Winner Winner Pork Chop Dinner

Sunday at the store, they were having a sale on what I will call  "big daddy" pork chops, and I decided I needed them to make for dinner. However, I planned poorly -- since the chops were so thick, they really should have cooked for a long time at a low temperature to ensure that they were super juicy while still being cooked all the way. Spoiler alert, I cooked them really quickly on the stove top and they were a bit dry. Oh well, it was still a lovely meal.

Pork Chops:
- two "big daddy" chops (they were close to an inch thick)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- oil for cooking
- chicken stock

First, combine the buttermilk and seasonings and then cover the pork chops with it. In theory, the tang of the buttermilk should help to tenderize the meat and ensure a juicy delicious chop.... like I said, in theory. Then, if you want to undo all of the tenderizing you just did, you should cook it in a hot pan on the stove top like me! I heated just a bit of canola oil in a skillet, and seared the chops on both sides, then I poured on some chicken stock and let them "braise" for a few minutes to finish cooking. Had I done this for longer on a lower temp, or had the pork chops been bone-in, this might have actually worked. As it stands, I think the flavors were perfect, but it was definitely a bit dry.

Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Basil and Feta:
In an attempt to use up as many near expired or overripe items in my fridge and pantry as possible, I created a very colorful and eclectic side dish for this meal. It ended up being kind of fabulous, and I think I'm going to do the potato/carrot mash up again. Not only is it a pretty color, but I think it requires less salt, butter, or cheese than normal mashed potatoes because of the sweetness and depth of flavor that the carrots offer.

- 4 red potatoes (skin on)
- 3 carrots
- salt & pepper
- goats' milk feta (my new favorite thing, oh man)
- 1 TBSP butta
- a handful of fresh basil leaves, rougly chopped, or torn.

Boil potatoes and carrots in salted water until softened. Drain, and put butter in the hot pan, add taters and carrots back in and start smashing adding milk as necessary. Then fold in  feta and basil and.


***this side is vegetarian and gluten free! 


You may recognize my "Go to salad" with shallots, nuts (pecans this time), cheese (gorgonzola), and fruit (fresh blackberries! YES!) in the photo.

Spicy Pork Burgers and Chard with White Beans

I am so far behind in blogging that I have actually made both of these recipes (or something resembling them) twice now! Disgraceful!

The pork recipe as follows is how I made it the first time-- the second I didn't really pay attention to the amounts of each spice and herb I was throwing in, though it had pretty much the same end result. They are flavorful and have a little kick but are not overtly spicy (as in, you could definitely take add some cayenne or up the amount of red pepper flakes if so desired). The fennel and sage give the burgers the distinct Italian sausage flavor that is so good. In the future, I might try this with a mixture of pork and turkey, or even just ground turkey to make an even leaner burger.



Burgers:
1 lb ground pork
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
provolone cheese

Mix all ingredients (except cheese, duh), and form into patties (3-4). Grill 5 minutes on each side, throwing the provolone on with a minute to go so it gets nice and melty. Top with lettuce and tomato (I have also topped it with garlic seared chard which was delicious) and put on a toasted sesame bun. Enjoy!



Chard

1 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 TBSP olive oil (I used basil oil because I have some and why not)
a big bunch of swiss chard, diced
two tomatoes, diced and salted
1 tsp Italian-ish seasoning blend. I used "Bouquet Garni" by Penzey's
2 tsp dried parsley
S&P
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed. I wanted to use cannellini but all the store had was northern

Sautee onion and garlic in EVOO until translucent. Add chard and toss to coat with the now infused oil and yummy onions and let wilt. Add seasonings-- especially salt to draw some moisture out. Then, add diced tomatoes and the beans. As soon as it's warm throughout, stuff your face with this superfood!

The second time I made this recipe I actually used canned crushed tomatoes and turned it into a pasta sauce for some angel hair pasta. It was delicious. I love the flavor and texture combinations-- sweet tomatoes, creamy beans, crisp and bitter chard. And you can eat this guilt free because of all the nutrients that are jam-packed into every bite. Tim even asked for seconds! On a vegetarian dish!

4th of July Cook Out

My sister Alison and her husband TJ were visiting over the 4th of July (yes, I am aware that the 4th of July was over five weeks ago) from Atlanta. We had a great weekend hanging out in Iowa City at jazz fest, and heading around town for wine tastings, fossil searching, and window shopping in the Amana Colonies. On the 4th, I made a big dinner for Alison, TJ, Tim, and my Dad who came up from the Quad Cities. I failed to take photos of the food, but it was pretty tasty!

