As you know Kris and I record and watch The Kitchen on Food Network on the weekends. This episode had Geoffrey Zakarian made these amazing pork chops with veggies and a mustard pan sauce. I always thought grilled chops were the best but these are right up there!
You will need to gather up and chop the veggies. Some of them will be blanched – basically boiling them for 1 minute then putting them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. You will need to blanch the radishes and peas. After the ice bath, drain and set aside. You might be thinking – Radishes?? they will be overpowering!! – But wait until you taste them, after cooking the zing is gone and they are just plain tasty!
Take the chops out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. You want to bring them to room temp. Make sure to get 1 1/2 inch bone in chops for the most flavor! Put together the spice rub while the chops are warming to room temp.
Spread the rub all over the chops. Be sure to get the sides as well to maximize flavor. Now put the oil in a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high until smoking, you want it hot when you put the chops in. Now add the chops, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes, until caramelized. Flip and cook the other side for about 3 more minutes.
You want a good sear on these bad boys! Reduce heat to low and add butter, garlic and tarragon. Baste the pork with the butter until internal temp hits 135 degrees, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while doing the veggies and sauce. I was cooking 4 chops so just did another 2 before the veggies.
Cook the veggies according to the directions below. We also added a side of Parmesan Risotto – Yum!! When veggies are done place chop on a plate and top with veggies and sauce. Grab a fork and a knife and enjoy. Cheers!
Ingredients:
1 cup radishes, cut in half through the stem
1/2 cup shelled English peas
1/2 cup snow peas
2 bone-in pork chops (8 to 10 ounces each), brought to room temperature
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh tarragon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped leeks
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice water bath. In batches by type, blanch the radishes, English peas and snow peas in the boiling water for 1 minute per batch. Transfer each batch to the ice water to stop the cooking process, then transfer to a colander to drain. Cut the snow peas into julienne strips. Transfer the blanched vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with the coriander, cumin and some salt and pepper.
Add the oil to the pan and heat until smoking. Add the pork chops, reduce the heat to medium and cook until caramelized on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chops and cook until caramelized on the other side, another 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, tarragon and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Cook, basting the pork with the butter (be careful not to burn the butter, though it will brown lightly), until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you make the sauce and finish the vegetables.
Drain off half of the butter, add the leeks and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and cook, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and mustard and cook for a few minutes until slightly reduced. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to form a pan sauce and season with the champagne vinegar. Add the reserved vegetables to warm in the sauce while it simmers to reduce, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper as necessary.
Serve the vegetables and sauce with the pork and garnish with dill.
A while back, when I was making empanadas, my friend Jessica let me borrow her tortilla press. This makes things some much easier. Well her mother was coming to visit from Mexico so I had to return the press. But Jessica had her mother bring me one from Mexico so I had to try it out and make some tortillas! I love the new press – looks handmade and is made out of wood. The first run was a success.
I found that tortillas are really easy to make and taste really good. You just need some good Masa, salt and warm water to make the dough. I am ready to go!
Once the dough is ready, pinch some off and roll into a ball. To keep your press clean, cut a baggie in half. Place half on the base, top with dough and place other half on top of the dough. Now just press. (I learned this trick from Jessica)
Having a press allows you to make tortillas quickly! I just did a batch of 8 but they were pressed and ready to heat up in now time.
To cook just heat a griddle over high heat (450 degrees) and cook for 20 seconds and flip. Continue this until done. The tortilla will start to brown. Remove to a plate and continue. You can store the tortillas in the fridge for a week. To reheat I just wrap in paper towels and microwave.
I made a breakfast tortilla with this batch. Scrambled eggs, cheese and salsa. A simple but tasty supper. Cheers!
