Chicken-Fried Pork Steak with Ramen Crust and Buttermilk Gravy (SP)

BUTTERMILK PEPPER GRAVY

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup ham broth or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup whole milk, or as needed
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

• 4 boneless pork rib chops (cutlets)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• One 3.5-ounce package dried ramen noodles, pounded until crumbled but not pulverized
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

Gravy mise en place.

I'm pretty sure I've never made real straight up gravy before since I'm not really ever roasting large cuts of meats for the holidays or anything.  Someday.

This is more like a bechamel/veloute.  I've done that before.

Melt butter over low heat.

Sprinkle in flour and stir until smooth.  Cook off the raw flour taste but do not allow the roux to color.  I tried to go for a nutty scent, but it wasn't asking for it anyway.

Add broth, milk, and buttermilk.  Cook until it coats the back of the spoon.  Seaaon with salt and pepper.

Lee Jr says he likes his "really salty", but I was inclined toward moderation.

I apologize not showcaing the whole breading process.  But

1) Dredge pork in flour.

2) Dip in mixture of egg and whole milk.

3) Dump in the bread crumbs and ramen.  Press that stuff on.

Fry for 2 minutes on each side.

And finish them off in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

 

I was disappointed by how few likes this picture got on Facebook, but I understand that it doesn't look like the prettiest dish I ever made.

I totally dig chicken-fried stuff myself.  Ramen only makes things better and it's cool to have a "gravy" that came together really easily.  I can't be bothered to make sides most of the time so I just microwaved those veggies in a bag.

Pork Chops with Vinegar and Peppers (CATKTV)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup table salt, plus more to taste
• 4 (8-10 ounce) bone-in rib loin pork chops, 1/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
• Ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 medium sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, plus 2 tablespoons to finish the sauce (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves [Didn't have this on hand at the time though I do now after the next recipe I'll blog about]

Dissolve sugar and salt in 2 quarts water.  Brine chops in fridge for 30 minutes.

Mise en place.

Browned chops.

Cook onion until just beginning to soften.  Do the same with the peppers added in with anchovies and rosemary.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add water and vinegar and reduce.

Nestle in the pork chops and cook in a 400 degree oven until center of chops registers 140 to 145 degrees.

Swirl butter into the sauce and peppers.

Another punchy, vinegar-infused Italian this though this time enriched with butter.  Pork chops were quite moist.

Didn't do a side dish, but I had salad and a bit of the Tuscan stew still on hand.

Quick Posole (Pork and Hominy Stew) (FM)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 center-cut loin pork chops, about 1 inch thick
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 pound kale, collards, or other sturdy greens (stems are fine), chopped
• 3 cups cooked or canned hominy, liquid reserved
• 1 bunch radishes, chopped or grated, for garnish

I couldn't find canned hominy so I simmered dried hominy for about 3 hours in enough water to cover it.  Not so quick from scratch.

Cooked hominy (probably more than 3 cups worth) and its cooking liquid.

Mise en place.

Brown the pork chops.

Then saute the onion and garlic until softened.

Add the pork chops, greens, hominy and 2 cups of its liquid and cook until pork and greens are tender.

Cut pork in bite-sized pieces.

 

A pretty good, flavorful dish overall though I think I'm beginning to hanker for something richer.