Рецепт Fennel-Crusted Pork Chops with Shallots and Fingerling Potatoes
The
One-Skillet Dinner is a favorite of whoever draws kitchen clean-up. And whoever is doing the cooking isn’t
unhappy about it either. Every
ingredient that goes into the one pot flavors all the others. Here we have a simple bone-in Pork Chop, a
blank canvas of ‘the other white meat’.
Anise-flavored fennel, some smoky Spanish paprika and garlic come
together in a quick 30-minute marinade for the pork. As it cooks, the pork releases some of its
juices and, along with the fennel crust, gives great flavor to both the Shallots
and Fingerling Potatoes that are added to the pot . When you serve the dish, all the flavors meld
together and your simple pork chop has become a taste that was altogether new
to us. It’s a perfect thing to serve in
the run-up to Christmas when time is at a minimum. And one of its featured elements, fennel, is
one of the most nutritious things you can eat.
Fennel, a member
of the carrot family, is Mediterranean in origin. It first grew in the dry soil
near the seacoast and on riverbanks. In
Italy, where it is called “Finochio”, it’s prized as a highly aromatic and
flavorful herb with both uses in the kitchen and as a medicine. It has a mild anise taste from its fronds to
its bulb. Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley CA, can be credited for
introducing the Fennel bulb to this country which can be sautéed, stewed,
braised, grilled or eaten raw. In this
recipe, it’s the fennel seed that’s used and the seed itself has some
remarkable health benefits. In this recipe, 1 ½ tablespoons of Fennel seeds are
a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and minerals including
calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese. Amazing,
considering that’s just a tablespoon and a half! Fennel is even said to strengthen
eyesight. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
celebrated this in his 1842 poem “The Goblet of Life”. He wrote: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Above the lower
plants it towers The Fennel with
its yellow flowers, And in an earlier
age than ours Was gifted with
the wondrous powers
Lost Vision to
restore.
And imagine! For all its wondrous powers, it makes tonight's dinner a wonderful one. I adapted this recipe
from Bon Appetit where credit was given to Alison Roman. Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Fennel-Crusted Pork Chops
with Potatoes and Shallots
If the vegetables are cut into similarly sized
pieces, they will cook at the same rate.
That allows for this entire dish-- including the sauce—to be cooked in
one pan in one hour. Serves 4. 1½ tablespoons fennel
seeds
2 garlic cloves,
finely grated
1 teaspoon hot smoked
Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons
vegetable oil, divided
2 1-inch-thick
bone-in pork loin chops (about 1¼ pounds total)
Kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper
1 pound small Yukon
Gold potatoes, quartered
2 large shallots, cut
into quarters with some root attached
½ cup fresh flat-leaf
parsley leaves
2 teaspoons red wine
vinegar
Preheat
oven to 450°. Toast fennel seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat,
tossing often, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let cool.
Combine
fennel seeds, garlic, paprika, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Season pork
with salt and pepper and place in a resealable plastic bag. Add spice mixture;
seal bag and turn to coat. Let sit at least 30 minutes.
Heat
remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over
medium-high heat. Cook pork chops until golden brown on 1 side, about 4
minutes; turn.
Add potatoes and shallots to skillet; season with salt and
pepper and toss to coat in pan drippings. Cook, tossing potatoes and shallots
occasionally, until pork is golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes.
Transfer
to oven and roast until potatoes are tender and an instant-read thermometer
inserted into thickest part of chops registers 135°, 10–15 minutes. (If
potatoes need more time, transfer chops to a plate and continue to roast
potatoes until tender; transfer chops back to skillet when potatoes are done.)
Remove skillet from oven and mix in parsley and vinegar. Let pork chops rest 5
minutes in skillet. Serve with potatoes, shallots, and any pan juices.
Do Ahead: Pork chops can be marinated 1 day
ahead. Keep chilled.