Once again Monday came too soon, spoiling the languor of a weekend of no commitments, and opening a week overflowing with them, as Christmas fast approaches. Thankfully my shopping is done, my tree is trimmed & I long ago gave up Christmas baking. Still there are school concerts and food bank drives, and life as usual.
I neglected to ask Emily what her plans for dinner were in the Monday morning chaos, and just took out a package of pork chops to thaw. Several hours into the morning I remembered it WAS her night to cook and I took a few minutes to run through a handful of recipes to try to find something she could tackle & enjoy making. In a Back to School issue of a cooking magazine (Taste of Home) I found one that I knew would appeal since root beer was a key ingredient..
Of course when I picked her up she had concocted some idea in her head, and when I told her I had pork chops thawed she amended her idea to become "pork chop stew". Not a terrible idea, but rather formless, which is not a good place for a beginner chef. She warmed to my idea when I explained about the root beer, as I knew she would....especially since she could drink the unused portion of the bottle I had purchased.
The recipe called for a pound and a half of small red potatoes. She was unsure how much that was, so I handed her 5 potatoes about the size of her fist. She had the peeler out, but this recipe left the skin on (a bonus to my mind! No tedious peeling!) We cut them in half (quartered the larger ones) and set them in a pot to boil.
Next came the fun part for a kid-pouring and mixing. She stirred together 1 cup of root beer, 1 cup of ketchup, a tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of chili powder and 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. The recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder but I prefer real garlic, so I minced a clove for her. Ever the aesthetic critic Emily said the mixture looked weird, but I urged her to trust me.
Into a large ziploc bag she measured 2 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper & 1/4 teaspoon of salt. In went the chops, one at a time, to be coated by shaking.
I had already begun to heat a couple tablespoons of oil in my favourite large skillet, and she placed the chops gently into the pan to brown. Once the pork chops were browned (2-3 minutes a side) Emily poured her root beer/ketchup mixture into the pan. Once it started to boil she reduced the heat, covered the pan & let the sauce simmer until the chops were done. (6-8 minutes, but ours were thick & still partly frozen, so we simmered closer to 10 minutes)
By now the potatoes were tender so I drained them for her, and coarsely mashed them with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt & pepper. Again, the recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, which I replaced by tossing a couple of cloves into the water with the potatoes.
While things were simmering away, against my advice, Emily spread her spelling homework across the kitchen floor. Thankfully there was no evidence of cooking on the pages while we discussed antonyms for words associated with space travel. Soon I heard complaints of hunger and then delight when the timer beeped. She was disappointed there was still one more step...will I ever convince her to actually read a recipe all the way through first?
I lifted the chops from the sauce to a plate, covering it with my biggest stainless steel mixing bowl to keep them warm, and turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. While I stirred Emily opened a can of corn (I would have gone with a green vegetable, like broccoli, but "we haven't had corn for a long time!") and put it in a dish to heat in the microwave..
Finally dinner was done. It was a hit, enough so there was no arguing about finishing dinner, and when I went back to the kitchen to put away the leftovers I had a request for a plate to be made for her school lunch the next day.
I suppose the day is coming when I should vacate the kitchen entirely when Emily cooks. And I can (and do) when she tackles chocolate chip cookies and French toast). It is hard not to take over. But we spent time together, and she learned about substituting real garlic for powder and what "reducing" a sauce means.
Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved
1 cup of root beer
1 cup of ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 small clove, minced)
2 tablespoons flour
salt & pepper
4 pork loin chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves cooked with the potatoes)
Place the potatoes in a large sauce pan, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & cook until tender (15-20 minutes)
In a small bowl combine root beer, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce & garlic. Set aside.
In a large resealable bag combine flour with 1/2 teaspoon pepper & 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add pork chops, one at a time, shake to coat.
In a large skillet heat oil & cook chops over medium heat, 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly browned, Drain excess fat. Add root beer mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer 6-8 minutes, until chops are done (145 F) Remove pork & keep warm. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Bring the sauce to a boil , cook until reduced by half. Meanwhile drain potatoes, mash with butter, salt & pepper. (Incidentally the sauce is pretty good on the potatoes too...)
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