Cooking Light recipe test: Pork Chops with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola

I'll save you the suspense: this recipe is definitely a keeper.

I love pork chop recipes, but after the Chef John Smothered Pork Chops, I was a little gun shy.  I have my own way of making pork chops learned while working at Gourmet Grazing for a summer in Prospect, Kentucky.  They're impossible to beat.  Interestingly enough, the Chef John chops were just named the top pork chop recipe by Allrecipies.  For this reason, I feel compelled to unsubscribe from Allrecipes.com emails.  Allrecipes is for people with really basic palates and poor cooking skills.  Their top recipes are basic recipes that lack interesting ingredients, a deft hand, and artistic presentation.  I picture them as nursing home food.  I'm routinely disappointed by the recipes I find there.

Anyway, so I saw this recipe on Cooking Light.  After a lot of winter hibernation, I could use some lightening up.  It didn't disappoint.  The veggies came out delightfully sweet in that balsamic way with just a little of the tasty char from modification of the cooking instructions.  The Gorgonzola was the perfect amount of tangy creaminess.

Here's the original recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-chops-balsamic-roasted-vegetables

I followed the original recipe for all the ingredients and quantities.  To marinate the veggies, after all the slicing I put them in plasticware, drizzled with the balsamic mixture, then shook the container vigorously.  The veggies were evenly coated quickly and efficiently.  Then I left them in the fridge for a few hours this way to let the flavors meld.

Place veggies in plasticware.  Drizzle with balsamic mixture.

Now seal.  Check for a tight seal twice.  Then shake vigorously.  You'll end up with evenly coated veggies like this.

Potatoes browned, veggies in.  I recommend hitting broil instead of baking at 425.  After about 10 minutes, the veggies had perfectly charred edges.  I think those are the key to tasty roasted veggies.

After the 10 minutes on broil, I added the pork chops and left the oven at broil.  This gave the pork chops some nice charred edges, too.  I watched the chops and removed them once the golden broiling marks appeared.

The final product was a hit at my house.  I went light on the Gorgonzola for my portion since I try to minimize the dairy I consume.  You can sprinkle more generously like my husband's portion if you crave cheesy creaminess.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola

Bottom line: make this recipe as soon as possible.  You won't regret it.

Insider tip: broil to yield more crispy edge, charred veggies.  That's the good stuff.

Allrecipes Recipe Test: Andy's Spicy Green Chile Pork

Everyone loves tacos.  What everyone doesn't love is working a full day, working out, then trying to cook a perfect dinner at 9:00 p.m.  Enter tacos from your Crockpot.  When my Allrecipes daily email included Andy's Spicy Green Chile Pork, touted as a quick and easy way to make tasty pork tacos, I knew I had to try this one out.

Here's the original recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/andys-spicy-green-chile-pork/

While at Walmart, I picked up the simple ingredient list: pork shoulder roast, tortillas, green salsa, two serrano peppers, cilantro, and an onion.  The recipe called for a white onion, but I used a red onion.  I like red onions better.  I also picked up some cumin since I was out, even though it wasn't on the ingredient list, and some pico de gallo to top the tacos before serving.  Some of the comments to the recipe suggested adding some cumin.  The total cost was just under $12.00.  Thankfully it was inexpensive because (spoiler alert) it wasn't good.

How easy is this?  You probably have garlic salt and pepper, so you'll just need five ingredients, then your choice of how to serve--tortillas, rice, or something else--and toppings if you choose to serve as tacos.

The recipe was insanely easy:

1) Line Crockpot (I added this step).  Makes for easier clean up.

2) Chop the onion.  I also chopped the serrano pepper into thin rounds but removed the seeds.  Per the recipe, it may have called for the peppers to be dropped in whole to infuse.  I couldn't tell.  I like it hot though, so I thinly sliced both peppers.

3) Remove cilantro leaves from the stems.  I find the stems really unappealing.  See this blog entry.

4) At this point, I put the onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro in a tupperware and stored in the refrigerator overnight so I could literally dump everything in the Crockpot in the morning.

Ingredients all chopped and ready to go in the refrigerator.

5) In the morning, I poured the onion-pepper-cilantro mix into my lined Crockpot.  Then I added the pork shoulder roast (I left the strings holding it together on to hold in moisture as it cooks), seasoned with garlic salt and cracked black pepper on both sides.

Line the bottom of the Crockpot with the veggies.

Place the shoulder roast on top.  Season with garlic salt and black pepper.  Flip and season the other side.

6) Last, I added the can of green salsa and dusted the whole thing with cumin.

