Archives for posts with tag: pork chops

Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce + Sugar Snap Peas

July 17, 2015 //
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Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

You only have a few, short weeks to enjoy cherries. As much as I love to just snack on them, it is also fun to cook them. This New York Times recipe calls for letting the pork chops sit with a rosemary, garlic rub over night, but I forgot and just did it while I was preparing the rest of the meal. It was great despite that slip up.

Pitting cherries may seem like a pain in the butt, but just grab a Starbucks straw and push it carefully through the cherry – the pit will pop right out.
Pork Chops w Cherry Sauce

4 pork loin chops, preferably bone-in and at least 1 inch thick
1 TB. minced fresh rosemary
1 ts. salt, plus more for the sauce
1 ts. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for the sauce
1 ts.  finely minced garlic
3 TB. butter
1 TB. minced shallot
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved
½ cup fruity red wine

Pat the chops dry, and rub them all over with a mixture of the rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Cover, and marinate for up to 2 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Bring the chops back to room temperature before grilling.

If you are using a grill, heat one side of a charcoal or gas grill, and put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Cook the chops over the hottest part of the fire until well seared on both sides, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Move them to the cool part of the grill, cover and cook until done, anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes, depending on the heat of the fire and the thickness of the chops.

If you are using a grill pan, heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook pork about 4-5 minutes per side.

The pork is done when it’s just firm to the touch, its juices run just slightly pink and the meat is rosy in the center, or when an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees in the thickest part of the chop (the temperature will continue to rise as the chops rest). Transfer them to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let them rest while you make the sauce.

Put 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the shallots, and cook until soft, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the cherries, wine and whatever juices have accumulated around the pork chops; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces into a thin syrup, 5 or 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, a little at a time, until it’s incorporated into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chops, and serve.

Sugar Snap Peas
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1 lb. sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
1 pat of butter
salt and pepper

Fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add sugar snap peas and butter to boiling water and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the peas are bright green but still crisp. Drain and season with salt and pepper.

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Categories Meals

Endless Bounty

July 17, 2015 //
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Last time I was 8 months pregnant the average temperature outside was 32 degrees. I felt pretty good, and my biggest complaint was that I didn’t always get a seat on the subway because I had to wear a big, winter coat which made it hard to tell that I was pregnant. Now, it’s a different story. It is hot and humid and I feel HUGE. I pretty much always get a seat on the subway, but I am exhausted!

Meanwhile, the markets are packed with produce and I am dying to cook. This week alone, I’ve picked up blueberries, cherries, nectarines, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes and even the first corn. It is awesome, but some nights after work I am just too tired to make anything. Fortunately, fruits and vegetables this time of the year are so delicious and fresh that you don’t have to do too much to enjoy them. Hopefully easy summer recipes will get me through the next few weeks!

Endless Bounty

The kitchen counter will look like this for the next few months.

Meal #1: Soy Lemon Skirt Steak with Arugula + Salted Potatoes
Meal #2: Swordfish Parmesan and Roasted Broccoli
Meal #3: Chicken Francese with Noodles + Roasted Asparagus
Meal #4: Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce + Sugar Snap Peas

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items: 

broccoli – 1 large head
shallot – 2
garlic – 1 head
lemons – 5
sugar snap peas – 1 lb.
cherries – 1 cup
arugula – 1 bunch
asparagus – 1 large bunch
potatoes – 1 1/2 pounds
rosemary – 1 bunch
eggs – 1 dozen
white wine
red wine
low-salt chicken broth – 1 cup
butter (if you don’t already have it)
brown sugar (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
garlic powder (if you don’t already have it)
capers (if you don’t already have it)
flour (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
butter (if you don’t already have it)
swordfish steaks (6-8 ounces per person), skin removed
skirt steak – 1 1/2 pounds
skinless, boneless, thin chicken breasts – 1 1/2 pounds
pork chops, bone-in – 1 per person, approx. 6-8 oz each

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Categories Meal Plans

Transitions

October 3, 2014 //
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I certainly wouldn’t be the first to profess my love of autumn on the Internet. It is hard for me to let go of summer, but the arrival of tart apples, pumpkin beer and foliage help. And as much as I hate to say goodbye to tomatoes and corn, the new season allows me to indulge in cooking and eating some other favorites, such as roast chicken and winter squash.

