FRIDAY FIX..........

Yes, I know we usually blather on about cutting down on red meat and working more vegetarian dinner choices into our diets. But it's been quite a while since we posted a meat recipe (have we ever???), and this is soooo yummy, so let's take a break from veggies today.

Actually, I'm not a pork fan, but I've been in that "I'm-so-sick-of-the-same-old-stuff-for-dinner" mode lately. I needed a change. You, too?

To break out of the dinner doldrums, I decided to try pork chops (haven't had 'em in years) from Flemington Farmers' market. (I think the name of the purveyor was Purely Pork.) Pasture raised, of course. Pricey...of course. But truly lovely--1 1/2 inches thick, perfect for the grill, and extremely lean. I grabbed one of the provided recipes and gave it a shot.

How'd it go? Well, when I set these babies on the table, my husband was in ecstasy. Meat!! At last!! Actually, the whole family enjoyed this recipe. My daughter even said, "my compliments to the chef." That would be me. High praise from a 14 year-old who turns up her nose over just about anything even slightly out-of-the-ordinary.

PERFECTLY GRILLED PORK CHOPS

(for two chops--double for four, etc...)

Two large pork chops, approx. 1 1/2 inches thing (preferably local, pastured pork)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon terriyaki

1 tablespoon worcestershire

3 tablespoons vermouth (I substituted white wine)

1/2 medium onion, finely sliced

fresh ground pepper

fresh ground sea salt

brown sugar

Mix all ingredients except salt, pepper, and sugar, then add pork chops, coating well with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 1 1/2 hours, turning once or twice. Remove pork chops, reserve marinade, and pat dry with paper towl. Preheat grill. Once grill is very hot, lower one burner to medium while leaving remaining on high.

Place chops over burner with reduced heat. Grill 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes each side until internal temperature reaches 135-140 degrees. While chops are cooking, reduce marinade over medium high heat in a sauce pan on the stove top. Bring to a vigorous simmer and stir, creating flavorful gravy.

Remove chops from grill, cover lightly with tin foil and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes*.

(Note from purveyor: "We prefer to remove our chops from the grill while they are still on the rare side as they continue to cook under the foil and because pastured meats tend to be on the leaner side.")

Top chops with marniade reduction and use as a tasty gravy for sides.

*While it's important not to overcook pastured meats, I found that these chops were underdone even after sitting for 5 - 10 minutes. I put mine back on the grill over indirect medium heat for an additional 5 minutes or so to cook through. Also, I found that the brown sugar coating on the chops caused flare-ups if the grill was too hot. I suggest using medium heat, turning down if necessary--otherwise they'll char.

Enjoy!

Lisa

What The Heck Are These?

I think what I enjoy most about shopping at farmers' markets is finding unusual produce. These weird little thingies certainly fall into that category. I'd never seen them before. (They look like mini versions of the pods from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers.")

What the heck are they? Well, all I can tell you is they're called husk cherries. Just squeeze the tan, paperlike outer husk, and out pops a little yellow orb that you eat--and there's no pit! (Actually, in response to the "try one" sign at the market, I almost made the mistake of eating it whole. The whole shebang was in my mouth, husk and all. Boy, was I embarrassed!)

What do they taste like? Well, the taste-testers in my household (consisting of me, my husband, and my daughter) had differing opinions. To my palate, they were slighly sweet with creamy herbal overtones (sounds like a good red wine, right? Hmmm, husk cherry wine...) My husband chewed, shrugged and did not comment (not exactly a rave review). My daughter screwed up her face and said they reminded her of the flouride treatment she once got at the dentist (mind you, that was years ago, long before I read about the dangers of flouride. But that's fodder for another blogging session). So, that's a downright pan from the resident teenager.

So, that's that. Not exactly a hit, but interesting nonetheless. Ok, I know what you're thinking: reading this cost five minutes of your life you'll never get back. Well, look at it this way: now you know what a husk cherry is. And that's knowledge I'm sure you couldn't have lived without!

