Rosemary Sage Pork Chops & Sage-Braised Tomatoes

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

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.

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Honey Thyme Ice Cream, And A Countdown

Dessert

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll have noticed that the activity on my Wedding board has increased lately (mostly because it used to consist of nothing).

Bouquets, dresses, venues, they’re kind of the topic du jour. Du année is more like it. Chris and I are supposedly getting married next summer.

I would understand if nobody believed us. After all, ‘we’re getting married… soon’ is becoming something of a party line, a slogan of sorts. It’s good for when our moms call, or when our friends inquire—although I have noticed that the asking of the question has trailed off as of late. See, nobody believes us anymore.

Though we got engaged last summer, we decided to postpone our wedding by a year because we knew that 2012 was going to be extremely tumultuous: we both quit our jobs, went on an extended backpacking trip, then moved across the country. Who has time for wedding planning among all of that action?

Anyway, we’ve agreed to start planning in September, a prospect I’m not really looking forward to. All the details and the spreadsheets (I’m a Type-A wannabe), the tracking of said details, the eventual arrival at the point where I realize I can’t stop thinking about the details. And there will be lists, and the honing of lists, and the further honing of lists. Finally, the horrifying realization that we’re probably going to spend more on this one day than the two of us did during the whole four months that we spent backpacking through South America. Times two. Or three. I won’t let it reach three, I promise.

Below is one last ice cream recipe to mark our loss of innocence. Before we become initiated to the world of on-site versus off-site catering, sweetheart versus wedding party table, sleek versus poofy (dress, of course), signature cocktail versus open bar, and much, much more. All to come, my friends, all to come… (don’t worry, I promise I won’t inundate you with wedding details.)

Or maybe this recipe just marks the end of the summer months, and a successful conclusion to our very first summer in New York City.

I love the interplay of sweet and savory and this ice cream is both subtle and satisfying. I can’t decide if the thyme amplifies the honey or the honey amplifies the thyme, but it has a very distinct flavor I enjoy very much. Honey ice cream on its own tastes so pure to me: it loses its super-concentrated sweetness, and becomes creamy and floral and light. Thyme is by no means heavy-tasting, but it adds just that touch of… darkness, moodiness, a slightly off-kilter note that’s therefore more complex. An olfactory play on chiarascuro?

Here’s to the end of August, and the beginning of a countdown. 12 months, 11, 10….until I get hitched!

HONEY THYME ICE CREAM

From The New York Times

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 large sprigs fresh thyme
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup honey

Directions:

Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and add the thyme. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain and return the mixture to the saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly pour in the cream mixture a little bit at a time, whisking constantly. After adding a cup, whisk in the honey and add the rest of the cream. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, cook over low heat and stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cool, then refrigerate until cold, 2 hours to overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: The type of honey you use probably matters very much because there are so few ingredients. Mine was light, kind of a general all-purpose honey. I wonder if the buckwheat honey I tried at the farmer’s market, which was a little too bitter for everyday use, might not work well in this recipe? Also, this ice cream melts quickly. Maybe the honey’s chemical composition lowers the frozen custard’s freezing point? I’m not sure, but if serving to a group, you might want to pass out the bowls as you scoop.