Pork Chop

So, a fun experiment.  This meal was a disaster.  Below, in bold and normal fonts is what I wrote in between cooking steps before the final product appeared.  In italics is what actually happened. No blame to the Kitchn. I’m sure all the mistakes are mine.  Enjoy!

______________

Woke up, watched a movie, went to the market, opened the windows and sat down with a book and a glass of wine, fell asleep, talked on the phone, ate pork chop. True day so far. Nothing fancy here.  Just a simple pork chop, prepared as described in the Kitchn (not exactly).  Tastier than it has right to be. Bu-u-u-ull-shit! The pork chops were super salty and I undercooked them three (3)! times.  Oh, and I tried my new rice cooker with some short grain brown rice and I made gummy rice.  Train wreck of a meal.  At least the arugula salad tasted good, but that involved no cooking and the dressing was store-bought Garlic Sensations.   Recorded here so I can find it again.

Brine

3 cups of water, 3 T kosher salt, 1 t black pepper, bay leaf in a freezer bag.  Cover the pork chops (I made 3, no bone, about a pound total).

Ingredients

• Pork chops
• olive oil, salt, pepper

Preparation

1. After brining for 1/2 to up to 4 hours, dry the pork chops with paper towel and maybe place them back in the fridge on a plate for a little while. I swear I brined for 4 hours.  That had to have been too long.  Next time, 30 minutes to an hour only.  
2. Heat your cast iron skillet in a 400 degree oven.
3. Rub the chops with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I also over-salted at this step.  If the Kitchn is to blame for anything here, if you brine for 4 hours, you probably really don’t need any surface salt.  
4. If you’ve got a probe thermometer, place it in a pork chop. And set it to the right temp (not 145 F), and read it when it beeps, and pay attention to the one pork chop that was thicker than the other two. You know, the one you didn’t put the thermometer in.
5. When hot, place the skillet over medium-high heat on the stove top and sear the pork chops. 3ish minutes
6. Flip the chops and place the skillet back in the oven.
7. Cook 6-10 minutes until done (~165 F). And not 145 F.
8. Rest before serving. And don’t rest and turn off the oven without fully cooking, and don’t do that again with the thicker chop.

Served with a simple arugula salad, some rice (some gummy rice, with no flavor.  This was at least salvageable with green onion, soy sauce, and white pepper), and a glass of red (or two!).

_______

Next time, whenever I get the courage to revisit the simple pork chop, I will salt soo much less, and not screw up the thermometering!  Not my best work, not at all.

Until we meet again, food! Until we meet again…

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Balsamic pork tenderloin: tasty (but nothing special, at least on my first try) and could work with any cut of pork (tenderloin is honestly an odd choice for slow cooking, but it was available and is fast, which is why I bought it).  All credit goes to addapinch and all blame to me. See her post for beautiful pictures.  

Calorie Estimate (assuming tenderloin): 900

Ingredients

• 1 T cooking oil
• 1.5 lb pork tenderloin
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T honey
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (if using the thin, salad dressing stuff) or 1/4 cup of the good ($30 bottle, delicious on vanilla ice cream and strawberries) stuff
• 2 t red pepper flakes
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. In a dutch oven, season the tenderloin with some salt and brown in the oil.
2. Mix the everything else marinade together.  Warm it first if you like.
3. When the meat is browned, add the marinade (well, pre-sauce/cooking liquid, since we didn’t soak first, it’s not really a marinade).
4. Cook low and slow until it hits 160 in the center, the lower the heat and hold it there until you’re ready to break it down and are 10 minutes from putting dinner on the table.  (Original recipe calls for a slow cooker, but I don’t have one.  Alternative is to marinade in the sauce first.)
5. Remove the meat, reduce the sauce.
6. If you’ve been patient enough that it’s falling apart and you want a pulled pork texture, pull it! Or slice it, up to you. Either way, serve with the reduced sauce.

Served with roasted rosemary red potatoes and an arugula salad with simple garlic vinaigrette.

This wasn’t bad, but would be a lot better with a pork shoulder and 5 hours of slow cooking!

Chili Verde

Hey Blog, I still remember your password!  After an excellent ski trip and a lackluster restaurant chili verde, I ask myself: “why don’t I make my own?”  Problem solved.  H/T everydaypaleo for providing an easy recipe to start from.

Serve with: rice, corn tortillas, or whatever else you want with a Mexican stew.

Calorie Estimate: 1400

Ingredients

• 2 T cooking oil
• 1 lb. pork shoulder cubed for stew
• 1 lb. fresh tomatillos
• 3 Anaheim or poblano chiles or other mild peppers with a “smokier” flavor
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 t smoked paprika (or red pepper powder or whatever you like)
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t black pepper
• salt to taste (don’t add more than a pinch or two until toward the end of cooking, as it cooks down)

Tool I don’t normally use

• Food processor or blender or stick blender and large bowl

Preparation

1. (See also step 4!) In a heavy stew pot or dutch oven, brown the pork over the oil (5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and be careful not to burn the stuff that might stick to the pan).  When browned, remove the pork and set aside.
2. Add the onion and garlic with a little more oil if necessary and sweat (5 – 10 minutes).
3. Add the spices and cook them for a few minutes, then add the chicken broth. Be sure to dissolve all the bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.  Add the pork back to the pot and lower the heat if you’re not ready to finish step 4.
4. Peel and wash the tomatillos and seed the peppers (but otherwise leave them intact). In a dry skillet over medium/high heat, char the tomatillos and peppers, turning often. When charred, blend the peppers, tomatillos, and cilantro until smooth.  (We’re charring for flavor and not to remove the skins, but I suppose if you want the skins removed, after roasting, put them in a paper bag to cool and then peel.)  Add the green puree to the dutch oven after you’ve completed step 3.
5. Simmer uncovered for a least 2 hours until pork is tender and the sauce has thickened (reduce about half in volume). Toward the end, add the lime juice, salt to taste, and enjoy!

Notes

This was my first attempt.  It turned out good but was maybe a little too sweet (especially the next day).  Next time, I’ll remember the cilantro (oops!), try another pepper, a couple fewer tomatillos, and char for longer (I wasn’t that patient).  Otherwise, it was better than the typical chili verde I’ve had a random restaurants.

Getting the cooking bug back: ideas to try

Beans and ham hock

Beef winter soup

Red lentil dal (new favorite)

Lentil soup for a small planet

Meyer Lemon risotto

Meyer Lemon pasta

Sardines with potatoes (success!)

Fillet and soba noodles

Minestrone

Wild boar and lentil soup

Braised leeks