Pork Chops and Applesauce

Yes, that is a deliberate Brady Bunch reference. Served this tonight with Jaime Oliver's spicy squash, and both Hub and I drank the sauce from the plate. Seriously yum!

4 thick pork chops, bone in
1 tsp olive oil
6 med. Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsely
1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
8 oz creme fraiche

• Heat a large frying pan that has a lid.


• Add the olive oil to the hot pan, swirl, then add the pork chops


• Sear the chops on each side, about 2 minutes a side


• Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients except the creme fraiche in a bowl (or you could do that before even starting the chops, up to you)


• Lower the heat on the chops, and smother them with the apple mixture.


• Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the chops bounce back when pressed.


• Remove the chops to plates, add the creme fraiche to the apples in the pan and raise the heat


• Briefly (about 1 minute) boil the sauce to thicken it a bit...it will not be a thick sauce


• Pour the sauce on the chops, and serve

Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts & Hazelnuts

The party people are back in town! Hub and I realized recently that we just haven't had a party recently, and were feeling itchy. We spent most of the summer as gym rats and hardly cooked or entertained, instead working on our health and hotness factors. Well, now we're ready to let loose again, so we had a cocktail party last night. It was lots of fun, and the kids are getting to the point where they pretty much entertain themselves, which is a relief.

One of the dishes I made was a lovely winter squash soup -- I had first made it back in 2001 or so for the C's. Since Ms. C can't digest any milk products, this soup is perfect -- very different from most squash soups in that it is entirely vegetarian. I gave her a call yesterday to see if she still had the recipe (I couldn't find it) and she did...but I didn't get it early enough to get some of the key ingredients. Besides, my farm guy had been producing lovely acorn squash that I wanted to use instead of butternut squash. Anyway, I did a few substitutions and it was just as delicious. I'll transcribe both the original recipe and my modifications in italics.

Oh, and smooth soup is excellent for parties with an appetizer motif -- just put the soup out in a crock pot and put small cups out for sipping. It was all gone at the end of the evening, which is kind of too bad since I didn't have any leftover to take over to Ms. C, who couldn't make it to the party.

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash or acorn squash, halved and seeded
6 Tbs olive oil
1 1/4 cups chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry marsala
2/3 cup coursely chopped peeled roasted chestnuts from a jar or pine nuts, not chopped
2 cups plain soy milk
2 cups vegetable broth (I like the Pacific brand)
1 Tbs dry white wine
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, rosemary & marjoram or 2 Tbs thyme, rosemary and sage
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped since this is a garnish, I skipped this entirely for a drinking soup

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush cut sides of squash with 2 Tbs of the oil. Place brushed side down on large baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.


• Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 Tbs oil in large pot on medium heat. Add shallots; saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add marsala. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until all liquid evaporates and shallots are deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add chestnuts or pine nuts, saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop squash flesh into pot, combine.


• Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor (or use a soup wand), adding the soy milk and broth, until smooth.


• Strain the soup back into pot. Stir in wine and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead -- cool slightly, then cover and chill)


• Bring soup to a simmer. Ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Red Cabbage and Green Apple Slaw

We had the M's over tonight, along with Mr. M's parents. After our personal training session at 2:00, we swung by the store and picked up two chickens, some pineapple and a watermelon, some Granny Smith apples, corn, a couple of bags of Alexi brand frozen potatoes (they are soooo good) and various and sundry other items. Kiddo was exhausted and actually volunteered to nap (that's a first!) when we got home, so then we had three hours to ourselves to cook and clean. It was very soothing. I've taken to listening to a audiobooks on my iPod while I prep, and enjoyed finishing Christopher Moore's _You Suck_.

We rotisseried the chickens, grilled the corn, I made my famous Tzatziki dip and tried again to craft a good slaw from Farmer Fred's fabulous cabbage. This time, everyone agreed I got it right!

POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 16

Ingredients

* 3 small heads red cabbage
* 1/2 large red onion
* 3 large Granny Smith apples
* 1/4 cup peanut oil
* 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
* 2 Tbsp mustard seed

Instructions

- Slice the cabbage, red onion, and apples thinly, put into a large plastic container with a lid.
- In a small bowl, whisk the peanut oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard seeds, about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw, put the lid on the container and shake to toss.

Bagna Cauda and Raw Vegetables

Sorry it has been so long. I've been slammed at work, had some surgery, had strep throat due to the bugs in the hospital (I'm convinced), had a follow-on terrible cold for the same reason, went to Oakland for an excellent business meeting week where I had dinner with my Aunt at tha amazing Chez Panisse in Berkeley and basically have just recently come up for air.

I made this tonight for Hub and I based on the fantastic appetizer I had at Chez Panisse. Also based on the fact that we are getting so many fabulous vegetables from our farm share, and I'm loving coming up with ways to enjoy them. Not really low-fat, but everything in this is GOOD FOR YOU! and it tastes truly amazing.

I adapted the Bagna Cauda from a recipe in Susan Schneider's _A New Way To Cook_, which is a previously mentioned incredibly good cookbook...when I had the Bagna Cauda at Chez Panisse, I immediately remembered this recipe and figured it would be similar. It was honestly a near-perfect match. I wonder if Alice Waters has been reading Sally Schneider?

POINTS® Value: 10
Servings: 6 for a light meal, probably 12 for an appetizer

Ingredients
1 cup Filippo Berio Extra virgin olive oil
4 clove garlic clove(s)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 oz anchovies canned in oil, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth or vegetable broth to make it truly vegetarian
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup parsley
3 oz baby carrots
1 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow summer squash
4 small turnip(s)
1 cup green snap beans

Instructions

Slice the turnips (peeled), squash and zucchini very, very thinly and toss in a large bowl.
Peel and top the baby carrots and snip the ends off the green beans and add to the bowl, toss.
Mince the garlic, chop the anchovies.
Heat the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes over low heat until the garlic is very soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the chopped anchovies and oregano and cook for 1 minutes longer.
Add the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
Boil for 30 seconds, or until the sauce is emulsified.
Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, then pour over the vegetables.
Serve with focaccia bread for sopping.

Steak Kabobs

Poor Kiddo has a stomach virus today, but Hub and I decided to grill out just for ourselves anyway (the prior plan was to have a play date tonight including my parents and Sis, who is breezing through town during her hiatus from the Sudan). Anyway, the kebabs were very nice and very easy. A party centering around people building their own kebabs from an array of cut vegetables and meats (and tofu) works very well...we've done it in the past, as have the M's.

POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4

Ingredients

* 1 pound Beef, New York steak, trimmed, raw
* 2 cup mushroom(s)
* 3 medium zucchini
* 1 medium red onion(s)
* 1 medium yellow pepper(s)
* 4 sprays cooking spray
* 1 tsp table salt
* 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Cut vegetables and steak into cubes, thread onto 8 skewers...this can be done by each individual according to taste.
Grill over medium heat for about 20 minutes.