TO BRINE OR NOT TO BRINE...

 BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH BLUEBERRY GASTRIQUE

My first choice was to smoke these giant, thick-cut, bone-in pork chops, but with temps exceeding 100 degrees I decided to grill them instead. But first I brined them for about 8 hours to ensure a tender, very juicy end result. It's easy to over-cook, and therefore, dry out pork, but brining guarantees a perfectly moist chop. Brining is easy. I wanted to keep my brine very simple, but you can add herbs, garlic, onion, maple syrup in place of sugar or any other similar ingredients. The key is equal parts sugar and salt. Here are the basic brine ingredients:

Brine Ingredients:

1/4 cup Kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups water

2 cups ice cubes

Preparation:

In a large saucepan combine salt, sugar and 2 cups water. Stir over medium heat until sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat and cool. If you are in a hurry, pop it into the fridge to cool down faster. Place the pork chops in a large zip-lock bag. Add the cooled brine plus 2 cups of ice cubes. Place the bagged chops in a 9x13" pan and put back into the fridge for at least 8 hours. Turn the bag every half or so to ensure that the chops get brined evenly. Remove chops from brine. Rinse. Pat dry. Brush both sides of chops with olive oil. Since I wasn't smoking the chops I still wanted a smoky flavor so made a dry rub and generously rubbed both sides of the pork with the rub.

DRY RUB:

3 Tbsp. smoky paprika

1 tsp. each: garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin and ground dry mustard

1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper

After you have rubbed the chops let them sit on the counter for 1/2 hour before grilling. Grill chops about 5 minutes per side. Internal temp should read 145 degrees. Let them stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the served meal, but the Blueberry Gastrique adds a beautiful elegance to the meal...and enhances the rich, smokiness of these pork chops.

BLUEBERRY GASTRIQUE

A gastrique is a French sauce that is made by combining sweet and sour, usually sugar and vinegar. Here is what I put together.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp. wild blueberry preserves

Preparation:

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until desired thickness. You don't want it to be liquid, but conversely you do not want a thick, goopy sauce either. I prefer a pourable liquid that can be spread on the plate with the back of a spoon making a swoosh. Either strain through a fine-mesh strainer pushing the gastrique through the strainer with the back of a spoon or serve chunky. I prefer a smooth, silken texture so strain it.

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS...

WITH LOVE!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

CREAMY CARROT DIP!

 OK...true confession: I am officially on a diet. I joined Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago and am starting to lose some of the extra poundage I put on living through the last 6 months of Coronavirus. It's a very reasonable diet and I do not feel too deprived, but certainly am not making luscious sauces or extravagant desserts at the moment. One cool feature of the WW app is they have tons of recipes. I found this one on their site.

SPICY SRIRACHA CARROT DIP

The inherent sweetness of carrots melds perfectly
with the spice of Sriracha and peppery fresh ginger. 

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup reduced calorie mayonnaise

1 tsp. Sriracha sauce, more or less depending on how hot you like it (WW calls for 1 Tbsp.)

A few drops of toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. minced ginger root (WW calls for 2 tsp.)

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt 

A few scallions green parts only; more for garnishing

Preparation:

Place carrots in saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook until carrots are very tender. Drain. Chill. 

Combine cooked carrots with remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth and blended. Serve garnished with scallions. So easy! And so delicious and good for you!

I served the Spicy Carrot Dip with a tray of veggies and an assortment of crackers. 

Zinnias are edible, but fairly bitter. OK for a garnish, but would not advise eating them!

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY!

NEXT TIME I'M GOING TO BRINE AND GRILL 

A BIG, FAT PORK CHOP AND SERVE WITH A 

BLUEBERRY GASTRIQUE!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!

It's hot in southern Arizona. In fact, this July was the hottest on record for the last 20 years. 17 days were at or above 100 degrees! I was curious where the phrase Dog Days came from and this is what I discovered:

"The phrase is actually a reference to the fact that, during this time, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater  Dog."

Thank you Google! 

So, on to another cold soup!

ICY COLD CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO SOUP!

This soup is rich and creamy, but served icy cold also very refreshing. I found the recipe in my Paleo cookbook, but altered a bit by using more avocado and chicken stock instead of water. 

Ingredients:

2 avocado

2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup olive oil, extra for garnishing

2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint, more for garnishing

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Fresh mint and olive oil for garnishing

Preparation:

Peel and pit the avocados. Place all other ingredients including one avocado in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Chill. Serve with slices of avocado, mint and a drizzle of olive oil. Easy Squeezey!

IT'S SMOKIN' TIME!

I got a smoker for my birthday and am really looking forward to perfecting the fine art of smoking. According to Bobby Flay, smoking really is more of an 'art' than 'science'. We christened the smoker by smoking a pork loin stuffed with panchetta, provolone, lots of basil pesto, fresh basil, spinach and arugala, and then wrapped the whole thing in a pound of bacon. This recipe was very similar to the Porchetta I made a while back, but this time smoked, instead of grilled. Since the smoker has 2 racks I also dry-rubbed some chicken thighs and smoked them, too. 

This is a Weber Rocky Mountain Bullet, vertical water smoker. I chose it for the relatively small size, and reasonable price (compared to Traeger or The Green Egg). It has two racks so is ample large enough for my purpose.

And here is our first smoking endeavor. Moist, tender and juicy pork loin served with steamed asparagus and creamy mushroom risotto.

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY!

JOIN ME AGAIN SOON 

FOR ANOTHER COOKING ADVENTURE!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM