Quick Pork and Pasta - Billy Pierce (White Sox Old Timer)

 

 

RECIPE

 

6 loin pork chops

3 cans tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)

1 16-ounce package thin spaghetti

Brown pork chops in electric fry pan.  Pour two cans of soup over the chops and allow to simmer.  

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions, drain and add 1 can of soup to the spaghetti.  

Place spaghetti in fry pan with pork chops.  Mix together and heat thoroughly.  Ready to serve.



White Sox legend Billy Pierce was a slight, soft-spoken southpaw from Detroit who played the bulk of his playing career with the White Sox.

Over his 13 seasons on the south side, Pierce was a seven-time all star, and in different seasons led the AL in wins and strikeouts, and in 1955 he led the majors in ERA. Pierce's #19 was retired by the Sox in 1987.

In keeping with his calm demeanour, one can imagine him sitting down to dinner over a plate of this no-fuss, nothing-fancy pork and pasta.  The recipe calls for nothing more than three main ingredients: pork chops, pasta and tomato soup - although I substituted a favourite pasta sauce instead.  Went really elaborate and threw some shredded basil over everything when it was done.  Maybe too wild for Billy, but it was just the right touch for this delicious dish.

Cuban Sandwich by Katrina Jorgensen - from "Ballpark Eats" (2016)

RECIPE

1 1-lb. pork tenderloin
generous amount salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 ciabatta rolls
4 tsp. mustard, divided
12 slices smoked deli ham, divided
4 slices Swiss cheese, divided
4 dill pickle spears

First, prepare the pork. Preheat oven to 375F. Place tenderloin on a cutting board and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place pork tenderloin on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

Remove from oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

To assemble sandwiches, slice each roll crosswise and 1 teaspoon of mustard on the bottom half of each.

Place 3 slices of ham on top of the mustard. Add about 1/4 of the pork slices on top of the ham, followed by a slice of Swiss cheese and a pickle spear.

Place the top of the bread on and serve immediately.

This recipe comes out of the Tampa Bay section of Ballpark Eats, but it could have worked for Miami or elsewhere. This combination of meat, cheese and pickles is a classic and I've seen it available in restaurants all over the continent.

The one major change I made when making this was in the bread. I had some ciabatta bread in hand at the local market when my eyes fell on a huge loaf of rosemary focaccia. Sold. 

So instead of a Cuban sandwich I doubled up on the toppings and ended up making a kind of Cuban sub. Masivo! Didn't have to eat again for a day.

I don't know if there's a recommended thickness when slicing the pork. As I sliced away, I ended up with thicker slices than I had envisioned, but it all went down well. Go Rays!

Harder's Hardy German Chow Mein by Sandy Harder - from "Royals Recipes" (1969)

RECIPE

3 cups lean pork, diced
4 tbsp. Crisco
2 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 can cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper to taste

Cook cabbage and celery in two cups of water 15 minutes only.  DO NOT GET LIMP.  Drain and save water.

Brown pork in Crisco.  Add the two cups of reserved flavored water.  Cook until tender -- about 50 minutes.  Add green pepper and onion last 15 minutes of cooking.  Stir in celery and cabbage, mixing thoroughly.

Add soup and serve over Chinese noodles or rice.

Pitcher Mel Harder spent his entire 20-year career hurling for the Cleveland Indians. He was an All Star four times and briefly managed the club in two separate stints in the 60s. He later coached for the Mets, Cubs, Reds and finally the Royals for one season -- 1969. His number 18 was retired by the Cleveland organization in 1990. 

I couldn't resist the curious name of this recipe and had to give it a try. "German chow mein" sounded like serious fusion food.

According to the entry in Royals Recipes, Harder's spouse Sandy invented this economical dish "once when water chestnuts and bean sprouts weren't available for making chow mein". Her call to the pen brought out some cabbage and celery, which may or may not have been part of the original recipe.

The end result was not as weird as I thought it would be, even though it featured two of the staples of 60s home cooking: Crisco and canned cream of chicken soup. The soup, which is added right at the end, is what forms the "sauce" of the dish. It slots in well, supporting the other main characters in this dish.

