Penzeys Peachy Pork Picante

by Sheila Connolly

Here's one more recipe celebrating Penzeys Week!



When I was young, my family used to get the F.A.O. Schwartz catalog each holiday season (catalogs were few and far between back then), and my younger sister and I would pore over it, marking our choices—lots of them.

That's how I felt when I discovered the Penzeys spice catalog.  So many wonderful choices!  So many new spices to try!  It was hard to restrain myself, and my spice rack overflowed.  I even bought a jar of galangal once, just because the name was so lovely (and, yes, I've used it, in a ham glaze that was delicious).  I've bought bags and bags of their dried chile peppers and never been disappointed. I currently have five kinds of Penzeys cinnamon in my pantry, and I've been having a ball comparing them.

So it was hard to settle on one recipe here.  In the end I went with one of my family's favorites—another one of those dishes that is quick to make and tasty.  It's also one that gets share a lot—I first had it at a friend's house in Ohio several years ago, and I think it sneaked into The New Yorker once (not a typical place to find recipes!).

It's a great showcase for Penzeys Taco Seasoning.  Most often you see taco seasoning in the form of a small packet in the "foreign" food section of your grocery store.  You'll find several brands, at a range of prices—and usually it's barely enough to make one meal.

At Penzeys it comes in a 4-ounce bag, so you can use as much as you like.  What's more, it's the best I've found.  It's flavorful, well-balanced, and not too spicy (you can always add a little chile or cayenne if you prefer it hotter).

For this recipe you can use whatever kind of pork you have on hand—it does not have to be expensive, as long as you trim off any fat and gristle.  Nor does it have to be cut in tidy, precise cubes!  This is supposed to be easy.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork, cubed

3 Tblsp Penzeys Taco Seasoning

1 14-oz. jar of salsa (or more)

6 Tbsp peach preserves

Toss the pork cubes with the taco seasoning to coat them.  Use as much as it takes to lightly coat the pork pieces.  Sauté the seasoned pork pieces in hot oil. 

Add salsa.

A note about salsa:  like the taco seasoning, you can find many brands on the shelf.  For this dish I prefer one that's chunky, because it makes the texture more interesting.  A full jar is about right.  Of course you can use a more liquid salsa, but then it's more like a sauce.

Add the peach preserves.  This may seem unlikely, but the preserves dissolve nicely in the salsa.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes, over very low heat.  You don't want to overcook the pork because then it becomes too tough and chewy. 

Serve over cooked white rice.

DON'T FORGET THE MLK COOKIE CONTEST!!
Mystery Lovers Kitchen is looking for cookie recipes!

Please send your recipes to:

 

KristaDavis at KristaDavis dot com

We'll choose 10 finalists, whose recipes we'll bake and post here on the blog.
Then you, our readers, will choose the overall winner!

What does that winner win?
A fabulous collection of cookie decorating supplies, that's what!

Pastel Sanding Sugar





Primary Sanding Sugar







Powdered Food Colors



Cute Flower Cookie Stencils

Don't delay. Enter today!

Penzey's Savory Swiss Chicken

This is Penzeys week.


We're a group of best-selling and award-winning mystery writers from all over the country who love food and cooking, and write about it in our books. We've been blogging together at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for nearly two years. And we discovered that we all use Penzeys spices!

If you don't know about Penzeys spices, you should. They carry typical spices as well as gourmet spices from around the world. The spices can be found online and at specialty stores. I love their combination spices like Pariesienne Bonnes Herbes and salt-free chicken and meat rubs like Mural of Flavor and 33rd and Galena. Fabulous cinnamon...the list goes on.

A little history:

[Copied from Gourmet Love to Know]

Penzeys was not always exclusively a spice company. In 1957 Bill Penzey, Sr. and his wife, Ruth, started a small coffee and spice business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their business grew and their son, Bill, began working in the family store when he was just ten years old. Over time the Penzeys dropped coffee and focused on spices and herbs.

In 1986 Bill Penzey, Jr. began a mail order service supplying people all over the country with Penzeys spices. So determined was he to make it work that he put almost all the profits back into the business and published his own catalog on a small home computer.

So when we decided we were doing a tribute to Penzeys spices, I wanted to do something savory. I am always using the herbs that are combos. I love them. So easy, well-balance. I add them to pasta, to rice, to a basic roast that's cooking.

One of my faovrite things is working with chicken. It's such a basic flavor. [I guess a number of us felt this way this week.  LOL] I'm always wondering how I can dress it up and make it taste totally different and very gourmet in a simple way. This time, I decided to slice open the chicken, stuff it with cheese and fresh basil and lots of Pariesienne Bonnes Herbs. I tied (and or skewered) the chicken and barbecued (and/or baked...). Both ways turned out terrific. The chicken is moist. The flavors of the herbs pop with the cheese. Add a dash of paprika for color and you're done. Easy-peasy. Note: The Penzeys catalogue that comes with the spices is packed with recipes!! [This one is my own creation.]

