Category: Entrees

Known to his friends as something of a globe trotter, Forrest Terrell loves to travel. But, when at home in Annapolis Maryland, he enjoys cooking and listening to jazz – usually simultaneously.

A widower since 2007, he enjoys heading to the West Coast to take in jazz events or visit family….. or indulging in long-dreamed of trips. He’s visited India, Russia, China, Japan and Thailand.

He first developed a taste for travel on work-related trips . But the international travel bug bit when he and his late wife Claire celebrated an anniversary in Rio de Janeiro. Subsequent trips to Budapest, Prague and Vienna in honor of Claire’s Hungarian heritage were followed by a trans- Atlantic cruise ending in London. Between trips, Forrest satisfied his wanderlust through travel to Amsterdam as a courier delivering documents and participating in educational adventures including a wildlife expedition to Kenya.

His culinary adventures began of necessity when Claire – a magnificent cook with a flair for entertaining – passed away. Fortunately, she left an immense book of recipes behind – a veritable treasure trove of good things to eat – that Forrest relies on.

Preferring to make simple dishes using the freshest ingredients and best meats, he’s chosen a recipe called 1+1+4+4 Pork Chops to share with us. They are quick, reliable and easy to make whether serving two or four people. We’ve chosen to prepare the recipe for two.

1+1+4+4 Pork Chops

• 2 one-inch pork chops (boneless or bone-in as mine were)
• Salt, pepper or fresh herbs to taste (I added a bit of fresh thyme and rosemary)
• 1 Tablespoon of oil if needed (optional)

Forrest emphasizes that a one-inch chop is crucial to the success of the technique of searing the meat to seal in the juices and cooking through in a prescribed amount of time to retain moisture and tenderness. He buys his at The Amish Market in Annapolis.

Place your 1-inch thick pork chops on a plate or non-wooden cutting board. Pat them dry and lightly salt and pepper. I chose to add a bit of fresh thyme and rosemary from my garden.

Preheat the pan in which you are going to cook the chops. If using a cast iron skillet like the one I chose, heat the pan until a droplet of water sizzles on the surface. You may add up to 1 Tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil if you feel it is needed. Add the chops.

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Over high heat, brown the first side of the meat for exactly 1 minute. Turn and cook exactly one minute more. Turn the chops again , reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 4 minutes. Turn the chops for a final time and cook 4 more minutes.

Transfer the pork chops to a cutting board . Cover and set aside to rest while you prepare your side dishes. (Once they’ve rested, they may be sliced or not.) I like to serve them with roast potato slices Sharon Lee style along with Brussels Sprouts and green peas. The sprouts are steamed in a saucepan with an inch and a half of water, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch each of sugar and red pepper flakes, salt to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice. The potatoes are a simple creation of my own that require a bit more work. Here’s the recipe.

Sharon Lee’s Roasted Potatoes

• 2 medium to large potatoes washed and sliced (skin on)
• 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil combined with fresh thyme, parsley and sage
• Salt and/or pepper to taste

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 Tablespoons of olive oil with torn leaves of thyme, parsley and sage. Lay potato slices on a cookie sheet. I use an old standby that’s not pretty but works great. ( If you have a nicer cookie sheet that you’d like to use you can cover it with aluminum foil.) Coat with olive oil mixture. Place in oven to roast and watch carefully. Cook between 7 and 9 minutes on one side. Flip to other said and cook another 7 to 9 minutes. (Both sides will then be golden brown.) Remove from oven and serve.

Forrest serves his pork chops with one of two sauces

Bourbon and Mustard Sauce

• 1/2 cup bourbon (or other whiskey)
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons honey or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• black pepper to taste

Deglaze the pan in which you cooked the chops by adding the 1/2 cup of bourbon and stirring for l minute. Reduce heat to low and add mustard, honey Worcestershire and pepper and cook, stirring, till warmed through.

Apple Cider Pan Sauce

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simply deglaze the pan in which the chops were cooked with the cider vinegar and cook over medium heat, stirring from the bottom, until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper.

I chose the latter recipe and set the table and poured a couple glasses of wine while it reduced. Then I retrieved my resting chops, plated them with the vegetables and pulled up a chair. They were delicious!

For years, I tried to come up with an acceptable meatloaf…..my husband John’s favorite comfort food. I failed.

My original attempts were based on a basic cookbook recipe and tips from my mother (who made fabulous meatloaf but never relied on a recipe).

I had the basics right.  I used ground beef and/or ground pork, chopped onion, chopped celery, crumbs of some sort, a squirt or two of ketchup and an egg to hold it together.  But my meatloaf was consistently bland.

A decade later it finally occurred to me to ask my mother what I could be doing wrong.

“Did you add the grape jelly?” she asked.

Flabbergasted, I wondered if I’d heard her correctly but took her suggestion to heart.  I didn’t have any grape jelly but added a teaspoon of sugar to my next meatloaf with amazingly good results.  The sugar balanced the other ingredients.

I next copied the technique of sauteing the chopped veggies before adding them to the meat from a local chef.  The recipe I ended up with for “savory” rather than sweet meat loaf follows.

It’s simple to make though I add many herbs and spices.  You’ll note that this meatloaf is not coated with a tomato-based sauce because it’s delicious without.

               Sharon Lee’s Savory Meatloaf

(Serves 4)

1-1/2 or 2 pounds ground beef (or half ground beef and half ground pork)

Bread crumbs – Two handfuls  (Grind my own but can be purchased)

Chopped onion (equivalent to two tablespoons)

Chopped green pepper ( equivalent to two tablespoons)

Chopped celery (equivalent to two tablespoons)

Two or three dashes of salt from shaker

1 teaspoon sugar

Fresh or dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, and parsley

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Dash of poultry seasoning

Dash of onion powder

Two or three dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Two or three dashes Soy Sauce

1 egg

2 dollops of ketchup

First, find a large bowl or pan to mix the ingredients in  (I use an old sheet pan). Arrange the ground meat in the pan. Add two handfuls of breadcrumbs.  Chop the onions, peppers and celery.

 

Next, saute the onions separately in some olive oil.  When translucent add them to the meat and breadcrumbs.  Add a bit more olive oil to the pan. Saute the green peppers and add them to the meat mixture.  Saute the celery and add it as well.

Add seasonings beginning with two shakes of salt (or to your taste). Next add the all-important teaspoon of sugar and your favorite herbs.  I like oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  If fresh, strip from stems.  If dried, rub pinch or two between your fingers to release the oils.

For great flavor, add a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of poultry seasoning and a pinch of onion powder followed by two dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and two dashes of soy sauce.

 

 

Finish by adding one egg and two dollops of ketchup.  Then mix everything together with your hands.

 

Move the meat mixture to a loaf pan.  Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Half way through cooking, pour off accumulated fat.  Place back in the oven until the meat loaf appears firm and the top is nicely browned.

You can bake potatoes along with the meatloaf for an easy meal or prepare the easy-to-make turmeric rice.  (Recipe below.)

                                           Turmeric Rice

1 cup white rice

1 clove garlic smashed and chopped

1 teaspoon roughly diced onion

2 tablespoons diced red pepper

2 tablespoons diced mushrooms

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Quarter teaspoon of turmeric (or more according to your taste)

Add rice to saucepan and rinse several times until water runs clear.  Drain rice and press toward side of saucepan.  Add olive oil and saute garlic, onion and red pepper and fold the rice into the oil with the veggies.  Add the mushrooms followed by the 2 cups of water and teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer until the water has evaporated and the rice is done.