Mountain Omelette

Hearty and delicious!
  
     This is an old recipe from way back when I was cooking in Philadelphia.  When I worked in Philadelphia, it seemed like every fine restaurant offered three common standard menu items no matter what the theme of the restaurant was.  The three common menu items were French Onion Soup Gratinee, Philadelphia Cheese Steak and omelettes.  Omelettes were offered as lunch and dinner entrees.
     Philadelphia is a town where you can find some very nice dinner omelette creations on the menu.  Most omelettes that are on the dinner menu do have catchy names.  This mountain omelette was a very popular menu item at a very busy upscale public house that I worked in.
     Dinner omelette sales usually were better during winter months, but yhis mountain omelette was popular year round.  Later in my career, I sold the mountain omelette as a Sunday brunch special du jour with success too.
     There is something that is very appealing about a rich hearty omelette!  The theme for this omelette says it all.  Cold brisk mornings and evenings in the mountains give reason to eat some hearty food, especially when hunting, fishing or camping.  This mountain omelette is great for warming up in chilly weather.
  
     Brown Gravy:
     Heat a sauce pot over medium heat.
     Add 4 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add an equal amount of flour while stirring with a whisk to form a roux.
     Constantly stir the roux, till it becomes a tan color.
     Add 2 cups of rich beef stock.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Stir the gravy as it heats and thickens.
     Bring the gravy to a gentle boil.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.
     Simmer and reduce the gravy, till it becomes a medium thin sauce consistency.
     Keep the brown gravy warm over very low heat.
  
     Mountain Omelette:
     Cut a few thin slices of beef from a piece of steak or tender roast.  (Top sirloin is nice for this recipe.  About 3 to 4 ounces of sliced beef is enough.)
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 3 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 3 sliced medium size portabella mushrooms.

     Saute till the mushrooms get some golden brown highlights and become tender.

     Set the mushrooms aside on a dish and keep them warm on a stove top.  Leave the pan on the heat.

     Add a little bit of unsalted butter, if necessary.

     Add the sliced beef.
     Saute the beef, till it becomes fully cooked and lightly browned.
     Season the beef with sea salt and black pepper.
     Set the cooked beef slices aside and keep them warm on a stove top.
     Heat a non stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 3 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 2 whisked eggs.
     Use a rubber spatula to even the edges of the omelette.
     When the bottom of the omelette becomes firm, flip the omelette.
     Place a few thin slices of Swiss Cheese on the omelette.
     Place the cooked thin slices of beef on the omelette.
     Place most of the mushroom slices on the omelette, but save a few mushroom slices to set on top of the omelette as a garnish.
     Spoon a little bit of gravy over the beef and mushrooms.
     When the eggs become fully cooked, fold the omelette in half.
     Slide the omelette onto a plate.
     Spoon a generous amount of beef gravy over the omelette.
     Place a few of the sauteed mushroom slices on top of the omelette as a garnish.
     Garnish the plate with a parsley sprig.
     Serve with a breakfast potato of your choice.
  
     This mountain omelette is rich and comfortable!  I made this omelette with only 2 eggs, so it would not be too heavy for an afternoon meal.  This is a very nice dinner omelette that is not difficult to make!  Yum!  ...  Shawna

Coconut Tilapia over Coconut Curry Island Vegetables with Mashed Yama Blanco and Pigeon Peas

Caribbean food, Mon!
  
     Many people have tried a classic coconut crusted shrimp entree in restaurants and liked it.  In Florida and the caribbean, coconut crusted fish is also a popular item.
     I chose to use tilapia instead of a snapper for this recipe.  Gulf red snapper, mutton snapper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper and yellowtail snapper are usually my first choice for this recipe.  Because of the lingering gulf oil spill contamination, I just don't trust gulf seafood.  Unfortunately it will be a long time before I do trust gulf seafood.  All snapper are listed as unsustainable these days, so this is an even better reason to choose an alternative fish.
     Tilapia is farm raised in brackish water ponds.  The farming technique for tilapia has improved over the years.  Tilapia used to taste muddy several years ago.  Now the flesh of tilapia has a nice clean flavor.  Tilapia actually is in the snapper family of fish.  A coconut coating on tilapia tastes delicious!
     The bed of vegetables is lightly sauteed and simmered with coconut milk and curry spices.  Jicama is one of the vegetables in the mixture.  Jicama adds a light sweet apple flavor to the curry.  Curry is very popular in the caribbean islands. 
     Pigeon peas are served everywhere in the caribbean.  Pigeon peas have a sweet pea, lentil and bean kind of flavor that is quite interesting.

