I’ve thought about becoming a vegetarian – you stay healthier, live longer and make the world a better place…then I remember: bacon. Life without pork, is well…not quite as tasty.
Last weekend, I had a small dinner party – a rare occasion these days since I’ve suspended cooking most anything from scratch with two babies at home. But this was an exception and turned out to be a delicious one on a cold winter night. The star attraction: pork chops!
Here is my secret that I tell everyone – you must ALWAYS, without exception, brine your chops. These days, our little swine friends are raised to be quite lean and, unfortunately, that means the flavor ain’t what it used to be. Brining in a sugar and salt-water solution for a couple of hours (overnight is ideal) will transform your pork experience. The other rule is don’t overcook pork (or any meat for that matter).
THE MENU
WARMING SALAD
Some years ago, I read that avocados and citrus are “warming” foods and good to eat in the winter, plus I think they’re a great combination.
- 1 avocado cut into cubes
- 1 pink grapefruit (if you don’t like the pith, which I find too bitter, skin the grapefruit with a knife, slice in rounds and pick out the sections… tedious, but I think it’s worth the effort.)
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- Chopped walnuts (optional)
- Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
DUVAL’S KILLER DRESSING
Memorize this one… it’s an easy crowd pleaser. Be sure to taste as you go, because I never measure and have no real idea of the amounts!
- 1 tsp mustard (brown, dijon, pommery),
- 1 tsp honey (maple syrup ok too)
- 2 Tb Red wine vinegar
- Good olive oil
Mix mustard and honey, then add vinegar. Whisk in equal or more amount of really good olive oil (don’t skimp on the oil). Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Always toss your salad before serving – it tastes so much better.
PORK CHOPS
I generally select boneless chops about ¾ inch thick. I also like bone-in chops, but they really want to be cooked on an outdoor grill. For the brine, add a couple of tablespoons of salt & sugar and enough warm water to cover the chops in a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or more.
To cook, meat should be room temperature. Heat a heavy-bottom pan with a little olive oil or butter, then brown the chops on med-high heat. I start with about 3-4 minutes per side – you really have to monitor it closely (set a timer if you can). To check for doneness, press on the meat – if it feels spongy, it’s not cooked through. When just firm to the touch but not hard, the chops are ready and should be a little bit pink inside. Remove and let sit for a couple of minutes – they will keep cooking, so it’s better to take off the heat sooner rather than later. I’ve had to practice this a lot!
ONION SAUCE
For an easy topping, sauté sliced onions in butter until limp and golden brown; serve on top of the chops (vidalia or sweet spanish onions are perfect). Figure at least one onion per 2-3 chops.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE
Butternut squash is amazing. This one I had on my kitchen counter for TWO months and it still tasted great! (Recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.) This can be made in advance and heat before serving.
- Peel one large squash with sharp knife, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
- Cut into cubes
- Steam 18-20 minutes (squash should be quite soft)
- Put in food processor with 2 tablespoons of butter and add spices… I used 1 teaspoon ground ginger (but would have preferred fresh grated ginger) and 1 teaspoon honey (brown sugar or maple syrup). I also added white pepper, but won’t do that again.
INSTANT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
So easy, it’s stupid… thank you, Nigela Lawson!
- 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
- 4 Tb (½ stick) butter
- 9 oz. best quality semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped into small pieces)
- ¼ c hot water from recently boiled kettle
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Put marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in heavy-bottom saucepan. Put saucepan on stove on med-low heat to melt, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat. Whip cream with vanilla until think and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until smooth. Pour/scrape into 4-6 glasses or small dishes and chill.
I returned from Austin last month, ears still ringing, body and clothes still reeking of BBQ and Lone Star Beer, planning to write a pithy, characteristically lengthy post about my virgin SXSW experience but, as any loyal reader of this blog may have astutely noticed, I didn’t. And I won’t now, because…well, because the moment has passed (although I will recommend Future of the Left, Black Lips, Primal Scream, King Khan and – shameless plug – Nacional as high points of the show). Fortunately, an opportunity to write something music-related has come up in the form of the wonderful band a few of us stumbled upon at the save Coney Island benefit a couple of weeks ago. No need for a long post here, but it’s enough to say that .357 Lover blew my mind hole. Wide Open. A sort of bastard love child situation in which early-era Queen has birthed a monster, while ELO and Meatloaf contest paternity in the next room. And Van Halen mediate. Pure. Balls.
