Tag Archives: garlic

Pan Fried Pork Chops, Sauteed Truffle Salted Zucchini and Roasted Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic

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In need for some comfort foods and  easy favorites to make for a large group, we decided to make sauteed zucchini and make improvements on pan-fried pork chops and Tyler Florence’s fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs and garlic. The pork chops had a nice crust, was tender and juicy inside and the zucchini were nicely flavored and soft. The garlic, rosemary and thyme potatoes were constantly getting compliments, had herbacious skin, were soft on the inside and popped with a bit.

Pan Fried Pork Chops

Adapted from Cook’s Country and Allrecipes.com

Serves 8

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 c ap flour
  • 2 c Italian bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 bone in rib or center cut pork chops 3/4 and 1 inch thick
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine salt, pepper and flour in dish. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Dredge chops lightly in flour with a ziplock bag (do not discard flour). Let rest for 10 minutes. Add oil to fat in pan and heat over medium-high until just smoking. Dredge chops in egg and then bread crumbs.  Cook chops until well browned, 3-4 minutes per side.

Roasted Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic

Adapted from Tyler Florence

  • 2 pints mini Idaho potatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Add potatoes, rosemary and thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place potatoes in oven and roast for 50 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Sauteed Truffle Salted Zucchini

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 4 zucchini
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • truffle salt
Trim ends from zucchini. Cut each slices into 1/4 inch thick. Boil a pan with a small amount of water and butter and steam zucchini for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the zucchini are tender. Transfer zucchini to a large bowl. Sprinkle truffle salt to taste.

Coastal Maine Popcorn Co., Portland Revisited

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After our first visit to the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company, we knew we would be returning very soon. Coastal Maine Popcorn Co serves of quarts and gallons of their uniquely flavored and fresh popcorn.

The rainbow of colors and flavors is impressive, but my favorites are chocolate caramel and sea salt, parmesean garlic, salty sweet (similar to kettle corn) and Maine maple.

Coastal Popcorn offers sweet and savory flavor combinations in four sizes. They also offer samples (two per person). I was tempted to try the Wasabi Soy and Toasted Coconut, but wanted to retry my standards.

I tried the buffalo and parmesean garlic and both were fantastic.

I could not help myself and purchased a large bag of the Buffalo XX. Regular Buffalo was not enough.

The tang and kick of heat is truly special and unlike any other popcorn I have tried. I can not wait for my next samples and popcorn purchases.

Coastal Maine Popcorn Co on Urbanspoon

Orecchiette With Tomato Sauce and Kale

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I have been cooking with kale lately and decided it was time to add it into pasta. After reading tantalizing healthy recipes from Martha Rose Shulman in the New York Times, I decided to make a version of her orecchiette pasta with kale. The texture and adorable ear shape of orecchiette is fantastic and acts as a well for sauce. The garlic red wine tomato sauce, soft kale and flakes of lightly salty parmesean cheese is a great combination.

Adapted from The New York Times Martha Rose Shulman

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 jar of favorite pasta sauce
  • 1/2 cup favorite red wine
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 pound curly green kale, stemmed and washed thoroughly
  • 12 ounces orecchiette
  • 1 ounce (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan, pecorino Romano or a combination (more to taste)

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide skillet or saucepan and add the garlic and red pepper flakes (optional). As soon as the garlic begins to smell fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute), add the sauce, salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, add the red wine and cook until the mixture is thick and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook al dente, total 10 to 11 minutes, or according to the cooking directions on the package.  After 3 minutes have passed and at the 7 minute mark, add the kale to the pasta boil. Drain pasta and kale and toss with the tomato mixture right in the pan. Add the Parmesan, toss again and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Advance preparation: The tomato sauce and the blanched kale will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Don’t combine until ready to serve.

Ode to Tyler: Steamed Asparagus in a Paper Bag and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic

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Our little sister turned us on to the paper bag steaming technique which Tyler Florence utilizes. She kept saying, “It is so good.” I think she likes Tyler because he is easy on the eyes, but clearly his cooking techniques are quite likeable too.

We also wanted to make baby potato eggs for Easter and used Tyler’s recipe for roasted fingerling potatoes. We made two batches, more rounded egg-shaped ones and then mixed color potatoes including several with bluish purple hues.

Both techniques were unreal and yielded fantastic results. Both the asparagus received compliments for the concentrated lemon flavor and texture and the potatoes had a nice herb flavored skin with the perfect balance of salt .

Adapted from Tyler Florence

  • 1 pound medium asparagus, tough ends trimmed
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 lemon, sliced paper thin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Get yourself a lunch brown paper bag or grocery store paper bag (but without the logos or paint) to hold the asparagus. Place the asparagus in the bag and drizzle the outside of the bag with olive oil to keep the bag from burning. Sprinkle the asparagus with the salt and cracked pepper and toss in the lemon slices and bay leaf. Close the bag, folding it over several times and creasing the folds well to hold the steam in. Put the pan on a baking sheet, drizzle it with more olive oil, stick it in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. Set a serving plate next to the stove. Using a kitchen towel or a pair of kitchen tongs, raise the bag over the plate, open the bag, and slide the asparagus out onto the plate.

Adapted from Tyler Florence

  • 2 pints fingerling potatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (1 tablespoon reserved for sheet pan)
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes, rosemary and thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Garlic Chip and Parmesan Pasta

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I love a tasty carbonara and wanted to try a version which omits the pancetta. To maintain the pancetta flavor in the recipe, I used some bacon drippings and added garlic chips. The result turned out well, but I would add the bacon or pancetta next time for the additional layer of flavor.
 
Adapted from Serious Eats and Bon Appetit

4 servings

  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped into small chips
  • 10 ounces pasta
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons bacon fat

Heat the bacon fat in a large skillet over high heat, add garlic chips and cook until crisp and golden brown about 4  minutes. Transfer garlic chips to paper towels to drain. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually add 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir (I put the skillet over extremely low heat) until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook, or the eggs will scramble. Serve pasta with additional Parmesan cheese.