Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Deadly Director's Cut

I found pork tenderloin on sale so I bought several pieces and thought I’d give this a try for something different. This is a quick and very easy stew and I’ll say it’s okay if you don’t have a lot of time. If you do have time, I far prefer the pork tenderloin I make in the slow cooker. Here’s the link to that recipe. Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin (mysteryloverskitchen.com). It would be nice with egg noodles, but I didn't have any so I just used penne and that worked fine.

Quick Pork Stew with Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium-high. Add pork and cook, stirring a few times, until browned in places and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Add onion and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden in places, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in paprika and tomato paste; cook 30 seconds.

Stir in broth; boil until mixture is reduced to the consistency of a thin gravy, about 10 14 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pot; simmer until pork is just cooked through, about another 10 minutes.

Now available for pre-order: Deadly Director's Cut, the second Catskills Summer Resort mystery from Berkley Prime Crime.

I love ricotta and I love mushrooms and I love savory tarts and pies so I wanted to give this a try after seeing it in in the Globe and Mail newspaper, from the book Earth to Table Bakes by Bettina Schormann and Erin Schiestel. I adapted it slightly and greatly enjoyed it. It makes a lovely vegetarian tart, and would be perfect served with a green salad for having guests to lunch.

Ingredients:

½ cup full-fat ricotta cheese

2 large egg yolks, divided

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

¼ cup full-fat sour cream

1½ teaspoons salt, divided

¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided

1 pound (450 grams) white mushrooms, chopped

½ tbsp dried thyme, divided

¼ cup unsalted butter, divided

1 bunch spring onions, ends trimmed

1 package puff pastry

4 ounces (115 grams) cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet or lay a silicone sheet on top as I do.

In the bowl of a food processor, puree the ricotta until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pulse to combine. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Fold in the sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet over high heat, place the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms. Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and ¼ teaspoons of the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Cut the white parts of the onion into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Slice enough of the green parts to measure 1 cup. In a medium skillet over low heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook until soft and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Be sure not to stir the onions too much so they retain their shape. Remove from the heat and let cool in the skillet.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Set aside.

Roll the puff pastry into 8 by 12 inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Score the dough by running the knife around the perimeter of the pastry, ¼ inch from the edge, cutting only halfway through the dough. Use a pastry brush to cover the edges of the dough, outside the score mark, with the egg wash.

Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pastry, make sure to leave the border bare. Scatter half of the mushrooms over the ricotta. Lay the cheddar slices over the mushrooms. Gently combine the remaining mushrooms with the onions and scatter them over the cheese. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.