Braised Pork Chops with Garlic and White Beans

Last Christmas, I received a wonderful book from Stephen called Wine and Food: A New Look at Flavor, Williams-Sonoma. Being a Williams-Sonoma book, it is naturally filled with page after page of beguiling photographs of food and wine as well as tempting recipes for great food; however, this book takes a new approach to demystifying the art of pairing food and wine. Wines are broken out by what they refer to as flavor profiles, and dishes are dissected to highlight the main ingredients as well as companion ingredients that are the keys to pairing the food with wine. In addition, cooking methods are listed and associated with certain types of wine.

The wines themselves are also broken apart into categories such as soft whites, juicy reds and other terms that are a bit more approachable to those of us who are not editors for "Wine Spectator". This approach to pairing may seem somewhat more highbrow than the old rules of red wine with red meats and white wines with chicken and fish, but they actually make a lot more sense. This book has taught me to pay more attention to the flavors you add to a food rather than just the main ingredient to create an appealing combination of food and wine.

Last night, I tried a recipe from this book for pork chops braised with garlic and white beans. The book suggested several matches for the dish, including some rich whites (white Rioja or a Cotes du Rhone Blanc) and some alternative pairings, such as a Grenache-based rose or a Cotes du Rhone Rouge (a juicy red). Since we always prefer to drink red wines with dinner and we did not have a Cotes du Rhone on hand, we drank a Montepulciano de Abruzzo from Italy.

Montepulciano is a relatively simple wine with mild tannins, good acidity and flavors of dried cherries, earth and even some gaminess - perfect with a rustic, slow-cooked pork dish. The fact that I substituted fennel seed for the sage in the recipe created an even stronger link between the wine and the food. This wine is not what I would call a "sipping wine" but rather an old-world style wine that is meant to be enjoyed with food. As the book mentioned with the Cotes du Rhone, a juicy red wine such as this made the braised pork taste even meatier.

Here is the recipe for the pork, which has been altered slightly from the original:

Pork Chops Braised with Garlic and White Beans

4 center-cut pork chops (thick cut)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
8 whole cloves of garlic
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 t fennel seed
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Season the pork chops all over with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the pork chops and sear, turning halfway until browned (about 6 to 8 minutes total). This is best done in 2 batches. Transfer chops to a platter.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add the onion, carrots, garlic and red pepper. Stir well, scraping the brown bits from the pan, about 4 minutes. Add the fennel seed and broth and bring to a boil. Nestle the pork chops back into the pan, cover and braise in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the pork is cooking, mash half of the white beans in a bowl with a potato masher or fork. Add both the mashed and whole beans to the pot after the pork has braised for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and return to the oven. Braise for 15 to 20 minutes longer or until the sauce thickens slightly and the pork is tender.
Spoon the sauce into shallow bowls and top with the pork. Garnish with parsley. Serve right away with slices of rustic bread.

Serves 4

Country French Apple Galette

As many of you may have noticed by now, I have a peculiar obsession with French Country cooking. In October of 2007, Stephen and I traveled to the Loire Valley in France and had the opportunity to experience the inspiration behind this glorious cuisine. France's Loire Valley contains some of the richest farmland in the world, yielding what I consider to be the best possible ingredients a cook could desire. Tart apples, sweet butter, pungent soft cheeses, white wines bursting with minerality and ripe fruit and the freshest seafood - you will find it all there. A cook cannot help but be inspired.



While the ingredients are the best, the cuisine of this region is far from fancy. The dishes have a really casual feel and are prepared in a simple manner to highlight the natural beauty of the ingredients. This apple galette was made in the Country French style. A round of butter pastry (the same used for more complicated pie crusts) is rolled out in a circle and filled with sweetened apple slices and dotted with butter. The pastry is folded up around the apples to hold in the juices released by the heat of the oven. Imperfection is not only acceptable, but desirable.



The recipe is a slightly modified version of one found in Williams Sonoma's Cookbook, Pie and Tart:


Harvest Apple Galette

1 rolled out pie crust round
4 large, tart apples, peeled, halved lengthwise and cored (Granny Smiths work well)
2 T cold unsalted butter
3 T sugar
½ t ground cinnamon
¼ t ground allspice

Place the round of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with 1 T sugar and dot with pieces of 1 T butter.

Thinly slice each apple crosswise, keeping halves together. Flatten the apple slices slightly, and lay them cored side down in the middle of the pie dough round. Repeat with remaining apple slices, arranging them around the center apple half. Leave a border of about 1.5 inches uncovered. Sprinkle the apple slices with 2 T sugar and the spices. Pleat the edges of the dough around the apple slices. Dot the apple slices with small pieces of the remaining 1 T butter.

