Cooking With PAMA... Chestnut Stuffed Sesame Pork Chops with PAMA Balsamic Reduction

Did you miss me? I missed you. Not having a computer is unfathomable. And to top that off the car has been in shop for a week. No computer, no car, no man ( Certain Someone is away again) makes for a very bad time. But I've been cooking up a storm , so I cant wait to post. I want to thank my good friend Kat for fixing my antiquated computer circa 2005 and ridding it of all the bad guys. Its brutal out there is cyber space. Get checked people!

Anyway I was fortunate enough to receive a sample of PAMA Liqueur. I have had my eye on this spirit for while . I was asked to create a recipe as November is National Pomegranate Month!

Did you know that November is National Pomegranate Month? At the peak of their growing season, pomegranates are the perfect fall fruit. Packed with powerful anti-oxidants and Vitamin C, this super fruit is not only delicious but has even boasts proven health benefits, such as the prevention of anti-aging signs and heart disease. Make a toast to this amazing super fruit with PAMA, the first true pomegranate liqueur. This liqueur truly captures the essence of all-natural pomegranates with their complex, sweet yet tart taste and seductive ruby color. Made from all natural pomegranate juice, premium vodka and a touch of imported tequila, this liqueur is highly mixable and incredibly versatile.

Rather than reinvent the wheel with a cocktail or dessert, I decided to adapt my PAMA to a savory meat based dish inspired by Fall. There are elements of Asian fusion in here with the spices and use of Sesame. The dish went over well and is one I can see myself serving at an elegant dinner again. Enjoy.I will also enter this into the Cooking with Pama Contest. Just made the deadline!

Chestnut Stuffed Sesame Pork Chops with PAMA Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic Reduction

3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 inch peeled ginger cut into pieces

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 whole allspice

1 clove

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup PAMA Liqueur

Additional Ingredients

2 Butterflied Pork Chops

1/2 onion chopped

5-6 chestnuts chopped

Fresh sage leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Sesame Seeds to crust

1 egg white

In a small sauce pan bring Balsamic vinegar , brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, clove, and ginger to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Add PAMA and continue to reduce. Strain Mixture and set aside to cool. Pour into a squeeze bottle.

Make a stuffing of chestnuts , onion, a few leaves of fresh torn sage, slat and pepper to taste. Take your butterflied pork chops and add a few tablespoons of mixture.

Seal Pork chops with toothpicks at 1/2 inch intervals. This will prevent the stuffing from spilling out when baking.

Season chops with salt and pepper. Carefully brush the edges of the chops with egg whites and dip into a plate of sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a oven proof pan, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sear Pork chops for a few minutes on each side( being careful not to brush the sesame crusted edges). Place in preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until internal temperature of 160.

Plate with a few decorative squeezes of Pama Balsamic on plate and over meat.

Garafalo Pasta... Roasted Balsamic Vegetables and Penne

Garafalo contacted me last month and offered me some samples to try. Who am I to say no? What I didn't realize upon delivery was that I have been using this product for the past few years. Their packaging is distinct, but the small script label never registered with me. Certain Someone and I always stock up on Garafalo while shopping at Costco. In these lean times it can stretch a meal and provide me lunch at work. So I guess this cant be called a review because the product has been in repertoire for some some time. Not only did they send me Penne, but Spaghettini as well. Garafalo has 21 Signature Neapolitan pasta offerings . Costco normally mixes up a few in their multi packs.

I have made some changes to my diet on doctors orders. I'm pre hypertensive and need to control my salt intake. As a result I am using balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Non salt blends in my cooking. In less than 2 weeks my taste buds have become accustomed to the natural flavors of food. Tricks like roasting really coax out the goodness of vegetable and more than make up for the lack of salt. When tasting processed or prepared food now, I can taste the excessive salt. So its good that I'm adjusting.

