Welcome to a Saturday Night in our house. Hubby and I have been married since the dawn of time. Romance is different for old married folks. At least that’s true for old married folks like us.
Hubby and I still hold hands. When it’s just the two of us dining out, we’ll sit across from one another and look at each other throughout the meal. At Mass, when the faithful exchange the Peace be with you, Hubby always whispers “I love you.” We do the dishes together every night and talk. We make each other laugh. We don’t do flowers or exchange expensive gifts. I’d rather have something for the house that we all can enjoy than have a new piece of jewelry.
Cooking something special and sharing that meal together is my idea of romance. Something special need not be Filet Mignon or Lobster Tails. Something as simple as a Pork Tenderloin will do just fine.
Pork Tenderloin Piccata Style
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Lemons
3 tablespoons Capers
1-1/2 lb Pork Tenderloin
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup White Wine
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons Butter
Peel garlic, mince and set aside. Slice lemons, set aside. Rinse capers under cold water, set aside.
Slice pork loin across the grain, into approximately 8 half-inch thick pieces. Place pork slices inside a gallon size sealable freezer bag. Evenly pound pork with a meat tenderizer mallet using gentle taps with the flat end of the mallet to flatten.
Season both sides of the pork cutlets with salt and pepper, set aside.
In a small plate combine flour with lemon pepper. Press pork cutlets into flour mixture until thoroughly covered. Shake off excess flour. Set cutlets aside.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat add olive oil. Sauté pork cutlets for 3 minutes on one side, flip over and sauté the other side for 2 minutes.
Remove cutlets to serving dish, cover with foil. Hold in a warm oven.
Deglaze pan with wine. Scatter minced garlic over the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes until garlic is golden.
Stir in stock, the juice of half a lemon and capers. Finish sauce by adding butter. Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets, garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Garlic-Rosemary Roasted New Potatoes
2 lbs small Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 springs Fresh Rosemary
3 Garlic Cloves
Olive OIl as needed
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Rosemary Sprigs for garnish
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
Wash and scrub potatoes. Cut potatoes in half and set aside on paper towels to dry.
Strip fresh rosemary needles from the sprigs, chop and set aside. Peel and finely mince garlic cloves. Set aside.
Place potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat well. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Add minced garlic with chopped rosemary. Toss to blend well.
Turn seasoned potatoes out onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, in the heated oven for about 35 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove roasted potatoes from oven, garnish with rosemary sprigs, serve and enjoy.
Char-Braised Basil Asparagus
1 lb Asparagus
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoons Butter
1/2 Lemon, juiced
Fresh Basil for garnish
Rinse the asparagus and trim off the ends, leaving spears about 8 inches long. Season asparagus with salt and pepper, set aside.
In a large frying pan, heat the Basil Olive Oil and butter to sizzling. Turn down the heat to medium and add the asparagus.
Using a broad spatula, turn the spears over from time to time until they are browned and become tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus.
While the asparagus chars, cut the lemon in half. Stack basil leaves and cut into small ribbons. Set aside.
Just before serving, squeeze half of a lemon over the asparagus. The pan will spurt and sizzle. Roll the asparagus in the sizzling juice, then transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with basil and serve at once.
Plate cutlets on individual plates. Spoon some of the sauce over the cutlets. Serve with roasted potatoes and smoky-charred asparagus. Delicious with a nice chilled bottle of wine.
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