I had a request for a Poppyseed Cake, so I thought it was a good enough reason to use it for the menu this week. These are some of my favorite pork chops (the other being my peach chutney pork chops) and a breeze to make. If you want some good baked potato ideas, head on over to last week’s recipe exchange.

On the board tonight:

1. Lemon-Nut Pork Chops
2. Baked Potatoes
3. Steamed Asparagus
4. Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon-Nut Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (approx. ½” thick)
• ½ tsp crushed garlic
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts (the finer the grind, the better this works, if you have a coffee grinder that’s best)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 lemon, quartered

skillet

Rub chops with garlic, salt, pepper, & zest. Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Brown chops, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Spread 1/4 nuts on plate. Remove chops 1 at a time and press 1 side into nuts. Add ¼ more nuts each time. Sprinkle any remaining nuts over chops. Stir lemon juice into pan drippings, deglaze, heat for 1 minute and spoon over chops. Serve with lemon wedges.

Baked Potatoes – scrub well, rub with olive oil and kosher salt. If you have them, use metal skewers to speed up cooking.  You can place two potatoes per skewer.  Bake at 450 degrees, for about 30-45 minutes, depending on size of the spuds.

Asparagus – snap ends off each stalk by grabbing the lower, tougher end of the stalk and then tugging on the flower end until the tough bottom stalk snaps off. I use a skillet to steam with just enough water to barely cover stalks, cover and cook for 2 to 8 minutes, until stalks are bright green, but still slightly crisp. Serve with butter or vinaigrette.

Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake

• 2/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp poppy seed
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ cup sour cream

Filling:

• 2 cup raspberries (about 12 oz)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp flour
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

10” springform pan, greased & floured and 2 bowls

In one bowl, beat sugar & butter until fluffy. Add zest and egg. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. In second bowl, mix together poppy seeds, soda, flour & salt. Add to butter mixture. Add sour cream. Mix well. Spread batter in springform pan. Combine filling ingredients with a fork, mashing slightly and spoon over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Shopping List:

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (approx. ½” thick)
• 2 oz finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 1 lemon
• 4 baking potatoes
• 1 lb asparagus
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 sticks butter
• 2-1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp poppy seed
• 4 oz sour cream
• 1 ¾ cup flour
• 12 oz raspberries

Also: baking soda, salt, nutmeg, pepper, crushed garlic, olive oil, kosher salt

Originally posted January 2010

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