“Something for Dinner”

I know when I’m over a cold when I start thinking about food again.

I have been working overtime at work, which means waking up at 4:00 am and getting home around 5:00 pm. That doesn’t leave much time for dinner preparation and relaxing before going to bed.

I was on my way home, enjoying the rush hour traffic, when it dawned on me that I had not gone to the grocery store recently and I didn’t know what I would make for dinner. So, I stopped off at the grocery store and started thinking about what was in my refrigerator and what I might buy for dinner. I knew I had some cooked white rice at home. White rice is like a blank canvas. Anything is possible when you have rice.

Since I didn’t have a clue about what I was going to buy at the store I decided to look for good deals on vegetables and meat and let that be my guide. The first low-priced vegetable I found were Brussel sprouts. I’m not a huge fan of Brussel sprouts but I stuck with my plan and picked them up. I found some whole button mushrooms at a really good price and I grabbed those. I still had fresh tomatoes from the garden and I had onions and garlic at home. So, the vegetables were a done deal.

I went to the meat case and found a good deal on center cut pork chops. They looked good and the price was very good. I spent less than $8.00 for everything and it was enough food to make a meal for 4 to 6 people.

For the rest of my trip home I thought about what I would do with all of this stuff. I started thinking about pork schnitzel, which got me thinking about paprika. I love a good schnitzel but just thinking about the work that goes into making schnitzel made me tired. I wanted the paprika, without the fuss.

I thought about stewing the Brussel sprouts with tomatoes and onion and mushroom and serving with the rice and I quickly kicked that idea out of my head. Yuck! Brussel sprouts! What was I thinking?

And then, as I pulled into the driveway, it all came together. Sauté the Brussel sprouts and put a char on them to get a nutty flavor. Add that to cooked pork chops, tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and rice and cook it all in one pan. Coming home after working overtime means that I have about one hour to make dinner, one hour to eat it, and one hour to relax and digest the food before heading off to bed. Making dinner in one pan means quick prep and quick clean up. I knew I was over my cold now. I can’t make those sort of mental leaps when I am sick.

I dumped all of the groceries on the counter and pulled the rice out of the refrigerator. I put the cast iron skillet on the stove and started warming it. My daughter came into the kitchen to welcome me home and we had a wonderful time sharing stories about our day as I began prepping the food. She asked me what I was making and, as I often do when I’m not sure, I said, “I’m making something for dinner.” My daughter has watched me work in the kitchen long enough to know when I am winging it.

Skillet Pork Chops with Vegetable and Rice

Ingredients:

4 center cut pork chops

1 quart cooked white rice

2 cups Brussel sprouts, sliced in half

16 oz white button mushrooms

2 medium sized tomatoes

½ yellow onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

2 cups chicken stock

½ cup tomato sauce

Directions:

Heat an oven to 325°.

Tenderize the pork chops by piercing both sides with a fork. Flatten the pork chops with the broad side of a meat cleaver or mallet.

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Lay the pork chops in the pan and dust liberally with paprika. Allow the chops to sear for about one or two minutes and then turn. Dust the other side of the chops with paprika. Turn once more after a minute and remove after another 30 seconds. Set the chops aside.

De-glaze the skillet with a half cup of chicken stock. Add the whole mushrooms, onion and garlic to the skillet and stir. Allow the mushrooms to absorb the flavor from the pork and stock. Remove the mushrooms to a large mixing bowl.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the hot skillet, placing them cut side down. Don’t mess with them. Let them char for about two minutes. Turn them with a spatula and brown the other side for a little while. Remove the Brussel sprouts to the large mixing bowl.

Add the tomatoes and cooked rice to the large mixing bowl.

Turn the heat down to low. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove any charred bits. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Once the flour has incorporated, add the chicken stock and tomato sauce. Stir to thicken into a sauce.

Mix the items in mixing bowl with a spatula. Add the prepared sauce and mix.

Arrange the seared pork chops on the bottom of skillet. Cover with rice, vegetable and sauce mixture. Cover the skillet and cook in a 325° oven for 25 to 30 minutes.