Pork Tenderloin 2 ways-

For both of these, I grilled them on medium for about 40 minutes, turning throughout. Then, I let them rest under a loose foil tent for ten minutes. This is the most important step when it comes to having juicy pork!

1. Cajun -- I just mixed cajun spices and dried parsley and put the dry rub on the meat right before grilling.
2. Orange and fennel -- I put 2 TBSP of olive oil, the zest and juice of an orange, 1 TBSP of honey, a tsp of whole fennel seeds, a tsp of ground fennel, and a roughly chopped sprig of tarragon into a big zip lock and threw the pork in with it. After a quick "massage", I let it rest in the fridge for several hours to let the marinade really soak in.

Warm Acini di Pepe and Corn Salad  -- see previous entry for recipe.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Spinach Salad: 
Spinach + strawberries + goat cheese + pecan + red onion + poppyseed dressing. YUM!

Easy Grilled Potatoes:
These are a summer staple. I simply slice red or yukon gold potatoes thinly (using a food processor is a snap) and combine with sliced onions or minced garlic, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then, I take a large piece of aluminum foil, spray the bottom with Pam, and put the taters right on. I seal up the packet and throw it on the grill for 20-25 minutes. The potatoes on the bottom char, but the ones on the top just steam, and when you toss it all together it's perfection! The garlic and onions just melt into it. I make these at least once a week using different combinations of herbs and seasonings and I have never had a bad batch.


Seared Greens with Golden Raisins:
Oh man, I don't even remember what I did here... But it involved sauteing an onion in some olive oil, and then searing the greens and pouring vinegar and raisins in right at the last second. It was good. 

Balsamic Honey Rosemary Pork Chops, Hasselback Potatoes, and Creamed Chard

Balsamic Honey Rosemary Marinade:
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 TBSP honey
- 2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
- tiny sprinkle of salt

Put marinade in a zip lock with the pork chops and massage around for a few minutes. Then refrigerate for at least two hours, but as long as overnight if you really want (I did mine in the morning before work so it was about 8 hours).

The pork chops developed a fantastic carmelization on the grill thanks to the honey, and the balsamic helped to tenderize the meat. I *loved* these pork chops, and ended up eating two (because sometimes I am a pork chop). Tim just thought they were "okay", but I might keep this marinade in the rotation.

Hasselback Potatoes
I saw this crazy delicious looking photo on serious eats and just had to make them myself. I sliced the potatoes thinly, stopping about a 1/4 inch from the bottom of the potato. Then I rubbed the potatoes with smart balance oil and then rubbed a combo of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and dried parsley-- making sure to get some of the yumminess in between all the slices! Then you bake for 45 minutes at 375 (give or take depending on the size of the taters.)

These potatoes look incredible, but their taste doesn't quite match up. I mean, they were good, but not heaven-sent amazing.

Creamed Chard
I take great pride in saying that the swiss chard I used was from my garden!! I didn't really follow a recipe here, but just threw together things I had. First, I sauteed a bit of red onion (yellow would have been better)  in some olive oil, and then I threw i the chard stems until they were softened. Then, I added the chard leaves (that I cut into strips) and continued to sautee. When everything was nice and soft, I just poured a teeny bit of cream (usually I just use milk, but I had cream leftover from baking for Tim's birthday) over the top and stirred to combine. This was yummy, but the red onions discolored the cream so it looked kinda gray.... not very appetizing.

Chorizo and Seafood Paella

I love me some paella! Actually I love any one-pot meal that is flavorful and spicy and healthy and full of surprises. I always forget about making them (probably because they are not very friendly if you are cooking for one or two, and require a crowd of at least six), but last weekend I was inspired. By no means is this dish a traditional paella in any way other than the type of sausage and seasonings I used. If I were to swap out the chorizo for andouille and the saffron for cajun seasoning, this could have just as easily been jambalaya! I didn't follow a recipe when I made it, nor did I measure anything, so this is all just from memory... hopefully it's accurate, because man oh man was this yummy! If you are making your own paella, definitely experiment! You can skip sausage altogether (but in that case you should sautee the veggies in 2 TBSP of olive oil), you can add chicken, you can add other seafood, and you can definitely switch out the veggies!

Chorizo and Seafood Paella -- serves 6 (or in my case, 2 with many leftovers)

• 2 (local!!) chorizo sausages*
• 1/4 lb shrimp
• 1/4 lb bay scallops
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 Spanish yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3-4 threads saffron
• turmeric
• paprika
• cayenne
• parsley (save some for garnish)
• secret ingredient: 1 TBSP cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice 
• chicken broth

*My chorizo sausages were made from local pork (so exciting!) and were uncooked. They were about the size and color of brats. Typically, you will find cured or smoked chorizo near the deli counter which will be thinner and much darker in color. You can basically follow the same instructions as the fat will still be rendered from them. 

Slice the chorizo thinly and put in the bottom of a large pan (I started in a cast iron skillet, but had to switch to a larger dutch oven by the time I added the rice). As the fat is rendered out of the sausage, add in the onions and garlic. When they are translucent, add in the peppers and the seasonings. Add the chocolate in too-- this was the first time I've ever put chocolate in paella, but I saw it on an episode of Grill It with Bobby Flay and decided I had to try it!  Then, pour in the frozen peas, the canned tomatoes, and the rice. Allow the rice to cook without any extra moisture for a few minutes so it can absorb some yummy flavors. Then, pour the broth over the whole thing and let it simmer for 20 minutes; add more broth as necessary, or if there is too much, just let it cook longer. This dish is high maintenance in that is has many ingredients, but it's low maintenance in that it cooks in one pot, and you really can't over cook it (well, the only thing you can overcook is the seafood but if you followed my directions you haven't added it yet!) Right before serving, put the seafood on top of the rice mixture and allow the flavorful steam to cook it. I put the shrimp on about 7 minutes before eating and the scallops on about 5 minutes before and they were both perfect! Garnish with parsley, and enjoy! (But watch out, it's very hot).

Marinated Pork Chops and Roasted Asparagus

***This post is probably a month overdue, which is too bad since it was one of Tim's favorite meals ever. I will have to repeat this marinade!

Pork Chops

• 2 boneless 4 oz pork chops
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire
• garlic powder (I would have used fresh garlic, but when I got it out, I realized it was so old that it was sprouting new garlic.... which led me to wonder, can I plant that bad boy in my garden? Probably not.)

Put chops and marinade ingredients into a zip lock. Mash it all up and throw it into the fridge for up to 8 hours (the longer the better). When you're ready, take the chops out and grill-- or if you are like me and your grill runs out of gas after 2 minutes, put under the broiler.

I did the asparagus (fresh from the farmers' market) the same way I usually do-- olive oil, salt, pepper.

This meal took a whopping ten minutes to prepare, and it was great. The salty briney marinade on the pork really tenderized it. I actually cooked the pork and the asparagus on the same pan under the broiler, so they juices all mixed together and flavored the veggies too-- yum! This would be a fantastic weeknight dinner since it was so easy-- and a side of minute rice or a quick salad would balance it out! (Since we just had bruschetta, we didn't need anything else).

Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

For the first time in my life, I didn't spend Easter with some portion of my family. I was just so rundown from being sick that I couldn't bear to dress up or put a smile on my face. And while I typically do not cook at all while I am sick, I was so hyper-vigilant about using hand sanitizer that I decided to make a quick but elegant Easter supper.

Pork tenderloin is my favorite thing to eat and to prepare, so that was a no-brainer, but I tried something new for a marinade and a side. I'm very excited to say that I used locally made bourbon for my marinade, and while I am no bourbon expert, I think it was very good. The end result on this dish was great. It was salty, sweet, spicy, and tangy all at once. Most of it I just made up as I went along, but I tried to keep track of what I was doing so I can re-create it some day!


Apple Bourbon marinade:

• 1 cup fresh apple juice (I used two granny smith apples and my neato juicer)
• 1 cup of Iowa bourbon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• a few whole cloves
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 TBSP light brown sugar

I rubbed the marinade onto a pork tenderloin that was just over a pound. I poured over the excess and let it sit for about 2 hours. The pork was on the grill for about 40 minutes (on medium high heat), and I turned it twice. After taking it off, I let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing it. While the pork was cooking, I turned the marinade into a sauce. Most importantly, I brought it to a ROLLING BOIL for several minutes to kill any raw-pork germs. Then, I just let it reduce. I added a few shakes of all the original spices b/c I felt like I couldn't taste them, but that's it.

Sauteed Apples

• 3 TBSP butter (well, I used smart balance)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 granny smith apples, pealed, cored, and thinly sliced. 
• ground ginger, ground cloves, cumin, and sea salt to taste
• 1 TBSP brown sugar

Basically, I melted the butter in a large skillet and then threw in the onions and apples to caramelize. I kept everything on Med-low heat and just let it do it's thing for probably 30 minutes. I stirred occasionally. Right at the end, I felt like things weren't as caramel-y as I wanted, so I added in the bit of sugar to quickly melt.

