Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

If you want a simple and juicy pork chop, this is your recipe.  I am enjoying cooking in my smaller Florida kitchen. Because counter space is limited, I have been concentrating on doing all of the individual steps in meal prep (Mise en place) and then assembling all of the pieces into the finished meal.  I also feel more organized and relaxed cooking this way.

We were very pleased with this recipe.  Sometimes pork chops are dry, but I have to say that these were very juicy and flavorful with the caramelized onion gravy.  It was a great meal for a Sunday evening.  I have to thank my husband for finding the recipe and shopping for the ingredients.  I assumed he was going to cook them also, but he got busy on his computer and deferred to me.  In my quiet kitchen I rinsed, chopped and cooked; the best therapy I know.

Enjoy!

BAKED SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS WITH ONION GRAVY (Adapted from Wholesome Yum)

4 6-oz. Boneless pork chops
1 tsp Seal salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
Garlic powder and onion powder to taste
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large Onions, sliced into then half moons
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh thyme
1 cup Chicken broth
1.5 oz Cream cheese, cut into small chunks

Season the pork chops on both sides with seal salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork chops and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side without moving, until browned.  Transfer the pork chops to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-low or medium.  Using the same pan, saute the slice onions for 15-20 minutes, until caramelized.

Once the onions are caramelized, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the minced garlic and thyme leaves to the dutch oven or pan.  Saute for about a minute, until fragrant.

Add the chicken broth to the pan.  Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for about 2-3 minutes, until it gets thicker and the volume is reduced by a least 1/4.

Remove from heat.  Add the cream cheese.  Stir in the cream cheese until it melts into the sauce.

Return the pork chops to the pan and spoon the sauce and onions over them.  Cover with a lid and bake for 20-25 minutes,until cooked through. (Time will vary depending on the thickness of your pork chops- use a thermometer to check and cook to 145 degrees F.

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I am part of a cookbook club sponsored by Food52 on Facebook.  Each month we cook from a different cookbook and post our results on the Facebook page.  This month’s book is David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen.  David is an American in Paris and his cooking style reflects his unique take on his adopted city. Here he combines the American’s love of barbecue with a French twist of making a caramel sauce.  But forget the usual cream.  David uses beer and bourbon.

The only thing difficult or scary about this recipe is when you add the beer to the caramelized sugar.  The mixture seizes up with solid chunks of sugar.  Do not worry about this as they dissolve in the oven as you cook the ribs.  A slow braise in the oven turns the ribs into succulent browned beauties.  I used country style ribs but I think David used baby back ribs.

Sorry about the blurry photo, but I really liked this booth at an antique mall that I visited recently; especially the Lake Rules sign.

But this is the sign that I bought recently.  My entrance porch is much too shady for real flowers so I found these faux lavender bunches that look almost real.  If only I could harness the scent.

Here is the recipe for the Caramel Pork Ribs.  They are worth the effort.

CARAMEL PORK RIBS (David Lebovitz My Paris Kitchen)

The winner of the Mary-James Lawrence cookbook is Ruth Swanto. Thank you everyone for participating.  I will be in touch Ruth.

Back before 2000, we lived in Greensboro, NC. for many years.  We were fortunate to have a Gourmet cooking school and shop called Roosters.  Mary James Lawrence, the owner and instructor was an inspiration to many Greensboro residents.  I took many cooking classes there, not only from Mary James, but from several other professionals in the food industry.  Ben and Karen Barker, James Beard Award winning chefs, were two of them. Their Durham restaurant, Magnolias, since closed, was one of our favorite destinations and their cookbook, Not Afraid of Flavor, holds a special place on my cookbook shelf.   Shirley Corriher, author of the biochemist’s take on food, Cookwise, was another.  There was a time when everyone in Greensboro was making her Spicy Firecrackers; a seasoned saltine cracker. Mary James brought in many people from the cooking scene.