I purchased the smallest jar of green salsa.  If you're going to use the sauce, or want lots of salsa verde flavor, consider using a larger container.

7) I set the timer on the Crockpot for 8.5 hours and let it cook on the low heat setting.

When I came home from work, I could smell subtle flavors of pork cooking but nothing too spicy.  I opened the Crockpot and cut away the butcher twine.  I also regretted leaving it on since some of the salsa and spices stuck to it.  The pork instantly melted.  When I went to separate it with forks, it pretty much disintegrated.  At first, I thought it was the most tender pork I'd ever seen.  Then I reconsidered...it was too soft!  Even with the two serranos chopped up in the mix, it was not spicy.  Just minimum hints of the salsa verde.

Cutting the butcher's twine off the roast.

Finished product in the Crockpot.  A lot of soft, mush pork.

I warmed the tortillas, chopped a third serrano pepper into thin rings, plucked more cilantro from its stems, and assembled the tacos.  Mine were tortilla, pork, cilantro, and pico de gallo.  Greg's included tortilla, pork, cilantro, cheese, pico, and sour cream.

It almost looks pretty dressed up with the pico, serrano peppers, and cilantro.

I tried to be open minded, but it just wasn't good.  The pork might as well have been ground pork because it was so mushy.  Or old person food.  Or cat food.  The flavor was fine--subtle pork with a little zip from the pico and serrano peppers.  Without the pico or peppers, I wouldn't have been able to eat it.

It's gross--absolute mush!  Kind of the texture of canned tuna.

It was slightly more tolerable without the tortilla--just a few bites of meat on a plate with pico, cilantro, and serrano peppers.

A little better without the tortilla.  But still mushy.

Admittedly, I'm confused.  The Allrecipes reviews are almost completely good.  Either everyone likes mushy food or something went wrong with this.  I'd consider making it again, but roasting it to try to get some firm edges and soft pork in the middle.  The flavor was pleasant enough--subtle--but nothing to warrant all the four and five star reviews.  That or I've developed a really discerning palate!

Insider tip: don't make this.  Or make it in the oven so you can keep an eye on it after browning the outside and getting some really roasted edges.  Or make it if you lost your dentures.

Chef John Recipe Test: Smothered Pork Chops

I've been really lucky.  I try a lot of recipes, and I tend to be quite pleased with the results.  If you read my blog often, you probably think that I love every recipe I make.  This one left me feeling quite "meh," which is a surprise since I thought Chef John is god's gift to pork chops.  I crave his Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze all the time.  So here's this recipe.  Take it or leave it with my thoughts.  I don't think I'll make it again, but perhaps it's something that will look like your cup of tea.

You can find the original recipe here:
Smothered Pork Chops

It's all quite simple prep.  Only changes: I made two very thick chops instead of four.  I also omitted the buttermilk since I don't tend to feel so well after dairy.  Instead of buttermilk, I used the entire 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth and the gravy consistency was fine.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly.  Like the Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze, it took longer than anticipated to get the sauce to reduce enough.

The onions caramelized quickly and nicely.  At this point, I thought it was going to be a winner.

Took longer than expected to reduce.  

Chops in to coat and get warmed through while gravy finished reducing.  At this point, it didn't look so bad.

Enter "cat vomit" appearance with the translucent gravy.  See below.

This angle didn't make it look any tastier.  Nor did the sharpening in Instagram.

 
The final product was a bit "old person food"-ish.  I will say that the onion had mellowed quite nicely.  But otherwise, it was bland and unappealing looking.  When I instagram-ed the final products, one of my girlfriends said my dinner looked like cat vomit.  (Insert sad face here.)

Yes, my dinner was called "cat vomit."  She kind of has a point though.  This one isn't a looker.

For a juicy pork chop and some smooth tasting onions, this will do.  I'd punch it up with some more poultry seasoning and pepper if I had to make it again, and even consider dropping in a spring of herbs like thyme or a bay leaf.  Anything to amp up the taste.  The appearance of the plate won't change though.  Perhaps less gravy on the pork chop would help lessen the "cat vomit" look, with the remainder served on the side for ladling on as you go.  I served this with roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots, which were a nice accompaniment.  The crisp edges made a nice contrast against the softness of the onions in the gravy.

I'll post something else soon that's a bit better than this one, or show you what it's like to make the Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze.  That recipe's a winner.

Insider tip: if these are the flavors you like, make this alone.  Your date probably won't be impressed since this dish isn't a looker.  This wasn't an epic fail like the time I made cheeseburger soup (it was gross), but it left me disappointed.  Which is too bad since I have two other ways I make these giant pork chops that are almost $5 each, and both of those preparations are fantastic.