Buried – Two Cabbage Braised Pork Chops & Happy New Ride Year

Cabbage and pork chops – two of the “good fortune” foods to eat on New Years Day. We did have our blackeye peas w/bacon, cornbread, ham and other fixins. Now lookin at a ham is boring so I’m sharing what I scrounged together earlier in the week but it still fits the holiday theme. The gentleman selling veggies on the former Beverly theater lot had lush heads of cabbage – perfect because they keep well in the refrigerator; just hack off a wedge when the scrounge mood strikes. I have various cuts of salvage grocery pork in the freezer so it has become the meat of choice lately. Did you know why people in the deep south ate more chicken and pork than beef? Before refrigeration was available, it was best to eat what you killed very soon. Small critters like chickens and hogs could be eaten in a day or two, before they could spoil.

Two Cabbage Braised Pork Chops (serves 2)

Seasoned pork chops

Sprinkle two pork chops (boneless loin here, but other types are OK) with black pepper and “pork chop seasoning” (I use Penzeys). You can create your own with salt, garlic powder, white pepper, onion powder, and ground ginger. Yes, I know “seasoning” in culinaryspeak is salt and pepper but lets go with the common usage for sake of brevity. Heat a skillet to medium; spray with food release.

Brown the chops for 2-3 minutes per side.

Pork chops browning

Cabbage mixture over pork

Plated pork chop with cabbage

Slice green cabbage into 1/2 inch ribbons and break up slightly. If you’re in a hurry, precook the cabbage in the microwave for 3 minutes before adding to the pan. Put the cabbage and 1/2 cup drained red cabbage (the sweet/sour kind) over the pork chops, mix together gently with a fork. Be sure to bury the chops! Turn the heat to low/simmer.

Now take a cheap bottle of sherry and mix 1/2 cup with 1/2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (my Mama’s anti-white cabbage trick). Pour it over the cabbage mixture. If you don’t have a cooking wine or don’t want it, substitute with chicken stock, water, or cider. Cover the pan and cook until the cabbage it tender, about 20 minutes. Serve with a green veggie for plate appeal. French bread or cornbread, pour some wine and you be done! My cornbread recipe will be in a future post. Toast the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR RIDE!

Hey Mr. Mike

Actually two Mr. Mikes taking a ride on my rig. First ride of the New Year!

by scroungelady on January 2, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Motorcycles, Nutrition, Recipes

Tagged braise, cabbage, green cabbage, New Year, pork chops, red cabbage, sidecar, wine

Posted by scroungelady on January 2, 2012

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2012/01/02/buried-two-cabbage-braised-pork-chops-happy-new-ride-year/

Pork chops with Port & cherries

Need a break from turkey? Yeah, I love it but even scrounges need variety. No recipe reference today. I made this one up.

Pork chops with Port & dried cherries

2 4 oz boneless pork loin chops

1 tsp pork chop seasoning – I use Penzeys

1/4 cup port wine (just use the cheap stuff)

1 Tbsp (or splash) of balsamic vinegar (optional)

2 Tbsp dried cherries

Spray a frying pan with food release. Heat the pan to medium. Sprinkle chops with pork chop seasoning (see www.penzeys.com). Brown chops 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium-low; remove pork chops from pan. Cover chops and let rest (I use one of the dinner plates and cover with the frying pan lid).

Browned seasoned pork chops

Add the port, cherries, and balsamic vinegar (if using) to the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Adjust heat as needed; the liquids should bubble slightly but not so fast everything evaporates. Remove the pan from the heat if necessary. Allow the liquids to cook to a syrupy consistency. Turn off heat and get your silicone spatula ready.

Uncover and divide chops one per plate. Scrape the sauce mixture over the chops. You can be fancy and “nap” the sauce or just scrape it out. Tastes the same either way. Serves two; ingredients can be adjusted for the number of people you’re serving. For this meal we had baked sweet potatoes, broccoli, and french bread. Red wine to drink. I’m not a big fan of gadgets. A few simple tools work just fine. Learn to use your hands (washed) too.