Pork and Peaches (Moving Day, the Mother of Invention)

My family has been living in two places simultaneously for the past month. We've been painting and moving small things (read: books) since late July. Between moving the majority of our furniture last weekend during a tropical New Jersey monsoon and moving the remaining furniture (read: bookshelves) this weekend - as well as a three full day orientation at the Archdiocese for my new job- , there hasn't been much time to do any thoughtful cooking. Or anything else. However, yesterday after finishing the move, we decided to go with husband's parents to the orchard and do some light apple- and peach/nectarine-picking.

I returned to the old apartment in the evening to clean the bathroom and try to move some straggling items (read: mainly books) over to the new place. After such an evening, one wants to cook with as much on hand as possible and spend minimum time in the grocery store and kitchen. So one brief run to the store later, I improvised the following meal using our fresh peaches and nectarines, with inspiration from Angela's pairing of the pork chops and sauteed peaches:

1. Sauteed chopped shallots in olive oil for a couple minutes. Added some fresh thyme and salt. Then added about 2 cups chicken stock, brought to boil; added 1.5 cups couscous, stir. Covered and took off heat, let sit undisturbed about 15 minutes.
2. In cast iron: in a little olive oil, cooked four Italian sausages, cut into pieces. Once browned, added one peeled sliced peach and one peeled sliced nectarine (I maybe would have used two peaches instead of a nectarine, but I used the fruits which had been bruised during picking). I let these soften and get a little caramelized, then I added some roughly chopped spinach only long enough to wilt.
3. Fluffed the couscous and served as a bed for sausage-fruit-spinach mixture. Great with a few generous squeezes of lemon.

As we ate dinner, we watched Iron Chef, Battle: Suckling Pig (I have cable now, for the first time in my life). I felt pretty proud of myself when one of the chefs did a speck and peach pairing: hey, pork and peaches! I did not, however, make a scrambled egg/pig brain snack, or anything with trotters; although husband and I have devised the most brilliant (seriously) idea for a restaurant that involves offal and would be a huge hit in Manhattan. I decline to elaborate here, suffice to say it would be titled Simply Offal.

Did I mention I love my new kitchen? 'Cause I do. Counter space and cabinet space are a novelty.

Simple Pork Chop Follow Up

This is just to say Eliese's recipe for pork chops reminded me of everything great about cooking-- simple ingredients, little to no prep time, one pan for clean up, and something delicious in the end.  Here's a photo in honor of this delectable recipe.  Thank you for teaching me the secret to these chops.

Roasted Mustard and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

I don't start teaching for another week, so I have some time to post good recipes before the daily grind starts again. What I love about this pork recipe is that it is super easy to prepare and I can let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator and it just gets better. We used a lean pork tenderloin, but I'm sure you could do this with any cut of pork, or chicken for that matter. I stole the recipe from Epicurious and paired it with Angela's easy risotto.

6 T coarse ground dijon mustard

1 T fresh rosemary (I added more because our rosemary plant is huge)

2 T balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil

6 cloves garlic

1/2 t crushed bay leaves

1 to 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 375. Mix first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pat pork tenderloin dry. Salt and pepper pork. Rub marinade on pork.

I let the pork sit in the refrigerator for two hours, but you can bake it right away. I baked the pork right in the baking dish as you can see above but you could also put it on a rack in the baking dish--that would probably give you a better crust.

Place pork in oven. We baked ours for 45 minutes and it was perfectly done, but depending on the size the time would need to be adjusted. The internal temp (we are food thermometer people) should be about 150.

As I mentioned before, this was wonderfully paired with Angela's easy parmesan risotto.

The Pleasures of a Simple Dinner

You would think I have nothing to do judging by recent frequency of posting. Let me assure you, I do (have many things to do, that is); but I would rather not. I simply wanted to share our favorite way of doing pork chops (a cheap, delicious staple), along with an easy appetizer recipe. The appetizer recipe is one my husband likes making, and even though in most cases I am not a fan of radishes, it is delicious.

Radish Toasts: Thinly slice radish using a vegetable peeler, layer on baguette spread with butter, finish with coarse salt. These make a great easy party dish, too.

Simple steps to delicious pork chops: Heat oil - better, leftover bacon fat - in skillet (use cast iron if you have it) over medium high. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. When oil/fat is hot, cook chops for 3 minutes. Flip and turn heat to medium, cook 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chop. Remove and place on plate, tent with foil and let sit for another 5 minutes or so. Done! (Enjoyed here with homemade applesauce and a Manhattan.)

On the side, a green salad with heirloom tomato - lettuce and tomato courtesy of farmer's market - over which husband later decided to shave a few more radishes (delicious).

There you have it: simple dinner. Enjoy with a glass of wine, or a cocktail if desired.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Chops with Polenta

I am ever so happy to finally contribute to this lovely blog dedicated to deliciousness. I just posted this same thing on my sister's food blog: Pots and Peter Pans. It is only the second time I have ever done it so I am quite proud of myself. It will be my policy from now on to post recipes on both blogs if I ever do get around to doing it at all. Zach actually picked out this recipe because he loves to grill meat. They turned out really great, but I want to see if it would be good just doing it in the oven instead of on the grill (that way I won't need Zach's help... I really should learn how to use it I guess). Next time I may experiment with that. If anyone else decides to try them in the oven, let us all know how it goes.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork ChopsPrep: 25 Minutes, Grill: 35 MinutesMakes 4 Servings (we made it into 6)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms (button, chanterelle, or shiitake... we used portabello)1/4 cup chopped onion1 tablespoon butter or margarine1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 cup coarsely chopped fresh spinach1/4 cup soft bread crumbs4 pork loin chops or pork rib chops, cut 1 1/4 inches think (we got them cut by the butcher)1/4 cup ginger jelly or preserves or orange marmalade (we left this out, but it probably keeps it more tender)
1. For stuffing, in a small saucepan cook mushrooms and onion in hot better until onion is tender. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in ginger, salt, and pepper. Add spinach and bread crumbs, tossing gently until combined.2. Trim fat from chops. Make a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to the bone. Spoon one-forth of the stuffing into each pocket. Secure openings with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle chops with additional salt and pepper.3. For charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above pan. Place chops on grill rack over pan. Cover; grill fro 35 to 40 minutes or until chops are slightly pink in center and juices run clear (160 degrees F) turning once, brushing occasionally with ginger jelly during the last 5 minutes of grilling (For gas grill, preheat. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking. Grill as above)
*Compliments of Better Homes and Gardens New Grilling Cookbook

Polenta With Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup quick-cooking polenta
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Slowly whisk in the polenta.
3. Add the salt and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and butter. Mix well.
5. Serve immediately.

Note: These directions did not say to turn down the heat, but I did anyway after I whisked in the Polenta. Even with the heat on Medium the Polenta started spitting out of the pot at me. I took it off the heat completely and then just put it back on simmer and it turned out fine. Also, one cup of Polenta should be 4 servings.