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Longmont chefs offer a few favorite recipes for the holidays

Three Longmont chefs share their favorite holiday recipes.
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Rib Roast (Stock Photo)

For some, the holiday season is about sparkling lights, wreaths and trees, for others it's a time to gather with friends and loved ones. The Leader reached out to a few local chefs to share their favorite holiday recipes.

Chef Nate Say of Scratch Kitchen/Burger Nomad in 300 Suns Brewing sent over a recipe for stuffed pork chops with green beans and mashed potatoes.

“My family’s favorite holiday meal, we make this every year for Christmas or New Year’s,” he said.

The pork chops can be bone-in or boneless at the cook’s discretion, Say explained.Say’s recipe and instructions can be found below:

 

Chef Nate Say’s Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

  • Four bone-in (or boneless) thick-cut pork chops 
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)
  • Oil

Stuffing:

  • 1.5 cups butter
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 15 cups dried bread cubes (Marble rye but any bread will work great)
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sage (or 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped)
  • 1.5 cups chicken stock


To prepare the meat, slice the side of the pork chop in half almost to the bone to create a pocket, then sprinkle both sides of the chop with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the pork chop on both sides just until golden brown then set on a plate to rest.

To prepare the stuffing, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a skillet, melt the butter then add the celery and onion. Sauté the celery and onion until tender, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, butter mixture and remaining stuffing ingredients, then mix well.

Stuff the pork chops with roughly a half to three-quarters cup stuffing each, filling the pocket with a little sticking out. This will give the pork chop a pretty look.

Place the stuffed chops in a baking dish and bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.

 

From The Roost, Chef Leslie White shared his recipe for Salt-Packed Prime Rib.

“I know a lot of families cook prime rib for the holidays and I know a lot of them don't pack and cure it in salt. This should be the only way anyone cooks their prime rib,” White said. 

According to White, the recipe adds the perfect amount of salt to the dish, as well as helping to get a nice crisp layer of fat to add texture and depth to the prime rib. White learned the recipe when cooking at the Greenbriar Inn, adding that it’s very inexpensive and easy to adjust the herbs and flavors to personal preference.

Chef Leslie White's Salt-Packed Prime Rib

Ingredients:

  • 1 Prime Rib (15-20lbs)
  • 3 cups Kosher Salt
  • 6 each Egg White
  • 3 tablespoons Thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons Rosemary Leaves
  • 5 tablespoons Garlic, chopped
  • 2  tablespoons black pepper
  • 4  tablespoons Worcestershire 

First step is to combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them until the texture is close to wet sand. Then, take the prime rib and score the fat layer with a sharp knife. Spread the salt mix evenly all over the top of the prime-rib. If there is extra you can rub in on the sides or put some underneath the prime rib. Wrap the prime rib with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge, letting it cure for 12-24 hours.  

White recommends baking the prime rib on a wire rack if possible. Start with a 30 minute bake at 550 degrees, or as hot as the oven allows. Turn the temperature down to 250 degrees and cook until the internal temperature is at least 120 degrees. For a more well-done roast, bring the internal temperature closer to 150 degrees.

Remove the roast from the oven and let cool. According to White, the salt pack should be easily removed in one solid piece and can be safely discarded.

 

And last, but not least, Eduardo Perea, chef and owner of Summit Tacos shared his recipe for Borracho Beans. In Spanish, borracho means drunk, appropriate as the beans are cooked with a dark beer.

Chef Eduardo Perea's Borracho Beans

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds dried pinto beans                   
  • 3 ham hocks
  • 1 pound bacon
  • 2 white onions 
  • 2 jalapenos
  • .5 cups minced garlic
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups chicken stock 
  • 16 oz of dark beer 
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder       
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • Salt to taste 
  • .25 cups chopped cilantro

To prepare, first soak the pinto beans by bringing them to a boil in 8-10 cups of water, cover and remove from the heat. Let the beans soak for 30-45 minutes until they start to swell. 

Strain the beans, then bring another 8 cups of water to boil. The reason for straining the beans is to remove any excess dirt and debris, Perea said.

While beans are boiling, trim the ham hocks of fat but leave fat in large pieces. Cut the meat into small bite-size pieces. Add everything into the pot with the beans and let them cook while preparing the remainder of the ingredients.  Slice bacon and render fat on medium heat in a large stock pot, then add onion, garlic, jalapeno and tomatoes to bacon and fat and cook until tender.  

Deglaze pot with beer and chicken stock, then cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add beans to the stock pot, along with all spices, then simmer for three hours. Remove the fat and bones when finished, then taste and add more seasoning if needed.