Eating in color - a bowl of yellow
The other day I was driving Dexter to school and we were talking about silly things, sometimes we do that, just natter away about nothing but absolute nonsense, and I said I wanted to eat a big bowl of yellow. It’s funny how that nonsense can promote some unconscious inspiration like this meal. In fact I didn’t even recognize this as a bowl of yellow until I saw the photos… then it made perfect sense.
This is a tasty ragout of roasted Delicata squash added to 3 cloves of sliced garlic that I simmered in a prodigious and almost embarrassing amount of butter and white wine, and sage. I was lucky enough to have a bit of pork spare ribs leftover from last weekend’s grilling so I pulled that meat off the bones and add it to the squash and garlic. I also threw together a quick batch of fresh pasta made from semolina flour and a farm-fresh egg. Rather than cut it out in any traditional shape I went for circles. Before I piled the squash and pork on the pasta I added a bit more butter and then once it was plated I finished it off with a dusting of fresh ground nutmeg and some Parmesan cheese. It was delicious with the squash complimenting the pork…the flavors all twined together with the butter, sage, and white wine. I’ll make this again but the next time I’ll finish the pasta off as fettuccine…the thin circles lacked the oomph needed for such a robust and rich melange of flavors.
One of my favorite bloggers, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, has posted helpful instructions on peeling a squash and some great links to other squash recipes.
I should note that I roasted the squash for about 8 minutes…just long enough to soften it up and make it easy to pull the skin off. Delicata squash is difficult to peel but this technique made it much easier.
Sizzling hot pork chop sandwich
Our culture puts enormous emphasis on perfection. I wonder if that intimidates people when it’s time to head into the kitchen and make dinner? Is there an underlying motivation to cook meals similar to what the latest hot chef is creating or are you content to cook within your range of time, skills, and ingredients on hand?
I absolutely delight in simple meals like this pork chop sandwich. I’m sure you’re thinking a) that is not healthy, and b) it couldn’t have been easy. Sure, if you were to eat this sandwich all the time it wouldn’t be healthy for you, but in moderation and within the larger context of all the meals you eat in one week this sandwich isn’t a big deal. It is easy and quick because it’s only a bit of bashing and frying and then it’s served up on a decent bun with crisp and flavorful toppings like a leaf of black romaine lettuce and succulent slices of heirloom tomato. It’s porky tang plays up so well against the tender bun and the crisp, fresh toppings. Give it a try…it’s not as hard as you might think.
How To Fry A Pork Chop
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First look at the chop. Does it have a bone in it? If so cut the bone out by running a sharp chef’s knife between the flesh and the bone*. Now you have a boneless chop. Is it thicker than 1/2 an inch? If so take your knife and slice it in two, making 2 thin chops out of 1 thick chop. Save the bone for stock making.
Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the meat and bash it with a meat mallet until it is even thinner and spreads out to cover more surface area. Don’t overdo the bashing…you just want it to be big enough to fit under a bun.
Soak the pork chop in a bowl of milk while you prepare the flour and the oil.
In another bowl put a cup of flour, salt, cayenne, and some ground black pepper…it really doesn’t matter how much of each you use…just make sure to use enough flour, not too much salt and just a tiny bit of cayenne. Stir it to combine.
Place a deep, heavy pot on the stove and turn the flame to medium. Add canola oil so that you have about 1 1/2 inches of oil. Heat the oil to 350º.
While the oil is heating remove the pork chop from the milk and drag it through the flour making sure that all sides are covered with a layer of flour. Set aside to complete the other pork chops.
Once the oil heats up to 350º grasp the edge of a pork chop with metal tongs and gently place it into the hot oil. Once the bottom side is browned use the tongs to gently turn it over and brown the other side. Then remove it from the oil and allow it rest on a rack or even a plate.
Serve the chop up on a tasty tender bun and top it with the best stuff you can find. Simple and satisfying.
*Save the bones for stock making.
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