It's been a long, long time

Whew! Too long between posts. I'm making up for it with a delicious pork chop dish. I came across it leafing through a cookbook, looking for something new and fresh. Except for the pork chops, pretty much everything is a pantry staple, so it was easy to throw this together.

Pork Chops Alla Pizzaiola
Adapted from Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 pork chops, bone-in, about 1" thick
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (I used Herbs for Poultry, but Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning would also work)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• flour, for dredging

Heat olive oil in a pan, on med-high heat. Add olive oil. Season pork chops on each side with salt & pepper; dredge in flour and add to pan. Cook until thoroughly browned, about 4-5 mins per side. Remove from pan and put on a plate to rest -- cover with foil to keep warm.

In same pan, add onions and cook until just softened, about 5-6 mins. Add tomatoes, mixed herbs and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 15 mins, until sauce starts to thicken. Add pork chops back to the pan and cook with the tomato sauce, about 3-4 mins.

Serve pork chops and spoon tomato sauce on top. Top with fresh chopped parsley. We enjoyed ours with a side salad.

The End of Soup Season

Yesterday, it was 60 degrees and sunny. In typical New England fashion, today it was 30 degrees and snowing for most of the day. It's that time of year when I start to tire of roasted veggies and start dreaming about the grill and fresh fruit. Nevertheless, today's wintry weather made me wish I had some hearty soup for dinner instead of my take-out sub.

A few weeks ago, I tried Barefoot Contessa's take on Italian Wedding Soup. It was different from other versions I'd had in that:

1. It was made with chicken meatballs. I used a combination of ground chicken and sweet Italian chicken sausages and baked them.
2. The broth featured a hefty portion of dill; yes, dill!
3. Way more spinach than I'm used to seeing in this sort of soup.
4. I used my own homemade stock! Yup, 10 cups of it. I was a little worried it wasn't going to all fit in my stock pot....

It was pretty tasty overall, with just the right amount of spiciness. You can see the full recipe at FoodNetwork.com.