Braised Pork Loin Chops with Barley

My grandmother used to make a similar recipe, only she used pork shoulder steaks which have quite a bit of fat on them.  In my version I cut down on the fat by using very lean boneless pork loin chops.  The chops are cooked very slowly on very low heat.  Beef stock is added at 20 minute intervals to keep the chops moist.  Take care to make sure there is liquid in the skillet at all times.  However, do not completely submerge your chops in liquid.  The liquid should only come half way up the chops.   Do not speed up the cooking process, or you will end up with a very dry chop!  And finally cooked barley is added at the end with additional beef broth …very tasty barley! 

Note: Cook your barley according to the package directions.  You can even do this the day before, and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.  This way the barley is ready when you are.

Enjoy!

Healthy Ingredients:

• Boneless pork loin chops


• Unsalted, non-fat beef stock


• Barley

Braised Pork Loin Chops with Barley

Serves 5 - 6 people

¼ - ½ Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend

½ Tsp. Poultry seasoning

¼ Tsp. Ground black pepper

Dash of Sea salt

6 (1/2 inch thick) Boneless pork loin chops

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil

1 Large sweet onion, sliced into ¼ wide x 1 inch long slices

2 ½ Cups Beef stock, fat free and unsalted; divided use

1 Tbls. Fresh thyme leaves, from about 5-6 stems (strip the leaves off and discard stems)

2 Cups cooked barley

Heat a 12-inch skillet (I recommend not using a non-stick skillet) on medium high heat.

 

In a small bowl, mix together the Mrs. Dash, poultry seasoning, pepper and sea salt.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on both sides of the chops. 

Add olive oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat the bottom.  Add chops to the skillet and brown on both sides (do not turn chops until they release from the bottom of the skillet).  Remove chops to a plate, cover and set aside.

 

Turn heat down to medium, add onions.  Cook the onions until they are translucent, taking care to turn often so they do not burn.

Turn the heat down to very low; add ½ cup beef stock and heat.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from bottom of the skillet.  Add the chops back in the skillet and sprinkle with thyme leaves.  Cover and braise the chops for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes of cooking, turn chops over, stir the onions and add an additional ½ cup of beef stock.  Cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Do not let your skillet dry out; chops should be cooking in liquid at all times!  (If you feel the liquid is evaporating too quickly, you are cooking at too high of a heat; turn the heat down lower.)  The chops are done when they are very tender, and separate easily when cut.

Remove chops to a dish; leaving the onions and stock in the skillet.  Spoon about 5 tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the skillet over the chops.  Cover and set aside.

Turn heat up to medium high and add remaining cup of beef stock to the skillet; cook until it reaches a boil.  Turn heat down to very low, add cooked barley, and heat through for about 5 - 8 minutes; stirring often.

Serve chops on top of the cooked barley.  I suggest serving applesauce on the side.  Applesauce and pork...seems as though they were made for each other.

Vegetable Beef Soup with Barley and Lentils

Both my mother and grandmother would make big pots of soup in the winter.  The aroma of cooking soup would fill the house for hours.  After great anticipation, the soup was finally on the table…so satisfying.

I love homemade vegetable beef soup; the canned variety never quite made it for me.  It is the one soup that you can add almost any vegetable you want and will not be disappointed.  It is my experience that root vegetables hold up much better in the cooking process. If at the end of the cooking process you feel that you still need more vegetables, add some frozen mixed vegetables and continue to cook until the frozen veggies are tender.

Cabbage is a staple in any vegetable beef soup I make.  In this recipe I use just regular cabbage; it retains some of its firmness to the very end.  In the past, for a change-up, I used savoy cabbage and found it to be just as good.  Savoy cabbage has a milder flavor and becomes very tender when cooked.  Whatever you do, do not eliminate the cabbage. If you are not very fond of eating cabbage, simply quarter the cabbage, leaving the core intact.  You can then simply remove the quarters when ready to serve.  I have made vegetable beef soup without cabbage, but always came away feeling that ‘something is missing.’

