Smoked Pork Chops with Sautéed Sage + Peach Risotto

My favorite meals are usually those that evolve organically...not those that come about when I have to put food on the table whether I feel like it or not. It's on nights when I have a bit of time to putter, and change my mind as I go along, that the best meals happen.

The other evening was one of those nights.

I started it out buying ingredients for one meal and ended up creating two. (I guess that's what they call two for the price of one?) Thank God, because I nearly die every time I think about how much I end up spending on dinner for just the two of us.

{Umm...might it have something to do with the armloads of wine?}

Peaches are in season, so they unintentionally--but oh, so appropriately!--crept into the menu. Sauteed slowly in butter, simmering to a delicate, soft sweetness in leftover Prosecco sparkling wine. I never would have imagined combining them in risotto, but along with some sweet onion and sage, it was just right on the plate with smoked porkchops.



I may have had to use a few too many pots, but layering the flavor is what it's all about. Stay tuned for meal number two...


SMOKED PORK CHOPS WITH SAUTEED SAGE + PEACH RISOTTO

2 smoked pork chops {uncooked pork chops work wonderfully here too}
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 peach, stone removed and cut into 1/4 slices
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup white wine or prosecco
salt + pepper to taste
4 ounces guanciale, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced into thin half-moons
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup risotto rice {canaroli works well for this dish}
4 cups chicken broth, warmed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring the pork chops to room temperature. Season lightly with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sear the pork chops until lightly browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover with foil until ready to finish cooking.

In the same pan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the peaches and sugar and cook until they are lightly browned. {Optional: add 1/2 cup white wine or prosecco and continue to cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the peaches are soft.} Remove from the heat into a bowl and set aside until ready to use.

In the samé saute pan, add the guanciale and cook over low heat until the fat is rendered and the pieces are lightly browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove onto a paper-lined plate.

Toss the onions, sage and garlic into the rendered fat in the same sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and caramelized. Add the rice and sauté for another minute until well-coated. Add the remaining white wine or prosecco and cook until most the liquid is absorbed. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Adding a ladle or two at a time, cook the rice over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the rice is fully expanded and has an al dente texture. The rice should be loose, but not runny. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Gently fold in the peaches. Top with the guanciale. Serve immediately.

Serves two.













Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Welcome home never tasted so good!

I have been traveling for the last few weeks. San Francisco and New York. Two of my most favorite cities to visit. The local farmer's markets always leave me in awe of the variety of locally grown ingredients. Restaurants are plentiful- either tried and true favorites or new additions. Local chefs show-off their creativity in the kitchen and beauty on the plate. I am inspired by my travels, but I am also tired and very glad to be back home. Our dog child, Jack, is sitting comfortably on the couch. He is finally relaxed and happy now that we are back at home. We are too.

After being away so long, I want to surround myself with the comforts of home and home-cooked food. The refrigerator is hollow with emptiness and it is time to restock the pantry. But all I have on my mind is tonight's dinner. A simple plate of comfort food is what I crave. Something to warm the stomach and ease the kitchen back into action. I head to a local market where I know local vegetables and the best butchered meats live. Surely, I will find what I am looking for. What am I looking for?

Smoked pork chops in cider sauce with fresh sage and butter basted brussel sprouts. Hard to believe that something I hated so much as a kid is now one of my favorite comfort foods- that would be both brussel sprouts and pork chops. The pork chops I remember were breaded in egg and bread crumbs, then cooked nearly to death. My dad had an organic garden one year and would come to the table with a big bowl of brussels sprouts. It has taken me many years to come around and now I love these strange looking knobs of little leaves of green.

I toss the lightly salted and blanched sprouts into the pan with the already seared pork chops. The sprouts sizzle from the droplets of water from the cooking water. I found a handful of leftover chestnuts still in their shells. They were hard as a rock, so I broke them up into bits and threw them into the water. They reconstituted beautifully into a lusciously soft, creamy bite. A surprisingly sweet and earthy compliment to the sprouts. I love it when experiments work! We settled our backside into our seats and toasted to being back at home.
Welcome Home never tasted so good!

Applewood Smoked Chops with Sauteed Brussel Sprouts & Chestnuts.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 applewood smoked pork chops on the bone {you can also use uncured pork chops and saute with applewood bacon instead of oil}
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 handfuls of fresh brussel sprout bulbs, washed, trimmed of ends and cut in half. The smaller the better, here.
4 roasted chestnuts {you most likely won't have chestnuts laying around, so you might substitute with canned or a tablespoon of puree mixed with broth for flavor}.
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
sprig of fresh sage
1/4 cup Cranberry Conserve
Salt & Pepper to season

In 1 quart of salted boiling water, blanch the brussel spouts just until cooked al dente when pierced with a sharp knife.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Sear the chops until caramelized on front and sides. Turn over.
Add the brussel sprouts, chestnuts, cider vinegar and sage. Cook in the oven uncovered just until the sprouts are tender and the chops are done {about five-seven minutes}.
Serve with a dollop of Cranberry Conserve.





Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry