Tuesday, March 3, 2009

In the Pink with Blues

I am so longing for this:


But the reality is this:


The weather says comfort food. My inner lotus says, "feed me spring." The inside of my freezer still has berries and tomatoes picked from last summer. One cannot let that go to waste. It suddenly became imperative that I use my summer bounty up immediately. So I made a start:
Pork Chops with Blueberry Sauce: adapted from Weekend Light Menus
It's hearty enough for the days that hover around zero. With a savory, bluesy sauce that promises to put me in the pink. You need:
2T olive oil
4 pork chops
1 shallot - minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1-1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
1/2 cup beef broth
1T balsamic vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Saute pork in heated oil in large saute pan. Under high heat, cook for about 4-5 minutes per side (basically - till done). Transfer chops to another plate and keep warm. Add shallots to pan and stir 30 seconds. Deglaze pan with red wine. Simmer until most is evaporated. (I simmered it down to 1/4 cup - I like the wine in the sauce. I'm also not adverse to wine in the glass.) Stir in blueberries, broth, vinegar, brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until blueberries begin to burst and sauce thickens - about 5 minutes.
Off heat, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper. (I did not use the butter; I'd like to admit that it was in the interest of good health - but I forgot.) Put chops on platter, cover with blueberry sauce. Serve. Eat.

The blueberry sauce kept good company with some noodles.

What can I say? It put a spring in my step? Now I'm staring at the frozen tomatoes and frozen red peppers. Sigh. At least it's summer in my freezer.


4 comments:

Sara said...

That blueberry sauce looks great. My grocery store has asparagus, I am so excited! I love root vegetables and all, but I'm definitely ready for spring to come, especially in the kitchen

Anonymous said...

Hi Claudia, I'm so glad you stopped by and left your comment. I happen to have pork chops in the fridge to make for tonight's dinner and guess who's recipe I am going to use...:-)

And yes, I too am anxious for springtime.

Anonymous said...

Fatto! Era molto buona.

Claudia said...

Cio e meraviglioso! (Only had 6 weeks of Italian 1 and they don't seem to be ofering Italian 2 - so am limited - who knows what I said?) But glad you enjoyed the recipe. Dreaming of Italy and spring.