Symon Sundays: Pork Chops with Grilled Peaches and Balsamic Honey Lime Vinaigrette

This weather that is nice when we start fixing dinner and then turns suddenly stormy is getting old. Since it's been happening nearly every day, I should expect it, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. More times than not these past two weeks, I am stuck trying to take pictures in gloomy light, and Sage is racing to get food off the grill in time. Or he gets to stand outside outside with a big umbrella as he finishes grilling, which was the case with this recipe. Luckily, this one was so very worth it.

We don't eat a lot of pork anymore, but we just loved this! I made quite a few alterations to this, most notably substituting the the rack of pork with pork sirloin chops (they were on sale,) which we quickly grilled instead of slow roasting over coals. The pork was served with grilled peaches and topped with a vinaigrette that I just about could've drank with a straw. That recipe called for chestnut honey- I used plain, old regular honey- and zest and juice from an orange, but I went with a lime instead. This vinaigrette was so good, we even drizzled some on the couscous and grilled pineapple that we had along with the pork and peaches. It makes a little more than needed, but I had no problem enjoying it on my salad the next day. The recipe is a keeper, and since it comes together so easily, would be a great one for entertaining.

*There was a second recipe, an absolutely delightful Sweet Corn and Wild Mushroom Soup. I debated selecting that one myself, so I was thrilled that Ashlee did. However the day I made that, it was, of course, storming terribly by the time it was finished. I couldn't get a decent picture, but there was no reserving some to try to get a picture when the lighting was better. It was just too delicious and unfortunately, I'd halved the recipe. But it is worth making. I will add the link when Ashlee posts her recipe.

Pork Chops with Grilled Peaches and Balsamic Honey Lime Vinaigrette

adapted from Michael Symon's Live to Cook

serves 3

3 pork sirloin chops (or a more tender chop,) about 1.25 pounds total
kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 peaches, halved and pitted

for the vinaigrette:
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 small shallots, minced
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
zest and juice of a lime

Season the chops very liberally with kosher salt, cover and refrigerate. (Symon says to do this the day before, but I just did a few hours before, and even with this only moderately tender cut of meat, it was still plenty tender.)

Remove pork from the refrigerator a half an hour prior to grilling. (I would suggest rinsing the salt off the pork. Symon doesn't say to do this, but our only past experience with a light salt cure did. We forgot, and it was a little salty for us.) Brush pork with 1 tbsp olive oil. Preheat grill.

To make the vinaigrette, combine garlic and shallot with salt. Add honey and vinegar, then whisk in olive oil. Add coriander, cilantro, zest and juice. Set aside.

Grill pork over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of about 150 degrees. Remove to a platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

While pork is resting, toss peaches in vinaigrette. Grill until charred for a couple minutes per side.

To serve, top each chop with peach halves and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Italian Meatball Soup

I've had a sick and very overworked husband lately. He finally got a chance to come home and get some much needed rest in the other day. (This is not as great as it sounds, since wet, cold weather postponed the tournament he was working, and he had to work his day off instead.) But at least he was able to take a nice hours-long couch nap, inside away from the cold rain.

I thought it would be nice to have a yummy bowl of soup when he woke up. Since I wasn't expecting him home for dinner, let alone so early, I hadn't planned on making soup, and had to use what I had on hand. Which turned out to be a limited selection of vegetables and a freezer full of some odd meats that we don't normally eat- like ground lamb and real sausage links. There was was ground pork, so I decided to make little meatballs, and use pasta to make up for the lack of veggies. Since making this, I've discovered my product of improvising is actually pretty much a real soup, Italian Meatball. Of course, there are tons of versions, and I'm not claiming mine is authentic, since I wasn't even aware of its existance prior to making it.

Sage was so happy to wake up to homemade soup, and the three of really enjoyed it. We are more vegetable eaters than meat eaters in our house, so next time I would half the meatball recipe and double the vegetables, but I will write it as I made it. I also think zucchini and/or spinach would go great. Other changes could be using half pork/half ground beef for the meatballs, and using beef broth/stock, instead of the chicken (omitting the worcestershire.) You could also increase the amount of stock for a soupier soup, although we liked it not as brothy.

