Ginger Orange Pork

Is it hot in here, or is just my cooking? ;-)

We've had quite the heat wave here in NYC, which means nobody wants to cook, right? Well, call me crazy, but I made terrific pork chops this week, when it was over 100 degrees out.

This dish was inspired by a recipe by Paula Deen, which you can find here:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/double-orange-glazed-pork-chops-recipe/index.html The technique is the same, and the base of pork and orange is the same, but I felt like the original dish could benefit from a boost of Asian flavor. I added julienne-style slivers of ginger and small amounts of sesame oil and soy sauce, which added a completely new dimension to this dish.

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Ginger Orange Pork

1 lb pork chops

2 inches of fresh ginger root, sliced into slivers

2 tbs orange marmalade

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs unsalted butter

2 tbs vegetable oil

• In a small bowl, combine marmalade, ginger slivers, soy sauce, sesame oil. Gradually stir in the orange juice. Set aside.
• Season the pork chops with salt & pepper.
• Heat butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chops in the pan, and let them cook, undisturbed 5-6 minutes on each side (more or less, depending on the thickness of the chops). Once the chops are cooked through, remove from pan, and cover with foil.
• Drain off all but 2 tbs of the pan drippings, and add the ginger-orange sauce to the pan. Stir to deglaze the pan and reduce the sauce, about 5 minutes.
• Return the chops to the pan. Turn to coat with sauce.

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Comments/Tips:

• I served this with a simple side of cooked baby carrots, but it would also go nicely with a green salad. Serve it with something that won't distract your taste buds from the flavor of the sauce.
• I think the addition of the ginger/soy sauce/sesame oil moves this dish up, and gives it a wonderful overtone, but I also think that Paula Deen's recipe is terrific by itself!
• Don't move the chops around in the pan while they cook. Shake the pan back and forth so that all sides are in contact with the oil/butter in the pan, but the less the pork moves, the more it caramelizes.
• Don't be afraid to cook on a hot day! Yes, it was HOT in my kitchen the day that I made this dish, but it was totally worth it!

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Have you tried one of these recipes? Do you have a comment or question about one of my "best meals"? Please let me know!!

Best Stir-Fry EVER!

This week, I'll show you a step by step technique for making a stir fry. Not only is this Spicy Orange Chicken dish my favorite stir fry, it might be my all-time favorite meal to make! If I can, I make this about once a week. Did I mention this one is my favorite??

Warning: This dish is spicy! The spiciest ingredient is the chili paste, so I suppose you could eliminate that -- but WHY would you want to?

*****

Spicy Orange Chicken with Snow Peas

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 inch piece of ginger root, minced

sesame oil

1 tsp each of cayenne pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin

3 scallions, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp each of orange marmalade, soy sauce, chili paste

2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice

6 oz. package of snow peas

1 cup jasmati rice, prepared according to package instructions

• Mince the garlic and ginger. I use a food processor for this, but feel free to chop by hand. Set aside.
• At the same time, chop the scallions and set aside.

• Place the chicken in a large, glass mixing bowl. Drizzle about 1 tsp of sesame oil onto the chicken, and using a wooden spoon, stir to completely coat the chicken.
• Add the dried spices (cayenne, coriander, cumin) one at a time, stirring in between additions, to coat the chicken with 3 different layers of spice.

• Add the garlic and ginger mixture to the chicken. Stir to mix. Follow with the chopped scallions.
• In a small bowl, mix together the marmalade, chili paste, and soy sauce. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Stir to completely coat.
• Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.
• While the chicken is marinating, get the rice going, and trim the ends of the snow peas. By the time the rice is done, you'll be ready to stir-fry the chicken, and dinner'll be on the table in 5 minutes.
• Prepare the wok by heating with a high flame. After about 3 minutes, splash a little water inside -- if it sizzles & evaporates right away, you're ready to go!
• Add enough sesame oil to the wok to just coat the bottom.
• Add the marinated chicken to the wok. Using 2 wooden spoons, stir-fry the chicken about 3-4 minutes, until almost cooked.

• Pour in the orange juice. Stir to combine.
• Add the snow peas. Continue stir-frying until the color of the snow peas changes from a dull green to a bright green.

• Serve with rice.

*****

Notes

• If sesame oil seems too heavy or flavored for you, substitute a lighter oil, like peanut oil, instead.
• White wine goes great with this -- so does tea!
• For some reason, the layering of flavors is what makes this dish special. I don't know why, but I never mess with the formula.
• If you're going to juice an orange for the dish (obviously, you can use pre-packaged OJ, too), add a little zest from the orange skin to the rice while it's cooking. The orange overtone ties the whole meal together.
• Speaking of rice -- use whatever rice you like. I've never made this dish with brown rice, but I bet it'd be great!

I'm so glad to share my absolute favorite meal with you!! If you try this recipe, or any other on this site, please let me know! :-)

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Rebooting my blog after a lengthy hiatus with a simple, healthy breakfast sandwich.

This egg sandwich has become my favorite meal this week. It's easy to make, full of flavor, and won't make you pack on the pounds. Plus, it's self-contained, so it's great if you're on the go.

And, no, it's nothing at all like what you'd get at a fast food joint. :-)

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Easy Egg Sandwich

1 English Muffin

1 egg

splash of milk (optional)

1 tsp butter, split in half

1 slice of red onion

1/2 ounce of mixed greens

• Toast the English Muffin. When it's done, spread 1/2 tsp butter on one side, close the muffin, set aside while preparing the egg.
• Beat the egg. Add milk, if using.
• Prepare a simple omelet. Melt remaining 1/2 tsp butter in a small frying pan or griddle. Pour in beaten egg. When the edges of the egg begin to set, use a spatula to fold the egg in half (like a D). Continue cooking on both sides until done.
• Use the spatula to cut the omelet into 2 equal-sized pieces.
• Open the toasted English Muffin. (The butter should have melted into the nooks & crannies by now.) Build the sandwich by placing one half of the omelet on the bottom half of the English Muffin, followed by the slice of red onion, mixed greens, the other half of the omelet, and top of the English Muffin.

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What I have here is the simplest way to make this dish. There are many ways to change it up!

• Cooking for you and a friend? Use 2 eggs, and when you cut the omelet, simply split it between 2 English Muffins. The idea is that the wedge shape fits more easily onto the English Muffin.
• Make the omelet YOUR way. If you would normally add peppers, cheese, onions, etc., do that here.
• Substitute any green leafy vegetable for the mixed greens.
• Flavoring suggestion: dress the greens before adding to the sandwich.
• Flavoring suggestion II: Green Tabasco tastes GREAT on this sandwich!!

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Hey, did you make this recipe, or one of the others on this site? Please leave a comment and tell me how it turned out!!