Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts
Pork Chops have long been a favourite meal here in my kitchen and a rare treat these days. We don't eat red meat very often, perhaps only once or twice a month as a rule. When we do have pork I like to make sure that I have really good pork.
I buy free range organic pork from our farmer's market butcher who has been so kind to home deliver fresh meat and poultry to us all through the pandemic. And his meat is excellent.
Herbed Pork Chops with Garlic Butter are a wonderful way of preparing the lovely thick chops that he sends to us. I like to buy the old fashioned chops, with the bone in and that lovely piece of tenderloin on the side.
His old fashioned chops are always excellent and I have to say they are at least 1 inch in thickness. One of the problems with cooking thick chops like that can be that the outside of them dries out before the centre is cooked.
I discovered brining pork chops a few years back and have brined my chops ever since. Once you start bringing your chops you will never go back to not brining.
Its really easy to do and doesn't really take a lot of time or effort on your part. You only need three simple ingredients.
Cold water, sugar and salt. I use fine sea salt but kosher salt is also good. I use a granulated white sugar and tap water.
You simply mix those three ingredients together in a non-reactive dish/bowl, add your chops and then leave them to brine for an hour, miniumum.
At the end of that time, simply remove the chops, discarding the water. Pat them dry with some paper towelling, and get ready to cook. Easy peasy.
And I guarantee you will never have a dry pork chop ever again. I promise you! You can bank on it and it works for pork chops of any thickness, bone in or boneless.
My mother used to cook our porkchops to death when I was growing up and we still loved them. They were as dry as a bone. You could have used them to shingle your roof! But again, pork chops were a rare treat so we gobbled them up.
We no longer have the issues with pork that existed back then. Our modern pork is a lot safer and you can eat it still pink if you want. I like to cook mine just until its done. It will continue to cook for a bit when you remove it from the pan or the oven, so just this side of cooked is perfect.
Funny story about people shingling their roof with food. During the great depression and the dust bowl of the Canadian Mid West, farmers and their families were starving due to crop failures, dought and what not.
The people of Nova Scotia had plenty of Cod. That was during the days when you could jig for cod and get bucketloads every hour of every day. One of the best ways for them to preserve it for the winter months was to salt it.
They would layer the filleted fish in large wooden barrels and crates with plenty of salt. This way it would keep indefinitely.
Eastern Canadians have always had hearts of gold. They are kind, kind, kind. Not ignorant of the plight of their Western Canadian people they sent them plenty of things to help them out, one of them being barrels and crates of prime salt cod.
The Westerners had no idea what it was and many used it to shingle their roof tops. True story. I got it from an old Alberta woman who had been a child during the great depression in a small town in Northern Alberta. Lil McNevin.
Their bellies went hungry while their roof tops lay there covered in plenty.
Back to the chops. These chops are rubbed in an herbed oil and browned in an oven proof skillet for a few minutes per side. I use my cast iron skillet. It is perfectly seasoned now.
It does a great job of cooking most things, especially things you need to finish in the oven. It is ever so easy to clean now that is has been properly seasoned and used for these last few years.
I would not now be without it.
The herb mixture is a very simple one. I used dried herbs. Flat leaf parsley, rosemary and sage. These herbs have a beautiful affinity with pork. The help to bring out the best of it.
These get mixed with some oil. You can use light olive or canola oil. You will also need some sweet paprika and salt and pepper.
You just rub this all over your dried brined chops and then brown them off in a nice hot skillet.
Once you have browned them on both sides, just leave them in the skillet. It will only take you a few minutes per side to brown them. You then finish them off by roasting them in a hot oven for a little while.
Now if your pork chops are really thin, you won't need to do this. Roasting them after browning them will over-cook them for sure. What is the point in brining if you intend on cooking them to death????
Mine were very thick, as I said, at least 1 inch thick. Roasting was the perfect way to finish them off without them ending up burnt and dried out.
While they are roasting in the oven you can make the garlic butter. It is a very simple mixture of room temperature butter mixed with garlic and herbs.
Rosemary, again as well as dried parsley. You will also need to season it a tiny bit. Just mix everything together well to combine.
You will pop a portion of this onto your hot roasted chops when they come out of the oven. Ready to melt into the golden brown sticky surface of those beautifully cooked chops. Oh my . . . pork and garlic are a marriage made in heaven if I don't say so myself!
