Look! Over Here....

Today was a pretty damn good day. The weather is looking bright, the temperature is rising and the blog is reaching out to new avenues.

Judy of No Fear Entertaining emailed me with the excitement of rock groupie about how my recent Churrasco chicken dish got picked up on NBC San Diego's affiliate TV station and also in Madison, Wisconsin.

Judy's instincts were bang-on to try out (at my urging of using ground bay) in the Churrasco chicken marinade. She blogged about it, linked back to my blog (Thank you) and the San Diego TV station picked up on it and posted the recipe on the food section of their site.

Judy, you rock! NBC San Diego...Thank YOU!

Spetsofai (σπετζοφάϊ)

Spetsofai is a Greek dish made of sausages and peppers. Think of it as a Greek stir-fry, a one pan dish.

The first time I tried Spetsofai was in the city of Volos. It's a dish that's native to the province of Thessaly, which lies between Macedonia and Attiki.

Traditionally, this sausage stew is spicy but I've accommodated for those who might like the heat toned down in their dishes.

I used Macedonian sausages which are spicy to begin with and I've topped the stew with one long, hot pepper for anyone wanting a little heat for their Spetsofai.

Obviously this is a cold weather dish that's served as a meze or appetizer with wine or ouzo. I chosen to use different colours of peppers for presentation and to balance the spicyness of the dish with some natural sweetness.

This dish comes together in no time, the plate will be soon emptied and and you'll to make a second order as you get up to refill the drinks.

Turn up the Greek music, pour the ouzo and let's talk about life, thank God for good health and the good fortune of being Greek!

Spetsofai (σπετζοφάϊ)

3 Macedonian sausages
1 Tbsp. sunflower oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
1 hot pepper
1 medium tomato, concasse & diced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 Japanese eggplant, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. dry oregano

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add your sunflower oil. When it's about to smoke, add the hot pepper and fry until lightly brown on all sides then reserve. Now brown your sausages in the same skillet and also reserve.
   
2. In the same skillet, add your olive oil and the onions, peppers, garlic, eggplant, tomato and paprika and some salt and saute over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Reduce to medium and simmer while stirring constantly for a couple more minutes.
3. Cut your sausages into bite-sized pieces and add them to the skillet and stir often to cook through and blend with the other ingredients. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
   
4. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
5. Serve on a platter and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle some dry oregano and top with your fried hot pepper. Serve with bread, feta, a salad and some wine or ouzo.
   

Costolette di Maiale Piccante

Is it just me or do you all have a backlog of dishes you would like to try? Just counting the tagged recipes I have saved, I'm at 156!

Nevermind the new dishes I see daily or recipes from a cookbook, magazine or tv show. I have a big problem but I swear, I'll get to them.

I have no real "system" to cooking up a dish. Much like sizing up a recipe, I go by instinct, gut feel and what my mood is concerning food.

Tonight, I feel as though I should follow-up my grilled pork chop recipe with my use of the leftover pork chops.

This recipe goes wayyy back. I first saw this dish on Buffalo's PBS affiliate and Lidia Bastianich was doing her first series.

I liked Lidia's cooking immediately as it reminded me of the Italian food I ate at my neighbors and Italian friend's home. There would be no nouveau-Italian cusine here. Just good, honest, filling Italiano victuals.

I've only made this dish once before but the memory of the spicy/savory/tart dish stuck in my mind. First because I had never prepared pork chops like this before and secondly the recipe used pickled cherry peppers, which my family has made on many occasions.

Costolette di Maiale Piccante is translated as Spicy Pork Chops but if you listed it in a menu as that, then you wouldn't get the $22.95 menu price would ya? Italians are smart like that.

I'm leaving you with the original recipe which calls for breading and browning pork chops and then simmering them to a saucy finish. Tonight I worked with leftover pork chops so I simply started off with cooking off a roux and then I added the liquids and the remaining ingredients until I achieved the same saucy dish asked for by the recipe.

