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Pork Chops and Squash with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette

When I was a little girl, I loved going to the farm with my dad for Sunday chores.

I would “drive” the pickup down the gravel road off the highway. The farm dog — usually a German Shepherd mix, and always named “Ginger” or “Lassie” for as long as my dad could remember — would greet us excitedly, jump up all over me, and scare the bejesus out of me.

Once in the hog building, he would push some buttons, releasing the feed would be released. My little cowboy boot-clad feet would kick the excess feed into the troughs. Every once in awhile, a sow would be loose from her pen and running around. That’s when the terror of a big scary farm dog gets trumped by a big, scary pig running around, trying to trample you to death and kill you.

(Have my memories embellished over the last 20-some years, or is life really that scary when you’re 4?)

Ironically, as a child I didn’t really care for pork. Other than bacon and sausage, natch, and smoked pork chops cooked on the grill in the summer. Regular pork chops, tenderloin, ribs, pork shoulder, and even ham were things I tolerated as a kid when I had to, but fell in love with as an adult — years after my family left the hog business.

I love incorporating pork chops into my weeknight menus. Simple, quick, and versatile. This recipe comes together in under an hour, with less than 15 minutes of hands-on work, and features a few seasonal ingredients. It’s the kind of recipe that works equally well on a weeknight after the gym or hosting dinner guests on a Sunday night.

Pork Chops and Squash with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 2

1 tablespoon roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1 1/2 – 2 pounds acorn or other winter squash, seeded and cut into 1″ wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 1″-thick bone-in pork chops

1 clove garlic, inced

1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish

1 tablespoon or more fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash, turning occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 35-40 minutes.

When squash has been roasting for 30 minutes, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and cook until brown, 5-8 minutes. Turn over and cook until pork is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Whisk garlic, chopped cilantro, lime juice, pepitas, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl to combine. Season vinaigrette with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired.

Divide squash and pork among plates; spoon vinaigrette over. Top with cilantro leaves.

Runzas

Happy 146th birthday, Nebraska! What better way to celebrate than making a homemade batch of runzas? Sunday afternoon.

For those who didn’t have the pleasure of growing up in the Cornhusker State, a runza is bread dough, filled with beef and cabbage. It’s essentially the German equivalent of a perogi or empanada.

I could say a lot more… but you’ll either love it or you won’t. :)

Homemade Runzas

Family recipe

Makes 15-20

Dough:
4 1/2 – 5 cups flour, divided
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature

Filling:
1 1/2 – 2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 small or medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 small cabbage, finely chopped (NOTE: the finer the cabbage is chopped, the better it will cook down)
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons dry beef-onion soup mix
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper

Measure 3 cups flour and put into a large bowl or stand mixer bowl. Create a well in the center. Heat milk, water, and shortening to 90-110 degrees. Pour into the well, and sprinkle with yeast. Let set for 10 minutes until yeast is bubbly. Stir together. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and beat together. Using either a electric stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or a bowl and hands, work in additional flour and then knead until dough until smooth and elastic. Place into a greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Let rest in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down; let rest 10 minutes.

Brown ground beef and onion. Add cabbage, water, and soup mix; cover and cook until cabbage has cooked down to desired liking.

Drain thoroughly. Pour meat mixture into a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in cheese.

Roll dough onto a large lightly floured surface. Roll as thinly as possible. (To quote my Dad: “More filling, less bread!”) Cut into squares about 7×7″. Place about a 1/4-cup of meat mixture in center. Bring corners of dough to the center, pinching edges together tightly.

Pinch the dough edges together to seal. Make sure you drain the meat thoroughly. Extra liquid makes it difficult to seal the dough and keep the filling inside. Place smooth side up on lightly greased baking sheets. Let rise 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Angel Food Cake

Buzzfeed recently declared cake as one of fifteen signs it’s going to be a great day. (And btw, big shout-out to my college town, Lincoln, Nebraska, for making the list at #2. Whoever is responsible for your marketing is pretty fantastic).

And you know what, Buzzfeed? You’re totally right.

Cupcakes and cake pops may be the “it” treats, but there’s something special about a whole cake.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like people treat cupcakes as a grab-and-go, individual treat. Or maybe it’s just that cupcakes have become so commonplace, they’ve lost their charm. After all, if every sandwich shop, bakery, and food truck within a mile of your office sells cupcakes, what’s the big deal?

With cake, people linger. They grab another beer, share another joke. Magically, the cake becomes the focal point of the gathering.

(Who me, melodramatic? No way.) And good cake disappears faster than any cupcake I’ve ever made.

The raison d’être for yesterday’s purple and green cake was a Mardi Gras-themed happy hour. I opted for angel food cake (with a little food coloring folded in for fun), topped with fresh whipped cream. People loved it, and I received more than one request for a pink variation on Valentine’s Day.

Angel food cake is a classic, simple dessert that requires only a few ingredients. I especially love it in the summer with fresh berries.

Angel food is essentially meringue with flour folded in. You’ll need an ungreased 9-inch tube pan and a bottle with a narrow neck (beer generally works better than wine) for cooling the cake. If you have it, use a stand mixer, but it can be made with a handheld mixer. The flour is then folded in with a rubber spatula.

Most cakes contain baking soda and/or powder and will rise in the oven; with angel food, the cake is only as high as the batter. The goal, then, is to keep the batter “big.” The more you beat or stir the mix, the more air you will release, causing the batter to shrink. To fold the batter, make a few figure-8’s while keeping the handle of your spatula vertical. Don’t over-mix.

After beating the egg whites, add the sugar in a steady stream.

Beat the batter until medium to stiff peaks form.

When folding, keep the spatula vertical, moving in a figure-8 motion, with as few strokes as possible.

Food coloring adds playfulness to a simple dessert.

I was told there would be cake… because I volunteered to bring it.

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from Baking, by James Peterson

Makes one 9-inch tube cake

15 egg whites (2 cups)
Pinch of cream of tarter (unless using a copper bowl)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/4 cups cake flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on medium-high speed n a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for about 3 minutes, or with a handheld mixer on high for about 8 minutes, until medium peaks form. Add the sugar in a steady stream and beat for about 2 minutes more in a stand mixer or 5 minutes more with a handheld mixer, until medium to stiff peaks form. It’s better to underbeat slightly than to overbeat.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the egg white mixture. Sift the flour over the mixture in about 4 batches, alternating between adding flour and folding the batter until the flour is no longer visible.

Carefully transfer the batter to an ungreased 9-inch tube pan. Cut a knife through the batter to release trapped air. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a paring knife or skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake feels firm and springs back to the touch.

Turn the tube pan upside down and set over the neck of a bottle to cool for 45 minutes. Slide a knife around the outside rim of the pan and remove the outer piece of the pan. Slide the knife around the bottom of the base and around the tube in the middle. Invert the cake onto a cake rack and lift off the pan. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

For whipped cream, beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream on high with an electric mixer. When soft peaks form, add 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to serve.