I served them with Potatoes Sarladaise and some frozen peas and corn. Potatoes Sarladaise is an enchanting mixture of parsley potatoes cooked in duck fat until golden brown. I confess I cheat and buy them frozen.
They are so easy to heat up quickly in a skillet. Perfectly browned and gilt edges. The brand is Picard, a well known product from France. I think their products are exemplary. I get them in the frozen section of Ocado.
All-together this was a fabulously tasty meal. I highly recommend it!
Herbed Pork Chops with Garlic Butter
Yield: 2
prep time: 1 Hourcook time: 25 Mintotal time: 1 H & 25 M
Thick bone in chops are brined, cooked to perfection and served with a delicious pat of garlic butter melting on top. These are delicious.
Ingredients:
For the brine:
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 1/2 TBS fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
For the chops:
- 2 thick bone in centre cut pork loin chops
- 1/2 TBS oil
- 1 tsp dried flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For the garlic butter:
- 2 TBS room temperature butter
- 1 clove of garlic , peeled and minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1 tsp dried flat leaf parsley
Instructions:
- An hour before you want to cook the chops, mix the water together with the salt and sugar in a bowl large enough to hold both chops. Add the chops and make sure they are submerged in the water. At the end of the hour, remove them from the water and pat dry.
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
- Mix together the oil, parsley, sage, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture into the the chops on both sides really well.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add the chops. Brown on one side for about 2 to 3 minutes and then on the other for another 2 minutes. Pop the browned chops in the skillet into the oven and roast for 20 minutes until just cooked through and the juices run clear.
- Make the garlic butter while the chops are in the oven. Mix together all of the ingredients to combine well.
- Remove the cooked chops from the oven and top each with 1/2 of the garlic butter to serve.
This was a beautiful meal for two, but can very easily be multiplied to feed four or six or even more.
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I took out what I thought was chicken for our supper the other night, but it ended up being boneless pork loin chops.
I remembered having spied this recipe for a Pork Chop Sandwich on Just a Pinch one day. It had sounded really delicious with grilled chops and a fabulous sounding sticky balsamic onion relish.
I had filed it in my brain as something I wanted to cook one day and could see no time like the present. The stars were perfectly aligned, plus I had thawed chops to use up.
Kaiser Buns don't exist over here in the UK, not that I can find at any rate, so I made do with Sesame Seed Brioche Burger Buns. We like them a lot actually so it was not a hardship.
All the bread and buns here in the UK are fabulous.
I created a pork chop seasoning to dust the chops with prior to grilling them. It was very easy to make. I like making my own seasoning mixes as you know. You know exactly what's in them and there are no preservatives involved.
It sounds a bit unsual but it really works well together. I ground them up in my spice grinder to a powder, but you could leave them whole if you want a bit of texture.
The real star is the balsamic onion relish! Oh boy, but I could eat those onions on their own just with a spoon!
I adore anything with Balsamic Vinegar. (Make sure you use a good one.) There is also some soy sauce and brown sugar and more pepper involved. Sticky and sweet, these are quite simply fabulous!
Normally I would have grilled the chops out on the BBQ, but with all the rain we have been having I had to make do with my indoor electric grill.
I buttered the buns and toasted then under my oven grill before applying the onion relish and the grilled chops.
I have to say these were absolutely fabulous. I can't think of a single thing that would make them any better . . .
Not a single thing. Perfection.
Pork Chop Sandwich
Yield: 6
Something deliciously different to do with your chops! Perfectly seasoned and grilled chops served on toasted buns with a fabulous balsamic onion garnish.
Ingredients:
For the chops:
- 2 boneless chops, 1/2 inch thick
- pork chop seasoning as below
For the onion relish:
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 large spanish onion, peeled, halved and sliced into half moons
- 2 TBS good balsamic vinegar
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
You will also need:
- six kaiser rolls split and toasted
Instructions:
- First make the relish. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet until it begins to foam. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and brown. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes over low heat until deep brown and very soft. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
- For the chops. Pound them a bit to tenderise. Season with some of your pork chop seasoning. Prepare your grill to a high temperature. Add the chops. Grill for three minutes on each side. Remove to your toasted buns, topping the chops with some of the balsamic onions to serve.
notes:
Perfect Pork Chop Seasoning: Mix together in a spice grinder, 3 TBS of salt, 1 TBS pepper, 1/2 TBS granulated garlic, 1/2 TBS granulated onion, 1/2 TBS sweet paprika, 1/2 TBS lemon pepper, 1/2 tsp each dried tarragon and thyme leaves, 1 tsp sugar. Grind together until of an equal consistency Store in an airtight container in a dark place for up to 6 months.
