Costolette alla Pizzaiola

Or, "pork chops with tomato sauce". I like being all fancy. I know, you probably thought you were getting some kind of pizza dish, huh? Sorry to disappoint you, but "pizzaiola" is just a fancy way of saying "tomato sauce". When a dish is cooked "alla pizzaiola", it means the tomato sauce was used to tenderize the meat.

So, howdy there! I hope you're ready, because I'm going away for a week and not cooking. My fiance is going to be on his own for FIVE DAYS! ZOMG, I better unplug every single appliance and put a lock on the microwave and only give Colleen the key. 

No, I'm kidding. My fiance has the ability to cook, he just chooses not to because now he has me to do it ;-)

Anyway, because I'm not going to be home or cooking, I'm going to be posting up a storm over the next few days! I've got FOUR - count 'em, FOUR - recipes coming up! I'll tell you what they are later!

This recipe, at first glance, looked incredibly difficult. Turns out, it's really not! I was so excited to discover this!  This is an impressive recipe. It just needs to be broken down in a way so that it's not overwhelming. 

COSTOLETTE ALLA PIZZAIOLA (Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce), courtesy of "Basic Italian"

YOU WILL NEED:

4 pork chops, not too thick (cutlets will also work)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

4 sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano

4 cloves garlic

1 (14oz) can peeled tomatoes 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup red wine 

1 tablesppon tomato paste 

1 tablespoon capers (optional)

mise-en-place

You will also need a large skillet. I did not have fresh oregano or marjoram, and there's absolutely no harm in using dried herbs. It doesn't make you a bad cook, it doesn't make you a cheater. Especially if it's an herb you don't use very often. I rarely if ever cook with oregano, so I stick to the dried stuff. I love rosemary (especially on potatoes!), so I always make sure I have fresh on hand.

A quick note about cooking with wine: I am not a vino whatsoever. I mean, I drink Arbor Mist, okay?! AND IT'S DELICIOUS. But when it comes to the real stuff, I haven't a clue. However, the best rule of thumb is, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. NEVER buy "cooking sherry" or "cooking wine". Spend a little extra and get the good stuff.

Now, if you're an idiot when it comes to wines, like myself, when in doubt, ask an expert. I happen to have a Bottle King right by my apartment, but if you go into pretty much any liquor store, they usually know their stuff. Explain that you need a good red wine (or white or sherry, or whatever) that is suitable to drink and cook with, preferably for under ten or fifteen dollars (depending on your budget) For example, when I made French Pot Roast, I needed a dry red wine. I explained to the salesperson what I needed, and he was very knowledgeable - he led me to a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that only cost $10, and not only have I used it in several recipes, I've even had a glass or two. It turns out, I'm learning to love wine!

Put down your glass and let's cook, okay?

1. Pat chops dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Rinse and dry herbs, strip off leaves and tear in half any large leaves (if using fresh).

2. Peel garlic, cut in half and then slice thinly. Chop tomatoes and reserve the juice from the can. 

3. In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil. Saute chops on both sides at high heat until lightly browned; remove and transfer to a plate. 

4. Pour remaining oil into pan. Stir in garlic and saute briefly. Add herbs, tomatoes with their juice, wine and tomato paste; season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.

5. Place chops in the sauce and spoon a little sauce over the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

6. Garnish with capers if desired, and serve! 

YUM! The pork chops came out GREAT! They were moist and flavorful and the sauce had a great tang to it thanks to the red wine. In fact, I was thinking that this would make a great pasta sauce. A little pizzaiola sauce, a little Italian sausage over linguine - fuhgeddaboudit!

I was going to make roasted potatoes to go alongside this dish, but I didn't have the energy. There's nothing wrong with instant mashed potatoes! A little peas and pearl onions and I had a meal that I was proud to serve! This is a great recipe to serve if you're having a special gathering of extra-special people. It looks and tastes impressive but the work is minimal (and cleanup is a breeze, by the way, considering everything is done in one pan). 

Okay, so I've got some great recipes coming up this week: a great lasagna recipe, an easy chicken piccata and an even easier fried chicken recipe, and, as a grand finale: homemade New England clam chowder! I'm particularly excited about that. It's yet another crock pot recipe, so you know what that means - tons of leftovers!

By the way, I want to thank my readers who have been so excited to try the recipes featured here! There are only two that I know of, but if there are more of you out there, let me know! What did you try?  Did you like it? What was hard or easy about it? If you haven't, do you want to try any of them? Talky, talky! =)

Until next time - eat, drink and be merry!

Pasta with Sausage Sauce

Surprise! New look for the blog! What do you think? I needed something a little darker, a little more sultry. I love the new background and the greens and browns are far more pleasing to the eye than the oranges and purples I'd been using.

Today's my last entry for awhile! I'm going on vacation and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more eating than cooking! Last night was the last meal I prepared until we get home, and I wanted something simple, something that I didn't have to go out and buy anything special.

Well, what's easier than pasta? But not just pasta - it needs a nice, chunky sauce to go along with it. I turned to my two favorite pasta books for some nice tasty sauce recipes and "Basic Italian" won out with its recipe for sausage sauce (sorry, "365 Ways to Cook Pasta", but your olive sauce is just a little too complicated for now).


