Latin-Rubbed Pork Loin Chops with Chimichurri

We made these Latin-Rubbed Pork Loin Chops with Chimichurri only because I was looking through my cookbooks for pork chop recipes and this one seemed to have ingredients that I already had in the house. I found it in Grill Every Day which isn't a cookbook I turn to very often, but I was flipping through it just to see if there were any other grilling tricks I wanted to learn before it's too cold to grill anymore!

I'm not sure why I haven't paid more attention to this book, because there are lots of recipes for the basics - pork chops, pork tenderloin, chicken, steaks, etc. My Mario Batali and Bobby Flay grill books - which I turned to most often this summer - have more complex and expensive recipes.

So anyways, I learned that you can have a fabulous dinner with nothing more than a spice rub and sauce both made of simple ingredients. The flavor combination of the rub and the Chimichurri is really great and we were raving about it with every bite!

We followed the instructions almost exactly, except that we made the Chimichurri in a blender instead of a food processor. And even though it looks complicated when you read it - make a rub, make a sauce, etc., I think this is one of those dinners you can have on the table in a about a half an hour. Start the coals, make the rub, whip up the sauce and get grillin'! We threw some asparagus on the grill with it and we were ready to go. Yum!

Latin-Rubbed Pork Loin Chops with Chimichurri Serves 4 4 bone-in, center-cut port loin chops, 3/4 to 1 inch think (10 to 12 ounces each) Extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup Latin Spice Rub 1 cup chimichurri Latin Spice Rub makes about 1/4 cup 1 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper Chimichurri 2 large cloves garlic 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Latin Spice Rub: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, ginger, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir well to blend. Use immediately, or transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store away from heat and light for up to 6 months.

For the Chimichurri: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar and process until the garlic is minced. Add the parsley and lemon juice and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. With the machine running, pour the 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube and process until the sauce is well blended.

For the Pork: Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium-high.

Remove the port chops from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before grilling and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub the chops on both sides with olive oil. Liberally season the chops on both sides with the spice rub. When the grill is heating, make the sauce.

To create a cool zone, bank the coals to one side of the grill or tun off the burners. Oil the grill grate. Place the pork chops directly over the medium-hot fire. Grill on one side until nicely seared, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until seared, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Move the chops to the cooler part of the grill, cover, and grill until the meat is slightly pink in the center, or an instant-read thermometer registers 145°, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

Remove the chops from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Transfer to chops warmed dinner plates and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Place the rest of the sauce in a bowl for passing. Serve immediately.



I thought this would be a good recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging because of the use of parsley in the Chimichurri. Parsley is almost an invisible herb to me - something green that a lot of Italian recipes call for. Something my grand ma told me to chew on to freshen my breath (but tasted gross so I never did). So i was impressed when this simple ingredient, that I use alot but have never appreciated on its own, was used with some simple spices and oil to make such a great sauce.

Look for more herb recipes at Healthy Green Kitchen who is hosting this week's Weekend Herb Blogging roundup.

Pork Medallions with Miso-Mushroom Sauce

I thought this was going to have an Asian flavor since it uses miso, but this is not so. Too bad because I made a few Asian side dishes and they didn't really blend all that well together. No one complained though because all of the food was so damn good!

For some reason, this dish reminds me of a classic roast beef type dinner my mom usually makes - with browned mushrooms. It's a nice hearty meal for a cool winter night. I used some organic, local, humanely killed pork I got from the farmer's market but you couldn't really tell with this one because the sauce is so heavy. At least it feels good to use those types of meats even if you can't always taste it.

Pork Medallions with Miso-Mushroom Sauce Serves 4 ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch-thick slices 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 14 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (6 cups) 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (3 cups) 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup sake, (see Ingredient notes) 2 teaspoons rice vinegar ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 scallions, sliced 1 tablespoon miso

Place 1/4 cup flour on a large plate and dredge pork slices in it, shaking off the excess.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until golden, crispy and just barely pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons flour over the mushrooms; stir to coat. Add broth, sake, vinegar and pepper and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in scallions and miso. Return the pork to the pan, turn to coat with the sauce, and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve the pork topped with the sauce.

Pork Chops with Orange & Fennel Salad

Fennel is becoming one of my favorite ingredients. There's something gourmet yet homey about cooking with it. Maybe gourmet because it has a fresh, healthy taste and homey because it reminds me of Italian cooking. Whatever it is, I like to try it out whenever I see a new recipe that calls for it.

