Pork Chops Pizziaola

In an effort to get Steve to like pork chops I pulled out this recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, which I thought would sort of mask that it's pork.  I had no such luck with Steve even though the pork wasn't dry at all (I'm giving up on him eating pork) but I really enjoyed it.  This is very similar to the Italian Chicken with Couscous that I make all the time.   I didn't really follow Giada's recipe exactly.  I added a lot to it but I will link her original recipe since it's what gave me the idea to make it this way.  Not sure if this is really pizziaola since I changed it up so much but I didn't know what else to call it.  You see how creative I was with naming my "Italian Chicken".  Haha! Feel free to follow the recipe as Giada has written it, try some or all of my changes or as always, do it your way. 

Pork Chops Pizziaola

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bone in center cut pork chops

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tbsp. capers

10 kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil until pork gets golden brown and pulls away from the pan without sticking.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.

2.  Reduce heat to medium low and add more oil (or even butter) if the pan seems dry.  Add onions, garlic and thyme.  When onions have softened turn heat up a little and add wine.  Use a wooden spoon to pick up all the browned bits that have stuck to the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  I thought I took a picture of this but it's not there anymore!

3.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, capers and olives and season with salt and pepper.  Put pork back into the pan with the sauce and pour in any accumulated juices.  Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning once and spooning the sauce on top.  Depending on the thickness of your pork chops you may need to cook them longer.  Cut into them to see that it's white inside (or slightly pink) or when the temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

I like to serve this (and my Italian Chicken) with pine nut couscous with the sauce spooned over it.  It's delicious!

Pork Chops Pizziaola

In an effort to get Steve to like pork chops I pulled out this recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, which I thought would sort of mask that it's pork.  I had no such luck with Steve even though the pork wasn't dry at all (I'm giving up on him eating pork) but I really enjoyed it.  This is very similar to the Italian Chicken with Couscous that I make all the time.   I didn't really follow Giada's recipe exactly.  I added a lot to it but I will link her original recipe since it's what gave me the idea to make it this way.  Not sure if this is really pizziaola since I changed it up so much but I didn't know what else to call it.  You see how creative I was with naming my "Italian Chicken".  Haha! Feel free to follow the recipe as Giada has written it, try some or all of my changes or as always, do it your way. 

Pork Chops Pizziaola

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bone in center cut pork chops

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tbsp. capers

10 kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil until pork gets golden brown and pulls away from the pan without sticking.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.

2.  Reduce heat to medium low and add more oil (or even butter) if the pan seems dry.  Add onions, garlic and thyme.  When onions have softened turn heat up a little and add wine.  Use a wooden spoon to pick up all the browned bits that have stuck to the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  I thought I took a picture of this but it's not there anymore!

3.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, capers and olives and season with salt and pepper.  Put pork back into the pan with the sauce and pour in any accumulated juices.  Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning once and spooning the sauce on top.  Depending on the thickness of your pork chops you may need to cook them longer.  Cut into them to see that it's white inside (or slightly pink) or when the temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

I like to serve this (and my Italian Chicken) with pine nut couscous with the sauce spooned over it.  It's delicious!

Greek Meatballs and Lemon Couscous with Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Every once and a while I like to dig through my cookbooks and old cooking magazines to see if anything sparks an interest. The more I experiment with cooking and step out of my comfort zone, the more I find I like. If 5 years ago you tried to get me to eat a piece of sushi, I would have ran as far away as I could. 10 years ago I would have stuck up my nose at feta and couscous. I didn't know any better. I knew Italian food and I only knew the Italian food I grew up on. That was all great but there were so many things I didn't know, there was a whole other world of Italian food and of course, other cuisines I've never even seen. So going through these old magazines again are like going through them for the first time with a new set of eyes and a new set of taste buds. I found this particular recipe in a 2005 issue of Cuisine at Home. I used to get a subscription and I'm starting to think I should order it again. There are tons of great recipes and tips and no advertisements. It's about 50 pages of just recipes and photos!

This recipe was definitely a winner and I had all the ingredients so I followed the recipe exactly. Remember, if you don't have everything here you can still make this, it will just taste slightly different depending on what you substitute. However, I do want to recommend that you use the feta and the kalamata olives. They are excellent together and bring all the flavors together. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I mixed oregano, scallions and feta into the meatballs. What would my grandmother think?! She'd definitely be horrified but she was so set in her ways that she wouldn't be able to understand that not all meatballs are Italian.