     This is a very nice caribbean style entree, Mon!  By the way, portions tend to be large in the caribbean for casual dining.  It is easy to work up an appetite when fishing and snorkeling all day!

   
     Yams,  Malanga, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes:
     I have given up trying to explain the difference between true yams, sweet potatoes and potatoes, because sweet potatoes are often marketed as yams.  Here we go one more time!  Because a root call white yam or yama blanco is called for in this recipe, it is important to know what this root really is.  Caribbean yama blanco is not a yam!
     Sweet potatoes and potatoes are native to the Americas.  A few yams are native to the Americas, but most are native to Africa and asia.  All three of these root vegetables come from three different plant species.  Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family of plants.
     To add to the confusion, there is both a white sweet potato and a white yam.  True white yam is large with a brown skin and it is native to Africa.  White sweet potato has a red skin and it is native to the Americas.  White sweet potato is usually called yama blanco in the caribbean, Mexico, America and South America.  The flavor of yama blanco is incredibly sweet and fruity.  Yama blanco is my favorite yam, even though it is really a sweet potato.
     There are purple potatoes, purple yams and purple sweet potatoes.  This is off topic as far as today's recipe is concerned, because purple root tubers of any kind are not traditional in the caribbean.  The exception is along the coastline of Central and South America.  A high percentage of purple yams used in asian cuisine are actually purple sweet potatoes that are native to the Americas.  True purple yams are also native to the Americas and they are also used in asian recipes.  Both are starchy and can be turned into a purple flour for desserts.
     Cocoyam (yellow yam) is another caribbean island favorite and it is not related to potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes.  Cocoyam is also called malanga, yautia or malanga yautia.  Cocoyam is actually the root of a certain species of elephant ear plant and it that is the species of plant that taro comes from.  So now you know four separate species of caribbean root vegetables that are mistakenly only divided into two species at markets as yams or potatoes.
     Just to add a twist, long yellow sweet potatoes are often called cocoyam by caribbean islanders.  Yellow sweet potatoes are called yellow yams by caribbean chefs who want to avoid confusion, which actually adds to the confusion.  To make it clear, malanga is called cocoyam because the skin of this root is brown, rough, fibrous and coarse like the fibrous hull of a coconut shell.  The flesh of cocoyam is ivory white.
   
     Mashed Yama Blanco  (White Sweet Potato):
     Yama Blanco is a red skin sweet potato that has a white flesh!  It is often call white yam.
     Boil a 6 ounce yama blanco in water over medium high heat, till it becomes tender.
     Remove the white yam from the pot and drain off the water.
     Hold the tuber with a dry towel and scrape the skin off, with the back of a paring knife.
     Place the soft white yama blanco flesh in a mixing bowl.
     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 tablespoon of cream.
     Add 1 small pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of allspice.
     Thoroughly mash the yam mixture, till it becomes very smooth and thick.
     Place the mashed yam into a star tipped pastry bag and keep it warm on a stove top.
  
     Pigeon Peas:
     Place a portion of rinsed cooked dried pigeon peas or rinsed canned pigeon peas into a small sauce pot.
     Add just enough light chicken broth to barely cover the pigeon peas.
     Add 1 unsalted butter pat.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Bring the liquid to a gentle boil over medium heat.
     Keep the pigeon peas warm over very low heat.
  
