by jphilo | Oct 29, 2014 | Recipes
Guess who’s back in the kitchen? Not only cooking again, but also looking for ways to use meat from our half of a hog purchased from our farmer son. The meat in our freezer and a craving for cilantro pesto prompted a “pork and cilantro recipes” internet search. It turned up a deceptively simple Better Homes and Gardens recipe for pan-seared pork chops with cilantro pesto.
I substituted cilantro pesto from my freezer instead of making it according to the original recipe’s directions. But the rest of the instructions were followed exactly. The pork chops were delicious enough to receive the coveted Hiram seal of approval. They received my seal of approval because they were tasty, as well as easy to make and a very fast meal to throw together.
Cilantro Pesto Pork Chops
2 cubes of frozen cilantro pesto, thawed 1/4 cup fresh pesto
4 1/2 inch thick, bone-in pork chops
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix the brown sugar and chili powder together. Sprinkle on pork chops and rub mixture in with fingers. Flip chops over and do the same on the other side.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. Cook for 5–7 minutes on each side, turning once, until they are no longer pink. Serve chops with cilantro mixture.
by jphilo | Jun 18, 2014 | Recipes
Welcome to Cilantro Grand Central! For the third week running, the featured recipe features the zippy herb. Look for that to change in the near future when warmer weather hits, the cilantro bolts, and other herbs, fruits, and veggies find a seat in the summertime train. But for today, here’s a new marinade that was quick, easy, and flavorful.
This marinade uses the ingredients and proportions listed for a drizzling sauce for pork at Epicurious. We used boneless country style ribs (Now isn’t that an oxymoron?) instead of six boneless pork chops. Also, instead of drizzling the mixture over the meat during grilling. Here’s the mixture the pork soaked in for perhaps an hour before Hiram put it on the grill.
Grilled Pork with Cilantro and Lime Marinade
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Place meat in shallow pan. Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over meat. Flip meat over so all surfaces are covered. Refrigerate for about an hour before grilling.
by jphilo | Oct 14, 2010 | Recipes
The longer nights and cooler days have put a damper on my spirits lately. The cooler days and long nights are an in-my-face reminder that winter’s around the corner. The silver lining on the oncoming blizzard cloud is the return to cold weather cooking which – call me fickle – I abandoned with glee once grilling season arrived last spring.
One of our favorite winter meals is pork steak with apples. It’s tasty and inexpensive and easy, so it wins the coveted Philo triple crown. When port steak goes on sale for $.99 a pound at our local market, I buy enough to last until grilling season returns.
Pork Steak and Apples
2 pounds pork steak
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 apple
Heat olive oil in a hot skillet. Brown steaks in hot oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Turn down heat and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so water bubbles gently. Cut apple into 4 thick slices. Place the slices on top of the meat. Cover skillet and simmer meat for 1 1/2 – hours. Check water level occasionally and add more if needed.
Slide meat and apples onto a platter. Add a few spoonfuls of baked apple to pan juices. Then make gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes and green salad.