In 2007 Mary James published a cookbook.  It is now out of print, but I was fortunate to get several of them from Mary James.  I would like to share this wonderful cookbook with one lucky winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment  I will number the comments and draw a winning number.

There are so many wonderful recipes in this cookbook.  Many of them come from the popular deli that Roosters had.  It was called Roosters on the Run and was a great place to grab a ready made meal.  Everything from meatloaf to chicken salad to the famous Roosters chocolate cookies.  But this recipe for Pork Tenders with Onion Marmalade, Mustard Cream Sauce and Raspberries really appealed to me.  I am always looking for attractive and tasty dishes to serve to company and this fills the bill.  The onion marmalade made with raspberry vinegar centers the plate.  The pork tenderloin medallions napped with mustard cream sauce surround it and the fresh raspberries add fresh vibrancy to the presentation.

Mary James now leads groups on tours to Southern France.  You can find her on her blog.  Roosters is now closed, but I and many residents of Greensboro are thankful for all of the memories and cooking advice that we received.  Thank you Mary James Lawrence.

PORK TENDERS WITH ONION MARMALADE, MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE AND RASPBERRIES

2 Pork Tenderloins
1/4  cup Dr. Pete’s Burgundy Marinade or your favorite marinade
2 (3-inch) pieces rosemary

ONION MARMALADE
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions (10 cups), slice thin
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE
3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cream
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Fresh raspberries (garnish)

Trim tenderloins of fat and silver skin.  Place in Ziploc bag.  Add marinade and rosemary branches.  Marinate for 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare charcoal grill or preheat gas grill.  Add tenderloins and grill to internal temperature of 165 degrees.

ONION MARMALADE
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add onions and saute until beginning to caramelize.  Add the raspberry vinegar, honey, and paprika.  Reduce until thickened and glazed.  Season to taste.  Ten cups of onions yields about 3 1/2 to 4 cups marmalade.

MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE
In a 2-quart sauce pan or saucier, sate shallots in olive oil until beginning to brown.  Deglaze with white wine.  Whisk in cream and mustard.  Add thyme.  Reduce to coating consistency.  Can do ahead.  Store in refrigerator.

TO SERVE
Slice pork into 1/2 medallions.  Place small mound of Onion Marmalade in center of plate.  Surround with several pork medallions.  Puddle Mustard Cream Sauce on or just in front of meat.  Sprinkle with fresh raspberries.

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I would be curious if any of you have tasted Panamanian cuisine.  I have just been introduced to this  flavor profile. Panamanian cuisine is similar to other Caribbean locales and has been influenced by the Native Americans, Spanish and African immigrants who populate this land bridge between two continents. It includes tropical fruits, coconut, herbs like cilantro, rice and beans and seafood, pork and poultry.

I recently met Smith Anderson, founder of 980 Panama Gourmet Sauces. With his partner Alexis Gallardo, he conceived the idea of manufacturing sauces with ingredients straight from the fields of Panama.  All of their sauces are natural and gluten free. Alexis Gallardo, a native of Panama, had studied chemical engineering and was a part of his family’s manufacturing and distribution company that is the top exporter of natural vinegars in Central America.  Smith and Alexis formed their own company to produce flavorful sauces with an emphasis on freshness and quality ingredients.

Imagine adding Pineapple Coconut sauce to your caribbean rice dish or as a marinade for your favorite chicken.  The Wild Cilantro sauce adds just the right heat and flavor to tacos.  The Smoky Chipotle sauce would be great on ribs.  One of the newer sauces, not pictured above , is Caribbean Lime.  I used it in addition to the Wild Cilantro in the recipes I developed here. It has a bit of heat and a piquant flavor.

I marinated the pork cutlets in a mixture of the Wild Cilantro Sauce and the the Caribbean Lime Sauce with olive oil and vinegar before breading and frying.  The black beans were coated with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lime juice and the Wild Cilantro and Caribbean Lime Sauce. The Mango Salsa or Chatini comes from Dory Greenspan and is part of the cuisine of the island of Mauritius.  This is a meal worthy of sharing with friends and family with unique flavors and bright taste.

