Need Pork Chop Ideas....



"aem" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]........................
>The recipe sounds delicious, but using 2 cups of balsamic vinegar to
> produce a decorative reduction around the edge of the plate seems
> pretty extreme for home-cooking. I just checked my bottle of good
> stuff from Modena and it's 16.9 ounces, so I'd need two bottles at
> several U.S. dollars each. Maybe for special dinner guests....



I don't use that much - but it IS essential for the dish. The sweet/****
caramel flavour really adds something very special. I usually drizzle the
glaze over the top of the meat, rather than around the edge of the plate,
that way you can use less for maximum flavour impact.

>
> Richard Green wrote:
>> This is my favourite pork chop recipe - I'm sure it'd be just as good

>
>> without the bones.-
>> Richard.
>>
>> Oven-Braised Pork Chops With Red Onions And Pears
>>
>> pork
>> ....
>> 2 cups balsamic vinegar
>> [snips]
>> In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over high

> heat.
>> Adjust the heat to a gentle boil and boil until the vinegar is syrupy

> and
>> reduced to about 1/3 cup. Set aside.
>> [more snips]
>> Remove the skillet from the oven. Place a chop in the center of each
>> warmed serving plate. Check the seasoning of the onion-pear mixture,
>> adding salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the pears, onion and pan

> juices
>> around the chops. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction around the

> edge
>> of the plate.

>
>
>
> -aem
>
 
Richard Green wrote:
> "aem" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>

news:[email protected]........................
> >The recipe sounds delicious, but using 2 cups of balsamic vinegar to
> > produce a decorative reduction around the edge of the plate seems
> > pretty extreme for home-cooking. [snip]

>
> I don't use that much - but it IS essential for the dish. The

sweet/****
> caramel flavour really adds something very special. I usually drizzle

the
> glaze over the top of the meat, rather than around the edge of the

plate,
> that way you can use less for maximum flavour impact.


You've talked me into it. Now if only I could find some good center
cut pork chops. I've heard there is someone out there producing pork
with some fat and flavor -- maybe it's Niman Ranch? -- but I haven't
yet found where it's sold near me. I think one of the reasons we need
all the good recipes in this thread is that the pork itself is so lean
and tough and tasteless. I envy our mates in Oz who get pork and lamb
of such better quality than here in the U.S.

-aem
 
Hope u like it. One little tip : depending on the pork and the pears - u may
need to hoik these out of the pan at the last minute and reduce the sauce
before serving. And I don't think its worth using expensive balsamic for
this recipe. The one I use costs about 3 (australian) dollars for about 2
cups.
Richard.
"aem" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Richard Green wrote:
>> "aem" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>

> news:[email protected]........................
>> >The recipe sounds delicious, but using 2 cups of balsamic vinegar to
>> > produce a decorative reduction around the edge of the plate seems
>> > pretty extreme for home-cooking. [snip]

>>
>> I don't use that much - but it IS essential for the dish. The

> sweet/****
>> caramel flavour really adds something very special. I usually drizzle

> the
>> glaze over the top of the meat, rather than around the edge of the

> plate,
>> that way you can use less for maximum flavour impact.

>
> You've talked me into it. Now if only I could find some good center
> cut pork chops. I've heard there is someone out there producing pork
> with some fat and flavor -- maybe it's Niman Ranch? -- but I haven't
> yet found where it's sold near me. I think one of the reasons we need
> all the good recipes in this thread is that the pork itself is so lean
> and tough and tasteless. I envy our mates in Oz who get pork and lamb
> of such better quality than here in the U.S.
>
> -aem
>
 
I don't have cream of onion soup, but have cream of celery...I think
I'll try that. Do you think I could do a batch and freeze the
leftovers? Or would the soup separate????

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>
> [email protected] (Gal Called J.J.) , if that's their real
> name, wrote:
>
> >One time on Usenet, [email protected] said:
> >>
> >> That being said, I have an alternative way of preparing them. I brown them
> >> in a skillet, and move them into a baking pan. Deglaze the skillet with a
> >> little water. Mix the water with a can of Campbell's Cream of Onion soup.
> >> Pour the soup over the pork, cover with foil, and bake for about an hour at
> >> 325F.
> >>
> >> The meat will be extremely tender and flavorful, and the soup/drippings
> >> mixture forms a gravy that is great on mashed potatoes.

