Oh for the love of Pork!

With the glitter season coming to an end, I turn my attention to other interests - cooking. Let me tell you about Nathan and Tina. Seemingly normal names - right? They are actually the names of the organic pigs that I have shared with my sister the last two years. Yes, I acknowledge that attaching names to the food you are about to eat is odd and maybe slightly creepy. Sorry to all of you vegetarians, but have you tried bacon lately?

I once made split pea soup and my veggie-only friend Lisa broke down and tried some. Evidentially the wafting aroma from my kitchen rendered her powerless.  She picked out the ham, but alas, several hours later ended up in the bathroom ridding herself of all that was pork. After recovering she stated, "it was worth it!"  This is the best compliment a cook can get.

In early December my sister and I split the butcher's packages of ham, bacon, sausage, ribs and roasts.  We will be feasting all Winter long.  If you like to cook, check out my sisters blog, krisapolis for recipes and links to food sites.  Among her many hobbies, she is a proud foodie.

Here are two tested pork related recipes that went over well.  Both are from the foodnetwork compliments of Rachel Ray (another discussion) and Giada De Laurentis.  A note on the bacon wrapped shrimp and scallops...I don't care for scallops, so I opted to do all shrimp and increased the quantity to 24.  I also pre-cooked the bacon for just a bit so it would be good and crispy.  I cut the bacon in 1/2 length-wise - not sure if this is correct, but it worked. Enjoy!

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

2 large eggs

1 cup dried italian-style bread crumbs

3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan

4 (1/2-3/4" thick) center-cut pork loin chops (10-12 ounces each)

Salt and freshly ground black-pepper

6 T olive oil

Lemon wedges for serving

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend.  Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate.  Place the cheese in a third pie plate.  Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper.  Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere.  Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 T of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat.  Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Scallops

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

12 jumbo raw peeled, deveined shrimp, 16-20 count per pound

12 large sea scallops, trimmed and well drained

1 lime, juiced and zested

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T grill seasoning or coarse salt and black pepper

1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

12 slices center cut or applewood smoked bacon, cut in 1/2

Toothpicks

3 scallions, very thinly sliced on an angle

Dress seafood in shallow bowl with lime juice, lime zest, a generous drizzle of sesame oil, grill seasoning and hot pepper flakes.  Wrap each shrimp and scallion with 1/2 slice of bacon and fasten with picks.

Arrange shrimp and scallions on a slotted baking pan, such as a broiler pan to allow draining. Bake 10-14 minutes until shrimp is pink and curled and scallops are opaque. Shrimp may finish before the scallops.

Serve and sprinkle with chopped scallions.