Garlic-herb pork chops with cranberry-tamarind sauce over noodles with browned butter and almonds. It’s a heck of a mouthful, isn’t it? Okay, so maybe I should have named it “Pork a la Crappy Tuesday”, but that, while shorter, doesn’t sound quite so appetizing. I realized around 5:30 yesterday that I forgot to defrost meat in advance for dinner, and so grabbed the first thing I found that could fit in our microwave for a quick defrost: pork chops. I don’t advocate defrosting meat in the microwave, mind you. The edges get rubbery, and there’s questionable food temperatures going on in there…I’d omit it in the retelling for food safety’s sake, but it’s an important part of the story.

Right…so there I stood in the kitchen, with my mind on my truck rather than my dinner (I had just gotten back from the garage, and my poor pickup needs some major – although fortuntely warranty-covered – surgery). As the pork chops spun circles in the microwave, I tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do for dinner. It’s been a few months since our last major supply run (yes, we shopone a quarter or so for staples. We have a large freezer, a pantry that takes up most of our dining room, and we’re weird like that.) and so whatever I put together was bound to be some sort of refrigerator velc…er, refrigerator hook-and-loop tape. This is probably more accruately pantry velcro, but that’s neither here nor there.

Hm. Perhaps I should have called this Parenthetical Comments and Tangents Pork. Anyway…Ding goes the pork. I start with a basic dredge-and-fry, add a little citrus, a little egg noodle goodness, a little crunch…what started out as “WTF is for dinner?!?!” ended up as a plate of balanced flavors and yum.

I know that my pantry is a bit unique, and that many folks out there won’t happen to have tamarind paste, a handful of almonds, and rubbed sage just lying around, but experiment with what you do have! (Or make this as written…it’s quite tasty.) Kitchen experimentation can lead to Dishes of Awesome (like this), meals that are rather mediocre (I made hot dog and pea risotto once), and occasionally some spectacular failures…but you don’t find the Dishes of Awesome unless you try.

Garlic-Herb Pork Chops with Cranberry-Tamarind Sauce over Noodles with Browned Butter and Almonds

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
• 3 teaspoons dried tarragon, crushed, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 6 boneless pork chops
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Place flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon tarragon, sage, and black pepper in a shallow bowl or large zip-top bag and stir or shake to combine. Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour; set aside. Preheat oven to its lowest setting (ours goes to 190°) and place a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the top rack. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add vegetable oil. Add three pork chops and cook until browned on one side; flip and cook until just brown on the other side. Remove to foil in warm oven and repeat with remaining chops. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until just al-dente.Drain.

Heat cranberry sauce in a small pot set over low heat. Whisk occasionally. When cranberry sauce has melted and is smooth, remove from heat and stir in tamarind, remaining tarragon, and rum. Return to the stove and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until alchol has evaporated and sauce begins to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Over low heat, melt the remaining butter in the pan used to cook the pork. Increase heat slightly and cook until butter begins to brown. Add almonds and toss. Add drained noodles and toss to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for 3-5 minutes or until noodles begin to color. (Take care not to burn the almonds.) Add seasoned salt and remaining garlic just before serving.

To plate, place pork chops on a bed of almond noodles and drizzle with sauce. Serve immediately.

Granola is so much more than its hippie/crunchy/earth mama associations. When homemade, it’s a simple, hearty, and healthy dish with a myriad of applications. Forget the chewy store-bought bars and $8 per pound “granola cereals” – this is the real deal.

So, what can you do with granola? Serve it cereal-style in a bowl with milk, microwave it with a little water and butter for a hot dish, or eat it straight out of the bag as a snack. The image above is my breakfast from this morning: granola with almonds, cranberries, and milk, hot out of the oven.

Granola

Ingredients:

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup agave nectar*
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• Your choice of add-ins, in any quantity and combination: nuts, seeds, wheat germ, dried fruit, etc.

Preheat oven to 375° F and lightly grease two 13×9″ pans. Whisk together the agave and oil; set aside. Combine oats, powdered milk, salt, spices, and all non-fruit add-ins in a large bowl and toss until thoroughly combined. Add agave/oil syrup and toss until all ingredients are coated and slightly moist. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted (do not overbake, especially if using nuts!). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Move to bowl and toss with fruit add-ins. Store in an air-tight container.

*Your favorite sticky sweetener (honey, corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup) can be substituted for the agave.

I am a huge fan of can-shaped red goo at the holidays, but I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipes. This definitely fits the bill. Adults will appreciate the sophisticated palate cleanser, and kids love eating “water ice” with their turkey, instead of waiting for dessert.

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

Prepare the bowl of your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan, whisk together water, sugar, and concentrate. Stir in cranberries. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for about 5 minutes from boil, or until most of the berries have popped. Remove from heat and add thyme; set aside and let steep for 1 hour.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Discard thyme, berry skins, and fibers. Cover liquid and refrigerate overnight.

Process in ice cream maker.

Serves 8-12 as a side dish or small dessert.

Image by PVerdonk.

Zucchini is in such abundance at the end of summers that it even has its own holiday. My favorite zucchini preparation comes in the winter, however, in the form of this bread. Moist, delicious, and not cloyingly sweet, it’s a healthy treat that makes an excellent hostess gift. (It freezes well, too!)

It’s difficult to find fresh cranberries outside of the Thanksgiving season, so I try to buy extra and freeze it for year-round use. Sweetened dried cranberries can be rehydrated in boiling water and used, but the finished loaf will be much sweeter and lose much of the crisp flavor provided by the fresh berries.

Zucchini Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, shredded
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 6 mini loaf pans or line with parchment paper (or use silicone pans). Beat the zucchini, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and orange rind in a large bowl until well-combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet and fold in the cranberries. Pour into pans and bake about 1 hour, or until cakes are very moist, but skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before serving.

Makes 6 mini-loaves.

Scones. They look and taste complicated, but are easy to throw together, even if your caffeine levels are low. They’re excellent fresh, but I also enjoy day-old scones dipped in coffee or tea.

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• the zest of one orange, finely grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, plus extra for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients, including sugar, in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, fork, or fingers. When butter has been fully incorporated, mixture should resemble clumpy damp sand.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, and orange peel. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until just moistened and still clumpy. Stir in cranberries and chocolate.

Divide dough into 8 equal portions and form into small rounds. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Brush tops with reserved buttermilk and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops begin to color slightly. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a serving basket or cooling rack.

Serves 8.