Occasionally, while we're out with the kids, we stumble across a dish to which one of them really takes a surprising shine. That happened with Alex a few months back at Biaggi's, where we took him when Jeannette was at a friend's birthday party. He discovered that he really, really like the chicken piemontese there, which didn't come as any great surprise since it combined all of his favorite things into one dish: chicken, ham and pasta!
So, since that had been simmering in the back of my brain ever since, when Laura came across a recipe for a pork chop version of that dish earlier this week, I knew that it was time to give it a shot.
Thankfully, our grocery store was accomodating. Check out these chops!
Here, you see these yummy looking pieces of pork after they've been slit down the side and stuffed with little packets customized to the various tastes of the fam. Ham and provolone for the kids; ham, provolone and basil for the missus; and ham, swiss and basil for yours truly. That colored toothpick you see? Yeah, that's color coding for my poor, addled brain. Plus, it serves double duty by keeping all that yummy hamcheesey packets all warm and cozy inside.
Toss 'em into a hot skillet with a a couple squirts of canola. (That's a technical term, "squirts". I keep all my oil in condiment squeeze bottles by the stove - h/t to Alton Brown for that idea!)
Meanwhile, Laura had been jonesin' for some sauteed brussel sprouts since we ended up going all Lotus Garden for Easter when we were in Indy last weekend. For that, since we still had a pile of ham leftover from the surprise birthday party a few weeks back, I decided to use that instead of bacon.
Chop it up and toss it into a skillet with a little oil.
Then, toss in a bag of freshly trimmed brussel sprouts that have been halved.
Back to the pork love, once the chops have cooked for a good 5-7 minutes on each side (hey, they were thick chops!), put 'em in a pan and cover them with some foil and toss them into an 400-425 oven to just finish them off while you make the sauce.
Take some mushrooms - doesn't matter what kind, really, use whatever you like - and throw them into the chop pan with all the leavings still left. Deglaze the pan with some white wine and then toss in a few tablespoons of flour to make the base.
After that, just add in a couple cups of stock - I used some frozen chicken stock I'd made a few weeks ago - and a few squirts (there it is again!) of mustard (I used stone ground, but dijon would work really well here, too - use what you like!), bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer to bubble down all that 'shroomy, meaty goodness.
Mmmm.... meaty goodness....
Once your sauce is ready, grab a plate! I cooked up some orzo - both the kids are gonzo for orzo with little butter and grated romanoparmesanpecorinowhatever you've got - and used that as my base. I just like having all the delectable juices and sauces run down over it....
Grab a fork and knife. Or, if you can't wait that long, go all caveman on it. It's got a handle, after all. Ain't no shame in it. Pour some wine and enjoy!
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