The concept of a “clean out the fridge” recipe is an interesting one because everyone has different items in their fridge. So, while this Pork Chops with Baked Apples, Parsnips and Turnips dish helped me clean out my fridge, it’s so delicious that I think it deserves its own trip to the grocery store!

Right before Sam was born I was itching to try a new dinner recipe. I flipped through my recipe binders and came across this weeknight meal from the Food Network Magazine. I had bought pork chops with the intention of making the Skillet Balsamic Peach Pork Chops with Feta and Basil since Matt and I are obsessed, but this recipe for Pork Chops with Baked Apples, Parsnips and Turnips was much more seasonally appropriate. I also had leftover apricot preserves in the fridge from the Grilled Chicken with Apple and Mango Chutney and the Baked Brie Fruit and Nut Tartlets. The pork chops are marinated in the preserves, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings before being broiled.

While the pork chops are flavorful and tender, the real standout are the baked apples slathered with apricot preserves and the roasted parsnip, turnip and red onion medley. I’ve baked apples into chips and I’ve baked them into dessert egg rolls, but I’ve never roasted whole apples. The apricot preserves brought a great brightness and sweetness to them that helped balance the savory flavors of the pork and root vegetables.

And those root vegetables! I love a good roasted veggie and these parsnips, turnips and red onion chunks just melt in your mouth!

This is a quick and easy dinner recipe that I’ll definitely be making all winter long. Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Baked Apples, Parsnips and Turnips

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ red onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 small apples, such as Gala, halved and seeded
• ¼ cup apricot preserves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 4 boneless pork loin chops, ½-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and place the parsnips, turnips and onion on it. Drizzle with the olive oil, toss, then sprinkle with the rosemary and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the apple halves, cut side up, on the baking sheet nestled between the veggies. Divide 2 tablespoons of the apricot preserves between the apple halves and brush over top then season lightly with black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes, or until everything is golden brown.
3. While the veggies are cooking, marinate the pork. In a shallow bowl or plastic container large enough to fit the pork, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves, the Worcestershire sauce, sage and ½ cup water. Season with a little black pepper. Pierce the pork chips all over with a fork then add to the bowl and marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Set a wire cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet and place the pork chops on top, reserving the marinade. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Broil the pork chops for 4-5 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let the pork rest while you finish the sauce.
5. Pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the tablespoon of butter until melted. Serve the pork alongside the vegetables and apples with the sauce drizzled over top.

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 Recipe from January/February 2016 issue of Food Network Magazine.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 2 Comments

This week is all about tasty and healthy dinner recipes! I have so many dessert recipes coming up that I had to make sure I started off with plenty of real food recipes so Matt and I wouldn’t just be eating dessert for dinner every night. I’m always looking for new healthy dinners to rotate through so I was excited to try some new ones out.

This Cheese and Pear Stuffed Pork recipe came from my recipe binder archives, this time by way of Cooking Light Magazine. The combination sounded intriguing so I thought I would give it a shot. I made it on a night my Dad was coming over for dinner, which was a bold move since he can be a little particular about food. But Mikey liked it! I mean Dad liked it!

The pork tenderloin is split open and then pounded thin before being stuffed with a creamy and crunchy mixture of blue cheese, walnuts, panko bread crumbs and tart sautéed pears. The whole thing gets rolled up and stuck together with toothpicks, which is a lot easier than it sounds.

Due to all the prep steps to get this pork tenderloin stuffed and rolled, it’s not exactly a weeknight dish, but the great part is that once you have the pork tenderloin prepared you can cover it and stick it back in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. I served it alongside some green beans and roasted potatoes, but you could also go really light and just serve it over a spinach and pear salad. Enjoy!

Cheese and Pear Stuffed Pork

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped Anjou pear (or other firm, tart pear), leave skin on
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see note)
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 12-ounce pork tenderloins
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
• Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook for 6 minutes. Add the chopped pear, white wine, Italian seasoning and some ground black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Let cool slightly then stir in the walnuts, blue cheese, panko and parsley.
3. Butterfly the pork tenderloins by slicing them lengthwise up to, but not through, the other side. Put the first butterflied pork tenderloin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until ¼-inch thick. Top the flattened pork with half the pear mixture, being sure to leave a ½-inch border. Roll from the long side and secure with toothpicks. Tuck in the end edges when you secure with the toothpicks as well. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat for the remaining pork tenderloin.
4. In a saute pan large enough to fit both pork tenderloins, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Saute both rolled pork tenderloins for 5 minutes, turning to make sure all sides get browned. Remove from the heat and transfer the pork to a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pork reaches 145 degrees F (being sure to temp the pork not the filling). Move the pork from the baking dish to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the pork before serving.
5. In the pan used to saute the pork, bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Scrape the pan to make sure you get all the browned bits. Cook for 4 minutes and serve over the pork. Alternatively, you could slice the pork then carefully add to the broth and let cook in the broth as the sauce forms.

