Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Sauce

Big news everyone - I bought a cast iron skillet! I've wanted one for a while but always thought they were crazy expensive. Turns out the un-coated ones are really affordable - like $25 affordable. I bought mine from Sur la Table, but found the exact same one on Amazon for about $10 cheaper.

So what's the big deal about cast iron skillets?
1. First and foremost - they look cool
2. Untreated pan = no toxic fumes = you will may live forever
3. You'll boost your iron intake when you eat foods cooked in them (see note above about eternal life)
4. They maintain an even heat and are great for high-temperature cooking/searing, so you can impress people by cooking a steak inside that they will actually want to eat

I wanted to try this baby out and I thought I'd christen it with some enormous pork chops. You guys - these things were GIGANTIC. Probably a solid 1.5 inches thick. It all seemed very Fred Flintstone - minus the electric range, cast iron skillet, and iPhone to take pics. I made these with an awesome roasted poblano sauce in the same pan, which required a little bit of prep but came together pretty quickly. I'd definitely recommend this!

Massive

 Recipe adapted from here
You'll need:
2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick each
Salt and pepper
2 T butter or oil, divided
2 medium poblano peppers
1/4 small onion, chopped
1/4 c cilantro 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1/4 c chicken broth
1/3 c heavy whipping cream (I used fat free half and half, it was weird, don't do it)
Additional salt and pepper

Turn your broiler to high and roast the poblanos a few inches off the broiler, turning to get all sides charred. This took me about 2 minutes per side. Charred and black is what you're going for - this makes the skin way easier to peel off. Pro-tip: if your peppers have long stems, snip them off. Mine caught on fire! Don't tell Curtis!

So fresh and so green green

The right stem is shorter because it burst into flames

Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub the skin to remove as much as possible. I ended up just pulling the stem and seeds out with my hands at this point, but you can also cut them out if you're feeling it. Finely chop in a food processor or blender with the 1/4 chopped onion and 1/4 cup cilantro and set aside. Don't have a processor or blender? Just cut it all up with a knife, NBD.

Pork time! Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and peppah. In a large [CAST IRON IF YOU'RE COOL] skillet over medium-high heat heat 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil. Add the chops and brown on the first side for about 3 minutes. Turn the chops over and reduce heat to medium. Cook through, about 7 more minutes (or until the center of the chop is 135F). Since I got dinosaur-sized pork chops, I cooked mine for 5 minutes on the first side and 10 minutes on the second. Remove chops to a plate and tent with foil. 

Seriously - enormous

Sauce time! Add remaining butter or oil to the pan and let melt. Add the minced garlic and cumin and let it get fragrant - about 1 minute. Add the chopped poblanos/onion/cilantro and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until broth is mostly evaporated. Stir in the cream and warm through, then add any accumulated pan juices from da chops. Finally, salt and pepper to taste.

I plated up a whole one for the pic, but I swear this lasted me 3 meals. I broiled some asparagus and mushrooms on the side - just place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and broil for about 5 minutes (shaking the pan halfway through). Voila!

Becoming Biryani

I love this recipe. I love it! It's so good!

I love you; you're so good

Biryani is an Indian rice dish that warriors used to eat before battle. Or at least, someone once told me that warriors used to eat it before battle. There is a large chance this isn't true, but let's continue. Naturally, I made biryani the night before Curtis had a swim test at work.  Swimming in a pool = hand to hand combat, right? Anyway, it only needs one pot which is what really gets me hyped up about it.

A couple of notes:
1. The original recipe calls for white basmati rice, but I sub it out with long-grain brown in the recipe below. This requires extra chicken stock and a full 50 minutes of cooking time. If you'd prefer to use white basmati rice (and I really think you should at least once!) you'll need 14 oz of chicken broth and only need to cook for about 15 minutes, or rice is tender. 
2. You could easily make this vegetarian - leave out the chicken, and sub vegetable broth for chicken broth. Booya!

