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!

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