One of my favorite ways with pasta is a simple toss of pasta and my roasted balsamic vegetables. Certain Someone is more of a meat and heavy cream man. But I like it on the light side.

Penne with Roasted Balsamic Vegetables

1 head Cauliflower

1 zucchini

1 pint mushrooms

Green or Red Peppers

1 large Onion

1 carrot

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Dried herbs of your choice ( oregano, thyme,basil)

Garlic minced

Cracked Black Pepper

1 package Garafalo Penne

Clean , seed,and chop, or slice vegetables into pieces. In a large glass bowl toss vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.Let rest for at least 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Boil water for pasta. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

In a roasting pan or cast iron skillet place the vegetables. Roast for 40 minutes or until caramelized and soft .

Toss the pasta in the pan with the vegetables until well Incorporated and coated . At this pint you can add your salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a shaving of Parmesan cheese.

Thanks for all the entries for the Military Wives Cookbook. I drew a name out of a hat...and the winner is Junie Moon! Congrats!

Pineapple Jerky: A review.

A few weeks backs I was asked to review some products from Jerky.com. I am shameless. I love to review books and food. I find nothing wrong with it and its the perk of being a blogger while introducing me to new things. At first I thought I was going to get some meat type of jerky. Certain Someone love jerky and is very picky, so I thought he would love to sample with me. But hes been gone. so nix that. What I actually got was new product from them called Pineapple jerky.

I love dried fruit , but sometimes you find them coated with sugar. Especially pineapple. This was a slice of heaven. Just the right amount and thickness and natural sweetness.I got my package while rushing to pick Certain Someone up from the airport. Blood sugar was a little low and this was the perfect reviver.The taste was pure sweet pineapple. The only additive was honey. I also took a sample to work one morning and found it made a great quick morning snack with some hot tea.If fruit is not your thing check out their vast array of meat snacks ranging from ostrich , venison,elk, buffalo, turkey,and beef jerky. Or better yet, get a combo pack.

I.O Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice, A Chicken Dish,and a Cocktail

I stuck up a Twitter correspondence with the owner of I.O Organics ,Organic Blood Orange Juice. He kindly sent me two bottles for review. I love Blood oranges and to see a product like this naturally intrigued me. Produced on his families farm in Mineo, Sicily, the juice provides 40% more than the FDA recommended amounts of vitamin C. That's more than the average orange. Potassium, fiber, iron,calcium, and Vitamin A round out the health benefits.

I was worried this would be a sugary drink. Absolutely not! The flavor was crisp and tart, while naturally sweet. One can drink this alone, or make a wonderful cocktail.

Of course my unoriginal self immediately used some of the juice for a healthy orange chicken.This chicken is not fried and cooks slow to produce a slow reduction of Blood Orange Juice , molasses, and brown sugar, Toss in some fresh Broccoli to roast and you have a healthy version of Orange Chicken.

Glamah's Not Your Food Court Orange Chicken

1 cup I.O ORGANICS Blood Orange Juice

4 chicken thighs ( bone in)

1 head of fresh broccoli

1.3 cup molasses

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

sea salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste

pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp ground Ginger

In a heavy duty enameled cast iron pan toss all ingredients and add chicken. It will be liquidy. Slowly roast uncovered at 350 degrees F until liquid starts to reduce and thicken. It will take approx 45 depending on your oven. At the 30 minute stage you can add Fresh Broccoli to the pan to roast in the liquids and with the chicken. When the chicken looks about done, you can turn up the oven temp to 475 to help the juices/liquid caramelize and glaze the chicken. Remove from oven and enjoy. Serve with rice.

I also made a cocktail. Its sub zero here in Chicago and the Blood Orange Juice evoked feelings of sunshine for me.

Banana Blood Orangetini

2 parts I.O Blood Orange Juice

1 part vodka

1 part Banana Rum

Combine all ingredients in a martin shaker with ice and serve in a frosted glass.

You can find more information of I.O Organics Blood Orange Juice here.