Pork Chops and Red Cabbage

        The seasons are changing here on the Niagara Frontier, so this is the time to begin thinking of warm "Wintertime" food. Nothing like a slow-roasted pork loin says hello to a cold body. But if you just want something small, like a pork chop, there's no need to sacrifice that slow roasting. What you need to do is find a way to braise it, developing lots of flavor. This recipe does exactly that, by using red cabbage and some good additions.

        Now I sympathize with those who aren't too fond of cabbage. My first experience with cabbage was not very nice. I was four years old and starting Nursery School (that's what they used to call Pre-School in the olden days).  This is my only memory from that time! It was at lunch and we were served hot meals. One day in late fall they served us boiled cabbage with I can't remember what. Now in those days children didn't know what "I don't like it" meant. We ate everything we were served both at home and in school. I had never eaten cabbage before because it was not part of my family's diet. When the cabbage went down my little throat, it came right back up. I was sent home. This is the only time I ever threw up in my entire life (except after over-imbibing, as a young man, of course). Needless to say, it took me a very, very long time to ever eat cabbage again. Even today, I really don't prefer it. A little corned beef and cabbage with my Irish friends and that's about it.

        However, I have discovered that if you use Red Cabbage (it seems to be a bit milder) and shred it (which allows it to soak up liquids of your choice), you get something really tasty, especially with a meat like pork. So here we are. This is pretty simple. You just need to brown your pork chops in butter really well. Then you sauté the shredded cabbage, onion and garlic until it begins to break down. Stir in wines and a fresh herb, place the chops on top and slowly braise for about an hour and a half. The prep is quick and easy, so for most of the time you're just letting the magic happen in the braising pan, perhaps enjoying a Beefeater Martini.

        The wine you'll want, both with the meal and to add to the cabbage, should be something with body. I would think a Dolcetta d'Alba would be good, even a decent Merlot. But I've chosen a Cabernet from Washington State that is quite outstanding. Unfortunately it's the last bottle of this 2008 vintage in my cellar. This is John Bookwalter's 2008 Foreshadow and it has been a joy to work my way through this case over the last three years. It blends perfectly with the pork and as I was sipping it while eating this meal, the flavors of both the dish and the wine seemed to be enhanced! That's all you can ask of a wine-food pairing.

Ingredients I used

Ingredients:

2              Pork Chops

2    Tbs   Butter

½             Medium Sweet Onion, chopped

2    clv     Garlic, chopped

½             Head Red Cabbage, shredded

2    Tbs   Olive Oil

2    Tbs   Balsamic Vinegar

2    Tbs   Portugese sweet Sherry*

½   cup   Red Wine

1    Tbs   Soy Sauce (plus possibly more in cooking)

                Salt & Pepper

1              Spring Fresh Herb (Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme... any of these)

* If you do not have this excellent Sherry, use a fine Porto

Method:

In a Fricassee pan, sauté Pork Chops in butter until nicely browned on all sides. Set them aside and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Browning Chops, Veggies Prepped

Add Olive Oil to same pan and sauté Onion until transparent. As the Onion begins to release juices, turn heat down and scrape bottom of pan until everything is incorporated into Onions.

starting onions

everything incorporated

Add Garlic and shredded Cabbage, sauté while stirring until Cabbage starts to break down.

adding Cabbage

Cabbage wilting

Stir in Sherry, Balsamic Vinegar, Red Wine and some grinds of Pepper. Mix well. Add fresh herb.

Place Pork Chops on top of Cabbage mixture, also adding any juices they have exuded. Dribble Soy Sauce over the top of the Chops, cover and simmer until Pork Chops are very tender. 

ready to braise

Simmer between one to one and a half hours. About every half hour, check to make sure there is enough liquid. If you have a very low simmer on your stove, you'll probably have more than enough juice. Otherwise add a little liquid to just keep the Cabbage moist. Sprinkle a little Soy Sauce on the top of the Chops to keep them moist, also. 

Before you plate, be sure to stir the Cabbage, because juice from the chops will be right under them and you want to add this to the flavor of all the Cabbage too!

Here I have served the Pork Chop with homemade honeyed Butternut Squash, another cold weather treat!

Pasta with Swordfish and Mint

Pasta con Spada e Menta

      This is a traditional dish in Sicily, and so, of course, I wouldn't dream of making any significant changes. It occurred to me that since I almost always grill swordfish, as one would a beefsteak, could this entire dish be made on the grill? Now it is not a very complex recipe. Mostly we have simple ingredients which are not overly fussed with, which puts a premium on quality. So buy good stuff.

