Meaty Monday: Braised Pork Chops with Fennel, Tomatoes & Potatoes

It was 80º here two weeks ago, and we'll likely have our first light frost at the end of the week. Doesn't seem fair. I haven't even brought in all my houseplants yet. The ONLY thing I like about the coming winter is the hearty, comforting food. I'll just console myself with dishes like this lovely one-pot dinner  of pork chops and fennel until spring comes. Or the seed catalogs arrive...

Last year I made a slightly different version of this dish, but I think it was  too herbal, so bear with me. This is a meal that's quick to prepare, reheats well, and is so, so satisfying on a cold night with a glass of beer. Contrary to popular belief, the flavor of anise is even better in savory dishes than it is in sweet things. It's actually not as intense here as it would seem; it melds beautifully into the herbal background and lets the flavor of the pork shine.

This is a wonderful, aromatic one-pot meal, and a green vegetable or a salad will round it out nicely.  The dish gluten free, so if you want to serve bread on the side, choose accordingly to the needs of those at your table. Depending on how you feel about potatoes, you may want to modify this for a paleo dinner, and again, if you omit the potatoes, it would be a good low carb or Atkins-type meal.

We'll just serve ourselves from the pan tonight because I'm L-A-Z-Y.

Braised Pork Chops with Fennel,  Tomatoes & Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (heritage if possible), 1" thick, salted and peppered
1 large onion, diced
1 large fennel bulb, cored, sliced, both white and green parts
Fennel fronds reserved for garnish
3 cups small, yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes , OR 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 cup chicken stock
pinch hot red pepper flakes
2T Italian seasoning
2T Anisette liqueur or Pernod
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat in a large, deep covered sauté pan until is begins to shimmer and smoke and add the pork chops. Brown the chops, about 4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed.

2. Remove the chops to a plate and set aside, leaving any fat in the pan. Add the onions, fennel bulb, and potatoes. Salt lightly, and cook until the onions and fennel begin to soften. Add the tomatoes,  stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, the red pepper, the Italian seasoning, and the Anisette liqueur.  Bring to a simmer and stir well.

3. Add the chops and any accumulated juices from the plate, return the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour, until the pork is very tender. Place the chops on a serving platte, and spoon the vegetables and juices over it all. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Meaty Monday: Far East Five Spice Pork in the Crock

All of a sudden, its gone from too hot and humid to strangely cool and Fall-like in a matter of hours. I actually had to wear a robe and slippers this morning, instead of a pair of disreputable-looking shorts and flip flops. Too cool in the house. Which is good news for this delicious into-the-slow-cooker dinner.

I went foraging in my freezer yesterday and thawed a pair of small, 2 pound each pork sirloin tip roasts that would be perfect in an all day hot bath of soy, five-spice powder and other tasty Asian ingredients. Would also work well with 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder. Took exactly 5 minutes to cut the meat and put all the ingredients into the slow cooker this morning. All the ingredient come out of jars. I highly recommend keeping things like minced garlic, ginger and asian chili paste in jars on your fridge door for morning when you need to prep and don't have time to chop, chop, chop.

This would have been nice with some quick rice to sop up the juice, along with the spinach I served with it. But since we rarely eat grains, it was a no rice night. The famous low-carb cauliflower rice would work well too. It was still a wonderful thing, tender, falling apart pork full of anise-y, sweet spice, and ginger tang, with the juices drizzled over steamed spinach. The sliced scallion garnish is a nice pop of fresh onion on top, too.

Far East Five Spice Pork in the Crock is ready when you walk in the door.

Note: Pork shoulder is rather fatty, so trim any big bits of fat off when you slice the meat before placing in the pot. Sirloin or loin is leaner and won't need a trim. Leftovers reheat beautifully in the juices.

Pork sirloin tip roast; the front roast has been cut into 4 pieces.

Far East Five Spice Pork in the Crock

Serves 6 to 8

1/4 cup gluten free tamari soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons of honey or equivalent liquid stevia
1 tablespoon minced garlic (jarred)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (jarred)
1 teaspoon Chinese chili garlic paste (jarred)
4 lb. pork sirloin tip, or lean pork shoulder cut in 8 thick 3" by 6" slices
finely sliced scallion for garnish

1. Place up to the pork into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker crock. Mix well. Add the pork and turn to coat with the soy mixture.

2. Cover and set the crock to LOW and cook for 9 hours. Shred the meat to serve with a healthy drizzle of the cooking juice and a sprinkle of finely sliced scallion.

