Quick and Easy, 3 pan meal. Only 2 pans if you go with the grill option…
Here are a few thoughts on the methods I used when preparing this dish for my family….
I read through the recipe and got out the pots and pans I would use.
A. 1 qt pot with 2” of water and 1 T of butter (from my fridge) for the Green Beans. Get the water hot, melting the butter. I add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Just for fun, I added some minced garlic this time. One could also melt the butter, sear the garlic and then add the water….Diced Onions and/or Peppers could also be seared with the garlic! YUM!
B. Penne Pasta: 2qt pot with 4 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add pasta, stir well. (This is for the 2/3 serving size portion. Use a larger pot for the 4/5 and 6/8. Allow to simmer/soft boil for 9-12 minutes until pasta is al dente-soft to the teeth. Turn on the vegetable water to come to a boil.
C. Go over your ingredient bags. 1. Butterflied Pork Chops. 2. Tarragon, Olive Oil with Salt and Pepper. 3. Diced Tomatoes. 4. Vinaigrette Bag. 5. Provolone Cheese. 6. Penne Pasta. 7. Green Beans
D. I chose the sauté method for cooking the Pork Chops. I like the seared crust on the pork chops. Plus, I was at The Dinner Shoppe using a portable camp stove as my ‘stove top.”
While the water for the pasta was coming to a boil, the Grill, the Broiler or the Sauté Pan are also getting warm/hot.
I lightly seasoned the inside of the butterflied pork chops with salt and black pepper. Next add the piece of cheese. Fold the pork chop back into shape. Next, we add the Tarragon Oil to the meat. Here are two methods to ‘brush’ the Tarragon Oil; One is to use a spoon to get the oil out of the bag. The other is to cut off the corner of the bag and slowly drizzle the Tarragon Oil and Seasonings onto your pork chops. I put the oil on both sides of the pork chops as the oil is the combined flavor and the searing element. {NOTE: the Tarragon Oil has some salt and pepper combined with it. I feel this frequently stays in the bag. That is why I commonly add a small amount of additional seasoning to my meat}.
Since I used the sauté pan, we will work with this in our dialog here… (See below for ideas on the Grill and Broiler)
I made sure to get the skillet hot (so a drop of water immediately begins to dance across the pan), add your pork chops. Cook 3 minutes per side. Get a nice caramel brown on the outside of the meat. I then turned off the fire and put a lid over the meat to allow it to finish cooking. Your cheese will melt out and begin to bubble a bit while cooking. Just more deliciousness!
While the meat is cooking on side 1, place the Diced Tomatoes into the Vinaigrette Bag. Gently squeeze the bag so the ingredients are all mixed together.
Put the vegetables in the boiling, seasoned water-butter, salt, black pepper and minced garlic is what I used.
Check the Penne, it should be close to being done. Once done, carefully drain off the water, place penne back into the hot pan. I decided to add my Tomato Vinaigrette to the Penne Pasta. Some may choose to add some olive oil or butter to the Penne and use the Tomato Vinaigrette on the Pork Chops. Some may do a little of each!
Time to place and Enjoy!
And Remember….Get the kids to help set the table. Placemat, Fork, Knife, Folded Napkin, Cup or Glass for their drinks. Teach them: Forks go on the left and knives and spoons go on the right. (To remember: “Fork” has four letters, as does “left”; “knife” and “spoon” both have five letters, as does “right.”) Folded Napkin under the Fork on the left side. A set table sets up a nice protocol for family time. Not always easy to do and it gives kids a chance to share about their day.
NO CELL PHONES...that includes mom and dad!
GRILL METHOD: Get your grill hot on high for 10-15 minutes before you are ready for it. I suggest brushing it clean and perhaps spraying some Pam Spray (just beware increased risk of flame) or using and oil cloth to get the racks nice and oiled. It will keep the pork chop from sticking. Turn the heat to medium and place the chops on grill at a 45-degree angle to the grill racks. Cook 2 minute. Spin the meat 45 degrees and cook 2 minutes. Flip, cook 2 minutes, spin 45 degrees and cook for the last 2 minutes. This should give you nice grill marks on both sides of the meat. Put meat on a plate and place a lid on it to keep it hot.
BROILER METHOD: Place top oven rack about 4-5 inches from Broiler. Turn Broiler on High. Place Pork Chop of a foiled, Pam sprayed sheet pan. Place under broiler with oven cracked open. Cook 4/5 minutes. Remove, flip meat and cook for another 4/5 minute. After 3 minutes, check meat to be sure it isn’t browning to fast or hard.
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