     Coconut Curry Island Vegetables:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 3 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 minced garlic clove.
     Add 1 teaspoon of ginger paste.
     When the garlic becomes aromatic, add 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of each of these vegetables that are cut into long strips:
     - jicama
     - peeled celery
     - carrot
     - green bell pepper
     Saute the vegetables, till they just start to become tender.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.  (Coconut milk will break and separate at a high temperature!)
     Add 3/4 cup of coconut milk.
     Add 1 pinch of turmeric.
     Add 2 pinches of garam masala curry powder.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice.
     Add sea salt.  (Black pepper and white pepper are in the garam masala mixture!)
     Gently simmer and reduce, till the coconut milk thickens to a medium thin sauce consistency.
     Set the vegetables aside and keep them warm on a stove top.
  
     Coconut Tilapia:
     Heat a saute pan over medium  heat.
     Add about enough vegetable frying oil, so the oil is 1/4" deep.
     Add 1 tablespoon of clarified butter (ghee).
     Heat the oil to 360º.  (I can judge temperature by eye.  Use a probe thermometer if you are not sure!)
     Cut some tilapia filets into 6 medium size pieces that weigh 2 1/2 to 3 ounces apiece.
     Dredge the tilapia pieces in flour.
     Dip the tilapia pieces in egg wash.
     Mix some shredded coconut and fine bread crumbs together in a bowl.  (The breading mixture should be about 70% coconut and 30% fine bread crumbs.)
     Season the coconut breading mixture with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
     Lightly dredge the egg washed tilapia in the coconut breading mixture one piece at a time.
     Place each coated piece of tilapia into the hot butter and oil.
     Pan fry the coconut tilapia on both sides, till the coconut turns a golden brown color.  (Be careful not to burn the coconut!  It browns in only about 30 to 45 seconds of pan frying!)
     Remove each piece of coconut tilapia from the pan as they brown and place them on a baking pan.
     Bake the coconut tilapia in a 300º oven, till the fish becomes fully cooked.  (A probe thermometer should read 145º in the center.)  Tilapia cooks quickly, so the baking time is only a few minutes.  The coconut coating will not burn, if it is baked for a short time in a moderate temperature oven.
     Remove the coconut tilapia from the oven.
  
     Coconut Tilapia over Coconut Curry Island Vegetables with Mashed Yama Blanco and Pigeon Peas:
     Place the coconut curry island vegetables on the middle of a plate as a bed for the coconut tilapia pieces.
     Pour any coconut curry sauce in the pan over the vegetables.
     Arrange the coconut tilapia pieces on top of the vegetables.
     Pipe the mashed white yam onto the plate with the pastry bag.
     Spoon some pigeon peas onto the plate.
     Garnish the plate with an Italian parsley sprig and a couple of curled lime slices.
  
     This coconut tilapia entree is delicious, Mon!  Every item on this plate is caribbean style food.  Yum!  Ya Mon!  ...  Shawna  

Smoked Turkey and Marinated Jicama Manzano Pepper Tacos

     Smoked turkey is a very nice flavor for a light taco.  I used a portion of smoked turkey wing to make this entree.  Where I am currently located, the smoked meats are very fresh and they are of high quality.
     Most lunch meat style smoked turkey is not really smoked at all.  Most lunch meat smoked turkey is flavored with an artificial liquid smoke.  Good smoked turkey is a much better choice.  The smoked turkey for this taco entree is seasoned with a pinch of mild ground ancho chile pepper.
     The jicama slaw is a basic oil and vinegar slaw.  The light crisp apple flavor of jicama is perfect for smoked turkey.  Peruvian orange manzano peppers have a great chile pepper flavor.  Manzano peppers look like small orange globes.  Manzano peppers have a medium hot spicy chile pepper heat.  Manzano peppers are hotter than jalapenos or serrano peppers and they are about as hot as an arbol pepper.  If you prefer a milder chile pepper, then use jalapeno for the slaw recipe.
  
     Smoked Turkey Taco Filling:
     Remove the skin, bones and cartilage from a turkey wing section.  (About 4 to 5 ounces of smoked turkey is enough to make these two tacos.)
     Slice the smoked turkey meat into thin strips.
     Heat a saute pan over medium low heat.
     Add the smoked turkey strips.
     Add a little bit of water.
     Add 1 pinch of ground ancho chile.
     Add 1 pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
     Slowly simmer the smoked turkey, till it becomes warm and tender.
     Keep the smoked turkey warm over very low heat.
  
