Cooking for One: Pork Chops

I mentioned here that I'd be working on a bunch of recipes for my friend Sara. She says it's cheaper for her to eat out more often than not, and I'm trying to convince her that with a few simple recipes she could make a bunch of stuff and recombine it all week to keep it interesting.

I'm not going to make her crazy or anything, just see if my theory is right: if you make (or buy) some good sauces and cook the basics for the dishes in advance, in bulk, you'll end up with enough variety in the end to not feel like you're eating the same leftovers again and again.

And, so, here is the first installment.

I started with a basic pork chop recipe. After I cooked it, I stored the chops in individual portions in the fridge in airtight containers. They should keep for a week this way, which means, Sara wouldn't have to eat

them several days in a row. I also made sure the herbs and flavors I used to season the chops would taste good with a variety of side-dishes. In reality, this recipe will work well with chicken, too (I don't eat lamb, but maybe it would taste good with that, too).

As we go through this experiment, it may turn out that cooking a quick piece of meat while putting together the rest of the meal might be the best way to go. My goal is for Sara to not have too much clean-up on her hands, and to keep it simple, she's a very busy lady. But, most of all I want her to enjoy what time she does have to spend in the kitchen to execute these meals.

I'll be posting the side dishes separately this week. If you'd like to see them posted with the main dish, drop me a line, I'd be happy to give that a go, too.

Pork Chops with Herbs de Provence and Honey

makes 2 chops

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Chops
• 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
• Salt and ground pepper
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tbsp Honey

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place a grill pan or skillet on the stove and turn the heat to high.
• Place pork chops on waxed paper.
• Coat with olive oil.
• Sprinkle herbs de provence, salt and pepper over the chops.
• Roll the chops in the olive oil to coat on both sides, distributing the herb mixture over the whole chop.
• Put into the pan and sear for about 4 minutes.
• Turn chops over and sear on the other side for another 4 minutes
• Drizzle honey over the chops.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the chops rest in the pan for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Gifts: Iced Tea

Check it out. I made some really nice iced tea for my friends as gifts.

It sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, here, but for real, the tea was tasty and I would love to receive a bottle that looks so pretty as a gift.

My favorite brand of tea is Mariage Frères. When my daughter and I were in France last summer, we spent a number of hours having tea at the tearoom in  Mariage Frères (you can read about our escapades here). The ceremony with which they serve the tea, and the treats that come with it are extraordinary.

The first time I encountered Mariage Frères tea was when I was working as a low-level manager at Williams-Sonoma in San Francisco back in 1992. Having worked at Pottery Barn in NY, I was able to transfer to Williams-Sonoma as soon as I got to SF.

I had just moved out and was missing home. The manager on duty stationed me in the gourmet food section at the back of the store. They always had classical music playing in the store at that time. When a piece came on by Mozart that had been featured in the movie "Amadeus", one of my and Joe's favorite movies, I got weepy.

Somehow, I managed to cry internally and still help customers. As I was busying myself with cleaning up the shelves I smelled something sweet, spicy and cinnamon-y. Upon further investigation, it was a can of tea that had been opened to entice the customers senses. It certainly worked for me. The flavor was L'Esprit de Noel, a Christmas tea. I bought a can, which cost somewhere in the realm of two hours' worth of retail wages. And continue to buy one every year for Christmas.

You can buy Mariage Frères teas on Market Hall and Dean and Deluca online. I know in San Francisco and Berkeley there are a few places that also stock this tea. But, the best place to go, is to get on a plane and head to Paris :)

My Favorite Teas from Mariage Frères:

• Earl Grey Blue
• Esprit de Noel
• Lapsang Souchang
• The sur le Nil

Sage Infused Simple Syrup

makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 10 to 12 fresh Sage leaves, bruised

Method:

1. To bruise the sage leaves, twist them lightly between your fingers until you see some discoloration.
2. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat to a simmer.
5. Stirring frequently, keep the mixture simmering until it becomes clear.
6. Using a strainer to catch the sage leaves, pour the liquid into a sterilized jar with an airtight lid.
7. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

You can add this syrup to cold or warm drinks. I don't drink coffee, but wonder if it might taste good in that, too! I do know, however, that it'll be great in lemonade and just add a bit to seltzer water for a little spark.

Butternut Squash Jalapeno Soup

That's kind of a strange color for butternut squash soup, huh?

Well that's because it's got jalapeno and sage added to it.

I may have overdone the jalapeno a bit, thus the extra green color, but the flavor is really nice.