I use beef marrow bones in this recipe because of the flavor and richness they add.  However, I do not scoop the marrow out of the bones and put it in the soup, as it contains a large amount of fat.  I buy long bones so the marrow stays in the bone during the cooking process.  When the soup is done, I remove the bones, with the marrow intact and discard it all.

You can serve this soup with or without noodles.  I used a pastina variety, but feel free to use whatever noodle you like.  However, do not cook the noodles in the soup; always cook on the side and spoon into the bowls at the time of serving.

This soup tends to get better with age.  You can prepare the soup a day ahead, cover and store it in the refrigerator and serve the next day.  One advantage of preparing this soup the day before is that any fat in the soup will accumulate and harden on the surface.  This will allow you to simply spoon it out before you reheat it; doing this will make it healthier.

Finally (can you tell how much I love this soup)…Enjoy!

Vegetable Beef Soup with Barley and Lentils

Makes 8 – 10 Servings (more or less depending on your serving size)

2 Tbls. Canola oil

1 Lb. Lean beef stew meat, cut into ½ to ¾ inch pieces; all visible fat removed
2 Soup bones – about 1 pound total (can be found in the meat counter, or ask the butcher)
1 Tbls. Mrs. Dash, Original Blend, Seasoning Blend
¼ Tsp. Ground allspice
½ Tsp. Ground pepper
1 Cup Sweet onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped fine
3 Dry bay leaves
Fresh thyme leaves; removed from about 4 stems
1 Quart cold water
2 One-Quart containers of Beef stock, fat free and no-salt added
2 Packets Herb Ox Beef Bouillon, salt-free
½ Tsp. Kosher salt
1 Lb. Carrots; cut in ½ inch rounds
1 ½ Cups Kohlrabi (about 5 small); peeled and stems removed – cut into ½ inch pieces
4-5 Stalks Celery, taken from the outer part of the bunch; cut into ½ inch pieces
Additionally – use the celery stalks and leaves from the inter-most part of the bunch; chopped fine
3 Cups Sliced cabbage (small head of cabbage, about 1 pound); core removed and sliced into about 1 inch x ¼ inch pieces
½ Cup Uncooked barley; rinsed
1 (6-ounce) Can Tomato paste (or 5 tablespoons if using the tube variety)
¾ Cup Uncooked lentils, rinsed
Additional Salt and Pepper to taste

Place oil in a 6 – 8 quart stock pot and heat (over medium heat).  Add stew meat, Mrs. Dash, allspice and ground pepper; mix to coat.  Add the soup bones and cook on medium heat until meat browns on all sides, and turn the soup bones to cook on each side.  Once the meat is browned, add onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme; mix together with the meat and cook for about 5 more minutes; mix often taking care not to burn the onions and garlic.

Add the water, beef stock, beef bouillon, and salt; bring to a boil.  Cover and turn heat down to a slow simmer.  Simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Add the carrots, kohlrabi, celery and celery leaves, sliced cabbage, barley, and tomato paste. (You may need to remove the soup bones now to make room for all the vegetables, if not, keep them in until just before you add the lentils.)  Simmer for an additional 1 hour, or until vegetables are just tender. 

Remove soup bones, if you have not done so already, and discard.  Add lentils and cook another 30 minutes, making sure both the barley and lentils are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

You can serve this with your favorite noodle or short cut pasta.  For that special touch (and flavor), you can add your favorite herb flavored crostini or croutons on the top of each bowl of soup.

Store leftover soup covered in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Barley Recipes

I am working hard at trying to develop recipes with barley as an ingredient.  It is proving to be a difficult task.  For me, I find that barley can be a wonderful side dish, or used as an add-in ingredient.  I created several recipes, but I must admit, they did not turn out very well.  I am still very excited about this whole grain and will continue to try and incorporate it into my meals at least several times each week.

If you have some recipes with barley as an ingredient, I would love to hear from you.