Notes

To toast walnuts, bake for 3-5 minutes in a 350 degrees oven, being sure not to let burn.

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 Recipe from September 2011 issue of Cooking Light Magazine.

Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 2 Comments

I still remember the day Matt and I bought our cast iron pan. Of course I do, it’s a food-related memory! We were in our very first apartment right out of college and Matt had seen someone online make steak in a cast iron pan. They seared it on the stove-top then finished it off in the oven resulting in a charred outside and juicy, tender inside.

When Matt gets convinced he wants to make something it usually happens right away, much unlike my years and years worth of recipes piled up, so we walked to the nearest hardware store and bought the cast iron pan. Thankfully we didn’t have to walk far because this thing is heavy! Matt cooked us up some steaks and they were pure perfection. All these years later we’ve gotten a little fancier with our cooking and now prefer to sous vide our steaks, but this recent recipe had me go back to our cast iron steak roots.

This recipe came from my favorite little cookbook, “Cook This, Not That!” and was one we hadn’t tried before. It’s incredibly simple: steak is cooked then topped with a panko breadcrumb and blue cheese mixture that gets crispy and bubbly in the oven.

We already know blue cheese and steak is a winning combination from my Grilled Steak with Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce recipe and the crunch from the breadcrumbs adds great texture and flavor. Matt and I gobbled this down for dinner and even had the leftovers the next day for lunch – we couldn’t wait for dinner. I told you we’ve been living the good life with our meals!

I have a delicious salad side that made a great meal alongside this steak and I’ll share it with you all later this week. In the meantime, enjoy this recipe and the rest of your Monday!

Blue Cheese Crusted Steak

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 sirloin or tenderloin steaks (4-6 ounces each)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the panko, blue cheese, parsley and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
3. In a large cast iron pan or oven safe pan (see note) heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper then sear the meat for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the steaks from the heat and top with the panko mixture. Transfer the steaks to the oven to finish cooking, about 6 minutes. For medium, the internal temperature should be 140 degrees F. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you don’t have an oven safe pan, cook on the stove-top in sauté pan then transfer to a baking sheet or baking dish for the oven step.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 6 Comments

Look at this sizzling skillet of juicy pork chops and caramelized peaches! Ugh, this meal was so good. Both Matt and I decided we would love to have these Skillet Balsamic Pork Chops with Feta and Basil along with the Summer Peach Greek Quinoa Salad every week this summer.

Of course that will never happen since I’m always too busy trying out new recipes, but I’m determined to fit it into our busy meal schedule at least a few more times this summer because I already cannot wait to eat it again.

This was my first time cooking bone-in pork chops and I was super impressed with how flavorful and juicy they were being cooked in our cast iron skillet. The pork chops get a nice sear on the stove-top before adding in an easy sauce of balsamic vinegar, honey and oregano that gets thickened as the pork chops cook. Fresh peach slices are added to the skillet and then the whole dish is broiled in the oven so the peaches can get caramelized.

Final touches include some salty feta and sweet basil and you have yourself a drool-worthy, company-worthy and easy dinner. I was skeptical of how the finished dish would taste since I had previously tried a peach and chicken dish that I did not care for, but the peach and pork combination is a definite winner.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet you can use any oven-safe pan instead, or you could sear in a pan then transfer to a baking dish for the broiling portion, but I highly recommend getting yourself a cast iron skillet so you can easily make stove-top to oven dishes like these Skillet Balsamic Pork Chops, this Strawberry Dutch Baby or this Caramelized Onion and Apple Dip. I hope you all enjoy this meal as much as we did!

Skillet Balsamic Peach Pork Chops with Feta and Basil

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in pork chops, about ¾” thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 peaches, pitted and sliced
• ⅓ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• Feta, for topping

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. When the olive oil is hot, add the pork chops and sear both sides for 3-4 minutes each. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
2. While the pork is cooking, whisk together the balsamic, honey and oregano. When the pork has 2 minutes left in cooking time, pour the balsamic mixture over the pork. Remove from the heat when the pork has reached 145 degrees F and add the peaches. Broil the skillet for 4-5 minutes or until the peaches are lightly charred. Top with the basil and feta before serving.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 2 Comments