If you making this dish, hold off on the vinegar until the end. Add a splash at the end, just in case you don't want the dish to be at all tart. Also, I threw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes...something to balance the heat of the cherry peppers and give a slight sweetness.

The dish was rounded out by a bed of mashed potatoes with cream cheese, Italian herb mix and some grated Grano Padano. A fitting starch for a zesty pork chop dinner.


Spicy Pork Chops (Costolette di Maiale Piccante)
(for 6)

6 lean rib or loin pork chops
Salt
All purpose flour for dredging
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 bottled hot cherry peppers in vinegar, halved, stems and seeds removed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (optional)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides of each lightly with salt. Coat the chops with flour and shake off any excess flour.
   
2. Divide the oil between two heavy, large skillets (cast-iron is ideal) and place the skillets over medium heat.
3. Add the chops and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Tuck the garlic in around the chops and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Tilt the skillets and spoon off as much of the fat as possible. Divide the cherry peppers and rosemary between the skillets. Add half of the vinegar to each skillet and cook, shaking the skillets occasionally, until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.
   
4. Pour half of the wine into each skillet and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to each skillet, cover them and simmer for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
   
5. Remove the chops to plates. The sauce should be slightly syrupy. If not, increase the heat to high and boil one to two minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chops.
   

Grilled Pork Chops With an Onion Marmalade (Xοιρινό στη σχάρα)

I enjoyed the whole experience of barbecuing so much the other day I had to go back to the grill and make up for lost winter-time BBQ moments.

Today's grilling subject is pork chops. Pretty run-of-the-mill, eh? Pork chops do not have much flavour, often they end up being dry and one often needs a sauce or a condiment to help wash it down.

Here's my take on how to enjoy pork chops more:

• Grill them on medium-high heat. They aren't steaks and they benefit little from a high-heat searing, which also is largely responsible for your dry pork chops.
• Marinade them or brine them. Both methods will infuse flavour into the pork meat and make them moister.
• Slit the pork fat that borders chops on the round part of the chop. I hate it when my pork chops curl up. Cut one or two slits into the pork fat so that your chop stays flat and both sides of the chop will get a proper sear.
  

After that, your marinade and flavour possibilities are up to your personal tastes. Today, I went with some Greek flavours. I found a grilled pork chop recipe from a Greek supermarket chain (AB Marinopoulos) and the recipe was too easy to ignore.

I also paired the pork chops with an onion marmalade. I first tried this unique and very Greek savory marmalade while dining at Lambros, here in Toronto. Based solely on my recollection of this marmalade, I whipped it up to accompany these aromatic, tasty and juicy pork chops.


Grilled Pork Chops With an Onion Marmalade (Xοιρινό στη σχάρα)

For the Marinade
5-6 pork chops
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 cup of red wine
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary, bruised
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

coarse sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Onion Marmalade
1 Tbsp. sunflower oil
reserved pork chop marinade
3 small-medium red onions, sliced
1/3 cup Greek honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Make one or two slits into the fat that hugs that hugs the round part of your chops.
2. In a large bowl or zip-lock bag, add all your marinade ingredients and mix well. Add your pork chops to the marinade and ensure the chops are covered well by the marinade. Seal/cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Bring back to room temperature before grilling.
3. Take the pork chops out of the marinade and pat dry. Discard the rosemary and cloves and reserve.
4. In a medium pot, add your oil over medium heat and slowly saute your onions for about 5 minutes. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Add the reserved marinade, honey and balsamic vinegar and reduce until you get the consistency of a jam or marmalade. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and reserve.
6. Get your grill heated up on medium-high heat (no more than 400F). Brush off the grill and wipe the grill with a paper towel that's been dabbed in vegetable oil.
7. Season your pork chops with coarse salt and pepper and grill.
8. Grill your chops for 3-5 minutes/side (depending on thickness) over medium-high heat.
9. When your cops are done. Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate each pork chop with a dollop of onion marmalade on top.