1 lb. lean ground pork (or half pork/half ground beef)
1 medium onion
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/3 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 egg yolk
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, thin sliced
2 celery ribs, thin sliced
1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes
1 (32 oz.) carton of low sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
! large handful of parsley, chopped
1 cup uncooked whole grain macaroni (or cavatappi)
lots of grated parmesan, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mince 1/3 of the onion and set the remainder aside.

In a large bowl, mix ground meat, minced onion, half of the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, egg yolk together and season with salt and pepper. Using hands, form into small meatballs (about 1 level tbsp worth) and line on a rimmed baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. (I got 45 meatballs.)

Bake meatballs for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through, shaking baking sheet occasionally to promote even browning. Once done, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

While meatballs are cooking, heat oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Chop remaining onion, and add to pot, along with carrot and celery. Saute for about 8 minutes, or until onion is translucent but not browning. Add remaining garlic and cook for another minute.

To vegetable mixture, add tomatoes, stock, worcestershire, 1 tbsp salt, lots of pepper, and chopped parsley. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package dirrections. Drain and set aside.

Once vegetables are tender, add meatballs to broth and heat through. Stir in cooked pasta. Remove from heat, and top each serving with parmesan.

Week 10: NE Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts- Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

I had never heard of a pork tenderloin sandwich before yesterday, but appearently its a big midwestern favorite. In fact there was even a documentary made, In Search of the Famous Hoosier Breaded Tenderloin, where the filmmakers were on a mission to find the perfect one. It is a sandwich made of either tenderloin or pork loin that has been tenderized by a meat mallet, breaded using either cornmeal or crushed saltines and fried, and dressed as you would a burger- with ketchup, mayo, mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and/or onion.

We rarely eat fried food, so at first I wasn't sure I wanted to make this, but I couldn't find much else that I could make, and honestly, it just sounded good! And it was. I found lots of recipes but decided to go with one from allrecipes. I couldn't decided between using cornmeal or crackers, so I went with both. I also saw some dipped in egg rather than water, but I choose to stay with the water, and as this particular recipe called for, we used the pork loin. Ours two pieces came already butterflied, so we just pounded them out and cut them each in half, before proceeding. As written, this makes much more breading than neccesary and I used way less oil than the orginal called for. These were really yummy, but obviously not something I intend on making often, due to the fact its fried. I did see there is a healthier version that is grilled, so we may give that a try in the future.

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com, makes 4 sandwiches
1 pound boneless pork loin (ours was already cut and butterflied)
1 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (or 1/2 cup of crushed saltines, or a mix of both)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
oil for cooking
4 large sandwich buns
choice of fixings: mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onion

Cut 4 1-inch slices of pork. Trim any exterior fat from edges and butterfly each slice by cutting horizontally through the middle almost to the edge so that the halves are connected by only a think piece of meat. Put each butterflied slice between pieces of plastic wrap. Using a wooden meat mallet, or the side of a cleaver, pound vigorously until the slice is about 10 inches across. (Since ours was already cut in two pieces and butterflied, we just trimmed it, pounded it, and then cut it so we had four pieces.)

Mix flour, cornmeal and/or crushed crackers, and garlic powder together in a shallow bowl. Add water to another. Dip the pork into the water, then dredge it through the flour mixture. Proceed with all four pieces. (We had a lot of extra breading leftover.)

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in deep, heavy skillet (I only used about 1/4 inch) and fry pork, turning once until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Serve on buns (we toasted ours) with desired condiments and toppings.

Week 9: NE Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins- Cuban Sandwiches

If any one is actually paying attention, you may have noticed that last week I didn't have a Football related meal. It was a bye week for the Patriots, and originally I had planned on making a New England dish. Only, when it came down to it, we were having a lazy Sunday, after being up way too late on Halloween, and I decided I needed a bye week too.

This week was Miami, and we both instantly thought of Cuban Sandwiches. Interesting thing about Cubans- for me, it's rather similar to how people who hate thousand island, corned beef, sauerkraut and rye bread will somehow love a Reuben. I hate ham, am not much a fan of lunchmeats in general, and love a sandwich loaded with veggies. Yet I like Cubans.

