Friday, September 21, 2012

Asian spice-rubbed pork chops

Another fusion recipe from Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill, and a particularly good one. I used those thick-cut Niman Ranch loin chops from WF, cooking an extra one for leftovers. The rub has the usual paprika, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper, but adds ground versions of star anise, ginger and allspice. I only had whole star anise of I used the big mortar and pestle to grind it down. It was the most distinctive flavor in the rub, which is put on only one side of the oiled chops and grilled first to form a crust.

The accompaniment, keeping to the Asian theme, is a "wild" mushroom salad with soy vinaigrette. I like to clean and slice mushrooms (as long as I don't have to do it every day), so I got a mixed pound of cremini and shiitake (Flay also lists chanterelle and oyster with these two kinds, by way of example). It's not mushroom season and WF yet so those were my only two choices besides portobello. You sautee sliced shallot, minced fresh ginger and chopped garlic in some peanut oil, and the mushrooms and cook until tender, then stir them into a vinaigrette made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and toasted sesame oil, add some chopped cilantro and season to taste.

I got small portions of Brussels sprouts and stir-fried Asian style cabbage from the prepared foods table to have something else on the plate and it made a terrific weekday meal.

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