Apple Pepperjack Pork Loin

I'm getting down to the bitter end of my referigerator staples, which means improvising. I had the crazy idea to watch the latest episode of Maste Chef, which involved an abundant amount of apples and absolutely no deserts! Then I saw that I had one lowly apple left in my crisper drawer. Eureka.

I had no bacon but I had pancetta! 

I had one tiny brick of Pepperjack left!

Then everything else fell into place...

Main dish Ingredients:

1lb pork loin, boneless & about 1/8 inch thick (which I had in my freezer)

1/4lb pancetta, diced

1 apple, preferably a sweet variety

4oz Pepperjack cheese, shredded

Breadcrumbs

Salt & pepper to taste

Jalapeño olive oil (plain will work but this jalapeño olive oil gives it a delicious kick)

Dijon mustard

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 TBSP butter

1/2 cup apple juice (or white wine; however the apple juice really ties in the apple flavor from inside the pork)

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 475. Skin & core the apple then finely dice.

2. Mix apple and 1/2 the grated cheese together in a bowl.

3. Generously salt and pepper pork on both sides. 

4. Slather a layer of the cheese and apple mixture on one side of the loin, pushing gently.

5. Roll the loin and secure with a toothpick (diagonally so that both ends barely pertrude).

6. Repeat until all pieces are rolled and secured.

7. Sautée pancetta until crispy and drain on paper towels.

8. Add 1 TBSP of jalapeño olive oil to the same pan over medium.

9. When pan is very hot, add loins and cook 45-60 seconds on each side. Remove from heat and immediately baste in Dijon mustard.

10. Quickly chop half the pancetta and toss with remaing cheese and equal parts bread crumbs.

11. Roll loin in breadcrumb mixture and place on greased baking sheet.

12. Bake ten minutes, turning tray halfway through (I steamed my brocolli at the same time).

13. While loin cooks add onion and butter to the pan you cooked the loin and pancetta in. Coat onion in the butter/olive oil. Cook until translucent. Add apple juice and gently scrape bits of pancetta and pork off the pan to incorporate into your pan sauce. Allow to simmer over medium low until only about half the liquid remains. Toss in the rest of the pancetta.

14. Gently remove toothpicks. Serve.

& if you're interested in a quick and easy desert like this:

Try this Lemon Soufflé Pudding recipe!

Not your sMOTHERed's grilled cheese

My mother's favorite lunch was a grilled cheese sandwich (with tons of ketchup for dipping) and a bowl of tomato soup. I can vividly remember having it for lunch on both Saturday and Sunday when we were all home together. My mother honestly didn't do a lot of "from scratch" cooking, and even most of her beloved grilled cheese ingredients were store bought & processed.   

Now, before you boycott and rant about that last sentence, I love my mother's "cooking" and we don't all have the time to cook from scratch. She went from being a single mother working full time at a law firm to being married, then pregnant, and working full time to then being laid off when her firm moved, which in itself was truly a blessing because she then became a stay at home mother to my brother (who would later be diagnosed with a form of autism) and a loving foster parent to several children over many years. At one time we had twelve mouths to feed after days of parental visitation, psych therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, all after being up each night with a screaming baby (who happened to be withdrawing from whichever cocktail of illegal drugs his mother was on while pregnant). Can you see where I'm going with this? Prepackaged, frozen, and even boxed meals are better than no meal. If you chose to neglect your children and they ended up at my house because you chose malnutrition over a boxed meal, we might have some problems.

All I'm saying is that for my family, I am fortunate enough to have the time and means (and energy) to prepare home cooked meals from scratch. Now when I say "from scratch" that is a loose term because I can't make certain things like cheese. I will attempt it one day though! You heard it here first. And until my household goods arrive, I'm buying my breads. I have yet to feel the need to make my own mayo or mustard. But trust, it is on my mind (and I'm putting a pin in it). 

What you will need for a smothered grilled cheese:

Onion (sliced)

Some other favorite vegetable, sliced (I chose mushrooms; go crazy, pick two)

An herb, torn. chose basil. Thyme is also a favorite! 

Olive oil, or butter (and we are smothering so don't be stingy)

Cheese (now I'm a fan of nearly EVERY cheese that has come my way but I chose Camembert).

Salt and pepper (you must season everything... That is a LAW to a good meal)

A fresh loaf of bread (I bought a loaf of freshly baked white bread but I'm thinking next time I'll try ciabatta).

Mayo (or garlic aioli, I had some leftover from my artichokes)

Sautée your onions in olive oil until they're translucent. Add vegetable(s) and sautée until soft. Smear mayo (or aioli) on both slices of bread. Top each slice with cheese, add sautéed vegetables and torn herb. Drizzle a bit more oil in the pan and cook on medium until golden on each side and cheese is melted. Serve with a bit more aioli for dipping. There you have it!