Dylan's Cooking Homework, Part II

Tonight's the night when Dylan, for his week's homework, played chef and made dinner for the family. "Bell Pepper Pork Chops" is what Dylan is calling this recipe. Last night he selected a recipe from one of my a cookbooks and we adapted, based on what we had in the cupboard.

butter

olive oil

minced garlic

sliced fennel

pork chops

sliced crimini mushrooms

dried oregano

dried dill

clementine juice

splash of red wine

tomato paste

smoked sea salt

sliced bell peppers

Melt a pat of butter with a splash of olive oil. Quickly sear the pork chops on both sides.

Remove from the pan. Sauté garlic, fennel, and mushrooms until softened.

Season with oregano, dill, and smoked sea salt. Make a sauce with tomato paste, fresh-squeezed juice from two clementines*, a splash of red wine, and more olive oil.

*Dylan took "fresh squeezed" to a new level. I turned my back for half a second, after telling Dylan to add the juice, and this is that I saw when I came back to the pan...

Place the pork chops back in the pan. Cover with the sauce. Top with sliced bell peppers.

Simmer till cooked through.

Not only did he finish his week's homework on Tuesday, that's a first, but he made a delicious dinner. I might actually get some kitchen reprieve in the future.

So proud of my lil' cooker!

Comments

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog