Pork Chops with Poblano Goat Cheese Sauce

This is a really simple and versatile recipe with a Southwestern flair to it.  It comes together really quickly and feel free to play around with it!  Credit where credit is due, here is where I got it: http://www.bitchincamero.com/2009/05/pork-chops-with-goat-cheese-roasted-poblano-sauce/

Ingredients:

6 pork chops (original recipe said on-the-bone, but I had center cuts)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. lemon-garlic seasoning
(play around with the seasonings, I did it to taste)

2 poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup-1 cup chicken stock (depending on how thin you want your sauce)
6 oz. soft goat cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your broiler to high and brush poblanos with oil.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut-side down, and boil 4-6 inches from the broiler for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is charred.  Remove from the broiler and place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 20 minutes.  After this, you should be able to peel away the charred skin.  I couldn't, seeing as my poblanos were very thin-fleshed, so I just threw everything in, charred and all.

Sprinkle your pork chops with seasoning and prepare them as you like.  Grilled, broiled, baked, seared, however.

Heat chicken broth and goat cheese in a small saucepan, until the goat cheese has melted down.  Place in a food processor with the poblano peppers and process until smooth.

Pour over pork chops and serve!  I ended up browning my chops and then baking them with the sauce on them, which made them look less than appealing, but they really tasted great!  It's a very versatile recipe, and I think it'd be easy to add in your own spin on the recipe for whatever tastes you're accommodating.

Served with pumpkin soup and steamed broccoli.

Cornmeal-Crusted Basa (Catfish) with Homemade Tartar Sauce and Kalyn's Ratatouille Wanna-Be

A few weeks ago, I discovered basa fish, which was super-duper on sale at IGA and had the "sustainable fish" stamp of approval on it (I try to be aware of which fish are on the do-not-eat list, typically).  Upon coming home and researching, I have discovered that basa is indeed a Vietnamese catfish, and is being shipped worldwide due to its large numbers and nutritional value.  So, take that as you will.  I will buy it again when I see it.  The fillets are HUGE, and it's relatively low-calorie.

Sometimes, I feel like having some good ol' Southern-style food.  Fried catfish is one of those things.

First!  Homemade tartar sauce, because you want this to sit for at least an hour before you eat it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
3 T. minced dill pickle (or sweet relish, but I prefer the sour aspect)
1 T. dill
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Taste and correct any ingredients (you may want more dill, more pickle, whatever).  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before eating.  That was easy!

Fish time!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely ground corn meal
1/2 t. half-sharp paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper

2 basa fillets (I have no idea how big mine were, really...)

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

Fill a large, heavy-bottomed skillet with enough oil to fill it about 1/2 inch from the bottom.  Heat over medium-high heat.

Mix corneal and spices/herbs on a plate or shallow bowl.

Dredge both sides of the fish in the cornmeal mix, pressing to make sure the fish is well-coated.

Your oil is ready when, if you dip your fingertips in some water and flick water droplets at the surface of the oil, it sizzles and pops and generally goes crazy.

Fry your fish for about 6 minutes on each side (or according to the packaging), until golden brown and crispy.  Place on a plate with paper towel to remove any excess oil.

Serve immediately with your tartar sauce and a side of your choice!  The ratatouille wanna-be recipe can be found here.

 I also enjoyed a mojito :D.

Happy 100th, Julia!

Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, if she had been able to grace us with her amazing presence for any longer.  I never watched her show (I think I was too young), but she greatly inspired and aided me in my creativity and technique in the kitchen.  I grew up constantly hearing about how wonderful she was and how she revolutionized cooking in the United States.

So, today, I honor her by making a couple of her recipes (gluten-free, of course) and feast upon the deliciousness.

Both recipes are adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Aubergines (Eggplant) Stuffed with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized eggplants, stemmed and halved lengthwise
3 T. butter, divided
3 T. olive oil, divided
1/2 a large yellow onion, finely minced
1/2 pound of mushrooms (I had buttons, but you could easily use portobellos or something else to your liking), finely minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 1/2 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled (the original recipe had cream cheese)
1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried thyme or basil

Instructions:

Take the eggplant halves and score the flesh within 1/4 inch of the skin.  Sprinkle salt onto the flesh and place them, cut-side-down, on paper towels to allow the water to seep out of them.  Leave them for 30 minutes to an hour.

