Going low carb doesn’t mean
boring, tasteless, or unimaginative, unless you are boring and unimaginative,
and because you’re a faithful reader, I know you are savvy, worldly, and a
garden of imagination.
Just keep on allowing your
favorite blogger to show you the way to exciting kitchen creations, all of them
done with simple, but elegant recipes that take only a short time from start to
table. None use exotic berries from the
Sahara, sweet potatoes from the Andes, or rotted shark’s meat from
Iceland. Think that last ingredient is
only a product of my semi-perverted mind?
Think again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hákarl
But, for the sake of
comfortable digestion, let’s stick to pork chops and vegetables.
Before we begin, pour yourself
the obligatory glass of red wine. Great
for supporting the HDL, and also makes you a better cook. As one man said, “I always use wine when I
cook, and sometimes I put it in the food.”
Well, this time you will use a little bit of your vino rojo in this classy preparation that will dazzle your friends
and confuse your enemies.
The Pork Chops of Your Dreams
(a one dish meal)
6 Bone-in pork chops
2 Cups of shredded cheese
(Hard, non-crumbly cheese)
1 ¼ Cups heavy whipping cream
4 Cups (approx.) cauliflower
florets
1 Leek, heavy green leaves
discarded, the tender part sliced thinly
A handful of grape sized
cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 Tablespoons green pesto
Juice of ½ lemon
3 Tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
½ Cup red wine
Before you start the chopping
and slicing, put the pork chops out to reach room temp, and set your oven to
400ºF (200ºC)
For
the sauce: mix together the
cream, pesto, and lemon juice. Salt and
pepper to taste. Yep, that’s it!
For
the pork chops: Put the
butter in a skillet large enough to hold all six chops, dust with salt and
pepper and let them sizzle in the pan until they’re lightly browned. Remove the chops to a plate and add the wine
to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up
all the brown bits.
Putting it all together: Put the chops in a large, high sided baking
dish and pour the wine/brown bits over them.
Mix the cauliflower florets, the quartered tomatoes, and thinly sliced
leek and put them on top of the port chops.
Pour on the sauce, then sprinkle the cheese on top of everything and
slide the baking pan into the oven for 30 minutes.
Pour yourself and your startled
guests another glass of that gorgeous wine and wait for the applause!
This is the first of many low
carb recipes I’ll provide. Stay tuned!
Note: Not sure about leeks? Used a lot in Europe, but not so much in the
U.S. Never fear to take a leek. The parts we’re using are very tender (leaf
sheaths).
Leeks are members of the
onion/garlic family (genus Allium),
but have a much, much milder, and more subtle flavor.
Salute!
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