      The dish is usually prepared in a fry pan, which allows the simple sauce to flavor the swordfish. Cooking it on the grill loses this aspect, so I made up for it by adding zucchini to the recipe (which is a normal option, anyway), letting it cook down in some wine and then tossing everything together. You'll need a fresh cheese which gets hit with the heated sauce and softens. I used fresh mozzarella. Of course you have lots of choices here. Get what you like, but get something good because its flavor isn't going to be masked by much. If your fresh mint leaves are large, just tear them up.

            I chose a great wine from Friuli, which is just beginning to mature. The 2009 Chardonnay Selezione from Borgo del Tiglio. The proprietor, Nicola Manferrari has produced a selection of outstanding white wines. There is so little of this in the States that you might not be able to find anything from this wonderful property. If you live in Italy, your chances will probably be better. It is a rich and voluptuous, but mineral wine that pairs well with the swordfish.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

(for 2)

      Swordfish Steak (½ to ¾ pounds)

      Pasta (I used Penne Lisce) less than ½ pound

      Small Zucchini (about ¼ pound) (Mine was ½ pound so I only used half)

            * half sliced very thinly

            * half into ¼ inch slices

      White Wine (about ½ cup)

      Olive Oil

      Clove Garlic, chopped

      Fresh Mint (about ¼ oz.)

      Fresh Mozzarella (8 oz.)

      Salt and Pepper

Method:

After you do the initial preparation below, everything else is done on the grill at the same time. This isn't as daunting as it might seem, because everything sort of cooks with little intervention on your part. Also, everything is right in front of you, so you can keep an eye on it all. As each component finishes, you toss it in the bowl with the cheese and mint.

1    Cut or break the Cheese into small pieces and place in a large bowl with half the Mint. Slice zucchini as described above, chop garlic.

2    Bring a pan of water to the boil on your grill (or on inside range, if you prefer).

3a  In a small cast iron fry pan heat a few tablespoons of Olive Oil and when hot, add the thinly sliced zucchini, garlic and mint. Let this sauté a little and then add the Wine, move to a less hot part of the grill and let simmer until the liquid is syrupy. You can then add it to the bowl and toss with the cheese and mint.

3b  At the same time, place the thicker zucchini slices on a vegetable grate on your grill and cook, turning so both sides have color, but still have a little bite. When they are done, add them to the bowl and toss.

just beginning to grill

everything near done

3c  At the same time, sear the Swordfish on both sides and cook until just done. Remove from grill and let rest a few minutes and with two forks, tear into bite sized pieces and toss with salt and pepper. Add this to the bowl and toss.

3d  Meanwhile you should add the pasta to the boiling water at about the same time the Swordfish goes on. Be sure you stir regularly at first and until it starts to soften.

adding pasta

tossing everything

4    The Pasta should be last to finish. Scoop it out of the water and add to the bowl, tossing everything. If you think it needs a little more liquid, add a teaspoon or two of the Pasta water, but not much! I didn't add any at all.

This is a very refreshing summertime dish. Enjoy!

Stufato di Vitello

Veal Stew

        This is a very soft but flavorful dish. I prefer not to put all the vegetables inside my stew. Having some on their own makes for a more interesting whole meal experience. So instead of adding potato chunks to be cooked to oblivion inside, I've chosen to create a Passato di Patate, or potato purée, to surround the stew and give that wonderful gravy something to clothe. You could surround the potato boat with whatever fresh vegetables you prefer. Unfortunately, it is not yet fresh vegetable season on the Niagara Frontier, so I've chosen chopped spinach from the freezer. To dress it up a little, I've mixed in some thinly sliced small mushrooms and added a few tablespoons of the finest balsamic vinegar. This makes a festive wreath on the plate. It also tastes good!

        Veal Stew screams for a non-cloying red to accompany it. Vietti's Barbera d'Asti fits this definition perfectly. The 2005 La Crena is a good example of this estate's fine workmanship. It is made from 100% Barbera. This is one of the 9,980 bottles produced. I tasted another bottle a few years ago, and it is even better now. Just two more left in my cellar L

        Shallots are milder tasting than onions, and work well here. The cinnamon stick allows you to control the amount of this flavor better than would ground Cinnamon. It enhances the veal and nicely rounds out the gravy. Just one-half hour in the stew produces the perfect balance. You could use regular thickly sliced bacon chunks instead of the Pancetta, but it will impart the flavor of whatever the bacon was smoked in. Pancetta produces a lovely soft flavor to this dish (as well as most tomato sauces). I used my homemade beef stock. (I freeze this in one-cup containers.) Chicken or vegetable stock could be used, but will produce slightly different (but not worse) flavors of the gravy. As with Ossobuco, a gremolata adds a little zing to the stew. Some swirl it in for a minute or two when the stew is finished, but I prefer it sprinkled on top of the stew when it is plated.

