Friday Night Home Date - Brined Pork Chops with Italian Spices

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Spicing-up the brine

Harold McGee describes, in great detail, the miracle of brining in On Food and Cooking. All I know is that brined pork chops are the best thing going, and enjoying them on a Friday night is even better.

My recipe is a variation of one from Cook’s Illustrated, and I love it because it’s neat and relatively quick. What makes this a “quick” brine is the ratio of sugar, salt and water. It’s more concentrated than other brining formulas, so the chops get the full benefit of the soak in just one hour, and you don’t need a giant bucket or stockpot.

When salt invades the muscle tissues of a piece of meat, the cells expand and become receptive to all sorts of aroma molecules that seep out of herbs and spices. So I took cook’s license and dolled up my brine with my favorite Italian flavors.

Trust me, once you taste a brined pork chop, you’ll never go back!

Here are some other tasty-looking chops from some fellow food bloggers:

Matt Bites Vanilla Brine

Cooking up a Storm's Maple-Brined Pork Chops

Brined Pork Chops with Italian Spices
makes four servings

4 thick cut (1 1/2-inches) pork chops, preferably rib chops
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 cup table salt
6 crushed garlic cloves
4 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds
1 or 2 dried chile de arbol, crumbled or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Zest from 1 lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler


1. Place pork chops in a gallon size freezer zip-top bag, and place the bag in a large bowl.

2. Whisk the sugar and salt in a large glass bowl with 6 cups water until dissolved. Add the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, fennel, chile and zest. Pour the brine over pork chops. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a shallow roasting pan on center oven rack to heat. Remove chops from brine; discard brine. Pat the chops dry with paper towels. Place a large heavy skillet over medium high heat; add the oil and heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Add chops to skillet and cook about 3 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn the chops and cook the other side an additional 3 minutes.

4. Transfer the chops to the heated roasting pan in oven. Roast 5 minutes; turn the chops and roast 5 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Loosely cover the chops with foil and rest for 5 minutes. The chops will continue to cook while resting, and should reach about 145 degrees.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food

Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp with Chickpeas and Feta

Fresh and Wild

"Fish are the only carnivores consumed in any quantity by people."

That quote is from Barry Estabrook's story about shrimp in the March issue of Gourmet, and I've been thinking about it.

Although, thinking is not my excuse for taking a week off from this blog; no, that was due to my sudden inclination to repaint my kitchen walls (Silver Sage by Restoration Hardware, if you're curious), which required me to unplug my computer and then led to all sorts of reorganizing and vacuuming of certain spaces that haven't been touched by high-quality Miele suction since we moved in.

I don't know why the idea that fish possess the bloodthirsty predatory nature of creatures like tigers, wolves and Giant Water Bugs is so interesting to me. Maybe it's that fish are also one of the few truly wild foods that we eat in quantity.

Really, not including fresh game, the list of wild foods eaten on an average day in our culture is pretty short: Honey (which almost doesn't count because it's cultivated by beekeepers) Nuts - like these wild Missouri pecans. Real wild rice. Morels, ramps and fiddlehead ferns. And if you really swing with Euell Gibbons, dandelions from the back yard.

I was glad to read Estabrook's piece, because he addresses a nit-picky problem I've had lately with shrimp, which is that they have a tendency to taste like scum from a big muddy pond. That's because, he says, the millions of pounds of shrimp we eat each year are farm-raised in large "murky" pools somewhere in Asia or Ecuador. And, those shrimp have probably been frozen and refrozen multiple times by the time we grab a bag in the grocery store, which is why every once in a while you'll get a shrimp with the texture of a cotton ball.

What we really want to be eating is fresh, wild American shrimp. I tracked some down at a gem of a local seafood shop, Bob's. I hadn't been there in a long while and apparently I've been missing out on some fine, fat Gulf shrimp beauties. Although I'm sure they'd seen some freezer time, they smelled sweet and fresh. I poached them in olive oil in this Mark Bittman-inspired recipe:

Olive Oil Poached Shrimp with Smoked Paprika, Chickpeas and Feta
Makes about 4 servings

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff for this)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 pounds Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup oven dried tomatoes, sliced
1 can chickpeas, drained
A few handfuls baby arugula or spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese


Combine the oil and garlic in a 10-inch skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook until garlic begins to sizzle. Add the cumin and paprika and stir. Turn the heat up and add the shrimp, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula or spinach, and top with feta.
Serve over couscous.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food

Friday Night Home Date - Tender is the Lamb

Braised Lamb for Two

Now that we are smack-dab in the middle of winter, I’m totally in the mood to eat tender, slow-cooked meat that falls right off the bone.

There’s no better method than braising to cozy up the kitchen and get the house smelling delicious. And what’s especially nice about this technique is that dinner takes care of itself in the oven while I relax in the other room with a book. I love that.

Moroccan Braised Lamb with Toasted Almond-Apricot Couscous
Start this the night before - but no big deal! All you have to do is season the lamb, and let it sit in the refrigerator. This will make two generous portions - enough to share with a few little ones.

