Chili-Garlic Pork

Super-easy recipe, but one that I can't take credit for! My friend Jen's family makes this, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and it was DELICIOUS. Since the pork loins tend to come in two-packs, it's incredibly simple to double this recipe, have half tonight, and freeze an entire meal.

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs)
12-oz jar chili sauce (Jen uses Heinz, I just used the generic store brand)
2-3 tbsp minced fresh garlic (save yourself the time and stinky hands and just go with the minced in a jar)

• Pour the entire jar of the chili sauce into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the garlic. It should be about the consistency of cocktail sauce.
• Rinse the pork, add to the chili mixture, and spoon sauce over so the entire loin is covered. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two.
• Turn on ONE HALF of your grill, to high heat.
  
• Once the grill is heated, place the pork loin on the UNHEATED half, and close the lid. (This method, cooking over indirect heat, allows you to cook the pork nice and slowly, which will help prevent the chewy dryness that pork can get when it's cooked too quickly.)
  
• Grill until a meat thermometer reaches at least 165F, turning occasionally.

If you're freezing:

• Follow steps one and two, then place the marinating loin into a freezer bag and remove the air.
  
• Fully defrost in the refrigerator, then continue from step three.

Roasting Corn

Like the peppers, these take a little effort but are well worth it for the smokey flavor the corn picks up. Yum!

• Peel off the outer few leaves from a fresh ear of corn. Set aside one or two.
• Peel back, but not off, the remaining tender, inner leaves. (Don't worry if you lose one or two in the process. You just need enough to protect the corn a bit.)
  
• Remove the silk, and flip the inner leave back up.
  
• Use a strip of the leaves that you removed to tie around the corn, keeping the inner leaves in place. (You can also use twine for this step, but if you do, make sure you soak the corn before putting it on the grill to avoid catching the twine on fire.)
  
• Here, there are two theories. You can either soak the corn for about 30 minutes, or put it directly on the grill. Soaking will steam the corn a little, whereas skipping the soak will give you a heavier smokey flavor. Either method is fine.
• Place the corn on the grill over medium-high heat, rotating occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes or until the kernels are tender. Serve immediately.
  

Roasting Peppers

Roasting peppers is much easier than you may think if you haven't done it before, and can be cone with pretty much any type of peppers. The recipe below uses poblanos, but the same method is used for bells. Whether you're grilling or just using the stove-top, it should only take a few minutes and is well worth the effort. Although I have done it on an electric stove, I don't recommend it for your first few tries. Either way, do yourself a favor and don't leave them unattended! Your beautiful peppers can very quickly go from "nicely roasted" to "burnt to a crisp".

• Turn the grill or the gas stove burner to high, and lay your peppers directly on the grate.
• After a few minutes, the skin will start to blister and turn black. At that point, rotate your pepper so that an unroasted portion is on the grate. Continue until the entire pepper is done.
• Remove the peppers from the heat and place in a paper bag, or bowl with plastic wrap, and let them sit at least half an hour. (This lets the steam from the peppers loosen the remaining uncharred skin.)
• Remove the tops from the peppers. The pepper should be soft, and the skin should come away easily enough to be removed by hand. Take out the seeds, and you're all set.

Roasted Corn & Poblano Soup

With the amazingly warm weather we've been having comes the perfect excuse to visit your local farmer's market: the incredible variety of fresh produce you can find this time of year. This past Thursday, I took my daughter on her very first field trip. We spent the morning at a local farm, feeding animals and enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather, and we came home with 8 peaches and two big bags of freshly-picked corn. I've been dreaming of this soup ever since. We had some family over for dinner tonight, and we all had seconds, including the almost-3-year-old, and soaked up the remaining broth with our bread.




Feeds eight, or one batch for tonight and one for the freezer

3 roasted poblano peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
about 4 cups of roasted corn
4 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
fresh-ground black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 pint heavy cream

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and saute until just starting to wilt.
• Add the sea salt and pepper (to taste), and continue cooking until the leeks are soft.
• Sprinkle leeks with cornstarch, and stir until the cornstarch seems well-dispersed.
• Add the corn, poblano, bell pepper, spices, and broth.
• Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add the cream, stir well, and re-cover. Cook 3-5 more minutes, until warm.