Ketching Up

Yes, I know that it's been some time since I last blogged about it, but life goes on still. Let me bring you up to speed.

About a week ago we thought we'd be having a baby join our family and I was making Iron Chef-inspired pork chops with corn on the cob. I can't tell you much more about the baby, since she still hasn't come (despite today's due date), so I will tell you about the meal.

We were watching one of the more interesting episodes of Iron Chef that I've seen. Typically the show brings in some obscure, often-ignored ingredient to challenge the chefs, but this time it was berries (although some were not actually berries, botanically speaking). Of course, Mr. Bobby Flay created a spicy/fruity BBQ sauce for one of his meals and I thought, how simple... and delicious. It just so happened that we had a bunch of berries nearing their end in the fridge as well as some pork chops that Jackie's family decided not to eat that night. It was a match made in heaven.

I breaded the pork chops with crumbs and parmesan cheese, then pan fried them in olive oil to a perfect crisp. They were still juicy and tender, just the way they should be. While that was going I cooked up a sauce involving garlic, molasses, ketchup (yes, that's the only tie to the title), raspberries, and I don't know what else. After letting it simmer, we strained it through a screen to dispose of the bulky junk like seeds and finally poured it over the chops. Wow! So good. It was an excellent combination of flavors. Not to mention the cobs that Jackie boiled up were perfectly ripe and juicy. It was a great twist on a hearty family classic.

Maybe next week I can tell you all about the baby... let's hope.