It does require a bit of advanced planning because of the brining step, but you don’t want to leave that out. I used to never cook pork chops because they always seemed to dry out on me, but the brining keeps them juicy and tender. (Interestingly – I recently learned that the way this works has to do at least partly with the motor protein myosin, which I’m studying; if you want to know how, ask me about it sometime.) It’s similar to marinating, but in a very high salt solution. Because it’s so much salt, you only leave it for a couple hours, instead of the several hours or overnight that you might normally marinate something. I haven’t tried, but I think it would probably get too salty if you left it longer than that. (If someone tries it and it works, let me know.

Another nice thing about this recipe is it’s easy to scale up or down — I first made it for just myself when Matt was in Taiwan, but making it for several folks is easy too. The pork chops are great with some sauteed greens, perfect for this time of year!

Pork Chops Saltimbocca

adapted from Gourmet
The butter and lemon sauce is optional (though mighty tasty), but don’t skip the brining step. It makes cooking the pork chops so much more forgiving.

Serves 2

2 1″ thick boneless pork chops
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 slices of Fontina cheese
2 pieces of Prosciutto
4 sage leaves
2 Tablespoons butter (optional)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

Combine 1/2 cup water, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add lemon juice, lemon rind, and basil. Pour over pork in a zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours, turning occasionally. (Because this is a brine, I think it may get too salty if you leave it much longer than that, although I’ve never tried.)

Cut a deep pocket halfway through the pork chop. Stuff with a slice of fontina, a piece of prosciutto, and a couple sage leaves. Season with freshly ground pepper. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium high, and sear pork chops on one side for a couple minute. Turn and place in the oven. Roast at 450 for about ten minutes. If desire, deglaze the pan with the butter and lemon juice, and serve as sauce on top.

These come from my Aunt Kathryn, who is always sending me great, not-too-complicated recipes to try.  She always especially has delicious finger food.  Our extended family gatherings are often at her house, and she served these cheese biscuits at our Christmas gift exchange a few years ago.  I try to keep the ingredients for these on hand, as they come together pretty quickly.  They also freeze well, so I usually freeze half the batch for a night when I need a before-dinner snack.

Cheese Date Biscuits

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt
1/4 c milk
1 8 ox package chopped dates

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Beat butter and cheese until well-blended. Mix in flour, salt,and pepper. Add milk. Stir until stiff dough forms. Wrap 1 T dough around 3-4 chopped dates. Cover completely and form into a cylinder or a ball.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden, about fifteen minutes. Serve warm.

Note: If you want to freeze them, bake for about 12-13 minutes and then freeze. Bake for 2-3 minutes (straight from the freezer) to reheat. You can also make the dough up to one day ahead, and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.

More from melting your mouth:
Cheese Straws

My younger brother, John, asked me a couple days ago for the address for our blog. I’m pretty excited when anyone shows interest in what we’re writing, and I’m also always trying to make the blog better and more usable, so I asked him for his input. The first response I got (via Google chat) was this:

1:15 PM John: ok

im real gald you put the carrot recipe up

im going to make a vat of them

Score! Something I wrote was actually helpful to someone else! I’m not just typing off into the ether! What else you got?

1:24 PM John: you need more entrees

that i can afford

1:25 PM i dont care what kind of experimentation you want to do i just need ideas for meals i can afford that taste real good and are real easy to make and are really cheap

if it doesnt fit that criteria then dont put it up

that is all

Ok, well that one’s a little more of a bummer. But, he makes a good point. (I should probably mention that my brother and I were taught from a young age to tease each other incessantly, so while that might come across as an insult to the untrained ear, to me it sounds like bother … err … brotherly love. And yes, I said taught — you know who you are.)

Anyway, I’m not going to stop my “experimentation,” but the idea of posting (and cooking/eating) more affordable, quick and easy meals sounds like a worthy goal to me. As a junior in college, I can certainly understand why John wants to do that, and it’s probably a good target for me, too, before I bankrupt us with my foodie habit.

Sooooo, I’m starting a new category called “Just for John” (though honestly, I’ll let anyone read it, even if you’re name isn’t John) that includes “meals i can afford that taste real good and are real easy to make and are really cheap.” And I’m going to try to add “and are reasonably healthy” to that list too, before someone starts thinking we should add French Bread pizzas or Cook Out to the category. I’ll also try to include an estimate of how much I spent on the groceries (per serving) and how much time it took to prepare.

The first installment will be this recipe for trout, inspired by recent recipes from Cooking Light and from The Wednesday Chef. We served it with creamed spinach, but in a hurry, just sauteed spinach or a salad would be good, too. The sauce is somewhat like that used in Chicken or Veal Piccatta. You could easily leave out the prosciutto for a crowd that doesn’t eat pork, or just to make things a bit healthier. If you’re really in a hurry, the fish is flavorful enough by itself you could even leave off the sauce entirely, in which case this meal takes no time at all to prepare.

Lemony Trout with Prosciutto, Caper, and Lemon

Sauce:
olive oil
1/4 c of finely chopped onion or shallots
a couple slices of prosciutto, pancetta, or bacon, chopped
juice from 1/2 a lemon
a couple forkfuls of capers

Fish:
whole boned trout, head and tail removed (depending on the size, 1 trout per 1-2 people; we were able to split a large one and had plenty of food)
1/2 lemon, sliced thinly
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the prosciutto and saute until it’s a little bit crispy. Add lemon juice and capers. Turn the heat down and simmer until most of the liquid is reduced away, and there’s just enough left to hold the sauce together a bit. Remove from heat and put the lid on to keep warm.

Brush the skin side of the fish with olive oil. Place on a greased broiler pan, or just a greased pan. Brush the inside of the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside of the fish with 3 or 4 slices of lemon and fold the fish closed. Broil about 4 minutes on a side, until the fish is opaque and flakes when tested with a fork. Open up the fish and top with the sauce.

Total time: about half an hour
Total cost:
(I forgot to save my receipt from Safeway, so I’m guessing on most of the produce, and probably overestimating)
Trout: $3.85
Lemon: $0.85
1/3 onion: $0.50
2 slices of prosciutto: $1
1 T capers: $0.50
1 bunch of spinach (for side dish): $2

Total: $8.70 for 2 servings, or $4.35 per meal