Tomato Soup and Barley

Since my last post I began to think of ways to incorporate more whole grains into our diet.  I precooked some barley and stored it in a closed container in the refrigerator.  Just the other night, in my quest for fast and healthy weeknight meals, I decided to keep it simple and have soup and sandwiches for dinner.  I opened two cans of fat-free, low sodium tomato soup, heated it and added about one cup of the cooked barley.  The barley added bulk and texture to the soup without altering the flavor.

Incorporating whole grains could not be simpler! No recipe here, just a dash of added healthiness.  

Are You Eating Whole Grains?

I am convinced; we need to add more whole grains to our diet.  The research conducted around the world is outstanding! Whole grains have great nutritional values and outstanding health benefits.  I questioned: What are the health benefits? Are all grains equally healthy for us? How do we incorporate them into our everyday meals? I have explored some of these questions and will share my findings here with you. 

Whole grains should be a key ingredient in our diet.  Grains are good sources of complex carbohydrates and some essential vitamins and minerals.  Grains have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems.

Not all grains in food products are whole grains:
Whole grains are unrefined grains that have not had their bran and germ removed by processing. Whole grains are better sources of fiber and other important nutrients.  Enriched grains are those in which the nutrients are added back after the nutrients were lost during their processing. Refined grains go through a process that strips out both the bran and germ which gives them a finer texture. In addition, the refining process also removes many nutrients and fiber.

According to information posted on the Whole Grains Council web site:
The Main Benefits of Whole Grains
The benefits of whole grains most documented by repeated studies include:
      stroke risk reduced 30-36%
      type 2 diabetes risk reduced 21-30%
      heart disease risk reduced 25-28%
      better weight maintenance  
Other benefits indicated by recent studies include:
      reduced risk of asthma
      healthier carotid arteries
      reduction of inflammatory disease risk
      lower risk of colorectal cancer
      healthier blood pressure levels 
      less gum disease and tooth loss  

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that all adults eat at least half of their grains as whole grains, or at least 3 to 5 servings of whole grains.  This can be easier than one might imagine.  You can achieve this by switching to products that contain whole grains, such as, breakfast cereal, brown and other colored rice (black and red), pasta, breads and rolls, snack bars, flour, and by adding whole grains to your salads, and vegetable dishes.

If you are a fan of toasted rye bread, or sandwiches made on rye bread, look at the list of ingredients and make sure it contains whole rye or rye berries.  I love the crunch and taste of wheat berries. I was first introduced to wheat berries when I ate a frozen entrée that added them to the rice.  I liked them so much that I bought a bag of Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries and prepared them at home. What I do is cook them ahead of time, according to the package directions, and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator.  I will use them throughout the week in my salads, vegetables, and rice dishes. 

The Whole Grains Council developed a stamp (a special packaging symbol) to help consumers identify qualifying products approved by the Whole Grains Council.  When shopping for products containing whole grains, look for the stamp on the packaging.  A 100% stamp indicates that all the grains are whole grains.  A basic stamp indicates that the product at least 8 grams or more of whole grains, but not 100% whole grains, and it may contain refined grains. Not all products containing whole grains use the stamp. The Whole Grains Council web site contains further details on how to identify whether or not a product does contain whole grains.

The Whole Grains Council has deemed barley the whole grain of the month for February.  Barley has the highest amount of fiber in the class of whole grains. The fiber in barley is contained throughout the entire grain and not just the outer layer.  This is why it has such a high fiber count. In December of 2005 the US FDA allowed barley products to claim the reduction in risk of coronary disease.  Now whole grain barley, and barley-contained products are permitted to claim that they reduce the risk of coronary disease.

Barley has many outstanding health benefits related to the coronary system.  Another health benefit of particular interest is that research shows it has an exceptional ability to control blood sugar.  The research findings may be of particular interest to those suffering from diabetes.  To learn more about the research studies, visit the Whole Grains Council page on barley.

This past weekend I bought a bag of barley and will begin to experiment with some recipes.  Look to my blog later this month or next for recipes containing barley as an ingredient.
My challenge for you is that you begin adding at least one different whole grain to your diet each month.  We can make this whole grain diet quite interesting.  Hopefully, you will write back and share your thoughts and findings!
Are You Eating Whole Grains