Kailua Pork....

While here in Florida, I am making nightly dinners usually with a meat and two sides. Using the local supermarket, Publix, for last night’s dinner I had an old family favorite - we call Kailua Pork. This terrific recipe came out of the wonderful cookbook ~ Tea Time at The Masters® ~ and is so easy to prepare. For the sides I sautéed some fresh spinach and roasted a few fingerling potatoes.

I wanted to utilize some dill I had in mom’s fridge and saw a recipe in the community paper with dill, buttermilk with the roasted potatoes. So, I picked up some fingerling potatoes at Publix and gave it a try. If you haven’t tried fingerling potatoes yet, you really need to ~ they have a wonderful creamy and nutty flavor. Let me tell you, this recipe was delicious. I am thinking of using the dill sauce for other dishes as well. The sauce was creamy but light, earthy yet extremely flavorful.

Sautéed spinach is my favorite side dishe and I knew that my parents love spinach in any form. While sautéing the spinach, I put a touch of lemon zest knowing that the flavors go really well together.

Definitely give these recipes a try ~ they may become your family's favorite, too!



George's Kailua Pork

Ingredients:
5 pound center-cut pork loin roast
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons cooking sherry
1 large clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon thyme
¾ cup peach preserves
¼ cup chili sauce
1 cup water
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained

Marinate roast in sauce made from soy sauce, sherry, garlic, cinnamon and thyme for 2-3 hours, turning often. Place on rack in shallow pan and roast at 325 degree F for 30 to 35 minutes per pound. In a saucepan, combine reserved marinade, peaches, chili sauce and ½ cup water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Baste pork and cook 10 additional minutes. Add remaining water and scrape up brown bits. Add pan juices and water chestnuts to sauce and heat through.

Let pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing, ladle sauce over slices.

Serves 6




Fingerling Potatoes with Sour Cream Herb Sauce
Recipe from Venice Herald-Tribune

Ingredients:
1 pound fingerling potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Preheat oven at 350 degree F
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the potatoes. Add the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper; mix well. Cover the potatoes with another sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for another 15 minutes. Take out and mix the minced garlic. Cook for another 6-7 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Sour Cream and Herb Sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup low fat sour cream
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
Zest of one lemon
Juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl and keep aside. Right before serving, mix the potatoes with the sauce.

Serves 6

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George's notes:

• Fingerling potatoes are a family of heritage potatoes which naturally grow much smaller than conventional potatoes. They also tend to be elongated and slightly knobby, making them very finger-like in shape. The unusual looking, flavorful potatoes can be used just like regular potatoes in an assortment of roasted, broiled, baked, grilled, or boiled dishes. Many grocers stock fingerling potatoes in season, and they can also be grown at home, in temperate climates.
• The Kailua in the name of this recipe is in "name only" ~ there is no Kahlua in this recipe, nor is there any Hawaiian affiliation. Maybe long ago, the sweet southern lady who developed this recipe thought water chestnuts were Hawaiian.
• The Masters® Golf tournament is played annually at the Augusta National Golf Club, in my hometown of Augusta, Georgia. This year it will be held April 8 thou 11, 2010.
• Roasting a boneless pork loin roast slowly will guarantee moist, tender meat. Loin refers to the type of cut.

Clip art of pork cuts from Ask The Meatman™