Dinner is served...on a waiting white plate...

Meaty Monday: Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers & Braised Onions

A break in the heat means a wonderful dinner
that's not grilled, for a change!

Cook the onions until they turn gold and translucent...
they get sweet!

Smokey, juicy pork chops, oh, deliciousness!

Yep, this is a rerun. But Chuck has been complaining that we haven't had this is a long time and I've been working and gardening, working and gardening. Last time I made this was last summer when I told you all about it, and it's a perfect dish for a Meaty Monday because you can have it on the table in about a half hour, and for much of that time, the food is in the oven.  So you can sit and have that much deserved beer. Sadly, we are not having the little cool-off we had last year...but we do have air conditioning...

We must be having a blip in our oven-like summer. Suddenly for the last couple of days, it's actually been nice. Like "my shirt isn't stuck to my back" nice. Nice enough for a hot dinner from the oven. A lapse in the heat and humidity. Even though I go from my air-conditioned job to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned home, I'm just not that motivated to turn on the oven. Not when it's just plain hot-hot-hot. But I am really tired of grilled this and that.

Even though I do love summer, it made me very happy to make a deeply smoky, spicy, oniony base for some nice, thick bone-in sirloin pork chops. Without having to think about how much it might heat up the kitchen. I miss the savoryness of cooler weather foods. Just not the cold weather. This Spanish-inflected dish doesn't take that long in the oven, so you really could consider it for just about any time of year.

We enjoyed our chops over simply sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a grain-free, gluten free and Paleo dinner. And best yet, since we were just two at dinner last night, there are leftovers for today. When the heat comes back this afternoon, I'll just have to reheat. For now, yippee! for the nice blip in the weather and a flavorful baked dinner.

Note: Smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón) comes usually in either mild or hot, but be careful. Even the mild can pack a wallop at the two tablespoons used in this recipe. Use your discretion.

Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers and Braised Onions
Serves 4

4 bone-in sirloin pork chops 1/2" to 1" thick
salt, fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil or coconut oil
4 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2T smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón, see note)
1 12-oz. jar fire roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup dry Sherry or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides lightly. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan, and quickly brown the chops on both sides, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the onions to the oil and stir well to cover with the oil, salt lightly and cook about 5 minutes until the onions begin to brown a bit and turn golden. Stir in the garlic and the smoked paprika and mix well. cook for about a minute, then add the roasted peppers and the wine. Bring to to a simmer, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the unions are nearly translucent.

Place the pork chops in the prepared baking dish, then removing the cover from the pan, and stirring up all the juices, pour the onion and paprika mixture on top of the pork chops. Taste the juice for seasoning.  Bake in the oven uncovered, about 20 minutes until they are cooked through.

I like this with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, or this cauliflower puree. If you like potatoes or a grain, go for it.

Moroccan Seasoned Braised Pork with Yams

Yes, I know. This recipe really takes liberties with Moroccan food. I apologize to my North African readers. There are virtually no authentic Moroccan pork recipes because most people in an Islamic country don't eat pork. I am not about to launch into any sort of religious or political diatribe here except to say that the spices in a sweet and savory ras el hanout ( a Moroccan spice mixture) go very well with pork, especially a lean roast pork like a pork sirloin tip, or a small loin roast. And with yams. Preserved lemon goes with both, too. This is totally and utterly toothsome and I suggest you run right out to the store and buy what you need and make it for dinner tonight.

While this may not strike you as a particularly June-ish dish, and I agree, it was just perfect for dinner on Friday when it was coolish and we got more than 4 inches of rain here near Philadelphia. Miserable dreary day and the pork was just right. Perfect actually, and there will be fighting over the leftovers, because like all braises, it improves with age. Luckily I hid it in the back of the fridge. So its mine.

Moroccan Seasoned Braised Pork with Yams

Moroccan Seasoned Braised Pork with Yams

Serves 4 - 5 

Note: If the ras el hanout you can find doesn't have any cinnamon or cloves in it, add about 1/4 teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon to the spices.  I consider this dish Primal or Paleo. If you don't use yams, substitute about 4 large carrots for the yams. Hold off adding any salt until the pork is nearly done, as preserved lemon adds a great deal of salt to the finished dish.