To serve, I put the apple onion mixture down on a tray, and laid the pork slices over the top, and then poured the sauce over the whole thing.

This was unique, but a winner!!

And for dessert? EASTER CANDY!

Dinner with the parents

my very full tiny grill

Last Wednesday night, my parents drove up for dinner. Since my mother is the best cook I know, and the person who taught me everything I know (thanks, Mom), I am always really nervous when serving her a meal. Impressing her is totally thrilling! So, I opted for my old stand-by: pork tenderloin on the grill. After deciding on the main course, I figured I may as well make the whole meal on the grill. Lately I have been intrigued by grilling things that typically are not found on a grill and this inspired me to pick my two side dishes-- carrots and fennel. I also made a salad (not pictured) of arugula, pistachio, and baby heirloom tomatoes.

1. Grilled pork tenderloin
I put a dry rub on the pork and let it marinate for about an hour. The dry rub consisted of fennel seed (both whole and ground), dried parsley, a dash of cayenne, the zest of one orange, a bit of salt, and a healthy amount of cracked black pepper. I threw the tenderloin on the grill (Medium-ish heat) for 40 minutes, turning twice. I let the pork sit ten minutes (under a foil tent) before slicing. THIS IS THE MOST CRITICAL STEP! Pork can very easily dry out, so it is very important to let it sit and hold in all of its juices and flavor. The pork was GREAT. The outside was crusty with just a little kick; the inside was tender and juicy. There were not any leftovers, so that would seem to be a success!

2. Grilled carrots
I peeled a pound of carrots and rubbed them with olive oil. After some research, I decided to grill them for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. The last time I turned them, I covered them with a glaze of OJ, butter, and brown sugar. After removing the carrots from the grill, you can add a bit more of the glaze (I did), sprinkle with some salt, and garnish with parsley (the recipe I saw online recommended fresh thyme which would have been fantastic!) The flavor of the carrots was incredible, but they were not evenly cooked. If I were to do this again, I would flash boil (or even microwave) the carrots first and grill them just for a few minutes. 


3. Grilled fennel
I adore fennel. This should be well known by now. I try to eat it whenever possible, and constantly try to trick Tim into sharing my passion for it!
The idea of grilled fennel was just fantastic to me. I personally think it was better in theory than in application, but everyone else enjoyed it well enough. Basically, you quarter the fennel while keeping the core still in tact so the quarters are held together. Toss with olive oil, grill for about 12 minutes, and then when you remove it, cut the cores out and drizzle with lemon juice and salt and garnished with parsley. The fennel looked great, and the flavor was good, but like the carrots, I felt that the pieces were just not very evenly cooked. I will have to try again and perfect my strategy!

The opposite of a night on the town

I was pretty worthless today-- I woke up with a tummy ache and never really made it off of my couch. By dinner tie I realized I was starving but a trip to the store seemed out of the question. So (with some help from my honey who picked up a bag of red potatoes on his way over) I just through something together with some goodies from my freezer: Herb crusted pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes (roasted in the pan drippings I might add) and a side of creamed (er... 2% milked spinach).

Pork and Potatoes

Pork tenderloin is my all time favorite dish to prepare. It's easy, it's delicious, it's healthy-- what's not to love? I have honestly made it every way imaginable. On the grill, in the oven, marinated in just about everything. Tonight I opted for a dry rub-- mostly a mix of sage and thyme with some garlic powder, sea salt, and course black pepper mixed in. I plopped it in a pan surrounded it with sliced potatoes and chopped onion, drizzled it with olive oil, and put it in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes. After the pork was out of the oven and resting, I made the spinach. Just one box of frozen spinach, a few tablespoons of butter, about a quarter cup of 2% milk and a few teaspoons of nutmeg. Right before serving I sprinkled some romano cheese over the top.

Spinach

As usual, the pork was great. Letting it rest for 5-10 minutes after coming out of the oven (or off the grill) is really the key step to juicy delicious pork. The potatoes tonight were a-mazing. I haven't ever roasted them in the same pan as the pork before, and they absorbed the salty rich flavor of the tenderloin. I was also really surprised with how creamy the not-actually-creamed spinach was!

The recipe-free meal got good marks all around, and in fact, I may go dig into the leftovers any minute... until then, it's back to my comfy couch.