Greek Pork Chops

I was looking for something to do with pork chops, and since Bruce had made Hummus as an appetizer, I wanted something Greek. I found a recipe (I can't remember the site), and modified it a bit.  I also made lemon potatoes, recipe another time (once I figure out how to get the lemon flavour without quite so much tartness).

4 medium thick pork chops (I used boneless)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 roasted red pepper
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup crumbled feta

Chop roasted pepper (you can use a jar, I roasted mine (and used a yellow one)), mix with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and parsley. Mix flour with pepper and cayenne. Dredge pork chops in flour, brown in oven-proof skillet, 2 minutes per side. Pour red pepper mixture over chops, bake at 400F for 5 minutes, covered. Add feta and bake 4-5 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.

Jambalaya

I have this recipe for jambalaya from a Frugal Gourmet cookbook Bruce's uncle gave us years ago. It is very involved and takes pretty much all afternoon to make, as it guides you through making stock and everything. I've modified it through the years, it still takes a bit of time, but is more of a weekend meal when you have time to let things simmer.

Jambalaya

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion
2 pieces of celery
½ green pepper
½ red pepper
2 cloves garlic
5 green onions
3 large tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb sausage
2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup ham
1 cup uncooked rice

Chop vegetables into 2cm pieces. Heat oil; add onion, peppers, celery and garlic and sauté until tender. Add green onions and tomatoes and cook until soft. Add tomato paste and spices, heat through, then add 2 cups stock and simmer this gravy for 15 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite size pieces and brown in a frying pan. Discard grease, place sausage into gravy. Deglaze the frying pan with the remaining stock and pour into gravy. Add rice, chicken and ham and simmer 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked. Stir occasionally and you may have to add a little more stock or water to finish the rice.


This is a great winter meal, very hardy. If you had leftover sausages, it would save you that step.

Marinated Flank Steak

This is a recipe that I got from my mother. It is wonderful with a flank steak. I used to request this for my birthday supper when I was in my late teens/early twenties.

½ cup red wine
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup liquid honey
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp rosemary
½ tsp dry mustard

Mix all ingredients together and marinate flank steak for 12-24 hours. Grill until medium rare, slice thinly across the grain and serve.

Leftover steak slices (if you have any!) are great with a salad for lunch, or in a sandwich.

Chicken Diane

I got this recipe back in university. I usually serve it with rice because I like the sauce. It is pretty simple, only takes about 20 minutes to get it ready (about the time it takes to cook rice).

4 boneless chicken breasts
fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives or green onions
juice of 1/2 lime (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp brandy
3 tbsp fresh parsley (1 tbsp dried)
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp butter

Pound chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap (I often just cut the chicken into smaller pieces). Sprinkle with fresh pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Cook chicken over high heat for about 7 minutes per side. Add chives, lime juice, brandy, parsley and mustard to pan (I mix these together while the chicken is cooking). Cook 15 seconds, scrapping up the pan drippings. Whisk in broth, then butter. Stir until butter melts. Serve, spooning sauce over chicken (and rice, if you want)

Meat Loaf

I never liked meatloaf when I was growing up. I could barely choke enough down to please my parents. Then a friend served me some made with mozzarella cheese and ham. Wow! What a revelation! I found this recipe in the newspaper a couple of years later, and have been making it regularly since. It is a hit with the kids.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs or oatmeal
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley
4-5 slices cooked ham
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Blend all ingredients except ham and 1/2 the cheese. You can play with the amount of tomato sauce and bread crumbs so that you have moist mixture that will hold its shape. Spread on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Lay ham out on top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and roll up like a jelly roll (removing plastic wrap as you go). Place seam side down on a baking sheet and cook at 350F for 45 minutes.

It can be a bit challenging to get this to roll, I usually end up with more of a fold-in-thirds look. I like to serve this with rice, but potatoes or pasta are tasty, too.