Friday, July 31,2009 - Pork and Peaches

Tonight's menu was inspired by both the farmers market and the grocery store. The grocery store because I found 2 packages of thin-cut boneless pork loin chops that were originally about $3.00 apiece, but also had a $1.50 off sticker. So that means I got 8 cutlets for about $3.00! Then, when I was at the Farmers Market yesterday, doing Plant Clinic duty (I am a Master Gardener in Fairfax County, VA - http://fairfaxmastergardeners.org/default.aspx), my friend at the produce stand next to our table had some WONDERFUL peaches. So those two things were the inspiration for tonights meal:

Pork Cutlets with Jalapeno/Peach Sauce
Grilled Peaches
Cabbage Crunch Salad (from Whole Foods salad bar) - about 1/2 lb
Israeli Couscous Curried Salad (also from Whole Foods) - about 1/2 lb

This meal served 3 - 1 female and two males. It could probably serve 2 females and 2 males, if you added some nice crusty French bread along with it.

Pork Cutlets with Jalapeno/Peach Sauce
3 very ripe peaches, pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp mint jelly
2 Tbsp apple jelly
1 Tbsp canola oil
Pinch of salt & pepper
8 thin boneless pork loin cutlets, trimmed of visible fat

Put first 7 ingredients into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Place pork cutlets into a shallow pan, pour marinade mixture over, turn cutlets to coat and allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Grill on an outdoor or indoor grill until lightly charred & cooked through - about 5-6 minutes total.
Put remaining marinade into a microwave-proof container, and microwave on medium-high power for 2 minutes, until boiling. Spoon a bit over the pork and peaches, and serve the rest on the side.

Grilled Peaches
3 ripe peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each
Olive oil to coat

Toss peach wedges with olive oil. Grill on an outdoor or indoor grill until lightly charred and softened - about 4-6 minutes total.

The salads came from the Whole Foods salad bar. They were actually a good buy, because I could not have made those amounts for that price, and they were a nice compliment to the other flavors. The Cabbage Crunch Salad had shredded cabbage, scallions, and sliced almonds in a very light vinegar/sesame dressing. The Israeli Couscous salad had some curry spicing, red peppers, raisins and scallions.

My husband and son RAVED about this meal.

When I was in my garden today, it seems that the sage and mint are taking over! So I need to figure out a way to use them. Since I still have peaches left, and some wonderfully sweet and juicy cantaloupe, I think I will make a chutney with them and the mint. I'll probably also make some mint sugar syrup.
For the sage, I am thinking some turkey cutlets. My daughter will be home for dinner tomorrow, so that might be good. Also, I have some leftover french bread I need to use, so maybe a summer-style stuffing-like bread pudding as an accompaniment?
Tune in tomorrow for what I come up with!