> >
> >This sounds good and quite easy. I'll bet the "gravy" would be good on
> >egg noodles too. Thanks for sharing, Carol... :)

>
> You're very welcome. I'm thawing some boneless "chops" as we speak, and I
> have a can of cream of onion soup. Guess what we're having for dinner
> tomorrow night? No, tonight. About 18 hours from now.
>
> Never try to comprehend the words of an insomniac.
>
> Carol
> --
> "Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
> 'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
> Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
>
> *James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
I just popped this dish in the oven. I also browned some onion and
garlic in the pan before I put in the soup. I'm also making my husbands
favourite dish for Valentines day......fried hamburger with cream of
mushroom soup stirred in, creamed corn and mashed potatoes.....he loves
it, but I'll have a steak.....Sharon

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>
> biig <[email protected]> , if that's their real name, wrote:
>
> > I don't have cream of onion soup, but have cream of celery...I think
> >I'll try that. Do you think I could do a batch and freeze the
> >leftovers? Or would the soup separate????

>
> I'm thinking that the soup would separate. But you could freeze the
> leftover cooked chops without the sauce, then reheat them with a new can of
> cream of <whatever> soup when it comes time to eat them.
>
> We're making the cream of onion variety for tonight's dinner. There will
> be no leftovers. ;) We're only making two thick chops. I'll likely
> butterfly them.
>
> Carol
> --
> "Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
> 'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
> Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
>
> *James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
In article <[email protected]>, Dog3 <uhoh@ajfl;ajklsd;ajlds.nutz> wrote:
>[email protected] (Phred) wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>> In article <BE318A2C.60B47%[email protected]>, Sheryl Rosen
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>Please help!
>>>I have center cut boneless pork chops in the freezer that I want to
>>>make over the weekend. (Yeah, I know, technically chops have a bone,
>>>if they are boneless they are steaks, whatever..."pork steaks" just
>>>sounds dumb to me).

>>
>> Well, if they're boneless they may not be *really* good for this
>> application -- but, being frozen, I guess they could be acceptable:
>>
>> A woman in the small southwest town of Roma in Queensland [Australia]
>> has been charged with assault with a pork chop.
>>
>> Seems a bloke was helping his son and son's mate move camp after
>> they'd been evicted from their rental accommodation and a dispute
>> arose because one family owned the fridge and the other had paid
>> for the contents of it (well the frozen pork chop at least).
>>
>> The poor bloke was brained with a frozen pork chop and required
>> several stitches. A woman has been charged with "Bodily harm".
>> It is believed that the weapon has been removed from the scene, and
>> probably eaten. [ABC Regional Radio News, noon, 12 Feb 2005.]
>>
>> ObRecipe:
>>
>> By coincidence I had a pork chop for tea tonight. (Don't look at me
>> like that -- I'm more 1000 miles from Roma. :)
>>
>> Actually, this is not a "recipe", more a "construction" or
>> "compilation". The original idea was grilled/fried chop with
>> onion/garlic/ginger and spuds and carrots for vegies. But it ended
>> up like this:
>>
>> 1. Marinated chop with soy sauce and ground ginger for about 1.5
>> glasses of a nice red and a phone call.
>>
>> 2. Started out to boil spuds/carrots, but then noticed I had several
>> bananas approaching over-ripe (a major problem with buying bananas
>> more than one at a time :) so decided on using one as the
>> carbohydrate source, cooked with the chop. So then "julianned" the
>> two pretty large carrots (to try my new Zyliss slicer gizmo) and
>> zapped them in the microwave (two minutes wasn't quite enough and four
>> proved to be a whisker over what I was aiming for).
>>
>> 3. Drizzled some oil over the chop rind (pre-cut into about 20 mm
>> sections through the skin, but not into the meat) then sprinkled some
>> salt on it (the rind only) fairly liberally.
>>
>> 4. Started the onion slices frying, then added the chop to the pan,
>> making sure the rind was sort of tucked under as much as possible so
>> the whole width of it was in contact with the bottom of the hot pan.
>>
>> 5. Tossed the onion rings about until it looked like the chop was
>> pretty well cooked on one side (juices oozing out on top); then turned
>> the chop (not quite so fussy with the rind this time) and added finely
>> chopped garlic and ginger to the pan mixed through the onions. (Had
>> intended to use fresh ginger, but if it's still in the fridge I
>> couldn't find it. Luckily, I noticed I still had a jar of 30-month
>> old ginger "pickled" in sherry in the fridge, so chopped up a lump of
>> that -- not too bad either, certainly still with plenty of bite.)
>> Also added the banana about this time (halved longitudinally) to fry
>> it for awhile. Continued cooking until fairly clear juices emerging
>> from the top of the chop.
>>
>> 6. Mixed a bit of corn flour into the leftover marinade ("extended" a
>> bit with water) then stirred this through the onion brew *after*
>> removing the cooked chop and banana, and continued cooking until the
>> "gravy" thickened nicely.
>>
>> 7. Poured the onion gravy over the chop; added a sprinkle of nutmeg to
>> the cooked carrots and added them to the plate alongside the chop.
>>
>> 8. By then had finished the second glass of red, so poured another and
>> sat down to eat.
>>
>> Result wasn't bad either. The rind was nice and crisp as intended,
>> and the chop was "just right".
>>
>> Cheers, Phred.
>>

