Baked Pork Chops

(Adapted from www.tasteofhome.com) 

Phew, time for some recipe catch-up, here! I have three great recipes that I'm excited to post, and I'll start with these, probably easiest possible pork chop recipe I could find. I've gone on before about how I wasn't a pork chop fan, then I bought some because they were so cheap, and now I buy them regularly because they're not only cheap, but they can actually be quite juicy and delicious.

This recipe is a perfect example. These were so juicy and the flavor - and the smell wafting out of the oven - was fantastic. I wasn't sure about dipping the chops in milk - but it turned out great. And seeing as how I picked this recipe by googling "pork chops", then narrowing down the list until I found something fast that used only ingredients I had left around the house at the end of the week, you can probably make them without a trip to the grocery store.

I almost forgot about the side - I just sauteed a little garlic in olive oil and then added some eggplant (half-skinned, chopped, salted, and rinsed first) and chopped tomato and let it all sautee and simmer together. Unfortunately, I can't remember if I put some onions in there or not, too...from the photo, looks like maybe I did!


The ingredients listed are for four chops, but I made two and just had some left over. Since the ingredients are mostly for dipping, you can choose how much or how little you want.


1/4 cup fat-free milk 
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I think this is the secret ingredient)
1/8 teaspoon pepper 
2 center cut bone-in pork chops

Preheat oven to 375. Put the milk in a shallow bowl. In a shallow bowl or rimmed plate, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Dip each chop in the milk, then dip in the bread crumb mix to coat.

Place the chops in the oven on a baking sheet (cover the baking sheet with tin foil to save a mess; spray with cooking spray if you have it, which I didn't). Bake at 375 for about 10-11 minutes on each side.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ooh, this was a hit. If you haven't had this before, think of it as a breakfast pasta - except not gross, like that sounds.

This is my mom's favorite dish when we visit Rome. I gotta say, she's got good taste. This was my first stab at making this meal, and I'll definitely make it again. I made it up as I went - I added shallots, for one, which is probably a no-no in Rome - but hey, it tasted good, and that's really what this is about, right? Oh, and it's fast. It's about that, too.

Timing is somewhat important with this - you want the pasta to be hot when you add the egg to it, so the pancetta and shallots should be ready by the time the pasta is done.

So, here's what you need:
1 lb spaghetti
4 eggs
A few splashes half and half
1 tbsp olive oil (roughly)
1/2 or 1 whole shallot, minced
3 oz pancetta, diced
1/2 tbsp butter (roughly)
1/4 or 1/2 cup pasta water
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (or romano, or a blend)
Ground black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, if you're Joef

And here's how it goes together:
Start the water boiling for the pasta, add pasta when boiling. In the meantime, whisk the four eggs together in a separate bowl, and mix in a few pours of half and half. Set that aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter melts, then add the shallots and the pancetta and stir. Add a little black pepper, let it cook a bit, then turn to low so that the bacon can render its fat. When the spaghetti is done and drained, add it directly to the pancetta in the pan (it can still be on low heat, if you're paranoid about the egg like me), and immediately add the egg mixture, pouring it over the pasta in the pan. Now mix that all together, watching the egg cook as it coats the pasta. When that's all mixed, mix in the cheese and the pasta water to keep it from getting too dry, again coating all the pasta. Top with ground black pepper to taste.

Linguine with Peas, Pancetta, and Parmesan

Time to get back to what I know, for goodness sake! Way too long since I had pasta. This was an experiment, and it turned out pretty tasty. Here's what it takes:

3/4 lb linguine
3-4 tbsp butter
1 pkg pancetta, diced
1/2 package frozen peas, thawed
Red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus to taste for serving
Black pepper to taste

(Boil the water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.)

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Before the foam subsides (or after, I suppose), add the pancetta. Stir it around in the butter for a few minutes, then add the peas. Stir that all together until the peas are tender and well-heated. Add red pepper flakes - earlier if you want the pasta hotter, later if you don't. Add pinch of pepper, and salt if you'd like (taste it first, since the pancetta and the parmesan should provide more than enough saltiness). Turn heat to way low.

Add the now-cooked pasta to the peas and pancetta, and add the reserved pasta water if it seems dry. Mix in the parmesan cheese and toss together. Remove from heat and serve.