100 Recipes - #26-29
One of the motivations for doing this challenge was to actually use some of my many cookbooks that are too often ignored in favor of searching the net for what I want to make.
I started with The New Basics Cookbook:
#26 - Pork Chops and Scalloped Potato Casserole This is basically pork chops browned in the pan and then baked between layers of scalloped potatoes. But the sauce was thickened cream with garlic, mustard and thyme and it was fabulously tasty. Next time I would use more potatoes, or bake it in a smaller pan, as I think giving the pork more insulation would keep it from being slightly dry. But overall, this was a real winner.
Then I decided to try something from The California Cook. Well, three somethings:
#27 - Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic Sauce I actually didn't roast the garlic, just processed it very fine and that seemed to work well. I might try it with roasted garlic sometime and see how that changes the flavor, but today it was one more step I didn't want to deal with. The chicken really absorbed the lemon flavors and was very tender and juicier than I expected. And the sauce was intense and wonderful. Another big win.
#28 - Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Basil The recipe called for green and yellow beans, but they only had green at Wilson Farms, so I went with that. I massively increased the garlic (the recipe called for 1 clove--I put in about two tablespoons, minced) and that was great. The basil really brought out the flavors of the beans, without being very noticeable in itself.
#29 - Roasted Onions and Baby Potatoes This was a very nice, easy, different way to make potatoes. The onions and leeks sort of dissolved into mush, making a nice texture contrast with the potatoes, which were crisp on the outside and creamy inside. I think next time I would toss in some thyme or parsley when I added the chicken broth. I'm not sure this was the best pairing with the bright flavors of the chicken, but it wasn't a bad match. I think it would work very nicely with something a little richer.
Thanks to Drea and heliopsis for being game to try new things with me!
I started with The New Basics Cookbook:
#26 - Pork Chops and Scalloped Potato Casserole This is basically pork chops browned in the pan and then baked between layers of scalloped potatoes. But the sauce was thickened cream with garlic, mustard and thyme and it was fabulously tasty. Next time I would use more potatoes, or bake it in a smaller pan, as I think giving the pork more insulation would keep it from being slightly dry. But overall, this was a real winner.
Then I decided to try something from The California Cook. Well, three somethings:
#27 - Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic Sauce I actually didn't roast the garlic, just processed it very fine and that seemed to work well. I might try it with roasted garlic sometime and see how that changes the flavor, but today it was one more step I didn't want to deal with. The chicken really absorbed the lemon flavors and was very tender and juicier than I expected. And the sauce was intense and wonderful. Another big win.
#28 - Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Basil The recipe called for green and yellow beans, but they only had green at Wilson Farms, so I went with that. I massively increased the garlic (the recipe called for 1 clove--I put in about two tablespoons, minced) and that was great. The basil really brought out the flavors of the beans, without being very noticeable in itself.
#29 - Roasted Onions and Baby Potatoes This was a very nice, easy, different way to make potatoes. The onions and leeks sort of dissolved into mush, making a nice texture contrast with the potatoes, which were crisp on the outside and creamy inside. I think next time I would toss in some thyme or parsley when I added the chicken broth. I'm not sure this was the best pairing with the bright flavors of the chicken, but it wasn't a bad match. I think it would work very nicely with something a little richer.
Thanks to Drea and heliopsis for being game to try new things with me!