Approx. 2-1/2 lb. pork sirloin tip or boneless pork loin roast
2 tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and in 6 wedges each
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large preserved lemon half, rinsed and seeded, pulp and skin minced
2 tablespoons ras el hanout (I like the    brand as it's sweet)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
3  yams (about a pound) peeled and in 1-1/2" inch slices)
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt if needed

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.  In a medium sized Dutch oven that will just hold the pork roast and the yams, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat, and brown the pork roast on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes a side. Remove the roast to a plate, and add the ras el hanout and the cumin. Stir in the oil for 10 -20 seconds, then add the garlic, preserved lemon, wine and the chicken stock.

2. Carefully put the pork back in the pot, topside down, and arrange the onions and yams around the meat. Grind 8- 10 grinds of fresh black pepper over the top.Cover and place the pot in the oven and cook for 1 hour. At this point, turn the meat, rearrange the vegetables and cook about 45 minutes to an hour longer, until the meat is very tender. Taste the juices for salt and add if needed. Serve directly from the Dutch oven at the table.

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork

It is supposedly necessary to publish a seasonal recipe when there is any sort of major or minor holiday. It's in the Bloggers Code of Behavior, so I am offering you something for St. Patrick's Day. Every blah-g is loaded with beer laden main dishes, alcoholic desserts and pasty potato dishes. I'm giving you a Guinness sauce for meat. so i'm sadly right up there with the worst of them. It's good any time of the year, as is a pint of Guinness. Personally, the closest I've ever come to being Irish is having proudly bourne  a good Irish last name for a few years. But if I did have any Irish blood, I'd be insulted to have a holiday associated with my mother country reduced to a tawdry celebration of beer and potatoes. The Irish folk I've know have been kind, strong, intelligent, hardworking and generous. Far better things to celebrate, in my less than humble opinion.

All of that said, I do like a glass of stout every now and again, and Guinness was the first one I ever tasted.  Let's face it, it's delicious. It also makes a wonderful base for a rich and tangy sauce to serve with a spice rubbed pork or beef roast. Our dinner tonight happened to be a small pork sirloin tip roast, which I just rubbed up with Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Rub and a bit of olive oil this morning, and roasted simply this evening. The Guinness stout makes a deep, dark sauce with a deep, dark flavor that tastes like you had to work on it for hours. I think my favorite Irishman would love it.

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork.
Every blogger has to publish SOMETHING for St. Patrick's Day, right?

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork

Makes about 1 scant cup

1 bottle of Guinness stout
1/4 cup beef stock, or water
1T blackstrap molasses
2T sugar or erythritol
1T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. of Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Rub ( or other favorite meat rub)
pan drippings from a small (under 3 lb.) pork or beef roast

Place everything but the pan drippings into a medium, preferably wide, saucepan, boil and reduce to about half. Stir in the drippings, taste and thin as needed with a bit of water if too intense. Serve hot with pork or beef.

Pork Chop Porchetta on Farinata: Another Grainless Wonder

Your Cousin Vinny is probably going to come after me. My Uncle Tony is probably rolling in his grave. Spinning.  There is nothing in the world more delicious than a really well-made Italian porchetta sandwich made with juicy, seasoned, braised pork shoulder on a really good crusty, hard roll. I make a really scrumptious porchetta, almost an Italian pulled pork, and we live near Carangi's suburban branch -- a great Philadelphia Italian bakery that has the perfect rolls. I have two problems, though.

First, my porchetta recipe makes an enormous amount of the luscious, juicy pork, so my family of two would be eating it for a couple of weeks, and my system can't handle a lot of wheat starch. But it's such a familiar comfort food that I had to find a way around those hurdles. Luckily, I have a half of a freezer full of pork chops from that whole pork loin I bought a few weeks ago and showed you how to cut up here, and there is another Italian specialty that I can eat ---farinata. Farinata is the Italian version of the French Socca. Both are basically thin, crisp-ish flatbreads made solely from chickpea flour, water and olive oil. No grain, no gluten, and deliciously and fabulously authentic. It's also speedy to prepare as long as you remember to make the thin batter ahead and let it stand. By seasoning the chops with traditional porchetta seasonings and  braising all day in my slow cooker, Chuck and I can have a really good porchetta dinner in less than 30 minutes from when I pull into the driveway. I think Vinny and Tony would scarf this version down, too.

Pork Chop Porchetta, ready to serve!

