Food and fun for two weeks

Jambalaya Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

INGREDIENTS

2 pork tenderloins

8 strips of bacon Creole seasoning Butcher twine for tenderloin

1/2 pound smoked sausage, finely chopped

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups uncooked long grain rice

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

4 cups chicken broth

4 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Adjust oven rack to second highest position.

Sauté sausage in a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; sauté five minutes. Add rice and Creole seasoning; sauté two minutes. Add broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add green onions; stir well. Allow jambalaya to cool completely before stuffing pork T-loin.

Carefully butterfly pork T-loins without cutting all the way through; open like a book. Cover with plastic wrap; pound meat to a half-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle evenly with Creole seasoning. Spoon two to three cups cooled jambalaya over pork and spread evenly, leaving a half-inch border all around.

Evenly roll pork to form two uniform logs, jelly roll style. Wrap four strips of bacon around each T-loin. Evenly tie roast at twoinch intervals with butcher twine. Season with Creole seasoning. Place in hot oven; close oven door and immediately reduce heat to 375ºF. Roast 40 minutes or until a thermometer placed in direct middle registers 145ºF.

Increase heat to broil. Carefully broil about five minutes or until bacon crisps and a thermometer placed in direct middle registers at least 160ºF. Remove from oven. Immediately cover with foil; let rest 15 minutes. Remove twine; cut into one-and-aquarter-inch slices and arrange on a warm serving plate.

Drunken Collard Greens

INGREDIENTS

3 slices bacon

1 bunch collard greens, rinsed, trimmed and chopped

1 onion, diced

1 (6 ounce) smoked pork hock

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle of amber beer Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and fry until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain off excess fat. Add the onion; cook and stir until slightly browned. Add the pork hock, and season with cayenne pepper. Cook until pork is browned.

Add the collard greens, and pour in the chicken broth and beer. Cook over mediumlow heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until collards are tender. Crumble bacon on top, and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Crawfish Corn Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn

1/3 cup chopped jalapeño pepper

1 pound peeled crawfish tails

1 pinch seasoned salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 pinch garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Stir together cornmeal, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, onion, green pepper, pimentos, vegetable oil, Cheddar cheese, creamstyle corn, jalapeño pepper, crawfish tails, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder until the mixture is well combined. Pour the crawfish mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and stir together.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until the cornbread is lightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

King Cake Dipped Strawberries

INGREDIENTS

24 large fresh strawberries, rinsed and well dried

24 toothpicks

16 ounces of white chocolate Purple, green and gold sugar crystals Plastic baby, if desired

DIRECTIONS

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture just below the green tops.

While chocolate is still sticky, dip into the first color and coat completely. Then repeat with remaining strawberries, and alternate each of the three colors. If you want, you can hollow out a strawberry and insert a plastic baby before dipping. Be sure to warn anyone who eats your strawberries that one of them does contain the baby. Place into the refrigerator and chill uncovered for 4 hours. Arrange on a platter creating a rainbow of Mardi Gras color patterns.

SHOPPING LIST

2 pork tenderloins

11 strips of bacon

1/2 pound smoked sausage

1 (6 ounce) smoked pork hock

1 pound peeled crawfish tails Creole seasoning

1 stalk celery

3 sweet onion

1 red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves

4 green onions

1 bunch collard greens

1 green bell pepper

24 large fresh strawberries uncooked long grain rice

1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn chopped jalapeño pepper cayenne pepper

2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos

1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle of amber beer yellow cornmeal baking soda vegetable oil shredded Cheddar cheese seasoned salt garlic powder eggs salt and pepper

16 ounces of white chocolate purple, green and gold sugar crystals toothpicks butcher twine plastic baby if desired

Chef John Strand of Accents – Personal Chef Services specializes in elegant in-home dinners and weekly meal services, “making your home your favorite place to eat.” He can be reached via e-mail from his Web site at www.accentspcs.com.