Sautéed Vegetables, Amaranth Grain, and Fried Pork Chop (Sliced)
On my last shopping spree to Whole Foods Market I came upon amaranth grain. I've never seen or heard of it before. I have never tried it either. I was curious to know how it tastes so took some home. I boiled it and decided it to eat it with the sautéed vegetables that I had made the day before. I even added some sliced boiled veal tongue to the dish. It was very delicious... I enjoyed it so much that decided to make the amaranth grain again. I still had the sautéed vegetables left. No longer having veal tongue though I got myself a boneless pork chop, fried it, and added that to the dish. Everything tasted so good that after I finished eating it I wanted seconds...
When you crave for a new dish that is filling and tastes delicious, give the sautéed vegetables, amaranth grain, and (sliced) fried pork chop recipe a try. It will definitely leave you craving for seconds. And I am not the only one who thinks so. Those that have tried my dish wanted more of it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Amaranth grain
- 2 cups Water
- Sea salt
- 2 Pork chops (boneless, medium-large)
- Spices of your choice for the pork
- 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Mustard
- 2 Large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- 1 Medium onion
- 1 Medium carrot
- 1 Large celery stalk
- few teaspoons Aji mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
- few tablespoons Ketchup
- Roasted sesame seeds
- Dried basil
- Cooking oil - Grapeseed, canola, avocado, etc.
Cook Time
Serving Size
It really depends on the appetite of the people you are serving (including your own appetite if you will eat this dish too) but you can probably serve 2 - 4 people. Two people for sure.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preparing the amaranth grain for cooking: Measure out a cup of amaranth grain and place into a pot. Fill the pot with two cups of water, add a desired amount of sea salt, cover with the lid so there is an opening between the pot and the lid, and place on medium to low heat.
- Cooking the amaranth grain: Once the water starts to boil lower the heat and let cook for about 30 minutes. Stir the grain occasionally and add a little bit of water if you find that all the water has evaporated. Taste the grain after 30 minutes have passed. If you find that it's not soft enough let it cook a little more. You may have to add water if there all the water is gone from the pot. Once the grain has cooked to your liking remove it onto a bowl so it doesn't stick to the pot. You may add some fresh butter to it if you prefer.
- Preparing pork chops for cooking: Wash the pork chops under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly beat with a meat hammer. Take a small plate and mix sea salt with your favorite spices (for pork). Then sprinkle all this onto both sides of the pork chops. Next add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise and a few tablespoons of mustard to a small bowl, mix together, and baste both sides of the pork chops.
- Cooking pork chops: Add oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. Once heated add the pork chops to it and fry for 4 minutes on one side and then for 4 minutes on the other. Then remove the pork chops onto a cutting board and cut into thick slices. Place the slices back onto the skillet and fry for a few minutes so all four sides are golden brown. Once done remove onto a big plate.
- Preparing the vegetables to be sautéed: Peel the carrot and wash it under running water along with the bell peppers and the celery stalk. Then pat everything with a paper towel, slice into small cubes, and set aside. Next peel the onion, cut into small cubes, and set aside. Finally take a small bowl and mix together a few tablespoons of ketchup with a few teaspoons of aji mirin (sweet cooking rice wine) and set aside.
- Cooking (Sautéing) the vegetables: Add oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot add the onions and let cook until they are golden brown. Once done remove them into a bowl. Next add all the vegetables you cut into cubes to the skillet and add oil if necessary and let cook for about ten eight minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the cooked onions back to the skillet along with some sea salt, dried basil, roasted sesame seeds, and the ketchup aji mirin mixture and stir. Let cook for about five more minutes and turn off the heat.
Cooking Tips
When you are cooking the amaranth grain, the pork chops, and the sautéed vegetables you can actually cook them all at the same time. No need to wait until one thing is done before cooking the other. This will help save you some time. But if you find it easier to cook one thing at a time you can do that too. But remember that if you do that the food may get cold and you will need to heat it up in the microwave before serving.
Also remember that meat and vegetables should never be cut on the same cutting board or with the same knife. Be sure to use different cutting boards and knives for meat and for the vegetables.
Presenting Your Dish
When all the ingredients are done cooking, it is time to lay them out on the plate so they are appealing to the eye. You can do it anyway you prefer but I wanted to share with you my own layout. Hope you like it.
First take a desired amount of amaranth grain, place it on the plate so it takes up one half of it, and move the edge of the spoon over the grain to create arc shapes. Then place a desired amount of sautéed vegetables on the other half of the plate. Next take slices of pork chop and place it around the edge of the plate so the entire plate has the pork on it. Once that's done you are now ready to serve the dish to your family, your guests, or to yourself. If the food has gotten cold you might need to pop it into the microwave for a few minutes.
© 2012 Lena Kovadlo
