Maple-Serrano-Glazed Pork Steaks with Roasted Veggies and Roundhouse Punch
We’ve got some catching up to do. Once Thanksgiving hit, we got behind and more behind and I quite cleverly stashed my camera battery charger somewhere out of the way… and then promptly lost it for a month and a half. But I found the charger two days ago and won’t make any excuses beyond that.
We’ve had some lovely meals over the past month and a half and I must admit, it has felt good to not worry about taking pretty pictures while Christian flies through preparation or the exact measures of a cocktail, and then the task of uploading it all the next day. But that’s all fun, too. My timing is ironic, as today many websites have gone dark to protest SOPA/PIPA. This fledgling blog probably could not exist under those proposed rules, so if you haven’t contacted your representatives yet, consider taking a few moments to add your voice. The first link sends you to Wikipedia’s homepage, which for 24 hours is blacked out, and can quickly get you in contact with your local Congresspeople.
That all being said, time to get back to the task at hand. Most recently, pork and roasted veggies. Hearty and warming on a cold winter’s night. Nothing fussy, but the flavors were bright and the serrano chiles added a perfect heat.
For a cocktail, I experimented with a gift from Butter. A mason jar with a label that says “Strawberry Balsamic Shrub.” What the… ? Butter specifically said she thought I would enjoy playing with it in cocktails, but I had no idea what to expect when I tried some. So, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that shrubs are delicious.You can read more about them in this post from Butter, but basically the idea is “one part fruit, one part sugar, one part vinegar.” If you can’t get past the idea of vinegar in your cocktail, well, that means more for those of us who enjoy a drink with some backbone! ”Punch,” if you will. I made these with barrel-aged gin from Roundhouse Spirits… I don’t get into Chuck Norris jokes usually but this one’s for him.
Roasted Winter Veggies
- 2 Sweet potatoes, lazily peeled and diced to 3/4 inch pieces
- 1 Onion, peeled and cut into slices
- 2 Leeks, cleaned and trimmed of roots and tough greens, then chopped
- 3-4 Cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in halves
- 1/4 Cup [or so] olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl, add olive oil and spices to taste, and stir to combine.
- Spread evenly on a large jelly roll pan and place in oven [but not on the bottom rack like I did... as you can see in the pictures]. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway [which I also forgot]. Easy unless you’re scatterbrained like me. And remember, this works for nearly any sort of wintry vegetable you have laying around!
Maple-Serrano-Glazed Pork Steaks
For the glaze:
- 2 Cups maple syrup [don't skimp... buy the
goodreal stuff] - 3 Dried Serrano chiles, or your favorite
- 3 Cloves garlic
- Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and steep on low heat for 30 minutes
- 2 Pork Steaks ( 1lb )
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add in 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Generously season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper
- Sear quickly, about 3 minutes, on each side to brown. Remove and set on cookie sheet
- Using brush or spoon, glaze both sides of steak generously. Reserve some glaze for after cooking
- Cook for approximately 10 minutes in the oven or until desired doneness is reached
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes
- Glaze again with syrup
- Slice and drizzle more syrup over the sliced pieces
- Enjoy!
Roundhouse Punch
- 2 Ounces Roundhouse Spirits Imperial barrel-aged gin
- 1-2 Teaspoons strawberry balsamic shrub
- Squeeze of lemon
- Tonic or sparkling water, optional
- Combine the gin, shrub and lemon juice with crushed ice, and stir. Add tonic or sparkling water to taste, or enjoy as is! KNOCKOUT.
- And remember, Chuck Norris does not own a stove, oven, or microwave, because revenge is a dish best served cold.
