The Recipe That Changed My Life

 

            When I was a teenager I was heavily involved in 4-H with dogs, horses, textiles and food preparation. As a junior in high school, I lived for the summer activities of horse and dog shows and county fairs. My first, and so far only, venture into competitive cooking came when I was sixteen. My best friend and I decided we would enter not only the baked goods category, but also a class titled "Plan a Meal".  The object was to plan the menu for a nutritious dinner, including an appetizer course and dessert; create a table setting appropriate for the meal, complete with centerpiece; and last, but not least, actually prepare the entrée.

            I had discovered a dish in the "Joy of Cooking" called Braised Pork Chops Creole. Having made it for my family several times, I decided that this would be my entry.  The day of the competition, I got up early and prepared everything. It had occurred to me earlier that I would have to transport the saucy dish from home to the fairgrounds. Borrowing mom's crock-pot seemed like a great way to keep the stuff hot.

            I arrived at the fairgrounds purposely early. There would be plenty of time for everything to re-heat. Plugging in the crock-pot, I went on about my business. When it was time for judging, I returned to my station. My place setting had earned a blue ribbon (top 10% in the 4-H world) and my menu a red. Apparently, I went a little heavy on the starch, and a little light on the green leafy vegetables.

            Now it was time for the judge to taste my dish. She sat across the table, a stack of small paper plates and plastic utensils at her side. An older lady, she had an air of friendly intimidation. Confidently, I lifted the lid to my creation. To my horror, the entire top was a pool of grease. Not knowing what else to do, I gulped and served up a portion, carefully trying to dip the sauce from the bottom. Thankfully, Madam Judge was kind. She rated the flavor of the meat as excellent, also the texture and tenderness. However, the sauce was ruined. She suggested that next time I remove the bone from the chops, and trim all possible fat.

            I didn't earn a ribbon, but I did learn something. I had not realized how much fat was hidden in the chops. I'd always served them right away, so the excess had stayed hidden within the meat. The additional heating time spent sitting in the crock-pot had released it into the sauce. Though a mildly embarrassing lesson, it was a valuable one. I have been diligent in my trimming, and always bone the chops in this dish.

            Shortly thereafter, I met my future husband. One Saturday, when we had been dating for about three months, he came over to help my Dad build a fence. I cooked dinner that night, and made Pork Chops Creole. Years later, he said that was the night he knew he wanted to marry me someday. So even in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. I imagine it still can be. Here it is, almost thirty-four years later, and it's still a favorite.

            For a really fabulous version, use smoked pork chops.

Creole Style Pork Chops                

Serves 4

4 center-cut loin pork chops, boned and trimmed well

½ cup flour seasoned with pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced, optional

1 - 15oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 - 6oz can tomato paste

3 tbsp. olive oil

Combine tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir until well blended. Pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 2.5 liter casserole. Fold the vegetables into the rest. Add a little water if necessary.  Set aside.

Trim chops of all excess fat. Rinse and pat dry. Place seasoned flour in a plastic zipper bag. Shake chops in flour, one at a time.

Heat oil on medium high in heavy skillet. Brown floured chops until golden. Remove from heat. Lay browned chops on sauce in casserole dish. Pour vegetable-tomato mixture on top of the meat.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until thickest part of chop reads 165°. 

Serve on a bed of white/wild rice blend, with a green salad.

Variation:

Use 4 fully cooked, smoked pork chops. Remove the bone, if present, trim excess fat, and reduce the baking time to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Ferry Tales

Living in the San Juans, ferry travel is just part of life. We are the only part of Washington accessible solely by water (the more southerly islands all have a bridge, and this isn’t about airplanes). County residents depend on the boats as our highway system. We plan our mainland journeys and appointments around the seasonally changing schedule, and are prepared to entertain ourselves during the hour-long ride. It’s usually easy to spot the tourists…they’re the ones with the cameras and binoculars. Locals read, sleep or work on projects.

The landing in Anacortes, a vast expanse of parking lot divided into numbered lanes with ticket booths at one end, and a passenger terminal at the other, is the gateway to the islands. A large reader-board shows time, temperature, and any pertinent announcements and warnings. Even so, there are still people who insist on using their cell phones while loading, and setting their motion-sensitive car alarms on the boat.

Being parked in the Anacortes ferry line can be like having a ticket to the theater. A hundred individual stories are playing out, all you have to do is look around.

In Lane 1, there’s a mini van, loaded down with camping gear and kayaks, heading to Lopez for a family vacation. Mom looks frazzled, Dad looks irritated, and the kids just can’t wait to get out of the car. Fortunately, it’s low tide, so there is an excellent beach to play on. They run off to look for seashells, Mom spreads lunch on the picnic table, Dad gets a cold beer out of the cooler, and all is right with their world. In the mostly empty Lane 2, a couple of kids play Frisbee and an older man walks his dog. There are never many cars going to tiny Shaw Island.

To the left, in Lane 4, a group of college-age friends waits for the Friday Harbor boat, their car stereo playing a tune with way too much bass. Their banter and laughter carries through the music. There’s little privacy in the ferry line. Much too relaxed and casual to be tourists, they have the look of island kids. It is the week of Homecoming, after all.

Lane 3 is the one that takes us to Orcas. There are two “Lane 3’s”, a left and a right, but it doesn’t seem to matter which one we get into. We will be in whichever section of the boat unloads LAST. Even so, we get on the ferry with room to spare. Tired after a long drive, we stay in the car and watch the sunset over the water, glad to be almost home.

My mother-in-law used to make this dish when we came up to visit, before we moved to the island. Hearty and deliciously kid-friendly, this can be made ahead and easily reheated. The meat is fall-apart tender.

PORK CHOP RICE BAKE
Makes four generous servings.

4 thick loin chops, boneless
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1½ cup rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1½ cans hot water

Heat oven to 400°. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and brown the pork chops slightly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the onions until golden.

Combine the rice, soups, hot water and onions. (Be sure the water is very hot, or the rice will not cook properly.) Mix well and pour into a non-stick (or well oiled) oblong baking dish. Lay the chops on top of the rice. Cover tightly and bake 60-90 minutes, until the rice is tender and the pork is cooked through. Remove cover and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 10 minutes longer to brown the top, if desired.