        I prepared everything at the same time, but the stew can easily be made a day or two ahead and just heated up prior to serving. This would be a tremendous time saver if one were pressed, leaving only the Potatoes to deal with ... the Spinach is a very quick preparation. In fact, even the Potatoes could be done ahead and refrigerated in a Pyrex^® casserole for a day, ready to be reheated in the oven. Just swirl in a little butter at service time, and you're ready to go. Both the Veal stew and Potatoes would reheat nicely in a 325F oven in 45 minutes to one hour.

most of the ingredients

Ingredients:

        stew

                1    lb          Veal, cut into 3/4" cubes

                2    oz.        Pancetta, cut into small dice

                1                 Carrot, small dice

                1                 Celery stalk, small dice

                2    oz.        Shallots, thinly sliced

                1    clove     Garlic

                2    Tbs       Olive oil

                2    Tbs       Butter

                1                 Cinnamon stick (small)

                1    Tbs       Tomato paste (dissolve in stock)

vegetables, prepped

                1    cup       Beef stock

                3    oz         Mushrooms, small*

                                   salt & pepper

        potatoes

                1    lb          Potatoes

                3    Tbs       Butter

                1    cup       Milk**

                                   salt

        spinach

                8    oz         Spinach, frozen

                ½   cup       Water

                3                 small Mushrooms, sliced*

                2    Tbs       Balsamic Vinegar

for gremolata

                                   salt & pepper

        gremolata

                2                 sprigs Parsley, minced

                1    clove      Garlic, minced

                                   Zest of one lemon

        *  Remove three of the mushrooms and slice for the spinach. Sauté the whole mushrooms in 2 Tbs    Butter and 2 Tbs Olive Oil and reserve for the stew. Then sauté the sliced mushrooms and reserve for the spinach.

        **The amount of Milk is a variable because Potatoes types behave differently. Just keep adding, as you whisk, until you get the consistency you prefer.

Method:

        1      Heat 2 Tbs Olive Oil and 2 Tbs Butter in a heavy bottomed pan until warm. Sauté Pancetta, Shallots, Carrot, Celery and the Garlic clove for about 5 minutes, until they are translucent.

         2      Meanwhile in a small pan, sauté the whole Mushrooms, and then do the sliced Mushrooms and reserve.

whole mushrooms for stew

      

sliced mushrooms for spinach

  

        3      When the stew vegetables are soft, add the Veal, and brown all sides. When meat is seared, you might favor the pot with a splash of Brandy (optional). 

brown veal

             Remove the Garlic clove, and add the whole Mushrooms and sprinkle some Salt and Pepper over everything. Slowly stir in the Beef stock with dissolved Tomato paste. 

ready to simmer

            Add the Cinnamon stick, cover and place on low heat for at least 2 hours, until the veal is very tender. After the first half-hour, remove the Cinnamon stick. 

removing cinnamon at 1/2 hr mark

            After the first hour, slide the lid so the pan is partially covered. Keep your eye on the stew during this last hour, to make sure it is not too dry, or not too wet. You can probably do this by adjusting the lid, but feel free to a little water if necessary.

        4      When the stew begins to simmer is probably a good time to prepare the Gremolata, since it can wait. Mince Parsley and one clove of Garlic. Zest one lemon and put the ingredients together and reserve for the final plating.

gremolata, not yet mixed

        5      While stew is cooking, wash Potatoes and add them to a pan of water. Bring this to a boil and then lower heat so that the pan is just at a slight boil. 

            Cook Potatoes until they just pierce nicely with a fork. Drain water and let them cool for a few minutes. Remove skin, cut them into chunks and press them through a Potato Ricer into a mixer bowl. Add 3 Tbs of Butter, some Salt and about ½ cup of the Milk. Using the Whisk attachment, slowly beat the Potatoes, adding more Milk until Potatoes are fluffy.

ricing potatoes

        6      When the stew is just about finished, place spinach and ½ cup water in a small pan and bring to a quick boil. Lower heat and let boil for about 4 minutes, fluffing with a fork a few times while cooking. When Spinach is done, drain into a strainer and force out most of the water. Place back into the warm pan, add the sliced mushrooms and the Balsamic Vinegar and stir together with a fork.

