Tuesday, November 14, 2006

On a Whim, try something you haven't before

The other night, I had some pork tenderloin chops I needed to cook. I was trying to think of the best way to season them and looked in my pantry to find balsamic vinegar. Now, at the time I couldn't think of why I wanted to try it, but I did. I think I remembered that it would sweeten the foot as it was cooked.

So, I sprinkled some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), balsamic vinegar, worchestire, then I seasoned it with minced garlic and pepper on top of these chops. After letting that sit for a bit, I took my skillet coated the bottom with EVOO and let it get good and hot. While that was working I turned my oven up to 400 degrees farenheit. (By the way, the idea of pan searing a steak and popping it in the oven to finish it off is the best thing my wife ever got out of Cosmo.)

Once your EVOO is hot, place the chops in for 3-4 minutes on one side to sear the juices in; flip them and pop the entire skillet into the oven for approx. 6-8 minutes. (You want the pork to be done; however, they will increase in temperature as they rest out of the oven. Also, trichinosis has not been found in pork in the US in quite some time....maybe a dozen year.)

This is a great marinade for steaks too! After you cook the meat, you can add water, wine and some mushrooms to the remnant in the skillet for a great sauce.

Try it, people.....and thanks for visiting the Caddywampus Cafe

Just for everyone's information, I will be adding writers to this blog as I would love this to be as interactive as possible. I've got one contributor and would love to have more. Please welcome Timbywa when he shows up!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, I hope you keep this up. It could revolutionize my cooking life.

GODrums said...

Tried it tonight to make sure it wasn't a fluke.....it was good....did a Cabernet reduction sauce....not bad....could have used some shallots and mushrooms