Penzeys Savory Swiss Chicken (Barbecue or Baked)

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

2 chicken breasts (with bones leftin)

4-8 basil leaves

2-4 teaspoons Penzeys ParisienneBonnes Herbes

4 slices Swiss cheese

Kitchen twine (or kite string)

Directions: Rinse chicken breasts. Make a slit in each breast, lengthwise starting from the rib-side. Lay open. Season with Penzeys spices. (This is always about preference. There is no salt in the spice, so the chef needs to decide how much. I used 4 teaspoons.) Layer basil and cheese in the center. (Again with the basil. This is a chef’s preference. I used 2 VERY large leaves in each breast. Do not skimp on the cheese. J) Tie the chicken with twine (or kite string if that’s all you have). *If you’re going to barbecue, make sure you soak the string in water before applying. For barbecue: heat the grill to medium high. Oil the grill. Set the chicken, bone-side down on the grill. Cook on each side for 5 minutes. Reduce the grill to medium-low and grill for another 30-40 minutes. Make sure the skin is crispy (to your liking). For baked: Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Set chicken in a baking pan lined with foil. Close the foil tightly. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Open the foil and remove the TWINE from the chicken. Turn the oven to broil. Broil the chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes, until chicken skin is crispy (to your liking). Serve hot. ********** SOMETHING ELSE IS BREWING.  A CONTEST CALLED  THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS STARTS TODAY VIA MY AGENT BOOKENDS' BLOG. THE RULES AND QUESTIONS ARE ON THE BOOKENDS SITE;  CLUES ARE ON NUMEROUS AUTHORS' SITES, INCLUDING  2 OF US (STARTING AT NOON E.S.T.):  AVERY AAMES AND KRISTA.  HAVE FUN AND HOPE YOU WIN. *********** THE MLK COOKIE CONTEST!! Don't forget that Mystery Lovers Kitchen is looking for cookie recipes! Our Christmas Cookie Contest is on and we're ready to bake (and eat -- poor us) the cookies you love best. Please send your recipes to: KristaDavis at KristaDavis dot com We want gluten-free recipes, too! I'm hoping for an easy, tasty bar recipe. Or something with candy! We'll choose 10 finalists, recipes that we'll bake and post here on the blog. Then you, our readers, will choose the overall winner! What does that winner win? A fabulous collection of cookie decorating supplies, that's what! Pastel Sanding Sugar Primary Sanding Sugar Powdered Food Colors Cute Flower Cookie Stencils Don't delay. Enter today!

* * * * * * * *

And last but hopefully not least, you can learn more about me, Avery, 
by clicking this link.

Chat with me on Facebook and Twitter.

And watch for CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT,
coming February 2012.

* * * * * * * *

BOOKSELLERS LINK

Sherried Chicken--Riley Adams

Penzeys is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2011. Congratulations! At Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, we’re celebrating by featuring a week of Penzeys-inspired recipes.

Even if there’s not a Penzeys store in your town (click here to see where their brick-and-mortar stores are located), their spices are easy to stock up on—just order online, like I do. They have over 250 spices and seasonings, so you’re sure to find something fun to liven up your cooking. Actually, just browsing through their catalog can really help you brainstorm new recipes.recipes on the blog.
The recipe I’m sharing this week is a sort of special-occasion meal for me. Usually it’s something I’ll make when I’ve got company over. But it’s so easy that I really should cook it more often. The longest part of the preparation is the cooking time. And clean-up is a snap.

The Penzeys spice is Bouquet Garni which is a combination of savory, rosemary, thyme, Turkish oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage and tarragon.

Penzeys Sherried Chicken

4 T butter (divided)
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon Penzeys Bouquet Garni
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Melt 2 T of the butter in a frying pan. Add the sliced mushrooms and green onions and sauté until the mushrooms are tender. Set the mushroom mixture aside. Add the remaining 2 T of the butter to melt, then add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the chicken with Penzeys Bouquet Garni while browning the chicken (about 3-5 minutes). Pour the sherry into the pan. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until tender. Blend the water and cornstarch and add to the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (about 5-7 minutes). Add the mushrooms and green onions to the pan. Serve (also good over rice or pasta).

What’s your favorite spice to cook with?
Riley/Elizabeth Hickory Smoked Homicide (now available!)
Finger Lickin’ Dead (Riley Adams)Progressive Dinner Deadly

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE MYSTERY LOVERS’ KITCHEN CHRISTMAS COOKIE CONTEST!

