The Morning After The Morning After....

Yesterday was our Thanksgiving. Sort of.

Thanksgiving day we joined my father-in-law for a turkey-and-all-the-trimmings brunch in the dining room at the retirement community where he lives.

The brunch was served buffet style on long tables lined with commercial chafing dishes. Sliced turkey; sliced ham pieces (floating in some sort of liquid); stuffing (cornbread type, I think, though it was hard to discern); instant mashed potatoes; gravy (also from a can); green beans with limp, soggy bacon (swimming in the brine in which they were canned); mashed sweet potato casserole; cranberry sauce (again, from a can) and rolls. This kind of meal is what we have come to expect from the head 'chef' (I use that term quite loosely).

But, we love turkey dinner leftovers, so we decided to roast our own turkey on Saturday.

We prepared our dinner for just the two of because we wanted to make just a few items that we love and experiment with a new, highly seasoned stuffing that wouldn't necessarily appeal to our usual dinner guests.

I found the stuffing recipe, Ciabatta Stuffing with Chorizo, Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms, at Food52.com and I'm glad I did. It was amazing. Instead of using cured chorizo, Tom used a half of a 10-ounce tube of Mexican chorizo. The result was a little spicier than what the cured chorizo would have been, but it perfectly complimented the sweetness of the potatoes and the earthiness of the mushrooms (combination of shitaki and crimini).

Rather than bake the stuffing in a pan, Tom stuffed the bird with it and then with what stuffing wouldn't fit in the cavity of the bird he cooked a small bowlful in a frying pan and ate it for breakfast topped with a fried egg over easy.

Tom made the mashed potatoes. I made the gravy from the stock that I had simmering on the stove all day.

One of our favorite holiday side dishes is Marie's Parmesan Roasted Onions. Onions roasted in a wine and cream sauce until they're just barely soft and oh so sweet.


Then, of course, we needed cranberry sauce.

Several years ago, I saw filmmaker, David Hahn, on a cooking show (I can't remember which one) talking about a new product he developed called Cranberry Fool. A cranberry sauce of sorts: whole fresh cranberries enhanced with dried cherries, currants and raisins with a splash of vanilla. I decided to make my own Cranberry Fool Sauce. It's much better than canned cranberry sauce and what's so awesome is that you can add some chopped candied jalapeños to the sauce and spoon it over cream cheese or bake it with brie for a special appetizer.


The last side dish, which didn't turn out so well, was the Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Onions and Balsamic. I just roasted them too long. We ate them anyway.

It was a fairly simple Thanksgiving dinner...



We have lots of leftovers, most of which are vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. I kept out some turkey to make soup this afternoon. 

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with the warmth of family and friends.

Next stop.... Christmas.

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew with Homemade Spaetzle

I know that I have been AWOL since before Thanksgiving, but I have a really good excuse. I've been sick since the day after Thanksgiving. Nothing life threatening. Just a very bad cold. But when you're old like me, a cold can really take its toll on your body.

I'm finally on the road to recovery and cooking.

We've had lots of rain since October and November, so I've been craving comfort foods like soups, chowders and stews, all of which have been on the menu at least twice a week.

Rather than serve the stews with just crusty bread on the side, I decided to use this spaetzle maker that had not seen the outside of my kitchen cabinet since it arrived in the mail a year ago and try the simple spaetzle recipe posted on Elly Says Opa! It is so easy, fast and delicious. It's actually faster than boiling dried noodles....and a whole lot tastier.

After removing the spaetzle from the boiling water, I strained it and put it in a frying pan with a little butter and chopped parsley. This batch browned a little, but it was still delicious and perfect with the stew.



The marsala wine adds just the right touch of sweetness to accent the flavor of the sweet potatoes.



Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely minced
1 cup Marsala wine
4 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

To season and coat the meat:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika

Put all the beef seasoning/coating ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a whisk, then transfer to a large zip-lock type bag. Add the beef chunks to the bag, close the bag securely and shake until all the beef chunks are evenly coated. Remove the beef chunks from the bag to a plate or bowl, shaking off excess flour. Set aside. Discard flour mixture.

