Menu ideas for the week: pork chops, corn risotto, shrimp scampi - Tampa Bay Times

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Here’s a look at some of the things we’re putting on our tables.

Sunday

Pork chops: Last week, a reader emailed asking, “Do you ever just fry a few pork chops and serve with instant mashed potatoes and storebought bread?” Yes, I do. While I like to cook, we all have days when planning, prepping and preparing dinner is just not in the cards. Pork chops are a great option. This week, I bought boneless pork chops. (I usually prefer bone-in chops for the flavor but these are easy and my family doesn’t seem to care.) I brought the chops to room temperature and then seasoned them liberally with Italian seasoning and herbs and lots of salt and pepper. I got my cast-iron skillet really hot with olive oil and then dropped the pork chops on the sizzling heat. It usually takes about 4 to 5 minutes per side. I use a meat thermometer and make sure they are around 135 degrees before I take them off the stove. I let them rest long enough to reach at least 145 degrees. I did serve them with refrigerated mashed potatoes from the grocery store because years ago our Taster’s Choice food panel tasted several options before Thanksgiving and we loved the premade mashers, made with russet potatoes, heavy cream and butter. One of my children prefers them to my own, homemade mashed potatoes. I had some frozen broccoli and frozen dinner rolls to serve on the side.

Monday

Pesto chicken: With extra basil growing in my countertop garden, I make a lot of pesto. I smothered some of it over four boneless chicken breasts that I had seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees for about a half-hour before adding a bunch of halved cherry tomatoes to the sheet. Then I let the chicken and tomatoes roast another 20 minutes. I always check the temperature of chicken to make sure it reaches 165 degrees before serving. I usually remove it from the oven a few degrees shy of that and let it finish while resting.

Pesto chicken. [ Kathy Saunders ]

Tuesday

Sheet pan steak and potatoes: I had a 1.5-pound flank steak and a bunch of baby potatoes that turned into a lovely dinner for my family. I even had enough to take to a friend who is recovering from the coronavirus. I found a recipe on delish.com that required cooking the steak completely under the broiler. I was skeptical but it worked. I par-boiled the potatoes and then tossed them with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. I cut the larger ones in half and then scattered all of the potatoes on a baking sheet. I seasoned them well with salt and pepper. I did the same thing to the flank steak and added a little balsamic vinegar. I nestled the steak in the middle of the potatoes and put the leftover rosemary sprigs around the pan. The recipe says to broil the dish for 4 minutes per side. My steak was a little thick so it took about 8 minutes. I turned it over halfway, and it was perfectly medium rare.

Sheet pan steak and potatoes. [ Kathy Saunders ]

Wednesday

Crispy baked shrimp scampi: This is my new favorite dish. I’ve seen chef Ina Garten make this in the past, but never tried it until I had a bag of frozen, uncooked shrimp that I wanted to finish up. First, I mixed the shrimp with lemon, white wine, shallots, melted butter and salt and pepper. Then I placed the shrimp in a circle around the edges of a round oven-safe pan. On the side, I mixed panko bread crumbs, melted butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. I sprinkled that crumb mixture over the shrimp and baked it at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. I served it over rice with a side of asparagus. I can still taste the garlicky goodness. Ina Garten’s recipe can be found at foodnetwork.com.

Thursday

Corn risotto: Laura Jolly from our Taster’s Choice food panel has a flair for food and a website full of recipes (politicsandprovisions.com) that have been favorites in my household. I had fresh corn on the cob, and I have a daughter who loves risotto, so I made Laura’s recipe for corn risotto. While I serve risotto regularly, I had never tried the twist at the end of this recipe. Laura whips heavy cream into stiff peaks and then folds it into the finished risotto for a light and fluffy texture. It was divine.

Friday

Hot dogs and homemade potato chips: Friday was opening day for the Tampa Bay Rays, so we celebrated with traditional ballpark fare. I grilled the hot dogs and then used a mandoline to slice four, large russet potatoes into almost-see-through slices that I soaked in cold water. I dried them all out on paper towels just before frying them in vegetable oil heated to 400 degrees. I use a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature. They fry within 3 to 4 minutes, and then I transfer them to paper towels and sprinkle them heavily with coarse salt. For a special treat, we ordered some home team baseball-themed cookies from Madison Lowe, wife of Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, and her new business, Sweet and Lowe Bakery (sweetandlowebakery.com).

The Link Lonk


July 25, 2020 at 12:15PM
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Menu ideas for the week: pork chops, corn risotto, shrimp scampi - Tampa Bay Times

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