Spring is that time of year when The Bob has many after-work commitments, including baseball practice for a team of 13 and 14 year olds in the Sandy Koufax league. So when he comes home after running the team through its paces, he's usually pretty hungry. Which was the case last night. But, since it's hard to predict his exact arrival time, it is tough to start dinner – or I have to make something that can keep warm indefinitely.
So last night when he hit the door, I didn't really have a plan. I had some thin cut, boneless pork chops that came 6 to the package. The thin cut makes them perfect for a super-fast meal. But what to do with them? I came up with a quick pan sauce with what I had in the fridge, which led me to think about some items to recommend keeping on hand for just such an occasion.
Here's what I did. This is the same technique as for any meat you're going to do a pan sauce with.
Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a big, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chops on both sides and when the oil is hot, put them in. Don't move them around. My chops were thin enough that I could basically see when they were ready to turn, which was only about 3 minutes. Flip them and cook another 3 minutes on the other side. Remove them to a plate loosely covered with foil (loose is key - you don't want them to keep cooking or they'll turn tough).
Then, from my fridge I pulled out:
Leftover chicken broth, about 3/4 cup
Butter – about 2T
A jar of capers
Dijon mustard – there was about 1T left in the jar.
Half and half
Parmesan cheese, pre-shredded from the deli
A half a lemon I had leftover from making vodka tonics
With the heat still pretty high, pour in the chicken broth. Scrape up the brown bits with a whisk and let it come up to a boil. Add the butter and stir until it's melted. Then dump in the Dijon and whisk to incorporate. Put in about 1 T of capers, or more if you like them, and stir around. Pour in about 3/4 to 1 c of the half and half. Bring back up to a boil and let it go for 2 or 3 minutes, until it starts to thicken up. Add a pretty big handful of Parmesan and stir until it melts and combines. Add a squirt or two of lemon juice and stir.
Put the pork chops back into the skillet, with the juices from the plate, reduce the heat and let them enjoy the cheesy, creamy loveliness of the sauce for about 5 to 7 more minutes, (or until they are done – depends on the thickness of the chops) turning to coat.
That's it! It was ready and on the table with a salad in about 20 minutes. And it was delish! This same exact technique and sauce would work for thinly pounded chicken breasts, too.
This meal reminded me of how great it is to be able to whip something up from staple items on hand in the fridge or the pantry. So here are a few things from this meal, as well as some other ideas, that I intend to keep around for these occasions.
• Half and half - what sauce doesn't benefit from it? A small container keeps for quite a while.
• Chicken broth – if I am down to three cans, it's an emergency. I get mine in cases of 12 from Sam's Club.
• Capers – this one may come as a surprise, but nothing "classes up" a simple sauce like a tablespoon or so of these little, salty treasures.
• Dijon – grainy, smooth, whatever, it all works.
• Parmesan – it's great for toppings, breading and sauces. I even put it in my meat loaf. The tub of pre-shredded Parm is just fine.
• Lemon – this one is harder for me to remember to keep on hand, but it added a wonderful brightness to the sauce, even with just a tablespoon or so. I never, ever use that container of plastic lemon juice – it tastes plastic, too. Better to just leave it out.
• White wine – I didn't use any in the sauce this time, but it is a nice addition. I usually have some Chardonnay around for drinking, and throw it in my sauces from time to time. You could use about 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 white wine for a little different flavor.
• Sour cream – if I had been out of half and half, I probably would have replaced it with sour cream. To me, it's a good substitute because it adds a creamy consistency. It adds a little tartness to the sauce, giving it a slightly different flavor.
Using this technique, you can whip up a sauce that will taste like it took you much longer than 10 minutes to pull together. And with a few items always at the ready, you'll feel like a celebrity chef!
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