        7      Plating. I piled a good helping of Potatoes in the center of the plate and then made a pocket in the middle, creating a little Potato wreath. I carefully spooned the Spinach around the outside of this, making a larger, green wreath. Then I filled the Potato pocket with the stew and sprinkled a good helping of the Gremolata over this.

          Enjoy!

Ossobuco con Farro "Carol"

        Ossobuco is, of course, a well known dish from Milan that doesn't need my help. The perfect accompaniment is Risotto Milanese, a wonderfully fragrant risotto made with Saffron. The flavors just magically work with each other. This doesn't happen as often as one would think, given the endless variations of food!

        A few months ago, my niece Carol suggested I try cooking with Farro. I had never used this ancient grain before. So I have been experimenting ever since. It occurred to me that perhaps adding Saffron to the cooking water would produce additional flavor and color. I was right! Then when I saw a couple of nice-looking veal shanks at my butcher, the idea was born to combine Ossobuco with Saffron-Farro.

        There are a few variations of Ossobuco, so I chose to make this a little lighter in flavor. I also thought I would name the dish for my beautiful niece, although a little hesitantly: you see, she eats very healthy food. This meal certainly doesn't fall into the "nuts and berries" category. I hope my cardiologist never reads this blog. But hey, Carol, if you eat carefully 90% of the time, you can certainly liven it up the remaining 10%!

        Ossobuco has one other ingredient. This is a Gremolata. Minced parsley, lemon zest and garlic are added to the dish when it is finished. This produces a bright flavor over the soft flavors of the Ossobuco itself. A wonderful final layer, don't omit this!!

        The cooking time for my Farro was based upon the package instructions. Follow your package's instructions.

        Now to the wine. Ossobuco actually uses white wine in its preparation. Whenever this happens, I like to use the same wine to drink with the meal. I have a case of Domaine Garnier Chablis(2010) in my wine cellar, and thought this would be a good "maiden voyage" for the wine. It really is supposed to wait until 2015, but I can't wait (the other 11 bottles can do the waiting). It's supposed to be a pretty fine example. The two brothers, Jérôme and Xavier have been producing some nice stuff. Of course I am writing this after I have drunk this wine and can report it is truly lovely. It has some body but is dry and has subtle flavors. It feels as though it will develop even further in the next few years. Now... can I keep my hands out of that case until then???

Domaine Garnier

Location (red dot)

        On to the meal. This doesn't take much doing. In keeping with the tradition of fine Italian cooking: have ingredients of excellent quality and don't overwhelm them with complex sauces. The shanks are going to braise for about two hours (until they are very tender), while the Farro takes less than half an hour to cook. Most of the preparation is basic, so from the time I started, it was 2½ hours or so until I was eating, and much of that time was devoted to working on the Times crossword.

Ingredients

Most of the Ingredients

   For the Farro

        ½     cup     Farro

        1½   cups   Water

        1      pinch  Saffron

        ¼     cup     Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

        6      small   Mushrooms

        1      Tbs.    Butter

   For the Ossobuco 

        2      ½ lb.   Veal shanks

                           dusting flour

        1                 medium Onion, minced

        1                 medium Carrot, minced

        1                 Celery stalk, minced

        2      oz.      Ham, diced

        4      Tbs.    unsalted Butter

        14    oz.      the finest Plum Tomatoes, chopped

        ½     cup     dry White Wine 

                           salt and freshly ground pepper

   For the Gremolata 

        Zest of one Lemon

        One clove Garlic

        One cup Parsley

Method

Melt 4 Tbs. Butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the diced Ham and cook for about 2 minutes.

Ham added

Raise the heat a little. Dust Veal Shanks in a little flour and brown until golden, about 5 minutes per side.

Shanks added

While you are doing this, remove the ham (when it starts to color) and reserve. When the shanks are nicely browned, remove them.

Add the minced Onion, Celery and Carrots to the pan and stir them while they start to become transparent.

Veggies added

 Now add the half-cup of White Wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, scraping the pan.

Deglazing with Wine

Then add the chopped Tomatoes and also the reserved Ham, mixing everything well.

Tomatoes added

Place the Veal on top of the vegetables and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cover and keep at the barest simmer for 2 hours, or until the Veal is very tender. Check from time to time, making sure there is enough liquid in the pan. If not, add a little water. You want the shanks to braise in a little liquid, but not a lot.

