Grilled Pork Chops with Rosemary and Sage

I spoke a little about my hesitance in using rosemary in a post last week. I am glad to say, however, that I am a true convert now. The Rosemary and Mandarin Muffins I made then were a delightful surprise and as I mentioned in that post, I used the remainder of that fresh rosemary to marinate a few pork chops, which also turned out great.

I must admit I was initially inspired by a recipe I read on Epicurious that called for using fresh rosemary, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, white wine and olive oil on a large pork shoulder roast. The end result sounded divine, so I fiddled with the ingredients to make my meager pork chops--leaving out the fennel seeds, I used rosemary, sage, garlic, coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, white wine and olive oil to make a paste, which I rubbed into the pork chops. Having the leisure to, I let the pork chops marinate overnight and then grilled them on a stovetop grill pan. The trick here, of course, is to heat the grill pan really well, get a good sear on the pork chops and shy away from overcooking (I seared them about 7 minutes per side). The flavors were great and the chops turned out pick-the-bones-and-gnaw-at-them good.

I squeezed a bit of lemon on top just before serving and accompanied these flavorful bone-in pork chops with a creamy orzo with peas (much of the goodness of risotto, with a little less TLC required--and a dish I'll post about a little later).

Pork Chops with Rosemary and Sage

Makes 6 Pork Chops

2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil

6 bone-in pork chops

Place the first seven ingredients in a food processor and pulse until paste-like and well combined. Rub the mixture into both sides of the pork chops and set aside for a few minutes (or if marinating, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight).

Heat a grill pan til very hot and sear pork chops over medium-high heat until just cooked through (about 7 minutes per side). Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over and serve.

November Royal Foodie Joust

Acorn squash, orange and sage. At first glance, the ingredients seem easy enough--three fall flavors that should effortlessly complement each other. But when I started to tackle this month's Royal Foodie Joust, my first, I realized the task at hand was a little harder than I had imagined.

My first instinct was to make a souffle. Then I thought of a creamy soup. But as visions of Thanksgiving fare danced through my head, I ultimately settled on these acorn squash rings brushed with an orange-sage butter and filled with an apple and sausage stuffing. It's a great dish that can easily be done with or without the sausage and makes for an elegant side dish on any fall dinner table. I'm already planning a slightly different version to take the place of traditional stuffing at our own Thanksgiving feast.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, this blog's Nona (Godmother), Ivy of Kopiaste, passed on to me this award which I am extremely thankful for:

I'd like to pass this award on to all the blogs I've been trying to keep up with as they are all so deserving of it!

Sausage & Apple-Filled Acorn Squash Rings with Orange and Sage Butter

Makes 4 servings

5 tablespoons butter

4 to 5 sage leaves, finely chopped

Zest of 1/2 an orange

1 pound sausage, casings removed

4 shallots, chopped

2 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, diced

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Juice of 1/2 orange

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 large acorn squash, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch-thick rings, seeded

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and stir in sage and orange zest and set aside. Heat skillet and when hot toss pine nuts in and toast until fragrant and golden. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Brown sausage in hot skillet, all the while breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Remove sausage to a bowl. Add shallots to skillet along with last tablespoon of butter and saute until soft. Add apples, broth and orange juice. Saute until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, stir in sausage and season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet. Place squash on baking sheet and brush each ring with orange and sage butter, sprinkling with salt and pepper to taste. Place filling in center of each ring. Drizzle with remaining orange and sage butter. Cover loosely with foil and bake until squash is tender about 35 minutes.