>
>Sounds good LOL... What was the after dinner drink and dessert?


Fried a slice of rather mature fruit cake in some butter to warm it
through and get it a bit crisp on the outside, and ate that with
custard and some diced fresh pawpaw [papaya].

Toyed with the idea of a good port with coffee, but decided I'd
probably had enough EtOH to meet daily requirements (and the fruit
cake had been well fed with rum over a period of time anyway -- only
as a presevative of course ;-).

>Did you need an EMT squad to carry you to bed?


Nah. The bed knows where I am.

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
[email protected] (Phred), if that's their real name, wrote:

>Fried a slice of rather mature fruit cake in some butter to warm it
>through and get it a bit crisp on the outside, and ate that with
>custard and some diced fresh pawpaw [papaya].


I've never had papaya, but the rest of that has me drooling into my
keyboard. Thankfully, I am without fruitcake. Whew!

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
biig <[email protected]>, if that's their real name, wrote:

> It wasn't very good....seemed too bland? I used pork sirloin steaks
>and the meat was pretty much tastless....I don't know if using cream of
>celery soup was the problem...but I put in cooked sliced onion and 3
>chopped cloves of garlic....must have been the meat.....Sharon


I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. :(

We didn't get around to making ours last night. I'd make it tonight and
report back. It's been nearly a decade. Maybe it's not as good as I had
remembered.

I feel really bad that you wound up wasting food because of my
recommendation. :(

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 14:36:11 GMT, [email protected]
(Phred) wrote:

> Can't say I've ever thought of rice with a pork chop/steak/whatever;
> but I like rice, especially with beef (rump steak, T-bone, fillet,
> etc.) Of course, once you start chopping stuff up all bets are off
> as the only horse in the race is rice, whether with beef, pork, or
> chook.


Plain rice, nothing fancy.

:)

sf
 
On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:58:35 -0500, biig <[email protected]>
wrote:

> It wasn't very good....seemed too bland? I used pork sirloin steaks
> and the meat was pretty much tastless....I don't know if using cream of
> celery soup was the problem...


I think you identified the main problem.

> but I put in cooked sliced onion


Another mistake - cook onions in the pan, you'll have more
flavor.

> and 3 chopped cloves of garlic....must have been the meat.....Sharon


I doubt it. Add a drop or two of Lea and Perrins dark -
it'll perk up almost anything.


sf
 
Graphic Queen wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 12:39:47 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >[email protected] (Phred), if that's their real name,

wrote:
> >
> >>Fried a slice of rather mature fruit cake in some butter to warm it


> >>through and get it a bit crisp on the outside, and ate that with
> >>custard and some diced fresh pawpaw [papaya].

> >
> >I've never had papaya, but the rest of that has me drooling into my
> >keyboard. Thankfully, I am without fruitcake. Whew!
> >
> >Carol

>
> Except that a Pawpaw fruit is not the same thing as Papaya. Totally

different fruits.