Cut 3 strips of aluminum foil, about 2 inches wide. Use these strips of foil to cover the edges of the dough if they brown excessively during baking.

Refrigerate the galette until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bake the galette for 15 minutes, and reduce oven temperature to 375 F. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Be sure to cover the edges of the crust with the strips of foil to avoid over-browning.

Cool the galette on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Yields: 1 9-inch galette (about 6 servings)

Chicken "Shepherd's" Pie

This is the time of year when I crave winter comfort food. After the holidays feasts have passed and you've gotten over the guilt associated with New Year's weight loss plans, it's time to make those one-pot comfort dishes that cool weather seem to make just that much better. Even here in Phoenix when the February temperatures remind one more of spring than winter, this type of dish is just right.

Traditionally, shepherd's pies are made with lamb (hence, the name). Where we live, lamb can be difficult to find, but we always seem to have leftover roast chicken that is perfect for this dish. The pie is filled with winter vegetables and fragrant with herbs, complementing the chicken beautifully. The mashed potato topping is lightly browned with the juices of the filling bubbling up the edges of the dish. Plan on making this pie on a Sunday when you've got a bit more time to spend in the kitchen. If you are lucky enough to have both leftover roast chicken AND mashed potatoes in the house, this recipe easily becomes Monday night fare. Here is the recipe:

Chicken "Shepherd's" Pie

6 medium Yukon Gold or Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 leek (white and pale green parts only), rinsed well and chopped
1/3 c dry white wine
2 cups leftover roast chicken, chopped
1 T all-purpose flour
3/4 c chicken broth
2 t chopped thyme leaves (or 1 t dried)
2 t chopped rosemary leaves (or 1 t dried)
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Sprig of rosemary for garnish (optional)

In a large pot of water, boil the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the potato boiling water. Drain the potatoes, mash with a potato masher and add 1 T butter, reserved water and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a medium-sized baking dish (Corning-type is perfect) or 8 x 8 inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the vegetables over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until tender. Pour in the white wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the wine is reduced. Add the chicken and 1 T of flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring well.

To the chicken and vegetables, add the chicken broth, herbs, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 5 to 6 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Top the chicken and vegetable mixture with the mashed potatoes, and use a spatula to spread it around and cover the dish. Use the tines of a fork to decoratively "rake" the surface of the potatoes, and garnish the dish with a sprig of rosemary. Dot the top of the potatoes with small pieces of the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are lighly browned. Cool slighly before serving.

Serves 4

Wine pairing: This is a hearty winter dish with strong-flavored herbs, perfect with a French Cotes du Rhone or a Spanish red. We drank the 2005 Finca Luzon Jumilla from Spain, which is a blend of 65% Mourvedre and 35% Syrah. It has flavors of blackberry and earth that really work with the rosemary and thyme in this dish.

Roasted Shrimp for One

I call this "Dinner for One" because, quite honestly, it is my favorite thing to eat when I have a weeknight home alone. The shrimp in this recipe are marinated briefly in lemon and garlic and flash-roasted to utter succulence. The red peppers seem to complement the dish nicely, and the crusty rustic bread is essential for sopping up all of the wonderful juices that are released from the peppers and the shrimp marinade. The shrimp and vegetables are all prepared in a single pan, requiring very minimal cleanup. By all means, feel free to "scale up" this recipe for a crowd. The shrimp, served alone, make a wonderful appetizer that really sing when paired with a dry, white sparkling wine.

This evening I picked up a bottle of Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from New Zealand to drink with the shrimp. The bracing acidity and flavors of grass, minerals and citrus are just right with the shellfish - a wonderful weeknight indulgence in just under 30 minutes!

Roasted Red Peppers

1 red bell pepper

2 t olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Core and seed the bell pepper and cut into long strips. Toss the peppers strips with the oil, salt and pepper on the baking sheet and roast for approximately 20 minutes. Peel away pepper skin, if desired.

Serves 2

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Shrimp

6 to 8 large peeled and deveined shrimp (thawed if frozen)

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of half a lemon

1 T olive oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss all ingredients in a bowl and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dump the shrimp and the marinade on a foil-lined baking sheet and spread out to create a single layer. Roast the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, until just barely cooked and still tender. Serve immediately.

Serves 1

Serve the shrimp with roasted red peppers and plenty of crusty, rustic bread to soak up the juices from the shrimp.

Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet, 2005

A complex, elegant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon under $15 a bottle? Not possible, right? Wrong!

Normally, I would not dedicate an entire blog post to a single wine, but this bottle inspired me to do so. The 2005 Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet is really something special. Avalon Winery makes only Cabernet and has succeeded in producing an earthy, complex wine under $15 per bottle. Good Napa Cabernet normally does not come cheap - $50+ per bottle is pretty standard.

The 2005 Avalon Napa Valley exhibits dusty, dark fruit aromas with flavors of black cherry, red pepper and a touch of vanilla. The best quality of this wine is its finesse. Many times, Cabernet is a really big, "muscular" wine. The balanced tannins and relatively low alcohol (13.8%) content of this wine gives it a restrained elegance, no doubt a result of the careful blending performed by the winemaker for this vintage: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah, 6% Merlot and 1% Petite Syrah.

Avalon Winery has two Cabernets on the market - this bottling and a lower-priced one with an orange label. Their lower priced bottling is quite decent, but the Napa Valley Cabernet is amazing. This is definitely a wine to purchase by the case!

Pork Cutlets with Pears and Port Sauce

Pork and pears are a natural combination. Both are most appealing in the fall/winter months and conjure up images of the kind of delicious fare one might find at a farmhouse in France. This dish is what I would call quick comfort food – certainly practical for a weeknight, yet satisfying enough to make your family look forward to dinner. Here is the recipe:

Pork Cutlets with Pears and Port Sauce

2 Bosc or Bartlett pears, ripe but not soft, peeled, cored and quartered
2 T unsalted butter
8 boneless pork cutlets, sliced thin
flour for dredging
1 t dried thyme
2 T olive oil
¼ c minced red onion
½ c Tawny port
¾ c low sodium chicken broth
1 T flour
1 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet (not nonstick!), melt 2 T butter and saute pears on medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

Prepare a dredging plate of several tablespoons of flour with the thyme leaves, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Heat 1/2 T of olive oil in the skillet until hot. Lightly dredge the pork cutlets in the flour and saute 1 to 2 minutes on each side until just cooked and lightly browned. Work in batches of 2 cutlets at a time with 1/2 T olive oil per batch and transfer pork to a platter kept in a warm oven.

When the pork cutlets are cooked, add the red onion to the pan and saute about 2 minutes until slightly tender. Pour in the port and deglaze the pan for 2 minutes, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour in all but 1 T of the broth and mix the remaining broth with the 1 T of flour in a small bowl for thickening of the sauce. Add flour mixture to skillet. Cook on medium heat until the sauce reduces by half, about ten minutes. Add 1 T butter to the sauce as well as salt and pepper to taste. Return the pears and pork to the sauce and combine.

Transfer the pork, pears and port sauce to a platter for serving.

Serves 4

Slowing Down Dinner

Slow down dinner...is he kidding? Shouldn't we be trying to speed things up? Yes, it is true, there are some days during the work week when nothing but the quickest, most efficient dinner preparations will due. However, on weekends and other days when we aren't as pressed for time, we can and should slow things down and enjoy the pleasures of a leisurely paced meal with our family. One of the best ways to do this is by preparing and sharing an appetizer and enjoying a glass of wine before even giving a thought to making the main course.

Appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, nibbles or whatever you like to call them need not be complicated or overly fussy. The days of trays of hot canapes passed by tuxedo-clad waitstaff are over. Modern appetizers tend to be more rustic and simple - small foods designed to whet the appetite and allow good conversation. A chilled glass of white wine is optional, but highly recommended!

The delicious plate of foods in the photo features a tasty spread of pureed edamame on slices of rustic bread. This appetizer sounds complicated, but it's a breeze to make. Here is the recipe, loosely adapted from a feature in Williams Sonoma's Wine and Food:

Edamame Crostini

1 c thawed and shelled frozen edamame (soybeans)
1/4 c olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T fresh orange juice
1/2 t kosher salt
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
3 T chopped mint
About 20 Crostini (slices of toasted rustic bread brushed with olive oil)

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on medium and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant but not brown, no more than one minute. Add the edamame and saute for five minutes, until the beans begin to soften. Dump the contents of the pan into a food processor and add the orange juice, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, adding a bit more water or olive oil to make a cohesive paste, if required. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl and stir in 2 T of the mint.

Spread the edamame puree onto the crostini and garnish with the remaining mint leaves.

Serves 4

Wine: We like to have these crostini with a glass of well-chilled Sauvignon Blanc. The grassy, herbal flavors of the wine are delicious with the garlic and mint.