In search of spring favorites as Easter approaches
Welcome, readers, to Fare Exchange. As spring begins, special holidays approach. The Jewish Passover and Christian Holy Week begin the first week of April, which gives us just enough time to collect some new recipes for lamb, for special-occasion spring vegetables and for light, airy desserts. And, yes, beautiful breads. Our cooking companion A.E. made those requests, so hopefully you will help.
C.W. is a fan of Korean cooking and today asks you for recipes using gochujang paste. “I believe this paste was originally used with Korean barbecue but has many uses. I have bought a big tub of gochujang at the Asian Food Market on Hixson Pike and would like to try a variety of Korean recipes.”
PINEAPPLE PIE
Everett Kidder honored his aunt in sending this recipe that answers the request for pineapple dishes. “Here is my Aunt Rena’s Pineapple Pie: an easy, fruity, summery pie that goes well in any setting. I remember this recipe as a child in the mid-1940s, so it has to be at least 75 years old.”
Aunt Rena’s Pineapple Pie
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups of crushed pineapple, canned or fresh, well-drained (or more; see directions that follow)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 large egg, beaten
1 recipe pie crust
Combine sugar and flour.
Mix together with pineapple, lemon and beaten egg.
Taste, then add more sugar if necessary. We like the pie a little on the tart side, but others may want it sweeter.
You might find you need more pineapple, drained.
Use your favorite pie crust recipe, and if you want, make a lattice-style top. Pour pineapple mixture into bottom shell, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
PORK TENDERLOIN
Tim Threadgill gave us a Spanish riff on the healthful pork tenderloin theme.
Spanish-Style Brined Pork Tenderloin
Sherry vinegar and paprika give this pork tenderloin a traditional Spanish flair. Adding vinegar at the end brightens the flavors of the dish.
3 ½ cups water
¼ cup kosher salt (such
as Diamond Crystal) ¼ cup sugar
¼ cup sherry vinegar
1 cup ice cubes
1 (1 1/2-pound) pork
tenderloin, trimmed 2 tablespoons paprika 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper 1 teaspoon chopped fresh
sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons olive oil Cooking spray 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar for drizzling at the end
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Pour salt mixture into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add ice and pork; seal. Refrigerate 3 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Combine paprika and next 5 ingredients (paprika through garlic).
Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium-high and leaving one side with no heat.
Remove pork from bag, and discard brine. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Brush oil evenly over pork; rub with paprika mixture. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray over mediumhigh heat; grill pork 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Place pork on grill rack over unheated side. Close lid, and grill pork an additional 20 minutes or until thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 155 degrees (slightly pink), turning the pork occasionally. Place pork on a platter. Cover with foil, and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover, and drizzle pork with 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar.
Makes 6 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces pork)
Nutrition per serving: 169 calories (calories from fat 30%), 5.7 grams fat (1.6 grams saturated, 2.9 grams monounsaturated, 0.7 gram polyunsaturated), 24.2 grams protein, 4.5 grams carbohydrates, 0.6 gram fiber, 74 milligrams cholesterol; 2.1 milligrams iron, 343 milligrams sodium, 18 milligrams calcium.
FOOD SAFETY
As promised, here are more of Jane Guthrie’s tips for preserving food, gathered from several sources. Use your own wisdom at home; these are only tips, but helpful nonetheless.
Two kinds of advice follow: how long foods ought to last, and what you can do to help them last.
› Canned and jarred goods: As a rule, metal lasts longer than glass, which lasts longer than plastic. As long as there is no outward sign of spoilage (such as bulging or rust), or visible spoilage when you open it (such as cloudiness, moldiness or rotten smells), your canned fruits, vegetables and meats will remain as delicious and palatable as the day you bought them for years. The little button on the top of jarred goods (which will bulge if there has been significant bacterial action inside the jar) is still the best way to tell if the contents are all right to eat. Depending on storage, that could be a year or a decade. Similarly, cans and glass bottles are OK for up to a year.
› Plastic bottled foods last for a few months. (Most plastics are gas permeable.)
› Salad dressings will last for months or over a year in the fridge, especially if they come in bottles with narrow squeeze openings (as opposed to open-mouthed jars).
› Mustard lasts forever.
› Ketchup will start to turn color before the year is out, but will still remain palatable.
› Mayonnaise has an exceptionally long shelf life, contrary to popular opinion, especially when it doesn’t contain ingredients like fresh lemon juice or garlic. (High concentrations of fat, salt and acid are all enemies of bacteria and mold.)
› Milk: We’ve all accidentally poured some clumpy spoiled milk into our cereal bowls. It seems as if milk is perfectly fine, until it’s suddenly not. Why does it go bad overnight? The truth is, it doesn’t. The moment you open a carton of milk, bacteria start to digest lactose (milk sugars) and produce acidic byproducts. Once its pH hits 4.6, that’s when casein (milk protein) clumps.
Want longer-lasting milk? Look for “ultrahigh temperature,” or UHT, on the label.
As usual, your words are worthy and your recipes are tasty. Thanks for coming to the conversation.