The Risotto
This is the second time I made risotto. I think I'm getting the hang of it. My essential steps were:- Sauted the mushrooms (with grated carrots and a little white wine reduction)
- Removed the vegetables, added olive oil with the Arborio rice to coat.
- Started the cooking with a cup of white wine, then went with the simmering 8 cups of chicken bouillon.
- Added vegetables at the end, along with the Parmesan.
- I made sure the risotto could cook down for a full 25 minutes.
Here's the Mushroom Risotto recipe on which it was based.
The Pork Chops
I love the sear marks on pork chops so they spent about 8 minutes on the grill. They had good fat on both sides so I didn't add any additional olive oil when added the spices on both sides.
- Smoked hot Paprika
- Few dashes of Red Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Mint
- Salt and Pepper
Then into the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. I placed the seasoned pork chops on a wire rack atop a cooking tray into which I poured a cup or so of Apple Juice. I basted the pork chops with the Apple Juice when I took them out of the oven, at which point I let them rest for 5 to 8 minutes.
Here's the Pork Chop recipe I used as a guide.
Cooking Tip:
- The internal temperature of a cooked pork chop is 145F. I couldn't get my meat thermometer to register past 110F even though I knew they were done. Putting the thermometer stem into the pork chop from the side did the trick, and the temperature shot up to the correct doneness.
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