I finished Nicole Mones’ The Last Chinese Chef last week – which I really enjoyed and recommend. Two ideas, in particular, from the book struck me.
The first was the idea that food is often most delicious when it is simple – when it has no more ingredients than it needs and the essence of the primary ingredient is at the forefront, not complicated by other strong flavors. It turns out this can sometimes be difficult to achieve, but is one of the main reasons we love old-fashioned comfort dishes so much. Their recipes may be spare, but the ingredients are wholesome and the preparation infused with patience and a love for the people who will eat it.
The second notion that stood out to me is that food creates a relationship between cook and eater, and that relationship can be utilitarian (we cook and eat to satisfy our hunger) or it can be a delightful dance between the cook’s abilities, the eater’s palate, and both parties’ senses and emotions. When I cook for other people, I know that I hope they will enjoy it, eat seconds, and maybe even ask about a signature flavor or request a copy of my recipe. In fact, while in the kitchen, I often visualize the people I am cooking for and how they will respond to a taste of the dish. I also know that when I eat a dish prepared for me by someone else, I hope to be able to return the favor in appreciation for the time, care, and effort they’ve put in to it.
With these two ideas in mind, I decided to prepare a meal with three parts, each of which is simple and flavorful and complements the other two. The fact that it is simple lets me focus on ingredients that are naturally free of the gluten, dairy, and other things I cannot have. No replacements, no searching for substitutions – just good food.
It includes lean, thin-cut pork loin chops flavored only with salt and pepper and the olive oil used to pan-fry them with. The rind will be slightly crisp and the outer layer of the chop golden. The second element is a mushroom brown rice dish sprinkled with aromatic fresh chives. And, finally, broccoli steamed just to the point of tenderness and Kelly-green brilliance, sprinkled lightly with black (or regular) sesame seeds and salt.
The recipe below combines preparatory steps for all three elements to help make the best use of time. From start to finish, it should take you one hour to prepare and cook this meal. But, it allows for 25 minutes in between to catch up on a book, make a dessert, or maybe even spend time with the loved one(s) you are preparing the meal for.
I hope you enjoy this meal.
–Stormy
Recipe for a Simple Meal: pork loin chops, steamed broccoli, and rice
Notes
You will need a way to steam your broccoli, whether a nested pot and steamer combo, a rice cooker steamer, one of those little steamer baskets. Even using your microwave will work in a pinch. This meal serves 4 people or 1 or 2 (leaving leftovers for the next day). In fact, as leftovers, you could chop the pork and broccoli and do a quick fried rice with the remaining mushroom brown rice, adding more cooked vegetables – shredded carrots and snap peas would be nice – to the mix if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 ½ cups broth, divided (mushroom is great, but vegetable or other broth will work also)
- 4 ounces sliced mushrooms (roughly half a container)
- 4 thin-cut pork loin chops
- A bunch of broccoli
- A handful of fresh chives, chopped
- Sesame seeds (brown or black)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking oil, preferably olive
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of broth into a pot and turn heat to high.
- While the liquid heats:
- * Rinse your mushrooms and chives. Chop chives. Set aside.
- * Rinse your broccoli and trim the stalk to separate the florets. Set aside.
- * Rinse the pork, place on a plate, and lightly sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Now that the broth is boiling, turn the heat to medium low and cover the pot with a lid. Go do something with yourself for the next 25 minutes.
- When you return, stir the remaining ½ cup of broth into the rice and turn the heat down ever so slightly. It should be fairly close to done at this point. Let cook for 5 minutes longer.
- Immediately turn a stove burner to medium high and heat a frying pan large enough to cook all 4 pieces of pork.
- Now, stir the mushrooms into the rice and begin steaming the broccoli. You can place a steaming container on top of your rice pot, add the broccoli to it, and cover with a lid. Or, if you do not have a nesting steaming container for the pot you are cooking your rice in, you can use a rice cooker steamer, a steaming next over boiling water, or even lightly microwave steam the broccoli.
- When the pan is hot (and not before), add a tablespoon of olive oil to it and coat the pan. Add the pork to it, placing it salt and pepper side down. Sprinkle the side facing you with salt and pepper. Let the pork sear without moving it for 2-3 minutes.
- When the pork is ready, flip the loin chops over. After 2 minutes, cut into the thinnest chop and the thickest chop to see if they are thoroughly cooked – you will not see any pink. Remove chops that are done and continue cooking the rest until they are just cooked through.
- When the pork is ready, turn off all burners and place chops, rice and broccoli on each plate. Sprinkle fresh chives on the rice and sesame seeds onto the broccoli. Add salt and pepper to taste.