2 meaty lamb shanks (ask for cuts from the hind legs - they’re meatier than the forelegs)
1 tablespoon each ground cumin, coriander and curry powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black peppercorns
1 small minced garlic clove
5 tablespoons olive oil, give or take
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 2-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Toasted Almond Couscous:
1 cup couscous
2 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
4 chopped green onions
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons softened butter

Trim off excess fat from the lamb and place in a shallow baking dish. Make a paste by combining the spices, salt, pepper, garlic and 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Smear all over the lamb; cover the dish and refrigerate overnight (or do this in the morning and chill for 6 hours).

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the lamb all over, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and wipe the pot clean of any blackened spices.

Add the remaining oil, carrot, onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, stirring once in a while. Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook for one minute before adding the wine. Let the wine bubble away to about 2 tablespoons, then return the lamb to the pan. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a sheet of parchment paper or foil, put a lid on it, and transfer the whole thing to the oven.

Cook 1 hour; turn the shanks over, replace the cover and continue cooking for another hour, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the lamb to a covered plate. Strain the contents of the pot into a small saucepan, straining any fat that rises to the surface. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, and reduce to about 3/4 cup. Taste it for seasoning.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, make the couscous:
Heat a 10-inch non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Put the couscous in the pan and toast until golden brown, shaking or stirring the pan occasionally. Add the chicken stock, salt and apricots. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and cover until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the green onions, almonds and butter.

Serve the lamb on top of the couscous, with some warm sauce spooned over.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food

Friday Night Home Date - Spatchcock!

Butterflied Bird with Lemon and Rosemary

Now before you start thinking that I’m going all medieval on my poultry, let me clarify what “spatchcock” means, and that is simply: a whole chicken with the backbone removed and laid out flat, or butterflied. If you need to know more or are etymologically inclined, check this out.

This is such a great way to roast a whole bird since you can season it well, and it cooks faster and more evenly than it would in its usual form. All you need is a whole chicken and good pair of kitchen shears. Or, even better, ask the professional person behind the meat counter to do the dirty work for you.

We often eat a simply roasted chicken on Friday evenings. It’s tasty, comforting and sometimes there are even leftovers for a weekend lunch.

While the oven is on, I usually throw in a pan of whatever root vegetables I have on hand, cut up and tossed with some olive oil, to cook alongside the bird.

Simple Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

1 3-4 pound whole chicken, backbone removed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon


Heat your oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together the salt, pepper, rosemary, olive oil, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Smear the mixture all over the chicken, front and back.

Place a large ovenproof skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat until just smoking, and coat the pan with a little oil. Put the chicken in the pan skin side down and place another heavy skillet on top of the chicken to weigh it down. If you don’t have another pan, just use a small baking sheet with and a brick or large can of tomatoes placed on top. Cook about ten minutes, until the skin starts to turn a nice golden shade of brown.

Remove the weight, turn the chicken over with tongs - gently, so you don’t tear into the delicious, crisp skin - and transfer to the oven to finish cooking, about 12-15 more minutes depending on the size of the chicken.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food

Friday Night Home Date

Meal for 2

Sometimes I find myself envying the freewheeling days of my children. Maybe it’s because they’re in the “golden” stage of their childhood - they exist within an endless, joyful continuum of pleasures and distractions, and they wheedle and negotiate like little con artists in order to fulfill them.

• They Want: Cheese Nips, popsicles, bacon, ice cream
• They Need: To play 2 hours of Game Cube, to have a sleepover, to build a 700-piece Lego star fighter
• They Ask: When is it going to snow? Where did you put my homework? Did you wash my blue sweatshirt yet?

Everything needs to happen right now, not in an hour or most dreadfully awful, Next Week (translation: NEVER). It’s all play, sweets, entertainment, and a little bit of whining, all the time.

By the end of the week, I’m whining too - when do I get to play? - and I’m worn down to a nubbin.

nub•bin
noun

A small lump or residual part.

I look like Mommy, probably smell like Mommy, but the lumpy parts of me that are left need an hour in the whirly-tub and a large cocktail.

And that is why we have instituted Friday Night Home Dates in our house. It’s the best! We give the kids whatever they want for dinner and put them to bed. Then the grownups, in this case, Mom and Dad, get to have a playdate; a quiet dinner at home and no need to call the sitter.

Now T walks in the door on Friday nights with his hand outstretched, waiting for me to place a drink in it. I cook whatever I’m in the mood for, and I keep it simple.

This week I made this quick, delicious shrimp with coconut milk. It’s from Tyler Florence’s new book Tyler's Ultimate. I’m not a Tyler fan, but I have to admit this book has lots of easy, appealing recipes and juicy photography.

To start, I recommend a classic Vodka Gimlet.

Coconut Shrimp with Basmati Rice, Apricots and Lime
Adapted from Tyler’s Ultimate by Tyler Florence

For two, generously

Sauce:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 red hot chili peppers, chopped
4 chopped shallots, or 1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 lime, halved
Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup apricots, diced
3 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 cup fresh greens (Tatsoi is great if you can find it, otherwise use prewashed baby spinach or arugula)

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
Lime wedges

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger, chilies and shallots and cook a few minutes, or until the shallots are softened. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 25 minutes. The sauce should be reduced by a third, and slightly thickened. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook until they are just done and turn pink - 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the rice, salt and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Cook 15-18 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the shrimp.

3. Serve in shallow bowls topped with some peanuts and an extra squeeze of lime.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food