Provence Braise Of Celery Carrots And Smoky Bacon Recipes

PROVENCE BRAISE OF CELERY, CARROTS AND SMOKY BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly film the bottom of a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan with oil. Heat over medium and add the bacon. Cook slowly until the bacon is clear and has given up much of its fat. Don't let it get beyond pale golden brown. Scoop it up with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Spoon off all but about 5 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Heat over medium high and add the celery hearts, sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Brown them on all their sides, but take care not to let the glaze developing on the bottom of the pan burn. Lift them out and add the carrots to the pan, brown and then add the onion, cooking until it softens. Don't let the glaze burn.
• Put the bacon and celery back in, along with the lemon zest, fennel, thyme or oregano, and water. Simmer as you use a wood spatula to scrape up the glaze from the bottom of the pan. Blend in the tomatoes. Moisten the vegetables with a little more water and cover the pan with a lid or foil to seal it.
• Slip into the oven and cook 35 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Check halfway through cooking to make sure they're not burning, adding a few spoons of water if needed.
• Once the vegetables are tender, carefully remove the pan from the oven (the handle will be hot). Mound the vegetables on a platter and scrape the syrupy pan juices over them. Serve hot. Rice or buttered noodles are good with this dish.

PORK CHOPS IN ORANGE CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare marinade, begin by first toasting the chiles in a hot skillet for a minute or so until they begin to emit a peppery fragrance. Cast iron works best.
• Remove tops from peppers and split into 2 or 3 large pieces. If you want a milder sauce, discard the seeds. Place the pieces in a cup of boiling water for 20 minutes to soften.
• Loosely drain water and place chiles in a blender with the garlic, salt, pepper, brown sugar, orange zest, orange segments, orange juice concentrate, and broth. Blend into a pureé.
• Place the marinade in a resealable bag or container. Add the chops and marinade in the ice box for 8 to 24 hours. Longer really is better.
• To prepare the chops, remove chops from marinade and lightly pat dry. Reserve marinade for the sauce.
• Heat skillet until hot but not smoking. Add a little oil to coat the pan. Cook pork chops for 1 to 2 minutes on each side to get a nice brown sear. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the resrved marinade. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the chops are tender.
• Remove chops from pan and place on plate and tent to keep hot. If you would like a thicker more intensely flavored sauce, reduce heat a small amount and cook down for a few minutes.

BRAISED CELERY (IRISH)

Steps:

• Clean celery, cut into one-inch pieces and place in a casserole dish.
• Finely chop bacon and onion and sprinkle over celery along with chopped parsley.
• Pour on stock. Dot with knobs of butter. Cover dish and bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER CARROT BISQUE

Steps:

• Bring carrots to a boil in chicken broth, turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or until soft.
• Sauté onion and jalapeño in butter, then add to carrots and broth.
• Add milk and spices. If you didn't use low-sodium broth, reduce the salt amount.
• Transfer soup to blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour back into pan and over medium low heat, add cream a little at a time to reach desired consistency.
• Cook a few minutes longer, then serve with green onions on top.

ROASTED ORANGE-PAPRIKA CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel carrots, trim ends and cut lengthwise into quarters. (If the carrots are large, cut in half across, then lengthwise.).
• Put carrots in a bowl with the oil, salt and pepper, paprika and orange juice, stirring to coat the carrots.
• Spread in a heavy baking dish or cast iron skillet large enough to hold carrots in a single layer.
• Bake 30 minutes.
• Add the butter and lemon juice to the pan, stirring to melt the butter. Continue baking about 5 minutes or until the carrots are glazed and tender.