Grilled Pork w/ Grilled Corn and Potato & Corn Puree

You can also see the BBQ from my previous recipe!

I was so proud of today's meal that I felt I had to start with the photo.

Mama Zuri and I love to do our weekly shopping on Sunday mornings. We head to our two stores bright and early, around 8:30 am, to avoid the crowded aisles and long checkout lines. Our favorite thing to do when we enter the market is head over to the bakery, pick out a donut or two, and sit down to sweet breakfast in the dining area. It has become such a routine that we even sit in the same seats every week. It's a nice opportunity for us to sit and have breakfast together, something we normally aren't able to do during the week.

Recently, I have been picking up one or two items from the butcher to make for dinner during the week. With Mama Zuri working late this week I decided to pick up a nice 9 ounce pork chop as I'm going to be dining for one this week. What I came up with left me very satisfied and I hope it does the same for you.

Ingredients:
Pork Chop (I had a 9 ounce chop but this would work for any size, just adjust cooking times)
2 corn on the cob
1 large russet potato
1/4 C sweet onion
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence
olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 ounces sharp cheddar - shredded
milk (I used almond milk because it was what I had on hand)

1.) the day before pat dry the pork ... once dry rub with a light amount of olive oil, add a small pinch of salt to each side, and sprinkle to the herbs de provence and rub all over the pork making sure the chop is covered in the herbs ... place in the fridge to sit overnight

2.) remove the chop from the fridge 30-45 minutes before cooking ... heat the grill to high and place the chop on the grill, rotating at five minute intervals to create the grill marks (I let grill for about five minutes for each portion of the marks and about ten minutes total per side) ... also, place the corn on the grill at about medium flame, turning so not to overcook ... heat the pork to 145 degrees and let sit for 5-10 minutes once finished

3.) with the meat on the grill, peel and chop the potato, place in a pot, and fill with water by about an inch over the potatoes ... heat on high and remove once fork tender ... chop and sauté the onions in some olive oil, salt, and pepper until translucent ... when the corn is finished, cut one cob in half and remove the kernels from the cob ... place the potatoes, corn, onions, and cheese, in a food processor ... pulse a couple times before turning on to combine all ingredients in the food processor ... add a tsp of salt, a tsp of pepper, and the paprika and pulse to combine ... turn the food processor on and add milk a little at a time to reach your desired consistency (I added until smooth, roughly 1/4 C)

ENJOY!

Cast Iron Whole Chicken

I recently saw an episode of Guy's Big Bite where Guy made a whole chicken in a cast iron skillet in his outdoor wood burning oven. Well, I don't happen to have a wood burning oven, as much as I've asked Mama Zuri for one. Instead, I decided I'd use my grill to see if I would get the same quality as I would in my kitchen oven.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results but I still feel I can go a bit further with this recipe. I've decided to post what I've done tonight but but look for updates of this recipe as I perfect it. Here we go!!

Ingredients:
3.5 lb WOG Whole Chicken
1 stick of butter (softened)
2 lemons
1/2 red onion
1 fennel bulb
1/2 red pepper
2 small potatoes
1 ear of corn (optional, I used this as a means for our dinner)
Olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 C white wine (I used Chardonnay)
Salt / pepper

1) take the soften butter and add the zest of one lemon, the thyme, a generous pinch of salt, and generous pinch of salt ... once the butter and seasoning is mixed take the whole chicken and apply the butter mixture underneath the skin of the chicken, massaging the butter all through the chicken ... take the chicken and remove the spine with a knife or kitchen shears

2) chop the onion, fennel, red pepper, and potatoes and place them into the skillet ... place the corn in the middle of the skillet ... drizzle some olive oil over top of the vegetables and apply a good pinch of salt and pepper over top of the vegetables  ... slice the lemons and place them on top of the vegetables ... take the chicken and place it skin side down with the vegetables on top of the open cavity ... olive oil, salt, and pepper the inside of the chicken

3) heat the grill to 500 degrees (I have a four burner grill so I put the first two burners on high) and place the skillet over top of the grates of the burners that are off ... heat for 30 minutes then turn the chicken over, add the white wine, and heat again until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees (about 30 minutes)

ENJOY!