Greek Meatballs

from Cuisine at Home
Issue No. 52
August 2005

Makes 12 Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp scallions, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb ground chuck
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cups tomatoes, quartered or 2 cans whole tomatoes (28 oz. each)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cucumber
lemon zest
Lemon Couscous, see below
Feta Yogurt Dressing, see below

Directions:

Combine Crumbs milk, feta, parsley, scallions, salt, oregano and egg in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the ground chuck and mix lightly but well. Shape the mixture into balls about 2" in diameter.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add olives, garlic and pepper flakes to the pan and saute 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, return meatballs to pan, and simmer 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve over couscous, topped with feta dressing and garnished with cucumber and lemon zest.


Feta Yogurt Dressing

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir well. Cover and chill until ready to use.


Lemon Couscous

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup dry plain couscous

Directions:

Bring broth, lemon juice, butter, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous, stir, and cover. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Greek Meatballs and Lemon Couscous with Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Every once and a while I like to dig through my cookbooks and old cooking magazines to see if anything sparks an interest. The more I experiment with cooking and step out of my comfort zone, the more I find I like. If 5 years ago you tried to get me to eat a piece of sushi, I would have ran as far away as I could. 10 years ago I would have stuck up my nose at feta and couscous. I didn't know any better. I knew Italian food and I only knew the Italian food I grew up on. That was all great but there were so many things I didn't know, there was a whole other world of Italian food and of course, other cuisines I've never even seen. So going through these old magazines again are like going through them for the first time with a new set of eyes and a new set of taste buds. I found this particular recipe in a 2005 issue of Cuisine at Home. I used to get a subscription and I'm starting to think I should order it again. There are tons of great recipes and tips and no advertisements. It's about 50 pages of just recipes and photos!

This recipe was definitely a winner and I had all the ingredients so I followed the recipe exactly. Remember, if you don't have everything here you can still make this, it will just taste slightly different depending on what you substitute. However, I do want to recommend that you use the feta and the kalamata olives. They are excellent together and bring all the flavors together. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I mixed oregano, scallions and feta into the meatballs. What would my grandmother think?! She'd definitely be horrified but she was so set in her ways that she wouldn't be able to understand that not all meatballs are Italian.

Greek Meatballs

from Cuisine at Home
Issue No. 52
August 2005

Makes 12 Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp scallions, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb ground chuck
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cups tomatoes, quartered or 2 cans whole tomatoes (28 oz. each)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cucumber
lemon zest
Lemon Couscous, see below
Feta Yogurt Dressing, see below

Directions:

Combine Crumbs milk, feta, parsley, scallions, salt, oregano and egg in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the ground chuck and mix lightly but well. Shape the mixture into balls about 2" in diameter.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add olives, garlic and pepper flakes to the pan and saute 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, return meatballs to pan, and simmer 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve over couscous, topped with feta dressing and garnished with cucumber and lemon zest.


Feta Yogurt Dressing

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir well. Cover and chill until ready to use.


Lemon Couscous

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup dry plain couscous

Directions:

Bring broth, lemon juice, butter, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous, stir, and cover. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

My Italian Grandmother goes Moroccan!

Well, that certainly would never happen if Nanny was still alive. She shunned all things not Italian unless it was Wonton Soup and Lo Mein. What can I say, she liked to stay true to her roots. I on the other hand am a little more adventurous. A year ago I went to Marakesh, a Moroccan restaurant for the first time. I really enjoyed it, the flavors were so different and the colors so vibrant. I thought about going back many times. Unfortunately, I am the only one in this two person household who had a desire to go back. I still wanted to get my fix so I searched high and low for a recipe that resembled my meal at Marakesh. I found a recipe at a blog called A Weight Lifted: Healthy Weight Loss Blog for Women Tired of Dieting. I wasn't looking for a specifically healthy recipe but if it's healthy then why not? Right?

