In Honor of the Caucuses

Tonight Zach and I ate like we were in Iowa. A dinner of salad, pork chops, sweet potato fries and applesauce.Yes, people in Iowa do eat like this, however, I hope its only occasionally.

Easy Pork Chops from The New Best Recipe
Serves 4

4 bone-in rib or center cut pork chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (about 7 ounces each), patted dry with paper towels and scored - Using a sharp knife, cut two slits about 2 inches apart, through the outer layer of fat and connective tissue. [We used some slices from a larger pork roast we bought over the weekend so we had no bones and didn't do the additional cutting.]
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. If using an electric stove, turn the burner to medium heat. Rub both sides of each chop with 1/8 teaspoon of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the meat portion on one side of each chop evenly with 1/8 teaspoon of the sugar, avoiding the bone.

2. Place the chops, sugared side down in a nonstick 12-inch skillet. [We used a cast iron one and it worked great!] Position the chops so that the ribs point to the center of the pan. Using your hand, press the meat on each chop into the pan. Set the skillet over medium heat; cook until lightly browned, 4 to 9 minutes. Using the tongs, flip the chops, positioning them in the same manner as before. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the center of each chop registers 140 to 145 degrees; the chops will be barely brown on the second side. Transfer the chops to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.


All in all a quick and tasty meal. We just took applesauce from the jar, poured it in a pan and put it on low heat while the chops and fries cooked.

My favorite, however, are the sweet potato fries. They're really simple to make.


Sweet Potato Fries

4 yams or sweet potatoes or a combination
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut the potatoes into sticks. I usually get about 8-10 sticks per potato. Toss with oil or use a spray bottle and spray the oil on the potatoes once they're on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them since they cook at such a high temp. If you prefer them more crispy, turn the broiler on at the very end, but really watch them closely as they will burn quickly. It only takes a minute or two.

Fresh Herb and Parmesan Frittata

Waking up and apparently ambitious in the new year, I cooked breakfast. This is maybe a three to four time a month event. I was frying up some sausage and Zach said he wanted eggs as well. So, I was getting ready just to scramble some up, but took a minute to look at The New Best Recipe, which we are working through to see if there was something I could knock off the list. Alas, almost as easy as just scrambling some eggs, we had this tasty frittata for our first breakfast of 2008.

Serves 2 to 4
(We halved the recipe and it was just enough for two with a sausage patty a piece and some toast for Zach)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion
2 tablespoons mined herb leaves, such as parsley, basil, dill, tarragon, or mint
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the oil in an 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet to distribute the oil evenly over the bottom and sides (Note: This is important, you can see in the picture above where ours stuck in the front). Add the onion and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the herb (We used parsley).

3. Meanwhile, beat the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper into the eggs with a fork in a medium bowl.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir lightly with a fork until the eggs start to set. Once the bottom is firm, use a thin plastic spatula to lift the frittata edge closest to you. Tilt the skillet slightly toward you so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Return the skillet to the level position and swirl gently to evenly distribute the egg. Continue cooking about 40 seconds, then lift the edge again, repeating the process until the egg on top is no longer runny.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the frittata top is set and dry to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes, removing it as soon as the top is just set.

6. Run a spatula around the skillet edge to loosen the frittata. Invert the frittata onto a serving plate. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons of chicken fat (reserved from making stock) or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 recipe Chicken Stock (note: and the left over meat)
2 cups (3 ounces) wide egg noodles
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Heat the chicken fat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, along with the stock and shredded chicken meat (note: don't forget to do this unless you did it when you finished making the stock); simmer until the vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes.



2. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper to taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve.

When I first read this recipe, I didn't realize it took the entire recipe of chicken stock from the previous post. Good thing I just stuck it in the fridge and didn't get it bagged and put in the freezer.

Once the stock is made, this is a quick 20-30 minute recipe. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Starting with the basics.

It's fitting that the first soup recipe was a basic chicken stock. Tomorrow the stock will be turned into Chicken Noodle Soup.
Chicken Stock
makes about 2 quarts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
4 pounds of chicken backs and wingtips or whole legs hacked with a meat cleaver into 2-inch pieces
2 quarts boiling water
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the ionin, saute until colored and softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the onions to a large bowl.



2. Add half of the chicken pieces to the pot; saute until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chickent to the bowl with the onion. Saute the remaining chicken pieces. Return the onion and chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.



3. Increase the heat to high; add the boiling water, salt, and bay leaves. Return to a simmer, then cover and barely simmer until the stock is rich and flavorful, about 20 minutes.



4. Stain the stock into a container and discard the solids. Skim the fat and reserve for later use in soups or other recipes, if desired. (The stock can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months.)