Not so fast...

pawpaw
[PAW-paw]
Another name for both PAPAYA and PAPAW.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

---

Merriam Webster

pa·paw
Function: noun
Etymology: probably modification of Spanish papaya
Date: 1624
1 : p&-'po : PAPAYA
2 : 'pä-(")po, 'po- : a No. American tree (Asimina triloba) of the
custard-apple family with purple flowers and an edible fruit; also :
its fruit
---
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]>, if that's their real name, wrote:

>pawpaw
>[PAW-paw]
>Another name for both PAPAYA and PAPAW.
>
>© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
>LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
>
>---
>
>Merriam Webster
>
> pa·paw
>Function: noun
>Etymology: probably modification of Spanish papaya
>Date: 1624
>1 : p&-'po : PAPAYA
>2 : 'pä-(")po, 'po- : a No. American tree (Asimina triloba) of the
>custard-apple family with purple flowers and an edible fruit; also :
>its fruit


Thanks!
Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
biig wrote:
> It wasn't very good....seemed too bland? I used pork sirloin
> steaks and the meat was pretty much tastless....I don't know if using
> cream of celery soup was the problem...but I put in cooked sliced
> onion and 3 chopped cloves of garlic....must have been the
> meat.....Sharon
>

Pork steaks *are* bland unless you add a lot of seasoning to them. Lots of
pepper, perhaps some Adobo spice blend. I wouldn't have used cream of
celery soup - that is also bland as hell, garlic or not.

Jill

> Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>>
>> biig <[email protected]>, if that's their real name, wrote:
>>
>>> I just popped this dish in the oven. I also browned some onion
>>> and garlic in the pan before I put in the soup.

>>
>> Please let me know how/if you like it!
>>
>>> I'm also making my husbands
>>> favourite dish for Valentines day......fried hamburger with cream of
>>> mushroom soup stirred in, creamed corn and mashed potatoes.....he
>>> loves it, but I'll have a steak.....Sharon

>>
>> I'd have a steak, too. I'm getting woozy just thinking of your
>> husband's dinner. You're a brave soul.
>>
>> Carol
>> --
>> "Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
>> 'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
>> Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote
>> me."
>>
>> *James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
biig wrote:
>
>> It wasn't very good....seemed too bland? I used pork sirloin
>> steaks and the meat was pretty much tastless....I don't know if using
>> cream of celery soup was the problem...but I put in cooked sliced
>> onion and 3 chopped cloves of garlic....must have been the
>> meat.....Sharon


I'm eating pork loin medallions (thanks, Sheldon) in cream of onion soup at
this very moment. The flavor is excellent. I only wish that a low-sodium
version of the soup was available. We got a bunch of tasty brown gravy.
Crash is complaining that I didn't make enough! LOL

I think another good soup for this kind of thing would be Campbell's golden
mushroom. I love it! (I pick the mushrooms out)

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
In article <[email protected]>, Graphic Queen <***@***.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 12:39:47 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>[email protected] (Phred), if that's their real name, wrote:
>>
>>>Fried a slice of rather mature fruit cake in some butter to warm it
>>>through and get it a bit crisp on the outside, and ate that with
>>>custard and some diced fresh pawpaw [papaya].

>>
>>I've never had papaya, but the rest of that has me drooling into my
>>keyboard. Thankfully, I am without fruitcake. Whew!

>
>Except that a Pawpaw fruit is not the same thing as Papaya. Totally
>different fruits.


That's why I mentioned papaya, so you yanks would know what I was
talking about. It's always been "pawpaw" here in Oz -- at least until
the illiterate bureaucrats in the local "department of agriculture"
decreed the spelling to be "papaw". (I leave it to the reader's
imagination how one gets "poor-poor" out of either "pa-poor" or
"pap-or". :cool:

Here's quite a nice image of the fruit column at the top of the tree:
<http://www.hortikultur.ch/images/pflanzen/353.jpg> [Care! 419KB]

And a cut fruit of what we call red pawpaw [23KB]:
<http://aitongsch.cbn.com.
sg/organicfarm/Web%20Folders/Plant/Tropical%20Fruit/papaya%20cut.jpg>

ObRecipe:

[Stolen from <http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/crocodiles/12602.html> where
you will also find other croc meat recipes and tips for cooking the
reptiles.]