To enter, send your favorite recipe to Krista (KristaDavis at KristaDavis dot com).
We'll choose 10 finalists, recipes that we'll bake and post here on the blog.
Then you, our readers, will choose the overall winner who will win a fabulous collection of cookie decorating supplies!

Cleo Coyle’s Oatmeal Cookie Brittle (No Flour or Butter) + Win $25 in Penzeys Spices

We're celebrating cooking with Penzeys spices! One lucky commenter on this post has won a $25.00 shopping spree of Penzeys spices (in stores, by phone, or online). The runner-up has won a large bottle of apple pie spice, which is featured in this recipe. Winners will be announced here in my new blog post on Tuesday, December 13th!

Cleo Coyle, who thinks
spice is the spice of life,
 is author of the
Coffeehouse Mysteries.

The holidays in my big, Italian family were always gastronomically glorious. Several of my relatives were in the food or restaurant business and my aunts, great aunts, and cousins were all excellent cooks, most of whom took pride in giving trays of homemade Italian cookies as holiday gifts.

I learned much growing up at the knees of these folks, and (no surprise) I was a chunky monkey through much of my girlhood. Over the years, the bathroom scale has gone up and down, but I’ve never let it kill my joy of cooking and eating. The older I become, the more I channel my foodie passion into experimenting with recipes, challenging myself to make them lighter and healthier—without giving up the pleasure of flavor. 

Of course, I still enjoy baking up decadent treats. To see the many (mainly chocolate) recipes featured in my latest Coffeehouse Mystery, Murder by Mocha, like these ganache-dipped chocolate chip cookie dough bites, click here. :)

For today, however, I’m sharing a somewhat healthier cookie option for your holiday trays: Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Brittle. There is no flour in my recipe yet the cookie is delightfully crispy and chewy. There is no butter yet the caramelization in the baking makes the cookie taste buttery. It’s also packed with the heart-healthy whole grain of oatmeal, the wonderful Omega-3 nutrition of walnuts and the antioxidants of raisins.

(I know, I know!) So the cookies have a great personality. How do they taste? My husband, Marc, who often cooks with me, declared this one of the best oatmeal treats he’s ever eaten. Certainly, if you prefer your oatmeal cookies thick and soft, you won't agree—and might be happier using the “drop cookie” instructions I provide instead. But if you’re game for a thin, crisp yet chewy cookie that’s full of flavor, the brittle may work for you.

This recipe is also pretty versatile. You can keep it healthy and simple or you can tart it up for holiday or dessert trays, adding toffee bits, Craisins, butterscotch and/or white chocolate chips.

I ❤ PENZEYS 

You’ll notice I’m using Penzeys apple pie spice in this recipe. Like my fellow bloggers, I find Penzeys herbs and spices to be of the highest quality and potency. You can certainly make your own apple pie spice by blending spices in your own kitchen (and I give you a quick recipe for it today), but I find buying the blend pre-mixed is a time saver.

(Read more about today’s Penzeys giveaways after my recipe below.)

AN OAT BY ANY OTHER NAME 

Finally, this recipe calls for “quick cooking oats,” and in case any of you are wondering…

QUESTION: What’s the difference between Quick Cooking Oats, Rolled Oats, and Steel Cut Oats? Is one “healthier” than the other? Can I substitute one for another in a recipe? 

ANSWER: (1) Steel cut oats (left) are whole oats that have been chopped up a bit. (2) Rolled oats (center) are whole oats that have been steamed and rolled flat. (3) Quick cooking oats (which is what this recipe calls for) are rolled oats that have been chopped up even further so they'll cook faster. 


All three of these oats carry nearly the same amount of fiber and nutrition. The primary difference among them is in how they’re cut. Read more here. As for recipes, do not substitute. Any recipe the specifies a certain kind of oats is attempting to create a specific texture in the end product, so substituting one type for another will produce less than optimum results. 

Cleo Coyle’s
Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Brittle
(Or drop cookies)

As readers of this blog know, whole grained oats and I are old friends. For today’s recipe, I’m employing the same technique I used in my Oatmeal Cookie Muffins. (For a PDF of that recipe, click here.)

The technique is simply this: I soak the oats overnight. This hydrates the oats, allowing the mixture to develop great flavor and the proper texture for the recipe. The next day, I simply stir in a few more ingredients and then bake the whole thing as a large, flat pan cookie. It hardens as it cools. Then I’ll either break it up like brittle or cut it into shapes with a pizza cutter. You can also create drop cookies from this recipe, just be sure to flatten them out with the crisscross of fork tongs before cooking. 