PASTA AL SUGO DI SALSICCE (Pasta with Sausage Sauce), courtesy of "Basic Italian"
YOU WILL NEED:
2-3 Italian pork sausage links (about 10-12oz total)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 (14oz) can peeled tomatoes
Salt & black pepper (or chili powder) to taste
1 lb pasta (preferably penne, rigatoni or anything long and hollow)
1 cup arugula leaves.

mise-en-place

You can use any sausage. We prefer the Johnsonville sweet Italian, but you can use spicy sausage or andouille or turkey or chicken sausage if that's what you prefer! You will also need a large skillet or sauce pan. The recipe calls for using arugula, but since I didn't want to go buy it, I'm substituting basil instead. Also, I looked ahead in the recipe and discovered I didn't need peeled tomatoes because the recipe wants you to cut them up anyway! So I used a can of diced tomatoes instead.

1. Peel onion and garlic; chop both finely. Squeeze sausage out of the skins and crumble into small bits.

Use the tip of your knife to make an incision down the length of the sausage

...and peel the skin off!

2. Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the sausage well. Add onion, garlic and fennel seeds and saute briefly.

3. Chop the tomatoes and add along with their juice to the sausage - salt to taste; spice with black pepper or chili powder. Simmer uncovered on low for 20 minutes or more. (See why using diced tomatoes is easier?)

4. In the meantime, cook pasta until al dente. Then, rinse arugula (or basil, in my case), remove any tough stems and chop rest. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and/or chili powder. Stir in arugula (or basil).

5. Drain pasta, distribute in wide pasta bowls and top with sauce. Serve with crusty Italian bread!

I love it when I can see the steam coming up from the dish in the pictures! Mmmm.

The sauced was great, pretty zesty, but I felt like it was lacking something. The basil made it taste sweet, which is what I was totally feeling (especially after several spicy recipes!), but I wish there was more tomato in the recipe to make it more of a sauce. Maybe next time I'll add some to the saute pan. Recipes are not written in stone, remember?

I still got some packing to do, so I hope you guys enjoy these recipes until I come back! I'm planning something super special. Don't exactly know what yet, but I promise it'll be good!

Until then - eat, drink and be merry!!!

Parmesan-Sage Pork Loin

 Arrgghh. This blog is a full 24 hours late. I made the dinner last night but I got super involved in watching the season premiere of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and blogging fell to the wayside.

I f*cking love this show.

Then I woke up this morning with a horrendous cold that is threatening to ruin everything. I'm trying extra hard to get rid of it by Friday.

Remember when I said it took me 7 months to even attempt cooking pork? I am happy to say that that was the day I overcame my fear. It was not without mishaps, oh no. There were plenty of those. The biggest one being that I hadn't allowed enough time to defrost the pork and foolishly guessed that cooking it at the suggested time and temperature would take care of the rest of the defrosting. Nope. That resulted in a beautifully cooked pork roast that wasn't edible until nearly midnight (we ended up ordering a pizza for dinner, to say the least).

Now, I know better. This time I'm letting my slow cooker do the work. Luckily, this recipe is awesome because it gives you the option of doing it in the oven or in a slow cooker. So for those of you who still haven't gotten their hands on a crock pot, there is still hope!

If you do decide to do this recipe in the slow cooker, be advised it takes 6 to 8 hours. In the oven, it's only 45 minutes.

PARMESAN-SAGE PORK LOIN, courtesy of TheNest.com
YOU WILL NEED:
2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed of silverskin
2 cups diced red potatoes, unpeeled
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons dried sage
1 tablespoon salt-fee garlic-and-herb seasoning
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Mise en Place

I didn't have any garlic-and-herb seasoning, so I used plain old garlic powder.Of course, the potatoes were soaking in cold water. Because I forgot to do it the night before, I simply added a dozen ice cubes to a bowl of super cold water and let them sit for about 3 hours.

1. Arrange potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots at the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the sherry and broth over them.

2. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the sage and garlic-and-herb seasoning.

3. Place the pork on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese (press it into the meat). Cover and cook in crock pot on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (alternatively, follow the directions above, except arranging the ingredients in a large roasting pan. Roast at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes).

4. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut crosswise in 1/2-inch thick slices and serve with the vegetables and brothy sauce

Well, what can I say about this recipe other than I LOVE MY CROCK POT?! Seriously. I spent about 30 minutes in preparation and threw it all in a crock pot for an entire day. The pork was flavorful and the cheese was not overpowering. fell apart when cut with a fork, and the vegetables were well-flavored. As you can see, I served it also with some steamed broccoli. It was a well-balanced meal.


Overall, it was delicious,  but I wasn't truly excited by it. I don't know why. I don't think I will be making this recipe again. However, the other two people who ate it - my fiance and our friend Colleen - could not get enough of it, and polished most of it off.

Coming up next week, I have two meals planned: Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus and a "healthified" version of Shrimp Scampi. Fiance surprised me with a gigantic cookbook of nothing but crock pot recipes, so expect to see way more of those on here!