     Marinated Jicama Manzano Pepper:
     Place 1/2 cup of very thinly julienne sliced jicama strips into a mixing bowl.
     Add 6 thin strips of manzano chile pepper.
     Add 6 thin strips of green bell pepper.
     Add 8 thin strips of onion.
     Add 1/2 of a thin sliced green onion.
     Add 8 thin sliced carrot strips.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of blended olive oil.
     Add 2 tablespoons of water.
     Add 1 small pinch of ground celery seed.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add about 5-7 leaves of chopped cilantro.
     Toss the ingredients together and set it aside to let the flavors meld.
  
     Smoked Turkey and Marinated Jicama Manzano Pepper Tacos:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
     Place 1 corn tortilla in the pan.
     Grill both sides of the corn tortilla, till it becomes lightly toasted.  Toast the taco so it is not fully crisp and so that it can be bent.
     Set the grilled tortilla on a dry towel and pat off any excess oil.
     Two grilled tortillas are needed for this recipe.
     Drain the water off of the warm seasoned smoked turkey.
     Place an equal amount of smoked turkey on each grilled tortilla.
     Place some of the jicama manzano pepper slaw on each taco.
     Set the tacos on a plate next to each other.
     Garnish the plate with a lettuce leaf, a slice of tomato and a few thin jalapeno pepper slices.
     Place a dollop of sour cream on the plate.
     Garnish the sour cream with a black olive.
     Serve with guacamole on the side.
     The tacos in the pictures were served with boiled canned pigeon peas that are seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.
  
    Crispy light tasty tacos!  Yum!  ...  Shawna          

Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel Sandwich with Dijon Horseradish Sauce and Chile Guajillo Jicama

This is a yummy sandwich!

    
     Pan fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches were very popular in the late 1900's.  This sandwich is simply a pork tenderloin schnitzel on a toasted kaiser bun.  The horseradish sauce is served on the side.  Lettuce and tomato accompaniments are served on the side, because the hot schnitzel would wilt and brown the lettuce on the way to the table.  

     The french fry shaped pieces of jicama are seasoned with guajillo chile pepper and vinegar.  This style of chile jicama is very popular as a refreshing snack in Mexico.  Chile guajillo has a mildly spicy fruity classic chile pepper flavor.  

    
     Chile Guajillo Jicama Recipe:
     Cut 1 handful of french fry shaped pieces of peeled jicama.  

     Place them in a bowl.  

     Add sea salt and black pepper.  

     Add 2 pinches of ground chile guajillo.  

     Add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar.  

     Toss the ingredients together and set the chile jicama aside.  

    
     Dijon Horseradish Sauce Recipe:
     Place 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise in a small bowl.  

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of horseradish.  

     Add 1 teaspoons of dijon mustard.  

     Stir the ingredients together.  

     Place the dijon horseradish sauce into a small ramekin.  

     Set the ramekin aside.  

    
     Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel Sandwich Recipe:
     Cut a 4-5 ounce piece of trimmed pork tenderloin.  (About a 3 inch long piece of pork tenderloin is enough for this sandwich.)  

     Butterfly cut the piece of tenderloin open.  

     Place the butterflied pork tenderloin on a counter top.  

     Cover the pork with a piece of plastic wrap.  

     Pound the pork tenderloin flat and thin with a meat mallet or a wine bottle.  The tenderloin piece should be pounded to less than a 1/4 inch thick.  

     Dredge the flat piece of pork tenderloin in flour.  

     Dredge the pork in egg wash.  

     Dredge the egg washed pork in fine bread crumbs that are seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.  

     Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.  

     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.  

     Split a kaiser roll in half.  

     Grill the kaiser roll in the hot butter, till it becomes toasted.  

     Set the grilled kaiser roll aside.  

     Add 1 generous splash of vegetable oil to the hot pan.
     Raise the temperature to medium/medium high heat. 

     When the oil becomes hot, place the breaded pork tenderloin into the pan.  

     Pan fry the pork schnitzel on both sides, till it becomes a golden brown color.  

     Remove the schnitzel from the pan and drain off any excess grease on a dry towel.  

    
     Assembly:
     Place a piece of lettuce leaf on a plate as a bed for the jicama.  

     Set the jicama sticks on the lettuce.  

     Place a piece of lettuce and a few thin Roma tomato slices on the plate.  

     Place the bottom half of the grilled kaiser bun on the plate.  

     Set the pork tenderloin schnitzel on the bun.  

     Set the top of the kaiser bun on the schnitzel.  

     Place the ramekin of dijon horseradish sauce on the plate.  

    
     Simply delicious!  The pork tenderloin is pounded very thin, so it cooks quickly.  The flavor is like a classic pork schnitzel.  The dijon mustard flavored horseradish sauce is perfect for the schnitzel.  The Mexican chile guajillo jicama is so very refreshing and crisp.  Yum!  ...  Shawna         

Smoked Turkey and Jicama Salad Tossed with Danish Bleu Cheese Vinaegrette

A great tasting salad!  The crunchy mild apple flavor of jicama is perfect with smoked turkey and Danish bleu cheese vinaegrette!
    
     Chicago is still a major meat processing and meat smoking town.  Most of the smoked meats that you see in American grocery stores were smoked in Chicago.  Locally in Chicago, smoked meats are very fresh.  One smoked turkey wing has more than enough meat to make this salad with.
     Bleu cheese dressing is one of those items that is never great tasting when it is bought pre-made at a grocery store.  A fresh made creamy bleu cheese dressing is always a better choice.  Chain restaurants serve some of the lowest quality bottled pre-made bleu cheese dressing that there is.  What is even worse is when a poorly trained pantry cook or waitress puts way too much pre-made bleu cheese dressing on a salad.  Dumping more poor quality dressing on a salad, will not make a salad taste any better.
     Before the creamy buttermilk or mayonnaise based bleu cheese dressings became popular, vinaegrette was the base of a good bleu cheese salad dressing.  The original roquefort dressing was created in New Orleans at a famous French restaurant.  The original roquefort dressing recipe was a red wine vinaegrette with roquefort cheese thoroughly blended into the dressing, till it became creamy.  Roquefort cheese has been unavailable in American markets for quite some time.  Danish bleu cheese is a good substitute for roquefort.  American Maytag blue cheese has way too heavy of a texture and it is just too dense.  Maytag blue cheese is not exactly considered to be a gourmet item, when compared to the bleu cheese of europe that have been made since the age of the Roman empire.  The quality of the bleu cheese does make a big difference, when making a bleu cheese dressing!
     A bleu cheese dressing that is made with a vinaegrette has a crisp light accompanying red wine vinegar flavor that is truly healthy and delightful.  No matter how good the salad dressing may be, only use enough dressing to minimally coat the lettuce and salad ingredients!  Salad dressing should not be used to cover up or mask salad flavors.  A salad dressing should accent the flavors of the salad!
    
     Danish Bleu Cheese Vinaegrette:
     This recipe makes 2 servings of dressing!  
     Because Danish bleu is a double cream content cheese, it will mellow the flavor of the vinaegrette.  This soft bleu cheese will not crumble and it has to be thin sliced for this recipe.  
     The proportion of vinegar in this recipe is higher than a standard vinaegrette.  Adjusting the vinegar to oil proportion to create a desired effect, is part of mastering the art of vinaegrette. 
     Place 1/2 teaspoon of minced shallot in a small mixing bowl.
     Add 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard.
     Add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice.
     Slowly stream 4 tablespoons olive oil, while whisking, till an emulsified vinaegrette is created.
     Add 2 tablespoons of very thin sliced Danish bleu cheese.
     Briefly whisk the dressing, till the Danish bleu cheese starts to combine and cream the dressing.  Try to leave just a few small chunks of the bleu cheese intact in the dressing.
     Note:  This dressing should have a dull red wine vinegar color with a little bit of blue cheese color.  This is not the prettiest salad dressing to look at on its own, but it will look nice when tossed with the salad ingredients.  The flavor will more than make up for the looks!
    
