Episode 1 – Pork Chops with White Wine Butter Sauce

On the suggestion of a friend, I came up with a new video series. In the same vein as Chopped and Top Chef, I’m letting friends and family choose 4 ingredients, which I’m pulling out of a bag and figuring out how to make dinner out of them.

The point of this video series is to show you how to cook without recipes, using basic ingredients and techniques to use the foods you have on hand. Instead of shopping for a few ingredients to finish out a recipe, you should be able to look in your pantry and your refrigerator and come up with something delicious, healthy, and fast for dinner.

Let’s Get Cookin’!

We had a ton of fun with this one. My girlfriend, Edie, and two friends picked up 6 ingredients from the Rochester, MN farmer’s market, threw them in a bag, and let me at them.

The results? Well, one of our friends called it “the best meal I’ve ever eaten.” I’m sure that was some exaggeration, but the result really was incredible on top of being incredibly healthy.

Here’s the video!

Show Synopsis

One girlfriend, two friends, and six unknown ingredients. From the farmer’s market in Rochester, MN, they picked up:

• Pastured pork chops
• Asparagus
• Kale
• Amaranth – this was a new one on me
• Sugar snap peas
• Garlic scapes

From that, I created a quick rub for the pork chops and pan-fried them. I steamed the asparagus and sugar snap peas with some baby broccoli, then topped them with a white wine-butter sauce that I made from the pan the pork chops were cooked in. Finally, I caramelized some onions and the garlic scapes, added the kale and amaranth and a splash of tamari and rice vinegar for another quick side dish.

What would you have done differently? How else could these ingredients have been used?

About Scott

I love to cook and I love to eat. I started Real Food University to help you get maximum enjoyment out of the meals that you eat by properly cooking fresher, healthier, and better food.

To find out more about how I am rebelling against the fast food culture and dietary OCD, join the Real Food Revolution.