About half-way (1 hour)

While the Ossobuco simmers, prep the ingredients for the Gremolata and Farro.

Gremolata: Mince the Parsley with the Garlic. Grate in the zest of a lemon, mix together and reserve.

Farro: Clean the button Mushrooms. Grate about ¼ cup Cheese. Measure 1½ cups water into a small pan. add a pinch of Salt and a pinch of Saffron. Rinse the Farro and add it to the water.

About 20 minutes before the Veal is done, bring the Farro mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it boil gently for about 15 - 20 minutes. Taste it toward the end. It should be plump but not too crunchy. While the Farro is cooking, heat a tablespoon of butter in a small pan and gently sauté the Mushrooms for about 10 minutes.

Farro and Mushrooms cooking

When the Farro is done, drain off the water and fold in the Mushrooms and Cheese. Toss this all together.

When the Veal is done, sprinkle the gremolata over the top of the shanks and mix a little into the sauce. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.

Gremolata added

To plate, I spread the Farro in the center of each plate and placed a Veal shank on top, adding a little sauce around the edges.

Usually this is served with a small fork for picking out the marrow of the bone to be eaten along with the gremolata. A wonderful treat!

New Year Rack of Lamb

     

      Two things I usually consider necessary for a meal on New Year's Day: 1) It be reasonably elegant and 2) It be relatively easy to make. No one wants to spend hours in the kitchen on the day after New Year's Eve! To accomplish these two sometimes warring requirements, it is always helpful to have planned ahead, freezer wise. Whenever I go through the hours required to create a Brown Sauce or it's slightly easier cousin, Sauce Espagnole, you can be sure there will be several small packages put away in my freezer for just such an occasion as this. If you don't have this rich sauce available, you could make do with a commercial beef or pork gravy, but be sure to sufficiently fix it up.

      The only do-ahead is to marinate your Lamb overnight. You can put this in the refrigerator before you go out and "make foolish," knowing that almost all the work for your New Year's meal is being done for you!

      Successful wines for this meal could be red (Merlot or Dolcetto) or white (Vouvray or a high quality Riesling). But it's New Year's, so I'm having Champagne. Prosit!

Ingredients:

      Marinade:

            Juice of 2 Oranges

            Small Onion, chopped

            2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

            Several sprigs of Fresh Mint

            1 Tbs. Salt

            1 Tbs. Rice Wine Vinegar

            ½ cup Olive Oil

     

      Meal:

            Small Rack of Lamb*

            3 small Red Potatoes

            3 small Mushrooms

            1 Tbs. minced Onion

            1 Avocado 

                 (my side dish, use whatever you want)

            Sauce Espagnole  (about one cup)

            Porto (from Portugal) ... to taste

            Fresh Savory

            Butter

            Olive Oil

            Salt & Pepper

* My package had two 8 rib racks, so I used them both. Leftover Lamb Chops in the refrigerator are never a bad thing!

Method:

1    Day before: Mix marinating ingredients together and pour over Lamb. Refrigerate overnight.

2    About one hour before cooking: Bring marinating meat to room temperature. Remove from marinade and dry with paper towels.

3    Quarter the Potatoes, toss in Olive Oil and Fresh Savory and let sit for about 15 minutes.

4    Preheat oven to 325F. (165C)

5    Heat a small amount of oil in an ovenproof pan on stove-top.

6    When you are ready to sear meat, put Potatoes in the oven, they will be ready in about 45 minutes.

7    Sear the Rack of Lamb (fat side down) until it is nicely charred, about 5 minutes. Because I had two racks, I did them separately.

8    Pour off any fat/oil and return rack to pan. Place a small strip of aluminum foil over bones so they do not blacken. Place pan in oven and cook for about 30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145F (65C), no higher!!

9    Every 15 minutes, stir Potatoes.

10    While meat and potatoes roast in the oven, heat sauce and correct flavors by adding Porto, Butter and any Salt & Pepper that may be needed. When meat temperature nears 145F, sauté the Mushrooms and a little minced Onion in Butter, until just done.

11    When meat is to proper temperature, remove from oven and wrap in foil, keeping warm (stove surface should be fine) for 15 minutes.

12    Turn off oven. Drain any oil from Potatoes, sprinkle on Salt & Pepper, and return to oven until you are ready to plate. They will crisp up a little.

13    When Lamb has rested, slice into individual chops.

14    When you are ready to plate, mix Mushrooms and Potatoes and mound them in the center. Pour a little sauce over them. Cover mound with Lamb Chops and add a little sauce over these.   

Enjoy!