When I cook meat for my family I generally treat it as a side dish.  I'll buy one top quality steak, simply grill it, slice it into thin strips and serve with tons of vegetables, potatoes and maybe a special sauce.  I did the same with these organic pork chops from Berkshire Farms the other night and we all agreed it was the best meal we'd had in a while.  I coated them with Turkish spiced flour and salt, fried them in a hot pan and served them with green herb mashed potatoes, garlicky kale and drizzled everything with a garlic parsley sauce.  My husbands birthday request was for me to cook the same dinner two nights later but he wanted his own pork chop....hmm, a complement, or a subtle hint?

Recipe:  Spiced Pork Chop With Green Garlic Parsley Sauce

4 top quality pork chops

kosher salt

1/2 Cup flour

1-2 teaspoons, depending on taste Turkish meat spice (or mix together paprika, black pepper, dry garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper)

Grapeseed oil or other high temperature oil

1 Lemon

Sprinkle the pork chops with kosher salt and allow them to come to room temperature while you are preparing the rest of your meal.  Mix the flour and spice on a plate with another dash of salt.  About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, heat on a high flame a large heavy bottomed pan and generously coat with oil.  Coat both sides of the pork chops with the flour mixture and place in the pan.  Allow to sizzle for a minute or two and turn the flame down to medium high.  Fry each side for about 4 minutes.  Two pans might be necessary or you could cook them in two batches. Remove the pork chops to a cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. 

I make a green garlic parsley sauce that is delicious with everything.  I wash and pick half a bunch of parsley, mince a few large garlic cloves and puree it in a blender with about a half cup of olive oil.  I transfer the puree to a small cast iron pan and warm over low heat for a few minutes to just slightly soften the garlic.  Mix in a little salt and pepper toward the end. 

Serve the pork chops drizzled with this sauce and a wedge of lemon.

Some couples set financial goals, some set exercise goals.  We set travel goals.  Every year we try to work in a trip for me, a trip for you, a trip for us and a trip for the family.  It's ambitious, but my other half would rather wear shoes with holes than skimp on experience.  This year the stars and moons aligned and the trip for us was a rendevous in Istanbul. 

The flight was brutal and the jet lag wasn't easy but I felt completely rejuvenated in a way that sitting on a beach and drinking rum cocktails never quite accomplishes.  Istanbul has an energy, chaos and intrigue completely it's own.   From the Spice Market, to the Blue Mosque to Dalmanbache Palace we got lost on twisted streets teeming with life and found ourselves in other centuries and cultures.  For me, Istanbul is one of the great cities....like New York or Paris it is a place I could return to many times over and still feel inspired by the excitement of discovery.  

If you go:

We stayed in TomTom Suites and loved it.  Great location, spacious beautiful rooms, wonderful service and the restaurant, Nicole, is worth a visit even if you don't stay there.  Everyone mentions Mikla for fine dining but we much preferred our dinner here and the dining room is lovely with a fantastic view.  Also the concierges at TomTom, Nural and Surya were amazing resources, friendly and gracious.  They helped us plan each day and gave great recommendations.  We had our best Turkish kebab dinner at Zubeyir....the food was delicious and the atmosphere felt authentic.  We were the only tourists there.  Do indulge in a Turkish bath.  I spent my first morning recovering from jet lag at Killic Ali Pasa Hamam.  It was beautiful and clean and the service was lovely.  The experience is totally different from a western massage or spa but very relaxing and restorative.  Use the Tram.  Taxi service was unreliable and it is difficult to communicate with the drivers.  The Tram runs constantly, is easy to use and very inexpensive.  Take a boat ride on the Bosphorus in the afternoon and when you disembark drink a beer under the Bosphorus bridge at one of the fish restaurants.  We loved watching rush hour as the sun set.  Of course the must see include: Haggia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Dalmanbache Palace, Spice Market, The Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace

March was a whirlwind of travel and I barely had time in between trips to do laundry and print out boarding passes.  I was skiing in Lake Tahoe with my CA family and skiing in Vermont with my kids and in between I met that handsome guy in the glasses (yup, my own personal Superman) in Istanbul.  A city so exciting and different I felt inspired in a thousand ways...more on that later. 

Needless to say, I was very happy to be home on Easter with some of my favorite people eating some terrific home cooked food.  We had leg of lamb simply roasted with garlic and rosemary served with a fresh mint sauce, fingerling potatoes tossed with butter and fresh herbs and a spring salad with red watercress.  The standout for me was the salad because the flavors were so fresh and new.  I used Turkish salad seasoning that I brought home from the Spice Market that added citrus and a touch of heat and earth.  You don't have to travel to Istanbul to get it....but you should. 

Available online at Whole Spice: includes Sumac, Urfa Chili, Oregano, Sea Salt, Cumin, Citric Acid, Bay Leaves, Garlic

Spring Salad Recipe:

1 bunch fresh watercress, red is lovely if you can find it (clean and spin dry)

A few cups of baby romaine or other lettuce

1 black radish thinly sliced

3-6 red radishes thinly sliced

1/2 fennel bulb thinly sliced

1 kohlrabi bulb skinned and thinly sliced

2 T fresh mint finely cut

2 T fresh basil finely cut

2 T fresh parsley finely cut

2 T fresh chives finely cut

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 Cup grassy olive oil, a little more if necessary

1/2-1 teaspoon Turkish salad spice

Flaky sea salt (Maldon's is always good) and fresh cracked pepper

Toss all of the thinly sliced vegetables in a medium bowl with the fresh herbs.  Coat with the olive oil and lemon and add the Turkish spice and salt and pepper to taste.  Allow all the ingredients to marinate for 5-10 minutes and toss in the watercress and lettuce just before serving. 

My father, who is always on the cutting edge of the latest health craze, toyed with the idea of starting a tofu company when I was a kid.  Now, he disdains the stuff and is making his own lard to fry chicken.  Considering I grew up on tofu and I seem to be of above average health I am not afraid to incorporate a little organic soy products into our diet.  My health philosophy is to cook early and often with the best possible ingredients and only eat things that are real and delicious...and sometimes, tofu is just the trick.

Recipe:

1 package organic extra firm tofu

1 bunch scallions finely chopped

3-6 T fresh cilantro, picked from stem and washed

1/2 lime

2 T Sweet Thai chili sauce

olive oil

Sea salt

2 Cups Jasmine rice cooked

Cut the tofu into large cubes and pat dry.  Coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil and place over medium heat.  Each piece of tofu should have space on the pan so you can fry each side until brown.  Turn the tofu gently to brown each side.  When the tofu is done sprinkle with salt and add the scallions and chilli sauce to the pan and cook until the scallions have softened and the sauce is bubbling.  Toss in the cilantro and serve over warm rice with a lime wedge.