I didn't used to like soups like this. My favorite soups feature meat (usually ham or bacon) and it was kind of a hard sell for me to embrace this fully vegan soup. The turning point for me was that roasting the squash was so easy. It's the kind of thing you can throw in a pan in five minutes, with any number of herbs and spices, and then just put in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so. Once it's cooked and cooled all you have to do it scrape the meat out of the skin of the squash and puree all the good bits from the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this version, I roasted the jalapenos right alongside the squash. The only issue with that is that they don't get as crunchy as they do when I pan fry them, so there wasn't anything to use as garnish in the end. To thicken the soup, I used almonds and almond milk, but if you have any kind of problem with nuts, just leave them out, it's plenty thick on it's own.

Best of all, this is completely vegan and gluten free. For those of you who are trying hard to get back on the right track post-New Year's celebrations, give this soup a try.

Butternut Squash Soup with Jalapeno and Sage

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2 Jalapeno peppers, cut into rings (remove the seeds if you want to avoid too much spice)
• 1 Shallot, diced
• 1 small Red Onion, diced
• 4 sprigs Sage, shredded
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled but not chopped
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 10 Almonds (optional)
• 1/8 cup Almond Milk (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Position the squash cut side up in a roasting pan large enough to fit both halves of the butternut squash without them touching.
• Place the sage and garlic in the cavity of the squash.
• Add some of the olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Flip over the squash. You may need to move the garlic and herbs a bit to get them to fit back into the cavity no that the squash is skin side up.
• Place the jalapenos, onions and shallots in between the two halves of the squash.
• Drizzle remainder of olive oil over the top of all the ingredients.
• Roast everything for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until a knife easily goes through the meat.
• Once the squash is cool, scrape out the meat.
• Take everything left in the roasting pan and the meat of the squash and place them in a food processor. Add the almonds and almond milk (optional).
• Pulse until the texture you desire is reached.

Enjoy!

I Can't Stop Making Soup: Split Pea with Ham edition

I know I've posted this recipe before. Furthermore, I also acknowledge that it tends to get posted around New Year's, mostly due to the leftover ham available at this time of year. Lastly, I am positive that this soup will keep you warm and satisfied, therefore, I think it's fine that I just keep posting it.

This version (same recipe, different story) centers around a sudden desire I had a few weeks back to stock my freezer full of goodness. I never cook with the explicit intention of freezing portions. A friend of mine is convinced that it's cheaper for her to eat out (as a single diner) than to cook larger quantities of her food and freeze some for later. I'm giving this a go myself so I can test out if it just gets too boring to plow through a huge amount of the same food for a week (which I believe is one of her concerns) or if there is some merit to having a freezer full of meals at the ready.

In the first week, I ate approximately four servings, about half of what I made. In between other meals and holiday meals, this worked out fine for me. The second week was more of a challenge, even though I absolutely love Split Pea with Ham soup, it looses it's luster somewhat after having to eat it for so many meals.

For my next experiment, I'll need to freeze everything in individual portions so that I don't feel obligated to eat the same soup/meal every day until it's gone. I didn't plan out the portions properly and ended up with huge serving dishes of each soup. I may also sign up some other cooking-friendly friends who would make something and we could split our frozen portions, for some variety.

Either way, I am going to create a few recipes for my friend, have her make them, freeze individually, and see if she finds that she'll eat at home a bit more and could possibly even save a few bucks. I do acknowledge that not everyone thinks cooking is fun (like I do), so this experiment may not work, but it's really worth a try.

Split Pea with Ham Soup ala Gran Fran serves 8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Green Split Peas (or about 12 ounces), rinsed
• 1 Ham Hock (nitrate free is best)
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, sliced
• 2 Large Carrots, sliced
• 4-6 Whole Cloves
• Thyme
• Bay Leaf
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed

Method:

• Saute onions and carrots in the olive oil in a large non-reactive pan.
• Place hamhock in the pan and brown on all sides.
• Add washed peas, stirring over meium heat.
• Pur boiling water to cover, about 4 cups, into pan (or as much as you need to actually cover the hamhock).
• Add cloves, thyme, bay lead, pepper and garlic. Wait until the soup is further along in its cooking to add salt, since the handhock is fairly salty on its own).
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover the pan and simmer for 3 hours, stirring every now and then.
• Let cool and refrigerate. Then skim all of the fat off the top.
• Remove hamhock, dice the meat, and return to the soup.
• Reheat soup and serve with toasted baguette and a nice glass of wine.