Sweet & Savory

One of my favorite combinations is sweet & savory...I love the way they compliment each other. Ice cream and caramel for example...delicious union! The recipe I am going to share is one that does the very same thing. Pork is one of those meats that greatly compliments sweet tones. I had some butternut squash in my fridge that I needed to use, which became the perfect partner for pork.

One of my favorite ways to cook pork is by using a crust with nuts, any nut combination will do. Two of my favorite are almonds and pistachios. They create a crunchy texture and salty finish which leaves this pork to die for!

Almond-Pistachio Crusted Pork
4 pork chops
1/4 cup crushed almonds
1/4 cup crushed pistachios
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup milk


First I take my pork out of the package, grab a fork and poke holes all in it to help tenderize the meat and allow flavors to reach inside the pork. Then I pour the milk over the chops in a bowl. I let that sit for 30 minutes while the milk helps tenderize the pork even further and makes a creamy coating. While the pork is taking a milk bath I get my butternut squash ready.

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree
1 medium sized butternut squash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 chopped onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp marscapone cheese

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and sprinkle on all the spices/onion, drizzle with olive oil then pop in the oven for one hour at 350 degrees to get nice and tender.

Meanwhile you can get your brussel sprouts ready, warm a pan on medium heat, add olive oil and pour in your brussel sprouts. Sprinkle with a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep them on medium for about 10 minutes then reduce to low until ready to serve. Mix them around a bit to get crispy on the outside.

When your pork is ready to go, remove from the fridge. Put your chopped nuts in a bowl, add salt and pepper and mix together. Dunk your chop into the nut mixture from the milk mixture and onto a baking sheet. Make sure the pork chops are evenly coated with the nut mixture, to create a crispy crust. Pop that into the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

One the squash is roasted, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, peel off the skin and chop up into squares, add to a bowl. Add in the milk, chicken stock and marscapone cheese, stir together. Then use your emulsion blender to smoothly blend all the ingredients together. (If you don't have an emulsion blender, use a regular blender or food processor instead.) Once blended make sure to taste to see if you need any more salt or pepper. The mixture should be thicker than soup, more like a puree.

Then check on your pork by cutting into the meat, if it is dark pink you want to cook it a little bit longer. Once it is done, take it out to rest. Then turn the heat off on your brussel sprouts. Spoon the puree onto your plate then place the brussel sprouts on the outside and place the pork on top of the puree. Then dig in!

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

2012 Resolutions

Part of our family's new year's resolution was to eat healthier, lose weight and get my husband's cholesterol down. The first thing I did was do some research on cholesterol-healthy foods. Then I came up with a menu for the week to serve these ingredients.

Last night I created broccoli-gruyere stuffed chicken divan with a kidney bean puree and southern collard greens. It was packed with flavor and nutrients to boost our healthy bodies for the new year.

Broccoli-Gruyere Chicken Divan
4 chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli
3 leaves of kale
1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
2 garlic cloves
fresh oregano
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by roasting your broccoli, kale and garlic in the broiler for 15 minutes. Meanwhile work on your kidney beans. Once the puree is ready to go take out the roasted vegetables and let cool for five minutes. While cooling start on your southern collards. Once the collard greens are on their way, shred up your gruyere cheese. Then pull your chicken breasts out of the fridge and slice a line in the middle of them, push through with your fingers to make a pocket inside each breast. Roughly chop up your roasted veggies and mix with the cheese. Stuff this mixture into each breast, place the breasts back on the roasting pan and broil for 25 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top.

Rosemary-Kidney Bean Puree
1 can of kidney beans
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt
pepper

First I roughly chopped the rosemary and added that to the beans in a saucepan. Add chicken stock and bring the bean mixture to boil, in order to release the rosemary flavor. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Then use your emulsion blender (or blender) to emulsify the bean mixture. You may have to add more chicken stock if the mixture gets too thick. Then put on low and stir occasionally until ready to serve.

Southern Collard Greens
1 bunch of collard greens
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock

Chop up the collard greens and get rid of the inner spine (hard to eat). Pour a little olive oil into a larger sauce pan and add greens plus diced tomatoes. Cover and let greens wilt- about 5-7 minutes. While the chicken is broiling, stir around your collards to make sure they are being evenly coated by the tomatos. Put on low until ready to serve.

Once all components are cooked, plate by adding the puree first, curve your collards around the puree and place a chicken breast on top of the puree. Your company will love this dish!!

Happy 2012 everyone!!

xo Lo