I think fennel and orange is a classic combination and it works perfectly with the pork chops. This dish does not have any strong flavors individually, but it has a very sophisticated taste when complete. It kind of reminds me of spa food - even though you probably wouldn't find pork chops at most spas. It is fresh and light yet flavorful. My family loved it.

Pork Chops with Orange & Fennel Salad Makes 4 servings 3 naval oranges 1 teaspoon lemon juice ½ teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt, divided 4 4-ounce boneless porkchops, ½-inch thick, trimmed 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, roughly chopped or coarsely ground in a spice grinder ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced 1 shallot, chopped 3 cups watercress or arugula, tough stems removed

Remove the skin and white pith from oranges with a sharp knife. Working over a bowl, cut the segments from their surrounding membranes. Squeeze juice in the bowl before discarding membranes. Transfer the segments with a slotted spoon to another bowl. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and ¼ teaspoon salt into the bowl with the orange juice. Set aside.

Season pork chops on both sides with fennel seeds, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chops and cook until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add sliced fennel and shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add watercress (or arugula) and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the reserved orange segments, then transfer the contents of the pan to a platter.

Add the reserved orange juice mixture and any accumulated juices from the pork chops to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Serve the pork chops on the fennel salad, drizzled with the pan sauce.

Cuban Pork Chops with Mojo and Sofrito Mashed Potatoes

Last weekend I caught Guy's Big Bite on the Food Network. I've have only seen it one or two other times and each time I am super-impressed by the awesome meals he prepares. So I decided to get the ingredients and try one out. Tonight I made Cuban Pork Chops with Mojo and Sofrito Mashed Potatoes.

This is one amazingly tasty meal. Each recipe is good on its own, but they are great when put together. I have been concentrating on cooking a lot of Asian food lately, I forgot how tasty some good classic recipes can be. The pork chops are so flavorful due to the marinade followed up with a spice rub. And the potatoes really complement all the spices in the pork chops. The diced peppers in the potatoes are a really nice twist on an old classic.

It did take me over an hour to make this dinner, but I will do it again. I know my mom will love this one and I'd like to make it for her sometime.


UPDATE: The links below have been expired at the Food Network Website. I am leaving them active on this post just in case they ever come back.

You can find the recipes for Cuban Pork Chops with Mojo and Sofrito Mashed Potatoes on the Food Network website.

#71: Pork Stir Fry with Mangosteens

I was hesitant to try mangosteens after Kate from Kate in the Kitchen had a bad experience with the mangosteen juice she tried. However, I had to press on since I committed to try as many of the F&W 100 Tastes to Try as I can. While I was shopping at the Asian grocery store last week I found a large can of mangosteens, which are listed as #71 on the F&W 100 Taste to Try list.


Mangosteens are an Asian fruit that look like a little plum with a top on it. Since I got them in the can they were already peeled. They have sections like an orange and have a fleshy consistency. I think they taste like very ripe pears. They have a seed inside which is like seed in a mango.


I searched online and found a recipe for Pork Stir-fry with Mangosteens which was originally published by Sunset magazine in 1989. It is really good. The mangosteen holds up well adds a sweet little bite to the stir fry which is a nice change up from the normal stir fry with just meat and veggies.

Pork Stir-fry with Mangosteens
(serves 4)

1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.) mangosteens or longans, packed in syrup
Teriyaki sauce (recipe follows)
3/4 pound boneless pork, such as loin shoulder, or shoulder or butt
2 to 3 tablespoons salad oil
4 green onions (ends trimmed), thinly sliced
1 whole green onion, ends trimmed

Drain fruit; reserve syrup for teriyaki sauce. If made ahead, cover fruit and syrup and chill up to overnight.

Trim off and discard most fat and tough connective tissue from pork. Slice meat across the grain into 1/16- to 1/2-inch-thick strips about 3 inches long. Mix meat strips with teriyaki sauce; cover and chill at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Place a wok or 10- to 1 2-inch frying pan over high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Lift 1/2 the meat from teriyaki sauce with a slotted spoon; add to pan. Stir-fry until meat is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Lift out with slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat to cook remaining pork; add oil to prevent sticking. Add marinade, all meat and juices, fruit, and sliced onion to pan. Stir gently until boiling. Spoon onto a platter; garnish with whole onion. Warn your guests that mangosteen sections may have seeds.

Teriyaki Sauce
Stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup reserved fruit syrup (preceding; save balance for other uses), 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, and 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed.