Grape Expectations! Oh... and Pork, Too!

Per my usual Sunday morning routine, I was sitting on the sofa flipping through the barrage of magazines I receive each week - travel magazines, wedding magazines, lifestyle magazines, fashion magazines, trashy gossip magazines and of course - cooking magazines!  Well, this past Sunday morning, it was a cooking magazine week.  A few months back, Shaun cashed in a few credit card rewards points and surprised me with a subscription to a new cooking magazine (what a sweet future husband I have, I know...).  This new one was added to my rotation along with Food Network, Cooking Light and Bon Appetite.

As I flipped through the May issue of this new magazine, I was extolling to Shaun about why the magazine was such a waste to me.  4 months of reading it and I had yet to find a single recipe I actually wanted to make at home.  Sure, some sounded good, but they were a bit pretentious.  Now I freely admit, I am a professed foodie and have a tendency to be a bit pretentious with some of my meals, but this magazine made me look like a cook at your local diner.  Just as I was about to say it was a good thing the magazine was free, I came across a recipe I actually wanted to try!  I could hardly hide my shock.

I shared it with Shaun and we decided there was no better night to try our first recipe from this magazine than the present one.  We also decided to share our little discovery and (hopefully) deliciously pretentious meal with some close friends.  We immediately invited our Providence gay BFFs over for a Sunday dinner of Pork with Grapes and Tarragon, Roasted Potatoes and Tomatoes, and Steamed Broccoli with Garlic, Shallot and Tarragon.

Pork with Grapes and Tarragon

I freely admit I was a little hesitant of combining the flavors of grapes and tarragon together.  The dish was surprisingly rich for something so low in fat, though.  This is thanks in part to the tannins in red grapes.  I don't advise making this dish with green grapes though, as it will end up lacking some of the complexity, flavor and texture.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 4-ounce boneless pork loin chops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups black or red seedless grapes (12 ounces), halved
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup dry, fruity red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon

 

Roasted Potatoes and Tomatoes

• 1 1/2 pounds large red-skinned potatoes, cut into eights.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
• Salt and pepper

Steamed Broccoli with Garlic, Shallot and Tarragon

• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli crowns
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon tarragon, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees for the roasted potatoes.

Set a steamer basket over an inch of water in a deep skillet or saute pan to steam the broccoli in and bring the water to a boil.  Once the water comes to a rapid boil, add the broccoli to the steamer basket and steam the broccoli until it is bright green in color, but maintains some of its crispness, about 3-4 minutes.  Do not over steam or you will have mushy broccoli.  Set the broccoli aside, once steamed.

While the oven is preheating, heat your olive oil for the pork in a very large skillet (I use my paella pan).  Season your pork chops liberally on both sides with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Add the pork to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning once, until lightly browned and nearly cooked through, about 6 minutes.  Do not cook the pork completely, as it will continue to cook later on.  Once done, transfer the pork to a plate, cover loosely to keep warm and set aside.


While the pork is cooking, toss your potato wedges with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cherry tomatoes and your sprigs of rosemary, then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove your preheated baking sheet from the over, place the vegetable mixture on the sheet and return to the oven, roasting for 15 minutes.  Flip the mixture after 15 minutes and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.  When done, remove from the oven and place the roasted vegetables in a serving dish immediately to stop further roasting, causing the potatoes to turn mushy.  Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Once your pork is removed from the pan, add the grapes to the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Add the shallots and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.  Add the vinegar and cook until it is almost evaporated, approximately 1 more minute.  Next, add the red wine and bring to a boil over high heat until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.  This will take about 3 minutes.  Once reduced, add the chicken stock or broth and boil until this also has reduced by half, about 4 additional minutes.

As the wine and broth for the pork are boiling, heat the olive oil for the broccoli in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in the minced shallot and garlic and saute until lightly browned and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Once browned, add in the steamed broccoli and toss to reheat, about 2 minutes.  Lastly, add in the tarragon and toss to incorporate.  Remove the broccoli from the heat immediately and place in a serving dish, covered, until ready to serve.


As the shallot and garlic are sauteing, return the pork and any juices on the plate to the skillet and let simmer until the chops are just cooked, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the the pork chops to a serving platter.  Boil the sauce until thickened and somewhat glossy, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in the tarragon and pour the sauce over the pork chops.  Serve immediately.


All in all, the meal should take you approximately 30 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook.  You'll end up with about 8 servings of each. 

For plating, I used a simple square plate and neatly placed each dish on its own.  A simple presentation, leaving the varying colors contrasting nicely individually against the what backdrop.  Serve it with a glass of the red wine you have left over from the pork, it'll pair fantastically! 

Enjoy - - I know we sure did!