute pork chops, three at a time, in the flavored oil until nicely browned on all sides.  Remove chops to a place.  Add rice vinegar to skillet.  Stir to scrape up brown bits.  Add chicken broth and simmer until reduced slightly.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 T peanut oil in a medium skillet.  Saute all mushrooms over high heat until they color slightly and begin to release juices.  Add oyster and hoisin sauce to mushrooms, stir well.

Return chops to broth in large skillet.  Scatter mushroom mixture over all.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 12 minutes or just until tender.

Chicken Amandine

1 C toasted almonds, ground
2/3 C minced parsley
1 C fresh bread crumbs
4 whole chicken breasts, halved, skinned & pounded thin
3 egg whites, beaten with 1/2 t water until frothy
1/2 C butter
3/4 C grated Parmesan
2-3 T butter
2-3 T slivered almonds
1 clove garlic
1/4 C dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T sour cream

Combine ground almonds, parsley and bread crumbs.  Dip chicken into egg whites then into almond mixture, coating thoroughly.  Chill several hours to set coating.

Melt 1/2 C butter over medium-high heat.  Saute breasts until brown and crisp on each side.  About 30 seconds before removing chicken from pan, sprinkle 1 T Parmesan on each chicken breast.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

In same pan, melt 2-3 T butter and stir to loosen any particles remaining on bottom.  Add slivered almonds and whole garlic clove.  Saute until almonds are brown.  Add wine and lemon juice, cooking until liquids are reduced by half.  Lower heat and blend in sour cream.  Pour sauce over chicken.

Savory Gruyere Cheesecake

1 1/3 C fine toasted breadcrumbs
5 T unsalted butter, melted
24 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t cayenne
4 eggs
1 C shredded Gruyere cheese
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 T unsalted butter
1/2 lb finely chopped mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste
Marinara

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9" springform pan. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter.  Press crumbs onto bottom and sides of pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Set aside to cool. Reduce heat to 325.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, cram, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne together until smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Divide cheese mixture between 2 bowl.  Stir Gruyere cheese into one.  Stir spinach and green onions into the other.  Pour spinach filling into cooled crust.

In medium skillet, melt 3 T butter and saute mushrooms over medium-high until all moisture evaporates, stirring frequently.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushrooms over spinach filling.  Carefully pour Gruyere over mushrooms.

Set pan on baking sheet.  Bake for 1 1/4 hours.  Turn oven off and cool cheesecake for 1 hour with door ajar.  Then cool on rack to room temp.  Serve in wedges topped with warm marinara sauce.

BLT Cherry Tomatoes

(Makes 36)

36 red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, stems removed

2 cups chopped butter lettuce

1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (about 8 slices)

3-4 T mayonnaise

Salt & pepper to taste

Barely slice tops from cherry tomatoes and scrape out and discard pulp and seeds.  Then slice just enough off the bottom of each tomato to form a flat base so the tomato will sit up.  Place tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain.  In small bowl combine lettuce, bacon and just enough mayonnaise to hold stuffing together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Fill tomato shells with lettuce and bacon stuffing and arrange on platter.

Grapevine

Serves 8

In pitcher, combine 4 cups chilled white grape juice, 1 cup chilled vodka, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and 2 tsp grenadine.

Mix and serve in ice-filled tumblers.  Garnish with a few frozen grapes.

Pizza Soup

Serves 4

3/4 C riso or acini di pepe soup macaroni, uncooked
1 lb Italian sausage
3/4 C chopped onion
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 C chopped green bell peppper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t olive oil
2 C beef broth
2 C traditional spaghetti sauce
2 t dried basil
1 t ground fennel
2 oz shredded mozzarella
Dried basil for garnish

In skillet, brown Italian sausage. Drain. Set aside.


In a large pot, cook macaroni in boiling water about 10 minutes, or until tender.  Drain. Set aside.

In large pot, saute onion, mushrooms, pepper and garlic in olive oil until onion is transparent.  Add beef broth, spaghetti sauce, basil, fennel, sausage, and macaroni.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Mixture will thicken, add water to achieve desired consistency.  Ladle soup into bowls.  Top each with cheese and a pinch of basil.

Note: freezes well

Lamb with Mint Sauce

Sauce:
1 C mint leaves, finely chopped
2ish T sugar
2 T vinegar
3 T water

Combine all ingredients. Let steep 1-2 hours. Taste.  Add more water if flavor is too intense.

Lamb:
1 (5 lb) leg of lamb
3 cloves garlic, peel & slice
Salt
Pepper
6-8 big sprigs of mint
2 C white wine

Preheat oven to 450.  Trim lamb leg of excess fat.  Cut small slits into leg of lamb and insert slices of garlic.  Thoroughly season with salt and pepper.  Put the white wine in the bottom of a roasting pan along with mint sprigs.  Place leg of lamb on mint sprigs in the roasting pan.  Roast 15-20 minutes until a golden brown.  Reduce heat to 350 and continue roasting, basting with wine occasionally, until an internal temp of 140 is reached, approximately 45 minutes.  Rest 25 minutes before carving.