     Smoked Turkey and Jicama Salad Tossed with Danish Bleu Cheese Vinaegrette:
     Place 2 cups of coarsely chopped small Boston lettuce leaves in a mixing bowl.
     Add 5 to 6 thin plum tomato wedges.
     Add a few thin green bell pepper strips.
     Add a few thin long slices of carrot.
     Add 1 green onion that is cut into very thin shreds.
     Add 1/2 cup of peeled jicama that is cut into thin strips.
     Remove the skin, bones and cartilage from a smoked turkey wing.
     Cut 3 to 4 ounces of the smoked turkey wing meat into thin strips.
     Add the portion of smoked turkey strips to the salad in the mixing bowl.
     Add just enough of the Danish bleu cheese vinaegrette to the salad, while tossing, to lightly coat the salad ingredients with flavor.  (Do not drown the salad!)
     Place 3 large Boston lettuce leaves on a plate as a bed for the tossed salad.
     Mound the tossed salad high on the bed of Boston lettuce leaves.
     No garnish is necessary.
    
     It is hard to describe how nice this salad tastes!  Smokey turkey, crispy light apple flavored jicama, garden vegetables and lettuce all go well with a Danish bleu cheese vinaegrette.  Yum!  ...  Shawna    

Bulgarian Pork Chop a la Sliven

Bulgarian food!
    
     Pork is popular in Bulgaria.  In fact, Bulgaria produces some of the highest quality pork and pork products in the world.  Sliven is a very old Bulgarian community.  Pork chops in the style of Sliven is a nice comfortable plate of food!
     The pork chop and vegetables are sauteed and then slowly baked in a covered baking dish or pan.  A minimum of seasoning is used for this recipe.  Sliven cuisine has old Roman and Slavic influences.  Greek spices are not usually used for recipes in Sliven region of Bulgaria.  The key rich flavors of this pork chop recipe come from the aromatic mirepoix vegetables, tomato and mushrooms.  When the pork chop is done baking, the vegetables become the thick sauce that cling to the pork chop.
     These old Roman and eastern european cooking techniques are what the French later named Le Poeler and Le Braiser.  Many Bulgarian cooks that I have worked with are modest and they know that where a cooking technique was created or who created a cooking technique is really a matter of no importance.  The only thing that really matters, is that a traditional entree must be cooked correctly.  
     The attitude of placing no importance on the details of who is credited for creating a cuisson is not bad.  It does break down walls of pride, overzealous cuisine patriotism, claims of false originality and biased statements of one cuisine being better than another.  It also keeps arguments to a minimum in a professional kitchen.
     Eastern europeans can argue and debate over topic matter for days and weeks!  Two Bulgarians argued back and forth over one little item for over three weeks at a kitchen that I worked in.  A couple times a week, the chef would walk by and say "Are you two guys still arguing about that?"  The chef then just shook his head and walked away.  I asked what was going on and the chef said "Its a Bulgarian thing!"  Finally after three weeks, the chef walked by the Bulgarians and said "I see that you two are no longer arguing!"  The Bulgarians both turned to the chef and said "We came to a mutual agreement" and they just coldly stared at the chef, till the chef walked away!  I did not even bother to say a word.  I just shook my head and went back to work!      
  
     Bulgarian Pork Chop a la Sliven:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of blended olive oil.
     Season a large 8 to 12 ounce Pork Chop with sea salt and black pepper.
     Place the pork chop in the hot pan.
     Pan sear the pork chop on both sides, till it gets some brown highlights.
     Add 1/3 cup of diced carrot.
     Add 1/3 cup of diced celery.
     Add 1/3 cup of diced onion.
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Saute the mirepoix vegetables, till they start to become tender.
     Add 2 chopped small portabella mushrooms.
     Add 1 fluted or carved small portabella mushroom.  (This mushroom will be used as the garnish!)
     Saute till the mushrooms become tender.
     Add 1 diced ripe plum tomato.
     Saute till the tomato becomes tender.
     Add 1 pinch chopped parsley.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 3/4 cup of dry white wine.
     Add enough water to almost cover the pork chop.
     Cover the saute pan with a loose fitting lid.
     Place the covered pan in a 325º oven.
     Bake the pork chop for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
     Note:  Allow the liquid to reduce to a thick sauce that can cling to the pork chop.  Only add water if the sauce starts to become dry, before the pork chop becomes tender.
     Remove the pan from the oven.
     Set the pork chop on a plate.
     Spoon the thick sauce over the pork chop.
     Place the cooked fluted mushroom on top of the pork chop as a garnish.
     Serve with buttered boiled potato slices that are seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and chopped Italian parsley.
     Garnish the plate with an Italian parsley sprig.
  