This week’s meal plan is a bit of a transition into a new season and menu. Like farmers markets this time of year where you can still get some pretty good peaches as well as gorgeous winter squash this meal plan isn’t ready to completely concede to cooler weather. Roast chicken is back, but I haven’t started roasting Brussels Sprouts yet (they are better after the first frost). And a trip to a Connecticut apple orchard last weekend inspired the pork chops with apples and cider.

Apple Picking

Meal #1: Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Toast + Bacon
Meal #2: Hamersley’s Roast Chicken with Onions and Potatoes + Steamed Green Beans
Meal #3: Pork Chops with Apples + Sautéed Kale
Meal #4: Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:
fresh (or dried) sage
dried thyme
dried rosemary
bunch of basil – 1
lemon – 2
leeks – 4
red onion – 3
bunch of kale – 1
green beans – 1 1/2 lb.
medium red potatoes – 6
tart apples – 2
apple cider – 3/4 cup
diced tomatoes – 1 28 ounce can
good bread – 1 or 2 slices per person
short pasts – 1 box
Dijon mustard (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
eggs – 1 dozen
1/2 -inch-thick boneless pork loin chops – 4 (5 ounces each)
bacon
whole chicken – 4 lb.

 

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Pork Chops with Apples + Sautéed Kale

October 3, 2014 //
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Pork Chops with Apples

Autumn is here, even though you wouldn’t know it here in the Northeast where this past weekend’s temperatures hit over 80 degrees! Despite the unseasonable weather we went apple and pumpkin picking in Connecticut with Patrick’s parents and came home with several pounds of delicious apples. Patrick and I probably both eat an apple a day, but we still have way too many. If I had the time I would make a pie or apple crisp, but for now I am working my way through our pile with savory dinner recipes, like this one from the Food Network, which I adapted for here.
Pork Chops w Apples

4, 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (5 ounces each)
1 ts. dried sage
Freshly ground pepper
1 TB. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 tart apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup apple cider

Rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over high heat, then add 1 TB. olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion and apples to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider. Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pork chops, onions and apples from the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high so that the cider starts to boil. Let the cider boil for a minute or so until it thickens and then pour it over the pork.

Sautéed Kale

1 TB. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale (any kind will do), stems removed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and then add minced garlic. Stir garlic for 1 minute, or until it starts to smell good and then add kale. Cook the kale and garlic until the kale is wilted, season with salt and pepper.

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Categories Meals

Cooking with Wine

March 14, 2014 //
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Well, this week wasn’t any calmer than last. That may be why three out of the four recipes I choose for this week include white wine! Obviously, something is on my mind…

I do love to cook with wine. Like lemon juice or butter a little bit adds a ton of flavor and in a snap you can make a sauce to accompany almost anything. One of my rules for cooking with wine, which I learned watching Mario Batali, is to always use a wine you would drink on its own. This is great advice not only because you want to treat your dish with respect and not ruin it with something that doesn’t taste good, but also because it is nice to have a glass of wine while you cook. You don’t have to use a $30 bottle, but don’t use those “cooking wines” you sometimes see at the grocery store. There are enough decent $10ish bottles around these days which will do the job nicely. Note, the alcohol burns off as you cook so kids can eat any of these dishes.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs + Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans
Meal #2: Swordfish Parmesan + Roasted Broccoli
Meal #3: Porchetta Pork Chops + Fennel with Shallots and White Wine
Meal #4: Chicken Piccata with Noodles + Green Salad

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

red or yukon gold potatoes – 6 medium
broccoli – 1 large head
green beans – 1 lb.
fennel – 2 large bulbs
shallot – 2
lemon – 4
lettuce – 1 head or bag
rosemary – 1 bunch
fennel seeds
noodles- 1 bag
eggs – 2
garlic (if you don’t already have it)
flour (if you don’t already have it)
capers (if you don’t already have it)
red pepper flakes (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – 4-8 (depending on the size)
bone-in pork chops – 4
thin chicken cutlets – 1 ½ lb.
swordfish steaks (6-8 ounces per person)
white wine

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Categories Meal Plans

Porchetta Pork Chops + Fennel with Shallots and White Wine

March 14, 2014 //
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Porchetta Pork Chops
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Have you had porchetta before? If you haven’t, find some fast. One of the first times I ever had it was from a stand at the Brooklyn Flea aptly named Porchetta. Essentially it is a fatty, boneless pork loin that is stuffed with salt, fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic and other herbs before it is roasted over a wood-flame. Heaven!