We enjoyed these simply with some potato salad and sliced cucumber and tomatoes. These made the perfect weeknight supper!
I'm here today with another recipe that I have downsized for the smaller family, Mapled Pork Chops. Oh boy, but these chops always make my pork chop loving husband drool when he knows I am making them!
They are so simple to make and oh-so-delicious! There is no frying involved.
You simply pop the chops into a baking dish, top them with a special flavour mixture, cover and then bake! Easy peasy lemon squeasy!
The original full-sized version comes from a cookbook I have entitled, Recipes Worth Sharing, recipes from America's most loved Community Cookbooks.
Its original attribution is the Community Cookbook entitled, If You
Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen, by the Junior Service
League of Independence Missouri.
I have always loved Community Cookbooks. They are real gems filled with the favourite, tried and trues of communities of good cooks! You can't beat them, and this recipe is a prime example of that!
The original recipe served 6. I have downsized it so that it is perfect for just two pork chop loving hungry people.
You want to make sure you use really good and meaty pork chops for this. I buy mine at Costco and then break them down into groups of two and freeze them for whenever I want to serve red meat. I buy the bone in pork loin chops.
You get a tender, succulent section of rib type meat, next to the bone, along with a lean and juicy medallion of loin.
You will also want a healthy layer of fat along the outer edge. These two things, the bone and the fat, will help to keep your pork juicy, tender and tasty
One thing which I always do with my chops, bone in or out, is to slash the fatty edge of the chop with a sharp knife at 1/2 inch intervals, just through the fat to the meat.
This helps to keep them from curling up when they cook, whether you are frying them or simmering them, baking them, whatever. Trust me. It keeps them nice and flat.
The flavour ingredients are simple. Dried minced onion, vinegar (apple cider is nice), Worcestershire Sauce, mild chili powder, salt, pepper, and pure maple syrup.
These get mixed with some water, poured over the chops in the baking dish and then you tightly cover it and bake. Oh baby. Some easy and some good!
Yield: 2
Mapled Pork Chops
Tender and delicious this recipe serves two but can easily be doubled to serve more. These chops are spicy, sweet and tangy as well as being incredibly simple to make.
ingredients:
- 2 thick meaty, bone in pork loin chops, the fatty edges slashed at 1/2 inch spaces (this helps to keep them from curling up when they are cooking)
- 1 1/2 tsp minced dry onion
- 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp mild chili powder
- pinch black pepper
- 2 TBS pure maple syrup
- 2 TBS water
instructions:
How to cook Mapled Pork Chops
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. You will need a shallow baking dish large enough to hold both chops side by side.
- Place the pork chops in a single layer in a lightly buttered shallow baking dish.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Spoon evenly over the chops. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, basting occasionally.
- Uncover and baste again, then return to the oven, uncovered for a further 15 minutes, until cooked through and golden. Serve hot with some of the juices spooned over top. Delicious!
Just look at how tender that chop is. I served it with my Byron Baked Potatoes, baby frozen peas, Cauliflower Cheese and sweet potato that I baked in the oven while I was baking the chops. The whole meal was quite simply fabulous!
As promised yesterday I am back today with a delicious casserole that you can make with some of your leftover cooked pork. I think that this casserole would also work well with leftover cooked chicken, beef or lamb as well.
I am a great lover of the casserolee and of using up my leftovers.
Most men are real meat and potatoes people. My father is, all my sons are, and so are my grandsons also!
My husband is also a real meat and potatoes fan. He could quite happily have meat and potatoes every night of the week and never tire of it! He especially loves pork chops or sausages!
They have beautiful sausage here in the UK. They have nasty ones as well (think cheap and filled with lots of fillers, pasty textured, blecch). But I think that is the same anywhere.
