Well, I've just been a little bundle of productivity this week. Another freelance project came into my inbox, about Columbus' art scene this time. It's a tight deadline, but it should be a lot of fun to write. (For those of you who were interested in the fashion piece I mentioned a while back, that link will be up here soon!) Anyway, I stayed home tonight to tackle some stuff, get a head start on this project and have a long-overdue Skype date with by bff Emily...and I've only just now realized that I haven't yet posted the recipe I wanted to post today!
So here's a Food Friday post, just a half-hour shy of Saturday. This is slightly adapted from a Real Simple magazine recipe. Sorry for the poor photo; Matt and I were halfway through this meal when I realized it was a) good enough to blog and b) hadn't been blogged yet! Matt graciously allowed me to take pictures of his food, since his plate still had all the ingredients on it (I had already eaten all my pork).
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 boneless pork chops, about one inch thick
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 5 or 6 green onions
- sesame seeds
- kebab skewers (we have metal ones, but wood ones will work too)
If you're using wood skewers, soak them in water for at least 15 minutes. While they're soaking, preheat your oven to 450 degrees (make sure the top rack is on the highest slot) and bring two cups of water to a boil in a pot.
While you're waiting for the water to boil, chop the bell pepper and green onions into one-inch pieces, and cut the pork into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.
When the water starts boiling, also add a healthy dash of salt, the cilantro and the butter. Once the butter's melted, add the rice, then cover and simmer over low heat until the rice is cooked (usually about 15-20 minutes or so).
While the rice is cooking, combine the hoisin sauce and rice vinegar (both of which can be found in the Asian or international section of most grocery stores) in a bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil, then thread the pork and veggies onto the skewers and place on the foil. Drizzle with half of the hoisin mixture and bake for about five minutes. Turn the skewers, drizzle again and bake for another four minutes or so. (Don't worry if the pork is a teensy bit underdone in the center; new studies have shown that it's perfectly safe to eat pork slightly rare. And that's always better than overdone and chewy!)
Just before serving, sprinkle sesame seeds over the skewers and over the rice. Cause sesame seeds are delicious and there's basically no such thing as too much sesame, if you ask me.
I love this meal because it's so freaking easy, and it's fast, and it's delicious. As evidenced by the fact that I was halfway through it before I realized photos were necessary. Enjoy!
So now that I've joined a gym, my goal has been to hit it up after work Monday through Thursday, and once during the weekend. Working out after work means I don't usually get home until 6:30 or 7. And by the time I shower and make dinner, it's often 8 pm before I get the chance to eat! Now, I'm used to eating about two hours earlier, so I'm usually ravenous by the time 8 pm rolls around. So I've had to come up with some meals that are fast and easy to prepare, but still healthy (since I wouldn't want to negate my hard work with a greasy cheeseburger or pizza). The other night, I made this.
Easy, delicious and (as long as your pork is thawed properly, fast.You will need (for two people):
- four small boneless pork chops
- packet of dry ranch dressing
- small fistfull of fresh asparagus
- good olive oil (I used Giant Eagle's bulk Arbequina oil)
- half a box of egg noodles
- butter or margarine
- salt and pepperPreheat your oven to 350. Set a pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Also heat a little butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.While those are warming up, sprinkle your chops liberally with the dry ranch dressing. You don't need to coat them, and you probably won't use the whole packet, but get a good dusting on there for flavor. When the oil in the skillet is warm, add the chops and sear for 2-3 minutes per side (depending on how thick the cut is).While that's searing, drizzle a cookie sheet with the good olive oil. Add the asparagus and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.When the chops have seared on both sides, add them to another cookie sheet or baking pan. Pour the leftover butter over the chops, then stick the chops and the asparagus in the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes.By now, your water should be boiling. Add a good amount of salt to the water. When the oven timer has about seven or eight minutes left, add the noodles and cook till al dente. Drain, then stir in some butter or margarine and serve with the chops and asparagus.Bam! Fast (about 20-25 minutes) easy, delicious, semi-healthy (hey, I like my butter and oil okay?) dinner. So good!
So here’s the thing. I love to cook. I’m a terrible multi-tasker in the kitchen. I can cook one dish really well, but if you ask me to make sides with it, things usually get pretty crazy. This meal actually turned out semi-okay, minus the slightly undercooked asparagus, but that’s only because Julia Child is a goddess (I used a recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which Matt gave to me for Christmas).
First, a disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of instant mashed potatoes, but when I’m cooking a new recipe or one that’s a bit complicated, they’re a huge time-saver. I don’t like to admit it, but sometimes, a girl has to compromise her culinary standards.
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 pork chops, about an inch thick
- dried thyme, about ¼ tsp
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 bundle asparagus
- 1 package instant mashed potatoes
- ½ cup beef broth or stock
- salt and pepper
Julia’s recipe originally calls for you to roast the pork in a casserole dish in the oven, but I modified this for the stovetop. It’s just easier when you’re cooking for two.
Heat the oil in a large skillet; while it’s heating, dry the chops with a paper towel (Julia says this is the key to getting a good browning on this, or any, meat). Brown the pork on all sides, just a couple minutes on each. Season with salt, pepper and the thyme and set on a side dish for now.
Pour the oil out of the pan. (I transferred it into a separate pot in the sink to cool, then threw it in the trash. Just in case your mother never warned you, NEVER pour cooking oil down your sink drain.) Add the butter and garlic. After the butter melts, add the chops back to the pan and baste with melted butter. (Oh my gosh, I’m drooling as I type this and I just ate it last night. I love butter.) Cover the skillet with a large lid and cook for about five minutes.
Flip the chops and baste again (mmm), then cover and cook for another four to five minutes. The chops are done, according to Julia, if you make a deep cut next to the bone and the juice runs clear or yellowish, with no red. Easy way: get a meat thermometer for $3 at Walmart. Pork is fully cooked at 160 degrees. Put them back on the side plate and cover with foil.
Pour the broth into the skillet and bring to a high boil to deglaze the pan, making sure you scrape up all the browned bits at the bottom. Let the mixture reduce slightly as it boils.
Meanwhile, trim the ends off the asparagus and drop into a pot of salted, boiling water just before the five minutes is up. Mix the potatoes into a second pot of boiling water; cover and let rest while everything else is cooking. The asparagus should blanch in the water for about four to five minutes, I think. I didn’t cook mine quite long enough at three minutes. After blanching, give them a quick dip in ice water to stop the cooking.
Just before serving, drizzle some of the chops’ pan juice over everything. I also drizzled some butter over the asparagus, but that’s just because it’s the only way I’ll eat my veggies. Yum.