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, rosemary and thyme and gently saute until the onions are tender and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute, being careful not to brown or burn the garlic.

Turn up the heat to medium high and add the coated beef chunks to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the Marsala wine and beef broth to the pot, making sure to stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring the stew to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer the stew for one hour.

After an hour, add the sweet potato chunks to the pot, cover and simmer on low heat for another hour.

Keep stew warm while making the spaetzle.

Spaetzle
Adapted from Elly Says Opa!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (I always use freshly grated whole nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter butter
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 teaspoons of the salt. Reduce to a gentle boil/simmer.

Using a whisk, mix the flour, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add the eggs/milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Secure the spaetzle maker over the simmering water and position the basket portion in the middle of the spaetzle maker. Add the dough to the basket and gently move the basket back and forth over the grater base. The dough will be thin enough to be forced through the grater base with the back and forth action and drop into the simmering water. Continue until all the dough is used. Cook just a few minutes until the spaetzle are done and rise to the surface. Lift the spaetzle out with a mesh strainer or slotted spoon.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle. Stir to coat the spaetzle and cook about 2 minutes or until they start to get a little color. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Roasted Potato Salad and Date Pudding Cobbler

After the whirlwind month of May, I'm back from vacation.

I spent a week on Anna Maria Island (Florida) with my youngest son's family, a week in the San Francisco Bay Area with my oldest son's family and a weekend in Fayetteville for my nephew's wedding. My trips included 5 days of driving and 3 days of flying, one of my flight days interrupted by flight cancellations due to weather. Whew!

It was a great vacation, but I'm glad to be home and back in the kitchen.

I made these ribs for dinner last night and served them with a Roasted Potato Salad and a simple tomato, cucumber, onion and artichoke heart salad marinated in a vinaigrette.

While I was in Florida, my son made his delicious version of potato salad. As he was putting it together, he called out the ingredients as I quickly noted them in my iPhone. I've already made this salad twice since then -- once while in San Francisco and again for last evening's dinner.

When I was in local grocery store on Tuesday, I picked up a bag of beautiful purple potatoes and used them with the Yukon gold potatoes called for in the recipe.

For this salad, the potatoes are roasted instead of boiled and the dressing is a cross between a mayonnaise and vinaigrette -- a little creamy, a little tangy but with a little bite. And, of course, you can't go wrong with bacon.



Chris' Roasted Potato Salad
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 7 small to medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 5 green onions, sliced thin
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease)
• 1 small container crumbled Blue cheese

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat)
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cut up potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper. Mix until all the potatoes are lightly covered.

Place the potatoes in an even layer on a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes until done. You should be able to easily pierce the potato with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are roasting, fry the bacon until crisp (I cut up the strips of bacon before frying). Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel, reserving bacon grease.

To make the dressing, put all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until smooth.

Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cooked and crumbled bacon, green onions and crumbled blue cheese and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss the salad until all the ingredients are coated well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.



The Date Pudding Cobbler isn't really a pudding or a cobbler. It's a very moist, gooey cake-like concoction.

I was looking for something tasty for last night's dessert, but I didn't want to run to the store for anything, so I started scouring my cookbooks and recipes for something that would use what I already had on hand. I already had the staples: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, etc. I had some medjool dates leftover from when I made these scones and a few walnut pieces. And there was an unopened tub of Cool Whip in the freezer. Cool.

I used all of my remaining medjool dates, which measured just over 1 cup after seeding and chopping. That was the only change I made to the recipe.



Date Pudding Cobbler
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 cup chopped dates (I used just a little over 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I think pecans would be good, too)
• 1 cup water
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip and ground cinnamon if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and the baking powder with a whisk. Cut in the butter until it is crumbly.

Add the dates and walnuts and toss to combine.

Gradually add the milk a little at a time mixing until combined.

In a saucepan, combine the water and remaining 1 cup brown sugar and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the date mixture and mix well (the batter will be thin).

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool.

Cut into squares and serve topped with a little whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup

Winter has hit Arkansas pretty hard. Yesterday was our third snow storm in as many weeks and that's highly unusual for this part of the country. Plus, temperatures haven't exceeded freezing for several days. When it's cold outside, I crave soup.