Let's become biryani

You'll need:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced. Removing the seeds removes most of the spice, so leave the seeds in if you're feeling adventurous!
1 inch piece of fresh minced ginger 
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 t garam masala (this is a ground mix of a bunch of other spices - definitely don't skip this!)
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
2 plum tomatoes, chopped 
1/3 c raisins (golden or regular)
2 c chicken broth
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 c uncooked brown rice (I used long grain - you can use any kind you want. Just follow the recommended liquid to grain ratio and cooking time!)
1/4 c sliced or chopped almonds
Lime wedges

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute 3 minutes before adding onion and jalapeno. After three more minutes add the ginger, garlic, and spices. Let cook through a few more minutes then add in tomatoes, rice, raisins and broth.

It gets better, I swear

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 50 minutes (if using brown rice) and stir occasionally to make sure the rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. At the end sprinkle on the cilantro, layer on the almonds, and serve with lime wedges. Make this prior to battle! Or swim tests!

Successfully became biryani!

Not-Laura Leek and Mushroom Chicken Skillet (with bonus ingredients!)

The other day I made my version of Iowa Girl Eats Leek and Mushroom Chicken Skillet. This recipe is really not me. It isn't spicy, there's no curry powder, and there isn't even that much garlic. I had to buy fresh tarragon. This is not something I would normally make.

leeks = fancy

But you know what? I got out of my comfort zone, and it was delicious! My good friend Kathryn recommended I try this out and I'm so glad she did. The pounded, almond-flour dusted chicken cooks quickly and has a delicious crispy crust. The leek and mushroom "pan sauce" seems fancy and indulgent, but is really just a quick chop of veggies in chicken broth. The fresh tarragon lent an unexpected, almost licorice-y flavor - and made me feel sophisticated, to boot. Wins all around!

I've gotten some feedback that my posts tend to have too many ingredients - this is because I don't know when to say when. I'm of the "more is better" mindset (SHOUT OUT MAMA J).  Going forward I'll try to differentiate between "gotta have" and "nice to have" ingredients to show when recipes can be simplified! I added sun dried tomatoes and bacon to this recipe, because why not?

You'll need:
1 lb chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c all-purpose flour (I used almond flour)
Salt and pep
2 T butter, divided
Drizzle of olive oil
3-4 pieces bacon, chopped*
1/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes (I like these from TJ's)*
6 oz sliced mushrooms
2 leeks, white and green parts only, thinly sliced (verbose but thorough leek cleaning & slicing tutorial)
1 shallot or 1/4 small onion, minced*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c chicken broth
1 packed T chopped fresh tarragon
juice from 1/2 lemon
* = nice to haves

We begin by pounding the chicken. This is always a good idea so the chicken cooks evenly, and in MUCH less time. My preferred method is putting the chicken in a large Ziploc bag, sealing it, and wailing on it with the heel of my hand. This time I was a little more refined and used a tenderizer. 

Action shot

 Add 1 T butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and dredge chicken breasts before adding to skillet. Make sure you allow the pan to come to temperature before you add the chicken! Or you will feel regret!

 Saute until golden brown on both sides, which took me about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Note that chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this point.

Dredge thumbs up!

So golden, so brown

 
Now it's time to get to business. I highly recommend prepping the veggies prior to starting the pan sauce. Prepped? Ready? Onward!

Add the chopped bacon to the skillet and cook until almost crispy - about 4 minutes. Add the shallot, mushrooms, leeks, and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until mushrooms are golden brown and tender - the recipe says 5 minutes, but I think this took me more like 10. Don't forget to stir!

Leeks on fleek (too much?!?)

Add the other T of butter and the garlic and saute for one more minute. Disclaimer - this butter was totally gratuitous and you probably don't need it, but I had it out and was just feeling it. Add chicken broth and tarragon, then nestle (yes, nestle!) chicken back into skillet and simmer until sauce has thickened and reduced, and chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the skillet and stir to combine. 

Shown: nestled

To serve, I ended up removing the chicken from the pan, cutting into portions, and spooning the sauce on top. In the end...this isn't really a sauce. It's more like an awesome...hash? Veggie bacon compote? If you come up with an adequate description, please let me know! We had these with easy roasted brussels, but this would also be great with a simple salad, roasted potatoes, or just some crusty bread (crusty bread is always appropriate). Hope you like it!

gimme gimme