If I do say so myself, on Sunday night I made quite the hearty meal. The menu was rather simple: pork milanese with a steamed artichoke on the side. However, what made this meal particularly noteworthy was that it was the first time I’d ever cooked pork (bad Jew, apologies). Fear not, though. The experience was delightful. And let’s not overlook those artichokes. My friend Bets bought me two beauties at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, and these bad boys were just too amazing to be denied. And so even though I’ve detailed my adventures with artichokes before (with a very similar menu, I might add), I decided to take pics again just because.
Photos of the cooking adventure after the jump…
First of all, look at these bad boys. And the answer is yes, I did wield them like double light sabers for five about minutes (see picture below).
Me continuing to geek out.
Bets got me an awesome purple artichoke…
And an awesome green one too.
Into the pot go lemons, white wine, bay leaves, garlic, water, and salt and pepper.
Artichokes: trimmed and demure.
Artichoke ass.
These artichokes are so big that they barely both fit in the same pot.
Elsewhere in the kitchen, I set up a dredging station: panko and parmesan on the left; egg wash on the right.
After pounding out a boneless pork chop for what felt like an eternity (and still didn’t get as thin as I wanted it), I dredged the meat (seasoned in salt and pepper) in the egg and then the crumbs.
Meanwhile, the artichokes are ready. STEAM!
In case you were wondering, I’m only having one artichoke. The other one will be eaten later in the week.
Mmmmmm…
While the artichoke relaxes on the plate, I place the pork chop into a skillet with hot olive oil. Fantastic odors ensue.
About three minutes later, I flip the meat. Perfect browning, if I do say so myself.
Note the bubbles sizzling away under the meat.
I then transfer the meat to a napkin for proper drainage.
While the pork de-greasifies, I make the artichoke dipping sauce: mayo, dijon, and curry powder. It’s sort of a mix between a sauce I make and a sauce Bets makes.
And here it all is. Presentation may be lacking, but flavor was most certainly there (lemon wedge for the pork is essential).
The verdict? Another success! It’s hard to go wrong with artichokes and fried food, but that being said, the pork was totally juicy and flavorful, and the artichoke was super “meaty.” The dipping sauce was also quite nice; although, the next night when I had the other artichoke, I changed things up and mixed together mayo, soy sauce, and toasted dark sesame oil. It was amazing. In fact, it tasted just like this wonderful salad dressing served at this Japanese restaurant I used to frequent in New York. Who would have thought that after ten years of curiously wondering what was in the dressing that I’d stumble upon the magic combination? (Although, the restaurant probably used to a touch of ginger too.)
Anyway, good times as always.