A Trip to the Market

Cook 1: An Old Friend

Fall is a time of renewal. Although I haven't felt that nervous twist in my stomach thinking about the first day of school in several years now, I still enjoy the way Fall teases us. We know that Winter is coming when the leaves turn ochre and waft to the sidewalk, when our shadows grow long in the early morning, and when the air smells of spicy wood smoke. Rather than heed these warnings of the colder, darker season lurking around the corner, we delight in the promise of a new school year, soft new sweaters, enjoying the company of neglected friends now that busy summer schedules are winding down and...oh yes - the food! Fall, that tease, brings frost but he also brings our favorite foods and the knowing wink that it's time once again to bring out the traditional automanal spices, full force. I don't know about you, but I don't feel quite right using cinammon and nutmeg or baking off a butternut squash in April. I know I'm allowed, but I just don't think Fall would approve. Below is a recipe that celebrates the return of Fall and the promise of more cold weather recipes...and more cold weather.

I saw this recipe for restaurant-style pork chops in the New York Times Magazine section a few weeks ago and it looked too good to pass up. I made a few modifications, which is what I've posted below. I served the pork chops with an arugula salad dressed in a snappy lemon vinaigrette to cut the unctuousness of the pork and smashed butternut squash to underscore those Fall flavors.

Serves 4, Time: about 1 hour start to finish

Ingredients:

3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans
4 (1 1/4-inch thick) pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 green apples, cored
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, cored and cubed

4 cups arugula

juice of 1 lemon

1. Toss the butternut squash in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for about half an hour, until soft. Pull from oven and roughly mash in a medium bowl. Cover and set aside.

2. In the meantime, whisk together the syrup, vinegar, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

3. Place a small pan over medium heat, add the pecans and about 2 tablespoons of the maple-syrup sauce and cook for a few minutes, until the nuts are glazed. Transfer the nuts to a plate covered in parchment paper and spread them out to cool. Transfer the cooled nuts to a cutting board, chop roughly and set aside.

4. Season the pork chops generously with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Turn on the overhead exhaust fan. When the broiler is hot, broil the pork for approximately 7 minutes per side. Brush with some of the remaining maple glaze every 2 or 3 minutes, turning them frequently to prevent the sugar from burning.

5. When the chops are cooked, remove from the broiler and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, slice the cored apples into thick rounds, drizzle with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and place on the broiler pan or grill until tender when pierced with a fork. These, too, should be brushed with the maple glaze and turned frequently.

6. While the meat is resting, add the juice of one lemon and a good glug of olive oil to a medium bowl, along with salt and pepper. Whisk furiously and add the arugula. Toss to coat the leaves.

7. Top the chops with the apple slices and chopped pecans.

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Cook 2: The Best Salmon Dish Ever


This post was supposed to be about fresh fall finds at the market, but when I saw the fish counter all thought of squash and greens went out of my head and were immediately replaced by 3 words: salmon en papillote. This is the dish that got me eating salmon on an (almost) weekly basis last year and since the fish selection at the local grocery stores here is basically nonexistent I jumped at the chance. This dish is great for many reasons:

1) There are only 5 ingredients
2) It's baked in parchment (or foil...I forgot I hadn't bought parchment yet) so there are no dishes to clean up
3) It's incredibly delicious, easy and fast

Salmon en papillote (in parchment)

Ingredients:
salmon (we got about .8lb for 2 people (1 large, 1 medium) and had enough)
lemon
parsley
onion
white wine/vermouth
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice 5 very thin slices of onion, 10 very thin slices of lemon, and pull off a handful of parsley.
3. Pull out about 20 inches of parchment paper and fold it in half. Now make a heart like you did when you made valentines when you were a kid. It doesn't have to be pretty, at it's best if the top is elongated. Unfold the heart.
4. Stack the ingredients in the middle of one side of the heart: parsley, onion, half of the lemons, salmon, salt and pepper, lemons (see picture above). The stack should point towards the curve.
5. Lay the other half of the heart on top of the salmon and begin folding the edges at the bottom. The goal is to completely seal the fish so that it steams. Again this doesn't have to be pretty, and especially with parchment its always handy to have a stapler around for extra reinforcement. Stop when you have about 2 inches left at the top.
6. Pour a dash of wine or vermouth in the hole and seal up the rest of the way.
7. Place the packet on a baking tray and bake for 15-20-25 minutes. I find that the time varies widely so I start checking the firmness of the fish at around 15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, rip open in a dramatic fashion and enjoy!

I served this with oven roasted potatoes and a green salad.