I promise tomorrow's recipe post will be a bit more interesting (DELICIOUS pork chops). And I guarrantee that husk cherries will NOT be on the ingredients list!

Lisa

(Photo: www.copyright-free-pictures.org.uk)


Catch a Buzz…..Save The Bees!

Every morning, a plump, yellow and black visitor descends upon my deck, happily buzzing around a flower-filled planter next to the slider door. This rotund fellow makes his rounds from bloom to bloom, drinks his fill, then zooms off in search of new delicacies.

Not too long ago I would have viewed this large, stinging insect as a pest, and wished him gone. But that's no longer the case. In fact, lately I’ve been having lots of warm, fuzzy thoughts about bees.

Why? Well, did you know that bees pollinate 60 percent of the food that we eat? Yep! Without them, we wouldn’t have melons, squashes, blueberries, apples, nuts, alfalfa, clover, cocoa, vanilla, mango, plums, apricots, broccoli, coffee….the list goes on and on. Suffice it to say that without bees, “life on this planet as we know it would end,” as noted in an excellent article by Tammy Toad Ryan in this summer’s Edible Jersey magazine.

Folks, bees need your help. They’re in trouble. Here in New Jersey, we’re down from 40,000 hives in 1990 to 10,000 now. Not good! You’ve probably heard about the phenomenon referred to as colony collapse disorder, where previously healthy colonies simply die off. This happens when colonies become weakened, and experts believe this is probably due to loss of food sources and the effects of toxic chemicals in the environment.

What can we do? Experts urge farms and lawns to go organic, since bees are killed when they come into contact with insect-control products that are given to plants in food, water, or soil, or when they eat the plants themselves. Says Tim Schuler, currently the New Jersey State bee inspector (how’s that for a job title??!), “the biggest threat to honeybees is the lack of forage because of changes in land use, and pesticides in our environment. The image of the perfect lawn needs to go.” Turns out that the weeds that foil our quest for the perfect lawn—like dandelions and clover—are perfect food for bees. And the pesticides we use to kill these weeds kill not only the weeds, but the bees, too. A double-whammy! Yikes!!

What else can we do? Plant a variety of flowers (wildflowers are great), to provide bees with viable sources of food. I just added three butterfly bushes to my yard—not only do the butterflies love them, the bees do, too! If anyone can recommend deer-resistant perennials and bulbs, please share!


Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……. Lisa

FRIDAY FIX....................................

Ok, carnivores, here's something that will make grilled veggies taste so delicious you might just forget there's no meat on your plate! Here's my all-time fave marinade, from the excellent cookbook "Quick Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin (first introduced to me by my pal Kelly).

It's no secret that most of us don't eat enough veggies. We need to increase our veggie intake (and eat less meat overall), so check it out! Try replacing one or two meals a week with a vegetarian/vegan option. There are lots of fabulous recipes for main courses, soups, salads, breads, muffins, desserts...and much more.

This marinade makes AMAZINGLY SCRUPTIOUS grilled veggies. I especially like it with eggplant (of course), zucchini, peppers, and especially portobello mushrooms. They're so dense and substantial, you wont miss the slab of sirloin that's NOT on your plate! It's also a nice change from Italian-style vinegar-based marinades. I don't know about you, but I'm balsamic vinegared-out!!

LEMON-SOY Marinade

1/2 cup vegetable oil (since I strongly prefer olive oil over other types, that's what I use)

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 1/2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (I've used regular and low-sodium and they're ok, too)

1 scallion, very thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, pressed (local, organic if possible! It's so much better!)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (my husband is not a ginger fan, so I reduce or omit it entirely. I love the touch of ginger, but it's still delicious without)

Mix all ingredients together. Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Note: If you're in a hurry, I find the veggies marinate nicely in as little as 30 minutes (although Lemlin says to marinate 4-6 hours). You can brush more marinade on as they grill if you wish.

Delish!! Enjoy!!

Lisa