To download a PDF copy of this recipe that you can print, save, or share, click here. 

My highly sophisticated method for finely
chopping nuts: Seal whole walnuts in a
plastic bag and bang away. Whole
walnuts are less expensive than
pre-chopped and can't we all use a
little primal pounding therapy before
the holidays?

Makes about 24 pieces of brittle or 2 dozen drop cookies 

INGREDIENTS

For the overnight mix:

2 cups “quick cooking” oatmeal (not instant, not rolled)
1 cup light brown sugar 
1/3 cup apple sauce (natural, 
no-sugar added) 
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil 
1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (I use Penzeys; you can also mix your own, see how below**) 

For the next day additions: 

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (chop first, and then measure)
1/4 cup raisins

Tasty variations: Replace raisins with Craisins or dried cranberries; replace walnuts with finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts.

Holiday add-ins: 1/4 cup toffee bits (such as Heath brand Bits ’O Brickle). In addition, try adding 1/2 cup butterscotch chips; OR 1/2 cup white chocolate chips; OR split the amount, adding 1/4 cup of butterscotch and 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips.

**Make Your own Apple Pie Spice (from About.com): For every 1 teaspoon mix the following spices: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (some cooks replace cardamom with ginger)

DIRECTIONS

Step 1 – Overnight soak: Into a plastic container, stir together the quick-cooking oats, light brown sugar, apple sauce, oil, and apple pie spice. Mix until well combined. Seal the plastic container and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Do not skip this step. You must allow the oats to hydrate and the flavors to develop. (Do not soak longer than 48 hours.) 

Step 2 – Create the dough: Add in the egg, salt, vanilla, finely chopped walnuts, and raisins. Mix well. (If you are adding any other optional extras, fold them in at this time.) 

Step 3 – Line your pan: Preheat oven to 350º F. Very important: You must line a baking sheet or half-sheet pan with parchment paper. If you do not line the pan, you will not be able to lift the brittle off the hot pan and cool it properly. 

Step 4 – Flatten the dough: The secret to this cookie is spreading it very thin. So dump the dough onto the lined pan and use a fork (yes a fork, it works best) to flatten the dough into an extremely thin layer (around 1/8 inch). 

Step 5 – Bake and cool: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cookie is done when it turns a light brown, feels fairly firm to the touch in the center, and is crisp around its edges. (See my photos.) Remove pan from oven and see below for options on cutting. 

Option A - Break like brittle: Slide the parchment paper off the hot pan and onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. You can speed up this process by sliding the rack into the refrigerator. Once the cookie is hard, break it into pieces with your hands, as you would peanut brittle. To keep the brittle from become too dry or stale, store it sealed in a plastic container. 

Option B - Slice into shapes: For this option, you'll want to under-bake the brittle slightly, leaning more toward 25 minutes rather than 30. When the pan cookie is finished baking, slide it, parchment paper and all, onto a cutting board. Quickly, while the pan cookie is still warm, use a pizza cutter to slice off the rough ends off the cookie, creating a straight edge on all four sides. Now slice up the warm cookie. Cut first into large squares. Then slice the squares into diagonals to create triangles. Once it's completely cool, store it sealed in a plastic container. 

(Option B - Sliced into Triangles)

Option C - Drop Cookies: Instead of making one big pan cookie, you can simply drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto a lined baking sheet. With the prongs of a fork, crisscross each mound to flatten, much as you would a traditional peanut butter cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes. 

The drop cookies in my photos are all dressed up for the holidays and include my optional add-ins: butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, and toffee bits. 

Penzeys
Apple Pie Spice

Penzeys makes its Apple Pie Spice from a mix of China and Korintje cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Frankly, I didn’t know the difference between China and Korintje cinnamon, but Penzeys catalog educated me. China Cinnamon (Tung Hing) is extra sweet, spicy and strong. Indonesia Cinnamon (Korintje) is as strong as China cinnamon but smoother, more mellow, and not as nippy. I love the two cinnamons working together to give the best flavor possible to my cookies.

As is obvious, simply reading the Penzeys catalog (which includes info and recipes) is a joy. It’s free and you can subscribe to it here via their online site. If you win the $25.00 Penzeys gift card, you can order your herbs and spices through their website, drop by their stores, or order by phone via their catalog. Then you can cook and...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes,
enter to win free coffee, or

learn about my books,
including my bestselling
Haunted Bookshop series,
visit my online coffeehouse:

CoffeehouseMystery.com

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are national bestselling

culinary mysteries set in a landmark Greenwich Village 

coffeehouse, and each of the ten titles includes the 

added bonus of recipes. 

 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.