Smith Anderson has graciously offered to donate a four pack of sauces to one of my followers.  All you have to do is leave a comment below and like 980 sauces on Facebook. I will pick a winner by random drawing.

CARIBBEAN PORK

4 Tenderized boneless pork cutlets
1 Tablespoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with a little water
1 cup Panko crumbs

2 Tablespoons oil for frying

Combine the 980 sauces with the olive oil and white wine vinegar.  Place pork cutlets in shallow rectangular bowl.  Spoon sauce over them, turn and cover both sides of pork evenly with marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Place flour in bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Place egg and water in another bowl.  Put Panko crumbs in a third bowl.  Dip pork chops in flour, then egg and then in Panko crumbs being sure that the chops are well covered.  Place chops and on large plate and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to set crumbs.

Heat oil in large skillet and brown chops on both sides.  Place in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to be sure that they are cooked through.

BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 15 Oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
1 large celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 scallions chopped

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 teaspoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce

Combine black beans with celery, celery leaves, tomatoes and scallions.

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour over black bean mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to combine flavors.  Serve as is or over a bed of watercress.

MANGO CHATINI ( Dory Greenspan )

Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or to taste
1 large ripe but firm mango, peeled, pitted, and finely diced
1 spring onion, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Stir the lime juice and ginger together in a small serving bowl.  Add the mango, onion, and cilantro and season with slat, pepper and if you’d like, a pinch of cayenne.

Serve over Caribbean pork cutlet.

Printable Recipe

What a terrific idea.  From the good folks at Bon Appetit Magazine comes this easy way to cook your whole dinner on one sheet pan.  The timing for this recipe to appear couldn’t be better.  Most of my remaining kitchen supplies are in boxes sealed and ready to accompany us back to North Carolina.  It was so convenient to turn the oven on and cook the whole dinner in one pan.

Saltimbocca is Italian for “jumps in the mouth”.  Usually it is made with veal that is pounded thin, wrapped in prosciutto with a sage leaf underneath, sauteed in butter and then simmered in dry white wine.  This unconventional treatment starts with potatoes and onions seasoned with lots of sage and olive oil and cooked in a hot oven.  The boneless pork chops topped with the prosciutto are then added to the pan to continue cooking until they are done.  I also added asparagus.

This was a flavorful dinner with very little effort.  We are headed back to North Carolina with a small u-haul trailer.  I am proud that I can include that word “small”.  We will miss our Florida home but are looking forward to the different travel opportunities we now have.

SHEET PAN PORK SALTIMBOCCA

• 2 1-inch-thick slices boneless pork loin (6–8 ounces each)
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound small (2-inch-diameter) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
• 4 thin slices prosciutto
•  Asparagus spears drizzled with olive oil, optional
  • Preheat oven to 450°.  Pierce pork slices all over with the tip of a paring knife. Place in a dish just large enough to hold pork in a single layer. Pour wine over and let marinate at room temperature while preparing other ingredients.
  • Place onions in a medium bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat without breaking up slices. Transfer onions to prepared baking sheet, spreading out in an even layer. Combine remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, potatoes, and sage in same bowl; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place potatoes on sheet, tucking in among onions.
  • Roast onion-potato mixture until potatoes are beginning to brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove pork from wine and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and top each pork slice with 2 prosciutto slices. Place pork on baking sheet atop potatoes and onions. Add asparagus spears if desired. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center of pork registers 135°, about 15 minutes.   (After 10 minutes, I turned pork chops over to brown more evenly.  I lifted the prosciutto , turned the chops and placed the prosciutto back on the chops.)  Remove pan from oven and let rest, covered with foil for about 10 minutes.  Serve.

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