I made some changes and additions to the recipe so it would be closer to the meal I had at Marakesh. I think I need to improve on it slightly so it fits my taste a little more. I used this recipe as a guide and made the mistake of using the cooking time that was recommended but I forgot (silly me) that I cut the chicken smaller than the recipe stated because that is how I remembered it. Obviously, if you cut the chicken smaller it's going to cook faster. Duh! I know this but I wasn't paying attention. The great thing is that once everything is sliced and diced this doesn't take a long time to make. I would absolutely consider it for a weeknight meal again. In the future I will leave out the zucchini. I love this vegetable in pastas and soups but it just didn't seem to pick up the flavors. A little too bland for me but there was zucchini in my dish at the restaurant. I also don't think I would use diced tomatoes. Maybe some tomato paste and chicken broth. Usually when I use diced tomatoes in a sauce they get very sweet. This didn't happen and the spices just didn't work for me. That could just be because my palate is not used to this. It doesn't mean that it didn't belong there.

A Tagine is a special clay pot with a cone shaped cover that is used in Moroccan cooking. Stew type meals that are cooked in these pots (like the meal I made) are also called Tagines. Now I don't have a traditional Tagine but I used my Le Creuset and it worked wonderfully. Any heavy pot with a tight fitting cover should work.

You can see the original recipe here but I will post it with all my changes and the proper cooking times for how I made it.

Tagine of Moroccan Recipes and Couscous

Adapted from aweightlifted.blogs.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup butternut squash, cut into 1- inch pieces
1/2 cup sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups diced canned tomatoes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup zucchini, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons raisins
1 box Near East Couscous, any flavor you like, prepared as instruced on box


Directions:

Saute onions in oil until softened. Add garlic and all seasonings, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, tomatoes and enough water to cover. (Next time I will try using chicken broth and tomato paste or sauce instead.) Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmering. Let veggies cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, raisins and zucchini, stir and cover. Let cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is tender.

Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions.

Serve chicken and veggies on top of couscous.

My Italian Grandmother goes Moroccan!

Well, that certainly would never happen if Nanny was still alive. She shunned all things not Italian unless it was Wonton Soup and Lo Mein. What can I say, she liked to stay true to her roots. I on the other hand am a little more adventurous. A year ago I went to Marakesh, a Moroccan restaurant for the first time. I really enjoyed it, the flavors were so different and the colors so vibrant. I thought about going back many times. Unfortunately, I am the only one in this two person household who had a desire to go back. I still wanted to get my fix so I searched high and low for a recipe that resembled my meal at Marakesh. I found a recipe at a blog called A Weight Lifted: Healthy Weight Loss Blog for Women Tired of Dieting. I wasn't looking for a specifically healthy recipe but if it's healthy then why not? Right?

I made some changes and additions to the recipe so it would be closer to the meal I had at Marakesh. I think I need to improve on it slightly so it fits my taste a little more. I used this recipe as a guide and made the mistake of using the cooking time that was recommended but I forgot (silly me) that I cut the chicken smaller than the recipe stated because that is how I remembered it. Obviously, if you cut the chicken smaller it's going to cook faster. Duh! I know this but I wasn't paying attention. The great thing is that once everything is sliced and diced this doesn't take a long time to make. I would absolutely consider it for a weeknight meal again. In the future I will leave out the zucchini. I love this vegetable in pastas and soups but it just didn't seem to pick up the flavors. A little too bland for me but there was zucchini in my dish at the restaurant. I also don't think I would use diced tomatoes. Maybe some tomato paste and chicken broth. Usually when I use diced tomatoes in a sauce they get very sweet. This didn't happen and the spices just didn't work for me. That could just be because my palate is not used to this. It doesn't mean that it didn't belong there.

A Tagine is a special clay pot with a cone shaped cover that is used in Moroccan cooking. Stew type meals that are cooked in these pots (like the meal I made) are also called Tagines. Now I don't have a traditional Tagine but I used my Le Creuset and it worked wonderfully. Any heavy pot with a tight fitting cover should work.

You can see the original recipe here but I will post it with all my changes and the proper cooking times for how I made it.

Tagine of Moroccan Recipes and Couscous

Adapted from aweightlifted.blogs.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup butternut squash, cut into 1- inch pieces
1/2 cup sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups diced canned tomatoes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup zucchini, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons raisins
1 box Near East Couscous, any flavor you like, prepared as instruced on box


Directions:

Saute onions in oil until softened. Add garlic and all seasonings, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, tomatoes and enough water to cover. (Next time I will try using chicken broth and tomato paste or sauce instead.) Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmering. Let veggies cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, raisins and zucchini, stir and cover. Let cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is tender.

Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions.

Serve chicken and veggies on top of couscous.