When Chris got back from California, I found myself seriously craving meat. After all, for the past week, I’d basically subsisted on eggs and cheese. And vegetarian I am not.

It’s not like Chris or I are huge meat eaters—in fact, we’re in agreement that large chunks of it, like in steaks or, er, roasts or whatever (I don’t even know any of the correct terminology to talk about meat), just don’t taste good. Furthermore, we rarely venture beyond ground turkey or chicken, out of ignorance I guess. I just don’t know how to handle anything else. (I aim to learn though, as a consequence of this blog!)

But, I do eat it more often than not, in slivers or in other bite-sized morsels, and for dinner usually. In fact, and this relates back to the difference between cooking for myself and cooking for my significant other and me, Chris thinks “eggs” and “cheese” are a poor substitute for meat. They’re not as filling. Or satisfying, I suppose. And that’s cool, we’re in accord. We’re totally in accord. We’re lucky how much in accord we are. In matters of taste, that is.

I could never be a vegetarian. Maybe a part-timer though.

These pork chops cook up beautifully. Was it the sage? The rosemary? The wonderfully aromatic flavor of the garlic? They were the only three ingredients after all, although I also attribute the chops’ satisfying (and not dry!) taste to the hot stove and the lid that kept all the moisture in.

And yes, I was totally sated afterward. I forget how much I like pork.

Avert your eyes if you find raw meat unappetizing!

heirloom tomatoes, condensation and all

I decided to cook up some tomatoes as well. I know, it’s blasphemy to apply heat to heirloom tomatoes. But I expect they’ll be in my kitchen pretty much nonstop for the rest of the summer, so I figured I could spare a few to go alongside the meat. (but I’ll be damned if I ever do anything to watermelon other than eat it in freshly-cut slices! I feel very strongly about this.) I’ll attribute this sentiment to Rose Carrarini of Rose Bakery—she seems to have a good eye for preparing vegetables deliciously.

I love the sweetness of cooked tomatoes. I mean, these guys were tender; they melted in my mouth; they accompanied the pork wonderfully.

ROSEMARY SAGE PORK CHOPS

Serves 2

From Big Oven

Ingredients:

2 pork chops, bone-in, about 8 ounces
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pat dry pork chops and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil on medium in a skillet that will contain the pork chops. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the sage, rosemary, and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the pork chops on top of the garlic mix. Cover and let cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Flip chops, re-cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium, for another few minutes, until the chops have cooked through.

SAGE-BRAISED TOMATOES

Serves 2

Inspired by Rose Carrarini

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 stalk celery
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 to 10 leaves of sage
1/2 cup water or stock

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan and cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, tomatoes, and celery and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add water and sage and turn heat to low. Continue cooking until tomatoes are very soft and liquid has been reduced.