Richard has been sick most of the week which changed my menu plans quite a bit. He didn't have much of an appetite, and one day he just wanted a grilled cheese and tomato soup. We have Campbell's tomato in the pantry, but we also have lots of home canned whole tomatoes. He said he just wanted Campbells' soup...which didn't sound good to me...so we came to a compromise. I had a pint of whole tomatoes in the fridge left over from a recipe, so I added those to the can of soup, along with a basil cube from the freezer. It made a much nicer tasting soup than just opening a can and heating it up! I bought some nice Italian bread, a Granny Smith apple, and some smoked Gouda cheese and made grilled cheese with those ingredients. It was delicious! If you have never had apple slices on a grilled cheese, you should try it sometime...it's so good!
Our dinner tonight, while not from the Simply In Season cookbook, was a seasonal meal just the same! Our potatoes are so good right now, so I just made plain and simple boiled potatotes. They are so flavorful that they don't need a fancy preparation to be enjoyed. Nothing goes with potatoes like pork and cabbage. I saw a cooking show this week using these ingredients so I made the cabbage dish that was featured.
I fried the pork chops in my black iron skillet, which gives them a nice crust on each side and really seals in the juices. They were so moist and delicious...we all agreed they were some of the best pork chops we'd ever had! The cabbage dish was fabulous as well! Cabbage is in season right now, and if you are able to get to a farmer's market, you can find cabbage heads the size of basketballs! This is a great recipe for fresh cabbage!
In a saute pan, slowly melt 2 Tbsp. of butter. Do not let it brown. Add 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin seed, and 1 tsp. of caraway seed. I omitted the caraway, but I think it would be a great addition. Let the seeds bloom in the butter. Do not burn them! Add shredded cabbage and stir to mix the butter and spices. Add in thinly sliced apples...I used 1 apple to 1 med. head of cabbage. Also add in one poblano pepper, diced with ribs and seeds removed and 2Tbsp. of grated fresh ginger. After the cabbage begins to cook down, add in 1 cup of whole tomatoes. They will break down as they cook. Stir the dish to combine all the ingredients and let cook until the cabbage is tender. This is a great accompaniment to the pork chops and potatoes.
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