May 11, 2016

Spicy Pork Chops and Roasted Asparagus with Manchego, dinner in thirty minutes

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables, Meat and Poultry 30 minute dinner, asparagus, cumin, dinner, hot pimentón, lemon butter sauce, manchego, pork chops, roasted asparagus

When I moved to North America years ago, I had to get used to things that were done differently than in Spain or any other place I had lived in. One of them was schedules, or rather, the times when regular daily activities like meals were done. Lunch in Spain rarely happens before 2 PM, and dinner not before 9 PM, at the earliest. I’m not saying eating that late is a good habit, but that’s the way it is. In fact, most Spaniards would agree that we don’t eat late: instead, the rest of the world eats too early. If you go to a restaurant in Spain at 7:00 pm expecting to have dinner, unless you’re in a touristy coastal city where foreigners are abundant, you’ll find the kitchen just getting ready for the evening, and most likely will be turned away for at least another hour. That explains why dinner in Spain, particularly when eating at home, is a light meal, and lunch is our main meal of the day. At lunch time we’ll eat a first, a second, and a dessert (primer plato, segundo plato y postre), where dessert is usually fruit, and occasionally some light sweet like flan. Dinner has to be a light meal, given that you’ll be going to bed not too much later.

A dinner favorite at our house, and in many Valencian households, was “hervido”, steamed or lightly boiled vegetables, usually potato, carrots, broad green beans and onion, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, a small drizzle of wine or sherry vinegar and a generous splash of good quality extra-virgin olive oil. It sounds simple enough, but makes for a tasty, satisfying meal. Some people would accompany it with an egg, usually boiled as well. Eggs, in fact, are also a typical dinner meal in Spain, whether fried, soft boiled or in a tortilla, an omelet, eggs are not eaten as part of breakfast.

Dinner at our American household is a heavier meal, of course, since it’s the main meal of the day, and when the family sits together at table. However, preparing dinner doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process, and easy to prepare and fast to cook meals are the way to go when there is homework to do and activities to run to. Spicy pork chops don’t require much preparation, they cook quickly, and are delicious. And asparagus, roasted preferably, is one of my favorite spring vegetables. I like to accompany them with some shaved manchego cheese —but I could add manchego cheese to almost anything. Manchego is one of the most popular cheeses from Spain, and it is made from sheep’s milk of the manchega breed. It is produced in the La Mancha region of Spain, and as its DO (Denominación de Origen) mandates, only cheese from that region can be labelled Manchego (for more on manchego cheese and its DO requirements, click here, and for information on Denominación de Origen, click here).

Spicy pork chops and roasted asparagus with manchego is a perfect  meal for when all you have is 30 minutes and need to put a healthy, delicious meal on the dinner table.

 

SPICY PORK CHOPS

Chuletas de Lomo Picantitas

Ingredients:

6 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4 inches thick

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp hot pimentón de la Vera (if unavailable, use chili powder or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper instead)

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbs chopped parsley (optional)

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbs butter

 

In a small bowl, mix the cumin, pimentón, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 Tbs of the olive oil. Using a small brush, rub the pork chops all over with this mixture.

In a grill pan, heat about 1 Tbs of olive oil. Working in batches, add 3 pork chops and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for an extra 2 minutes. Turn the pork chops over and cook for 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set on a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining pork chops.

Thinly slice the garlic. If using a cast iron grill, add 1/2 Tbs olive oil to the pan, turn the heat off, and grill the garlic for less than 1 minute, watching closely and stirring if necesssary to help the garlic from burning (if using a regular grill pan, lower the heat but don’t turn it off).

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and cook for about 1 minute, stirring. When ready to serve, pour the sauce over the pork chops and sprinkle with the chopped parsley, if using. Top with the roasted garlic slices.

 

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH MANCHEGO CHEESE

Espárragos Trigueros con Queso Manchego

Ingredients:

1 large bunch green or purple asparagus

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt and pepper to taste

1 oz cured manchego cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the asparagus in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and gently toss to coat (if necessary, use a pastry brush). Roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes, turning them over mid-way through roasting. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

With a carrot pealer, cut thin slices of manchego cheese, and arrange over the asparagus just before serving.