You can  use my Socca recipe here, without adding any of the toppings. Or to make a Farinata, here's a link to the blog Kalyn's Kitchen where you'll find great, easy instructions. I use a slightly smaller pan to bake it for this,  as I want it a bit breadier and less crisp so it will sop up the gorgeous pork juice and I leave out the rosemary as there is plenty in the meat. These are great gluten free recipes to have in your file even if you don't make porchetta.


Note: I make this in a slow cooker, but it can easily be made in a dutch oven, in the oven at 325ºF for 2-1/2 hours. Generally, most traditional recipes include sage, but since we aren't fond of it, we've always subbed thyme. And in this non-traditional version, which is really more like a porchetta pulled pork, I've used some roasted peppers, both for color and flavor, and because loin is far leaner than pork shoulder. Enjoy every bite!

The Pork Chop Porchetta seasonings ready to go.

Pork Chop Porchetta
Serves 6
2-1/2 lb. boneless pork loin or sirloin pork chops or loin chunks
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2T ground fennel seed
6 garlic cloves, pureed or crushed
2T fresh rosemary leaves
6-8 fresh thyme sprigs
3/4 cup dry white wine
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
1 cup roasted sweet red bell pepper, chopped coarsely

Slap on the slow cooker lid; when you get back, it's Porchetta for dinner...

Place the pork in the crock of the slow cooker and toss with the olive oil. Mix in the ground fennel, the pureed garlic, the rosemary and thyme. Add the wine, and grind some fresh black pepper over the top, and add a big pinch of kosher salt. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the roasted peppers.

Serve over farinata or socca, or in crusty rolls.

A Summer Lapse: Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers & Braised Onions

A break in the heat means a wonderful dinner
that's not grilled, for a change!

Cook the onions until they turn gold and translucent...
they get sweet!

Smokey, juicy pork chops, oh, deliciousness!

We must be having a blip in our oven-like summer. Suddenly for the last couple of days, it's actually been nice. Like "my shirt isn't stuck to my back" nice. Nice enough for a hot dinner from the oven. A lapse in the heat and humidity. Even though I go from my air-conditioned job to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned home, I'm just not that motivated to turn on the oven. Not when it's just plain hot-hot-hot. But I am really tired of grilled this and that.

Even though I do love summer, it made me very happy to make a deeply smoky, spicy, oniony base for some nice, thick bone-in sirloin pork chops. Without having to think about how much it might heat up the kitchen. I miss the savoryness of cooler weather foods. Just not the cold weather. This Spanish-inflected dish doesn't take that long in the oven, so you really could consider it for just about any time of year.

We enjoyed our chops over simply sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a grain-free, gluten free and Paleo dinner. And best yet, since we were just two at dinner last night, there are leftovers for today. When the heat comes back this afternoon, I'll just have to reheat. For now, yippee! for the nice blip in the weather and a flavorful baked dinner.

Note: Smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón) comes usually in either mild or hot, but be careful. Even the mild can pack a wallop at the two tablespoons used in this recipe. Use your discretion.

Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers and Braised Onions
Serves 4

4 bone-in sirloin pork chops 1/2" to 1" thick
salt, fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil or coconut oil
4 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2T smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón, see note)
1 12-oz. jar fire roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup dry Sherry or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides lightly. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan, and quickly brown the chops on both sides, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the onions to the oil and stir well to cover with the oil, salt lightly and cook about 5 minutes until the onions begin to brown a bit and turn golden. Stir in the garlic and the smoked paprika and mix well. cook for about a minute, then add the roasted peppers and the wine. Bring to to a simmer, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the unions are nearly translucent.

Place the pork chops in the prepared baking dish, then removing the cover from the pan, and stirring up all the juices, pour the onion and paprika mixture on top of the pork chops. Taste the juice for seasoning.  Bake in the oven uncovered, about 20 minutes until they are cooked through.

I like this with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, or the cauliflower puree recipe I posted last week. Gut if you would potatoes or a grain, go for it.

Kitchen Bargains: Divvy That Boneless Pork Loin Yourself

Every now and then you can get a real bargain at the meat counter. Not often, but you can. Everyone tells you to cut up your own chickens, etc, make stock from the bones, and yes, that IS a real money saver. But there is still even an easier meat to cut up yourself: the whole boneless pork loin. You need no skill whatsoever, as you just cut straight down and through like you are slicing a loaf of bread. Pork loin is both lean and tender, so  it takes well to cutting into both roasts and chops, and the scraps are great for sautes and stir fries. The really good thing about cutting up as much of your own meat, poultry or fish as you can is that you can cut it exactly the way your family likes it.

