If you want a subject, look to pork!

“If you want a subject, look to pork!” ~ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

What a perfect quote for a foodie blog about pork! I know many of you don’t eat/don’t like pork, but I love it. I love pork tacos, pork tenderloin, pork belly… you name it! Anyways, I’m always looking for new and creative ways to prepare pork. I’ve got a whole pork tenderloin in the freezer from Pecatonica Valley Farms that I got at the farmer’s market a couple weeks ago. Just waiting for the right occasion to cook it up, so if anyone’s got any great marinades let me know!

In other pork news, a few weeks ago I made a delicious pork dish. I love watching Giada on Food Network, and her Italian flair on pork is amazing!!!! The recipe is extremely easy and tastes

delicious. I paired it with a California Sauvignon Blanc (sorry I don’t remember the winery!), some garlic mashed potatoes, corn, and a red leaf lettuce salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette. The recipe says 6 minutes per side, but mine took a little longer because they were pretty thick.

Otherwise, the parmesan crust is wonderful and the lemon adds a refreshing flavor to the pork. I regret not taking a picture BEFORE I started eating, but it just looked so good I had to gobble it up right away!

Here’s another picture from Food Network. This one isn’t half eaten so it probably looks a little more appetizing…

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops:

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Now that I shared that awesome recipe, I wanted to make something a bit simpler tonight using pork tenderloins. If I don’t get the meat from the farmer’s market, I like to check out my local butcher. Shout out to Jacobson Bros Deli on Sherman Ave for having a great assortment of high quality steaks, chicken, pork, cheese, and other deli items. Prior to going to the deli I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but the butterflied pork tenderloins looked the best when I got there. I also grabbed some rice and asparagus to accompany the pork.

Since I haven’t been to my apartment in Madison for a week, I wanted to do something quick and simple. I also wanted to avoid using my oven for long periods of time, which is why I decided to grill

the pork chops. I love using McCormick Grill Mates on my meat so I used the pork dry rub for this dish then grilled the chops to about medium. Meanwhile, I preheated the oven to 425 F and washed the asparagus and broke off the ends. I lined it up on a baking sheet, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with some freshly chopped garlic, along with a little salt and pepper. I baked the asparagus for about 15 minutes, turning them a couple times while cooking. Once it was done I squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the asparagus to give it a little zing. Looked great and tasted amazing for a quick and easy weeknight meal!

The finished product:

Well that’s all for now, gotta go watch Anthony Bourdain take on Rome!