Good Friends...

I was at Duane Reade today with a friend looking at birthday cards and I found this gem:

front:

inside:

and this AWESOME poster inside:

Pork Chops and Spicy Green Beans

There was a hockey game on tonight, and I wanted to be able to finally cook the bone-in pork chops we had so I took a stab at dinner tonight. I'm only familiar with boneless pork cutlets, so this was a new experience for me!

Pork Chops and Spicy Green Beans

Marinate the pork chops for at least 1-hour in a mixture of soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and honey. I stuck everything in a large Ziploc bag and tried to remove as much air as I could.

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Also set out a pot of water to boil for your green beans.

When the oven reaches the desired temperature, lightly drizzle olive oil on both sides of the pork chop. Place a heavy pan over high heat. When hot, sear pork chops for one-minute on each side and then stick the pan in the oven. Let cook for 20 minutes in a convection oven, if you have a regular oven you will need to let it cook for a little longer (about 30-35 minutes).

While your pork chops are in the oven, you can prep the ingredients for your green beans. You can refer to my previous post on how to prepare your beans... If you are too lazy to click on the link, here is the summarized version: Boil water, cook beans 3-4 minutes, drain, shock, set aside. 

(You should probably wait until your pork chops are done before you start this part since this doesn't take too long and can be done while the meat is resting)

The ingredients I used for these green beans are slightly different than before but it follows basically the same concept.

Instead of just minced garlic, I also added some roughly chopped peanuts. I substituted the olive oil with sesame oil and replaced the black pepper with crushed red pepper.

Sauté the garlic over medium heat in some sesame oil. When it starts to brown slightly, add in the chopped peanuts and some crushed red pepper. Add in your green beans and stir so everything is integrated and your beans are warmed through.

Plate and serve!

Porterhouse and Green Beans

If there is one thing Matt does well, it is growing a playoff beard... He also makes a pretty great steak. He has figured out how to create a fabulous crust on the outside, while keeping the inside juicy and delicious. As his sous chef, I'm usually in charge of figuring out the side dish. This is fine by me, since it's probably the only way we eat any sort of vegetable on a semi-normal basis.

Porterhouse Steak and Garlic Green Beans

Making the perfect steak consists of very few ingredients: steak, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of oil so everything heats evenly.

Season the steak with salt and pepper, and on very high heat, place the steak in the hot pan (it should sizzle and start to smoke). 

Sear the steak for about 2-minutes on each side before placing into a 500°F oven for 3 minutes. 

Remove steak from the oven, baste with butter, and put back into the oven for another 2-3 minutes for a medium-rare steak. Place the steak on a place and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes (this is so all the delicious juices don't come running out when you slice into the meat. It also makes for a juicy steak, instead of a dry one).

Although less exciting, but still tasty, I made some sautéed garlic green beans to pair with our steak.  

Place a pot of water on the stove on high heat. While you wait for the water to boil, wash and cut the ends off of your green beans. Also, mince 2 garlic cloves and set aside.

Add some salt to the water as it comes to a boil, and add the green beans. Set aside a large bowl full of ice cubes and water (enough to completely submerge the green beans). After about 3-4 minutes, take your beans off the heat and pour them into a strainer. Immediately move the beans into the ice bath (this "shocks" vegetable and also stops the cooking process. It ensures brightly colored and crispy beans!)

In a sauté pan, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat all the beans) on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir occasionally so it doesn't burn. When the garlic gets to a golden-y brown color, introduce your green beans. Add a pinch of salt, some ground pepper and toss/mix until evenly all the beans are evenly coated. Optional: finish off with a small tab of butter...because butter makes everything better.

Slice up the steak, plate the green beans, and enjoy! 

Furnished Apartment & Blueberry Pancakes

We finally got the rest of our furniture delivered, and so I also finally took some pictures.

Apartment

To celebrate (also, I was in the mood for some) I made blueberry pancakes for brunch!

More Dinner!

Last night was steak night! Matt made a filet mignon, steakhouse style-browned in a hot pan and finished in the oven (500°F for 5 minutes)... oh, it's also basted in butter and deliciousness! He took the steaks out to rest, and put the pan back on medium heat, cooked down some shallots and de-glazed with red wine (and some chicken stock if you need more liquid). Finish off with a tab of butter.
We paired the steak with some asparagus tossed in olive oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper (goes in the oven for 5-7 minutes).

Filet Mignon in a Red Wine-Shallot Reduction with Asparagus

 

Tonight was grilled lime-chicken and zucchini. The chicken breast was marinated in lime juice (2 limes), lime zest, 2 serrano chilies (chopped), salt, and olive oil. Zucchini was cut and tossed in olive oil and seasoned in salt and pepper. We did everything on our grill pan, so it was sort of like a 1-pot wonder, but on a griddle/grill.

Zesty-Lime Chicken and Grilled Zucchini

Dinners, Easter, and Birthdays

I've been crazy busy lately so I haven't been really great about posting, but heres some pics of recently (or maybe not so recent) dinners.

Steamed Mussels

To celebrate the nice weather (and Easter...and Adam's birthday) Matt and I got some friends together for a little dinner party!

Risotto with Truffle Oil

Spice Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Curry-Basil Mayo, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

 

We used the Joel Robuchon recipe for the mashed potatoes, but cut the butter in half (the recipe calls for 1 lb of butter for every 2lbs of potatoes). They were still buttery and delicious... and I felt less bad when I served my cake (which had 4 sticks of butter in it...)

Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting and Strawberry Filling

Ginger also brought a cake so we doubled up on the cake and drank some champagne on our roof-deck.

(Aren't we so classy?)