Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Roasted Pork Loin with Honey Glaze


I don't roast meat very often at all -- almost never. But I found a pork tenderloin on sale a while ago and it has been taunting me from the freezer ever since. A few weeks ago I finally had an opportunity to roast it while we were busy gathering and packing boxes. What was most important to me was making the roast nice and soft, so I researched the glaze and roasting separately. I opted to roast the pork at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.

Because I didn't have a meat thermometer I erred on the side of caution and overdid it slightly. I guess I should add a thermometer to my toolbox if I'm going to do this again :-)

Roasted Pork Loin with Honey Glaze
  • 1 large pork tenderloin
  • 2 tbsp Catalina salad dressing
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves (increased to 1/2 tsp and crushed between fingers)
  • 1/4 cup Catalina dressing, divided
  • 1 tbsp honey


  1. Brush the pork with dressing.
  2. combine chili, garlic, mustard, paprika and thyme in a bowl and sprinkle over pork.
  3. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
  4. Preheat oven to 500-degrees.
  5. In a foil-lined baking pan, roast pork for 10 minutes and reduce to 300-degrees.
  6. continue cooking for 70-90 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165-degrees.
  7. Remove from oven and wrap in foil. Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Cheese

With the exception of the occasional chicken nugget and fish stick, my son is vegetarian. I don't know what his problem is with meat and it's difficult to get him to try new things in general.

When he was three, he told me that he'd eat a hamburger when he was four. On his fourth birthday I took him to McDonalds, but he changed his mind.

When he was five, Meredith and I were telling him about the different animals we've eaten: chicken, fish, duck, frog, etc., when he said "I bet you can't eat a cow!" Meredith and I laughed and said "what do you think hamburgers are made of? Mmmmmmmm."

One day I'll get Jacob to eat a burger. Maybe he'll try a chicken burger first. With cheese.

Maybe not.

Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Cheese
  • 1/2 orange pepper, finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb (550g) ground chicken
  • 150 g (1/2 package) frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 3/4 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick or cast iron fry pan and fry garlic and peppers until soft (about five minutes).

  2. Transfer pepper and garlic to a bowl and let cool for a couple of minutes.
  3. Combine pepper mixture, chicken, spinach, cheese, bread crumbs and egg and mix thoroughly.
  4. Form into six patties about 1/2 inch thick.
  5. Using the second tablespoon of oil, fry patties on medium-low until cooked through (about 5-8 mintues each side). Use additional oil if necessary.
Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Chopped Herring


We do occasionally serve herring at the Haggis and the Herring, but we don't often get to use it as an ingredient in a dish.

Well, the opportunity finally arrived and I started doing my research. I wanted to make chopped herring, a herring dip or spread best served on rye or pumpernickel.

It's one of those standards that even has an article on Wikipedia, so there were lots of sources to draw from. The basic recipe calls for marinated herring, apple, some sort of bread, hard boiled eggs and sugar. It's just a matter of working out the method and what quantities work best for you.

Chopped Herring
  • 1 300 ml jar herring and onions in wine sauce
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
  • 1 slice caraway rye bread
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
  • 1 tsp sugar
  1. Drain wine sauce from herring and set aside.
  2. Tear apart bread, lightly moisten with water and set aside.
  3. Rinse herring (and onions) in a colander.
  4. Pulse apple in food processor until coarsely chopped.
  5. Add bread, herring and onions and pulse in food processor until coarsely chopped.
  6. Add eggs and sugar and pulse again until finely chopped.
Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Bean and Roasted Pepper Dip



I'm starting to hear this line often. I know that people like the standards, like my hummus or baba ghannouj, but I still like trying new things. Especially so I can post the recipe here.

When my cousin Andrew asked me to make some dips for a wedding potluck I decided it was time to do some research. I was still going to bring something familiar, but I wanted to bring something new as well.

The first recipe I jumped on was a bean and red pepper dip I found in the JC (Jewish Chronicle), a newspaper in the UK. I had to change the recipe somewhat since both standard quantites (i.e., can size) and measurements are different across the pond.

The second recipe (more on it next week) I made especially for Andrew's new wife as a tribute to Poland.


Beans and Roasted Pepper Dip
  • 2 roasted peppers, peeled and seeded
  • 1 can white kidney beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • a few drops of hot sauce
  1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Cheese and Cream Dip


A few weeks ago, we had a Hawaiian luau at work. The food consisted mostly of fruit, vegetables and dips, as well as some excellent Empanadas. I was part of the group that organized the event and prepared the food.

Unfortunately, the Empanada recipe wasn't available, and they were fantastic.

In addition to making my hummus, I was struggling to find some sour-cream based dips. I didn't want the tropical spread to include all Mediterranean dips! I managed to find a couple recipes online that I used as a guide for a cheesy dip and it turned out quite nicely. Not that the dips was tropical, but it was still tasty.

Cheese and Cream Dip
  • 1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
  • 1 container (500ml) sour cream
  • 2 slices processed cheese
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and serve with vegetables or chips.
Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
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