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CREAMY GARLIC PORK CHOPS

Ingredients

4 pork chops see notes

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter divided

1 whole head garlic cloves peeled

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup chicken broth or stock

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream

Fresh parsley chopped (optional, to taste)

Instructions

Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Season the pork generously with salt & pepper on both sides.

In a deep skillet, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, and once it's hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes/side or until golden (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops up to 1" thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.

Add the remaining butter and the garlic cloves to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium (or medium-low if using cast iron). Cook it, stirring fairly often, for about 3 minutes or until the garlic has somewhat browned on the outside.

Push the garlic to one side of the pan and sprinkle the flour in (avoiding the garlic). Let it cook for around 30 seconds, and give it a stir so it's incorporated with the butter (we're making a quick roux).

Add in the chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir and let it cook for about a minute or until the sauce is noticeably thickened.

Add in the cream and garlic powder. Stir or whisk it until the garlic powder has dissolved.

Add the pork back in and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit (let the sauce bubble a bit but not furiously boil) and the pork chops are fully cooked through (145F minimum). Keep in mind the pork's temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it, so if it's close, I'd take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Season the sauce with extra salt & pepper as needed and parsley if you wish.

https://www.saltandlavender.com/creamy-garlic-pork-chops/

This week on the Community Spotlight, we learn more about the local nonprofit Old City Cemetery and its work in the community.

Learn more at https://www.gravegarden.org/

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THAI MEATBALL LETTUCE WRAPS

(I love to buy pork chops on sale at F & L Market and grind my own fresh ground pork, but the butchers at F&L can do that for you if you like!)

ingredients

Scale

For the meatballs:

1.5 pounds lean ground pork

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon ginger, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sriracha

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lime juice (1 – 2 limes)

1–2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (for coating the meatballs once they are cooked)

For the cole slaw:

1 14 oz bag cole slaw mix (the kind with regular cabbage, purple cabbage, and carrots)

10 basil leaves, rolled up and sliced

5 mint leaves, rolled up and sliced

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 scallion, finely sliced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

5 teaspoons light mayonnaise

4 teaspoons sweet chili sauce

1 head of iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce (either will work for the lettuce wraps)

Extra lime for garnish

Extra cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

For the meatballs, mix all the ingredients except the sweet chili sauce in a medium bowl with your hands until evenly combined (the pork, scallions, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, sriracha, salt, and lime juice)

Dampen a paper towel with some vegetable oil (canola or coconut oil works too), and wipe it onto a baking sheet to grease it

Using about 1 heaping tablespoon of meat mixture each, form meatballs and place them on the baking sheet

Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes or until they are fully cooked through in the middle, flipping once half way through with a spatula

Meanwhile, make your coleslaw

In a medium bow, combine all your coleslaw ingredients (the bag of coleslaw mix, basil, mint, cilantro, and scallions)

To make your dressing, whisk together the rice vinegar, mayonnaise, and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and pour over the coleslaw, tossing to coat

Set aside until the meatballs are finished baking

When the meatballs are done, transfer them to a bowl and toss with 1-2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (they should just have a very light coating)

To assemble, start with a lettuce cup, spoon in a pile of coleslaw, and top with three meatballs

Top with a little extra cilantro (optional), and an extra squeeze of lime juice (highly recommended!)

https://www.thegarlicdiaries.com/thai-meatball-lettuce.../

Note: if you don’t want to deal with the lettuce wrap (they can get a bit messy!), just serve the meatballs on a bed of the coleslaw, squeeze a little lime juice on top, and eat with a fork!