Once the eggplant have drained some of their water (give them a good squeeze to get even more out, preheat your broiler on high, and place the halves cut-side-up on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with a small bit of oil (I used my Misto sprayer) and broil 5-6 inches from the heat for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is golden brown and fork-tender.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving the skin and about 1/4 inch of flesh, and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Set scooped-out eggplant in a roasting pan big enough for them to fit side by side.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 T. butter and 1 T. oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add onion and saute for 5-6 minutes, until it is beginning to turn translucent.  Add in the mushrooms and saute together until both are cooked through and slightly browned, about 5-6 minutes more.

Combine eggplant flesh, mushrooms, and onions.  Stir in the goat cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper.  Be sure to taste and correct any seasonings you desire.

Place filling in the eggplant halves in the pan. If you desire, top with grated Swiss cheese and bread crumbs (I didn't think it needed it).  Add 1/8 inch of water to the pan, and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until tops are browned and everything is heated through.

Before cooking!

After cooking!

I had a helper for some of this.

Chicken in a Tomato and Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2 T. butter, divided
2 T. olive oil, divided
1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced (again, I had buttons, but you could use others)
2 shallots, minced
1 cup of peeled, seeded tomatoes, chopped (I used canned whole San Marzanos)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t. tarragon or basil
1/4 t. salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock, mixed with 1 T. cornstarch (I used GF potato starch) and 1 T. water

Instructions:

In the same skillet as before (I used it out of haste and not wanting to clean another pan), heat over medium-high heat and brown both sides of the chicken thighs (this should take about 6-8 minutes).  Set aside on a plate.

Heat 1 T. butter and 1 T. oil over medium heat in that pan, add mushrooms, and saute until browned.  Set aside with chicken.

Heat remaining butter and oil and saute shallots for a minute or two.  Add tomatoes, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, bring to a simmer, and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add wine and broth mixture, bring to a boil, and allow sauce to cook for 5 minutes or so, until the sauce is reduced a bit and thickening.

Add the chicken and mushrooms back into the pan.  Cover and allow to cook through (about 5-10 more minutes).

Serve hot!  Enjoy!  The sauce would be GREAT over some rice or something, but I am avoiding too many carbs lately due to lack of exercise (I injured my foot a while ago).

Here's to you, Julia!

OPERATION GLUTEN UPDATE:

Also, after going GF for a month, I glutened myself and reacted badly.  So I will be GF from now on.  I feel great, it just sucks having to entirely avoid anything with gluten in it.  Oh well, at least I know!  But, oh my, I miss my beer.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

So, one of my cats may be sick, and I'm trying to distract myself until the vet appointment by posting.

This is one of Charles' latest favorites of all the low-carb chicken dishes I've made. It's REALLY tasty, super easy, and it disappears really fast! Adapted from Kalyn's recipe, as usual.

Ingredients:

3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish big enough to hold the chicken breasts side by side.

Mix together sun-dried tomato pesto and goat cheese in a small bowl, until well-blended.


Using a meat mallet, flatten chicken breasts until they are about 1/4 inch thick. I do this in a sealed plastic bag as to not have chicken spray everywhere.


In a shallow dish (I use a pie dish), mix together grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Lay a flattened chicken breast in the dish, press down to coat with parmesan, and fill with 1/3 of the pesto-cheese mixture.


Roll the chicken around the pesto mixture and secure with toothpicks (I tend to roll mine like tacos). Place in baking dish and repeat with other chicken breasts. I also tend to dump any leftover parmesan from the shallow dish on top of the chicken once I'm done coating/filling.


Bake at 350 F for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken is firm (but not HARD) and cooked through. Sometimes I turn up the heat to 375 F in the last 10 minutes to get a nice browned top on the chicken, but that's not necessary. Serve hot!


P.S. Please excuse the poor lighting in my photos. I am not a photographer, and it's pretty darn dark here in Canada by dinnertime, so they pictures are shot under cruddy indoor lighting :P.