Pork chops with fennel and apple slaw
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I love cooking nice meals and entertaining friends, but I find it can be difficult on a budget. I decided to challenge myself to cook a hearty and healthy meal every week for two people spending no more than $10 per meal. I did not count the price of fairly standard pantry items like oil, salt, flour and sugar when used in minimal amounts. This week I made pork chops with fennel and apple slaw, wild rice and garlic-sautéed green beans. Here’s how to pull off this dish yourself.
Directions:
1. Cut the fennel into 1/2 inch cubes. Dice shallot. Slice 6 cloves of garlic. I wait to cut the apple until just before cooking so the slices don’t turn brown, but if you want to cut the apple slices early, you can place them in a bowl of cold water to prevent oxidation.
2. Bring 1 cup rice, half of the diced shallot, 3 cloves of sliced garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to a boil in two cups of water. Cover, reduce the heat, and set it to simmer for 45 minutes. Do not remove lid. After 45 minutes, remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 10 minutes.
3. On medium-low heat, sauté 3 cloves of sliced garlic. Wash green beans in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water until just tender.
4. Heat a pan at medium-high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides of pork chop and cook for about three to four minutes on each side. Remove from pan and allow to rest while you finish cooking the slaw. Turn down the heat to medium, and in the same pan sauté the remaining shallot, fennel, 3 cloves of sliced garlic, and cubed apple until fennel is just tender. Take 2 tablespoons of water and de-glaze the pan to bring all the flavors together. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Top the pork chop with the warm slaw and serve with a bed of rice and side of green beans. Enjoy.
Comment
Commenting is closed for this article.
