Summer Appreciation - Any Day of the Week!
It’s difficult to grow up as a child getting summers off to play, only to grow up, get a job, and have to work all summer long! As an adult, weekends become precious as you pack in as much summer appreciation as possible. I stretch my summer enjoyment by using the dreaded workweek. By planning meals ahead of time and having some crisp everyday drinking wines on hand, I’m able to take advantage of a glorious summer evening, even if it occurs on a Wednesday! Here's what I've been cooking, and drinking, recently. The recipes are easy, breezy and the wines, tasty and affordable, a perfect mid-week combo!
Pork chops are always in my refrigerator. They are cheap at the grocery store and super versatile. A few weeks ago I needed a quick mid-week meal and a new creative way to use up some of my CSA Share's kale. Thus sprung my Provencal Pork Chops over a warm salad of white beans, kale, green beans and parmesan cheese! I partnered it up with a super tasty Pinot Gris from Germany.
Villa Wolf Pinot Gris tastes vastly more expensive than its $12.75 price tag. It has a fragrant nose or pear and florals. A medium body balanced by bright acidity and ripe green fruits. Dry and crisp it was a lovely pairing!
Provencal Pork with warm bean and kale salad
Serves 4
4 Boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick
2 Tbl. Herb de Provence
1 Tbl. Olive oil or butter
Salt and Pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 galic clove, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, rinsed, destemmed, chopped
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed, blanced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
Salt and Pepper
Pork:
1. Heat 1 Tbl. oil or butter in a medium skillet. Season pork with herb de provence, salt and pepper. Cook, turning only once, until they are a rich golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet.
Salad:
1. In a small bowl place onion slices and lemon juice, toss and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Heat oil in large skillet, add garlic and saute until lightly golden, remove garlic and set aside. Add kale to garlic scented oil and saute until wilted down, about 4-5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl put white beans, green beans and red onion and all of the lemon juice. Add in kale, garlic chips, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until well incorporated and serve with pork chops.
Did you see the 2010 season of Top Chef Masters? It had some of the most awesome chefs, my favorites being Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass, Wylie Dufresne of wd~50 in New York City, Susan Feniger of Street in LA, Rick Moonen of Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas and my super favorite Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in NYC, who was nicknamed "Obi Wan Kenobi" by his fellow competitors. His calm demeanor and love of simple, straightforward, yummy food brought him to place fourth out of twenty six contestants. His Perfectly Roasted Chicken with salsa verde is simple and above all, delicious! Here's the recipe....
CHICKEN
1 lemon, halved
One 4-pound chicken
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
SALSA VERDE
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped tarragon
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes and patted dry
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/2 cup chopped arugula
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup salt-packed capers, soaked in cold water for 1 hour and drained
1/4 cup chopped sage
1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Using kitchen scissors, cut out the backbone. Flatten the chicken and pull out the breast bone. Cut the chicken in half through the breast and season with salt and pepper. Set the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil; add the lemon halves to the pan and roast for 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until just cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. In a food processor, pulse the capers with the anchovies and garlic until finely chopped. Add all of the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Season with salt. Serve the chicken with the salsa verde and the roasted lemon.
I paired this with the perfect chickens perfect wine soul mate...White Burgundy. The Roux Pere & Fils Bourgogne fit the bill nicely. If you want more info on this, click here!
My final recent, super fast, yet super awesome dinner is a giant bowl of steamed mussels with fennel and salad of spinach, fennel and orange segments and some crusty bread to carry it all along. Here's my go-to Mussels recipe....
Abby's Go-To Mussels:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 1/2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt; sauté until veggies are light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine, bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open.
2. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately with crusty bread!
Pairing this bowl of goodness with a bottle of Spanish white was magical! The Palacios de Vivero has notes of cactus pear, key lime, and kiwi, it's fresh and bright! A splash in your glass, a splash in your pan and you've got a winning combination!
Pork chops are always in my refrigerator. They are cheap at the grocery store and super versatile. A few weeks ago I needed a quick mid-week meal and a new creative way to use up some of my CSA Share's kale. Thus sprung my Provencal Pork Chops over a warm salad of white beans, kale, green beans and parmesan cheese! I partnered it up with a super tasty Pinot Gris from Germany.
Villa Wolf Pinot Gris tastes vastly more expensive than its $12.75 price tag. It has a fragrant nose or pear and florals. A medium body balanced by bright acidity and ripe green fruits. Dry and crisp it was a lovely pairing!
Provencal Pork with warm bean and kale salad
Serves 4
4 Boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick
2 Tbl. Herb de Provence
1 Tbl. Olive oil or butter
Salt and Pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 galic clove, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, rinsed, destemmed, chopped
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed, blanced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
Salt and Pepper
Pork:
1. Heat 1 Tbl. oil or butter in a medium skillet. Season pork with herb de provence, salt and pepper. Cook, turning only once, until they are a rich golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet.
Salad:
1. In a small bowl place onion slices and lemon juice, toss and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Heat oil in large skillet, add garlic and saute until lightly golden, remove garlic and set aside. Add kale to garlic scented oil and saute until wilted down, about 4-5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl put white beans, green beans and red onion and all of the lemon juice. Add in kale, garlic chips, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until well incorporated and serve with pork chops.
Did you see the 2010 season of Top Chef Masters? It had some of the most awesome chefs, my favorites being Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass, Wylie Dufresne of wd~50 in New York City, Susan Feniger of Street in LA, Rick Moonen of Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas and my super favorite Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in NYC, who was nicknamed "Obi Wan Kenobi" by his fellow competitors. His calm demeanor and love of simple, straightforward, yummy food brought him to place fourth out of twenty six contestants. His Perfectly Roasted Chicken with salsa verde is simple and above all, delicious! Here's the recipe....
CHICKEN
1 lemon, halved
One 4-pound chicken
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
SALSA VERDE
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped tarragon
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes and patted dry
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/2 cup chopped arugula
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup salt-packed capers, soaked in cold water for 1 hour and drained
1/4 cup chopped sage
1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Using kitchen scissors, cut out the backbone. Flatten the chicken and pull out the breast bone. Cut the chicken in half through the breast and season with salt and pepper. Set the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil; add the lemon halves to the pan and roast for 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until just cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. In a food processor, pulse the capers with the anchovies and garlic until finely chopped. Add all of the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Season with salt. Serve the chicken with the salsa verde and the roasted lemon.
I paired this with the perfect chickens perfect wine soul mate...White Burgundy. The Roux Pere & Fils Bourgogne fit the bill nicely. If you want more info on this, click here!
My final recent, super fast, yet super awesome dinner is a giant bowl of steamed mussels with fennel and salad of spinach, fennel and orange segments and some crusty bread to carry it all along. Here's my go-to Mussels recipe....
Abby's Go-To Mussels:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 1/2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt; sauté until veggies are light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine, bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open.
2. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately with crusty bread!
Pairing this bowl of goodness with a bottle of Spanish white was magical! The Palacios de Vivero has notes of cactus pear, key lime, and kiwi, it's fresh and bright! A splash in your glass, a splash in your pan and you've got a winning combination!
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