Sage absolutely loves them and is the Cuban Sandwich maker in our house. This sandwich is made with Cuban bread, butter, yellow mustard, pickles, roast pork, ham and swiss. Just recently he got one somewhere and it also had salami on it. I have since discovered that only in the Tampa area will you ever find the addition of salami on a Cuban.

I'm going to be lazy and just link to a traditional Cuban-Miami recipe site, Three Guys from Miami, for how to make an authentic Cuban. Our only changes (other than a last minute subbing of spicy brown mustard when we discovered we were out of yellow) were to press ours on a George Foreman grill with a cast iron pan to weigh it down but this site gives direction on how to press it using a griddle pan.

Week 5: NE Patriots vs. Denver Broncos: Western (or Denver) Sandwiches

This Sunday was not a good day for sports in our house. Our beloved Red Sox's post season was ended after being swept in the ALDS. A blown save in the 9th inning of Game 3 wasn't very easy to take. Then the Patriots lost in overtime. That loss was a little easier to stomach, but still, if you know my husband and his love for New England sports teams, you know it was sad day.

It did began very nice, lounging around the house with the family and a late brunch. The Patriots were playing the Broncos, and the food most associated with Denver is the Western Sandwich, which is a Denver Omelette, served on toasted, buttered white bread or a roll, with ketchup. It is believed that the onions were used by westward-bound pioneers to mask the flavor of eggs gone bad. The omelette also contains green peppers, ham and salt and pepper. It was tempting to top this with cheese and omit the ham (I really don't care for ham) but I wanted to make it authentic. Since biting into chunks of cubed ham wasn't something I could handle, we chose to use thin sliced deli meat, chopped. Even with the ham, these were good! I had some French rolls in the freezer, so that's what we used and served them roasted potatoes. I have no idea what they actually ate with their sandwiches; I just like breakfast potatoes!

I don't think its neccesary to give directions on how to make a basic omelette, so I'll just share what we used. This will yield 4 sandwiches: 5 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup of milk, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 onion, 3/4 cup chopped deli ham slices, salt and pepper, 4 toasted rolls (or 8 slices of bread), butter, and ketchup. You can either make individual omelettes or one large one, divided in four pieces.

Kale and Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

The other day I decided to buy kale while at the grocery. At first I thought I'd make a soup, with sausage and potatoes (similar to my favorite soup from Olive Garden, which I don't think I've had in 7 years since Sage doesn't like that restaurant.) But then I wasn't so in the mood for soup.

Yesterday I was hanging out with my cousin, who also enjoys cooking and being creative in the kitchen. She mentioned how she had a butternut squash she was planning to stuff...and I had a light bulb moment. I realized I could stuff the butternut I had with the kale and sausage! (So, thanks, Leesa. I stole your concept- and it was delicious!!!)

I did learn something interesting. When I was putting this together, I found out Sage was predisposed to not like the kale, stemming from a stint as an Applebees server/bartender when he was younger. Apparently every plate had to go out with a garnish of raw kale- "No kale, no sale"- so to him, its a garnish. So even though I assured him it wouldn't taste like the raw garnish he'd sampled as a twenty year old boy, he didn't keep an open mind about it. So, while he liked the dish, he wasn't fond of the kale in it. (I loved it though!) I guess next time I makes this, I will have to use spinach instead since he loves that.

I couldn't find turkey sausage anywhere in the store, but regular Italian sausage was on sale, so even though I never eat pork sausage, that's what I used. It was really okay in this, but I much prefer turkey sausage. I think this dish is fun because you could really switch up what you put in it. I'd like to add canned diced tomatoes next time and maybe try a different cheese or perhaps a grain. And of course, for my non-kale liking husband, spinach.

