Raise Your Glass In Honor of This Day

Did you know that today is more than a National Day, it’s an International Day. So allow me to share a few fun facts to feed the brain while you still can. First off, you can tell where a whiskey hails from by the way it is spelled. American-English and Irish-English enjoy whiskey, while the British-English prefer theirs spelled whisky. The “e”, or lack there of, doesn’t change the liquor. Whiskey stops maturing after its bottled, so go ahead and drink that young bottle you’ve been saving, it’s not going to get any older. That said, a sealed bottle of whiskey will keep for more than 100 years. Once opened, don’t plan to keep it around more than about 5 years. The dark color of whiskey comes from the wooden barrels in which it is aged. The barrels made from American White Oak claim to produce the tastiest whiskey. The word whiskey comes from the Irish word meaning “water of life”, which might explain Ireland’s fondness for whiskey.

Now I could have given you an assortment of drinks made with whiskey, but frankly I’d rather cook with it. Bet you were expecting steak with a whiskey glaze, right? Surprise!

Soy and Whiskey Glazed Pork Chops
1 piece fresh Ginger
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 lb broccoli florets
8 oz. fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
1/2 cup Water
3 tablespoons Water
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 tablespoons Soy Sauce
White Pepper to taste
4 boneless Pork Chops, center cut
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tablespoon Whiskey
Green Onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Cut half of ginger in quarters and finely chop remaining half.

In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium-high until hot. Add finely chopped ginger and cook 10 seconds, stirring. Add broccoli and mushrooms. Cook 1 minute; stir in 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cover and cook 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid has evaporated. Transfer to serving plates; keep warm.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining tablespoon oil on medium. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper on pork to season both sides. Add pork to skillet and cook 7 to 8 minutes or until browned on the outside and barely pink in center, turning once. Transfer pork chops to plate.

To skillet, add garlic, whiskey, sugar, quartered ginger, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, and remaining 3 tablespoons water; simmer 4 to 6 minutes or until the consistency of thin syrup, stirring occasionally. Stir in any accumulated pork juices from plate. Remove and discard garlic and ginger.

To serve, divide pork chops among plates with broccoli mixture. Spoon sauce over pork.

Original Recipe: Delish