Seven and a half pounds of porcine beauty.

This week my boss mentioned that he'd gotten a whole boneless pork loin at a local market for cheap, so of course, being rather frugal, I ran over and got one too. Nice call, Michael! Most  whole boneless pork loins weight between 7 and 9 pounds and the cut comes from the ribs. I made a center-cut roast of about 2-1/2 lb., by basically dividing the long roast into thirds, using the middle third as a roast and cutting the rest into a dozen 1" chops--"slices". Just 15 minutes and it was all cut wrapped and labelled for the freezer. You can do this too, with nothing more than a good, sharp cooks knife or a sharp slicer. Please don't use a serrated knife, unless it has fine serrations as you'll just tear the delicate meat.

15 minutes from big roast to perfect cooking sizes!

The remaining bits will get cut and marinated for a stir fry. The same market is selling boneless center cut loin chops for double the price we paid for the whole roast. Those chops are perfect to marinate and grill, or to hammer out into pork paillards--thin slices of meat pounded to less than 1/4" thickness and quickly sauteed or grilled.

Please remember that because this part of the pig is lean and tender, you don't have to cook it to death. Our mothers apparently cooked pork until it was rock hard and dry, and old habits die hard. Don't do it. Get a good instant read meat thermometer and use it. Any whole cut of meat (not ground) including pork, is safe to cook just to 145°F according to the USDA, ensuring you have a tender, juicy piece of pork roast or chop. If it's a big cut like a roast, you can pull it from the oven a little short and let the carry-over heat finish cooking the meat. But if your family is squeamish about slightly pink pork, pull your roast from the oven at 145° and let it stand about 15 minutes before slicing, to finish cooking and let the juices reabsorb.

The way I figure this one, every knife stroke I made was worth about $2.

The Good and the Ugly: Bourbon Peach Braised Pork

Bourbon Peach Braised Pork. Good, but well, homely

Some things are so pretty AND delicious that I have to post them. Some things just taste so good that I have to post them, too. Some things are so, so yummy that I HAVE TO POST THEM even if I can’t get a good picture of the dish. This is one of them. It’s actually pushed me to look into some food styling classes. Not kidding. Ugly food with a fabulous-I-can’t-stop-eating-this flavor. This braised pork dish is IT.

Foods that end up being largely brown at the end of the cooking time present a real problem to people like me. If the dish isn’t inherently pretty, I don’t have much idea how to gussy it up for a photo. A sprig of parsley won’t do.  And look as I might at good pictures of stews on other sites and in magazines, nothing clicks. Sometimes I think I’m “Plating Impaired.” I look longingly at the photos that Helene, aka Tartelette, posts to her blog, and while they look deceptively simple I know in my heart of hearts that in a million years, mine will never look like that. I even bought her book. Lucky for me, I do have a good palate, and this dish, I will immodestly say, is lip-smackin’ fabulous.

This pork dish isn’t BBQ or pulled pork,-- maybe a kissing cousin, but  it really is a stew, redolent of sweet peaches and smooth bourbon. While it really doesn’t have any roots in any particular cuisine, it does pull a bit of this and that from practically every continent that has a cuisine. And it all gets along just fine together.

Bourbon Peach Braised Pork

Note: if you don’t eat pork, this is wonderfully good substituting turkey thighs for the pork. Just remove the skin and bones before shredding the meat to  serve.

3-3/4 -4 lbs. Pork Shoulder butt strips or country style ribs

3T Kosher salt

½ tsp hot smoked paprika (pimentón)

2T safflower oil

½ cup bourbon whiskey

¼ cup soy sauce

1 lb frozen peaches

¾ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

 3 cups coarsely chopped red onion (about 2 large)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teas. ground cinnamon

½ teas. ground cumin

At least 6 hours before you plan to cook the pork, mix the kosher salt and the hot smoked paprika (hot pimentón) in a small bowl. Rub the pork thoroughly with the salt mixture, place in a zip bag and refrigerate, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Mix together the bourbon, the soy sauce, the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Remove the pork from the fridge, and heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the meat thoroughly on all sides, in batches. Add the onions and peaches to the pot and stir.

Add the garlic, cinnamon and cumin and stir. Pour over the brown sugar mixture and stir.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven for 2 to 2-1/2  hours, stirring  and turning the meat once halfway through to submerge the meat in the sauce. The meat should fall from the bones. Remove the bones and serve over grits or over chunks of fresh cornbread.

Serves 6.