Sixties fusion! Sautéed pork and cabbage with Chinese noodles. An unusual grouping, but it all ended up going great together. 

Calico Beans - Rusty Kuntz (Outfielder)

RECIPE

1 large can baked beans

2 large cans kidney beans

1 can lima beans (drained)

1 cup butter beans

1 lb. bacon (drained)

3/4 lb. hamburger

1 pkg. sweet Italian sausage

1 onion

1 cup catsup

4 tbls. vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. regular mustard

Fry bacon, onion, hamburger and sausage together.  Add rest of ingredients in casserole dish.  Combine all.  Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Serve warm.

 

 

Eagle-eyed observers will note that Russell "Rusty" Kuntz continues to be spotted on Major League Baseball fields to this very day.  He presently serves as the first base coach for the Kansas City Royals, continuing a career-long circuit through the AL Central.

 

The AL Central didn't exist back in Kuntz's playing days, but he never strayed far from the midwest.  He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and made his debut with them in 1979.  He was on the roster as a back up outfielder and started the 1983 season as a member of the White Sox.  That June, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, thus missing out on being part of the Sox team that went to the post-season.

 

After finishing the '83 season in Minnesota, Kuntz was traded in the off-season to the Detroit Tigers.  Where he missed out in '83, Kuntz hit the jackpot as a member of the '84 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers.  He played sparingly for one more season, then was released.

 

This is one of those recipes that I skipped over for the longest time, never taking much interest in the name or the long list of legumes involved.  What a mistake!

 

When I finally got around to making this dish one lazy weekend, I was blown away by the result.  Sure, basically it's a bean and meat stew, less liquidy than chili but very similar in the ingredients.

 

The difference maker is the dry mustard.  I don't use it often enough to be overly familiar with how it blends with other food items, and found that it really stands out here.  The aroma that it adds to this dish made me glad for the crazy long list of beans involved.  If you use everything listed above, you end up with a large casserole dish full of fragrant goodness.  I stowed entire containers of the stuff in the freezer and went through it in small quantities.

 

FINAL SCORE - I can't wait to make this one again!

 

Pork Chops and Brown Rice - LaMarr Hoyt (Pitcher)

RECIPE

4 or 5 pork chops, medium, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can beef consomme
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Brown chops lightly in 10" to 12" skillet.  Remove chops and pour off grease.  Pour onions, peppers, rice, water, consomme and salt and pepper into skillet and let come to a boil.  Return chops to skillet and cover.  Cook in oven 40-50 minutes, stirring once.  Serves 4 to 5. 

Everyone raves about this one!

It's another throwback Sunday for the White Sox today.  Kids get a free 1983 jersey, but even more exciting than that: both Tony LaRussa and LaMarr Hoyt will be on hand at the game.

Hoyt's 1983 season with the White Sox was nothing short of spectacular.  He went 24-10 with 148 K's and only 31 walks.  His K-to-Walk ratio was a league-leading 4.77.  He helped the Sox to their first post-season appearance since 1959, and he won the Cy Young Award along the way.

So in honour of the big man's return to the southside, here is another of his recipes from the 1983 White Sox cookbook.

We've already been dazzled by Hoyt's Shrimp Creole earlier this season, and this pork chops and rice dish presents another classic southern offering.

Season the chops however you like.  I have a garlicky-peppery spice blend that I like to use. Actually it came from Chicago too - it's the Back of the Yards Butcher's Rub from The Spice House.  I love it.  Love The Spice House too - they have all sorts of spices available, as well as local-neighbourhood-themed spice blends, and they do mail order!

Got way off track there, sorry.  Back to the pork chops.  A quick browning, then put them over the rest of the ingredients and pop everything into the oven.  If you use smaller chops like I did, the oven time can be reduced to keep the chops juicier.  You will indeed rave about this one.

FINAL SCORE - a big, delicious dish from the big man on the mound.  Welcome back, LaMarr!