montreal spiced pork chops w/ roasted fennel & mushrooms

montreal steak spice isn’t just for steak anymore. c’est vrai. true story.

on my recent travels to quebec, i picked up some montreal steak spice from spice station, a little shop for local foodies in the charming neighbourhood of mile end. montreal steak spice is a blend of pepper, salt, coriander, dill, mustard seeds, dehydrated garlic and onions, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, paprika and caraway seeds. montreal steak spice is typically used as a rub for steaks… i thought it would make for a fantastic culinary experiment with pork chops. it did indeed.

here’s how…

the chops:
– heat up 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) in large saucepan on high heat
– brown 1/2 white onion (peeled, rough chop) in pan
– add 5-6 pork centre loin chops to pan
– season both sides of pork chops w/ 2 tsp montreal steak spice
– drizzle 1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
– add a dash of sea salt
– add a splash of dry white wine (i used pinot gris.)
– cook pork chops for a few min on both sides until almost cooked evenly through
– remove pork chops from pan and leave onions in pan

the fennel:
the fennel will take approx 30-35min for prep/cooking time, so best to start the fennel before starting the pork chops. check out the previous yumyumyummers recipe for roasted fennel. easypeasy recipe and a fantastic (no-carb) side dish with pork chops.

the mushrooms:
– reduce heat to medium. add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) to the same saucepan you used to cook the pork chops.
– add 1/2 white onion (peeled, rough chop) to the leftover onions in the pan
– add 3 cups large white mushrooms (sliced) to pan

sundried tomato & tofu pizza

i’m a tofu newbie. in the spirit of culinary experiments, i thought it was about time to venture into the (wonderful) world of tofu.

i’ve ordered agedashi tofu at izakaya bars before, but somehow it’s never made its way into my kitchen. who knew that tofu is such a versatile ingredient?! i guess i’ve been missing out all this time… not anymore! :)

some organic tofu from the neighbourhood market and fresh pizza dough from itza bakeshop made for fantastic feature ingredients in this culinary experiment.

– preheat oven to 400F

prep the dough:
– sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean surface before rolling out the pizza dough
– using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
– sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
– place the prepped dough pie on a pizza stone (at room temperature) or a lightly-greased, round baking pan

prep the toppings:
– 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (rough chop)
– 1 cup organic raw tofu (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
– 1 sprig of fresh organic rosemary (leaves removed from stem)
– 1 cup organic mixed greens
– 75-100g queso blanco (grated)

prep the pie:
– spread 1 tbsp low-fat, plain yogurt on the dough pie (instead of traditional pizza sauce)
– add organic mixed greens over yogurt sauce
– add tofu chunks & sundried tomato pieces
– sprinkle fresh rosemary leaves over tofu chunks
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– generously sprinkle grated cheese evenly over pizza toppings

apricot & chicken apple sausage pizza

for the record, the pink peppercorns on this pizza were inspired by don cherry’s pink floral blazer à la stanley cup final. :) 

yes, i’m canadian. and yes, i love the good ol’ hockey game. and what better way to (peacefully) celebrate tonight’s stanley cup final than with some homemade pizza and some local beer. although the canucks didn’t bring home the cup tonight, it’s still a fun annual tradition to watch a bunch of happy, grizzly-bearded dudes on skates hollering and hoisting the stanley cup in victory on the ice. well done, boys.

ok, back to the pizza… :)

some fresh pizza dough from itza bakeshop made for a fantastic base in tonight’s culinary experiment. add some organic chicken apple sausage, fruits & veggies from the local farmers’ market and you’ve got a pretty fantastic powerplay of a meal. um, ok, that was a little cheesy. pun intended. ;)

prep the sausage:
– heat up 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) in large saucepan on high heat
– add 1 clove garlic (peeled, diced) and sauté til slightly browned
– add organic chicken apple sausage (4-5 links, sliced rounds) to pan
– season w/ ground black peppercorns & dash of sea salt
– drizzle 3 tbsp of lager beer over sausage (i used some local honey wheat ale)
– sauté chicken sausage w/ garlic for 8-10min, or until cooked through
– remove from heat & set aside