If you are open to paying a bit more, there are loads of beautiful sausages you can buy for your family. Beautiful sausages which are meaty and flavourful with lovely skins that snap when you bite into them!
In my opinion a good sausage will contain at least 70% of good quality meat with the remainder being seasonings, fat (you need fat in a good sausage) and rusks or bread crumbs.
I have had really low fat sausages and have always found them to be hard and dry. You need a bit of fat in a sausage or why bother to have one!
Fat adds flavour and is a part of what makes them succulent and delicious.
Here in the UK there are literally hundreds of different kinds/flavours of sausage. Most butchers will have their own speciality sausages.
The butcher who used to be down at the Parade where I live had gorgeous ones. Sadly he closed down a few years back. He just couldn't compete with the big grocery shops I think, which was a real shame.
There is nothing nicer than a well made Butchers sausage. Well worth every penny. Most areas in the UK also have their speciality sausages as well, such as Gloucester, Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Oxford, Yorkshire, etc.
They even have square sausage known as the Lorne Sausage, generally composed of pork and beef and served cut into slices. It comes from Scotland.
I have seen it at Costco, and been tempted to buy, but haven't tried it as of yet. It would be great in sandwiches I think!
You can get apple and leek sausages, leek sausages, mustard and caramelised onion, Stilton and cranberry, etc. There is really no end to the variety out there!
The world literally is your oyster when it comes to choice in the British sausage!
My favourites are Cumberland. They are nicely spiced and peppery. You can get them in links or coiled up (Catherine Wheels).
The best are found right in Cumbria itself. I remember buying beautiful ones for our supper when we were staying up there one year. My taste buds still tingle when I think of them! They were so delicious!
Yes, I am a foodie through and through and the food we get to eat and try when we are on holiday is (truth be told) has always been the best part of any holiday for me!
To me, not tasting the food of a place you are visiting is a bit of a sacrilege! Food and culture just go together like peas and carrots!
This is a very autumnal recipe I am sharing here with you today. Hearty, rich and comforting. This is a real belly warmer!
Family pleasing. Man pleasing.
You begin with plump, perfectly browned fabulously flavoured sausages.
These are braised in a beautifully flavoured gravy. A rich and lush gravy. A can-I-have-just-one-more-spoonful kind of a gravy!
Filled with the flavours of earthy and oniony leeks and tart cooking apples. With sweet apple juice and sharp grainy mustard.
This is combined with the smokiness of bacon and those rich flavours from the sausages.
Altogether this is a fabulously tasty dish. Hearty and beautifully flavoured. You really can't go wrong.
I think you are about to fall in love with this beautiful dish. Prepare yourself!
Yield: 4
Braised Sausages with an Apple Gravy
Proper delicious bangers braised with leeks, apple and apple juice for a hearty autumn supper. Perfect served with fluffy mash and a vegetable on the side.
ingredients:
- 2 tsp light olive oil
- 8 fat good quality pork sausages (I like Cumberland)
- 1 medium leek, trimmed and washed
- 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
- 300ml cloudy apple juice (1 1/4 cup sweet apple cider)
- 1 large cooking apple (I used Bramley)
- 2 TBS grainy mustard
instructions:
How to cook Braised Sausages with an Apple Gravy
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet which has a tight fitting lid. Add the sausages and cook, turning frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown all over. Remove and set aside.
- Trim the leek, removing and discarding any dark green parts. Slit down one side and rinse well, making sure any grit or dirt is gone. Cut into 3 inch lengths and then slice the lengths into 1/4 inch strips. Return the skillet to the heat and add the leeks and bacon pieces. Stir fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until the leeks have softened and the bacon is cooked. Return the sausages to the pan and pour on the apple juice. Cover tightly and braise over low heat for 30 minutes over low heat.
- Peel and core the apple. Dice into 1/4 inch dice. Add to the pan, scattering it around the sausages. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes on low, or until the apple has softened and begins to break down, and the pan juices have thickened. If you think the pan juices are too thick add some more apple juice.
- Stir in the grainy mustard and heat through. Serve immediately with lots of fluffy mashed potatoes and your favourite vegetables on the side.
Did you make this recipe?
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Don't be tempted to use a sweet eating apple in this. You really want a tart cooking apple to offset the sweetness of the apple juice. This is just perfect . . . absolutely. We enjoyed it with fluffy hot mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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