Pork Night

On Sunday night neither Mike nor I could decide on one dish to make for dinner, so we decided on two: Chipotle Pork Quesadillas and Samurai Soup; both from Everyday With Rachael Ray. It was quite interesting to balance making the two dishes simultaneously, with all four burners going along with the oven. I look forward to the day when we remodel the kitchen so that there's room for two cooks.


I can wholeheartedly recommend the Chipotle Pork Quesadillas, but feel that the Samurai Soup may need another go before I can say that it's "good". I think that the dumplings got a bit soggy while I was working on the pork chops, so perhaps it would have turned out better if I had not waited so long between making them and boiling them.


Chipotle Pork Quesadillas

2 boneless pork chops (about 3/4 pound)
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
8 medium flour tortillas
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned, 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool; cut into thin strips.

2) In the same skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, the garlic, chipotle and cumin, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes; stir in the pork and chopped cilantro.

3) Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush one side of each tortilla with the remaining olive oil. Working in batches, cook the tortillas oiled side down until grill marks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

4) Arrange 4 tortillas grilled side down on a baking sheet. Divided the pork mixture among the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, grilled side up. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and top with the cilantro leaves.



Samurai Soup

1/2 pound baby bok choy, halved lengthwise and crosswise, white and green portions separated
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus more for drizzling
40 round wonton wrappers
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

1) In a saucepan of boiling water, cook the white bok choy portions for 1 minute; add green portions and cook until wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water and squeeze dry; finely chop and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the oyster sauce, ginger, honey and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

2) Arrange 10 wonton wrappers on a work surface and top each with a rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture. Moisten the edges and fold over to form half-moons; press the edges to seal. Working with 1 at a time, bring the tips together and pinch to form 10 bundles; repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

3) In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, 1 cup water and the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce to a boil. Cover; remove from heat.

4) In a large pot of boiling water, cook the dumplings, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowls. Add the snow peas to the broth, cook for 1 minute, then ladle over the dumplings. Drizzzle with a few drops of sesame oil.