I'm not one to choose a brothy soup. I like a hearty thick soup. The kind of soup I grew up eating. Peas. Beans. Lentils. Potatoes. This soup is rich, hearty and very flavorful. The spice of the Mexican chorizo compliments the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Served with cornbread or warm tortillas, this is a satisfying meal.

This recipe calls for a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. When using straight olive oil for cooking, it is important not to heat the oil over its smoking point (the temperature at which the oil begins to break down) because it gives food an unpleasant taste. I avoid this by blending the two oils together. I generally use an oil dispenser bottle in which I've mixed equal parts of each of the oils to have it readily available to use for sautéing.



Sweet Potato Chorizo Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 - 10 oz. tube of Mexican chorizo (not smoked)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 yukon gold potatoes, washed well and cut into 1/2-inch dice (no need to peel)
• 6 to 7 cups chicken broth
• 1 - 9 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach (I've also used kale with great results)

Heat both oils in a large pot. Add the chorizo and cook until done, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks (about 8 to 10 minutes).

Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently (about 6 or 7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the all the potatoes to the pot and stir until the potatoes are coated well with the chorizo, onions and celery. Add 6 cups of chicken broth to the pot and stir well, scraping all of the browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil and simmer at low heat until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the frozen spinach and bring the pot back to a simmer and cook a few minutes more until the spinach is thawed and fully incorporated into the soup. If the soup gets too thick, add another cup of chicken broth.

Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and stir well. Serve.

Country Breakfast in a Cup

I'm not much of a breakfast eater. I am just "Coffee, please," first thing in the morning and then usually wait until 9:30 or 10:00 before I can even think about something solid. Most mornings I have either a toasted English muffin or slice of toast with a couple of slices of avocado, or a turkey sausage patty, or a slice of turkey bacon. But, Tom has always been a great breakfast eater, so we go out to breakfast often on weekends.

Generally, for breakfast we wind up at Cracker Barrel, where I will order a breakfast much larger than I would generally eat simply because I like to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast is my favorite because I get just what I want and I can pick my way through the eggs, country fried steak, hashbrown casserole, biscuits and gravy. At least, that's what I usually do, but I might have to rethink my choice.

This morning as I was perusing the internet I wandered onto The Daily Beast and into a media gallery entitled "This Is Why You Are Fat." The ninth photo is entitled "Country Breakfast Parfait" and contains nearly all the components of my beloved Cracker Barrel breakfast in one tall glass. . .

The caption for this photo reads: "this winner contains all the elements of a country breakfast shoved into a cup as a parfait would be. Those elements include tater tots, fried eggs, chicken-fried steak bites, buttermilk biscuit chunks, sausage gravy, and bacon.

It's one thing to see your breakfast laid out nicely on a plate, with a separate plate for your biscuits and a nice neat bowl for the gravy.

It's quite another thing to see it layered and mushed all together like a gravy, potato, egg and meat milkshake.

I may never eat breakfast again.

 

It's Fall and Time for Soup

It has cooled down considerably. Yesterday, the high was in the very low 70's and today is cooler and raining. Even with the rain, I'm enjoying it. This afternoon, I am wearing a long sleeve shirt, long pants and socks. It's been several months since I've worn long sleeves. Next stop, turtlenecks and Ugg boots.

Another thing I like about the onset of cool weather is having a nice hot bowl of homemade soup for dinner.

My mom was a soup maker. Not professionally, mind you, but I thought she made darn good soups. When I was growing up, I came to love the thick soups or chowders she would throw together with just a few ingredients. The seven of us (five girls and our parents) would sit down to dinner and make a meal of a large pot of thick soup and some bread. It was delicious, filling and warmed the tummy.

When Tom and I married over 40 years ago (41 years on the 19th of this month, thank you very much), the only type of soup I knew how to make was thick and hearty, made with beans, potatoes, rice or noodles ~ anything to thicken the broth. The first time I sat down to a meal of soup at my in-laws, I thought I might come away from the table still hungry. The soup pot was filled with a thin beefy broth, a few pieces of meat, some chopped vegetables and homemade "noodles." It filled me up, but it was nothing like I was used to.

