Recipe idea and a question

[tejas]

I woke up with an idea for a dish. It's similar to another one I'd had, but I think I like this one better... I just think there's something missing

Comments

[writinginct]

A little rice vinegar and a hint of fresh grated ginger, salt, pepper.

I bake something very similar with pork, onions, little red potatoes, and apples and I love adding fresh ginger (especially since I use macs). The rice vinegar I use in place of white wine sometimes when cooking, adds a little flavor without being too overwhelming.

[tejas]

Ooh, *ginger*! Now *there's* a great idea!

I'm trying to expand my repertoire beyond using peppers in everything. ;-) Chili powder and Rotel tomatoes are the most consistent ingredients in my dishes. :-) I so need to branch out some. :-)

[writinginct]

I love fresh ginger with pork. It just adds a nice bite to it.

[tejas]

*And* ginger freezes well. :-)

[cleothemuse]

I recently made a dish in my Crockpot using chicken, apple juice sweetened with brown sugar, Granny Smith apple pieces, and dried cranberries (craisins). It was then served over pasta with a zesty Italian dressing :)

[tejas]

That sounds *very* interesting! Did you use a whole chicken or pieces?

[cleothemuse]

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They fell apart after cooking, and while the whole thing didn't look all that appetizing (one big mess of brown stuff!), it tasted great.

[tinlizzie82]

Hmmm, needs something to get either a sweet and sour or a sweet and savory mix. I'd probably brown the chops before putting them in the pan then deglaze with apple cider and a little vinegar (or add the sauerkraut to the casserole) or apple cider and some chicken stock or maybe ever all three, then pour that over the dish before baking. If you do use vinegar, taste test to see if you need a little brown sugar to keep up the sweet of the apple cider. Some cloves, nutmeg or cinnamon would also be a good idea. They shouldn't overpower the other spices but they're good at bringing out the meaty, savory flavors. The whole thing sounds like a pan of YUM!

[tejas]

That's pretty much what I'd been thinking. Oh, man, I need to go to the grocery store and get some pork chops. If all goes well, I'll try this tonight. :-)

[tinlizzie82]

Let us know how it comes out - sounds yummy and also easy.

[tejas]

And those are two things I love to see in conjunction. Easy and yummy. :-) It's like Jack and Daniel or Gibbs and Tony - unbeatable. :-)

[or_mabinogi]

Not the right person to be asking because I'm no chef, but I've liked the suggestions of apple juice, white wine (apple wine?), sauerkraut, and ginger. Obviously not all at once. Perhaps you can make the dish several times, altering the flavor each time.

My mom gave me a tip that I've just tried out. Beat a couple eggs and coat a couple loins of tilapia (I did this a second time using chicken breasts and it worked equally well), crushing tortilla chips (I used the Tostidos Hint-of-Lime flavor) and coating the loins with some added black pepper and basil. Baked for 20-30 minutes (such accurate timing!) and then served with a dollop of salsa. It was very good.

[tejas]

Oooh, that *does* sound good!