1 small to medium butternut squash
olive oil
2 mild Italian Sausage links (regular or turkey), casings removed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups roughly chopped kale, ribs removed (about 1/2 a bunch)
1/4 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tsp dried basil
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Slice squash in half and remove seeds. Place in roasting pan cut side up and brush top with olive oil. Roast until flesh is soft and edges are lightly browned, about 35-40 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat skillet over medium. Add sausage and onion, stirring frequently and using spoon to break up sausage. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until sausage is mostly browned and onions are becoming translucent. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
3. Add kale, broth, basil, red pepper, salt and pepper. Reduce heat slightly, and stirring frequently, continue cooking until kale is wilted, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, scoop out butternut, leaving about a 1/3 inch thick border attached to the skin. Coarsley chop the scooped out squash and add to the skillet. Stir gently to combine. Stuff the hallowed out butternut with sausage and kale mixture. If any leftover stuffing, mound in roasting pan. Top both stuffed squash (and any leftover mound) with breadcrumbs and parmesan.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Farfalle with Pork, Zucchini and Spinach

When it came to last night's dinner, my fridge was pretty empty. It was looking like I was going to have to sneak in another vegetarian meal, when I remembered there was some ground pork in the freezer.


I have no idea why I bought it. I began eating pork about 2 years just to try to give myself some extra options (I mean how much chicken can a person eat?) but I usually only eat tenderloin. I don't eat pork sausage or bacon or the fatty cuts. But it's what I had, and by combining it with the meager selection of veggies I had and some pasta, it became a delicious dinner!


I didn't want to do a tomato based sauce, and I didn't want anything too rich or creamy, so I decided I'd do a light beef broth based sauce. I rarely use beef broth, so I keep beef bouillon for when I do need it. In the middle of making this, I discovered the jar was empty. (Why on earth did I put it back empty??) So I made it with chicken broth and added a good bit of worcestershire, which worked nicely. We added our crushed red pepper flakes at the table, since its not a toddler friendly spice, but you could add it to the dish while cooking. This was a breeze to make and really yummy.


1/2 lb. mini farfalle
1 lb. lean ground pork
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp dried basil
fresh ground pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
5 oz. (1/2 pkg) of frozen spinach
red pepper flakes, for serving
shredded parmesan, for serving

1. Cook pasta, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown pork along with onion, zucchini, peppers and garlic, until pork is no longer pink. Drain any fat.
3. Add broth, worcestershire, basil and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions. Drain well.
5.. Remove about a 1/4 cup of broth from pan and put into a small container with a tight-fitting lid. Add cornstarch, shake to blend, and return to pan. Turn heat up and bring to a boil.
6. Once slightly thickened, add pasta and spinach. Mix well.
7. Top each serving with desired amount of red pepper flakes and parmesan.

Easy Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Cauliflower

I've been wanting to try roasted cauliflower. All of the recipes I've seen have the same ingredients- lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan. Seemed easy enough. I was expecting something just amazing from what I read, so I was a little dissapointed. Sure it was delicious because I like cauliflower but wasn't really that much different from steamed.

To go with the cauliflower, I made a pork tenderloin. I call it "easy" because while the cooking takes a little while, it doesn't require hours of marinating (as most tenderloin recipes do) and is once you reduce the heat, you don't have to mess with it. This a great way to cook pork that is always flavorful and tender.

Easy Pork Tenderloin

1 lb Pork Tenderloin (the one I buy is about 2 lbs. and comes split in two lengthwise. We only cook one piece at a time for two of us.)

olive oil

paprika

2 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp dried marjoram

1/8 tsp dried thyme

sea/kosher salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. Trim tenderloin of any fat and silverskin. Sprinkle one side evenly with paprika. Press minced garlic into pork. Carefully flip meat over and repeat with other side.

2. Heat just enough oil to coat pan (about a tbsp.) On medium high heat, brown meat on both sides, about 7 minutes each side. Occasionally swirl pork around pan to keep oil even distributed in pan.

3. Once browned on both sides, drizzle one side with half of lemon juice and half of spices. Season with salt and pepper. Flip pork and repeat.

4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat has reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees using a meat thermometer, about 30 minutes. Once meat reaches 150, transfer pork to a plate and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets

olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp garlic, minced

sea/kosher salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

parmesan, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In roasting pan, arrange cauliflower in single layer. Drizzle with olive oil to cover each piece. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for about 30-35 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender and lightly browned.

4. Serve topped with parmesan.