Although I now appreciate a nice brothy soup, I still gravitate towards thick, hearty and flavorful. My favorites are clam or seafood chowder, bean soup, wild mushroom soup and the Tuscan soup my sister, Karen, introduced to us when she lived with us earlier this year. This is Karen's favorite soup, her rendition of a soup she had while living in Las Vegas.

Although I really liked her soup...you know me, I cannot leave well enough alone. I had to doctor it up with some herbs and spices to suit my palate. I have also made the soup using two different methods to cook the Italian sausage: 1)cooking the sausage with casings on, then slicing it, or (2) removing the casings before cooking the sausage and breaking it into chunks as it cooks (much like cooking hamburger). I like either method, but I'm lazy and often use method #2 because it takes the slicing step out of the recipe. The photo is of the soup using method #2.

Tuscan Soup
by Terri Powers (adapted from my sister, Karen's recipe)

• 1-1/4 lbs sweet Italian sausage, about 5 (I have also used sweet Italian turkey sausage with great success)
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 medium potatoes (I use Yukon Gold and don't bother peeling them), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground fennel
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 bunch kale, stems and center veins removed and roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

In a large pot or dutch oven, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and (Method #1)cook the Italian sausage links until cooked through, about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot to a plate and allow to cool slightly. ~ OR ~ (Method #2) Remove the sausage from the casings and cook the sausage meat, breaking up with a fork, until cooked through. Remove from the pot to a plate or bowl.

Add the bacon to the pot (with the drippings) and cook until done, but not too crisp.

Add the onion to the pot with the bacon pieces and saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the garlic, fennel bulb, potatoes and spices to the pot and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and hot.

Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

If you have used Method #1 to cook the sausage, slice it now into approximatey 1/4 inch slices and add back to the pot and mix well. If you have used Method #2 to cook the sausage, add it back into the pot and mix well.

Simmer the soup until the potatoes are almost soft enough to pierce with a fork, then add the kale and the cream. Bring back to a simmer and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with hot with a crusty bread.

Ode to My Dental Hygienist

I'm not different than most people. I hate going to the dentist (sorry to all you DDS's). I even hate having my teeth cleaned. But twice a year, I make the trip to Little Rock to see my hygienist.

A visit to my dentist's office always starts with that dreaded test. You know the one where he or she pokes that metal thing between your gums and teeth to come up with "the number." I aim for at least a 3, cringe if she says "4" and am mortified if she says "5" because then she can tell I've not flossed consistently.

Once the test is over and I've hopefully passed at least with an "okay, but you need to do better here, here and here," she gets down to the scraping, polishing and flossing, then my teeth are clean and slick and on my way out of Baptist Towers One, I head for Starbucks to start the process all over again.

But, I love Jamie, my hygienist. She's young (under 30), sweet and funny. She is also married with two kids, a little girl six and a little boy almost a year. She is a busy working mom.

Jamie says she visits this blog regularly and loves the recipes, but has yet to cook anything. I completely understand. I have more time on my hands to cook than she does. I probably wouldn't be doing this blog if I had as much on my plate as she does.

So, Jamie, this recipe is for you. It's so simple even your 6-year-old daughter can help put them together. It is Potato Gratin or, more simply, sliced potatoes layered in muffin cups with a little cheese and cream and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes. Once you get them in the oven, throw your pork chops in the frying pan, your veggies into the microwave and dinner is on the table in 35 minutes.

I adapted this recipe, once again, from the final "pilot" Melissa d'Arabian did for the Next Food Network Star.

Potato Gratin
adapted from the original recipe by Melissa d'Arabian on the Food Network

• 2 large potatoes (I think the original recipe calls for russets. I used Yukon Gold potatoes and I washed, but did not peel them. You can peel them if you like.)