     The flavors of Pork Chop a la Sliven are gentle yet hearty.  The pork chop is tender and juicy after baking with the vegetables and acidic wine.
     Use a good dry white wine for this recipe.  I used a French white burgundy chardonnay.  A table wine that you would be happy to drink, is the best choice for a cooking wine.
     This Pork Chop a la Sliven recipe is a must try!  Yum!  ...  Shawna        

Jicama, Napa Cabbage and Manzano Pepper Salad with Cilantro Honey Orange Vinaegrette

     This light refreshing salad has a few accompaniments that taste nice with jicama.  Orange juice and cilantro is a tasty flavor combination for a light vinaegrette dressing.  Honey is a nice natural sweetener for a light vinaegrette.
     Manzano peppers are in the South American rocoto pepper family.  Manzano peppers are shaped like orange colored globes.  Some markets give chile manzano the name globe peppers.  I have seen them sold as peron peppers too.  Manzano peppers are used in many Peruvian recipes.  Real manzano peppers are the only chile peppers that have black seeds.
     Manzano peppers are quite flavorful and they do have medium spicy hot bite.  If the seeds and pulp are removed, then the pepper flesh will be much less spicy.  Most of the hot pepper oils are in the pulpy seed area of a hot chile pepper.
     Jicama is a tuber from a vine plant that is native to Mexico.  The tuber looks like a fat round potato.  Jicama tastes like crispy fresh apple and potato combined.  In Mexico, jicama is commonly served raw and seasoned with chile powder as a snack.  Jicama can be served raw or it can be cooked like a vegetable.
  
     Cilantro Honey Orange Vinaegrette:
     There are three major styles of vinaegrette.  Loosely combined, partially emulsified and fully emulsified.  Loose vinaegrette needs to be stirred or shaken before serving.
     The honey should only balance the acidic vinegar flavor in this vinaegrette.  With a tart sweet balance, the orange flavor is easily noticed.
     Place 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed orange juice in a small mixing bowl.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of chopped cilantro leaves.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of honey.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced shallot.
     Add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Slowly add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, while stirring, to create a loose vinaegrette.
     Let the dressing set for 10 minutes, so the flavors meld.
  
     Jicama, Napa Cabbage and Manzano Pepper Salad with Cilantro Honey Orange Vinaegrette:
     Cut 1 1/3 cups of napa cabbage heart leaves into thin strips and place them into a mixing bowl.
     Add 1/2 cup of peeled jicama that is cut into very thin strips.
     Add a few thin orange manzano pepper strips.
     Note:  Only add a few manzano pepper strips or this salad will become fiery spicy hot, like a Thai cabbage salad that is requested to be prepared at spicy hot level #10 at a Thai restaurant!
     Add a few thin green bell pepper strips.
     Add a few very thin sliced carrot strips for color.
     Add the white part of a green onion that is cut into very thin strips.
     Pour some of the cilantro honey orange dressing over the salad ingredients.
     Toss the salad, till the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
     Place 5-6 small napa cabbage leaves on the center of a plate in a starfish pattern as a bed for the tossed salad.
     Mound the tossed jicama, napa cabbage and manzano pepper salad high on the center of the plate.
     No garnish is necessary.
  
     This salad will put a smile on any jicama fan's face!  This is salad recipe is refreshing on a hot afternoon.  Yum!  ...  Shawna