Obviously we all can’t make porchetta ourselves at home, but fortunately Melissa Clark at the Dining Section of The New York Times created this super easy, at-home recipe. The first time I made it I was shocked at how much it tastes like its namesake. (Note: Clark’s recipes is for 2 servings, but simply double the ingredients to serve 4.)

Fennel with Shallots and White Wine
To compliment the fennel of the porchetta pork chops, I thought I’d share this braised fennel recipe from The Wine and Food Lover’s Diet cookbook. I know that I’ve been using a lot of fennel these days, but it is a great winter-ish vegetable. Don’t worry, the days of asparagus and peas are just around the corner!

2 large fennel bulbs
2 TB. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
½ cup dry white wine
1 ½ ts. lemon juice
salt and pepper

Cut off the stems from each fennel bulb and if the outer layer is tough, remove it or trim it. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise and remove the core if it is tough. Cut each half lengthwise into 2 or 3 wedges.

In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the fennel and toss well to combine with the shallot and garlic. Pour in the wine and lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the fennel is tender when pierced with a thin, sharp knife, about 15 minutes.

Uncover and cook until the liquid has reduced slightly and the fennel is beginning to caramelize and brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

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Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers, Green Salad

January 17, 2014 //
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This recipe comes from Mario Batali’s cookbook Molto Italiano. Does anybody remember Mario’s old show on the Food Network (back when the network was actually about cooking)? I have many cooking “mentors” from television and Mario is one of them. I learned so much about the regional nature of Italian cooking from him; and I grew up on the south shore of  Long Island where it seemed like everyone, but me, was Italian. Over the years, he has opened a lot of restaurants, which usually makes me leery, but man, are his good. To speed this recipe up I tweaked the ingredients a bit and skipped the brining process, which I’m sure makes the chops amazing, but it isn’t necessary.

4 bone-in pork chops
salt and pepper
3 TB. olive oil
3 peppers (1 each red, green and yellow), cored, seeded and cut into thin strips*
1 large red onion, sliced*
¼ cup black olives, pitted and chopped*
1 TB. red pepper flakes
1 TB. capers
1 cup dry white wine

* ingredients that can be prepped several days ahead.

Season pork chop with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add chops to the pan (don’t crowd the pan – you can do 2 chops at a time if you need to) and cook until dark golden brown on the first side, about 7 minutes. Turn over and cook until browned on the second side, about 4 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Add the peppers, onion, olives, red pepper flakes, and capers and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, place the chops in the pepper mixture, and simmer for 10 minutes (the pork should be cooked to 135 degrees F).

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Green Saladlettuce

A basic salad of your favorite greens will nicely complement the pork chops.

 

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Categories Meals

One-Dish Meals

January 17, 2014 //
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Okay, so I didn’t exactly just serve one dish per meal this week, but I could have! Each of the main dishes offer a combo of proteins with veggies and/or carbs. I love these types of dishes; especially for weeknights. I didn’t grow up eating casseroles, so you won’t see too many on this site, but I do like a dish that can serve as not only the main event, but the only event.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

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Meal #1: Chicken Thighs, Fennel and Artichoke Fricassee with Noodles
Meal #2: Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers, Green Salad
Meal #3: Salmon, Red Cabbage and New Potatoes
Meals #4: Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

bell peppers – 1 each green and yellow, 3 red
large red onion – 2
ginger – 1 piece (you can freeze or refrigerate the rest)
zucchini – 2
bunch of scallions
small red cabbage – 1
new potatoes – 10
lemon – 1
fennel bulb – 1
lettuce, or whatever greens you like for a salad – 1 head or bag
parsley – 1 small bunch
artichoke hearts – 1 can
chicken stock – 1 can (you’ll need 1 cup, but you can always freeze the rest in an ice cube tray and use later)
water chestnuts – 1 can
horseradish – 1 bottle (it’ll keep, or you could make bloody marys!)
egg noodles – 1 bag
bone-in chicken thighs – 8
bone-in pork chops – 4
skinless salmon fillet – 1 1/2 lb.
chicken cutlets – ¾ lb.
dry white wine

 

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