• Some grated cheese (I had some sliced swiss that I used, but you can use cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack...whatever your family likes)


• Some sliced green onions or chives (If your family doesn't like these, leave them out)


• Some heavy cream (I used about 2 tablespoons for each muffin cup. If you use the regular muffin tins, use a little less cream)


• Salt and pepper to taste


• Cooking spray


• One muffin pan (I used the large size with six muffin cups, but the regular smaller size would produce a perfect serving size for young children)

Preheat your oven to 375°

Spray the cups of the muffin cups with cooking spray. If you are using the large muffin tin, spray all six cups. If you are using the regular size, spray eight muffin cups. You can increase the number of cups, i.e. servings, by merely using a little more of the ingredients (another sliced potato, more cheese, etc.) until all the muffin cups are used.

Slice the potatoes very thin. Use a mandolin for this if you have one. In each muffin cup, layer potato slices, cheese, onions and season lightly with salt and pepper (if you use parmesan cheese, be careful not to over-salt, as the parmesan is already pretty salty).

When all the potatoes are used and the muffin cups are almost full, top each muffin cup with 1 - 2 tablespoons of the cream.

Cover the muffin pan with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes. Test doneness with a fork.

When done, remove the muffin pan from the oven and immediately turn it over onto a cookie sheet that fits snuggly over the muffin pan. The gratins should come right out. If one or two of them sticks, flip the pan upright, run a knife around the edges and lift the gratin out of the cup with a fork and knife. Serve hot.

How easy is that? Jamie you could do this!

Casseroles = Comfort

Debbie over at The Friday Friends posted an entry about casseroles.

Now, while I love a simple Beef Wellington with Truffled Mushroom Sauce, or Grilled Salmon with Herbed Cream Sauce, or Veal Picatta, or Chicken Marsala, you could prepare a casserole for me for dinner and I'd be a happy camper.

Like Debbie, when I was growing up, my mom made lots of casseroles. I also prepared tons of casseroles when my kids were growing up. Casseroles were, and still are, fast, filling, tasty and cheap. Back in the day, I remember shopping for the week for only $25 or $35. Now, I can't walk out of the market without spending at least that for just a few items. But, that's another post.

Now what can you do with a little hamburger, a few potatoes and some cheese? How about Cheesy Shepherd's Pie...

Cheesy Shepherd's Pie
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup flour
1 can tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup cream
grated cheddar cheese (2 large handfuls into potatoes and 2 large handfuls for the top)

In a large saucepan, add potatoes and enough water to cover. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 to 18 minutes. Drain well and place back into the hot pot. Cook over low heat, stirring, until any excess liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add the cream and 2 large handfuls of grated cheddar cheese. Mash to desired consistency, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion and thyme and cook until the onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring until crumbled, until cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, flour and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the beef broth and let simmer for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Coat a 9 X 13 baking pan generously with cooking spray. Scoop the beef mixture into the baking pan and spread into an even layer. Drop dollops of the mashed potatoes all over the top of the beef mixture and gently spread evenly over the beef mixture. Sprinkle the top with 2 large handfuls of grated cheddar cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until the cheese on the potatoes is almost browned and the filling is hot, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Back in August, I saw a recipe on Nic's food blog for Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops that I just had to try. They looked so delicious and tasted even better. I couldn't believe that such a simple recipe could be so outstanding. I served them with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts. Here is how they turned out...



Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
(Recipe Courtesy of Nic in the Kitchen, who adapted it from Giada De Laurentis recipe)

3 to 4 pork chops (I chose the large, boneless butterflied chops)
2 eggs
Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese, fresh ~ finely grated
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side.

As I said, I used the large, boneless butterflied chops and 6 minutes on each side was not enough time for the meat to come up to temperature. In addition, I didn't want them to be any darker, so I did as Nic did with hers. I put the chops in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

They were perfectly done, juicy and tender on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

The Rosemary Potatoes are simple. I cut up the potatoes into pieces (just larger than bite size) and put them in a bowl. Add enough olive oil to coat, salt & pepper to taste; sprinkle with a teaspoon or two of ground dried rosemary and some grated parmesan cheese. Toss to coat the potatoes really well. Pour onto baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 400 degrees until done (about 45 minutes). Crispy outside, tender inside. Yummy and so, so easy.