Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Did you know that it's maple syrup tapping time right now? Although maple pairs beautifully with fall flavors such as apple and pumpkin, the actual making of maple syrup is a late winter/early spring endeavor.

I love maple, so I'll look for nearly any excuse to use it in a recipe. That's one reason why I chose the recipe for Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook, which I borrowed from my library. According to the recipe, the pork chop glaze can be made with a number of different ingredients: applesauce, jam, honey, maple syrup, chutney. I was most excited to see maple syrup in that list, so that's what I used.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- You can find the recipe for these pork chops here.

- The premise of Jamie Oliver's book is that delicious homemade food from fresh ingredients is attainable for everyone in a short amount of time. This recipe came together quite quickly.

- The recipe gives directions for removing and cooking the skin from the chops until they are crackling, then serving them on top of the chop along with some fried sage leaves. The pork chops I used did not have any skin, so I just garnished with the sage leaves.

- I need to experiment a bit more with the cooking time and temperature. My chops got slightly overcooked as I waited for them to brown.

the verdict:

The chops had a wonderful sweet/savory combination of flavors. The fond in the pan tasted divine! I'll hang onto this tasty and fun recipe.

Iowa Pork Chops

For over two years I have loved receiving my weekly order, which I fondly refer to as my "farm box," from Moore Farms and Friends. With the help of hoop houses, the associated farmers in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee manage to grow a pretty impressive array of wonderful vegetables and fruit throughout the winter months, and of course there is a veritable cornucopia in summer. We can also order eggs, dairy, and meats. The farm box pork comes from Thompson Farms and Riverview Farms, and because of its freshness and quality I've found myself cooking more pork. Availability changes from week to week, so I order a cut of meat when it's offered and keep it handy in the freezer until the occasion and recipe arise.

One recent winter day I found myself with a cool cookbook from the library and a bunch of pork chops in the freezer, so I put the two together and made Iowa Pork Chops from the Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland cookbook.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I've included the recipe at the end of this post, just scroll down.

- Despite a fairly long list of ingredients, the recipe came together quite quickly. I used my coffee grinder/spice mill, which ground up the whole spices and garlic all at the same time.

- Even without a spice grinder, this would still be an easy recipe using pre-ground spices.

the verdict:

These pork chops were a big hit at our house. The various spices in this recipe combined to give a lovely savory flavor, and the simplicity of the recipe makes it even more of a favorite. In fact, this recipe was such a nice find that I've put the cookbook on my wish list.

the recipe:

Iowa Pork Chops

from Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland

2 bay leaves
1 T freshly ground pepper (I used peppercorns)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T dried thyme, or 1/4 c chopped fresh
2 tsp ground cloves (I used whole)
1 T ground nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg, grated w microplane)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
4 thick premium loin pork chops (10 oz ea)
1 T olive oil
1 T each, butter and olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a coffee grinder, spice mill, or blender, process the bay leaves, pepper, garlic, thyume, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom until completely blended (the bay leaves might not be completely crushed).

3. Rub the chops with the olive oil, then rub the spice blend over all of the chops. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.

4. Sear the chops in the butter/oil in a heavy skillet over high heat about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.

5. Place the chops on a rack over a baking sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.

{TFF} Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Tyler Florence Fridays (TFF), and luckily for me this is the easiest cooking group ever! Members get to choose the recipe and can participate each week - or not. We can even post on any day we choose - the TFF roundup is posted each Friday and if you've posted that week you're included. How cool is that? Very cool, I say, especially since Tyler Florence's recipes are scrumptious!

My daughter A.L.E. specifically requested pork tenderloin when she was home for Christmas. I don't cook it very often, and don't have a recipe that is my pork tenderloin default, so I went searching to see if Tyler Florence could help me. I came across this recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri and it had rave reviews so I thought I'd give it a go.

cook's notes:

- The tenderloins I bought were much bigger than those specified in the recipe. I had nearly 3 pounds of meat and we made a double recipe of the marinade.

- Luckily A.L.E. prepared the marinade, because I was racing to get the French Pear Tart baked (I will post it for TWD on Tuesday).

- She used oregano from our garden (it's still growing, despite temps we had last week in the mid-teens!) and flat leaf parsley. There was also a bit of basil chopped in the mix also. We cut back just a bit on the lime, although, truth be told, we could have used the full amount.

- Because the meat is marinated in a plastic bag, a little of the marinade can go a long way, meaning you can leave lots of the sauce aside for serving time. Next time I'll save more out and put less in with the meat. I left the sauce off of some of the meat because of food sensitivities in my family, and still wish I had a bit more to spoon over the meat.

- we made some of the tenderloins with just a bit of the jalapeno peppers and the rest with a bunch of jalapenos. Of course we lost track of which was which when they were on the grill! As it turns out, none of it was all that hot/spicy, so we didn't burn anyone's taste buds!

the verdict:

This was a fantastic recipe! We loved it, and I will definitely make it again. It was even tender and flavorful as leftovers the next couple of days.

For more Tyler Florence goodness, hop on over to Tyler Florence Fridays and check out the round-up!