Crocodile kebabs
100 gm crocodile boneless tail per serve
1/4 pawpaw
60 ml white wine
Olive oil
Bananas

Slice crocodile tail fillet into 3/8-1/2 inch (10-15 mm) medallions
across the grain. Thread medallions onto wet bamboo kebab sticks.
Crush pawpaw into a flat casserole dish, adding wine and a splash of
olive oil. Add the kebabs and refrigerate for 30 minutes, making sure
kebabs are completely covered. To cook, pre-heat chargrill-style BBQ,
eg an open grill using rocks/coal, not a plate. Place kebabs over
coals and cook until just browned. Do not overcook. Place on a plate
in a warm place for the same amount of time it took to cook the
kebabs. To cook bananas, allow 1 banana per serve. Use firm, just off
bright yellow bananas. Do not peel, just cut lengthways and sprinkle
brown sugar and nutmeg or ginger over the sliced surface and BBQ
without turning. The coating will melt and the soft banana can be
served whole. Prepare a platter with barbecued bananas placed around a
dish, place kebabs in the centre of the platter and serve immediately
with a cold cucumber and yoghurt salad with some crusty fresh bread.

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 23:20:02 GMT, Graphic Queen
><***@***.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 12:39:47 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >[email protected] (Phred), if that's their real name, wrote:
>> >
>> >>Fried a slice of rather mature fruit cake in some butter to warm it
>> >>through and get it a bit crisp on the outside, and ate that with
>> >>custard and some diced fresh pawpaw [papaya].
>> >
>> >I've never had papaya, but the rest of that has me drooling into my
>> >keyboard. Thankfully, I am without fruitcake. Whew!

>>
>> Except that a Pawpaw fruit is not the same thing as Papaya. Totally
>> different fruits.

>
>As a kid, I lived "just up the road" from Paw Paw Michigan,
>but I can truthfully say I've never seen a paw paw in my life! :)
>
>paw paw: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html


That's your yankee "pawpaw".

>Just for the record, I don't like papayas (even with a
>squirt of lime).


You've never had a good one. The ones served up in your average
restaurant are YUCK. I refer to them as the "motel type". I think
the idea is to stop people ordering them for breakfast so they don't
really have to buy many in, even though they're on the menu.

> I prefer mangos.


Well I'm not going to argue about the desirability of mangoes
(especially the Bowen variety, more formally Kensington Pride).
However, as I mentioned somewhere else around here recently, my
backyard mango crop is finished for the year, and even most of the
later maturing types around the district are pretty well finished now
too. (Not that they're really missed - most are pretty yuckish.)

>papaya: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/papaya.html


Aussie pawpaw -- though you'd never recognize the leaves from that
sketch! I'm getting a bit of fruit set at last, but it's been a
battle -- I suspect I've been too mean with the fertiliser.

>Mango: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mango.html


Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
In article <[email protected]>, "jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote:
>biig wrote:
>> It wasn't very good....seemed too bland? I used pork sirloin
>> steaks and the meat was pretty much tastless....I don't know if using
>> cream of celery soup was the problem...but I put in cooked sliced
>> onion and 3 chopped cloves of garlic....must have been the
>> meat.....Sharon
>>

>Pork steaks *are* bland unless you add a lot of seasoning to them. Lots of
>pepper, perhaps some Adobo spice blend. I wouldn't have used cream of
>celery soup - that is also bland as hell, garlic or not.


One of the blandest meals I've ever had was on a flight home from the
big smoke some years ago. I was bloody hungry and looking forward to
even a feed of airline food, and the aroma was pretty good too. But
the taste... There wasn't any!

I asked the hostie what the hell it was they'd served up. (I couldn't
decide if it was pork, veal, or chicken, it was so *bland*.)

She looked at the platter and said "I think it's pork." Then, as she
went to move on, she added "Now I suppose you'll tell me you're
Jewish!"

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 14:36:11 GMT, [email protected]
>(Phred) wrote:
>
>> Can't say I've ever thought of rice with a pork chop/steak/whatever;
>> but I like rice, especially with beef (rump steak, T-bone, fillet,
>> etc.) Of course, once you start chopping stuff up all bets are off
>> as the only horse in the race is rice, whether with beef, pork, or
>> chook.

>
>Plain rice, nothing fancy.


Yep. Most of the "fried rice" served up is ****. Especially if it's
got those silly little shrimp in it -- they always taste stale to damn
near "off" to me. (But I suppose if you've never had fresh prawns you
wouldn't know the diff.)


Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
A fav around here is to slather the chops, steaks, or roast with really
good, not bright yellow, mustard and bake or broil till nice and
crusted. No other condiments needed. Especially good with cranberry
honey mustard!